Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Suddenly, a chill wind blew outside, and the clan leader tugged at his outer garment, glancing at the flickering candlelight before continuing his story.
"That morning, Wang Chong's mother went to the neighboring village to assist with a delivery. She returned just before noon and, upon entering the house, saw her daughter-in-law running out of the side room in disarray. When Wang Chong's mother went inside, she found Wang Chong's father lying on the bed with his son’s wife. The bedding was in disarray, and torn clothes were scattered on the floor; anyone could tell what had happened. Although Wang Chong's mother knew that her husband had certainly harmed her daughter-in-law, after decades of marriage, she should have known what kind of man he was.
However, consumed by anger, she directed all her blame at her daughter-in-law. She rushed out and caught her daughter-in-law at the door, slapping her twice. While hitting her, she cursed, calling her a seductress and lamenting the misfortune of having a daughter-in-law who seduced her own father-in-law. Why was she running away? Her clothes were in tatters; did she want other men to look at her? In short, Wang Chong's mother was quite fierce and hurled every insult imaginable.
Wang Chong's wife was also strong-willed. After being wronged by her father-in-law and then beaten and scolded by her mother-in-law, she ran headfirst into the doorpost and died. Wang Chong's mother panicked because this daughter-in-law had family—brothers and cousins—numbering at least ten. Fearing that her daughter-in-law's family would hear about it and come looking for answers, she staged an accidental scene and called back Wang Chong, who was treating patients outside, claiming that his wife had mistakenly ingested rat poison meant for exterminating mice. By the time Wang Chong's father discovered it, it was too late to save her.
Outsiders believed that the Wang family was harmonious and never suspected that the father-in-law would have such intentions toward his daughter-in-law. Seeing that Wang Chong's wife was indeed foaming at the mouth, they accepted it as truth. However, Wang Chong's parents felt uneasy and concocted a reason to keep their daughter-in-law’s body in an unused room while Wang Chong went to the city to buy a good coffin.
By afternoon, members of the daughter-in-law’s maternal family arrived. Wang Chong’s father led them into that room. To be honest, the room where they set up the mourning altar for the daughter-in-law was quite spacious. The maternal family felt sorrow for their daughter and insisted on keeping vigil overnight while also asking Wang Chong’s parents to stay with them. Feeling guilty, they dared not refuse and had some temporary wooden beds set up for resting. As they endured through the night, they all eventually fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, Wang Chong’s brother-in-law drowsily heard rustling sounds from the bed and quickly opened his eyes. He saw that the candles illuminating the spirit bed were burning brightly; his sister had already lifted the quilt and sat up. Initially thinking his sister had come back to life and wanting to shout out, he then saw her stiffly get off the bed and slowly walk over to their father-in-law. Her face was pale and under the candlelight appeared to have an unnatural hue. The brother-in-law watched as she bent down close to their father-in-law and gently blew a breath toward him. Suddenly, Wang Chong’s father tilted his head and blood began to flow from his seven orifices. The brother-in-law was both startled and terrified; he quickly lay down flat without daring to move.
Fortunately, this sister only blew on Wang Chong’s father—her own father-in-law—and when she returned past him, he could vaguely hear strange sounds coming from her throat as if something were blocking it. But he was too scared to look up; he merely lay there squinting to steal glances at her until he saw that she had returned to lying stiffly as before.
Seeing that it was just past midnight, worried that his sister might get up again later in the night, he quietly nudged others awake with his feet while covering their mouths with his hands to lead them out one by one. Since their sister’s father-in-law was already dead and their brother-in-law had not yet returned from buying a coffin in town, feeling that his sister’s earlier behavior was strange, he sought out their mother-in-law—Wang Chong’s mother—to inquire.
Even though Wang Chong’s mother was tough, she felt guilty inside. Upon hearing her son-in-law’s description and seeing Wang Chong’s father’s corpse, she could no longer hold it together; her mouth loosened as she revealed everything—the truth about how her daughter-in-law had returned seeking revenge because she died with unresolved grievances.
As for why their daughter-in-law couldn’t speak anymore, Wang Chong’s mother didn’t hide it either; fearing that their daughter-in-law would speak recklessly in the underworld after death, they had used medicine to block her throat so that even in death she would have no voice.”
“Could it be that the maternal family would let Wang Chong's family off so easily?”
"How could that be? The Elder Brother of the Maternal Family was about to punch the sister's mother-in-law to death. However, among the cousins, there were two Scholars, so this matter had to wait for the people from the Government Office to come and judge. Although the Maternal Family was furious, they could only tie up the mother-in-law and wait until dawn to send her to the magistrate's office. Just as they finished binding her, they heard a noise from inside the room, and the sister, moving stiffly, walked out with a cat lying on her shoulder that had green eyes.
Even the brother from the Maternal Family had never seen such a situation. It was unclear who shouted first, but everyone rushed to open the door and ran out. The Elder Brother of the Maternal Family didn't forget about his sister's two children and carried them out as well; as for Wang Chong's mother, who was already hated by everyone, no one cared about her at that moment.
Later, everyone in the village was awakened by the commotion. Not understanding what was happening, they all ran towards the Taoist temple in the eastern outskirts. The temple had been built years ago and only had an old priest and a couple of Taoists who would occasionally come out to perform rituals. At that moment, everyone hoped that these two Taoists could help dispel their misfortunes.
