Chapter 1, The Eerie Scene

Strangely, a coffin was placed upside down in the center of the pit, with the lid propped against the muddy wall. A few bamboo leaves floated on the still, murky water of the half-submerged coffin, and one leaf, surprisingly, was quite dry against the inner wall. Why was this so? I squatted by the grave pit, pondering these questions, and only stood up after clarifying my doubts, intending to enter the bamboo forest to investigate the scene of the great master's death. Just then, the overcast sky suddenly brightened, and a beam of golden light poured down. I saw a glowing object two meters in front of me, aligned with the sunlight.

For the first time, I felt that my growing village could appear in such a way, so unfamiliar and strange, even terrifying

Zhang Zichen quickly said, "I will take Xiao Cheng with me." It is not that Zhang Zichen is cowardly; rather, this fellow is superstitious and is reluctant to engage with anything too eerie.

Due to the rain last night, water droplets still hung on the bamboo leaves. As I walked beneath them, even the slightest vibration could shake the droplets loose, causing them to fall onto the thick layer of dry bamboo leaves below, producing a series of soft, penetrating sounds. Accompanied by the rustling noise of my footsteps on the dry leaves, I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy in the dark surroundings

I am from Guangshun Town in the southern Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou. In the vast geographical landscape of China, this is a place so small that it is hardly noticeable, and probably not many people have heard of it. However, I believe many have heard of a very famous idiom, "Yelang Zida" (arrogance of Yelang). Indeed, Guangshun Town is the site of the royal city of the ancient Yelang Kingdom, one of China's three mysterious ancient kingdoms, a place filled with an air of mystery, and even an eerie quality.

I interrupted to ask him, what scale of burial requires digging for a whole day and night? He did not know. According to the great master’s explanation, the old lady had a special fate, and if the burial was not suitable, the entire village would suffer misfortune. Moreover, it was forbidden to observe the proceedings; the site was covered with layers of white oil paper used for seedling cultivation, creating three layers inside and three layers outside, making it impossible to see what was happening inside. All that could be seen was the great master performing rituals outside every day. The people digging the grave were not from the village; the great master stated that those who dig the grave must be born on the ninth day of the ninth month and must be stout. Since no suitable individuals could be found in the village, they had to be invited from outside, but now none of those people could be located. It was impossible to see what was happening inside; all that could be seen was the great master performing rituals outside every day. The people digging the grave were not from the village; the great master stated that those who dig the grave must be born on the ninth day of the ninth month and must be stout. Since no suitable individuals could be found in the village, they had to be invited from outside, but now none of those people could be located.

As we approached the grave pit, the sky suddenly changed dramatically; dark clouds gathered as if it were about to rain. The air felt heavy and oppressive. Cheng Huaihuo, this coward, stopped and said, "Xiao Yu, how about we divide the tasks? I will go ask the villagers about the situation, and you can investigate the scene?" This guy always leaves me alone at critical moments

I sighed and asked the old lady if the missing body had been found. Zhang Zichen shook his head and said that it had rained heavily last night, and when the case was discovered, there were many onlookers. The scene had been completely destroyed, making it impossible to find any useful clues, except for an old cloth shoe that had already been sent to the station. The body of the master had also been taken back. The death was horrific and disgusting; the abdomen had been torn open, with intestines spilling out, and the heart was missing, having been forcibly ripped out. Zhang Zichen shook his head again, reiterating that it had rained heavily last night, and the scene was in complete disarray due to the crowd, leaving no useful clues to be found, apart from the old cloth shoe that had been sent to the station. The master’s body had also been taken back. The death was gruesome and revolting; the abdomen had a gaping hole, with intestines protruding, and the heart was missing, having been violently removed.

