In the middle of the night, a copper bell sounded in the dark mountains. Ding...ding...ding...the sound came from the deep mountains and old forests, and it seemed particularly scary and strange.
The air in the middle of the night was chilly, and a figure slowly appeared under the moonlight. He was wearing a green cloth and georgette clothes, a bamboo hat on his head, a pair of straw shoes on his feet, carrying an oil lamp, and a The unique-looking copper bell makes a crisp and sweet sound as soon as it is shaken, which can be heard far and wide in the silent and uninhabited mountains...
He looked to be a young man in his late teens or early twenties, followed by a man wearing a bamboo hat and covering his face with a green cloth. He walked slowly past in small steps. If you look closely, you will find that the man behind him walks very strangely. , stiffness of hands and feet, slow movement,
"Yin people pass through, Yang people avoid"
As the copper bell in the young man's hand rang, it added a bit of eeriness and mystery to the dark night.
At this time, the sky is not bright yet, but there is already a vague feeling of mist rising in the mountains, and there is a hazy feeling. Occasionally, one or two crows can be heard from the mountains and fields. The people who call are chills in their hearts. The boy's name is Zhou Qiao, who is from Xiangxi. A carpenter in a remote village.
Since ancient times in western Hunan, there have been legends about corpse exorcism, Miao witchcraft, and the Luohua Cave Girl. You may still see it in the early years, but now it has almost disappeared with the torrent of the times. Zhou Qiao may be the only one left in the world. He is a corpse-killer.
He has been dealing with dead bodies since he was a child. He and his grandfather lived in a charity hall not far from the village, located in the northeast corner of the village. The stench of corpses even reaches the door of the house for some timid people.
They didn't dare to get close to him. The profession of corpse exterminator was very unlucky, and people around him were reluctant to deal with him. After his grandfather left, Zhou Qiao lived alone in the deserted charity hall.
This time, a foreigner came to ask Zhou Qiao to help his family "take the corpse back to his hometown."
It turned out that his elders came to visit Xiangxi. Unfortunately, they encountered a landslide on the way, and the person was buried alive. Even if they were rescued in time, their lives could not be saved. Because their hometown is near Jiangxi on the border of Xiangxi, it is a long way to go back home. It was extremely inconvenient. Later, I heard someone mentioned that there were corpse exterminators in Xiangxi.
After several inquiries, I approached Zhou Qiao. Zhou Qiao was already in this business. In addition, the other party offered generous rewards and it was in a region like western Hunan, so he agreed to help "drive the corpses back to his hometown."
Exorcism involves a series of complex processes such as bringing the corpse back to life, turning it into a zombie, and deceiving the corpse into a murderer. Therefore, the requirements are quite high. Generally, corpse exorcists only accept corpses that are complete or undamaged, and every corpse It must be at least more than three hundred and fifty craftsmen,
The so-called three hundred and fifty kilograms is not a real number, but refers to the fact that the body was suppressed extremely heavily during life and a thick layer of fat formed on the surface of the body, making the body look heavy and clumsy.
Of course, if the corpse rots, the flesh on the corpse will quickly lose its elasticity. The corpse is light and flexible, so the corpse exterminator does not need to look for a complete corpse. Doing so will waste time.
The most important thing is that even if the corpse is carried to Yizhuang, it must be soaked in glutinous rice, cinnabar and other substances for three days and three nights when it is first parked, the glutinous rice juice should be smeared all over the body, cinnabar should be applied to every inch of the body's skin, and then moxa should be lit. Use candles to drive away evil spirits, and seal their "three souls and seven souls" with talismans, and then you are done;
In addition, there are some customs and habits. For example, when the corpse is parked, moxa candles must be burned in the yard to prevent the corpse from producing corpse poison after decay. There are also some taboos, Feng Shui issues, etc. In a word, while the corpse is parked, any No one is allowed to enter, otherwise it will easily cause corpse transformation.
cause serious consequences;
Also, while the corpse is parked, the body must not be touched without permission, because the fat and blood on the corpse will absorb the surrounding nutrients and enhance the hardness of the body. If someone touches the corpse without permission, it will lead to corpse transformation, although the probability of corpse transformation is not high. Big, but it can also cause trouble for yourself.
These customs, habits, and rules are essential skills for corpse exorcists, and Zhou Qiao belongs to the more talented category among corpse exorcists;
His great-grandfather was a highly respected old man who once served as the leader of the corpse collectors in western Hunan. His grandfather was also a very powerful corpse collector. However, he suffered from the root cause of the disease in his early years and died before he was sixty.
