Huang Shitou was so startled that he hurriedly said, “Master, I’ll sing, I’ll sing!” Clutching a pine wooden stick impaling a dead baby, he steadied himself and tried to lower his voice, then opened his mouth and began to sing:
Sleep well, my little baby, sleep well quickly!
The Moon Sister has come out to keep you company in dreams.
The Star Brother whispers to you: sleep well tonight,
Uncle Sun praises you as a good little treasure…
Sleep well, my little baby, sleep well quickly!
In this eerie hidden room, this gentle lullaby suddenly echoed. On one side were the terrifying cries of the evil little ghosts, and on the other side was Huang Shitou’s trembling yet gentle singing. Since the invention of lullabies, this must have been the most bizarre and terrifying performance ever.
Strangely enough, when Huang Shitou sang the second verse, the voices of the little ghosts gradually quieted down. The coffin lids also became still. Even the little baby impaled on the stick ceased struggling, as if it had fallen asleep.
Seeing that his song actually worked, Huang Shitou dared not stop and continued singing softly. Liu Dashao, seeing that his own idea had accidentally hit the mark, was overjoyed inside. He recalled that years ago, Old Granny Fan had also tried this method while battling a female ghost, but her voice had been too creepy and had no effect. This time, he was truly fortunate to have Huang Shitou here!
When Liu Dashao noticed the coffin lids had gone still, he quietly got up, took out pre-cut newspapers from his pocket, and laid them one by one on the ground. Then he picked up a kitchen knife from the floor, slashed a cut into the palm of his left hand, and used his right index finger to quickly draw symbols in blood on the paper. Huang Shitou’s heart leapt with joy—this time, at least, it wouldn’t be his blood again.
Geshuangwa, sweating heavily, whispered, “Master Liu, why not use Xiao Huang’s blood? Isn’t he a boy with pure yang blood?”
Huang Shitou nearly forgot the lyrics, his head spinning, until Liu Dashao glared at him fiercely, forcing him to resume singing with a bitter face. Liu Dashao, respectful toward Geshuangwa, softly replied, “I’m afraid his yang blood might be too strong and provoke the little ghosts even more!”
Liu Dashao carefully finished drawing the talisman. This time, it was a spirit-soothing charm. No matter how fierce these evil spirits were, it could at least calm them temporarily. He pasted one charm onto each coffin lid, then called everyone to rise and finally placed a charm onto the face of the dead baby impaled on Huang Shitou’s stick. He whispered, “It’s all fine now. Get up and sit!”
The group crawled up, covered in dust and soot. Fan Debiao was the first to give a thumbs-up, exclaiming, “Master Liu, I’ve seen my share of Taoist exorcism techniques, but what you pulled off today was truly amazing! Truly amazing! People with real talent are just different—damn it!”
Everyone praised him enthusiastically, making Liu Dashao beam with joy.
Delighted, he began boasting again, “When I studied under my master, the key was flexibility—emphasizing adaptability and practical application. My master, Master Zhang, is a heavenly master from Longhushan Mountain, a top-tier figure in the world. He always said that whether governing a country or practicing magic, everything must be flexible. If something forces you to rigidly stick to it, you’re no different from a corpse!” Fan Debiao exclaimed, “What insightful words! But why isn’t your master well-known?”
Liu Dashao replied, “What he said was practical, but the Nationalist officials didn’t like to hear it. How could he gain fame then? Throughout history, if you don’t speak well of those in power, you’re not going to get a good deal! However, one of his disciples became somewhat famous.”
Hu Beikang asked, “Who is that?”
Liu Dashao thought for a moment and said, “Someone named Deng Jiaxian. He didn’t study Taoism, only his master’s ideas, and later even developed an atomic bomb…”
Everyone thought to themselves: That’s more than just ‘somewhat famous’…
Liu Dashao continued, “This poor child, we don’t even know how old he was when he ended up here… Oh right, Huang Shitou, stop singing! Why are you still singing? It’s so annoying!”
Huang Shitou muttered, “Master Liu, you didn’t tell me to stop…”
Su Yougui was puzzled and said, “Earlier, we asked a local, and he said some children had gone missing around here. I wonder if they were brought here?”
