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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 74: The Trouble of Liu Family Village (1)
In my hand was a copper needle, about seven inches long, covered in runes. I recognized this sinister object; it is known as the Seven-Inch Soul Locking Needle.
The so-called Seven-Inch Soul Locking Needle belongs to a malevolent spell within the Yin-Yang Technique. It involves engraving a seven-inch copper needle with the Soul Locking Spell. The Yin-Yang Sorcerer must strike it into the top of a person's head at the moment of their death. Once that person dies, their soul will be locked within the corpse due to the soul binding, and only after forty-nine days can the soul leave the body, but it can only wander around the corpse. Even if it leaves, it will return.
In other words, if someone has been subjected to the Seven-Inch Soul Locking Needle, their soul cannot reincarnate or enter the Underworld. However, because they cannot be reborn, their resentment grows stronger, causing them to become Evil Spirits that seek vengeance. Any living person who passes nearby is easily affected or has their soul drawn in.
This Evil Technique not only prevents the deceased from attaining peace in the afterlife but also turns them into vengeful spirits that harm the living. Therefore, this Evil Technique has always been condemned. Few would use it unless there is an irreconcilable hatred involved. After all, this technique is extremely malicious, and using it inevitably harms one's own virtue.
Recognizing that the Seven-Inch Soul Locking Needle had been driven into the Female Corpse's head, I couldn't help but sigh. It seemed Liu Lao Er had indeed tampered with her to ensure she could never be reborn.
However, after removing the Seven-Inch Soul Locking Needle, I felt some concern because its ability to lock souls indicated that the Female Corpse's spirit might still be in this house or nearby.
Just as I was worrying about this, I turned around and unexpectedly saw her! The ghost of the Female Corpse was quietly standing behind me...
I felt a chill run down my spine; what frightened me was not the appearance of the Evil Spirit but that I had no idea when she had started standing behind me.
The female ghost looked at me and asked, "Have you seen my brother?"
I shook my head, and she vanished in an instant.
Her sudden appearance and disappearance left me bewildered. I thought there would be a fight today. Her brother? I remembered seeing an Evil Spirit running down from upstairs; could that have been her brother?
Unable to make sense of it, I decided not to dwell on it. At least my trip to Liu Family Village was not in vain; I had uncovered many secrets.
To avoid conflict with that female ghost for now, I decided to leave first. One reason was that I was unprepared for this encounter and didn't know how many Evil Spirits were in this house; any conflict could become very troublesome. Secondly, these spirits wouldn’t intentionally harm anyone since this place is rarely visited by people; there was no rush. Most importantly, I felt that Master Ma should know Liu Lao Er. It would be wiser to consult him before making any decisions.
I turned and went downstairs. As I exited the old house number seven, just as I stepped out of the Main Entrance, it closed with a creak behind me, leaving me stunned. I thought to myself: could there be an Evil Spirit lurking in this house watching me?
However, considering how long I had stayed in the house without any issues from them, even if there were Evil Spirits present, they likely meant no harm towards me.
Leaving Liu Family Village and passing by that Dilapidated House again, the family appeared at the Main Entrance once more, waving at me. I shivered and quickly walked out of the village...
At noon, I returned to the city, back to Master Ma's Paper Craft Shop.
When Master Ma saw that I was back, he asked me how things were going. He said if it couldn't be done, then forget it; one must know when to retreat.
I said, "Last night, another police officer died, killed by the corpse we brought back from Liu Family Village."
Master Ma was slightly taken aback and sighed. Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued playing a game on the computer while saying, "Now you know, you can't handle these matters. The police can't deal with it either. It's better to back off early to avoid causing a big disaster."
Seeing his nonchalant demeanor, I knew he was doing this on purpose, trying to persuade me to retreat. However, I am not that kind of person, so I said, "This morning, I went to Liu Family Village again and uncovered some things."
Upon hearing this, Master Ma couldn't hold back any longer. He put down the game and turned to me, asking, "You actually went to Liu Family Village again?"
I nodded and said, "I encountered some Evil Spirits. They also died from the seduction of paper and wine techniques. According to the Evil Spirits, the one who harmed them was actually one of our peers, a Paper Effigy Maker named Liu Lao Er!"
Master Ma was clearly stunned and then sighed again. "You shouldn't know these things."
"Why?" I became even more curious about Master Ma's words. I said, "Master Uncle, tell me the truth. Do you know that Paper Effigy Maker named Liu Lao Er? Do you know anything about Liu Family Village? Because I've picked up on some things from what you've said and feel like you must know something."
Master Ma looked at me and after a long pause sighed again. "Alas, perhaps it's fate! To tell you the truth, both your grandfather and I are from Liu Family Village. Liu Lao Er is a Shidi of my grandfather; his father, Liu Yishou, is our master."
"Ah?" This truly shocked me. Although I had always suspected that Master Ma knew something about Liu Family Village, I never imagined that the outcome would be like this—that Master Ma and my grandfather would be senior brothers of Liu Lao Er and that Liu Yishou would be their master. This news struck me like a thunderbolt.
