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墨書 Inktalez
Da Zhuang asked me eagerly, "Have you thought it through?" I leaned against the car window, resting my chin on my hand. "Yes, this story came from something I overheard my grandfather mention once. It was a tragedy that happened in the village during his time..." And so, I began to tell the tale.
"Back then, my grandfather was only twelve years old. He lived with his parents, my great-grandfather and great-grandmother, in a rather remote place called Southern Mountain Village. Although the village enjoyed a spring-like climate year-round and had beautiful scenery, it only had a handful of households. Due to its isolation, every so often, someone would be sent to the city to sell vegetables and rice grown in the village while also purchasing daily necessities."
"One time, the regular person who went to the city fell ill, so they had to ask another bachelor from the village to help sell the goods. This bachelor had witnessed his parents' deaths and was somewhat reclusive, living alone for many years, which had affected his mind. However, the other villagers were unaware of this; those who did know didn't think much of it."
"The bachelor took the items given to him by the villagers and left the village. Typically, selling goods would take at least two or three days before returning, but that night, he returned empty-handed with a woman by his side."
"When everyone saw him return without anything, they asked where his goods had gone and who this woman was. The bachelor stammered that he had fallen off a mountain while crossing a ridge and lost everything; it was this woman who had saved him."
"Seeing that the woman was homeless, he brought her back to the village. The villagers noticed his tattered clothes and numerous injuries and decided not to press him further; instead, they sent him to see the village doctor for treatment."
"The village doctor wasn't particularly skilled; he had learned some traditional Chinese medicine from others but was expelled after causing a death due to his lack of expertise. He then wandered with a fortune teller for several years until that fortune teller died, leaving him alone in this village where he managed to deceive everyone into believing he was a doctor."
"Although he couldn't treat serious illnesses well, he could handle minor ailments like colds, sprains, and stomach issues. The villagers would share their surplus food with him, and when someone fell ill, he would treat them for free."
"Afterward, the bachelor brought the woman to see the doctor. The doctor glanced at her and sensed something was off. Despite her beauty, her eyes were lifeless, her brows furrowed ominously, and there seemed to be a dark aura surrounding her forehead."
"As he treated the bachelor’s wounds, he quietly warned him that this woman should not be kept at home; if she stayed, misfortune would surely follow. However, the bachelor dismissed his concerns—how could he resist such a beautiful woman who chose to be with him?"
"Once the treatment was done, the bachelor took the woman home. But unexpectedly, the next day villagers discovered that the bachelor had died in his home under horrific circumstances—completely naked with his limbs seemingly torn off by some wild beast and discarded nearby."
"This news sent shockwaves through the village. Villagers gathered at the bachelor's home upon hearing what happened; my grandfather was among them and witnessed everything alongside several friends. They exchanged theories about what might have occurred while the woman sat alone by the bed weeping uncontrollably. A kind villager approached her and asked what had happened last night."
Through her sobs, she recounted that a bear had come into their home; when the bachelor saw it, he tried to drive it away with a stick. Unfortunately, this action enraged the bear, leading to a deadly struggle in which he lost his life while she barely escaped by hiding under the bed.
Everyone believed her story and felt pity for her; several other single men stepped forward eager to marry her. Just then, however, the doctor spoke up. He pointed at her and said that things didn’t add up—if she fought with a bear as she claimed, why did everything in the house appear undisturbed? It seemed more likely that she had killed him!
Upon hearing this accusation from the doctor, she cried even harder. Covering her face with her hands she lamented how she was just a weak woman who finally found a man willing to marry her—why would she ever want to kill him? How could anyone accuse her so unjustly?
The doctor continued explaining that from their first meeting he sensed something was wrong with her; he had advised the bachelor not to take her in but was ignored—leading to this tragic outcome...
"No matter how the doctor tried to persuade the villagers, most of them refused to believe him, thinking he was spreading falsehoods and misleading them. In the end, the village chief stepped in and drove the doctor out of the village, which finally calmed the crowd."
"However, the kind-hearted doctor left a talisman on each household's door before leaving. Some people felt this was ominous and immediately tore it down. Only a portion of the families believed it was better to be safe than sorry, deciding to keep the talisman since it couldn’t hurt."
