Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
We were all startled by the child that appeared in Light Shadow, for he was exceedingly ugly. His skin was waxy and gray, with a sharp nose and long, pointed features. His sparse hair hung limply, and his emaciated frame stood barely a meter tall.
The child's eyes glimmered with boundless hatred. He resembled a feral beast, emitting low growls from his mouth, where his teeth appeared slightly blackened.
We all turned to Douding, asking if he recognized the child.
Douding shook his head and said, “There’s no one like him in Niujia Village. I’ve been to every household, but I’ve never seen this person before.”
“That’s strange. Could he be a child from Outer Village?” Wu wondered aloud.
I pointed at the child's feet and said, “His feet are covered in mud; it’s clear he walked through the lotus pond. The mud there is thickest, making it the best place for lotus roots to grow. Moreover, he isn’t wearing any clothes at all. No matter how dirty his skin is, it shouldn’t be this color. Could he be something that grows in the river?”
My words made both Wuhe and Mr. Chang furrow their brows. They exchanged glances and spoke in unison, “Kappa.”
Kappa is a rumored amphibious creature believed to be extinct, scientifically known as Water Tiger. In reality, Kappa is akin to the water ghosts and river deities of folklore. Their skin is slick and they dwell in damp places, coming out at night to forage. They rarely venture out during the day but sometimes attack livestock near the riverbank.
It is said that Kappa have extremely long lifespans and possess intelligence comparable to humans due to their developed brains. Some Kappa resemble human children so closely that it’s nearly impossible to tell them apart. They enjoy playing with human children; however, due to their grotesque appearance, they are often shunned by kids. Some Kappa do not mind this rejection, while others harbor resentment and may drag solitary children into the water to drown them.
The ugly child in Light Shadow bore a striking resemblance to the rumored Kappa. Yet, given that Niujia Village had experienced decades of peace, why would a Kappa suddenly attack humans? And why would it provocatively hang one of Niujia Village's children at the entrance of Qingliang Temple?
Wudao: “I’ve never heard of a Kappa that can confuse people; this one must be unusual.”
Mr. Chang looked at the Zhou Compass in my hand and said, “If it’s a sentient Kappa, we can find it using Yang Hao’s compass.”
The needle of the Zhou Compass can indicate the location of nearby spiritual entities. However, I had never used it to search for anything in Futu Ridge. Holding the compass, I walked along the edge of the lotus pond while Mr. Chang and the others followed closely behind, keeping an eye on any changes in the needle's direction. Yet after circling around for quite some time, we saw no movement from the compass needle.
By evening, we reached the stone bridge in the center of Niujia Village. The needle on the compass gently swayed for a moment before returning to its original position.
"It seems there is still a problem under this stone bridge," I said, looking down.
Decades ago, the Old Priest of Qingliang Temple was criticized in Niujia Village. At that time, Niujia Village was still two separate villages, and the issue of funding for the bridge in between remained unresolved, leading to frequent fights between the villagers. Later, a girl from the village went missing, followed by the disappearance of two cows. The Old Priest claimed that the girl had fallen into the water and got tangled in the aquatic plants below the lotus pond, preventing her from resurfacing. When she died, her resentment turned her into a ghost, which led the cows to their demise in the water.
Looking back now, that unsolved case from years ago seems suspicious. A girl who fell into the water, no matter how much resentment she had at the time of her death, would not become a ghost unless there was something wrong with the bridge itself—either it was a spiritual ground or something sinister was buried beneath.
Mr. Chang was called back to Qingliang Temple by the Old Priest, who then ascended to immortality without having a chance to discuss this matter with Mr. Chang. Mr. Chang learned about it from the villagers. If what the villagers said was true, then the Old Priest must have lied.
Seeing us gathered at the bridgehead, some villagers approached to inquire about what was happening.
Mr. Chang said, "Gather the villagers; we need to dig out the coffin from under the bridge."
"Coffin?" The crowd looked puzzled at Mr. Chang's sudden mention of a coffin, and we too exchanged confused glances with him.
Mr. Chang explained, "This bridge has been here for over a hundred years; it likely dates back to the late Qing Dynasty. When constructing such a bridge, it is inevitable that living piles would be used. If people were buried beneath it—especially child sacrifices—they would require a coffin."
Few among the younger generation understood what living piles meant, but those older certainly did. Living piles were a folk custom before construction; before starting any building project, one or two children would be buried alive on-site to ensure smooth progress. This method is said to have originated with Lu Ban because when people disturbed the earth in a location, it would disrupt its feng shui and anger local wraiths, leading to frequent accidents during construction. Thus arose the practice of living piles—to bury children on-site as a means of warding off evil and reducing mishaps.
Especially when building bridges, using living piles was common practice: capturing a pair of child sacrifices and nailing them inside a coffin before burying it under the bridge would turn those children into guardians of that bridge, protecting travelers passing over it.
To modern eyes, these practices may seem foolish due to widespread information and internet access today; however, for those who lived in ignorance back then, this was their belief.
Ancient emperors and ministers also employed living piles when constructing large buildings, often burying dozens of child sacrifices to ward off evil energy.
