When I saw Second Uncle hanging from the beam,I was so scared that I quickly rescued him, but his body was already cold—he must have been dead for a long time. But Second Uncle had just left my house moments ago! How could his body already be cold? Did that mean the Second Uncle I'd seen earlier was...
I didn't dare to think further. My heart ached, and I hugged his body, sobbing uncontrollably. Now the only family member I had left was gone, and I was truly an orphan.
On Second Uncle's table lay a letter. It read:
Nephew, I am not a blood member of the Lin family. Your grandfather took me in as a foundling, and I may never be able to repay his kindness for raising me. You are the last surviving bloodline of the Lin family, and I must protect you. I am trading my life for one year of your safety. In one year, she will return to seek revenge again. Whether you live or die then will depend on your own fate. I believe in you—if you master the Maoshan Ghost Taoism, you can defy destiny!
In the days to come, you must remember several things:
First, on the seventh day after your grandfather and the others died, you must exhume their bodies, sever their heads one by one, and rebury them. Also, my body must be burned. Remember this!
Second, if you ever meet a girl with the surname Gui , you must marry her at all costs.
Third, as the saying goes, every grievance has its perpetrator. You must uncover the truth about the yin-yang case your grandfather misjudged all those years ago. Only by resolving this knot can the Lin family survive in the future. This will also atone for your grandfather's past mistake. Since he never revealed much about it, I cannot provide much information—you must figure it out on your own. Additionally, there is something suspicious about your grandfather and the others' deaths. You must investigate thoroughly and avenge them.
Fourth, never use your powers to do evil, or you will face the consequences.
After reading Second Uncle's letter, I sat beside his body with red eyes, staring blankly for a long time. My mind was empty, and I even wondered if all of this was just a dream. But after a long while, I realized that this "dream" was all too real.
As per Second Uncle's instructions, I cremated his body. The fire took on a strange pale green hue, with flames leaping as high as a person. Even more oddly, I heard something howling in agony within the flames, though the sound was faint and indistinct.
There was also something unnatural about Second Uncle's corpse. All his fingers were bent backward, their bones shattered, and there was a large bloody hole in his chest—yet no blood had seeped out. His tongue wasn't lolling out, his eyes were undistorted; he didn't look like someone who'd hanged himself. Of course, his body had already been cold for some time, despite his having fled my home just moments earlier.
Still, I dared not conclude it was Second Uncle's ghost, for he'd carried a peachwood sword and black dog blood—spirits are supposed to recoil from peachwood. Perhaps there was a deeper mystery at play, though I had no mental energy to unravel it then.
I placed Second Uncle's ashes in an urn and built a grave for him beside Grandpa's. Suddenly, the hillside held five graves, all belonging to my family.
In the following days, I lingered in a daze by the mourning hall until the seventh night after Grandfather's death. That night, howls echoed from the cemetery hill—sounding like wolves at first, but on closer listen, more like cats, sharp and piercing. All the village dogs began to bark restlessly, and I suddenly remembered: tonight, I had to exhume Grandfather and the others' graves and decapitate their bodies. Though the task sounded eerie, I decided to honor Grandfather's final wish.
I shed my mourning robe, put on a thick cotton-padded jacket, and left, grabbing a hoe and a large cutting knife from the courtyard on my way out.
The cemetery hill at night was swept by ghostly winds. Pale moonlight cast sinister shadows on the tombstones. The earlier howls came and went; I swallowed hard, tightened my jacket, and approached Grandfather's grave.
Arriving at the tomb, I realized the strange howls had originated here. But as soon as I arrived, the sound vanished, replaced by a "thump-thump-thump" knocking—like something inside the coffin was pounding from below.
I quickly knelt down, bowed three times toward my grandparents' grave, and clasped my hands together, saying, "Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad—Little Yuan has come to exhume your graves as you instructed. Please don't hold it against me!"
The moment I finished speaking, the "thump-thump-thump" knocking beneath the tomb indeed stopped. The cemetery hill fell deathly silent, broken only by the howling wind whining in my ears, like a woman sobbing.
I swept my flashlight around and found nothing amiss, then gripped the hoe and began digging into the graves.
Exhuming graves is backbreaking labor, especially four of them. By the time I finished, I was drenched in sweat and barely able to stand. But I didn't dare stop, instead opening each coffin one by one.
