I've been a bit uneasy about the desolate graveyard behind the mountain, so I haven't gone up there for the past few days. I glanced at it casually and didn't look closely, but when I walked up, I realized that the graves were one after another, and in some places, you could see half-rotten coffins.
In 1995, many places had already implemented cremation, but here it was still the traditional burial method, and there was also a custom that after a few years of burial, the coffin would be dug up, and the bones without skin and flesh would be put into an urn and buried again. Some people were afraid of the trouble, or it was not suitable to be buried immediately on the anniversary of their death, so the coffin was placed directly on the ground, covered with bamboo mats, which looked particularly frightening.
Five of us walked up the narrow path. Lu Qingwen stepped on something soft and fluffy, feeling a bit strange, so she picked it up with a branch in her hand. "Ah!" She let out a loud scream, as if she had been bitten by a poisonous snake, and quickly threw the branch away.
The driver, Ah Liang, who was at the back, leaped forward with great effort, holding a military dagger in his hand, his body tense like a leopard about to pounce. However, the thing that fell to the ground was not alive, it was just a bundle of white hair, one end of which was still in a braid.
It turned out to be the hair of an old woman, which, in other places, might not be frightening, but in this desolate graveyard, it was disgusting and frightening. Lu Qingwen, although she looks like an adult, is still a child in essence, and she's also a girl. It's understandable that she would be scared by something like this for the first time.
Lu Chengshan shook his head without scolding. He believed that 'reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles,' which was the reason he brought his granddaughter along. He believed that next time she saw something like this, she wouldn't be afraid anymore.
When we reached the middle of the mountain, Lu Chengshan looked around a few times, then pointed to the distance and told me about the Green Dragon and White Tiger, the dragon's path and the vein's path, the left and right curtains, and so on. I was so bored that I was about to faint. It's not that I don't want to give him face, it's just that I was about to pass out from listening to him. I don't need to flatter him by pretending to understand.
Lu Chengshan realized he was talking in vain and simply said, "This place is superficially a feng shui treasure land, but in reality, it's a natural simple gathering yin array. Ignorant feng shui masters misled the villagers to build tombs here, and it also helped to strengthen the yin energy. The yin energy here has only one outlet, which is in the direction of the village. Originally, as long as it was slightly guided and cleared, there would be no problem. Whoever came up with the idea of building a school to suppress the yin energy ended up blocking the dispersal of the yin energy, like a reservoir that accumulates more and more over time. It's been accumulating for over two decades, how could it not breed fierce ghosts and spirits? If I hadn't come here today, I wouldn't have known how many lives would be caused by this!"
Lu Chengshan calmly placed some colorful small stones, talismans, and copper coins on the ground, without drawing attention to himself, as to what they were for remained a mystery.
By this time, the monks had left, and there was no one else in the school. Principal Chen hurriedly boiled water to make tea and then ran home to bring some peanuts, melon seeds, fruits, and pastries to entertain the guests.
Lu Chengshan casually chatted with everyone, according to him, the monks also had some achievements, all the ordinary yin souls in the vicinity had been delivered, only the vengeful spirit of Xie Yongfang was left, and once it was eliminated, everything would be fine. After waiting for a long time, Secretary Chen still couldn't find Xie Yongfang's grave, so he called for a dozen strong men to help, expanding the excavation area, and Lu Chengshan personally went to the scene to take charge.
Just before dark, they finally unearthed a severely decayed coffin, from the remaining traces, it had not been painted. According to the local custom, coffins of those who died tragically or prematurely could not be painted, which confirmed that it was the remains of Xie Yongfang. Lu Chengshan ordered everyone to carry the coffin to the school playground, stack a pile of dry firewood, and place the coffin on the firewood, it seemed that they were going to burn it with fire.
I was somewhat confused. If it was just to burn it, why go through the trouble of bringing it back? Also, the demon that had been harassing me might be more terrifying than the vengeful spirit, so why didn't Lu Chengshan mention anything about it? Although I felt suspicious in my heart, I kept my mouth shut, afraid of being laughed at or offending any taboos.
Soon, the villagers were driven away, even Principal Chen and Secretary Chen hid in a distant house, leaving only Lu Chengshan, Lu Qingwen, Ah Liang, and me on the scene. Lu Chengshan repeatedly instructed that all villagers must stay indoors, close their doors and windows, or face the consequences themselves.
It was completely dark by then. Ah Liang took out a large cloth bundle from the trunk of the sedan, setting up an incense table in the center of the playground. Lu Chengshan changed into a Taiji Bagua Taoist robe, put on a lotus crown, and inserted a peach wood sword with the Big Dipper and talismans on both sides into his back. He held a jade-handled white silk broom, looking ethereal and transcendent.
Lu Chengshan muttered something, drew a few talismans, burned one of them in water, and sprinkled the water on the coffin. Then he cut four willow branches, each attached with a talisman and placed around the coffin in the four directions of southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest.
"Ah Liang, open the coffin and take a look inside."
Ah Liang responded and walked up to grab the top coffin lid with one hand and press the bottom coffin board with the other. He adopted a martial arts stance, squatting low and assuming a firm stance, using both arms to exert force. The coffin, already rotten and fragile, with loose nails, opened with a sound, and the lid was pushed to the side.
Lu Chengshan peered inside and huffed, "Almost let you grow into a formidable presence!"
Ah Liang took out a small flashlight and shone it inside. Curious, both I and Lu Qingwen walked up to peek, and upon seeing it, we couldn't help but gasp and step back several paces. Inside the coffin was not a skeleton, but a corpse that looked like someone who had just died. However, the skin was an unusual white, emanating an overwhelming chill.
"A zombie?" Lu Qingwen asked tremulously.
"It's not a zombie yet. When she died, her soul did not remain in her body, so she did not become a zombie. However, she was buried in the most concentrated yin area of the gathering yin array. Her body did not decay, absorbing yin energy for many years and accumulating a large amount of corpse poison, which has reached the possibility of corpse transformation. Moreover, her resentful soul has not dispersed, nourishing for over twenty years and becoming a fierce ghost. If she were given more time, the yin soul and the body would combine, not only becoming a zombie, but also a very terrifying silver corpse!" Lu Chengshan explained in detail to increase his granddaughter's knowledge and to arouse my interest.
Lu Qingwen asked again, "How terrible is a silver corpse?"
"A silver corpse can still be eliminated, but if it hides and cultivates, after a thousand years, it will evolve into a silver-haired Hound, which is not something ordinary people can kill."
It turned out to be such a big hidden danger, and this is also a rare top-grade item that can only be seen once in a thousand years, so I took another look. The female corpse had regular and beautiful features, but her expression seemed a bit fierce. Her clothes had mostly decayed into some muddy mess, revealing her beautiful figure, undoubtedly a great beauty in life.
The features of the female corpse were very similar to the hanging ghost I had dreamed of, but there was no mark around her neck, her eyes were not bulging, and her tongue was not hanging out. Principal Chen had said that Xie Yongfang was pregnant when she died, but now her belly was not swollen, indicating that there might have been significant changes after her burial.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, a strong whirlwind came, causing the willow trees to sway greatly, scattering soil and dust, and the temperature dropped several degrees. Lu Chengshan huffed, "It's here, stand behind me and don't move. Its remains are here, and it can't help but come!"
I felt a bit anxious, staring wide-eyed and searching in front of me, but I saw nothing. Lu Chengshan looked at me and made a specific hand gesture, pressing it against my forehead: "Your physique is unique. I can temporarily open your 'heavenly eyes' for you. No matter what you see, don't be afraid, and don't shout or walk around randomly."
Lu Chengshan's finger released a mysterious force, and I felt a tremor in my mind. The scenery in front of me became somewhat blurred, but some objects that should not glow began to emit light, resembling the effect of night vision goggles. I scanned left and right, and suddenly, a classroom door appeared with a woman who was both real and illusory, her hair flying, eyes bleeding, and tongue extended very long, exactly the hanging ghost I had seen in my dreams, which was also the resentful spirit of Xie Yongfang.
The resentful spirit seemed to fear Lu Chengshan and did not dare to approach. It only emitted bursts of yin energy from its body, clashing with the nearby hot air to form a whirlwind.
A voice suddenly resounded in my mind: "Taoist priest, why disturb my body? Can't you even grant peace to a wretched soul like mine?"
Lu Chengshan responded with a stern tone: "You're already deceased, so why don't you hurry up and be reborn? Why do you linger in the mortal realm?"
I didn't see the resentful spirit speak, but her sorrowful and resentful voice echoed in my mind: "I am so tormented, I refuse to accept this fate. I was originally a city girl who came to the countryside and suffered greatly. After much hardship, I found someone who understood me, but he left me. That corrupt official deceived me, promising to help me secure a return to the city, only to defile and betray me. He never intended to help me. I was carrying his illegitimate child and wanted to expose him, but he strangled me and made it look like a suicide. I refuse to accept this!"
Lu Chengshan spoke solemnly: "Every grievance has its source and every debt its master. Although you suffered some injustice, you can't resent others and take it out on them."
"I seek vengeance, but I can't find him, and I'm trapped here. Can you assist me? His name is Jian Shan, there's a black mole beside his nose, he used to be the militia captain and later became an official, but now I don't know where he is."
Lu Chengshan frowned: "I'll look into it for you, but you've frightened the villagers and killed the monks. Life for a life, debt for a debt, I can't tolerate your actions either."
The resentful spirit's voice suddenly grew sharp: "That monk committed many wrongs in his youth, I killed him, he deserved it!"
Lu Chengshan angrily replied: "Even if he did wrong things, he has repented. There are gods above and laws below, it's not for you to decide others' fate!"
The resentful spirit, already filled with resentment and fierceness, far from the rationality of normal humans, became furious upon hearing this. With a loud shout, she rushed towards the coffin, and the white female corpse inside began to tremble as well.