Chapter Eleven: Corpse Revival

  "Ding Dong, Ding Dong!" The wine party dispersed, and it was time for the filial sons and grandsons to take the stage. In the not-so-spacious hall, besides the lingering aroma of food and wine that had not yet dissipated, there was also a hint of the smell of death. Although the corpse had not yet begun to stink, I could still sense a strange smell hovering around my nostrils.

  "Oh dear, my father!" As soon as the master struck the censer placed in front of him, the men and women kneeling in the main hall began to wail one after another. Although most people had no tears in their eyes, they still managed to put on a show.

  "Filial son, get up and walk!" With the master's shout, the eldest son of the host family, dragging his exhausted body, holding the spirit tablet, began to follow the master's footsteps and started circling around those tables and chairs.

  Tianzun instructed Zuo Xuanzhen and other ghosts to listen quietly with one heart to the Five Numinous Treasure Canon.

  One thought of Triple Gem, always compassionate and sympathetic, wishing to attain liberation from the fiery pit.

  All sins and disasters are completely eliminated, and all crippled and sick people can walk.

  Two thoughts seeing the front of the crowd and so on, striving for a long time to build bridges.

  Recalling the suffering of the three paths of evil, diligently practice generosity and burn incense.

  Three thoughts of the deceased are pitiful, once buried it's hard to see the sky again.

  The temple was built without spending money, and the four seasons and eight festivals received muddy money.

  Four thoughts...

  The master's treasure, the dignified and stern appearance, held in his hands the ladle that was knocking on the head, leading the filial son to walk on the high platform built with tables and chairs. Along with the recitation of the scriptures and the filial son's somewhat stumbling steps, the paper money being burned in the fire basin also fluttered up into the air, flying around in circles before drifting down. It seemed as if the deceased was following behind the filial son at this moment, holding the paper money to pay off those invisible and intangible ghostly debts!

  As they witnessed this scene, those secretly resentful and ungrateful descendants also became solemn, no longer daring to harbor any complaints in their hearts. The reverence for gods and ghosts that people had held for thousands of years suddenly returned to their minds. In a daze, the crowd felt a twinge of shame for their past actions. At the same time, those women gradually recalled the kindness the old man had shown them when he was alive. Their dry eye sockets also became moist one after another. With feelings of guilt and gratitude in their hearts, tears naturally fell.

  Everything is going smoothly. It should be said that everything is going smoothly according to the master's previous plan. But it's not clear whether the deceased gentleman didn't want to leave or if the leftover food in front of the door was really attractive. The wild cats that had been hiding in the bushes and peeking out for a long time let out a shrill cry and then rushed towards the main house. Their formation was so neat, their paws flying up with such recklessness. Before the master could react, they swooped down on the leftover food like lightning, and also...on the corpse!

  A sleek black cat with a loud meow, raised its head and let out a long howl. Next, it buried its head and bit off the nose of the corpse. Then, with a crunching sound, it stood on the chest of the corpse and started chewing.

  "It's no good, all of you get out. Mengmeng opened the master's box, took out the inkstone, and used a thread to tie up the corpse's limbs." The master who was walking around the table and chanting suddenly turned his head, and his face changed immediately. He threw the brush in his hand to me, who had already been stunned, and shouted loudly. Those filial sons and grandsons, seeing that the old man's nose had been eaten by the cat, were either shocked and ran out of the door, or rolled up their sleeves, wanting to catch the black cat with a hint of eeriness in its eyes. The whole hall was suddenly thrown into chaos!

  "Ah? Oh oh!" I was pushed by those flustered men and women, and only then did I come to my senses. In a flurry, I rushed towards Master's rattan trunk, rummaging inside for the inkstone he had in his mouth!

  For the first time, I was in such close proximity to a corpse, and on top of that, I had to use a nylon rope dipped in ink from an ink container to tie up the limbs of the corpse. This task was not easy for me, who was only 9 and a half years old. Holding the ink container, I trembled with fear as I approached the corpse lying on the door panel, and all I could feel was a slight dampness in my crotch. Maybe it was urine, or maybe it was sweat.

  Just as I had finally managed to sneak up beside the corpse and was about to bend down to tie its feet with nylon rope, the corpse's waist suddenly arched up and slammed heavily against the thick wooden door panel, producing a dull thud. At that moment, the distance between me and the corpse was only 0.03 meters.

  "Ah!" In my shock, I couldn't care about anything else. I threw the inkstone in my hand and turned to run out of the door. At this time, even I, a young and inexperienced person, knew that something was wrong.

  "Bang!" I had only run two steps when I felt a hand on my shoulder. The heavy pressure made my knees weak, and I was about to kneel down to the ground.

  "Don't look back!" Just as I was about to turn around and take a look, I heard a loud shout from Master.

  "Thunder and lightning, a fiery meteor. I command all generals to march south with fierce faces. The messenger with a stern face will sweep away the universe. The messenger with a fierce face will spread the divine spirit. The messenger who gazes intensely will shake the thunder god. The messenger who competes in gaze will deploy troops and set up camp. Eight killings, mighty and powerful, pursue to the winged star. Divine soldiers, lined up in formation, receive the heavenly edict. Dare not obey, your form will be destroyed! Hurry, hurry, as if by law!" Suddenly, I felt a gust of wind sweep past my side, then Master began to chant the incantation in his low, husky voice.