Geshuangwa said, “I think it’s related to this dead fellow here. Didn’t people used to say someone was stealing children’s hearts and livers for medicine? I bet it was him!”
Liu Dashao shook his head, “But what about that white dog? It flew here on its own. Anyway, this place is cursed. Tomorrow morning, when we leave, we’ll throw in a few explosives and blow it all up.”
Fan Debiao stared at the now-calm infant corpse on the ground and asked, “Master Liu, how did you know these ghost children would respond to that song?”
Liu Dashao replied, “Even ghosts retain some human nature. What they loved in life, their true spirit still remembers after death. Poor little kids, they lost their parents’ love from childhood and were killed here. Hearing this song must be the most comforting thing they’ve experienced since coming here…” As he spoke, he suddenly seemed to think of something, his eyes reddening.
Just as Fan Debiao was staring at the infant corpse, his heart suddenly leapt. “Damn it! This kid has worms too!”
That sentence sent a chill through everyone. Liu Dashao hurriedly brought over two oil lamps for light. They saw a worm slowly wriggling out from the wound on the infant’s belly. It was black, much thinner than the one on Huang Peng, as thin as a thread, but clearly the same kind of worm. Liu Dashao inhaled sharply and said, “This child must have been dead for at least eighty years… What kind of worm can live this long?”
On the side, Su Yougui suddenly slapped his head, exclaiming, “Oh no! I haven’t checked Huang Peng’s worm yet…” At this reminder, several people hurriedly brought lamps to look. What they saw made their scalps tingle—Huang Peng’s worm had grown to about two feet long, and one end had split open, seemingly turning into two worms. Both were twisting their bodies, trying to separate quickly.
“Damn it!” Geshuangwa vomited dryly, rushed forward with a knife, and chopped the worm into two pieces right at Huang Peng’s hairline. Huang Peng’s body violently shook on the ground, like someone having a seizure, scaring Huang Shitou into crying out. However, the exposed segment of the worm wriggled a few times and then lay still. The severed double-headed piece turned black and twitched twice on the ground before going still. At this point, Huang Peng finally calmed down.
Liu Dashao sighed deeply, “It must be this ghost worm that caused your brother’s misfortune!” Tears filled Huang Shitou’s eyes, and he could no longer speak.
Fan Debiao said, “That day, I and Beikang watched him go to relieve himself. He was cheerful and talkative before he left. Then we heard him cry out a few times, and he turned into this… I… I… I really shouldn’t have asked him to sit with us that day…” As he finished speaking, tears poured down his face.
Moved, Liu Dashao tore a strip of cloth from his clothes, grabbed the worm still embedded in the head, and pulled it out. This piece was nearly a foot long. He turned to Huang Shitou and said, “If there’s anything disrespectful toward your brother, please forgive it!” Then he bowed respectfully toward Huang Peng’s body.
Huang Shitou didn’t understand what was happening, but he saw Liu Dashao pick up a wooden stake, carefully whittle a thin, long stick with the kitchen knife, gently lift Huang Peng’s head, and then slowly insert the sharp stick inside.
Huang Shitou froze, then roared, “What the hell are you doing, Liu Dashao?” He pushed Liu Dashao aside, and Fan Debiao quickly held back the furious Huang Shitou. Everyone looked at Liu Dashao, not understanding why he would do such a thing at this moment. Liu Dashao sighed and said, “His brain is gone…”
Huang Shitou cried, “What do you mean? He’s not a ghost, why are you messing with him?” Liu Dashao replied, “When I pierced it with the stick, I found that his head is now an empty shell… His brain is gone!” This sent chills down everyone’s spines. Hu Beikang, shivering, asked, “What do you mean? Did this worm eat his brain?”
Liu Dashao said, “You’re talking nonsense! You saw it yourself—this worm is so thin, not even a tenth of his brain’s size. How could it eat his brain? It must be something else!”
Poor Huang Shitou, hearing this, felt his heart twist like a knife. His teeth clenched tightly, and he no longer felt any fear. Glaring with red eyes at Liu Dashao, he asked, “Master Liu, tell me, what kind of creature could be responsible for this?”
