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墨書 Inktalez
“Curse?” I asked in response.
Here is what Xiaocao told us, regardless of its truth, I hope everyone does not attempt to imitate it. We roughly categorize the various types of curses into four different categories: Insect Curses, Herb Curses, Medicine Curses, and Spell Curses. Among these, Insect Curses and Herb Curses can be found naturally in the environment, while Medicine Curses and Spell Curses require human processing to create, making them more difficult than the first two.
Most of what we learn about curses from television or other sources is likely the first type, which is Insect Curses. The character for “curse” itself gives us a clue; the upper part contains the character for “insect,” while the lower part is the character for “vessel.” The Compendium of Materia Medica once recorded, “Take a hundred insects and place them in a jar; after a year, one insect will consume all the others. This is called a curse.”
There are many types of cursed insects: venomous snakes, spiders, centipedes, lice, toads, and so on. For example, to create a Snake Curse, one must raise the snake during a poisonous year, month, and day—specifically on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. If a woman is cursed by a snake, it will surely be seduced by it. Among these curses, none is more formidable than the Golden Silkworm Curse. Legend has it that this poisonous creature is entirely golden; once perfected, it possesses extreme resistance—fire cannot kill it, nor can water drown it. Its survival ability is incredibly strong; simply placing its feces into food or water consumed by a person can devour their internal organs, posing great danger to human life.
In addition to this type of Insect Curse, there are many other curses that are not as widely known. The Herb Curse mentioned below is one such example. Particularly in the Yunnan region, there are many poisonous plants. If someone accidentally enters an untouched jungle, they may inexplicably meet their demise. There exists a poisonous plant that can kill with just a tiny scratch on the skin. Even with utmost caution, the toxic vapors released by plants in the jungle can kill without warning. The Herb Curse is made from various poisonous plants; if one does not know their arrangement and order, there is essentially no antidote for those afflicted by it.
For the first two types of curses mentioned above, if one knows exactly what kind of curse it is, there may be a remedy. For instance, the Compendium of Materia Medica records numerous methods for dispelling curses; anyone can find them by consulting this text. Nature emphasizes cycles and mutual restraint; for example, there are other herbs that can cure an Herb Curse. As for Insect Curses, identifying the source and burning or drowning it can suffice—except for the legendary Golden Silkworm Curse.
The next two types of curses have more potential remedies. For instance, Medicine Curses can be seen as a combination of the previous two types. Those who raise these curses must possess exceptional skills in curse cultivation. The Insect or Herb Curses mentioned earlier each have only one type of toxicity; for example, in an Insect Curse involving snakes, while one venomous snake may kill all other poisonous insects in a vessel, its venom does not transfer to its body—the curse remains solely snake venom. However, Medicine Curses can utilize a special method to transfer toxins onto a specific poisonous insect; thus produced curses are deemed extremely potent. Those afflicted by such curses are considered beyond remedy; however, these types of curses are difficult to refine and can easily backfire on their creator if not handled carefully. Therefore, they are rarely passed down and can only be crafted by highly experienced Witches, also known as “Grass Witches.”
The final type of curse is even more mysterious; we refer to it as Spell Curses. This brings to mind an incident from twenty years ago when a young girl used her own soul as bait and her reincarnation as a curse to ensure that even if she could never transcend life and death herself, she would still curse hundreds in Baili Village. This type of curse is terrifying and nearly impossible to resolve. It involves supernatural elements without time or space limitations—endlessly persisting until all those cursed perish before it can dissipate.
After hearing this, everyone fell silent. These practices of curses have been passed down for millennia; while they cannot be entirely dismissed as scientific phenomena, some aspects remain unexplained by our current understanding of science—such as poisonous plants and insects. However, if curses could indeed kill people, that might not be too far-fetched scientifically after all; I still find myself skeptical about supernatural claims.
Furrowing my brow, I asked, “Since you’ve categorized curses into four types, does that mean the young girl used a Spell Curse? I assume such spells cannot be wielded by just anyone? If that’s the case… could she actually be a witch?”
Xiaocao pondered for a moment before nodding and finally said, “It’s strange indeed; those who cultivate curses must feed them with their own blood or use someone else’s blood to sustain them. Yet that girl lived in Baili Village for quite some time without anyone discovering she was a Witch. However, someone capable of using Spell Curses must possess profound skills—ordinary people might not notice.”
“According to your curse practitioners’ standards, could a twenty-year-old girl really reach such heights?” Juan Juan asked pointedly. I shared his doubt but felt increasingly convinced that I had been deeply affected by this knowledge as I instinctively touched my chest.
