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Human Sacrifice
After Guo the Blind left, my mother kept scolding me for being impolite. I didn’t explain myself and focused on serving Zhou Manman food, but inside, I was overwhelmed by a sense of impending panic from Guo the Blind's earlier actions.
Guo the Blind had come to my house for no apparent reason, and I felt it was all about Zhou Manman. His words and gaze seemed to carry a provocative challenge.
To my surprise, around nine o'clock that night, Widow Li suddenly came to visit us. My mother was outside in the yard enjoying the cool air, chatting with her. Widow Li didn’t enter the main room, but I noticed she kept glancing inside, seemingly trying to catch a glimpse.
I quietly asked Zhou Manman, “Did you go out and let someone see you?”
Zhou Manman looked puzzled but nodded, “I just walked around the entrance and saw a few people from your village before coming back.”
I said, “Then let’s leave after midnight. Widow Li never comes to our house.”
Mr. Lu Xun once said he never hesitated to assume the worst about Chinese people. Similarly, I never hesitated to assume the worst about those from Futu Ridge. Although Futu Ridge is where I was born and raised, the saying about poor mountains and bad waters breeding troublesome people holds true. Over the years, my mother has faced exclusion and ridicule from certain villagers while living alone in the mountains. Her gentle nature made her rarely interact with others, so it was uncommon for anyone to visit us.
Widow Li had publicly knelt before Guo the Blind earlier that day, pleading for his protection for her son against a female ghost. Now she came to our house for no apparent reason. While there was no necessary connection between her visit and her earlier actions, it was strange that she didn’t enter our home; it seemed she only wanted to confirm whether there were other people inside.
I speculated that someone in the village must have discovered Zhou Manman's identity. Now everyone believed that the one responsible for the deaths was the female driver from the bus accident that had plunged off the cliff in the back mountains. If that driver truly was a ghost, then the next victim could very well be Widow Li's son, Li Tong. The reason for Widow Li's visit became clear.
That night, Zhou Manman rested her head on my shoulder, reluctant to sleep. I kissed her forehead gently to lull her into slumber while I remained wide awake. Around two in the morning, I quietly woke Zhou Manman.
“Manman, wake up; I'm taking you away now.”
Zhou Manman murmured in response and got up to dress. I chose this time to leave because people are usually at their sleepiest around two in the morning. Although Futu Ridge is remote and generally quiet at night, it’s better to be cautious for Zhou Manman's safety.
I stealthily pushed my electric bike out with Zhou Manman following behind me. Just as she was about to get on the bike, I heard someone yawn nearby, followed by a flash of light from what seemed like a flashlight.
“Go back,” I turned to Zhou Manman and made a shushing gesture, signaling her to hurry back inside.
“Why go back now that we’re already out? Yang Hao! You’re so bold; you dare keep a ghost!”
A stern voice rang out as the village chief emerged from the darkness with a grim expression, followed by a group of villagers armed with flashlights, shovels, and kitchen knives.
The village chief was Li Fugui. Although he was in his fifties or sixties, he was stronger than most young men. I had never liked him; his temper was terrible, and he would kick at any child who misbehaved in front of him. I always wondered why the villagers still elected him as their chief.
The bright lights were blinding, making it hard for me to open my eyes. Zhou Manman was so frightened that she hid behind me.
"Chief, what are you doing?" I asked angrily.
Li Fugui snorted and pointed at me. "Grab that female ghost behind you!"
Several strong villagers approached me, and I stepped in front of them. "This is my girlfriend, not a ghost! What do you want to do?!"
"My girlfriend?" Li Fugui chuckled mockingly. He pulled out a newspaper and pointed to an article. "Is the dead person in this photo your girlfriend? If it weren't for someone from the village buying a local newspaper in town and seeing this photo, the whole village would have been harmed by you!"
I looked at the newspaper, which reported on the bus accident at Futu Ridge, featuring Zhou Manman's photo alongside a charred corpse that was barely recognizable.
"The body is burnt beyond recognition; how can you determine it's Zhou Manman? Look, she's standing right here! Do you see any resemblance to a ghost? Do ghosts have shadows?" I explained while pointing at Zhou Manman's shadow on the ground.
"Arrest her!" Li Fugui said darkly, ignoring my explanation.
"Anyone who dares to touch her will have to deal with me!" I shouted.
"Yang Hao, don't be deceived by this ghost! There are plenty of girls in our village. This ghost has already ruined several young men; being with her would just be asking for trouble!" one villager said.
As several villagers tried to push me aside, I punched one of them in the face. The others saw that I was serious and rushed at me, tackling me to the ground.
