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墨書 Inktalez
Gravekeeper
The madman nodded, saying, "Raising Gu is essentially cultivating poisonous insects. Scorpions and snakes are the most common types of Gu. A Gu Master must feed the insects with their own flesh and blood to make them obedient. The greatest fear of a Gu Master is actually backlash. If the Gu becomes attached to its master, it can spell disaster. There is a giant snake in this village; it was originally someone else's Gu, but that snake devoured its owner and then coiled itself in the mountains, gradually growing into a massive serpent spirit. Initially, the serpent spirit posed no threat; these Miao People may lack other skills, but they are exceptionally good at catching snakes. No matter how large the snake, they are not afraid; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to settle and live in such a place."
As I listened to the madman's words, a series of doubts arose in my mind. This madman—was he not one of the Miao People? Was he not from this village?
I looked at the madman and asked, "You’re not Miao? You’re not from this village?"
Upon hearing my question, the madman lowered his head and sighed. After a moment, he replied, "I am Han, a... police officer."
"Ah?" Both Liu Yiyi and I were taken aback.
The madman urged us to find a place to sit.
The cave was not very large; it was filled with various daily necessities and had a bed made of straw. There were no chairs, and it was quite simple.
Liu Yiyi and I had no choice but to sit on a protruding rock, thankfully it wasn’t cold. Liu Yiyi's pants were torn, revealing streaks of blood on her fair skin.
"Does it hurt?" I asked Liu Yiyi.
Liu Yiyi shook her head. "It's fine."
We both turned our attention back to the madman. Knowing that he used to be a police officer eased our minds.
The madman continued, "Miao People and Han People cannot intermarry. If they want to marry, the woman must either completely sever ties with her family or the man must move over and undergo Miao customs. Lanxin and I had been secretly in love for over two years. Once, while I was on duty nearby in the mountains capturing a drug dealer, I fell into a trap set by the Miao People. Just then, Lanxin happened to pass by and pulled me out. That was when we got to know each other, and I fell for her at first sight. She was truly beautiful, like a fairy from the mountains—pure and untainted by worldly desires, graceful and refined, untouched by society's restlessness and vanity. From the moment I first saw her, I liked her..."
Tears streamed down his face as he spoke so passionately that I couldn't bear to interrupt him. Honestly, I wasn't interested in his romantic tales; I just wanted to understand what was happening in this village and why it had become known as Snake Village. But seeing his emotional state, I decided to let him finish.
The madman continued: "I began frequently visiting this village under the pretense of duty. Later on, when an opportunity for reassignment arose, I actively requested to be transferred to this jurisdiction for supervision. This area is considered an autonomous region but still has to accept oversight from the province; thus my authority was quite significant at that time when I came here. I often chatted with Lanxin in the village; after nearly two years of dating, we decided to get married. However, during our wedding preparations, her clan leader—an absolute jerk—opposed Lanxin marrying me. After much effort on our part, Lanxin's parents finally agreed to let me move into the village as a son-in-law for three years; once those three years were up, Lanxin and I would be free—whether we wanted to stay in the village or leave was up to us. Without thinking twice, I resigned from my job and moved into this village. Initially, everything seemed fine; although there was no electricity or anything like that in the village, life felt very natural. My health improved significantly compared to before; it was a trade-off."
"I married Lanxin, and she became pregnant. At that time, I realized that the damned chieftain, who had opposed us so fiercely, wasn't really concerned about the clan's rules; he actually wanted Lanxin for himself. He had considerable power, but when I was working as a supervisor at the local police station, he didn't dare to do anything to me. However, after I resigned, he frequently made things difficult for both me and Lanxin. That was bad enough, but the key point was that year when Lanxin was about to give birth. Suddenly, a snake plague broke out in the village, a kind of epidemic resembling snake venom. The villagers were terrified. That damned chieftain claimed that the fetus in Lanxin's womb had angered the Serpent God and that our child was a cursed being; if born, it would lead to the death of everyone in the village. That night, I was tied up, and poor Lanxin was dragged out by the villagers. They killed my father-in-law and mother-in-law and bound Lanxin to a pyre, intending to burn her and her child as a sacrifice to the Snake King..."
