Chapter 7, the shaman retreats in defeat, and the father is injured
Early the next morning, the women in the village prepared a simple meal. After Grandfather and the others finished eating, they headed towards the cemetery on the back mountain. Along the way, Grandfather recounted the strange occurrences of the past few days to the shaman, whose expression grew increasingly serious. She said, "Brother Zhang, from what you have described, the creature is a person who died two years ago, now with a face full of white hair and sharp nails, and it enjoys attacking living beings. It can undoubtedly be confirmed as the White Fiend, but I do not know how much it has grown since then"
According to the father’s account afterward, at that time, patrolling the side of the mountain god temple were two brothers with the surname Wang, both around twenty years old, full of youthful vigor, and they had been boasting about teaching the white beast a lesson. The two brothers were leaning together, having just finished rolling a cigarette, chatting about the village's young women, feeling quite content. Suddenly, a roar reminiscent of a tiger's echoed behind Wang Er, and when he turned around, he was nearly scared out of his wits. The white beast, with fangs nearly an inch long and a face full of white fur, was staring at him. Before he could react, the dark, sharp claw lunged toward his head! Just as it seemed Wang Er was about to meet his end, a gunshot rang out from the side, striking the white beast directly and causing it to shudder. It turned out that his brother, seeing him face to face with the white beast, sensed danger and grabbed the hunting rifle to fire a shot at it, which ultimately saved Wang Er's life.
Upon hearing their grandfather's shout, everyone thought of their defenseless wives and children inside the temple and steeled themselves to charge forward. The sound of swords and steel forks striking the monster echoed like the ringing of iron, causing their hands to go numb from the impact. Fortunately, the bullets from the rear provided some obstruction, preventing the white fiend from unleashing its ghostly speed; otherwise, they would have been defeated long ago.
A man returned to the village with a weapon, and as soon as he entered, he was surrounded by a crowd chattering excitedly. "Uncle Zhang, have you already killed that monster?" "Quickly kill that monster to avenge Chen San!" The crowd spoke one after another.
"Is there anything inappropriate about the grave site that the old scholar chose for himself before he passed away?" Grandfather asked
Everyone harbored their own thoughts, and there was no conversation throughout the night
Bai Xiong's body trembled, its claws slipping onto Wang Er's arm, directly tearing off a section of the limb and swallowing it greedily, blood splattering everywhere. "Ah, ah, ah!" Wang Er, seeing his arm being gnawed on by Bai Xiong, was utterly terrified, rolling on the ground in excruciating pain and fear. Hearing the gunshots and screams, his grandfather and father rushed over with hunting rifles in hand.
The white beast, momentarily confused and no longer firing at the crowd, was taken aback when an elderly woman approached it. Ultimately, being a creature of its predatory nature, it lunged at the old lady. Only then did the crowd regain their senses and open fire, but the gunshots could not halt the beast's advance. In a critical moment, the father collided with the side of the white beast, allowing the elderly woman to escape with her life. The creature staggered from the impact and reached for the father's back, blood splattering forth.
The feng shui of this place, upon first glance, reveals a towering and majestic back mountain, with a gently sloping area in front, a typical site for a fierce tiger descending the mountain, making it an excellent burial site. However, upon closer inspection, the dense forests on both sides and in front resemble prison bars, transforming the fierce tiger into a trapped and sickly one, a ferocious tiger! This is a place of great misfortune, where the yin energy gathers and does not disperse. Moreover, the corpse has developed white hair, having been buried here for two years, it has already become a white malevolent spirit. White malevolent spirits are naturally inclined to pounce on living beings; you have fallen victim to it three times and it has killed one living person, feeding on their blood and essence. If my predictions hold true, it has now acquired intelligence, and coupled with its invulnerability to blades and guns, and immense strength, it is indeed a formidable adversary. The words of the shaman were filled with sorrow. This is a place of great misfortune, where the yin energy gathers and does not disperse. Moreover, the corpse has developed white hair, having been buried here for two years, it has already become a white malevolent spirit. White malevolent spirits are naturally inclined to pounce on living beings; you have fallen victim to it three times and it has killed one living person, feeding on their blood and essence. If my predictions hold true, it has now acquired intelligence, and coupled with its invulnerability to blades and guns, and immense strength, it is indeed a formidable adversary. The words of the shaman were filled with sorrow
More than twenty days after the white beast killed Chen San, it finally arrived, a day I will always remember. Having slept in the mountain god temple for over twenty days, the villagers had become accustomed to it, arranging for patrols every night. At the hour of the rat, I was sleeping soundly in my mother's arms when I heard someone outside shout, "The monster is here!" Followed by the sound of gunfire, bang, bang, bang. The villagers inside the mountain god temple were awakened; the women looked terrified, and the children cried loudly in their mothers' arms. At the hour of the rat, I was sleeping soundly in my mother's arms when I heard someone outside shout, "The monster is here!" Followed by the sound of gunfire, bang, bang, bang. The villagers inside the mountain god temple were awakened; the women looked terrified, and the children cried loudly in their mothers' arms.