Similar old customs included blocking floodwaters with children; ancient people believed that plugging breaches with kids could help mitigate floods. Even some renowned ancient flood control officials used similar methods.
Upon hearing Mr. Chang mention that this bridge was built on the basis of living piles, the villagers began to piece together some clues and hurried home to fetch shovels and other tools.
Once a large number of Niujia Village residents gathered, Mr. Chang instructed them to first block off water at both ends of the bridge tunnel and then scoop out all the water in between. He personally descended onto the bridge to direct everyone in digging for the coffin beneath it.
Beneath the bridge, the ground was covered in snake skins, and night had fallen. The thought of digging up the Living Pile was terrifying; if Mr. Chang didn't personally lead the effort, the villagers wouldn't dare to go down.
Following Mr. Chang's instructions, the villagers indeed unearthed a coffin from the mud beneath the bridge. The surface of the coffin was covered in rust, revealing that it was made of iron.
The villagers worked together to lift the heavy coffin out from under the bridge, water continuously leaking from its base.
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed, seemingly coming from inside the coffin. Several villagers carrying it turned pale with fear. One of them exclaimed, "Don't mess around with this kind of stuff right now; it's not time for ghost stories."
"But I really heard a sound coming from inside the coffin! What if something is still alive in there?" A young villager shivered at his own words.
Thud, thud—
Two more muffled sounds came from the iron coffin. The young villager was so frightened that he dropped his end and ran towards the shore. Seeing him flee, the others lost their composure as well, abandoning the coffin and running away.
The iron coffin fell into the lotus pond, and its lid flew open. Out crawled an extremely ugly child-like creature—the Kappa we had seen in Zhou Compass.
As soon as the Kappa appeared, all the villagers were taken aback. It roared angrily at them, its voice sharp and piercing.
A few villagers brandished their iron shovels, trying to corner it on both sides of the pond. The Kappa scanned the crowd and locked eyes with Douding, who stood on the bridge looking terrified. Suddenly, fins resembling fish flared out from its arms, and its webbed feet grasped at the ground as it lunged toward Douding. No one expected it to leap so high.
"Seeking death," Five Cold scoffed from a distance, gesturing towards the Kappa. Instantly, it let out a wail as it was sent flying to the shore by an unseen force. A group of villagers surrounded it with their shovels, trapping it as it struggled to escape while emitting pitiful cries.
Mr. Chang brought Douding into the crowd and coldly asked the Kappa, "My disciple has no grievances with you; why do you wish to harm him?"
The Kappa glared at Douding beside Mr. Chang with fierce eyes but hesitated to approach. In a sudden fit of rage, it picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at Douding. However, before it could reach him, the stone abruptly turned back and struck the Kappa on its head, causing blood to flow.
At that moment, laughter erupted as Zhang Jianzi emerged from behind the crowd. "This must be the Kappa; it seems to have taken a liking to our Douding."
Upon hearing Zhang Jianzi identify this child-like creature as a Kappa, fear spread across the villagers' faces. Although Kappas were water spirits known for their mischief, those who had cultivated their powers could become river gods. Many villagers would avoid weasels out of fear of attracting trouble; if this Kappa got away, they would surely face dire consequences.
A villager said, "Zhang Jianzi, you Kappa seem to like Douding, but it's obvious that you want to harm Douding!"
Wu Ye stepped forward and remarked, "This creature can't even tell if it's male or female, how can it like Douding?"
Zhang Jianzi replied, "You may not know this, but years ago when I was wandering around the Min Nan area, I witnessed a Kappa eating children. That Kappa specifically consumed the internal organs of children. Later, I learned from a senior that Kappas are hermaphroditic beings, and the reason it ate children's organs was that the children threw stones at it. In reality, it longed to be with the children."
"Isn't that a psychological perversion?" a villager scoffed.
Zhang Jianzi continued, "Kappas are ugly, and their kind is nearly extinct. The remaining Kappas find it hard to locate others of their kind. They have extremely long lifespans and never grow up. Human children possess relatively pure hearts, so they attempt to interact with them. If I’m correct, one of the two children who were struck while building this bridge must have been someone the Kappa liked. When it found the child, that child had already been dead for many years. What happened afterward, perhaps you will see for yourselves."
Zhang Jianzi walked up to me and took my hand, moving the needle on the compass a significant distance. The Light Shadow shifted, revealing a shabby old man bound to a large tree. He looked toward the bottom of the bridge, murmuring as if reciting a Sutra. After a while, splashes erupted from the water as a Kappa emerged from the riverbed.
This Kappa looked exactly like the one before us.
Mr. Chang nearly cried upon seeing the old man because this old man was his master, the Old Priest of Qingliang Temple.
After emerging from the river, the Kappa approached the Old Priest covered in mud, its eyes filled with fear and trembling.
The Old Priest sighed and said, "The world is harsh; I see you struggle to survive. Even though you killed someone, I won't take your life. I've placed the matter of the water ghost on that girl you killed. But tell me, why did you have to harm her?"
