Chapter 0056 The Uncorrupted Corpse
Using the key to open the door to the Bao family's house gave me a fright—Ms. Bao and her husband were also lying motionless on the floor. I quickly slapped their faces and sprayed them with cold water. Soon, they slowly regained consciousness, still a bit confused. I helped them onto the sofa to rest. It took about two hours for them to fully recover. They asked me if I had gone out. I couldn't help but laugh, and after telling them what happened, they were very surprised and slapped their thighs, regretting that they hadn't witnessed it themselves.
I called Uncle Xie, who said: "Congratulations, Brother Tian, those two spirits have achieved their wish and left on their own. You don't need to worry about them anymore. But there's still one more thing you need to handle, and that's the matter of the uncorrupted corpse of the client, Mr. Bao's mother. This is even more difficult than emancipating those two spirits, and it requires the packet of Spirit-Connecting Powder ."
"Spirit-Connecting Powder?" I laughed. "Does it have anything to do with macaroni?"
Uncle Xie's tone was serious: "Brother Tian, don't make jokes. We are doing very serious business here. Do you know that not everyone can handle things like emancipating spirits?"
I quickly said I knew. Uncle Xie continued: "When you get to the place where the old woman is buried, you must dig up the grave at midnight. First, check if it is still an Yin Shi. If it is, you must put the Spirit-Guiding Talisman around the Yin Shi's neck, then mix a small bowl of the Spirit-Connecting Powder with clear water and drink it quickly. I won't tell you what happens next, as it's different for everyone. You just need to remember that at the critical moment, you must recite the incantation." I asked what exactly would happen, when precisely I should recite the incantation, and whether I would be in danger.
Uncle Xie replied: "There is definitely no danger. You will know when the time comes."
Since he wouldn't say, I didn't press further. I told Mr. Bao to call his hometown and arrange for people to help dig the grave and open the coffin when the time came. Mr. Bao immediately ran off to make the call. Ms. Bao quietly asked me if I could really solve the problem; she really didn't want to live in the same house as the ghost of her disliked mother-in-law. I smiled and told her to set her mind at ease.
The next morning, Mr. Bao drove Ms. Bao and me from Dalian city to a village in Zhuanghe City. This was Mr. Bao's hometown, and his two maternal uncles still lived there. Through conversation, I learned that the news of Mr. Bao's mother's body becoming an Yin Shi had spread throughout the village. The village was already poor, and the rumors about the inauspicious Yin Shi were growing. The villagers had strong objections to the Bao family burying the old lady in the village. They avoided his two uncles and even frequently visited their homes to criticize them, urging them to move the remains as soon as possible. Now that they heard a master from Thailand was coming specifically to deal with the Yin Shi, the villagers were both happy and curious. They thought I was a foreigner and gathered around his uncles' house to watch.
"We've never had a foreigner in our village before. We must get a good look!"
"Is this a Thai person? Why does he look exactly like someone from our village?"
"Nonsense! Thai people are of Chinese descent."
"Where is Thailand?"
"That's very, very far away. It takes days by train!"
Listening to the villagers' discussions, I was both amused and annoyed. Mr. Bao's eldest uncle said: "I've found a few helpers: my younger brother, my two sons, and three nephews. They are all strong. You just tell us what to do, and we'll do it. My sister's remains are entirely up to you now!"
I told his eldest uncle that we needed people who were not only strong but also brave. I stressed that we couldn't have people jumping in shock at every sight, as it would ruin the ritual. His eldest uncle slapped his thigh and guaranteed that everyone in the Old Zhao family was brave, so I should rest assured.
To entertain me, the "Thai person," Mr. Bao's two uncles jointly paid for a pig and a sheep to be slaughtered, hosting two banquets at noon and in the evening. Even the village head and the village accountant came. I explained the situation to them, and they agreed, deciding to send people and vehicles to help me resolve this matter that evening.
At midnight, the village committee dispatched the only motorized vehicles available—an old jeep and a tractor—taking a dozen of us to the destination. It was a burial ground on the hill behind the village. According to village rules, those who died violently could not be interred in the ancestral graveyard, but only buried here. Although Old Mrs. Bao's death was not strictly violent, she could only be hastily buried here due to the Yin Shi phenomenon.
As the honored guest, I should have been in the jeep, but I gave my seat to the village head, sitting instead with Mr. Bao's two uncles and nephews on the back of the tractor. As we neared the burial ground, the terrain became uneven, and the ride was very bumpy. Under the moonlight, I vaguely saw several dark figures slowly walking on the hill. I asked: "In such a desolate place, are people still taking walks late at night?"
