Chapter 8, Calling the Souls

Grandfather looked at the moon in the sky; it was not yet 4 o'clock. The rooster usually crows around 5 o'clock, so there is still an hour left, which is enough time

I dare not think; as I ponder, I feel a chilling wind behind me, as if a pair of icy hands were caressing my neck, a sensation that is simply suffocating

Holding the yellow candle given by my grandfather, there was already wind outside. As the wind blew, the flame immediately swayed in all directions. Fortunately, the wind was not strong, and by raising my hand to shield it, everything was fine

I have never had such an experience; I was truly terrified, especially after losing sight of the candlelight from my father and Zhu Dazheng. The nights in the countryside are extremely dark, utterly devoid of light, and the candlelight in my hand can only illuminate a small area. Beyond that area lies an endless expanse of darkness

Grandfather instructed that after taking one hundred steps, one must only move forward, absolutely not backward, nor look back, unless one has taken nine hundred steps, at which point one may turn back. However, after turning back, one can only walk in the direction of Zhu Danian's house, and still must not look back.

However, there was nothing that happened along the path that ran through the middle of the bamboo forest, all the way to a low-lying area ahead, and by this time, I had already walked a total of nine hundred steps. I took a deep breath, held my breath, and kept the candle in front of my chest, then turned around and walked back.

A chilling breeze wafted from behind my neck, and in an instant, goosebumps covered my entire body

I have heard from other companions in the village that the bamboo forest is haunted. Wang Maodan said he even saw will-o'-the-wisps in the bamboo forest. Zhang Xiaoguang recounted that once, when he went to his cousin's house in the neighboring village to watch a movie, he saw a dark shadow in the forest while passing by at midnight. He was so frightened that he almost lost his soul and just kept running, running, running, until he got home and covered himself with a blanket to sleep.

Eventually, it was his grandmother who insisted that Zhang Xiaoguang's father carry him to my house. At that time, I had seen Zhang Xiaoguang, his entire body was flushed red, and even a towel soaked in cold water, when applied to him, was steaming.

I am truly afraid of a face suddenly appearing in the candlelight, that face is deathly pale

Not afraid! I answered decisively.

However, he had a dream in which he saw a woman who was exceptionally beautiful, and she insisted on engaging in intimate activities with him. At this point, several of us friends were quite envious of Zhang Xiaoguang, but as he continued to recount the story, the tone changed significantly.

Hold your breath, protect the candle, continue moving forward, feeling the steps incredibly heavy

After finishing these tasks, grandfather said: "Go, put this scarecrow at the entrance of your house during the New Year, and do not close the door!"

I was just thinking of walking on my own, and I will treat the sound I heard just now as if I did not hear it

As I drew closer to the bamboo grove, the path lay between the bamboo, with desolate graves on either side. Seeing such things in the dead of night made my cold sweat flow uncontrollably.

By the time we arrived, Zhu Danian had already prepared those three items

When it comes to receiving the yin-yang money, I am filled with fervor, but when it is truly time to go out and scatter the paper money, my heart genuinely sinks

Well done! When grandfather smiled, his eyes squinted into a narrow slit, and it seemed that father was about to intervene, but a single glance from grandfather silenced him.

After a night of sweating profusely, he realized upon waking that he was completely naked, having spent the night lying on a desolate grave in the bamboo forest, with a large patch of dry bamboo leaves beneath him now soaked.

In the quiet environment, a sudden cough broke the silence, startling me greatly, causing a buzzing sensation in my mind, and cold sweat began to trickle down. Immediately afterward, the flame of the candle in my hand started to flicker erratically.

At such times, I cannot help but recall this matter in my mind. I wonder why I had to choose this direction just now. I could have chosen to go south to the riverside, or I could have swapped with my father and chosen the eastern cornfield instead

What exactly is behind me? Could it be the female ghost that Zhang Xiaoguang encountered, or the soul of Zhu Heiwa?

In the bamboo forest, apart from the mounds of earth raised by the overgrown graves, there is nothing particularly special. Perhaps my grandfather knew that the malevolent entities in this area would be frightened, so he secretly came here to deal with them

But thinking about these things now is useless, I can only grit my teeth and move forward. Every ten steps I have to shout that phrase. In fact, just saying the name of a deceased person out loud makes me feel a chill down my spine. Will Zhu Heiwa's soul follow me after hearing me call out? Could that cough I heard just now be him?

Of course, I will return the same way. I still want to pass through that bamboo forest. However, just now, nothing happened, and my courage has increased significantly. In fact, when I passed by the bamboo forest, I couldn't help but glance inside a few times, as long as I don't look back.

The residence of Zhu Danian is oriented west to east, therefore, in each of the other three directions—southeast and north—there must be a person who walks out for nine hundred steps. Every ten steps, they should scatter some paper money, and before each scattering, they must shout words urging Zhu Heiwa to return home.

Immediately afterwards, grandfather plucked a hair from Zhu Heiwa's head, applied some substance, and attached the hair to the scarecrow's head. He also affixed a piece of white paper to its face, drawing a nose and eyes on it

In accordance with grandfather's instructions, a circle of glutinous rice was scattered on the ground, leaving an opening facing the door. The corpse of Zhu Heiwa was placed within the circle of glutinous rice, with his head oriented towards the exit of the rice circle. An incense burner was positioned above his head, with incense sticks inserted into it.