The Kappa couldn't speak but gestured toward the Old Priest. The Old Priest replied, "The Living Pile beneath the bridge was buried decades ago. Seeking revenge on these villagers isn't right. As a Kappa, being hermaphroditic means that girl naturally didn't want to play with you because of your ugliness; it's only reasonable she threw stones at you. Why did you have to take her life?"
Hearing this from the Old Priest made the Kappa emit an angry low growl. The Old Priest said, "You are not human; after all, you are just a beast. How can you understand human affairs? Nevertheless, there is compassion in this world. As a member of the Daoist Sect, I will spare your life but not without punishment. You will be sealed within an iron coffin of the Living Pile beneath this bridge; as long as the seal remains intact, you will not die. When it disappears, you may emerge again. By then, I will have long returned to dust; do not harm others again; otherwise, your life will be in danger."
I put away the Zhou Compass. Although I knew Zhang Jianzi might also be a member of the Daoist Sect living in seclusion here, I was still astonished by his knowledge of how to use my Zhou Compass.
Mr. Chang and Wu Ye both showed expressions of confusion as they noticed Zhang Jianzi's peculiarities.
The villagers knew I was a disciple learning from Mr. Chang and thought that witnessing the past Light Shadow was some technique I had displayed.
As everyone witnessed the truth and looked at the fierce Kappa before them, some showed pity while others still harbored hatred and disgust.
Zhang Jianzi said, "This Kappa has a fondness for beautiful children, so Douding naturally became its target. Moreover, since Douding is a disciple of Qingliang Mountain, the Kappa both loves and hates him. With its nature, it would certainly want to take Douding's life."
Zhang Jianzi reached out and patted Douding's bald head, smiled, and then walked away.
The villagers turned to Mr. Chang, seeking his opinion. No one believed that the Kappa could remain in the human realm after it had killed a child from the village the previous night.
Mr. Chang looked at the Kappa and said, "My master spared your life back then because of your potential for good. But since you have not changed your wicked ways, you must be dealt with for the sake of the villagers. Death would be a form of relief for you."
With that, Mr. Chang approached the Kappa. Seeing no way to escape, the Kappa sat on the ground like a monk and began to sob.
Mr. Chang placed his hand on the Kappa's head, and suddenly white smoke began to rise from its body. Following that, Dao Fire ignited around the Kappa, turning it to ashes in the raging flames.
Mr. Chang led a sorrowful Douding out of the crowd and headed toward Qingliang Mountain.
Mr. Chang said, "From now on, try to commit fewer sins. I do not wish for such things to happen in our village again. My generation will be the last to oversee Qingliang Temple."
Five and I followed Mr. Chang back to Qingliang Temple. That night, no one spoke much. I had intended to tease Douding, but his mood was clearly poor; I couldn't tell if it was due to his friend Ergui's death or the Kappa's demise.
Douding had been with Mr. Chang for several years, but Mr. Chang never taught him anything because he believed that there was too much killing in the Daoist World. If Douding learned any skills, it might endanger him instead. Mr. Chang truly cared for Douding and did not want him to suffer harm.
However, on our way back that night, I noticed Mr. Chang exchanged a glance with Five. Five pretended not to see it; perhaps they had reached some sort of understanding.
After night fell, Douding wished me goodnight and quickly fell asleep beside me. But Five remained awake; his breathing was too steady, and he lay there for two hours without making a sound.
"Haozi?" Five suddenly called out to me.
I pretended to be asleep and remained silent. When he called my name again and saw that I was still pretending to sleep, he got up and left the Meditation Room. Feeling curious, I quietly got up and followed him.
After leaving the Meditation Room, Wu walked straight to the backyard, where Mr. Chang was standing, gazing at the bright moon above.
“Chang Lao, is there something you need to tell me that Haozi and Douding shouldn't know?” Wu asked.
Mr. Chang replied, “That person named Zhang Jianzi is using Dao Qi to activate the Zhou Compass. I sensed a powerful presence lurking in the shadows, but I cannot determine who it is. However, Yang Hao and Douding are facing a deadly calamity.”
“A deadly calamity? Why would someone want to kill them for no reason?” Wu's expression changed in shock.
Mr. Chang shook his head. “I don’t know, but it’s an unavoidable calamity. I must eliminate any potential threats lurking in the dark.”
“Is Chang Lao suspecting Zhang Jianzi? Douding seems to have the closest relationship with him. According to Yang Hao, Zhang Jianzi suddenly appeared in Niujia Village over ten years ago. If he wanted to harm Douding, he could have done so long ago; why wait until now?” Wu questioned.
Mr. Chang said, “Perhaps the timing wasn’t right before, but now it is. Yang Hao is the son of Yang Sanqian, and Douding is my disciple. With the deadly calamity approaching, I must eliminate Zhang Jianzi. The moment he used Dao Qi to interact with the Zhou Compass, the deadly calamity for Yang Hao and Douding became apparent.”
“When does Chang Lao plan to take action?” Wu asked.
Mr. Chang replied, “Right now.”
Comment 0 Comment Count