Does intervening in others' karmic retribution (for good or evil) affect oneself?

In Hangzhou, there lived a family surnamed Shen near the government office, who were on close terms with Taoist Priest Ge. When Shen Xuchu, the eldest son of the family, learned his wife was pregnant, he went to consult the priest, hoping to know if the baby would be a boy or a girl.

Taoist Priest Ge was reluctant to reveal the will of heaven, saying, "Having a son or a daughter is all fate—why must there be a distinction?"

However, Shen Xuchu kept pestering him. Left with no choice, the priest told him to bring a bowl of water. Shen Xuchu fetched the water and placed it on the table. After chanting incantations several times under his breath, the priest suddenly frowned and exclaimed, "Not good! Not good!"

Startled, Shen Xuchu hurried to ask whether the baby was a boy or a girl. The priest replied, "Your wife will soon face a great disaster, and her life may be in danger. How can you still be concerned about the baby’s gender now?"

Shen Xuchu knew the priest’s magic was effective, but seeing his wife in good health, he remained half-convinced.

Before long, one day when Shen’s wife was carrying a lamp upstairs, she suddenly cried out in pain. Her in-laws and husband rushed over at the sound, only to see her rolling on the bed—yet a strange smile lingered on her face. In a voice with a Shaoxing accent, she said, "Today, I can finally take revenge for the grievance in my heart!"

The Shen couple knelt and kowtowed, begging for mercy. The voice replied, "I’ve come to avenge a past-life grudge—it has nothing to do with you!"

Shen Xuchu immediately sent someone to fetch the Taoist priest. Upon arriving, the priest took a bowl of rice, chanted incantations, and flicked grains of rice at the sick woman. A look of fear crossed her face, and she cried, "I was ordered to take revenge—Priest, don’t hit me!"

The priest asked, "What grievance do you hold?"

The voice answered, "I was originally from Shanyin. This woman was the daughter-in-law of my neighbor in a past life. I was only four years old then. Once, while playing at her house, I accidentally broke her bowl. She then insulted my mother, saying my mother had an affair with a man outside and that’s why she gave birth to a bad seed like me. I went home and told my mother. Afraid I would reveal her shame, my mother beat me to death. It was this woman who caused my death! I’ve searched for her for so long, and today I’ve finally found her!"

The priest said to Shen Xuchu, "Matters of avenging grievances and claiming lives are under the jurisdiction of the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak. We must report this to Him and obtain His permission before using magic to save her—otherwise, it will be extremely difficult."

Early the next morning, Shen Xuchu went to the Temple of the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak. He silently prayed about the matter and drew an "upper-upper lot" (the most auspicious result). He returned and told the priest.

By then, Shen’s wife had already miscarried. The priest refused to enter the delivery room, deeming it unclean. Only after the entire Shen family knelt and begged with tears did he walk to the bedside. He drew a "Talisman to Summon Colorful Clouds" and asked the sick woman, "Is it beautiful?"

The woman replied, "Yes, it is."

The priest said, "Then why don’t you come out to see it?"

A voice from within answered, "Alright."

The priest immediately formed a magic seal with his hands, grabbed at the air, and shouted, "Caught you!" He then hurried downstairs.

The sick woman regained consciousness at once, saying, "Why do I ache all over? I’m so hungry." Her family quickly fed her.

But within a quarter of an hour, she began crying and shouting again, "You took my grandson away, but I’ll stay here and still take your life!"

After saying this, she went crazy just like before. This time, many different voices—all with Hangzhou accents—came from her mouth. One of the voices said, "We were all invited by Old Man Zhang. If your family is willing to hold a vegetarian feast to pray for our salvation, we’ll leave."

The Shen family immediately held a Taoist ritual. The ghosts thanked them one after another. Suddenly, the woman’s voice turned into that of an old man, complaining, "I’m the one who’s owed the grudge—why am I being neglected? Everyone else got steamed buns with vegetable filling, but mine is only red bean paste!"

The Shen family checked the offerings in front of the old man’s memorial tablet and found it was indeed true. They quickly replaced his bun. But when they begged him to leave, he refused. They had no choice but to invite the Taoist priest again.

The priest brought a peach branch and ordered, "If you make trouble again, I’ll beat you with this."

Shen Xuchu took the peach branch, entered the room, and pretended to strike. The sick woman immediately begged for mercy, crying, "Don’t hit me—I’ll leave, I’ll leave!"

The priest had already placed a large earthen jar outside the door. He shouted at the air, "Hurry in!" He then sealed the jar’s mouth with a talisman and took it away. From then on, Shen’s wife recovered completely.

Half a year later, someone met Taoist Priest Ge. They saw a group of people carrying him around in an empty room—reportedly, he had not touched the ground for seven days and seven nights. During this period, the priest vomited several liters of black liquid, which stained his clothes with a color like blood. Later, the priest told his young apprentice, "That day, because I forced myself to save that woman, I was contaminated with impure energy. The karmic retribution for people’s good and evil deeds has its origins in past lives. I recklessly intervened and almost lost my life. However, it was also because I had a thought of compassion that I was saved by everyone."