Chapter 5 Cinnabar Talisman "The rumors are true."
Zhou Yaren gripped his bamboo cane, clearing away the tangled grass and branches. There was a narrow path worn down by the villagers. Relying on his senses and memories from when he arrived, he slowly approached the scene of the incident.
The tall, withered grass was trampled and lay askew as the porters and Qin San fled in panic, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible, stench of blood with it in the cold wind. Zhou Yaren stopped, turned her head to follow the scent, and reached out to pinch a bloodstained blade of grass near her neck.
The edges of the withered grass twigs are sharp and serrated; if you touch them carelessly, they can easily cut your skin and hurt your hands.
There were many similar serrated, blood-stained dead grass leaves, so the smell of blood mixed in with the wind was quite strong.
Zhou Yaren took several dozen steps forward, passing through the stench of the slanting wind, and stopped as if sensing something. A corpse lay a foot away from his toes.
Zhou Yaren lifted her robe and squatted down, first touching a piece of hemp cloth, which felt quite rough. Beneath the rough cloth was a layer of soft, intact human skin, covering the skeletal frame, resembling a human skin garment.
The deceased was Qin San's elder brother, who had been dead for nearly an hour and was already frozen cold in the cold night.
Without any hesitation, Zhou Yaren searched the corpse thoroughly and found that the skin was as thin as a cicada's wing, and inside there was nothing but clean bones, not a single drop of flesh or blood.
Zhou Yaren frowned, carefully feeling several small cuts on the human skin, likely caused by the sawtooth grass and withered branches. His hand slowly moved down, stopping at the corpse's heel, where there was a larger tear in the skin, extending to the entire sole of the foot.
Zhou Yaren slowly stood up and followed the strong, murky smell of blood to find two more bodies of porters. The situation was similar, except for the large tear in the skin, like a big hole. Some were above the heel, and some were in the calf and behind the knee.
Zhou Yaren lingered there for almost half an hour, unable to figure things out or sense any unusual activity. Only after confirming that there was no danger did she turn around and head back.
Lu Bing, who had been waiting anxiously, finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Zhou Yaren appear safely. He patted his chest and stepped forward to greet her: "How was it?"
Zhou Yaren gave an irrelevant answer: "Send someone to collect the body."
Lu Bing pressed further, "Is it that thing they were talking about—evil spirits?"
"no."
"ah?"
Zhou Yaren was certain: "It's not an evil spirit."
Lu Bing exclaimed in disbelief, "If it wasn't an evil spirit, what could have done this? It devoured all the flesh and blood, leaving only a skeleton and a layer of skin. Even the butcher in the West Market couldn't have cleaned it this thoroughly!"
Zhou Yaren avoided answering and inquired about the previous victims. Each body had a large tear. He wanted to examine it himself, but Lu Bing pulled him away, saying, "Don't forget to eat and sleep. No matter how important the case is, you still need to eat, drink, relieve yourself, and sleep."
Unfortunately, they were stopped halfway through their journey.
"Sir...Sir...Help! Something terrible has happened..."
Zhou Yaren turned her head upon hearing the voice and saw the old woman she had just encountered.
The old woman, panting heavily as if she had run her legs off, stared anxiously at Lu Bing and the two constables behind him, saying, "Sir, something terrible has happened! Qin San has grabbed a kitchen knife and rushed to the Ghost Bureau to seek revenge on the murderer."
The two constables exclaimed in unison, "What?!"
These past few days, Lu Bing has been running around day and night, investigating murder cases and searching for missing persons. One murder case after another has kept him so busy he barely has time to rest. He thought he could finally go home and rest early today, but someone is causing trouble for him again. Lu Bing was furious: "What's with all the trouble!"
The official had a bad temper, which frightened the old woman so much that she shrank back.
Lu Bing turned to leave, but was suddenly bumped into by someone behind him.
"How do you walk..." Lu Binggang was about to scold someone, but he suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence.
The person who hit him was masked, with a black cloth wrapped around his head and face, and wearing a dirty, thick cotton-padded coat, as if he had rolled around on the ground several times and was covered in dust.
The man covered himself up completely, and with his timid and hesitant demeanor, he looked just like a thief who had just committed petty theft and suddenly ran into the hands of the authorities.
But that's not actually the case. Which thief would dare to deliberately bump into an official and grab his wrist?
Lu Bing was stunned when he saw the other person's hands covered in pustules. Sticky pus and blood oozed from the person's swollen and festering sores, directly onto Lu Bing's hands, making him feel numb and uncomfortable.
The old woman next to her was startled when she saw this, and she took a few steps back to keep her distance.
There was even a fishy, foul smell in the air. Lu Bing was standing close by and inhaled it unexpectedly, causing his stomach to churn.
He didn't know what kind of terrible disease the man had, so he suddenly pulled his hand back. The man didn't have a firm grip and tried to grab him again, but Lu Bing held the scabbard and pushed him away.
