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墨書 Inktalez
The destination this time was Luzhi, located in the western part of Hunan, in the southeastern region of the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. The name might sound unfamiliar to many, but if I mention two things related to Luzhi County, it might give you a clearer picture. One is that it was the place of exile for the great poet Qu Yuan during our Dragon Boat Festival holiday, and the other is that it was where Shen Congwen delved into the mysteries of ancient hanging coffins. In this small county, there is a mountain called Sky Bridge Mountain, which is a cultural sacred site that embodies both Buddhist and Taoist traditions.
On that trip to Luzhi, we traveled by car. I didn't mind much; having not slept well the night before, I dozed off as soon as I got in. The journey was quite comfortable, but my master was different. Being older, his health wasn't as robust, and he also suffered from mild motion sickness. By the time we arrived in Luzhi, he was already feeling weak, and it was getting close to dark. I found a hotel for us to stay in first before my master called Master Zhang.
Some friends might think that Xiangxi is mysterious, but that's not entirely true. Like most places, the clothing styles, architectural designs, and daily lives there are quite similar to other regions; there's not much difference at all. There are indeed many strange people and events there, but every place has its own peculiarities—it's just that few people know about them.
Master Zhang wasn't originally in the county town, but upon hearing that my master had arrived, he drove over in a van. He also brought along Brother Zhou. They arrived quickly; it had only been a little over half an hour since the call. Besides the two of them, there was also a Miao girl about my age—Brother Zhou's cousin—whom I'll refer to as Xiaorou for now. She had long fingers and pale skin with a slightly bluish tint on her hands, giving her a delicate appearance.
Before they arrived, my master instructed me to seal the walls and windows of the room with talisman paper. Once they entered, he drew two talismans on the door and pulled up the Ink Fight Line.
When Brother Zhou came in, he appeared calm but with a vacant stare; it was hard to tell where his eyes were focused. After exchanging greetings, my master examined Brother Zhou closely and felt around him before saying, "Hmm, he has indeed been possessed. Old Zhang, please wait a moment..." After saying this, my master began rummaging through his Cloth Bag. Moments later, he pulled out two red ropes and started drawing Hand Spells on them.
Just as my master began drawing the Hand Spells, Brother Zhou suddenly became violent. He leaped up from his chair and lunged toward my master's position. This reaction was anticipated, so I was already prepared for him to charge at us. Before he could reach my master, I rushed over and grabbed him.
Though Brother Zhou wasn't taller than me, his strength was astonishing due to the possession. As I bent forward in front of him, I managed to utter one word: "Gu."
What kind of Gu could be so powerful as to control someone even after they were possessed? Before I could think further on this matter, my master handed me the red ropes and said, "You go tie up his hands and feet first."
I approached Brother Zhou and said apologetically, "Sorry about this, brother; please bear with me for a moment." After saying that, I began chanting Soul Requiem while tying him up. When I first approached with the red ropes, Brother Zhou became agitated; however, as I clearly recited Soul Requiem, he gradually calmed down and allowed me to bind him without resistance.
Once secured, my master signaled Xiaorou to stop what she was doing. After she ceased her actions, Brother Zhou began thrashing again; he made fierce gestures but remained silent while kicking and flailing his arms and legs wildly. His movements were so vigorous that if we were underwater, he might have swum away effortlessly. Even on the sofa, he struggled free and fell onto the floor.
"Quickly hold him down!" my master commanded. Master Zhang and Xiaorou rushed forward while I grabbed hold of Brother Zhou's legs with all my strength to pin them down firmly against the ground.
The master pulled out a thin red thread, with a nail-like object attached to it. This was not an ordinary nail; it was used to secure the thread on top of the Ink Fight box. The nail had been borrowed from a carpenter and had been used for decades, serving countless purposes in positioning, measuring, and pinpointing. It was particularly effective in locating the position of the possessing spirit.
The master held the nail upright, allowing it to hang naturally above Xiao Zhou's lying form, chanting incantations as his feet rhythmically tapped on the small Gangbu. After a while, he uttered a single word: "Set," causing the nail to hover at the position of Xiao Zhou's right thigh. The master's hand remained steady, but the nail began to vibrate, producing a faint buzzing sound. Although quiet, it was enough for us to perceive its shape and hear its tone.
The master touched the spot where the nail was vibrating and said, "Finally found you." After finishing his words, he slapped a talisman onto Xiao Zhou's right thigh with his left hand. Then he let go of the red thread and pulled out a slightly over one-foot-long Willow Branch from his bag. He swung it forcefully at the location of the talisman.
Here I want to mention that generally, a possessed person has a hard lump somewhere on their body, which may be located at that spot. This hard lump feels unremarkable to touch and appears dark blue or black. Its size varies; some are as small as peanuts while others can be as large as walnuts, depending on the spirit involved. In other words, if you often feel lethargic and frequently have nightmares at night, or sometimes find your body unresponsive and heavy, you should check your body for such lumps. If you find one, it's advisable to seek help from someone experienced.
With each swing of the Willow Branch, there was a sharp sound accompanied by the master's four-character incantation. After completing the series of strikes, Brother Zhou let out a loud cry before collapsing unconscious. Immediately after, there was a loud bang from the door of the room that startled us all; only the master remained calm. He took out some Cinnabar Incense Ash and walked over to sprinkle it at the door.
Silently, after scattering the ash, it clearly left behind a clean human-shaped outline on the other side of the door. Clearly, that Spirit God had just been in that spot. After scattering the ash, some fell freely to the ground while others remained suspended in mid-air. The master shouted: "Trying to escape!" and raised his short Willow Branch to pursue the trajectory of the floating incense ash while striking at it. He chanted as he struck; though not exactly an incantation, what he recited during this exorcism was quite casual. There were no specific spells—he simply recited according to his preference: "Evil deeds, possession, must be punished." He kept repeating these three phrases with each strike landing firmly but without making any sound. We stood silently in the middle of the room watching as he relentlessly pursued that possessing Spirit God.
After about a minute or so, the master scattered another handful of incense ash and pointed at its trajectory while panting heavily: "Keep going; this Spirit God is no ordinary one; it will probably take some time." With that, he tossed me the Willow Branch.
I caught hold of the Willow Branch and mimicked the master's actions, widening my eyes to locate where a thin layer of incense ash floated in mid-air. Once I found my target, I took two steps forward and began striking at it as well. I chanted different words than my master: "Run again, run again, run again." I felt no sympathy for this possessing Spirit God; I only wanted to teach it a good lesson first. After all, this Willow Branch wouldn't scatter this Spirit God.
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