Suddenly, a loud thunderclap shattered the silence, startling me. I patted my chest to calm myself and looked again; the frog had vanished without a trace. The bamboo overhead rustled, and raindrops began to fall in a dense shower. I turned and quickly walked to a large dead bamboo, where a warning line had been set up around it. This was the scene of the great master's death, but was it really the first crime scene? I was uncertain. Apart from a pool of blood on the ground, there were numerous footprints, and the wire had already been damaged. Therefore, I did not linger, crossing the warning line to leave from the other side. At first, my departure went smoothly, but as I jumped from the bamboo grove to the fields, my right arm was suddenly scratched by something, causing a sharp pain. I turned to look and found a thin wire hanging from a bamboo branch; it was this wire that had cut me.

The grave pit is not very deep, just over one meter, but it is quite large, severely asymmetrical compared to standard grave pit sizes. As far as I know, there are strict standards for the dimensions of grave pits. This situation seems rather unusual; even if the elderly lady had a unique fate, typically, adjustments are made through burial methods and accompanying items. Deviating from this norm certainly suggests something strange.

Zhang Zichen continued to tell me that the old lady was buried last night during the heavy rain. As a result, someone discovered this morning that the grave had been dug up, and there was no body in the coffin. Jin Shiba was missing, and Daxian died in the bamboo forest. Now the village is in chaos, and the people are in a state of panic, all saying that the old lady has turned into a vengeful spirit to collect blood debts. Why they say this, as a villager, I should be very clear.

I placed the half-broken antique jade bracelet into the evidence bag, then picked up a piece of broken tile and vigorously dug at the spot where I had just discovered the jade bracelet. Unfortunately, all that I unearthed was raw mud.

Only after Zhang Zichen took Cheng Huaihuo away did I put on the white gloves and approach the muddy grave mounds

With a hint of disappointment, I walked into the bamboo grove holding the evidence bag. The entire area of the bamboo grove is not large, about four to five acres, but the bamboo grows tall and dense, resulting in severely insufficient light. The ground is covered with a thick layer of fallen dry bamboo leaves, making it difficult for other plants to grow. It appears as one color on the ground and another color in mid-air, creating a mysterious and gloomy atmosphere.

As Cheng Huaihuo and I hurriedly arrived at Jinlang Tianzhai, I immediately sensed a very strange atmosphere upon getting off the vehicle. The ancient and quaint village, surrounded by mountains on three sides, was eerily silent and desolate. Every household had its doors tightly shut, and no one ventured outside. Even the clan hall, which usually buzzed with children, was completely empty. The entire fan-shaped village, home to nearly five hundred families, stood in stark contrast to the lively scenes of singing and dancing from the past, and the current desolation left me feeling intensely uncomfortable

Damn it, could there be something unclean in this extremely cold and dark place? The more I think this way, the more I trigger a reflex. Just at that moment, my right leg was bumped into. I turned around in shock to see that it was a frog, quite large, definitely over 500 grams, with a grass-green back and pale white eyes, sticking out its tongue and staring at me intently, giving me a chilling feeling.

As we spoke, we had already arrived at the edge of the bamboo forest at the west end of the crime scene village. I have read numerous books on metaphysics and studied feng shui and physiognomy. This place, in any regard, lacks yang energy. If that master came here to find a burial site with exposed yang energy, he either does not understand feng shui at all or certainly has enmity with the entire village. Another reason could be that his intentions are not as they seem; otherwise, he would not go to such lengths to change the location.

Strangely, how could there be a piece of iron wire here? Without having time to think much, I hurriedly rubbed my right arm and ran into the village.

The story I wish to tell took place on an afternoon in April fifteen years ago. It was a gloomy afternoon when the landline phone in the office of the Criminal Investigation Team of the Autonomous Prefecture suddenly rang. At that time, I was organizing files, and my colleague Cheng Huaihuo answered the call. After speaking for nearly a minute, he hung up and asked me, "You are from Jinlang Tianzhai in Guangshun Town, right?"

