Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
The temperature in the mountains dropped after nightfall, but the restlessness of summer lingered in my heart, buzzing like swarms of mosquitoes on the road.
This was the sixth night since Zhou Manman came to my house, and I had a nagging feeling that something unexpected might happen tonight.
When I got home, my mother noticed my pale face and asked what was wrong. I recounted the recent events and my suspicions to her. After listening, she fell silent, her expression uncertain, as if weighing something in her mind.
I said, "Mom, why don't we move to the county for a while? We can wait until this blows over. People in the mountains are on edge right now, and I feel like something might happen tonight."
My mother replied, "Why don’t you and Manman move to the city for a bit? I’ll stay here."
"Mom, what are you thinking? It's already such a dangerous time, and you still want to stay in the mountains. Dad is a scum; even if you wait for him your whole life, he won't come back." I said impatiently.
Hearing this, my mother raised her hand and slapped me lightly. She regretted it immediately after, her eyes darting away in fear. "Don't talk about your father like that," she said.
My mother had never been one to strike me; hearing my disrespectful words about my father made her act out of desperation. She turned away from me. "Wash your hands for dinner; Manman is still waiting."
As night fully descended, I lay in bed thinking about everything that had happened recently, feeling restless. I sensed that something was amiss.
After my mother's room went dark, I quietly got out of bed. It was just around ten o'clock at night; everyone in Bright Moon Village had already turned off their lights and gone to sleep.
The series of Ghost Killing incidents had turned Futu Ridge into a dead city every night; there were no sounds of life or any lights visible. Villagers would relieve themselves at night using prepared pots inside their homes.
The mountains were home to many wildcats and owls, and at night, eerie sounds resembling a baby's cries echoed through the darkness, particularly grating on the nerves.
Zhou Manman saw me getting dressed and grabbed my hand. "Don't go; I'm scared."
I crouched by the bedside and whispered, "Manman, tonight, Wang Hai was supposed to be the one who died. However, Huang the Lame is fully prepared to protect him. The mastermind behind this, whether human or ghost, will definitely act again tonight. I've been dragged into this matter, so I must go and find out the truth."
Tears shimmered in Zhou Manman's eyes; she wanted me to stay. She held my hand tightly and said, "Just be careful."
I nodded and quietly slipped out of the house.
That night, the moon shone brightly as if it were water. From a high vantage point, it would have seemed that I was the only one daring to venture out at such an hour.
Bright Moon Village was only five miles from Dagu Village. If I walked quickly, I could reach it in twenty minutes. I made my way cautiously to the back of Dagu Village and soon spotted the lights still on at Huang the Lame's house in a distant grove.
Once I reached the side of Huang the Lame's home, I climbed up a massive Phoenix Tree. This tree looked quite old; its bark was cracked and weathered. The leaves of the Phoenix Tree were large and lush, especially in summer, providing perfect cover for me.
From my perch high in the tree, I could see the activity inside Huang the Lame's house. At that moment, Huang the Lame sat at the entrance of his hall wearing a yellow robe, eyes closed in meditation. A Copper Bell hung above him, and several red talismans were plastered at the door—clearly indicating he wasn't certain that Guo the Blind was behind the Ghost Killing incidents; otherwise, he wouldn't have used exorcism tools as a precaution.
Inside the room, Wang Hai sat silently in the hall, his expression anxious. Especially when he saw Huang San'er across from him fiddling with a Swiss Army knife with a nonchalant demeanor; Wang Hai became increasingly restless.
If Wang Hai died tonight, it was obvious that Huang San'er would be next. Huang San'er was bold; he feared neither human nor ghost. If there were ghosts involved, his grandfather would handle them. He also possessed an heirloom from the Huang family that served as protection. If it turned out that the mastermind was human, he wouldn't mind confronting them himself.
I waited in the tree for quite some time without any sign of movement. Inside, Wang Hai kept glancing at his wristwatch. Everyone knew that midnight was when Yin Qi was at its peak; several Ghost Killing incidents had occurred around this time, which explained his anxious glances at the clock.
As everyone grew increasingly impatient, the Copper Bell hanging above Huang the Lame began to ring. At that moment, the Exorcism Talismans on the door started to flutter wildly.
"Grandpa," Huang San'er stopped twirling his knife and walked behind Huang the Lame.