That person is right in our village, Father, do you already have a suspect in mind?" My father asked my grandfather

After everything was prepared, I went to Zhu Danian's house again

"Are you afraid?" Grandfather asked with a smile

Zhu Danian naturally complied, and the main door swung open, revealing a pitch-black exterior

At the one hundred and fortieth step, I took out a few yin-yang coins and shouted: "Uncle Hei Wa, it's time to go home! Uncle Hei Wa, it's time to go home!"

Grandfather nodded but did not respond. He only said: "When Zhu Heiwa wakes up, it will naturally become clear. Alright, let's quickly prepare the things; once the rooster crows, we won't be able to summon the soul!"

His grandfather took his pulse and ultimately prescribed some herbal medicine. After drinking the talisman water prepared by his grandfather, he remained in a coma for a full seven days before finally waking up

Dare not to think, the more I think, the more afraid I become

Grandfather repeatedly emphasized these few words. I wasn't that scared initially, but after hearing Grandfather, I couldn't help but feel uneasy. My father then said, "Dad, your pre-war mobilization sounds just like a ghost story, it's so frightening. Don't scare our ordinary child!"

Grandfather said this is called shouting the soul

In Zhu Danian's household, there were no other people, only his old partner. Grandpa said that women have a strong yin energy, and going out to scatter paper money easily attracts unclean things. Finally, Grandpa lowered his head, stroked my head, and asked, "Fan Wazi, do you dare to go outside and scatter paper money?"

As I walked, I glanced with my peripheral vision at the candlelight in the other two directions, which grew increasingly distant, until it finally vanished from my sight

Late at night, the outside was pitch black, and naturally, I felt a bit frightened. However, since my grandfather had asked, I did not expect that this matter was something a child like me could assist with. I felt a sense of excitement in my heart, so I took the yin-yang coins from my grandfather's hand and said: "Grandfather, I dare!"

I walked towards the north, my father walked towards the east, and Zhu Danian walked directly south

Each person was given a candle, which was taken out of the bag embroidered with the Yin-Yang Bagua diagram by my grandfather. The candle was dark yellow, a type of wax I had never seen before. Before leaving, my grandfather instructed, "If the candle goes out, throw away all the Yin-Yang coins, do not look back, just run straight back to the courtyard! Remember, absolutely do not look back!"

Grandfather's expression was very serious, showing no signs of any pretense. He then instructed us on a few matters, which allowed us to finally leave the house. Just as we reached the door, Grandfather seemed to remember something, called us back, and handed each of us a yellow talisman, saying it could save our lives in case of an emergency

After Grandfather finished speaking, he quickened his pace. The items he was preparing to take back were not complicated; they consisted of some yellow paper, incense candles, and a bit of red powder, which Grandfather referred to as vermilion.

Grandfather took out a palm-sized yellow paper, asking Zhu Danian for Zhu Heiwa's birth date and time, which he wrote on the yellow paper, folded it into a packet, and stuffed it inside the scarecrow.

Grandfather lifted his foot and kicked my father in the backside, scolding, "Get lost, when did it become your turn to interrupt? Do you think summoning spirits is that simple? You must remember everything I say, otherwise, not only will you fail to summon the spirits, but you'll also end up in a mess!"

The roads in the countryside are winding and twisting, but after walking more than 900 steps in one direction, you will basically leave the village and arrive at a stretch of wasteland. Further ahead, there is a bamboo forest, dense and lush, within which there are many abandoned graves, the era of which is unknown, and no one visits them during the Qingming Festival each year

Just as I was thinking of this, the flame of the candle in my hand suddenly flickered. If I had not quickly shielded it with my hand, the flame would have been extinguished

Whatever one thinks will come to pass, the voice of a woman came from behind me, a voice that was faint yet carried a hint of smoothness, a breathy sound that was almost right next to my ear

Grandfather's words echoed in my mind, even though I could clearly hear the sound of coughing coming from behind me, I absolutely could not turn back, I absolutely could not

Grandfather once said that one must not look back, and if one hears someone calling their name, they must not respond. If they do respond, it is tantamount to acquiescing to the request of malevolent entities, and it will become troublesome to shake them off later

These matters do not require grandfather to take action personally; father and Zhu Danian quickly took care of them. Grandfather was busy manipulating the straw by himself, and his technique was quite skillful. In just a short while, he had fashioned a scarecrow.

Cough cough

Xiao Fan, you have arrived

The scarecrow looks remarkably lifelike; I didn't expect my grandfather to have such a skill. This is the first time I have seen it.

However, when I was about to lift my foot and walk forward, my legs felt as if they were filled with lead, heavy and immovable, making it impossible to lift them at all

Next, Grandfather had Zhu Danian slaughter the large red rooster, collecting a full bowl of chicken blood and setting it aside. He took out a handful of yin-yang coins from his bag, giving some to Zhu Danian and the remainder to my father.

What Zhang Xiaoguang said is indeed true, as he had a persistent high fever for several days. His father took him to the city for an injection to reduce the fever, but it was ineffective. The doctor could not identify any issues, and ultimately issued a critical illness notice.