Once again, there is a point of suspicion. Based on my experience in handling cases, the more something is concealed, the more problematic it tends to be

I have considerable knowledge of antiques. Although I cannot specify the exact age of this half-section of jade bracelet, I can affirm that it is at least over one thousand years old

Cheng Huaihuo was unclear about the situation, so he interjected with a question. I informed him that this incident occurred twenty years ago, when Jin Shiba's father colluded with outsiders to steal the village's plowing oxen. He fell into the river and drowned while trying to escape. Not long after, his wife remarried. His mother always claimed that the villagers wronged her son, which led to their family's ruin. Therefore, in the ancestral hall, she swore a deadly oath to return as a vengeful spirit to disturb the village, causing chaos and unrest.

After exchanging greetings, Zhang Zichen led me and Cheng Huaihuo towards the crime scene while explaining the background. The sequence of events is as follows: Two days ago, the grandmother of the thug Jin Shiba passed away. Jin Shiba invited a master to select a burial site. The master stated that the old lady was born in a year, month, day, and hour of the Yin calendar, and that she died with her eyes open, which was not a peaceful death. Therefore, it was necessary to find a plot of land with exposed Yang energy for her burial; otherwise, serious consequences would ensue. They first searched the mountains but found nothing. Later, they discovered a piece of land belonging to a widow near the bamboo forest in the west. Jin Shiba exchanged a plot of land twice the size for it and began digging, working tirelessly for a full day and night until last night when the burial was finally completed.

I hurriedly placed the files into the drawer, my expression grave as I walked out of the criminal investigation office with Cheng Huaihuo. We are detectives, and being summoned by us usually indicates that the matter is serious. I hoped it would not involve a homicide, but sometimes things do not go as hoped. There truly was a homicide, one that would change my life forever, a case that was bizarre, terrifying, unnatural, and unscientific

Filled with confusion, I cautiously approached, crouched down, and began to feel around on the ground. Before long, I touched a clump of mud that curved like a crescent moon, one corner of which was surprisingly snow-white. I quickly washed it in water and confirmed that it was this object that had been glowing. It was a half-section of a jade bracelet, exquisitely crafted and of excellent quality, crystal clear, with absolutely no black spots, yellow-brown speckles, or other blemishes.

At the entrance of the village, a police officer from the town police station was there to assist us. His name is Zhang Zichen. Six months ago, when I was investigating the case of the headless female ghost at the First Middle School of the Autonomous Prefecture, I collaborated with him. He is a police officer who believes in superstition more than science, and whenever he encounters an unsolvable mystery, he tends to attribute it to ghosts and deities. Therefore, I have a very deep impression of him

Witches are an ancient and mysterious profession, especially in our region, where there are numerous stories about them. It is said that they can divine, cast spells, and poison; they can communicate with spirits and deities, and harness the powers of nature or the strength of possessed spirits for their own use. Cheng Huaihuo had clearly heard these stories and, being somewhat timid, his complexion immediately became unnatural after listening to Zhang Zichen.

Cheng Huaihuo exclaimed in shock, "What does it mean to tear apart?"

Zhang Zichen took the conversation and told Cheng Huaihuo that this old lady was truly ominous. The day after she married, both her father-in-law and mother-in-law passed away. After the funeral was held, her husband also died three days later. After much difficulty in raising her posthumous child, she ended up sending a white-haired person to accompany a black-haired one. Who wouldn't be afraid of such a sinister person making a deadly vow? What if this old lady were also a mysterious witch? Wouldn't that be frightening? After much difficulty in raising her posthumous child, she ended up sending a white-haired person to accompany a black-haired one. Who wouldn't be afraid of such a sinister person making a deadly vow? What if this old lady were also a mysterious witch? Wouldn't that be frightening?

Zhang Zichen made a claw-like gesture with his hand and said: "It is to tear directly with one's hands, rather than using a sharp weapon. A human definitely cannot accomplish this, only..." Zhang Zichen did not continue, but the implication was already very clear: the murderer is not human

I nodded in confusion, and Cheng Huaihuo continued to tell me that there was an incident in your village, urging us to hurry there.