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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
In certain regions of the Shan-Gan area, there used to be a peculiar burial practice known as cliff burial. This involved placing coffins within the cliffs after a person passed away. Even if the cliffs were difficult to carve into, efforts would be made to construct a path to support the coffin, ensuring it was interred at a high elevation.
They believed that by burying their ancestors' remains high up, the deceased could always observe the lives of their descendants, blessing them with safety in their travels and prosperity in their fortunes.
Guo the Blind and Huang the Lame both considered this possibility, suspecting that the people from Futu Ridge might have secretly buried their elders' remains on the cliffs. However, this burial method sounded simple but was extremely challenging in practice, often requiring ten or more people several weeks to carve out a space for a coffin in the cliff.
"Although it may not be common, I've never heard of anyone doing this in Futu Ridge; it must have been quite some time ago," Guo the Blind remarked.
"It doesn't matter how long ago it was; what matters is how this evil spirit came to be. If we awaken something troublesome, we could lose our lives. I’ll observe the geomancy of this mountain range," Huang the Lame replied, holding his Copper Inlaid Jade compass as he walked down the mountain, reciting an incantation that ordinary people could not understand at each location.
After a while, Huang the Lame returned with a puzzled expression. Guo the Blind asked, "What’s wrong? Is this a place where corpse spirits gather?"
Huang the Lame shook his head. "It's a treasure site of Dragon's Embrace Mountain."
"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?" Guo the Blind inquired.
Huang the Lame confirmed without doubt: "Nine Curves Ring, Dragon's Embrace Mountain—this is the best location for building temples and monasteries. Yet clearly, this place's geomancy has attracted spirits; accidents have occurred here. Something is definitely wrong."
Listening to Huang the Lame's words seemed to trigger a realization in Guo the Blind. "In geomancy, being off by an inch can lead to disaster; being precise can bring good fortune. I've heard Old Scholar mention Dragon's Embrace Mountain's geomantic energy before. There are two types of terrain: one is clear and pure, suitable for nurturing one's spirit according to Daoist teachings; the other is muddy and damp, a cursed ground for malevolent spirits. However, given that it's dark and windy now, we haven't prepared anything. Even if we find this evil spirit tonight, dealing with it will be difficult. It's better if we confront it together."
Huang the Lame replied, "If we wait until morning, one of these young men will surely suffer tonight."
Guo the Blind smiled lightly as he glanced at Zhang Kun, who looked pale at that moment. Huang the Lame understood Guo the Blind's implication and hesitated before calling Huang San'er aside.
After hearing Guo the Blind's words, Huang San'er responded angrily, "Grandfather, these brothers have fought alongside me through thick and thin. Everyone in the county knows me as Brother San'er because I value loyalty. And Zhang Kun is from our village; how can you just stand by and do nothing?"
Huang the Lame said, "Old Blind Man insists on getting rid of that boy."
"He's just a blind man; I've never seen him practice martial arts. I don't understand what you're afraid of," Huang San'er retorted unhappily.
Huang the Lame sighed deeply. "Before your great-grandfather passed away, he warned me never to conflict with Guo the Blind. For years I've pondered this; decades have gone by and now we're all on our last legs. If it weren't for you all causing this trouble, why would I have any conflict with him?"
“Great-Grandfather must be afraid of Old Scholar, that’s why he’s acting like this. They’ve been dead for so many years.”
Seeing Huang San'er still pleading, Huang the Lame waved his hand and said, “Do as you wish. If you want to save him, go ahead. Don’t blame me if he dies. My place can’t accommodate so many people at night; you’ll have to find somewhere else to stay.”
After saying this, Huang the Lame walked down the mountain. Huang San'er, filled with anger yet powerless, glared at Guo the Blind before supporting the weak and feeble Zhang Kun back to Dagu Village with two young men.
Once Huang the Lame's group had left, I asked Guo the Blind, “What do we do now?”
“What else can we do? Go back to sleep,” Guo the Blind replied.
I hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Is Zhang Kun really going to die tonight?”
Under the moonlight, Guo the Blind’s voice suddenly turned extremely cold, as if a judge was pronouncing a sentence.
“Zhang Kun is undoubtedly doomed.”
Just as Guo the Blind had said, early the next morning I heard villagers discussing that someone from Dagu Village had died again, and it was indeed Zhang Kun.
This time, however, it was different from before; not only Zhang Kun but his entire family had perished—four people hung from the beams of their home.
When I heard this news, I felt a surge of anger and rushed straight to Guo the Blind’s house to confront him about why he had killed an entire family.
At that moment, Guo the Blind was sitting in the corridor. Upon hearing my question, he remained unhurried and said, “I didn’t kill them; I merely broke the talisman Huang the Lame placed on him, allowing the dark veil above his head to reappear. What happened afterward is beyond my knowledge.”
“Beyond your knowledge? Are you trying to shirk all responsibility with that statement?” I asked.
“Don’t you want him dead? He was trying to kill your whole family and chased you with a knife for half a day,” Guo the Blind glanced at me and replied.