  "A loud crack!" came from behind, making my eardrums buzz. When I came to, I realized that the hand on my shoulder had vanished. And a patch of white fur on the creature's body was singed! Summoning up courage, I took a few more steps forward before turning around with a mix of fear and trepidation.

  "Hiss~" All that could be seen was the master's left hand grasping an iron sword, his right hand grasping a peach wood sword, as he clashed with a monster covered in white fur.

  "Where do you come from, where are you going? Dust returns to dust, earth returns to earth! I advise you not to be obstinate and unenlightened. Although the mistake is not yours, if you insist on being stubborn, don't blame me for striking you down with a painful blow!" The master's arm lifted, blocking the monster's sweeping arm, and he spoke sternly to it.

  "Hiss!" But he didn't show any fear, instead, he accelerated the pace of his attack. His slightly stiff limbs moved back and forth, beckoning to his master.

  "The golden sword cuts through flesh, the wooden sword breaks the soul. Hmph!" Turning back to look at his master, he saw that the old man was not flustered, but instead quickly retreated several steps with his feet tapping rapidly on the ground. After avoiding the monster's attack, he held a sword in each hand and muttered incantations as he charged forward towards the creature.

  "Clang! Clang! Clang!" The iron sword in his left hand deflected the white-haired monster's long claws, producing a metallic ringing sound. Master took advantage of the momentum to slide the iron sword down the monster's raised arm, striking three times in succession, each blow landing on the monster's chest and abdomen. After the third strike pierced the monster's body, Master twisted his wrist and pulled back his forearm. The white-haired monster's heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys spilled out through the gaping wound, emitting a foul stench as they piled up on the ground.

  "Hsss, Ahhh!" The monster lowered its head to gaze at the entrails piled on the ground. With a long, mournful howl, the white fur on its body began to grow at a visible rate. Its fingernails also quickly grew from over an inch to about three inches in length.

  "If that's the case, then don't blame me for being ruthless. If I don't get rid of you today, I'm afraid there won't be a single living soul within a hundred miles of Dahong Village." Seeing the monster becoming more and more ferocious, Master immediately turned his iron sword upside down, put his left index finger into his mouth, bit it fiercely, and then applied the fresh blood to the blade, saying.

  "Ren Gao protects me, Ding Chou preserves me, Ren He guides me, and Ding You keeps me whole. Ren Can controls my soul, Ding Si nourishes my spirit, Tai Yin's canopy covers me, and the Earthly Gate is the Heavenly Door. I walk in Yu's footsteps, Xuan Nü's true person, sitting and lying in the Bright Hall, hiding and concealing my body. Hurry, hurry, as if by imperial decree!"

  "Hong!" The master collided with the monster after finishing a spell.

  "Someone, set up the pyre and prepare for cremation!" The master slowly pulled out the iron sword from the monster's forehead, wiped the wound on its forehead with a peach wood sword, and spoke to the people hiding outside the door.

  Looking at the white-haired monster lying motionless on the ground, the eldest son of the host family was pushed into the door by his brothers.

  "Father! How did you end up like this?!" The eldest son walked to the monster's side, knelt down on one knee and fell to the ground, hugging the monster's corpse and wailing in anguish. It wasn't until then that I realized what was happening. This white-haired monster was actually the corpse from earlier that had been lying on the door plank!

  "Be cremated as soon as possible!" The master wiped the blood stains on the two swords clean and put them back in the rattan box, instructing his eldest son who was heartbroken.

  The cremation went smoothly, with no shortage of firewood in the countryside. The filial sons gathered a few brave villagers and promised them various benefits, after which they collectively lifted the corpse emitting a foul odor into the coffin with all their might. Then, they found a secluded yet open field, set up the firewood, and burned it clean. As for Master, he stood in front of the grave after the ashes were buried and recited the complete Five Nian Sutra. Unlike his somewhat perfunctory attitude at the beginning, Master was very serious this time.

  "Master, why did my father become like that?" Although the old man was burned to a crisp by a fire and something went wrong during his funeral rites, the eldest son of the host family still gave Master two big tuanjie. When sending us out of the village, he finally couldn't help but ask a question with a haggard look.

  "This time, I also have a responsibility. I didn't expect there to be so many wild cats here. Why do young and strong people guard the night? What they're guarding against are ghosts, demons, and these evil cats that disturb the dead." The master lifted his hand and stroked his beard, somewhat apologetically saying this to the filial son.

  It's no wonder that the Taoist priest said so, as many people couldn't keep it up...... Alas, it's all because my father had a poor fate, and even in death, he can't be buried intact. The eldest son of the host family was a reasonable person, shaking his head and sighing. At that time, although the country promoted cremation, in rural areas, the elderly still hoped to be able to lie fully dressed in the coffin that their children would finally show filial piety with, and rest in peace.

  Out of the village, I also learned from my master's mouth another meaning of a word. That is... Zongzi!

  Because of this matter, the village branch secretary of Dahong Village was also commended. Of course, it wouldn't be because of inviting a Taoist priest to burn incense that they were commended. That kind of thing is superstition and would not be recognized by the authorities. Because the old man who was cremated this time was the first case of cremation in Dahong Village's history, the relevant departments made "Responding to the country's call, Dahong Village took the lead in rural areas" as the title, and set up the village branch secretary as a model. Not long after, the village branch secretary was promoted to deputy secretary of the party committee of Baishan Town. This is a digression, let's not go into details!