Volume 2: Mysterious Investigation of Miao Village Chapter 9: Inside Xiao Li Village Discussing Corpse Chasing II

  "Please continue, tonight we will be greatly satisfied." The tribe leader saw that I had stopped speaking and quickly made a request.

  "To learn to drive corpses, one must first learn the 'mute dog skill' and at the same time learn the dog-beating method so that dogs cannot get close. Then learn the 'standing skill', 'walking skill', 'turning skill', 'crossing bridge skill', 'treading water skill'... Finally, learn the 'enough to cover all' skills, a total of thirty-six kinds of skills are needed to drive corpses."

  "What is Anggoulang?" The crowd asked in confusion.

  "The most important thing for a 'Corpse Carrier' is to restore the soul of the dead. The more souls restored, the closer they are to normal people and the easier it is to hurry them along. This directly determines how many corpses a Corpse Carrier can drive away. Next is 'reversing the day and night', disrupting the biological clock. Corpse Carriers must sleep during the day and travel at night. At the same time, they must also undergo rigorous training through methods such as blindfolded walking and listening to sounds from afar to gradually develop their night vision and hearing abilities. Then, they practice hand strength and leg strength. In the mountains, the roads are narrow and there are many gullies; sometimes Corpse Carriers have no choice but to carry a section of the road on their backs. Without sufficient strength, it's impossible; without long-term endurance, it can't be done for long. Once they possess these skills, they can officially start learning from their master how to use magical tools."

  Just as he was about to continue speaking, the clan elder asked: "So, isn't it very beneficial for the corpse-refining masters?"

  I nodded and said, "Yes, compared to ordinary people, a typical hearse worker is much stronger in both physical strength and endurance. Some hearse workers are even skilled martial artists."

  "Please continue, Master." Seeing that I had stopped talking, the enthusiastic tribal chief looked at me and said.

  "Alright. The Taoist priest uses many magical tools to control the corpse. Wearing a Taoist robe helps to ward off evil spirits and is also convenient for walking at night. The conch horn is blown in different rhythms to give different commands to the corpse, sometimes replaced by an ox horn or copper whistle. The talisman stuck on the corpse's body is called 'Chen Zhou Fu'."

  "Isn't Chen Zhou adjacent to our Ma Yang? I didn't expect there was such a thing there." An old man interrupted my words, muttering to himself.

  "Yes, the Chen Zhou Fu is one of the three ultimate things in Xiangxi. This thing is also the key to driving corpses. 'Chen Zhou Fu' is divided into many different kinds of symbols with different effects. The dead can walk mainly relying on this thing."

  Seeing the old man's suspicious look, I could only smile and continue: "The compass is a must-have for setting direction for oneself. For ordinary corpse handlers, this is the highest and most effective protective tool. Others include paper money, rain lanterns, soul-guiding flags, etc. These are all essential items for ordinary corpse handlers, and none can be missing. Due to the different schools of corpse handling, the incantations used during handling are also different. My school is called Chen Zhou Pai, which often uses Wen Tianxiang's "Zheng Qi Ge". After mastering the tools and incantations, learning the skills, one can start handling corpses."

  Just as Fang felt that he had revealed too many secrets and wanted to stop the topic, he heard the clan elder ask: "I've heard that your sect's ritual of summoning corpses has many taboos, can you also tell me about it?"

  It seems that this guy wants to get to the bottom of it tonight. Seeing his request, I can only continue: "Asking is good, but there are many taboos about driving a hearse. Generally speaking, they are roughly as follows:"

  First, there is the saying 'three hurry three not hurry'. Those who were executed by the government can be hurried, those who died in war can be hurried, and those who died from exhaustion at work can be hurried. However, those who died from unknown illnesses cannot be hurried, nor can those who drowned themselves or hanged themselves. Those struck by lightning, burned to death, or with incomplete limbs also cannot be hurried. These are the vengeful spirits in the corpse that have a great deal of resentment and may turn into zombies during the process of being driven out.

  Second, do not eat dog meat. Dogs belong to yin and eating dog meat can offset a person's yang energy, making the spell ineffective. For corpse handlers, their work requires that they cannot have any dealings with dogs, otherwise there will be endless troubles. The funeral master will not pay the remaining silver for corpses bitten by dogs.

  Third, they do not marry or have children. Corpse handlers who continue to work in the profession cannot touch women. Of course, corpse handlers with deep skills can get married. Old Si said that every man has a long-lasting flame on his body that can drive away ghosts. Women are yin and if they come into contact with the aura of women, the yang energy they possess will dissipate. Without yang energy and lacking in vital energy, they cannot walk at night, let alone calm down ghosts. Only when the disciple takes over the profession can they consider having children to pass on their legacy.

  Fourth, do not expose their identities. Although the profession of a hearse driver is sacred, it is not a noble one and no one wants to show themselves as a hearse driver. They usually keep a low profile and only disappear for several months or half a year when they go out to drive a hearse. After retiring, they will move to a distant place to live or become an "in-law" in a foreign land, so no one knows what profession they used to be in, and the mysterious hearse drivers have disappeared generation after generation in the wind and rain of history.

  "The fifth is that the corpse cannot see sunlight. The sun represents yang and the moon represents yin. A dead body that has been made into a vengeful spirit through magic cannot be exposed to sunlight, or its magical powers will suddenly disappear. At that time, it will become a living-dead creature that no longer listens to commands but instead runs amok and becomes a malevolent zombie."

  After finishing, I licked my lips and looked at the head of the clan with my eyes, telling him that it was time for me to get the other half of the reward, but I was reluctant to speak directly, otherwise, it would seem that I was too greedy.

  Just as they were hesitating, the old man suddenly spoke up and asked: "This time we found Dao Zhang through an acquaintance. If we didn't have an acquaintance, how would we find a coffin carrier? And it must be very difficult for you to transport coffins along the way, right?"