"The departure of the witch Li is due to her inability to deal with the White Fiend; the monster has yet to be eliminated," the grandfather hesitantly said to the villagers. The bustling crowd suddenly fell silent, their eyes revealing expressions of fear. The brutality and immense strength of the White Fiend were evident to all, and a sense of panic spread throughout the village, signaling an impending crisis.
We are immensely grateful for what you have done for our village today. Please take a short rest, and tomorrow we will go together to collect the lives of the monsters" Grandfather replied politely
An elderly woman suddenly ran out from the mountain god temple, shouting at Bai Xiong: "Old man! Wake up quickly, how did you end up like this! They said you have become Bai Xiong and are causing trouble in the village, but I didn't believe it. Hurry up and wake up!" As she spoke, she walked towards Bai Xiong.
Grandfather continued to fight the monster, and after a full incense stick's worth of time, the monster, seeing that it could not overcome the crowd, finally retreated. That night, the monster injured seven people, but fortunately, no one was killed. The injured were carried into the temple, and their family members rushed over in a flurry. The uninjured men continued to stand guard outside, preventing the white fiend from returning. I saw my father being carried in on a wooden plank, his back covered in blood, with a wound the size of a baby's lips gaping outward. The uninjured men continued to stand guard outside, preventing the white fiend from returning. I saw my father being carried in on a wooden plank, his back covered in blood, with a wound the size of a baby's lips gaping outward. After being injured for a full incense stick's worth of time, his face had turned black, and even the blood oozing from the wound was black. Seeing my father's tragic state, I burst into tears. My mother hurried over, and I felt her body trembling, unsure whether it was from her heartache for my father or her anger at him for being so severely injured.
Then what do you suggest we do? We will follow your arrangements, " said grandfather.
The news that no one could be found to subdue the White Beast returned to the village, and the night at the Mountain God Temple was filled with sighs and lamentations. Since the last time it injured Chen Mazi, the White Beast had not shown itself, and this lingering sense of crisis made the villagers increasingly tense. Chen Mazi had survived, but he had become a fool, and his family wept day and night. No one knew if they would become the next Chen San or Chen Mazi. The atmosphere of negativity and restlessness spread among the crowd. No one knew if they would become the next Chen San or Chen Mazi. The atmosphere of negativity and restlessness spread among the crowd.
Grandfather realized that continuing like this was ultimately not a solution. On one hand, he continued to send people to search for the extraordinary being to subdue the White Fiend; on the other hand, during the day, he patrolled with a hunting rifle in hand, prepared to eliminate it with the rifle upon finding its trace. For more than ten days, not a single clue had been found. The White Fiend seemed to have evaporated. The villagers' state of mind had become extremely anxious, fearing that if their feelings were not expressed, something unfortunate might occur.
As they approached, they saw Wang Er rolling on the ground and Bai Xiong biting at his arm. The father hurriedly helped Wang Er up and ran to a distance to bandage him. The grandfather and the others fired their shotguns at Bai Xiong, and in the night, they clearly saw sparks flying with each bang. Bai Xiong was indeed impervious to blades and bullets. Moreover, the village only had ordinary shotguns, which forced Bai Xiong to retreat step by step, yet they could not inflict any harm on it.