Liu Dashao sighed, pointing at the ancient corpse and said, “Although we don’t know who this person is, all the strange occurrences here must be connected to him!”
A surge of anger rose in Huang Shitou. He snatched Geshuangwa’s machete and turned toward the ancient corpse. Everyone was startled, fearing he might get hurt, so they hurriedly followed behind him.
Huang Shitou glared fiercely at the cross-legged corpse. Suddenly, he howled, “You damned bastard! It’s you, you bastard! You killed my brother!” With that, he swung the machete down powerfully, severing the corpse’s head, leaving only a bit of skin connecting it to the neck. This shocked everyone, making them stare in disbelief, thinking Huang Shitou must have gone mad from the trauma.
Huang Shitou turned around, his eyes bloodshot, looking at everyone. Liu Dashao was the first to instinctively jump back in fear! But to his surprise, Huang Shitou suddenly knelt down and said, “I’m sorry to trouble everyone to help me find my brother… I… I… I’m truly… I just hope that if anyone knows who the real killer is, please don’t stop me—I’ll kill him with my own hands… Please… please don’t stop me!”
A timid, fearful man had, driven by familial love, suddenly become brave and fierce. Liu Dashao secretly shook his head, thinking: My master was right. Invoking spirits is really about invoking one’s own inner strength. If not for today’s events, Huang Shitou might never have discovered this courage within himself.
Just then, Fan Debiao suddenly jumped forward and slapped him hard on the head, “What are you shouting about again? Isn’t your brother my brother too? Stop pretending! I’ll make you stop acting like this!” Liu Dashao was startled, but saw Huang Shitou rubbing his head and laughing bitterly, “Oh, Brother Biao, you really saw through me!”
Fan Debiao laughed loudly, “You just chopped up a dead body just now. Your hands were shaking like an old man walking with a limp… Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?” Liu Dashao and the others burst into laughter.
Hu Beikang stepped forward and said, “We’re brothers. Your matter is my matter. Why talk so much? For our brothers, I’d cut with a knife or jump into a frying pan without blinking an eye!” Everyone clapped together. This group had faced nothing but misfortunes on their journey, even coming close to death several times. Now united, their morale soared!
Liu Dashao looked down at Huang Shitou’s shoes and noticed the deep bite marks left by the little ghost on his feet. Frowning, he asked, “Huang Shitou, were you bitten earlier?”
At this question, Huang Shitou’s face turned pale, and he hurriedly replied, “Master Liu, it’s better you didn’t mention it. Now that you’ve said it, my foot feels like it’s been stabbed with a red-hot poker—it’s killing me!”
Liu Dashao’s expression darkened, “If you were bitten, there might be corpse poison. If there is, someone will have to suck the poison out of your foot!”
Liu Dashao called out, “Who will help me check his injury?” Hu Beikang exclaimed, “I think this ancient corpse is suspicious… Let me examine it more closely…”
Fan Debiao quickly said to Su Yougui, “Go drag that dog over. Let’s see what kind of creature it is.” Su Yougui obeyed and hurried off. Only Geshuangwa approached and asked, “Master Liu, what can I help with?”
Liu Dashao sighed, thinking to himself that these people were truly wasted not being in the theater. He felt even more respect for Geshuangwa. Huang Shitou wailed as he took off his shoe, nearly making Liu Dashao and Geshuangwa faint from the stench. Liu Dashao looked at the foot—it hadn’t been washed in months, covered in layers of old dirt. The skin was black and seemed wrapped in a layer of leather, with several pale bite marks. Huang Shitou dared not look anymore, his voice trembling as he asked, “Is it serious? Master, is there still hope?”
Liu Dashao, holding his breath against the stench, jokingly scolded, “When was the last time you washed your feet?” Huang Shitou cried, “Master Liu, don’t lie! I wash them every month!”
Liu Dashao said, “With feet like this, I bet even a bullet couldn’t pierce them… Now put your shoe back on!” Huang Shitou exhaled in relief, thinking his foot was fine after all.
At this moment, Liu Dashao gained a new understanding of Fan Debiao. He thought to himself, even if it were his own father’s foot in front of him, he’d still hesitate before deciding to suck the poison out.