Seeing my astonished expression, Master Ma appeared quite natural. He said, "Your grandfather and I were both orphans. In those years before liberation, many people starved to death. The reason your grandfather and I survived was that Liu Yishou took us in. Master Liu not only fed us but also taught us our craft. Your grandfather and I will never forget his great kindness; alas... good people often meet with misfortune in the end."
So Liu Yishou was such a good person? Thinking of this, I asked Master Ma, "How did Master die? Was it due to the campaign against the Four Olds?"
Master Ma realized he could no longer hide the truth from me and began to explain everything.
The situation was like this: Liu Lao Er's father was named Liu Yishou and was a Paper Effigy Maker who understood Yin-Yang Techniques in the paper-making trade. The skills of Liu Lao Er, my grandfather, and Master Ma were all taught by Liu Yishou. It is said that Liu Yishou was kind-hearted and skilled in Yin-Yang Techniques; thus he had a great reputation in the area. Whenever someone faced evil spirits or disasters, they would seek help from the Liu family, and Liu Yishou was always willing to assist them.
However, after liberation, China experienced a wave of campaigns against the Four Olds which also affected Liu Family Village. At that time, Liu Yishou was in his sixties and had always been kind to others; there wasn't anyone in the area who hadn't benefited from his kindness or help—he even saved many lives. Yet despite this, he was ultimately captured by local crowds during this campaign and was killed.
During the height of the campaign against the Four Olds in the city, Liu Yishou called Master Ma, my grandfather, and his son Liu Lao Er close to him and urged them to leave quickly because he foresaw that they would face calamity if they didn't leave their hometown.
At that time, the three of them were unwilling to leave Liu Yishou behind, and even if they had to go, they insisted that he must go with them. However, Liu Yishou refused to leave, saying that he was already close to the grave and had nowhere to go. In the end, Liu Yishou had no choice but to drive them out of his home.
As soon as Master Ma and the others left, trouble struck Liu Yishou. The village party secretary, Liu Baisheng, along with the villagers, rushed into Liu Yishou's house. Upon seeing him, they immediately bound him and ransacked his home. They accused him of being a promoter of evil spirits and a malignant tumor of feudal superstition, locking him up in the Village's Cattle Shed.
Thus, Liu Yishou, an elderly man over sixty years old, was tied up tightly, with a large sign hanging around his neck. He was taken daily for public denunciation. Today he knelt in the Village auditorium, being cursed at and beaten by the villagers. After being criticized, he was again taken back to Neighboring Village for further denunciation the next day. Wherever he went, he faced criticism and abuse; he became a typical example for several surrounding villages.
Originally a kind and respected elder, he suddenly became a prisoner. The locals who had once benefited from his kindness and saved their lives quickly severed all ties with him. Even his brothers and relatives distanced themselves from him, unwilling to associate with an enemy of society.
At that time, in their eyes, Liu Yishou was their enemy and an enemy of the people of the nation. They believed that because of Liu Yishou, China could not progress; because of people like him, the country could not become strong and prosperous. In short, he was seen as a social pariah, garbage, a tumor.
Being over sixty years old, Liu Yishou now spent every night in the foul-smelling, dimly lit, damp Cattle Shed, cold and hungry. During the day, he was taken to kneel before everyone in the village hall for public criticism. How could a man over sixty endure such suffering? Even if his body could withstand it, his mind could not. After being tortured for half a month as a typical example of breaking the Four Olds, Liu Yishou chose to take his own life. The next day when villagers came to drag him out again for denunciation in Neighboring Village, they found him dead in the Cattle Shed, having hanged himself with a Grass Rope made from straw used for feeding cattle.
When Master Ma and Liu Lao Er learned about Liu Yishou's fate, they rushed back to Liu Family Village to retrieve his body. A collective meeting was held in Liu Family Village, where it was decided that Liu Yishou was a great social tumor that needed to be eradicated along with all evil spirits and feudal superstitions. Since Liu Yishou had always promoted superstition during his life—claiming that one should hide well after death for good Feng Shui—they decided not to allow him any good Feng Shui, as it was all superstition. The collective meeting unanimously decided to burn Liu Yishou's body.
During the period of Early Liberation, this act meant leaving no bones behind; to Liu Lao Er and others, it seemed extremely malicious. They had caused Liu Yishou's death and even after death would not let him rest peacefully by burning his corpse.
Therefore, Liu Lao Er, along with Master Ma and My Grandfather, returned to Liu Family Village to retrieve Liu Yishou's body. Although they managed to bring back the body, Liu Lao Er could not escape from Liu Family Village. He was captured by the villagers again and became a public enemy once more, locked up in the Cattle Shed, where he was denounced as an evil spirit.
At this point, Master Ma sighed helplessly and sadly.
I asked, "What happened next? What became of Liu Lao Er?"
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