Foxes and Snake Packs

The white tail flashed past, and everything around fell dead silent.

The scene in front of him was both terrifying and shocking.

Although my father had killed wild boars and skinned rabbits before, it was his very first time seeing a human head like this. A wave of intense nausea immediately rushed up. He forced down the sickness, quickly covered Old Bai Gan’s head with a wicker basket, and retreated back inside the house while holding down his churning stomach.

He stopped my mother from going out. After resting for a long time, he finally recovered his wits. Only then did he notice that his body was completely soaked in sweat.

My father explained the situation.

My mother’s face turned white instantly, and she said, “Master Gai truly sees things like a living deity. Gousheng’s second tribulation has arrived. Dear, do you think we can get through it this time?”

My mother paused for a moment, then added, “Our Gousheng has great blessings, so these tribulations definitely won’t stop him.”

My father was not as panicked as before and said, “Before this, Old Bai Gan cursed Gousheng and kicked him, so his tongue and leg both met with trouble. Today he glared at our family, so even his head and eyeballs have moved away.”

“Could it be that the foxes are helping? The same white fox that bowed and spoke seven years ago.” My father thought of that fox because of the white tail.

My mother stood up immediately and said, “Dear, let’s send the head back. I’m afraid that fox still hides wicked intentions behind its actions. Seven years ago, it wouldn’t let go of our Gousheng.”

In the eyes of foxes, a human head meant nothing. Sending it to our home might have been their way of putting our minds at ease. But if this thing stayed in our house and was seen by outsiders, no explanation would save us. My father would be treated as a thief who dug up corpses.

After discussing it, my father and mother decided to return Old Bai Gan’s head before the sky fully brightened.

My father pumped himself up, set his mind, and decided to risk everything. Forcing down his fear and disgust, he put Old Bai Gan’s mangled head into a basket and quietly left the house.

New graves always had wreaths and funeral banners around them.

After heading up the mountain, my father quickly found Old Bai Gan’s grave.

The heavy rain from last night had long washed the paper pieces off the wreaths and banners, leaving only a few lonely bamboo sticks standing at the grave.

The buried grave had already been burst open, with mud scattered everywhere, and many fox footprints could be seen around it.

The wrinkled old woman carrying the basket appeared beneath a tree and called out to my father, “In-law, it’s fine. The head has been wrung off anyway. I don’t believe Old Bai Gan can harm Gousheng now.”

My father blinked his eyes, and the wrinkled old woman vanished without a trace.

He did not dare to check the inside of the grave. He simply threw Old Bai Gan’s head back toward it. With a loud splash, the head landed right into the mud, kicking up quite a bit of dirty water.

As for how Old Bai Gan would finally be shrouded and buried, he could not care less, nor did he dare to care. He hurried back home immediately.

Right before dawn, I dreamed of a little girl dragging a fluffy white tail. She said to me, “It’s fine. I won’t let anyone harm you. I scratched his eyes blind. Whoever dares to hurt you, I will help you kill them.”

I wanted to respond to her, but I lacked the strength to speak, as if I were stuck in a long dream. I didn’t wake up until eleven in the morning, feeling completely dazed. Walking a few steps felt like stepping on cotton, and my entire body had no energy.

My mother told me to be brave. She said the rain would clear and things would turn around in two days, and by then my master would come to save me.

Having suffered a great fright, my father was also extremely exhausted. He worried that someone had seen him returning Old Bai Gan’s head, and he feared what the foxes might do next. Moreover, the memory of the wrinkled old woman appearing by Old Bai Gan’s grave kept him deeply unsettled.

In short, all three of us spent that day in a daze, and our household felt restless.

Bai Dabiao stayed in the town for the night and did not bring Old Madam Ma back to Chen Village until the afternoon.

At the same time, the villagers who went up the mountain to chop wood discovered that Old Bai Gan’s grave had burst open. When they crept closer to look, they saw Old Bai Gan’s head separated from his body, and the bones in his limbs were exposed. It was a gruesome and terrifying sight.

In an instant, