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Human Sacrifice
After returning home, I couldn't calm my restless mind. I couldn't believe that Guo the Blind was such a person, yet the words of the Old Man echoed in my ears—
No one could endure such hatred, especially not the enigmatic Guo the Blind.
Guo the Blind not only understood feng shui and knew some forbidden methods of killing, but he was also a folk doctor, knowledgeable about various treatments for difficult ailments. If he understood how to treat these ailments, he surely knew their causes as well.
In Bright Moon Village, there was a farmer from the Shu family whose eight-year-old son fell ill with a strange disease known as being possessed by a zombie. During the episodes, he exhibited immense strength, his eyes rolled back, and he kept shouting, "I am Zuo Zongtang! I am Zuo Zongtang! The Shu family owes me my head!"
Zuo Zongtang was one of the most famous ministers of the late Qing Dynasty. Even in his old age, he held significant power, but his upright nature offended many people, leading to repeated schemes against him. Ultimately, he passed away in distress in the countryside. There was also a rumor that he was beheaded before his death, and the family responsible for this was indeed named Shu.
The boy's zombie-like illness became widely known, causing a stir throughout the county. Many doctors came to examine him but found no issues. The boy remained relatively quiet during the day but went wild at night, biting people and threatening to drink blood. His strength was terrifying; it took several adults to restrain him.
At that time, Guo the Blind had not yet gained much fame in Futu Ridge. The Cultural Revolution had completely diminished his status among the villagers. Old Man Wang from the village had a good relationship with Guo the Blind and had heard him discuss cases that appeared to involve possession. Guo the Blind explained to Old Man Wang that many symptoms attributed to possession were actually caused by a certain acupuncture point at the back of the neck being affected by evil winds. Thus, Old Man Wang recommended Guo the Blind to everyone.
As expected, Guo the Blind almost miraculously cured the boy with an extremely simple method. He used a silver needle to puncture the boy's neck and then mixed some soot from the bottom of a pot into water for the child to drink. At first, everyone thought Guo the Blind was a fraud for using soot from a pot; they felt there was no other option left and decided to give it a try. To their astonishment, after drinking the soot mixture, the boy was cured and never suffered from that illness again.
If Guo the Blind could understand such a bizarre illness so well, then what if those who died by their own hands were also suffering from some ailment?
Or rather, what if Guo the Blind caused them to develop this self-strangling condition that no one could detect?
But the question remained: why would Guo the Blind want to kill these young people? Did he intend to kill me as well?
With these thoughts swirling in my mind, I became increasingly restless and decided to go next door to Dagu Village to ask Huang the Lame about some matters.
Upon arriving at Dagu Village, I saw Huang the Lame coming from the direction of Dagu Village's Ancestral Grave; he must have been dealing with Zhou Cheng's burial arrangements.
Huang the Lame looked at me with surprise as I arrived alone in Dagu Village and asked, "What are you doing here?"
I replied, "Old Huang, I have some questions for you."
Huang the Lame was not pleased to see me and muttered a few sarcastic remarks before turning to leave. After all, we had clashed several times in the past behind Bright Moon Village.
Seeing that Huang the Lame was ignoring me, I followed him until we reached his yard. His yard was much more impressive than those of the other villagers, featuring ancient-style architecture. I had heard that his son was quite capable and had been buying land and building houses around the county without spending much money.
As the saying goes, one should not strike a smiling face. I complimented him politely along the way, and Huang the Lame showed no intention of driving me away. Upon arriving at his home, Huang San'er came out from inside. Upon seeing me, he was furious and raised his sleeve as if to hit me.
"San'er, stand down," Huang the Lame scolded, then turned to me and asked, "So, what do you want?"
I said, "First, I want to ask you if it’s true that there was a black veil hovering over our heads before, and what about now?"
Huang the Lame replied, "You should be asking Guo the Blind these questions, not me."
"If I could ask Guo the Blind, I wouldn't be here looking for you," I retorted while staring at him.
Huang the Lame scrutinized me for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter. "So you’re starting to doubt Guo the Blind too?"
I nodded and shared some of my suspicions with him. After listening, Huang the Lame said, "I've had my doubts about these things too. I suspected that woman from behind the mountain is Guo the Blind's mother. However, everything else is still just speculation for now. As for your black veil, all of you young people had it before. The Feng Shui Master has a secret technique to see if someone is cursed; it manifests as black energy above their heads, which is what they call a darkened brow. But now you're the only one left with a black veil."