"That night, the villagers held a funeral for the Bachelor and buried him at the back of the Mountain, while that woman took up residence in the Bachelor’s house."
"In the following days, those families who had torn down the talismans found their Livestock dying one after another, all meeting their end in the same gruesome manner as the Bachelor—dismembered by five horses. Strangely, no one could figure out what was causing this."
"The woman remarked, 'Look, I have a big bear.' A few curious villagers, hearing her words, pulled out their hunting rifles, plows, and pitchforks, ready to go up the mountain to hunt for bears."
"However, contrary to their expectations, after three days of searching desperately, they found no bears at all—not even a tiger or leopard. Their only catch was a few wild rabbits. Yet during these three days, their Livestock continued to die off relentlessly—dogs meant to guard their homes, oxen used for plowing fields, and even chickens and ducks were not spared."
"At this point, one villager with a gun volunteered to keep watch at night to see what was really going on."
"The next day brought more bad news: the villager who had been keeping watch was found dead at the village entrance. This sent everyone into a panic; every night thereafter, villagers locked their doors and windows tightly, too afraid to step outside."
"Even so, every morning there would be two or three more corpses found at the village entrance, yet no one heard any sounds from within the village. As time passed, nearly all of those who had torn down their talismans were close to death. The entrance of the village was already piled high with bodies, resembling a mountain of corpses."
"Only then did some villagers recall what the doctor had said earlier, but it was too late. From nearly twenty households and close to a hundred people in that mountain village, fewer than twenty remained. The surviving families decided they would burn that woman brought by the Bachelor in revenge for their deceased kin."
"When they arrived at the Bachelor’s house and looked inside, they found that more than half a month had passed and it still looked exactly as it had when the Bachelor died—no signs of anyone having lived there. The woman had vanished without a trace."
"The remaining families exchanged glances in shock and discussed moving away immediately. But that very night, a torrential rain began to fall; lightning streaked across the sky accompanied by booming thunder."
"Coincidentally, my grandfather happened to have an upset stomach that night. Although he felt somewhat scared, he couldn’t just relieve himself indoors; otherwise, it would stink up the whole place and make it impossible to sleep."
"So he steeled his nerves and took an umbrella out into the yard. He squatted by the wall in an outdoor toilet while glancing around nervously from time to time."
"At that moment, my grandfather heard a series of scraping sounds coming from the gate that nearly made him jump out of his skin. The sound drowned out even the rain and echoed in his ears like sharp claws scraping against his young Heart; it sent chills down his spine."
"My grandfather hurriedly wiped himself, pulled up his pants, and prepared to run home. However, being young and curious at the time, he thought to himself that peeking through the door wouldn't hurt; after all, it couldn't come in."
"With that thought, my grandfather tiptoed to the gate. He cautiously leaned against the door, peering through the crack to look outside. Unfortunately, it was dark, and with the thick clouds blocking the sky, not even a sliver of moonlight could be seen. The outside was pitch black, and nothing was visible. Yet the scratching sound was deafening, each noise making my grandfather tremble all over, nearly dropping his umbrella."
"Just then, a flash of lightning suddenly illuminated the night sky. In that moment, he saw clearly that standing outside the door was a creature resembling an evil spirit. Its face was directly facing my grandfather's line of sight, with bulging eyes oozing pus and blood from the corners. Its face appeared torn apart, revealing ghastly white bones. It seemed that the evil spirit had also noticed my grandfather and grinned widely at him."
"This completely terrified my grandfather. He quickly took two steps back and fell onto the ground, forgetting about the umbrella he had dropped beside him as he scrambled back into the house."
"My grandfather's parents saw him in such a state and rushed back from outside, asking what had happened. He recounted what he had just witnessed to them. His parents believed him without question and hurriedly gave him a bath and changed his clothes. They said they were truly grateful for the doctor at that time..."
"Afterward, my grandfather's family huddled together and spent a fearful night. The next day, when they prepared to move away with a few remaining families, they discovered that due to last night's heavy rain, the talismans on those families' doors had all been washed away. Without exception, they had all died at their own doorsteps."
"Subsequently, my grandfather's family moved out alone to the county town and started a new life. Whenever my grandfather tells me this story now, he mentions that he still dares not look at any place with gaps. On rainy nights, he wraps himself tightly in his blanket while sleeping."
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