  "He finally said something that sounds like human words. I thought to myself, somewhat impatiently, that this was the last time I'd answer his questions."

  Nowadays, it can only be said that: "The Tao has its rules and the line has its rules. If someone dies in a foreign land, the mourning owner will endure the pain and find the 'hurry corpse store' through familiar people. Those stores are generally tens of miles away from the wilderness, with a yellow flag on top, written with three characters 'Zhù Yóu Kē'."

  "What about the specific contact process? How should we proceed?" asked the tribe leader once again.

  "Hehe, this is easy to handle. The person who drives the corpse must be called 'Lao Si' or 'Shifu', and ask him to take a walk. If the corpse driver agrees, he will leave the name of the deceased, his birth and death time, and then discuss the price and hand over most of the silver. Then they will leave separately. In the mouth of the corpse driver, the dead person is called 'Xi Shen'." I explained to him in detail.

  "It seems that rushing a corpse is not an easy thing to do after all." The clan leader sighed as if he had gained some insight.

  My sixth brother, seeing that I was getting impatient, quickly finished a large cup of wine and took over the conversation, saying: "Of course, this is a matter of course for the clan leader. Before rushing to the front, we need to set up an altar, light incense, recite mantras, and burn paper. Then, the corpse will be rushed by the corpse handlers using the Chen Zhou symbol to block the deceased's forehead, back, chest, hands, feet, and other seven places. Next, cinnabar will be inserted into the ears, nose, and mouth of the corpse to retain its three souls and seven spirits. After the corpse is raised, there are usually two people driving it away, one holding a soul-guiding banner and the other holding a corpse-driving whip, with one in front and one behind driving the corpse. The corpse must be wrapped in hemp cloth, with a hood over its head and face, so that its face cannot be seen. During the journey of rushing the corpse, the corpse handlers must choose some remote and desolate small roads to avoid pedestrians and bypass villages."

  "The strong man continued to speak, and the more I listened, the more energetic I became."

  "Do you all know why we should avoid the pedestrians and bypass the village?" Old Six surprisingly said something that started to whet everyone's appetite.

  "Because the official road is crowded, and at night there are often fast horses and messengers who may accidentally bump into each other, startling both people and horses. In rural areas, one might encounter a traveler on the road who has been frightened by the yin energy of the corpse, which can cause illness or madness. Therefore, the person driving the corpse must shout loudly to warn passersby to quickly get out of the way. If it's really impossible to avoid them, the corpse is placed face down and people are allowed to pass by. Of course, if the driver of the corpse is skilled in magic, when encountering someone coming from the opposite direction, they will transform the corpse into something else, and after the person has passed, restore its original appearance."

  "Ah, will it still change? It's too divine, right?" The crowd looked somewhat unbelieving, apparently thinking that Old Six was exaggerating.

  What Lao Liu said is true, but if I had said it myself, would they have believed me?

  "Of course it's true. And if you encounter a dog, it's even more terrible. Dogs are yin-yang creatures that can see ghosts and will often desperately bite the corpse. Due to the difficult road conditions, encountering obstacles and ups and downs, we have to constantly remind the corpse to avoid obstacles. If it's really not possible, we have to ask you to personally carry or hold it, and even use ropes to pull it up the slope one by one. The bitterness of this job can only be understood by those who transport corpses. Tsk tsk, how exhausting!"

  Lao Liu looked around at the crowd on the seats and saw that everyone was silent, knowing they had once again believed his words, and he seemed extremely pleased.

  "Along the way, to prevent wandering ghosts and evil spirits from invading and disturbing the corpse, causing it to change, we need to frequently change talismans and occasionally swing the peach wood sword to clear the path. Sometimes, when encountering other hurrying corpse workers on a narrow road, if they refuse to give way, we must prepare for a magical duel. After finally making it till dawn, we have to carefully plan our route to find a place to rest, often in ruined temples or small inns specifically designed for receiving joyful spirits. Inns that cater to hurrying corpse workers are open year-round, without doorsills or windows, and rooms are set up on the first floor so that corpses can be hidden behind doors and inside rooms. If staying at an ordinary inn, we need to obtain the owner's consent by calling it a 'joyful spirit'..."

  "What's going on?" Everyone curiously asked, and they all looked forward to Lao Liu continuing his story.

  "Heh heh, of course the shop owner would welcome us. Firstly, we pay a lot of money, and secondly, the auspicious god can bring good luck to the store. After sending off the auspicious god to its hometown, as soon as it steps onto its hometown soil and smells the scent of its relatives, it will immediately fall to the ground and be unable to get up again. Only after dressing it in mourning clothes, holding an all-night vigil, and putting it into a prepared coffin can we bid farewell to its relatives one by one. This is considered a great accomplishment for the corpse escort."

  Looking out the window, I knew it was already around 8 or 9 pm. Knowing that we couldn't stay here any longer, I hurriedly signaled Old Six to stop talking and finished the green tea in my cup. Then, I said to the clan leader: "I think it's getting late, and we still have urgent matters to attend to tonight. We might need to bid farewell to everyone here and head back to Chen Zhou."

  "See me want to go, the head of the clan hurriedly persuaded him to stay: "Why are you in such a hurry? We haven't even properly entertained our distinguished guests yet.""

  I see that he has made up his mind to leave, and after waving goodbye, a servant brought out the reward money. When I weighed it with my hands, it turned out to be several times more than the advance payment. It seems that this person is still a straightforward one.

  Li Zhuang, Knife Scar Six and Fourth Brother knew I was worried about Master's affairs and followed me silently. The three of us took advantage of the moonlight to head back to Chen Zhou Huo from Hope Mountain without a word.