Zhou Manman had never witnessed such a scene before. As she saw them approaching her, she screamed in terror and backed against the wall. A group of people grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into an open area, binding her tightly.
At that moment, my mother heard the commotion and came out of the yard. Seeing what was happening, she rushed forward to plead, "Li Fugui, what are you doing? What did these two kids do to deserve this?"
"Xiumei, your son Yang Hao's girlfriend is the female driver from the bus accident on the back mountain; she's a ghost!" one villager exclaimed. "If you don't believe it, look—the newspaper is right here."
My mother glanced at Zhou Manman's photo in the newspaper and became flustered. "But Manman hasn't harmed us! You must be mistaken; she can't possibly be a ghost!"
"Mom, they're trying to kill someone on purpose! You need to call the police. In modern society, no one can get away with murder!" I gasped as I was pinned to the ground.
"Call the police? Do you really think the county officers will come just because we say there's a ghost in the mountains?" Li Fugui replied. "It seems your mother hasn't told you anything about what's going on in the village."
My mother said, "You can't take Manman away like this. Whether she's a ghost or not is up to Mr. Guo to decide. Mr. Guo came to our house tonight to see Manman!"
"We'll find out soon enough if she's a ghost," a familiar voice said as Guo the Blind stepped forward from the crowd.
"I knew you were in cahoots with them!" I shouted angrily at Guo the Blind.
Guo the Blind remained expressionless and glanced at me. "Not all ghosts are invisible or intangible. You've heard of 'borrowing a corpse to return to life.' If she isn't a malevolent spirit, I'll make sure she gets justice."
He then nodded at Li Fugui, who coldly ordered, "Take her away!"
Zhou Manman began to scream and cry, calling my name and begging for help.
I struggled fiercely and shouted, "What kind of men bully a girl? If you have guts, come at me!"
No one paid attention to my cries until those who were holding me down finally let go after the group left. I was out of breath as I got up and ran to the kitchen for a knife. My mother stopped me, saying, "You won't be able to save anyone by going now."
I replied, "I have to try! If they kill Manman, I'll stab one of them for sure—especially Li Fugui and Guo the Blind first."
Hearing this made my mother burst into tears. "If you kill someone, do you even want to live anymore? It's all my fault for being useless. If your father were here, no one would dare touch our family."
I hadn't expected her to mention my father at that moment. There was no time to ask about him; if I delayed any longer, Zhou Manman's life would be in danger. Grabbing a stainless steel knife meant for chopping bones, I dashed out of the house while dialing the police.
On the other end of the line, when I mentioned Futu Ridge, the operator became hesitant and unclear due to poor signal reception before hanging up on me. When I tried calling again, it wouldn't go through. Just as Li Fugui had said, it seemed the police were too afraid to handle matters concerning Futu Ridge!
At the edge of our village was a shallow pond with a thick wind stabilizer nearby. This wind stabilizer was common in many remote mountain villages; officially, it was used for warding off evil spirits but was actually employed for illicit activities.
Often, I would see adults tying misbehaving children to the wind stabilizer and whipping them as part of their discipline—spanking produces filial piety—but ironically, despite never having been beaten by my parents over all these years, I was the only one who managed to get into college.
The Wind Stabilizer was covered in scorch marks, remnants of the fires used during the Cultural Revolution to execute death row inmates.
From a distance, I spotted a crowd gathered around the Wind Stabilizer. Li Fugui and Guo the Blind stood among them, their faces expressionless as they watched Zhou Manman bound to the Wind Stabilizer.
At Zhou Manman's feet lay a pile of dry branches, surrounded by a group of burly men holding torches. In the flickering firelight, her figure appeared particularly frail, her eyes filled with panic and helplessness, as everyone around her seemed like demons.
I knew I couldn't act impulsively; I needed to see what these people were planning. Otherwise, I would not only fail to save Zhou Manman but also risk my own life.
"Village Chief, the Black Dog Blood is ready," a young villager stepped forward.
Li Fugui nodded. "Bring the Black Dog Blood over and pour it on this female ghost!"
Black Dog Blood was said to have exorcising properties. I had heard from the elders in the village that if it was splashed on someone possessed, it would emit a hissing sound and produce a cloud of white smoke.
A burly man stepped into the crowd carrying a basin of dog blood. My gaze hardened as I gripped the bone cleaver tightly and quietly approached the throng.
The man suddenly hurled the dog blood at Zhou Manman, and it splattered across her head and face. She pressed her lips together and began to sob softly.
"It's smoking! It's smoking!" one villager suddenly shouted in alarm.
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