Chapter 10

Someone immediately searched Qingyazi's body and only found a warm egg from his old school uniform. This was clearly his breakfast. In the wooden lunch box were porridge and pickled vegetables, indicating that he had come to deliver a meal to the family. I had heard the blind old man in the village say that for the past two years, Qingyazi had been taking care of Wang Baosong's old mother, delivering meals regardless of the weather.

Two years ago (last year and this year), how old was Qingyazi? Eleven or twelve?

After the search turned up nothing, the police let Qingyazi go and told him to move away as they were investigating. He obeyed, walked outside the yard, and spat on the ground in anger. I felt he was looking at me, and the gaze of this child made me feel uncomfortable, so I went into the house. Inside, it was still damp and hot, with a strange smell. The light was turned on, and I saw Luo Ermei being lifted by several men, while Wang Baosong was being pressed to the ground and handcuffed by two burly police officers.

Luo Ermei was telling them, "He's just a madman, don't make things hard for him."

Yesterday, the dim light prevented me from seeing Luo Ermei clearly; I only noticed that she looked emaciated. Today, I saw that she was almost as thin as a mummy, all bones, with a terrifying face. I knew that those who practice witchcraft and deal with ghosts daily have their yang energy drained and their luck eroded. Without a method, their appearance becomes terrifying, and their fate is not good. I had always found this hard to believe from books, but seeing it today made me feel even more chilled.

Wang Baosong was dragged out struggling, and Luo Ermei looked at me and smiled, "You really surpass the blue." Her smile was very eerie. I asked her about the little ghost from yesterday, where the corpse came from. She said, "Oh, I forgot about that. The little ghost's bones are buried under the bed. As for where they came from, they were found where the sin was committed."

Luo Ermei, paralyzed and unable to walk, was wrapped in a blanket by several police officers. The stench from her feet made them uncomfortable, so they quickly carried her to the yard. I felt that this old woman's life was almost at its end. Ma Haibo interjected, asking about the little ghost. I didn't tell him about last night's events, only that he had mentioned a case of a young girl's body being stolen. I told him to move the bed and dig to find out.

Ma Haibo said, "Really?" I replied, "Would I lie to you?"

He now trusted me completely and quickly called two officers in the room to find shovels and crowbars. I pushed the bed a bit and pointed to a spot with a strong smell of corpse, telling them to dig carefully. The floor was wooden but rotten, so it was easy to remove. Two strong young men started digging with shovels, while I looked around the room for anything unusual.

I found some wooden splinters, silver rings, incense, and candles in a wooden box, and on the altar, I found wooden statues, jars, a pile of herbs, incense ash, peach wood, and bone fragments... as well as a lifelike porcelain doll. Someone called out that they had dug up something, so I moved to the bed and saw a thin coffin about fifty centimeters long in a pit of hard mud, emitting a strong stench.

I quickly told them to open all the windows and find wet towels to cover their faces. I squatted down and used a crowbar to open the coffin. Inside was a gray-white skeleton, not large, with all the flesh rotted into a mass of flesh and blood, and countless white maggots crawling over it.

At that moment, I couldn't hold back anymore. I ran out of the wooden house, crawled to a wooden frame, and vomited. This triggered a chain reaction, and my stomach started to revolt, with all the gas and food from yesterday's lunch and dinner coming up. Some even came out of my nose. When I had only acid left in my stomach, I saw several other guys in the same position.

Ma Haibo came out with a towel over his nose, looking pale at the mess we had vomited. Seeing I was better, he said, "I closed the coffin. We'll take it back for the forensics team to check. I've been a police officer for twenty years, seen everything, but this time, it's really damn strange."

I was afraid he hadn't sealed the coffin properly, so I went back in to check, despite feeling nauseous. I saw that the small coffin was tightly sealed. I waved to Ma Haibo at the door, indicating it was okay. Everything was done, and I was ready to leave this place. I lifted my leg to go, but found I couldn't move.

Looking down, I was shocked to see a beautifully carved little girl hugging my leg, her face red. I looked outside and saw Ma Haibo directing the officers, unaware of my situation. I asked her, "What do you want?" She shook her head and pointed to the small coffin.

I asked, "Do you want me to bury it properly?"

She shook her head.

I asked, "Do you want me to help you cross over?"

She shook her head, looking terrified. I smiled and said, "You don't want me to take you away, do you?"

She finally nodded, smiling like a puppy trying to please its owner. I was hesitant; how could I, a grown man, take a little ghost? Besides, I didn't know much about raising ghosts. Seeing my hesitation, she jumped up, found a broom, swept the floor, and rubbed my clothes. Seeing no reaction from me, she started crying.

Seeing her pitiful look, something in my heart softened, and I felt a pang of sympathy. I asked, "How can I take you away? Where do you usually stay?" If she stayed in the coffin, I would have refused outright, as I didn't have the mental fortitude of a professional shaman. Fortunately, she pointed to the porcelain doll on the altar.

