Chapter 7: Tragic Death

I was taken aback and hurriedly asked him what was going on. He told me that he heard strange noises last night, and he got up early to look around but found nothing unusual. So, he began his morning exercise as usual. After leaving the village, he saw the village's Jin Ya dead by the river, and it was a horrifying sight, as if all the moisture had been drained from its body, leaving it wrinkled.

Just as I was about to leave, Wu Bansian called me back. He grabbed my hand and furrowed his brow. I quickly withdrew my hand and took a small step back; this guy is truly strange

The village party secretary frowned and said, "Sister Liu, how can you say that? Cremation is no longer in vogue; let's stick to burial instead."

It is still early before dark, and Grandma has prepared lunch. At the dining table, Su Qing remains silent while Grandma discusses tonight's plan with us. She says that first, we need to visit Jin Ya's house to prevent Jin Ya from turning into a corpse. We will deal with Jin Ya first, and then head to the deep water pool. To completely eliminate the root of the problem, we must take the initiative.

After much discussion, the village secretary proposed that everyone contribute some money to buy a coffin for Jin Ya's burial. Now that conditions have improved, it is not appropriate to bury him with just a straw mat; at the very least, one should have a clear conscience. When it was mentioned to raise money, many people dispersed. Jin Ya was known for being lazy and had a sharp tongue, which made him unpopular among many villagers. However, regardless of the circumstances, death is a significant matter, and he should be allowed to rest in peace.

Due to this delay, the sun had already risen high in the sky. I did not return to the village with Old Liu, but headed straight for Peach Village. By the time I arrived at Peach Village, it was already noon. Wu Bansian was not at home, and through inquiries, I learned that he had gone to the riverside. That river is the same one where the body of Jin Ya was found. The river flows through our village and runs across Peach Village. I did not spend much effort before I found Wu Bansian.

After returning to my grandmother's house and asking a series of questions, I learned that my thoughts were quite similar to my grandmother's speculations. The death of Jin Ya was most likely caused by a zombie. However, my grandmother mentioned that this was not an ordinary zombie. Typically, ordinary zombies do not dare to actively attack humans; they only attack animals and are afraid of sunlight. If they accidentally come into contact with sunlight, they will turn into a decaying corpse, and their resentment will naturally dissipate.

Finally, the village secretary and several households gathered around one hundred yuan. The old woman also took out several dozen yuan from her pocket. The village secretary arranged for two people to drive a horse cart into the city to buy a coffin. The body was temporarily carried back to the village, and it would be buried once the coffin was purchased. At the moment the body was lifted, I noticed two black spots on the neck of the deceased, as if blood was flowing out from inside.

I shared this discovery with everyone, and they stopped. The crowd gathered around to take a look, and surprisingly, the two black spots on Jin Ya's neck turned out to be two small holes, as if bitten by something. Grandma seemed to sense something was amiss; she told everyone: "No need to buy a coffin, the body cannot be buried in the ground, it must be cremated"

It's nothing, you may go back.

"Wait a moment, take this talisman and stick it in the main hall." Wu Bansian handed me a yellow paper talisman. Upon closer inspection, I found it to be quite similar to the one my grandmother used. Could it be that my grandmother had some secret dealings with this fellow?

Things are simpler than I imagined, I didn't expect that just over 100 yuan could buy off Wu Banshen. Now I have nothing to worry about. I heard this guy is very skilled at catching ghosts, with his help, I am not afraid of dealing with that thing in the pond

The river is not far from the village, and the deep pool that Su Qing mentioned is located downstream of the river. It is bottomless and has never run dry. If one were to say it is haunted by water ghosts, it does not seem so, as no one has ever drowned in that river. Seeing that it was still early, I urged Old Liu to take me there. At first, he was reluctant, but after I gave him 10 yuan, he finally agreed.

Jin Ya had no family and was an old bachelor, but nonetheless, he was a member of the village. We could not simply leave him to die in the wilderness. I gave Old Liu twenty yuan to carry Jin Ya's body back and find a place to bury him. However, before the burial, it was necessary to inform the villagers so that they could prepare themselves mentally and avoid going out unnecessarily, lest they meet a fate like Jin Ya's. Old Liu hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he took the money and carried the body back. However, just after Jin Ya's body was dragged out, I noticed a dark green liquid in the river, drifting along with the current.

After explaining my intentions, I handed him the money I had in my hand. He counted it, put it into his pocket, and then said to me solemnly: "I already know about this matter. You may go back now; I will come to your house tonight."

I have heard my grandmother say that there is a terrifying thing in this world called a zombie. When a person dies and their grievances do not dissipate, they will gather at the heart and mouth, driving the person's body and causing a transformation into a corpse. Zombies do exist, but their formation is extremely difficult. An ideal resting place for the dead and favorable geomancy are essential conditions for their emergence

Wu Bansian stared at the Buddhist beads in my hand and asked me: "Where did this come from?"

I speak honestly: "It was given to me by my grandmother, is there any problem with that?"

We arrived at the scene of the incident and from a distance, we saw many crows circling in the sky. As we approached, we found that the body of Jin Ya was covered with crows, which were feeding on his flesh. I stepped closer and, just as Liu Laohan had described, Jin Ya's body was submerged in water, yet his body was shriveled, with the surface of his skin resembling that of a dried watermelon rind.

Grandmother did not say much, only informing them that the body needed to be tied up with ropes after being carried back. When everyone asked for the reason, Grandmother refused to elaborate, yet I seemed to have an inkling of what it might be. The two small holes were clearly bite marks, and the gold tooth had been bitten. As for Grandmother's insistence on binding the body, I had already deduced the reason. The one who bit the gold tooth could possibly be a zombie. I am so certain of this because I witnessed the appearance of Niu Er's father before he died; the three-inch long black nails could not belong to a living person. I finally understood why Niu Er set the house ablaze; he did this to allow his father to depart in peace. However, I could never comprehend why Niu Er also wanted to follow his father; could it be that he was bitten as well

As I was speaking, the prayer beads in my hand suddenly became extremely hot, and I hurriedly took them off. My grandmother picked up the beads and solemnly asked me, "Has Wu Bansian examined these prayer beads?"

After returning, all the villagers had gathered, surrounding the corpse of Jin Ya, discussing among themselves. I noticed that my grandmother was also there, so I hurried over and recounted the events to her. My grandmother nodded and told me that there was nothing to worry about and that I should go home and stay there. I thought to myself, it is broad daylight, and the whole village is present; could those evil spirits possibly come out to snatch my soul? Naturally, I would not obediently return home; I wanted to see how they would bury the body.