"With a black veil over my head and death looming near, do you think tonight's victim will be me?" I asked.
Huang the Lame looked at me in surprise and said seriously, "The evil spirits from behind the mountain are gone; however, the Ghost Killing incidents haven’t stopped. If Guo the Blind has been orchestrating everything from start to finish by himself, then I finally understand what my father told me before he died: never go against Guo the Blind; an Old Scholar's disciple is not so simple. Given Guo the Blind's attitude towards you right now, tonight's victim will definitely not be you."
"Wang Hai," both Huang the Lame and I said simultaneously.
Among the survivors of the bus crash, there were eight men including myself, and now five of them were dead. Guo the Blind seemed to be temporarily uninterested in me because he wanted to create confusion, making everyone believe that it was a female ghost seeking revenge on the seven misbehaving members of Huang San'er’s group. To protect Huang San'er, Huang the Lame would certainly keep a close watch on him. With Huang the Lame's skills, he wasn't afraid of Guo the Blind's threats; the only one left unprotected was Wang Hai.
Guo the Blind had provided Wang Hai not only with a black veil but also with a talisman. However, if Guo the Blind intended to kill him, there would be no escape.
As Huang the Lame and I were talking, Wang Hai walked in through the front door, accompanied by his parents.
Upon seeing Huang the Lame, Wang Hai burst into tears and knelt on the ground, bowing his head. "Grandpa, please save me! I'm definitely going to be the next to die tonight!"
Wang Hai was terrified. He had witnessed his brothers falling one by one; aside from Huang San'er, he was the only one left. With Huang San'er under Huang the Lame's protection, he knew he would be next. So he had come with his family to plead with Huang the Lame.
"Get up," Huang the Lame said. "I was just about to look for you."
"Uncle Huang, what exactly is this Ghost Killing all about? Why is it targeting several kids from our village? Even if they did something bad to that female driver, they don't deserve to die. Besides, isn't that female driver still alive?" Wang Hai's father asked.
Huang the Lame replied, "Things are not as you think. I’m not entirely clear on everything either. To prevent further loss of life, Wang Hai will stay at my house tonight and sleep with my three children. I'll keep watch over them all night."
Wang Hai's parents expressed their gratitude profusely. They reluctantly left when they noticed Huang the Lame seemed a bit annoyed. Wang Hai's mother held his hand tightly. "You must not leave Old Huang's side; he is truly capable. The ghosts won't dare come near."
Wang Hai nodded repeatedly, his eyes red with tears. "Mom, if I die, you have to live well."
Watching this scene unfold beside me, I felt neither joy nor sorrow. People often reflect on their lives when faced with death. Wang Hai’s character wasn’t as impulsive as some of the other young men; however, having spent too much time with those idle individuals like Huang San'er, he had inevitably picked up some of their negative traits—resorting to violence at any disagreement and feeling entitled to bully others as long as it wasn’t him being victimized.
But everyone must pay for their actions; I have always believed that.
Slapping someone and then giving them a piece of candy does not make one a good person.
There was a report about an elderly entrepreneur who dedicated his life to doing good deeds, becoming a well-known Great Benefactor in the country. However, due to a coincidental event, the police discovered that his DNA matched that of a notorious serial killer in their database. During the interrogation, the entrepreneur confessed to his past crimes and was ultimately sentenced to death.
At this moment, Wang Hai resembled a penitent. Over the years, he had repeatedly engaged in brawls with Huang San'er and his gang, injuring countless young people of his age, forcibly dragging away numerous girls from nightclubs, slapping those who failed to yield on the streets, and extorting innocent students who were originally pure and kind-hearted.
His current display of filial piety and remorse could not compensate for the harm he had inflicted on others; if anything, it revealed his greater selfishness.
"Old Huang, since that's the case, I'll take my leave," I said as the sun dipped below the horizon, bidding farewell to Huang the Lame.
Huang the Lame nodded. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Young man, why not stay at my place tonight?"
"Grandpa, why are you protecting him?" Huang San'er complained.
"Be quiet!" Huang the Lame scolded Huang San'er.
I clasped my fists in respect to Huang the Lame but declined his kind offer and turned to leave.
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