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Copper Coin Soul Guiding
墨書 Inktalez
The scorching summer sun pierced through the thick clouds above the village like a sword, baking the earth as if it were in a steamer. A suffocating heat wave enveloped the air, causing even the elderly who usually gathered at the village entrance to chat to retreat under their cool eaves, fanning themselves to ward off the pervasive warmth.
Under the banyan tree at the village entrance, the old village chief, Li Fugen, furrowed his brow, holding a dry tobacco pipe in his hand. The glowing ember flickered in and out, casting a somber light on his weathered face. His gaze drifted over the lush green rice fields at the edge of the village, towards the distant rolling hills, as an inexplicable sense of unease welled up within him.
"This weather is truly strange," Li Fugen muttered to himself, exhaling a thick puff of smoke that quickly dissipated in the sweltering air, as if it had never existed.
Just then, a hurried footstep shattered the tranquility of the village. A young man rushed over, panting heavily, his face marked by fear. He shouted at Li Fugen, "Chief! Something's wrong! There’s trouble in the village!"
Li Fugen's heart sank as he quickly asked, "What happened? Speak slowly."
The young man swallowed hard and took a moment to catch his breath before stammering, "Someone in the village... said they saw... saw a mad dog!"
"A mad dog?" Li Fugen's brow furrowed even deeper. "Are you sure?"
"I... I'm not certain," the young man shook his head. "It was Aunt Wang from the east side of the village who said it. She claimed that when she woke up this morning, she saw a dog with red eyes and foam at its mouth. It looked terrifying."
Li Fugen's expression grew serious. A mad dog was no trivial matter; being bitten could have dire consequences. He quickly stood up and said to the young man, "Let’s go check on Aunt Wang."
The two hurried to Aunt Wang's house, where she sat in her yard, her face pale and clearly shaken. Li Fugen approached her and asked for details. As Aunt Wang recounted what she had seen, her fear intensified with each word, her voice trembling.
"Chief, do you think... could it really be a mad dog?" Aunt Wang asked anxiously.
Li Fugen pondered for a moment and said, "It's hard to say right now, but we need to be cautious. Let's do this: keep it quiet for now to avoid causing panic. I'll take a walk around the village and see what's going on."
Li Fugen and the young man wandered around the village, asking questions, but no one had seen the suspicious dog again. Just as they were about to head back to the Village Committee, a villager rushed over, his face marked with fear.
"Village Chief, it's bad! Li Dazhuang... Li Dazhuang seems to be in trouble!"
Li Fugen's heart sank, and he quickly asked, "What happened to Li Dazhuang?"
"He... he seems to have been bitten by a dog!" the villager replied.
Li Fugen felt a heavy weight in his chest as he hurried to Li Dazhuang's home. There, he found Li Dazhuang sitting in the yard, his face pale and cold sweat beading on his forehead. A clear wound marred his arm, looking like it had been bitten by something.
"Dazhuang, what happened to you?" Li Fugen asked urgently.
Li Dazhuang looked up at Li Fugen with a hint of fear in his eyes. He shook his head and said, "I... I don't know. When I woke up this morning, my arm hurt a bit, and then I noticed the wound."
"Did you see what bit you?" Li Fugen inquired.
Li Dazhuang shook his head again and replied, "I didn't see it. I have no idea what bit me."
Li Fugen examined Li Dazhuang's wound closely and noticed some redness and swelling around it; it did indeed look like an animal bite. However, something felt off.
"Dazhuang, have you felt unwell lately?" Li Fugen asked.
Li Dazhuang thought for a moment before saying, "Not really... just that... I'm a bit afraid of water."
"Afraid of water?" Li Fugen's brow furrowed even deeper. "How can you be afraid of water?"
"I don't know," Li Dazhuang shook his head, "I just feel a bit scared when I see water."
Li Fugen's heart sank. He recalled the rumors about rabid dogs and thought of Li Dazhuang's wound and his fear of water, a wave of ominous premonition surged within him.
"Dazhuang, don't move for now. I'll go get the village's Barefoot Doctor to take a look," Li Fugen said.
He hurried to the Barefoot Doctor's house and asked him to come examine Li Dazhuang. The Barefoot Doctor carefully inspected Li Dazhuang's wound and asked a few questions, his expression growing serious.
"Village Chief, I think... I think Dazhuang's condition resembles... rabies," the Barefoot Doctor said.
"Rabies?" Li Fugen was taken aback. "Are you sure?"
"I can't be completely certain," the Barefoot Doctor shook his head, "but Dazhuang's wound and his fear of water do indeed resemble rabies symptoms. For safety's sake, I suggest we get him to the town hospital for a check-up as soon as possible."
Li Fugen nodded; he understood the gravity of the situation and knew immediate action was necessary.
"Alright, Dazhuang, you go home and pack your things. I'll arrange for a car to take you to the town hospital right away," Li Fugen said.
Li Dazhuang nodded and got up to head home.
Li Fugen watched Li Dazhuang's retreating figure, filled with worry. He didn't know if Li Dazhuang had truly been bitten by a rabid dog or if he would actually contract rabies. But he knew he had to act quickly to ensure the safety of the village.
