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Chronicles of the Uncommon
墨書 Inktalez
In the summer of 1961, our organization 925 established a folk customs investigation team. Yan Fan, as a newcomer, joined a five-member investigation group to a small town in Jiangxi to investigate the mysterious bell sounds that emerged in the deep mountains due to the turmoil of war in earlier years.
During the field investigation, we discovered that various disasters frequently occurred in this area during the late Ming Dynasty. Summers were plagued by droughts and floods, while winters were extremely cold, with hail and heavy snow being commonplace!
We also learned that around this time, it coincided with the once-in-a-millennium Little Ice Age, during which even Hainan was covered in snow at its coldest. Such abnormal phenomena continued into the Early Qing Dynasty!
During the Shunzhi period, this region experienced months of continuous heavy snowfall and numerous inexplicable occurrences. The strange bell sounds first began here, and such anomalies could not be explained by science.
After reviewing numerous materials and interviewing many locals, we finally identified the small town where the bell sounds were first heard. A centenarian from the town revealed what he knew about the truth; it was a secret passed down through his family for generations.
During the late Ming Dynasty to Early Qing Dynasty period, his ancestors were disciples of the famous zombie master Zhang Hongdao from Jiangxi folklore. Every few months, they would accompany Master Zhang into the deep mountains to transport corpses.
However, one year, despite it being autumn, an unusually cold snap occurred along with sudden heavy snowfall. The snow fell rapidly, quickly burying the roads leading into the mountains, and unexpectedly, their ancestor's Soul Summoning Bell began to malfunction!
In a panic, the ancestor shouted to his master, "Master! Master! The Soul Summoning Bell is malfunctioning!"
Zhang Hongdao, who was on alert in the rear, rushed over and indeed saw some zombies behaving strangely; even his own Soul Summoning Bell was trembling abnormally.
But as expected of a master, he quickly sent out his Peach Wood Sword and used blood as a guide to draw several blood talismans and affix them to these restless zombies, calming them down.
"Master, what should we do next? We can't see the road at all!" The ancestor regained his senses only to find that both the path into and out of the mountains had vanished.
As the snow continued to fall heavily, Master Zhang took out a compass but found it spinning erratically. His expression grew increasingly grave as he gazed at the gray sky.
"Disciple, something is wrong; there may be an Evil Spirit about to appear here. Quickly follow me!" Zhang Hongdao's face was very serious as he personally guided these zombies deeper into the mountains.
The ancestor said nothing more; he put away the malfunctioning Soul Summoning Bell and picked up his Peach Wood Sword to follow closely behind his master.
After walking for a long time, the heavy snowfall finally stopped, but it remained impossible to tell whether it was day or night due to the color of the sky.
The ancestor felt frightened. "Master, it's..."
"Don't speak! There's something wrong here; don't reveal your presence!" Zhang Hongdao stepped forward and immediately covered his disciple's mouth sternly while nervously observing their surroundings.
At that moment, the ancestor also felt immense fear as he suddenly realized how eerily quiet it was—there was no sign of life!
They stumbled upon a dilapidated thatched hut and took refuge inside. Just as they lit a fire for warmth, a tremendous noise erupted outside.
The ancestor was about to draw his Peach Wood Sword and rush out when his master stopped him and jumped out first.
"Evil Spirit! Don't run! Stop!!"
Hearing this, the ancestor immediately followed with his Peach Wood Sword but was horrified to see that their accompanying zombies seemed to have been torn apart by claws and scattered across the snow-covered ground; even nearby trees bore remnants of their dismembered bodies!
"Master! Master! Don't go!!" The ancestor panicked as he saw his master, Zhang Hongdao, gradually walking away, seemingly unaware of his distress, until he disappeared from sight.
The ancestor fell into extreme panic, pulling out the Peach Wood Sword and looking around frantically. At that moment, he spotted someone watching him from a distance!
"Who’s there?! Come out! You..." Just as he spoke, the ancestor quickly covered his mouth, remembering that he must not show fear!
The figure immediately approached him, and as the ancestor got a better look, he realized that although the being had a human appearance, its movements were a clumsy imitation of a person. Its expression was extremely vacant! This must be the Evil Spirit that Master Zhang Hongdao had mentioned!
The ancestor shouted, "Evil Spirit, stop! Or you'll regret it!"
"You still have the courage to resist!" To the ancestor's surprise, the creature spoke and seemed to admire his bravery.
Despite being engulfed in terror, the ancestor found an unexpected courage to pull out the vibrating Soul Summoning Bell, dripping blood onto the Peach Wood Sword and charging at the monster.
By the time his master returned, the ancestor was bloodied and nearly collapsed. They had spent a long time in the deep mountains before coming back down.
From that day on, the ancestor never ventured into the mountains again. He lived his life alone without marrying, and on the day of his elder's burial, Master Zhang Hongdao placed hundreds of talismans on the coffin and scattered Black Dog Blood before burying it.
Although dogs in town hardly barked after that incident, there were no more reports of hauntings in the mountains. Occasionally, sounds of bells could be heard, but the locals were not affected.
As a folklore investigator, Yan Fan recorded these events since they were quite intriguing. Before leaving, he smiled and asked an old man, "Do you believe there are ghosts in this world?"
The old man chuckled and replied, "With the founding of New China, we should believe in science! Young man!"
Yan Fan laughed along; after all, how could there be ghosts in this world? It was likely just myths passed down through generations.
Yan Fan left the small town with his investigation team. On their way, they discussed this folklore story when Yan Fan noticed something odd during a particular conversation.
A creature that deliberately mimicked humans possessed the strength to tear apart zombies—how could someone so young possibly defeat it? It was clearly just pretending!
Someone countered with laughter that even if it was a monster pretending, it still died over two hundred years ago!
But another person raised an intriguing question: If that person was indeed disguised as a monster, why wait until death? How did his master know there was something wrong with his disciple?
Moreover, placing talismans on the coffin and scattering Black Dog Blood was meant to bind one's soul so they could never reincarnate! Wasn't that overly cautious? Unless there was another purpose for the soul!
And why did his master only return when it was almost too late? What had they been doing up in the mountains for so long? If it was for healing purposes, why not come down sooner?
Everyone fell silent; they all avoided discussing this matter further as the car gradually drove deeper into the mountains. The sound of bells echoed through the valleys along the road.
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