Meanwhile, Su Yougui excitedly dragged the dog over and immediately took a knife to slit its mouth open. Fan Debiao asked in surprise, “What are you doing?”
Su Yougui drooled excitedly, “Skin it and roast it to eat, of course…” Fan Debiao nearly exploded with rage, kicking him hard in the butt, “Damn it! Can’t you think of anything else!?”
Suddenly, Hu Beikang shouted, “Damn! This ancient corpse has worms too!” His words immediately drew everyone’s attention. They all rushed over. Hu Beikang pointed at the severed neck and said, “Look!” At the cut end of the neck, near the spine, were thread-like black lines. Though motionless, they were clearly the same strange worms. This person had far more worms—easily over twenty, judging by their thickness.
Everyone felt an itch crawl up their spines, instinctively wanting to vomit. The ancient corpse’s head hung crookedly on its chest, as if playfully tilting its head to observe them. Its empty eye sockets sent chills down their spines.
Carefully, Liu Dashao picked up the previous thin rod and examined the ancient corpse’s head, saying, “This person’s skull is intact—no holes!”
Fan Debiao quickly said, “So that means whether the brain is present or not has nothing to do with whether worms grow inside!”
Liu Dashao looked at the infant corpse on the ground. Its head was intact, with no holes or damage, so its brain must have still been there when it died. Thinking for a moment, he walked over to the large white dog, and with one stroke of his knife, severed its head. Su Yougui, drooling nearby, was startled.
Liu Dashao lifted the lamp to examine the dog’s neck—it showed no abnormalities. Looking at the head, he noticed a small hole on the top—barely visible unless examined closely. He poked it with the thin rod and said, “This dog’s brain has also been completely removed! But there are no worms on this dog!”
Su Yougui whined, “See? I told you it’s edible!” Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao both kicked him simultaneously.
Fan Debiao shouted, “Damn it! Our two mules were probably eaten the same way too! We didn’t even notice the worms when we ate them!”
Liu Dashao said, “That’s probably how it is. This creature feeds exclusively on brains… Oh no! When we first exited the forest, we probably encountered this very creature!” At this thought, everyone shivered involuntarily. If that creature had come down then…
Su Yougui, feeling wronged, thought to himself, I was just worried everyone was hungry, wasn’t I? As he looked down at the fat dog, he sighed, then suddenly gasped, “Brother Biao, Master Liu, quick! Come look at this dog!”
Fan Debiao angrily said, “I swear, if I don’t beat you, you won’t calm down!”
Su Yougui hurriedly said, “No, no! Look, why are there so many eggs on its belly?” Several people gathered around. What they saw weren’t eggs but several large bulges on the dog’s belly, each about the size of an egg.
Curious, Su Yougui took out a knife and sliced open the dog’s skin, revealing something resembling a peeled raw egg. It had a thick, hard membrane on the outside, and inside seemed to contain a bag of liquid. Su Yougui, with a childlike nature, didn’t think much and squeezed it with his hand.
Liu Dashao suddenly felt something alive inside the membrane, puzzled. As he saw Su Yougui squeezing it, he shouted in alarm and tried to stop him. But it was too late—there was a “pop!” sound, and the membrane burst, spilling out a stream of white, viscous liquid from Su Yougui’s hand. The stench was overwhelming. As the liquid drained away, Su Yougui suddenly saw a nearly transparent white centipede, less than an inch long, wriggling in his palm.
Everyone was astonished, but before they could react, the transparent centipede twitched its head, opened its jaws, and bit Su Yougui’s palm—hard.
“Ahhh!” Su Yougui screamed like he was having a seizure, immediately slapping his palm against the ground, crushing the small centipede into a pulp. This sudden twist shocked everyone, making them all cry out in unison.
“Did it bite you?” Liu Dashao urgently asked.
Su Yougui nodded unhappily. Fan Debiao immediately cursed, “You stupid hand! Oh my God!” Hu Beikang, covering his nose, shouted, “What the hell is this? It stinks to high heaven!” Geshuangwa grabbed Su Yougui’s hand and was startled to see a coin-sized blue-black swelling on his palm. Liu Dashao silently cursed, “So poisonous!”
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