I picked up the palm-sized porcelain doll and found a switch near the doll's neck. Opening it, I saw a small space with a bit of black hair, bones, ash, and oil, separated by a membrane. I said, "Okay, I'll take you away, but if you don't behave, I'll leave you in the sun." She shook her head in fear and nodded rapidly, like a chicken pecking. I lifted the porcelain doll, and she immediately turned into a white line and entered it.

"Lu Zuo, Lu Zuo..." Ma Haibo came over and pushed me. I asked, "What's wrong?" He smiled, looking a bit off, and asked, "What were you mumbling about?" I asked, "Didn't you see anything?" Ma Haibo said, "Don't scare me." I said, "Just kidding," and raised the porcelain doll, saying, "I want to take this back, is that okay?"

Ma Haibo asked, "What is this?" I shook my head, acting mysterious, and told him not to ask, that I would handle it.

He didn't argue and nodded, saying, "Take it." Someone came in and said the car had arrived, asking if I wanted to go back to the county. I didn't want to stay in this place any longer, so I said I would go back. As we left the yard, I saw Qingyazi still standing by the field, and I ignored him, letting the child hate me.

"You're a traitor, a traitor to our Miao people..." he shouted at me angrily.

I turned to look at him, and he became even more aggressive, spitting at me, "Pah, you've driven Uncle Baosong mad and are going to kill Grandma Luo. You outsiders... you, a traitor to the Miao people, are helping them!" His accent mixed with Miao, making it hard to understand, but I could see the deep resentment in his eyes. At his age, his worldview was already formed, stubborn, radical, and resentful. Looking into those eyes, I was speechless. Two police officers in the yard came over to pull him away, saying, "What do you know, kid? Go, go!"

I didn't say anything and turned to leave. The police officer continued to scold him, "Grandma Luo broke the law, and everyone has to face the consequences..."

In the car, I told Ma Haibo about the need to remove the toxins from the two injured young police officers and instructed him to buy some large water chestnuts, slice them, dry them, and grind them into powder. They should take two grams in the morning with an empty stomach, using clear water, for a week without interruption to expel the toxins.

After that, we arrived in Qingmeng Township. I declined their invitation to stay and took a bus back to the county. It was only noon when I got to the county. I had a quick meal and bought some nutritional supplements to visit my uncle at the county hospital. When I entered the ward, I met my cousin Xiaojing. She glanced at me, didn't call me, and just huffed, turning away. My uncle, however, was warm and invited me to sit down, asking if I had any success in Qingshanjie.

My uncle's face had been stitched and was now wrapped in thick white bandages. I asked about his condition, and he said it was okay, but about the scars... well, men don't live by their faces. Xiaojing, standing nearby, said angrily, "A few scars, like a thug." My uncle scolded her, saying, "What do you know, kid?" Xiaojing stood up, glared at me, and ran out. I tried to calm my uncle, saying that teenage girls are like that. I didn't say much in apology and told him about what happened in Segai Village.

My uncle was silent for a moment and asked, "Do you really have the Golden Silkworm?"

I said yes, and he grabbed my hand, saying, "Don't ever tell anyone else, and don't let anyone see it. I've lived in the mountains for half my life, but I understand people. In ancient times, having a precious gem was a sin. This is a treasure, and if too many people know, it will bring you trouble, understand?"

I nodded, indicating I understood. My uncle sighed, saying, "My face will be fine, just a few light scars, and I have public medical insurance, so don't worry. I haven't accomplished much in my life, and Xiaohua and Xiaojing are growing up. They take after their mother, and I'm worried. If you have any difficulties, lend a hand. Also, the money you gave my wife is too much; I'll have her return it to you..."

I waved my hand, saying it wasn't necessary and that Xiaohua and Xiaojing were my responsibility, and I would help.

After some more talk, my uncle didn't say anything more and we talked about Li Decai, who was still missing. The wild forest had been searched several times, but there were no signs. My uncle sighed, saying he was initially angry but now very worried.

I stayed at the hospital for over an hour, then went to the bus station to return home.

Although I had reported my safety, my parents were still overjoyed to see me safe. Some neighbors, disappointed, came over to ask about my release. I ignored them, closed the door, and carefully placed the porcelain doll containing the ghost's soul. I then began to seriously study the old book left by my grandmother.

The recent events had taught me a lesson: my grandmother had left me a great wealth, a treasure that could turn the mundane into the extraordinary and bring me into an extraordinary world. But if I didn't use it well, I would end up joining her in the afterlife. To be honest, due to my fear of my grandmother, we didn't communicate much.

"The Twelve Methods of Suppressing the Mountains" has thirteen chapters, each with dozens of pages, nearly a hundred thousand words of text, and an equal amount of commentary and illustrations. Honestly, I found it hard to grasp at first. But knowing how useful this knowledge was, I was now highly motivated.

That day, I read with great interest until late at night, until the moon had moved west and the insects were chirping, when I was finally overcome by sleep.

In a daze, I saw my grandmother again.