Huang the Lame responded with a grunt and said, "Stay inside and don't go out."
After saying this, he picked up a black short spear and stepped into the yard. His gaze wandered vacantly into the darkness surrounding him. When his eyes swept over my position for a moment, I felt a jolt of fear thinking he had spotted me; however, Huang the Lame quickly looked elsewhere.
In the gaze of Huang the Lame, a black old cat appeared on the roof of his house, the very same Big Black Cat that had been injured on the back mountain of Bright Moon Village yesterday.
This Big Black Cat, like the Woman in the Coffin, had lived for a long time. The wound inflicted by Zhou Cheng's knife seemed to have healed. I had originally thought that such an old cat, with a stab wound in its abdomen and bleeding profusely, would not last long. Yet now, looking at its expression, there was no sign of impending death.
The Big Black Cat's eyes glowed a bright green, and it let out a fierce cry, resembling a ferocious beast. Huang the Lame looked at the Copper Bell and Exorcism Talisman trembling in the cold wind and said with confusion, "So it's a Ghost Cat. Could the killer be a cat?"
It is rumored that cats are messengers of the Underworld and possess extraordinary spiritual abilities; their eyes have a strange power to capture souls. The infamous Cat-faced Old Lady incident that stirred up national panic years ago was due to a pet cat stealing its owner's last breath before death, allowing it to possess the old woman and come back to life, becoming agile and preying on children. This event had only occurred just over twenty years ago; it wasn't that long ago. Although its truth was uncertain, it was widely discussed during my school days, causing great fear.
If this Big Black Cat is indeed the killer behind Ghost Killing, then our previous assumptions have all been wrong!
The mastermind behind Ghost Killing is neither Guo the Blind nor the Woman in the Coffin or any conspirator; it is a transformed Big Black Cat!
Is this Big Black Cat seeking revenge for its owner by killing one after another?
I felt a chill run down my spine.
"It's just a beast; I'll kill you right now and see what else you can do!" Huang the Lame intended to chase away the Big Black Cat, but it kept staring at him with a challenging look in its eyes. He picked up a short spear and threw it.
The Big Black Cat let out a shriek as it was unexpectedly struck by the black spear. This spear was engraved with exorcism charms; it was an artifact passed down from the Old Huang Family that Huang the Lame usually used to ward off evil spirits. He had hardly ever used it before, but now it felt surprisingly effective.
After flying out, the spear had a line attached to it that allowed it to return to him. Not wanting to leave any loose ends, Huang the Lame rushed out after it.
Just as Huang the Lame left, I felt a wave of coldness sweep over me while still perched atop the tree. A chilling wind blew through, knocking down all of Huang the Lame's yellow talismans that were stuck to the door.
Typically, summer nights are stiflingly hot; even in the mountains, it shouldn't be this cold.
At this moment inside the house, Huang San'er and Wang Hai seemed to feel the chill as well. Wang Hai stood up, rubbing his arms and looking around nervously. "Third Brother, why has it suddenly become so cold? Did the old man go out chasing ghosts? What if a ghost comes? What are we going to do?"
“Shh!” Huang San'er made a gesture for silence, as if he had heard some strange sound.
At that moment, the lights in the room suddenly flickered on and off.
With a loud pop, several lights in the room went out instantly. Wang Hai was so frightened that he nearly cried and hurriedly ran towards Huang San'er.
However, just as Wang Hai took a couple of steps, he was suddenly thrown backward, crashing into the Eight Immortals Table in the room. Huang San'er saw this clearly; there was no one near Wang Hai, yet he had been flung away!
“Brother San'er, help me!” Wang Hai shouted in panic, suddenly clutching his own neck uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Huang San'er rushed forward to drag the struggling Wang Hai out of the house. Wang Hai lay on the ground, kicking his legs wildly, his face flushed and veins bulging from the pressure of his grip.
“Grandpa!” Huang San'er tried to pry Wang Hai's hands away but found he couldn't move them at all; Wang Hai's hands felt as if they were welded in place. He could only call for help from Huang the Lame.
I was just about to climb down from the tree to help when I caught sight of a tall man passing beneath it. From his profile, I recognized who he was.
Li Fugui, the village chief of Bright Moon Village.
Comment 0 Comment Count