Seeing this, Xiaocao covered her mouth and chuckled, while Juan Juan glared at me, looking as if she wanted to eat me alive. Xiaocao said, "It's strange, really. With my level of skill, I can only make a love potion; I can't grasp anything that profound. I only know the methods but haven't truly entered the field! However, I do know someone who can definitely clarify the background of that woman!"
"Who?" we asked in unison.
"An experienced Witch!" Xiaocao replied.
According to Xiaocao, this Witch had always lived in the primitive jungle of Nangyun City, where poisonous plants and insects were abundant—a natural sanctuary for potion-making. Her grandfather had met this Witch when he was a police officer and became fascinated with such things. However, he never practiced potion-making himself; he merely studied its principles and mysteries. Even after decades, he still hadn't made any significant breakthroughs. Xiaocao continued, "The Witch never meets people easily, but sometimes my grandfather would send me to deliver some daily necessities to her in exchange for some harmless potions. So I’m somewhat familiar with her; she taught me how to make love potions."
We all nodded. Xiaocao added, "But whether she sees you or not is up to her; I can only deliver a message for you..."
Back at the dormitory, Xiaocao first explained the situation to her grandfather. He nodded and then said to us, "That old lady is always a bit eccentric and unpredictable. When you go there, make sure not to offend her; otherwise, if she curses you, it could be troublesome. Especially you." He pointed at Yan Junde, who was standing beside us.
We drove down the mountain first; the car could only take us this far, and the rest of the journey had to be on foot. The weather was hot and humid, and we had to wear long sleeves and pants while applying insect repellent on our exposed skin. There were many poisonous insects here, and one careless bite could be painful for quite some time—even an ant bite could hurt for a while. For safety's sake, we didn't care about appearances.
Xiaocao led the way with a machete, clearing away the vines and underbrush that blocked our path. This wasn't really a road at all, but Xiaocao navigated it with ease. As she walked, she explained to us, "The plants here grow very quickly; in just a day or two, they can block the path again. Unless you sprinkle lime powder to clear a way, but Grandma wouldn’t like that—she doesn’t want anyone finding her—so every time we come here, we have to do it this way."
We silently followed behind her, increasingly curious about this Witch. I wondered if she felt lonely living in such an isolated place where no one else would come—though it seemed unlikely given all the poisonous creatures around her. After walking along this "path" for about an hour or so, Xiaocao pointed to a cave in the distance and said, "Grandma lives in that cave. You all wait here while I go ask if she’ll let you in."
With that, Xiaocao ventured into the cave alone while we waited at the spot. After walking for over an hour on the mountain path, everyone was feeling tired and sat down on some rocks to rest. However, before long, we heard Mary scream. We rushed over to see what happened and found a green snake with a round head slithering out from behind a rock.
"I’ve been bitten!" Mary exclaimed as she pointed at her ankle.
Seeing the snake's appearance put me at ease; it was just a grass snake and non-venomous. Being bitten felt like being pricked by a needle. Juan Juan saw it too. Intentionally teasing Mary, I quickly said, "This is a bamboo viper! Highly venomous! In just a few minutes... at this rate, we’ll have to chop off that leg!"
Seeing my serious expression, Mary was momentarily stunned before bursting into tears. She then said, "I don't want to lose my leg, what should I do..."
"Ah, ah," I pretended to sigh and said, "What a long leg it is, such a pity."
"I'm not even married yet! What should I do? No one will want me in the future," Mary continued to cry.
Before I could respond, Yan Junde had already drawn his dagger and knelt in front of Mary, saying, "It's okay. If no one marries you, I'll marry you." Before he finished speaking, his face turned bright red. I didn't expect my joke would lead to such a romantic moment.
Seeing that Yan Junde was serious, Juan Juan quickly interjected, "Don't listen to him scare you. The head of the Bamboo Leaf Green snake is triangular, while the head of that snake is round. It's just a frightened grass snake; it's not poisonous. Many people keep this kind of grass snake as a pet. It's fine, don't worry. But let's stand up; we shouldn't sit here; there are quite a few venomous snakes around."
Mary shot me an annoyed glance and said, "Brother Shao, you're so annoying! You scared me to death. So annoying!"
Just as I was about to tease Yan Junde and Mary again, a hoarse voice came from behind us: "I think you're the one who's about to die!" I turned around to see Xiaocao supporting an old man who was glaring at me. "You come with me; the rest of you wait outside!"
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