One coffin stood out as strange: its lid was loose, and the coffin nails had vanished. With a little force, I pried it open.
Inside lay my grandfather. At the sight of his corpse, I was instantly drenched in cold sweat, my scalp tingling with horror!
His pitch-black body had sprouted green, velvety fur. His fingernails were gray and elongated, and fangs protruded from his mouth. His bulging eyeballs had turned blood-red—utterly different from when he was buried.
Gazing at Grandfather's corpse, my heart sank. Was he turning into a jiangshi (Chinese zombie)? I'd watched countless Mr. Ying's zombie films as a child, and now his body matched those on screen exactly. I finally understood why he'd told me to decapitate him: to prevent corpse transformation.
I lifted the large cutting knife I'd brought, but couldn't bring myself to strike. After all, Grandfather was family. How could I decapitate a loved one?
Just then, I saw his eyeball twitch—and it seemed to fix me with a deathly stare.
I realized in an instant that if I hesitated, I might never get another chance. Gritting my teeth, I whispered, "Sorry, Grandfather," then swung the knife with all my might, severing his head in one blow.
After Grandfather's head was separated from his body, the green fur on his corpse instantly wilted, and his nails slowly fell off. A kind smile suddenly appeared on his face, and I burst into tears at the sight.
At that moment, I swore in my heart to avenge Grandfather and the others. I wondered who was so cruel as to disturb Grandfather's peace even after death, forcing his body and head to be separated.
I wiped away my tears and continued to decapitate Grandma, Father, and Mother. Their corpses seemed to be transforming more slowly—only fine green fur had grown on their bodies, with no other changes for the time being.
Once finished, I reburied them, then kowtowed before the graves until my head bled, repeatedly crying, "Your child is unfilial! Your child is unfilial!"
After paying my respects for a long while, I packed my things to leave. But when I looked back, I saw a figure standing at the other end of the cemetery hill.
As the flashlight beam hit her pale face, I realized it was the old woman. With disheveled hair and a ferocious expression, she stared at me with vicious eyes. Her corners of the mouth were perpetually upturned, as if she were always smiling at me, but that smile sent chills down my spine.
At the sight of the old woman, I broke out in cold sweat. With Second Uncle absent, would she come to take my life?
The old woman didn't approach; she just stared at me for a while before vanishing. I remembered what Second Uncle had said—he'd traded his life for my one year of safety. If I still couldn't confront this old woman after a year, I'd surely die!
When I returned, I continued wearing mourning clothes until the night passed.
After the seventh night, I no longer had to keep vigil, but when I went out, villagers looked at me strangely. Rumors said those struck dead by lightning must have committed wicked deeds. They whispered behind my back, claiming my family must have done unconscionable things to be struck down by lightning. As an orphan, they grew bolder, even speaking ill of me to my face.
Grandfather had always been helpful, and many villagers had received his kindness. Yet now, these very people joined the ranks of accusers and rumor-mongers.
I didn't refute them. Instead, I vowed in my heart to avenge my family and clear our name. Whether human or ghost, I would not let the culprit go!
Moreover, I swore to rise above my circumstances and make these snobbish villagers regret their actions!
After returning to school, I studied my lessons while assiduously delving into Maoshan Ghost Taoism. Though exhausting, I managed to persevere.
But these weren't the most pressing matters. The critical issue was money.
Now I am an orphan, my tuition was mostly waived, but I still had to pay for food, accommodation, and clothes. Dropping out so early wasn't an option, yet the problem weighed heavily on me.
Just as I lay prone on the dorm desk fretting over finances, the door creaked open. A ghostly breeze swept in, forcing my eyes shut and sending a shiver through me.
I looked up toward the door and saw He Wei returning. But his eyes were glazed, movements stiff—something seemed off.
Our dorm had four people: He Wei, Zhao Yi, and Li Wen. The three of them had been chattering earlier about where to go exploring. But they'd left together—why was only He Wei back?
He Wei shuffled slowly into the dormitory. I didn't see him close the door, but it slammed shut with a loud bang all by itself.
I called out to him, yet he didn't respond at all. He took his seat on his stool without a word, picked up the comb from the desk, and began combing his hair slowly.
His hair-combing movements were bizarre. He held the comb with a delicate orchid finger pose, drawing it from top to bottom and even combing his shoulders, looking incredibly like a woman!