The man couldn't get close, and pleaded in a hoarse voice, as if his trachea was being constricted, giving the illusion that he was about to suffocate: "Help...help me..."
Lu Bing felt a chill run down his spine and avoided him like the plague, taking a big step back and saying, "Go across the street ahead and turn right. There's a Baohetang clinic at the fork in the road. There's an old doctor named He there who specializes in treating difficult and complicated diseases and all kinds of serious illnesses. Go and have a look at him quickly, don't delay."
After dismissing him with a few words, Lu Bing grabbed Zhou Yaren's cane and quickly left before the other party could speak, fearing that the person with the boils would linger.
Zhou Yaren was forced to walk quickly, completely unaware of the situation: "What's wrong?"
The constables followed behind, saying, "Wait for us, boss!"
Lu Bing didn't even turn his head: "The person who bumped into me just now has some strange disease. His hands are covered with pustules, almost the size of walnuts. It's really scary. They're still oozing pus and blood, and it's all smeared on my hands."
Lu Bing's hands were sticky. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and rubbed them vigorously until the skin turned red. He was still extremely uncomfortable: "What if I get infected? What if I end up with a body full of pustules?"
Upon hearing this, the two constables who were closely following behind stopped in time and even silently took a step back to increase the distance between themselves and Lu Bing.
Lu Bing was completely oblivious to the disdain from his two subordinates. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. "No, I have to go to Baohe Hall to ask Doctor He after I finish my errand. What kind of strange disease does that person have, and is it contagious?"
Zhou Yaren said knowingly, "No wonder I smelled a fishy smell just now."
“Yes, there was a stench. I saw that he was covered up so tightly, he was probably covered in sores.” Lu Bing finished wiping his hands and threw the handkerchief away. He said hurriedly, “But I’ll have to trouble you to come with me to the underworld and catch that little girl surnamed Qin. There have been enough murders lately, we can’t let her cause any more trouble.”
A constable standing nearby interjected, "Go now?"
"Otherwise what?" Lu Bing said, "This girl is carrying a kitchen knife and is going to chop someone up."
Another constable looked troubled: "But it's already dark, boss. That place... is a ghost town."
"What?" Zhou Yaren turned her head slightly to face Lu Bing and asked, "I thought the Ghost Office was just a rumor."
Lu Bing knew he had just arrived in Bei Qu: "You've already heard?"
Zhou Yaren nodded: "Mm."
The constable hurriedly said, "What rumors? Everyone in Beiqu knows this. It's the absolute truth."
Zhou Yaren frowned slightly.
Lu Bing crossed his arms and moved closer to Zhou Yaren, giving a cautious yet prudent affirmative answer: "The rumors are true."
Zhou Yaren asked, "How so?"
Lu Bing slowed his pace: "This happened twelve years ago, not too long ago. I was only eight years old then, my father hadn't passed the imperial examinations yet, and our family hadn't moved to Chang'an. On the morning of the incident, my father and I happened to pass by the county government office and witnessed the dead man hanging upright in front of it, striking the grievance drum. I was so scared that I had nightmares for more than half a month and didn't dare to sleep alone at night. Because what happened afterward became more and more bizarre, adults and children alike were afraid. As soon as the sun went down, Beiqu County would close its doors and windows, and no one dared to go out."
"Twelve years ago?"
“Yes,” the constable replied, “I was young then too. My second uncle was so scared that he fell hard in the ditch and fractured his kneecap. He’s been limping ever since.”
Another thin, dark-skinned yamen runner nodded repeatedly: "We are all witnesses, otherwise, the county government would not have moved out of the way."
Lu Binghe said, "In addition, the Taoist priests of Renzu Mountain could not subdue the strange occurrences, so in the end, the head of Taihang Dao was invited to come in person. The solution was just to relocate the government office."
Zhou Yaren had to take it seriously: "Did it even alarm the leader of the Taihang Sect?"
The thin, dark-skinned constable said, "Yes, back then, a lot of Taihang Taoist disciples came to Beiqu, all wearing snow-white Taoist robes, looking quite impressive. They sealed off the entire ghost government office, set up some kind of formation inside, and messed around for half a month. After that, they forbade the people from approaching that place."
Therefore, everyone in Beiqu County avoided this place, and no one dared to go there to invite bad luck. The Ghostly Government Office naturally became a forbidden place, but it could not prevent some desperate people from venturing in.
Zhou Yaren asked, "What kind of formation?"
The thin, dark-skinned yamen runner couldn't answer for a moment.
Lu Bingdao: "It's said to be for warding off evil spirits or something like that."
"What's going on?" Zhou Yaren pondered for a moment, "What exactly is the situation?"
Lu Bing shook his head: "Perhaps they were afraid of causing greater panic. After dealing with the big shots who came back then, they didn't reveal much. Everyone was just making wild guesses. Now that so many years have passed, no one can say for sure, but this matter is indeed true."