As night fell, the village was shrouded in silence. Only distant barks of dogs broke the stillness of the night. Li Fugen stood at the village entrance, gazing at the distant green mountains, anxiety filling his heart.
He lit a cigarette, watching the smoke drift into the night sky, his gaze landing on the tightly shut window of Li Dazhuang's house, an inexplicable fear rising within him. He felt that tonight, the village seemed to harbor some unspeakable secret.
Early the next morning, Li Fugen arrived at Li Dazhuang's house. He wanted to inquire further about Li Dazhuang's condition to see if he could uncover more clues.
Li Dazhuang sat in the courtyard, his complexion even paler than the day before. Thick bandages were wrapped around his arm, and the redness and swelling around the wound were more pronounced.
“How are you feeling, Dazhuang?” Li Fugen asked.
“Same as before,” Li Dazhuang shook his head. “I just feel a bit dizzy and a little nauseous.”
“Is there anywhere that hurts particularly?” Li Fugen inquired.
“The wound hurts a bit,” Li Dazhuang replied, “and… I’m a bit afraid of water.”
“Afraid of water?” Li Fugen's brow furrowed again. “Can you explain what you mean by that?”
“It’s just… when I see water, I feel a little scared,” Li Dazhuang said. “It’s like… like there’s something terrifying in the water.”
A heaviness settled in Li Fugen's heart; he knew that one of the typical symptoms of rabies was hydrophobia. Li Dazhuang's symptoms were increasingly resembling those of rabies.
“Dazhuang, do you remember what bit you yesterday?” Li Fugen asked again.
Li Dazhuang shook his head and said, “I really can’t remember. When I woke up yesterday morning, I found the wound on my arm. I don’t know what bit me.”
Li Fugen pondered for a moment and said, “Dazhuang, think carefully about where you went and what you did yesterday. Maybe you can recall some clues.”
Li Dazhuang nodded and began to recall his experiences from the previous day. He thought for a long time but still shook his head.
“Village Chief, I really can’t remember,” Li Dazhuang said. “I got up early to work in the fields. I came home for lunch, went back to work in the fields in the afternoon, had dinner at home in the evening, and then went to sleep. I really didn’t go anywhere special or meet anyone unusual.”
Li Fugen felt a twinge of disappointment but did not give up. He knew that to uncover the truth, he needed to find more clues.
"Da Zhuang, think carefully," Li Fugen said. "Is it possible that while you were working in the fields, you encountered some animals? Perhaps wild cats or wild dogs?"
Li Dazhuang pondered for a moment and replied, "There are often wild cats and wild dogs in the fields, but I didn't see them yesterday."
"Did you hear any strange sounds?" Li Fugen asked.
"Strange sounds?" Li Dazhuang thought again and said, "I think I heard a dog bark yesterday afternoon, but it was very faint, and I'm not sure if it was a dog."
"A dog bark?" Li Fugen's heart stirred. "Can you recall which direction the barking came from?"
Li Dazhuang strained to remember and said, "It seemed to come from the direction of the West Side of the Village."
Li Fugen felt a surge of excitement; he believed he might have found a clue.
"Da Zhuang, stay put. I'm going to check the West Side of the Village," Li Fugen said.
He hurried to the West Side of the Village, searching everywhere but found nothing. Just as he was about to give up, he spotted a dead dog.
The dead dog lay by the roadside, covered in dirt and looking like it had been dead for quite some time. Li Fugen approached and examined the dog's body closely, noticing white foam at its mouth and bloodshot eyes, resembling a rabid dog.
Li Fugen's heart sank; he quickly carried the dead dog's body back to the Village Committee. He called for the Barefoot Doctor to examine the corpse.
The Barefoot Doctor carefully inspected the dead dog and said, "Village Chief, this dog is indeed rabid."
Li Fugen felt a heavy weight in his chest; he knew that Li Dazhuang had likely been bitten by this rabid dog.
"Village Chief, what should we do now?" the Barefoot Doctor asked.
"Now we must quickly get Li Dazhuang to the hospital in town," Li Fugen said. "Also, we need to find Mad Dog's Owner as soon as possible to see if he has been bitten."
Li Fugen immediately arranged for someone to take Li Dazhuang to the hospital. Then, he began searching the village for Mad Dog's Owner.
After some investigation, they finally found Mad Dog's Owner. He was an old man who told Li Fugen that he had picked up the mad dog a few days ago. He didn’t know where the dog had come from or if it had bitten anyone.
Li Fugen felt a bit disappointed, but he knew he had to find more clues quickly.
"Old man, can you recall if this mad dog showed any unusual behavior?" Li Fugen asked.
The old man thought for a moment and replied, "This mad dog is quite well-behaved; it rarely barks. However, it seems to be afraid of water. Every time I try to give it a bath, it struggles quite a bit."
"Afraid of water?" Li Fugen's heart stirred as he remembered that Li Dazhuang was also afraid of water.
"Old man, could you take me to see where this mad dog usually stays?" Li Fugen asked.
The old man nodded and led Li Fugen to his backyard. There was a simple doghouse in the yard, with some dog food and water inside.
Li Fugen carefully examined the doghouse and discovered an ancient copper coin inside.
He picked up the coin and studied it closely. It was engraved with strange symbols that he couldn't understand. He felt that this coin seemed to hide some kind of secret.
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