I nodded and said, “Yes, I wanted him dead, but I wouldn’t harm innocents.”
“Yang Hao, as soon as you harbor thoughts of killing, it becomes only a matter of time before you actually do it. I’ll leave that thought with you; you will remember it in due time. Also, don’t impose your own ideas onto others. Your kindness will only enable evil. When you witness the darkness of human nature, you may become irrational or even bloodthirsty; people are often driven to such extremes. Let me put it this way: if Zhang Kun were an Immortal, it could very well be you and your family who are dead now,” Guo the Blind said.
"How can you be so sure?" I asked.
Guo the Blind replied, "Do you know where Zhang Kun died?"
Seeing that I had no response, Guo the Blind continued, "He died right at your doorstep, dragged back by Huang the Lame before dawn."
"I don't believe it!" I firmly rejected Guo the Blind's words. After all, I hadn't provoked Zhang Kun at all last night. How could he harbor such deep hatred that he would want to kill me in the dead of night?
Guo the Blind stood up and went inside to fetch his pipe. He then took out a few black nails from a sealed Wooden Box and said to me, "Come with me to Dagu Village, and you'll find out."
My mind was in turmoil as I followed Guo the Blind in silence. When we arrived at Zhang Kun's house in Dagu Village, I found it surrounded by people. Huang the Lame, Huang San'er, and two other young men were also present.
In the yard of Zhang Kun's home lay four bodies: Zhang Kun's parents, Zhang Kun himself, and a girl who looked only about ten years old—presumably Zhang Kun's sister.
Except for Zhang Kun's corpse, which bore different signs of death, the other three had hanged themselves, with rope marks still visible on their necks.
Zhang Kun's death mirrored that of Yang Kuan and Dazhuang; he had strangled himself, his eyes nearly bulging out.
I noticed blood on the back of Zhang Kun's head, and his clothes were torn as if he had been dragged along the ground for quite some time. Could it really be as Guo the Blind said—that Zhang Kun died at our doorstep and was then dragged back by Huang the Lame?
The villagers of Dagu were terrified. With a series of deaths occurring in the mountains, now an entire family had perished. Everyone became anxious and began questioning Huang the Lame about what had happened.
Huang the Lame reassured them, telling them not to worry. He was already investigating the matter and advised everyone not to wander outside at night; if they heard any noises, they should stay indoors to avoid trouble.
After hearing Huang the Lame's words, the villagers felt somewhat relieved as they began to assist with funeral arrangements for the deceased.
Guo the Blind also stepped forward to help. I noticed that when he lifted the bodies, he deliberately touched the necks of Zhang Kun's mother and sister. Once he finished, he dusted off his hands and said to me, "I don't know how Zhang Kun died, but the other three were definitely killed by someone who snapped their necks."
"Was it Huang the Lame?" I speculated.
Guo the Blind shook his head. "It was Huang San'er."
Guo the Blind gestured for me to look at Huang San'er, who stood pale in the back of the crowd, his right hand trembling as if he had been frightened by something.
"Why is this happening?" I asked, confused. Huang San'er had once protected Zhang Kun, but now he had killed Zhang Kun's family. All signs pointed to Guo the Blind being right.
Guo the Blind said, "After I returned last night, I followed them to Dagu Village. They got into an argument because Huang the Lame refused to let anyone stay at his house, especially Zhang Kun. Although Huang the Lame is quite capable, he is suspicious and paranoid. When he saw that I had used a leech to break the talisman on Zhang Kun, and that the black silk had reformed, he thought I had cursed him. There was still part of the leech inside Zhang Kun, and if it still had an effect, both of them would be in trouble. In the end, they parted ways unhappily."
"And then?" I asked.
Guo the Blind continued, "In the early morning, Zhang Kun walked out of his house, his gaze vacant as if he were possessed. His father chased after him but couldn't wake him no matter how much he called, so he went to find Huang the Lame. When Huang the Lame learned that Zhang Kun was like this, he sent a ghostly messenger from the Underworld to take him away and prepare for his funeral. In a panic, Zhang Kun's father pulled out a knife from behind him, intending to use Huang San'er as leverage."
"Huang San'er is skilled," I followed up on Guo the Blind's words. "Seeing that Zhang Kun's father was going to kill him, he naturally struck back and killed him instead?"
Guo the Blind nodded. "That's roughly how it went. To stage a suicide scene, Huang San'er simply decided to eliminate his entire family. For someone from the Huang Family, killing two women is as easy as crushing ants. Before I could confirm their cause of death, I saw them kill Zhang Kun's father last night and then leave. That's why I just checked their necks; their cervical vertebrae were broken with a single blow."
I was shocked; I never expected that Zhang Kun's family had died in such a tragic manner.
"Are we just going to let them die without any clarity?" I asked.
Guo the Blind countered, "What else can you do? Can you seek justice for them? In Futu Ridge, there are many who die without understanding why. The more you know about the truth, the more afraid you will become."
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