Zhou Qiao followed his grandfather to learn how to drive corpses since he was a child. Later, his grandfather passed away and he lived alone in that remote orphanage. The adults around him were not allowed to have contact with him for fear of contaminating bad luck. Zhou Qiao had an excellent memory, so in a short period of time, he He has mastered all kinds of secret techniques to drive away corpses. Since he was a child, he and his grandfather have traveled through the mountains and driven corpses back to their hometowns.
Corpse exorcists generally choose to take inaccessible mountain roads, firstly to avoid scaring strangers, and secondly to prevent the corpse from inhaling the energy of too many Yang people and causing it to wander;
The mountain roads are tortuous, overgrown with vegetation, intertwined branches, and full of thorns. Once you step on the ground, you may fall into a deep pit, break your neck, or fall into a snake's nest. However, in Zhou Qiao's eyes, all this is like taking a leisurely stroll in the garden, without any threat. , the old man wearing a bamboo hat next to Zhou Qiao followed behind him like a marionette, dull and boring.
The sky was getting brighter, and Zhou Qiao was a little tired after walking on the mountain road all night, so he found a place to rest under a big tree to avoid the sun.
He took out a small knife from his bag, cut off a few large leaves with a "clang...clang" sound, spread them on the ground, laid the body flat in the grass, and covered it with layers of leaves.
The temperature during the day is too high, so the corpse should not be exposed to the sun too much, and it is easy to encounter strangers when walking in the mountains and forests during the day, so Zhou Qiao always only walks at night to chase corpses;
He took out the prepared dry food, ate a few pieces, took the water bottle from his neck and drank some water. He checked that the corpse suppressing charm on the forehead of the corpse had not fallen off, and then sat cross-legged in the shade of a big tree. Close your eyes and rest,
The sky was getting brighter and brighter, and the sun was getting higher. I don't know how many hours passed before Zhou Qiao opened his eyes. There was a "gurgling" sound from his stomach. Zhou Qiao sighed. Sure enough, dry food didn't make him hungry, and water didn't make him full. Still have to find a way to get some food;
Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound coming from above his head. Zhou Qiao looked up and saw that it was a snake, spitting out red snakes and slowly crawling towards him.
When Zhou Qiao saw that this was a non-venomous snake, what a good opportunity for a snack, he quickly pulled out the dagger he carried and stabbed the snake;
"Hiss!" The dagger was inserted into the snake's belly. The snake struggled painfully, but was finally taken care of by Zhou Qiao. Zhou Qiao picked up some dry branches and made a pile, then wrapped the snake around a wooden stick and used The match lit the branch and put the snake on it to roast. The snake's body was very long and the meat was delicious. Zhou Qiao sprinkled some salt on it and ate it with relish.
After finishing the internal organs and cleaning up the residue on the ground, Zhou Qiao took out an ancestral "notebook" and read it carefully.
This notebook was handed down from his great-grandfather. It not only records the secret technique of exorcising corpses, but also his great-grandfather’s life experience, as well as methods of dealing with various Miao poisons, and some very obscure witchcraft, which is also mixed with With some folk anecdotes.
Zhou Qiaozheng was very devoted to watching...
A sound of footsteps came from not far away. Zhou Qiao was startled. He quickly closed his notebook, put on his bamboo hat, and quietly lurked in the nearby grass.
Zhou Qiao, who was in the barren mountains and ridges, was thinking about who was coming. After a while, three middle-aged men walked out next to him. One was carrying a big bag on his back, and the other two were holding shovels in their hands. There was a smell of earth. Taste, Zhou Qiao knew that he had met a group of tomb-robbers from the way these three people were dressed.
Zhou Qiao didn't want to meet those three people, so he didn't say a word. This kind of local master who specializes in searching for ancient tombs, stealing gold, silver, jewelry, and antiques and jades is no ordinary person;
In this deep mountain and old forest, Zhou Qiao thought that it would be better to do less than to do more. He did not want to provoke this group of local masters, and he was not afraid of those three people. Although the tomb robbers were not ordinary people, he was not a vegetarian either. If he really wants to take action, he has the confidence to deal with a few people, but he just can't do it or not. After all, there is no deep hatred between them.
Zhou Qiao looked at the direction in which the few people were leaving, thinking that if these people went to rob the tomb now, they would most likely encounter a little trouble. The group of tomb-robbers just passed by him, but he held his breath and did not let them Discover,
Tomb robbers are very taboo about meeting the corpse exorcist before robbing a tomb. If they encounter one, they will stay away. It is too unlucky!