The madman collapsed on the ground, crying uncontrollably.
Liu Yiyi and I exchanged glances, speechless. Such seemingly absurd and cruel acts happening in this place felt all too normal. Even in big cities outside, deaths due to demolitions and various issues were not uncommon.
After crying for a while, the madman wiped his face and continued, "That night, I shouldn't have survived either. But when Lanxin was about to be burned alive, a giant python appeared—just like the one that turned against its master. The giant snake was enormous; it suddenly appeared and frightened everyone in the village. And Lanxin... she transformed into an Evil Spirit, an Evil Spirit beside the Snake King! At that moment, Lanxin was about to give birth; she witnessed her child fall into the flames and die. She must have been filled with rage. Plus, that Snake King had some power; anyway, now Lanxin has become an Evil Spirit while the Snake King has taken over the entire village. Snakes dropped from the Snake King's body entered the men of the village, controlling them completely. The men then assaulted the women of the village, leading them to give birth to clusters of flesh balls containing snakes—hybrids of humans and snakes! The entire village has now completely turned into a snake den! That night I managed to escape because the chieftain was the first man to be controlled. I tried to contact others to kill him and that Snake King; the Miao People are skilled at catching snakes. But... but Lanxin... she became too powerful; she was completely controlled by the Snake King and turned into an Evil Spirit. Anyone who approached the Snake King—the snake catchers—were killed by Lanxin! Sigh!"
I listened in disbelief; indeed, in such remote areas, anything could happen.
The madman continued, "I knew snakes were most afraid of Sulfur, so I escaped here where there are hot springs and a massive Sulfur Mine pit—the snakes wouldn't dare come near. I've lived here ever since. Later on, I pretended to be mad and carried Sulfur around while wandering in the village, hoping to save some people. But there was no way; I couldn't save anyone at all. Now three months have passed, and all the men in the village have become slaves of the Snake King! Last night two men entered the village; I encountered them and tried to warn them off. They didn't listen and instead went into the village courtyard. So your two companions are definitely doomed; don't think you can save them anymore."
I quickly asked, "What about the other two? A man and a woman—did you see them?"
The madman stood up and shook his head. He stepped outside to look around before saying, "I haven't seen them; even if I had seen them, you couldn't save them now. It's already a miracle that you managed to escape. In a moment, take that diagonal path out of here through this Sulfur Mine; if you make it past Black Mountain, you'll be safe..."
Liu Yiyi and I sighed with relief after hearing his words. "Thank you so much," I said.
The madman shook his head again and pointed to a basket in the corner. "There are fruits inside; if you want meat, all I've got is snake meat. You can eat before heading out; just don't come wandering back to places like this for tourism again—if something happens in these mountains, no one will know you're dead."
I nodded gratefully at him before taking out some bandages from my backpack to wrap Liu Yiyi's leg. She wore an expensive sports outfit from an international brand; honestly speaking, it was far better than my ordinary jeans for traversing such terrain.
I crouched down in front of Liu Yiyi as I bandaged her.
She reached out and touched my hair gently. "Oh dear Dr. Song, this little injury doesn't need bandaging."
"That won't do! With such beautiful legs like yours, if it gets inflamed later on and swells up like a bun—that would be so ugly! No one would dare marry you then! I'm telling you—if you end up with elephant legs, I'm not keeping you!" I continued wrapping her leg as I spoke.
Liu Yiyi tugged at my ear, "As if I would willingly marry you, you jerk!"
I chuckled lightly.
"Waah waah waah..."
Suddenly, the madman beside us burst into tears.
Both Liu Yiyi and I were taken aback as I turned to look at the madman.
Wiping his tears, he said, "Hurry up! Once you're done bandaging, get out! Don't disturb my heart here!"
I secured the bandage tightly. It became clear to me that this madman was jealous of us; more precisely, he was reminded of his past with Lanxin.
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