After circling around the old scholar's grave and the site of the book, the shaman's expression became even more unpleasant, and she said: "You are truly confused! Two years ago, when the body was buried, it was attacked by a black cat, resulting in white fur appearing on its face, which is a symptom of the transformation into a white ghost. At that time, you did not burn the body; instead, you sealed the tomb and buried it, leaving behind a tremendous hidden danger! Moreover, who chose the feng shui of this place?"
Last time, there was no way to deal with the corpse poison, which caused Chen Mazi's malevolent energy to invade his brain, rendering him foolish. This time, my grandfather hurriedly arranged for people to gather glutinous rice, wild grass from the grave, and the urine of a young boy, applying them to the wounds of the injured according to the method used by Master Li last time. In a short while, my father's wound stopped oozing black blood, and his complexion became rosy. Seeing this, my mother finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had been by my father's side the whole time, using a warm towel to wipe around his wound until he regained consciousness. In a short while, my father's wound stopped oozing black blood, and his complexion became rosy. Seeing this, my mother finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had been by my father's side the whole time, using a warm towel to wipe around his wound until he regained consciousness.
I apologize, but I lack the ability to deal with a white beast that has grown to such a level. It would be better for you to seek someone more capable. Do not delay, as it grows stronger with each person it kills, making it even more difficult to handle later on
This person is indeed the wife of the old scholar. Upon seeing her husband transformed into such a monster, she attempts to awaken his memories from the past. The onlookers are all taken aback, allowing the elderly lady to approach the white beast, thinking that if she could awaken the monster, they would not have to risk their lives fighting it. "Danger! Come back, he is no longer your husband!" Grandfather shouted at her, but she seemed not to hear and continued to move forward.
The father silently took the silver dollar, mounted his horse, and sent Li Shenpo back. "Alas, did you see? Li Shenpo has returned, the monster must have been subdued, hahahaha," many villagers said optimistically upon seeing Li Shenpo return, completely unaware of what had actually transpired.
Li Shenpo's expression clearly relaxed, and he said to the librarian: "The best method would have been to use glutinous rice to extract the corpse poison at the peak of yang energy, but now, since it is night, we can only resort to extraordinary measures. The urine of a young boy is the most potent source of yang energy. All things exist in mutual generation and restriction; although the wild grass growing on the grave thrives on yin energy, it can absorb and restrain yin energy. Therefore, mixing the ash of wild grass with the boy's urine is effective. Now, the corpse poison within him has been extracted, and his body is no longer in danger of death. However, having been afflicted by the malevolent corpse poison for too long, it is inevitable that it may have harmed his mind. The rest is left to fate! Let us rest for now; tomorrow morning, I will accompany you to confront the zombie!"
"Do not panic, those in the back take the shotgun to continue blocking the white beast's actions, those in the front grab the pitchforks and daggers, and fight that creature to the death. We must not let it charge into the temple, or else the women and children inside will suffer!" Grandfather shouted.
The white beast, struck on its body, let out a painful roar. Relying on its ghostly speed, it charged towards the bullets. The crowd was astonished, not expecting the bullets to have any effect on it. The villagers' only means of survival was their hunting rifles, and faced with such a situation, they were at a loss for what to do
In the following days, the village remained lifeless, with villagers too afraid to venture out alone, all carrying weapons for protection. At night, the villagers slept in the mountain god temple, fearing they might meet the white fiend alone, just like Chen San. My grandfather offered a substantial reward and sent several groups of villagers to search for shamans and other capable individuals nearby, but the results were not very promising. Li the shaman was already the most powerful in the nearby villages, and upon hearing the news of her return in disgrace, the remaining people weighed their own abilities and dared not come forward. After all, no matter how much money one has, it is necessary to have a life to spend it!
In that case, Dachun, you should return to Li Shenpo. She helped us rescue Chen Mazi, and the payment will be given without fail.