The door of the temple was knocked open, but the Taoist refused to let anyone in. In an instant, Wang Chong's wife, Shui Ling, arrived; she was just over a foot away from the nearest villager. Everyone was both frightened and anxious, hiding everywhere. The Taoist pointed to a white poplar tree next to the temple, so that villager used it for cover while circling around Shui Ling. When she moved right, he moved left; when she moved left, he moved right. After a few circles, Shui Ling seemed to grow angry but also exhausted, facing that white poplar tree and standing still.
At that moment, the Old Taoist flew out with a peach wood sword and without saying a word directly decapitated Shui Ling before kicking her head away. Shui Ling—Wang Chong's wife—extended her hands forward and stiffened while holding onto the tree trunk.
It was then that everyone noticed that the cat that had originally been resting on Wang Chong's wife's shoulder had somehow climbed up into the tree and was staring at them with its eerie green eyes. However, in their panic, no one thought much about the cat; it wasn't until later when I returned home that those two cat eyes kept appearing in my mind, making me feel uneasy as if something terrible was about to happen.
When dawn broke, Wang Chong returned with a coffin. Shui Ling's brothers from her Maternal Family also went to report to the magistrate's office. However, Wang Chong's father had already died; Wang Chong's mother was tied up in the courtyard—though she wasn't dead yet, she barely clung to life. When the county magistrate came to inspect the body, the Coroner nearly exploded upon seeing Shui Ling's corpse and shouted that he wanted to leave. But Wang Chong wouldn't allow it; his wife had died under mysterious circumstances overnight amidst all this gossip. He felt uneasy and knelt down begging the Coroner for an examination.
The Coroner couldn't refuse and had no choice but to conduct an examination. Of course, we didn't go inside; only Wang Chong stayed nearby. Shui Ling’s body was covered in scratches and bruises indicating she had been severely tortured, confirming Wang Chong's mother's suspicions that Shui Ling had been forced into submission by Wang Chong’s father. In Shui Ling’s severed neck, they found traces of drugs—specifically those that could render someone deaf or mute—which were administered post-mortem. Shui Ling’s hands were curled like claws with her nails embedded into her flesh; it took several strong men for the Coroner to pry them apart. It was reported that fragments of Wang Chong’s father's clothing were found lodged beneath her nails. Alas! Truly a case of self-inflicted misery!
"And what happened next?"
"According to court regulations, Wang Chong's mother was taken back; however, she would only be deemed guilty of driving her daughter-in-law to death with a light sentence. But Wang Chong’s mother had already lost most of her life due to fright; before the Yamen could pass judgment, she passed away herself. In just two days' time, father, mother, and daughter-in-law all died. Despite his sorrow, Wang Chong had to handle their funerals; everyone sympathized with him because he was still a good child. They arranged for that old priest from the temple to perform a ritual to dispel any bad luck from this village.
When it came time for burial, Wang Chong wanted to retrieve his wife's head but was stopped by the old Taoist who said it needed to be buried as is because it might turn into an evil spirit otherwise. Wang Chong felt heartbroken but could do nothing about it; he could only have someone make a paper mache head for her burial.
During the burial ceremony, although we didn’t see that cat again, we vaguely heard its cries echoing through springtime air. Feeling frightened, we hastily buried her and hurried back home. Wang Chong missed his children and didn’t want to return home fearing reminders of his loss would hurt too much; instead he went to Shui Ling’s Maternal Family who understood this situation wasn’t Wang Chong’s fault. Although they harbored some resentment towards him in their hearts, they ultimately accepted him.
Even though this matter seemed resolved, I still felt uneasy deep down as if something else might happen. Look at my clothes—I hardly took them off because I worried Shui Ling’s resentment hadn’t dissipated along with that cat—" The clan leader glanced at the cat head on the table and swallowed his remaining words."
Rouge looked outside, where the eastern sky was faintly showing signs of white. She poked the cat's head and said, "The Taoist in that temple is not wrong. Once this head is pressed down, the Water Spirit will inevitably become Evil Spirits. But if it is not pressed down, she will also turn into Evil Spirits. This cat is her other life."
"What can we do about it?" The clan leader rubbed his hands together anxiously. "Now that Wang Chong's parents are dead, and he has moved to live with the Water Spirit's Maternal Family, are we supposed to let the innocent people in our village bear the brunt of the Water Spirit's resentment? Isn't that unfair to us?"
"Resolving these issues is simple!" Rouge lifted the cat's head. "Once it's bright, you all go retrieve the Water Spirit's head along with her corpse and burn them together with this cat's head. Then cover the entire grave with lime powder and surround the coffin with black ink lines for reburial. Additionally, find a master to make two scarecrows, writing Wang Chong's parents' birth dates on them. Remember, these scarecrows must be kneeling. After sealing the grave, burn them as well; that should help dispel the Water Spirit's resentment. Also, find a black dog and sprinkle its Black Dog Blood around, especially near the grave. You must understand that this cat has nine lives, but with the black dog warding off evil and the Water Spirit's corpse gone, this cat will be powerless to cause trouble."
"Will this really bring peace?" The clan leader asked worriedly.
Rouge nodded and handed the cat's head to the clan leader. "If you follow my instructions, your village will have peace for a hundred years. As for what happens after that, it all depends on fate. If the people remain kind-hearted, they can naturally dispel misfortune."
"I understand, I understand," said the clan leader. "What Miss Rouge means is that good people will be rewarded. We should encourage everyone in our village to be kind-hearted."
Rouge glanced at the clan leader but did not say anything further.
Comment 0 Comment Count