"Ah, where are the people?" one of Mr. Bao's cousins asked doubtfully. It then occurred to me that those must be the spirits near the burial ground, and only I could inadvertently see them. So, I claimed I must have been mistaken due to eye strain and quickly changed the subject.
We arrived at the burial ground and got out of the vehicles. Under the village head's command, to be safe, we all put on face masks and labor gloves. The five sons of Mr. Bao's uncle began to dig the grave with hoes, while his two uncles, the village head, the village accountant, and the rest of us illuminated the area with flashlights. With many hands working together, the coffin was soon exposed. Someone used a crowbar to pry open the coffin lid. Several flashlight beams shone inside, and everyone gasped.
This was the first time I saw Old Mrs. Bao. She was lying in the coffin in a purple silk burial gown. Her face was lifelike, looking as if she had died only five minutes ago, and there was no unusual odor.
Everyone quickly took off their masks. The village head's voice was trembling: "This is truly messed up. She's been dead for half a year, yet she looks like she's alive. No wonder our village has had poor harvests for the past six months."
Mr. Bao's second uncle was unconvinced: "Village Head, you can't blame my sister entirely. In all the years the village has planted crops, when have we ever had a bumper harvest?"
If I hadn't been so scared by the sight of Old Mrs. Bao's Yin Shi, his second uncle's comment would have made me laugh. I quickly took out the Spirit-Guiding Talisman, looked at Mr. Bao, then at the village head, thinking it best to pass the responsibility to him: "Village Head, you arrange for someone to put this object around Old Mrs. Bao's neck."
The village head held the Spirit-Guiding Talisman, his hand shaking as if he were holding a string of hand grenades. He looked around at everyone, and everyone stepped back. Finally, the village head pointed at the eldest son of Mr. Bao's eldest uncle: "Jinsuo (Golden Lock), you are the eldest grandson of the Old Zhao family. This has to be you."
Jinsuo's face turned pale. He desperately waved his hands, refusing to go. Mr. Bao's second uncle glared: "Jinsuo, you're usually fearless. Why are you failing us at this critical moment? Don't disgrace your father!"
Mr. Bao's eldest uncle looked embarrassed but didn't say anything. Jinsuo suddenly grabbed his stomach: "Oh my goodness, my stomach. I have diarrhea..." He bent over and ran into the nearby weeds, refusing to get up again.
"Diarrhea, my ass, you useless good-for-nothing!" Mr. Bao's eldest uncle cursed, then pointed at his second son, "Yinsuo (Silver Lock), go put this thing on your aunt!"
Yinsuo looked miserable, as if his own mother had just died. He fell to his knees with a thud and started crying loudly. Mr. Bao's eldest uncle asked, "Why are you crying?"
Yinsuo said: "Dad, I really don't dare to go. Please forgive me..."
Mr. Bao couldn't hold back anymore: "Eldest Cousin, you're the bravest one. Just go!"
Yinsuo retorted angrily: "It's your own mother's business. Why are you making me do it?"
Mr. Bao's second uncle snatched the Spirit-Guiding Talisman and threw it to his eldest son: "Tongsuo (Bronze Lock), I think you should do it. Don't waste Brother Tian's time." Tongsuo froze for a few seconds, looking at the Spirit-Guiding Talisman in his hand, then at the Yin Shi in the coffin. He suddenly collapsed onto the ground, his arms and legs twitching uncontrollably. The village head and others quickly went to check. The village accountant asked: "Old Zhao Second, does your Tongsuo suffer from epilepsy?"
Mr. Bao's second uncle was also very surprised: "The boy doesn't have this illness! Tiesuo (Iron Lock), you go, hurry up." He shouted a few times, but no one answered. Everyone looked around and saw that Tiesuo had already thrown down his shovel and was running away toward the village without looking back.
I couldn't help it and squatted down, laughing. Mr. Bao's second uncle's face was darker than excrement. He pointed at his youngest son: "Tusuo (Earth Lock), you come over here!"
Tusuo was very strong, but looked no older than twenty. He walked sheepishly to his father's side, reluctantly took the Spirit-Guiding Talisman, and approached the coffin. He reached out and slipped the chain of the Spirit-Guiding Talisman over Old Mrs. Bao's head, then tilted her head up to place the chain around the corpse's neck, before slowly walking back.