Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Sun Er Pangzi also came over, trying to comfort us. "Well, you know, there are many wild beasts in the mountains. It's not impossible for a wolf cub to carry it away. Don't scare yourselves unnecessarily."
But what Sun Er Pangzi said was hardly comforting. What was the difference between crawling out of a coffin and being carried away by a wild beast?
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Lao Wei's expression showed no change. I couldn't help but ask, "Wei Shu, you've been hunting your whole life. What do you think?"
"Earlier, I thought you had some skills, but you look like just a young lad in your twenties. I thought you were just boasting. It seems I've underestimated you; your master must have guessed it long ago and brought me here to verify."
Lao Wei had seen through my intentions. Rubbing my head with a grin, I said, "Wei Shu, just call me Ling Feng. That's what my family calls me. Last night, I heard a bit about your situation from Sun Er Pangzi, and this morning I took a stroll around the graveyard. My master taught me to never let my guard down when it comes to anything supernatural. So please don’t take it personally, Wei Shu. I didn’t mean any harm."
Lao Wei waved his hand and suddenly knelt down with a thud, bowing his head. "Master, please think of a way for this unfortunate grandson of mine to be reborn. In my next life, I'll remember to open my eyes and choose a good family."
I quickly helped Lao Wei up with Sun Er Pangzi. My heart was filled with mixed emotions; it felt quite heavy. I firmly said, "Wei Shu, don’t worry. Since I've encountered this matter, I will definitely help resolve it."
After enduring repeated blows to his spirit, Lao Wei seemed as if his soul had been drained. After Sun Er Pangzi helped him into the house to rest, he came back out with red eyes and stood beside me in the sunlight. "Ling Feng, no matter what, you have to help Wei Shu."
I nodded in agreement. "This matter is not as simple as you think. I need to go to the graveyard at noon to make some preparations just in case."
Seeing my tone was also somber, Sun Er Pangzi asked back, "It's just a ghost; does it really need that much trouble?"
I smiled faintly, thinking that even if Sun Er Pangzi didn't understand, it was better not to say anything and avoid unnecessary panic.
"My master used to say that even when hunting rabbits, one must use full strength; I can't afford to capsize in this dark ditch."
At lunch, I couldn't resist the temptation and had a drink with Sun Er Pangzi. Naturally, it wasn't me who ended up drunk. Looking outside at the bright sunlight, I realized it was around one or two in the afternoon.
Even under the blazing sun at noon, stepping into a graveyard filled with dense, lingering shadows, I could distinctly feel the drop in temperature.
The surrounding cypress trees blocked out most of the sunlight.
I walked straight up to the new grave, where two tombs stood closely together, like lovers nestled against one another. I withdrew the Obsidian Prayer Beads in my hand and arranged them according to the position of the Northern Dipper. I scattered some Glutinous Rice and grains around the grave.
I sharpened one end of the Peach Branch and inserted it into the ground at designated spots, wrapping it with red thread soaked in black dog blood.
After completing everything, I sat cross-legged in front of the grave and began to recite the Diamond Sutra. My mind was solely focused on how to help Lao Wei fulfill his wishes; this family had already suffered too much, and I couldn’t allow them to endure endless torment even after death.
With sincerity in my heart, my mind became clear, and the verses I chanted felt like delicate “卍” symbols swirling around the graveyard.
As evening approached, I opened my eyes and gazed into the distance. I noticed that the sky had darkened without me realizing it, with ominous clouds drifting toward me.
On my way back, I happened to run into Sun Er Pangzi, who had come to call me for dinner. “Master, do you have confidence for tonight?”
I smiled and replied, “Of course! I've made all necessary preparations. Even if a mother-son corpse returns, I’ll ensure they won’t leave again.”
“Mother-son corpse?” Sun Er Pangzi asked, puzzled by my choice of words.
I chuckled and brushed it off. “It’s nothing. Do you want to have a drink again tonight?”
Sun Er Pangzi quickly shook his head. “I don’t want to seek out trouble. When it comes to drinking, I don’t fear anyone but you.”
As darkness enveloped the surroundings, a light drizzle began to fall outside. After finishing dinner, I locked myself inside the house, clearing my mind of all distractions and adjusting my state to its best.
Around eleven at night, I opened an umbrella and stepped out of the village, heading towards the cemetery. The beam of my flashlight illuminated a patch of ground ahead, while the endless darkness surrounded me.
Upon reaching the cemetery, the flashlight in my hand suddenly emitted a crackling sound, flickered twice, and then completely died. I felt as if I had merged with the night itself.
Guided by memory, I made my way to the grave of Lao Wei's daughter-in-law. Perhaps I had adapted to the darkness; I could vaguely see the wreath lying in the rain and the spirit banner fluttering nearby, along with the scent of damp earth from the rain-soaked soil.
The trees around me swayed restlessly in the wind, resembling clawing specters. The rustling leaves sounded like a giant snake slithering through the thicket. The rain pattered softly while the wind howled mournfully; this was destined to be no ordinary rainy night.
“Scratch, scratch.”
The sound pierced through the silence of the rainy night like long nails scraping against a blackboard, jarring and harsh. Startled, I strained to listen and realized that the sound was coming from the tomb mound before me.
I whistled into the darkness, and soon Fo Zhang came running from afar, leaping onto my shoulder and chattering incessantly at the tomb mound.
I applied Niu Yan Lei that I had prepared beforehand on my eyelids, allowing me to see what was invisible to the naked eye. A thick black mist surrounded the tomb mound, resembling long tentacles. I noticed that the soil on top of the mound was being pushed outward on both sides.
Was something trying to escape from within the coffin?
A surge of alarm coursed through me as I quickly retrieved the talismans I had prepared. Chanting the Six Character Mantra, I pinched a talisman between my index and middle fingers and hurled it toward the black mist. Then, forming hand seals, I watched as the yellow paper ignited spontaneously upon contact with the mist, producing a sharp cry from within.
Seeing that the black mist seemed to thin slightly, I extended several more talismans. These talismans were ones I usually kept close during meditation and chanting; they carried a hint of Buddhist energy.
The talisman I threw out this time was intercepted by the Gui Ying that had escaped from my grasp the other day. The Gui Ying floated in mid-air, its belly dragging a long umbilical cord, its entire body tinged with a bluish-purple hue. Its pale, eyeless sockets fixed on me with an unsettling intensity.
It seemed that this Gui Ying was larger than the one I had encountered last night. Its mouth was agape, revealing sharp teeth.
Suddenly, I recalled the eyes of the Gui Ying that I had seen through the hole when I fell. Its presence caused the temperature around us to drop several degrees, and a thin mist began to form.
I sneered, "I'm not Sun Er Pangzi; such trivial skills won't trap me."
Fo Zhang on my shoulder appeared impatient, seemingly still brooding over its previous failure to catch this Gui Ying. I patted Fo Zhang's head, and it shot out like an arrow, clawing at the Gui Ying. The creature seemed caught off guard, and deep gashes appeared on its face.
I was somewhat surprised; logically, while such a ghostly corpse wasn't as hard as iron, it shouldn't be easily harmed by mere flesh. My master had mentioned that Fo Zhang was no ordinary being. Even my master didn't know its origins. Tonight, it seemed that Fo Zhang indeed had a restraining effect on malevolent entities.
Taking advantage of Fo Zhang's distraction of the Gui Ying, I activated the formation I had previously set up. The Gang Bei Dou Zhen functioned like an inverted bowl, trapping the Tomb Mound within its barrier.
Comment 0 Comment Count