As they spoke, the four of them arrived at the Ghost Office.
The yamen (government office) has two brick walls built diagonally on the left and right, forming the shape of the Chinese character "八" (eight), hence the name "八字衙门" (eight-character yamen). This may be a metaphor for opening the door to "eight directions" to facilitate people's lawsuits, but due to the behavior of some corrupt officials, the saying "八字衙门向南，有理无钱不得不进" (the eight-character yamen faces south, those with reason but no money should not enter) has become popular.
Because it was dark, the constables passed by an inn on their way and borrowed a lantern from the innkeeper to carry.
Zhou Yaren stood in front of the door and could clearly feel that the surrounding temperature was several degrees colder than before.
The constable couldn't help but say, "Every time I get close to this place, I feel colder than anywhere else."
Another constable shuddered as if to prove himself: "I feel the same way, it's eerie."
The government office, which had been neglected for more than a decade, was desolate but not dilapidated. The old, faded gate was half-open, and the inside was pitch black, exuding an eerie silence.
Those who witnessed the incident twelve years ago, where a corpse struck the grievance drum, would always feel a sense of awe and fear towards this place. Therefore, Lu Bing and the two yamen runners began to feel apprehensive as soon as they approached, especially when they saw the grievance drum placed under the east corridor of the yamen, which gave them a chilling feeling.
Zhou Yaren, using her bamboo cane as a guide, walked in without any hesitation: "Have you searched this place before?"
Lu Bing walked alongside him: "Someone said they saw Sun Xiuniang hurriedly hide in the Ghost Office, so I sent them in to search during the day, but we didn't find her."
Sun Xiuniang was the wife of the second son of the deceased Qin family.
Seeing that they had already stepped inside, the thin, dark-skinned constable hesitated for a moment: "Really coming in?"
It takes courage to come in broad daylight, let alone on a dark and windy night...
Another person gave him a push, indicating that the leader had already gone inside, and the two had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow.
A thin, dark-skinned constable carrying a lantern arrived at the yamen gate: "We clearly closed the gate after searching us during the day, but it's wide open now. Could it be that the girl really broke in?"
Ordinary people would avoid it even if they were passing by; who would dare to push open the gates of the ghostly government office?
Another person chimed in: "After all, his own brother was killed, so he was probably blinded by rage."
After listening to their conversation, Zhou Yaren pondered for a moment and asked, "Are you sure that Qin Lao Er was killed by Sun Xiuniang?"
He had just arrived in Beiqu today and was unaware of the specific details of the case. He had only heard some unsubstantiated claims from others at the Qin family's residence.
Lu Bingdao: "Someone saw Sun Xiuniang rush out covered in blood."
Zhou Yaren: "Did you see her with your own eyes using an axe to chop people up?"
Lu Bing: No, not at all.
The yamen runner at the back stepped over the threshold, his shoulder inadvertently pushing the door open a little more, making a dull creaking sound that startled Lu Bing and the yamen runners walking in front.
Lu Bing turned around: "Don't make any noise."
The bailiff quickly held up the creaking door, bowing and scraping in agreement.
Upon entering, after passing the intricately carved screen wall, one is immediately struck by the walls covered in grotesque scribbles. Under the dim light, the vermilion talismans, which had not faded for over a decade, appeared blood-red, making the two constables' hair stand on end.
Zhou Yaren paused, looking around. The walls covered in graffiti filled his eyes. The originally dark world slowly became the background color in his eyes, revealing a patch of crimson runes, some deep, some shallow, some solid, and the direction of each line was reflected in his vision.
He could see that the runes, with their dragon and phoenix patterns, stood on the east and west sides, like several walls of runes erected in the darkness—it was indeed a method to suppress evil.
Everyone knows he is blind, but although his eyes cannot see the world of the living, they can identify the spirits of the dead or use techniques to subdue them.
At the end of the passageway was a tightly closed ceremonial gate, which was sealed off by rusty iron chains, with a layer of cinnabar talisman superimposed on the seal.
As is well known, the layout of the county government office takes feng shui into account, and there are two small doors on each side of the main gate.
From a feng shui perspective, the east represents life, so the small door on the east side is the "Gate of Life," also known as the "Gate of Humanity," used by ordinary people for daily entry and exit. However, it is closed, locked, and covered with a layer of cinnabar talisman. On the other hand, the west represents death, so the small door on the west side is the "Gate of Death," also known as the "Gate of Ghosts." The fact that the Gate of Ghosts is open is a taboo for Lu Bing and the others.
They worked in the yamen (government office), so they knew that the west gate to the underworld was usually closed and only opened when escorting condemned prisoners to the execution ground. Therefore, it was a gate for death row inmates.
This place was already a ghost town, and they weren't death row inmates, so of course they couldn't walk through the gates to the underworld—it would be too scary.
A note from the author:
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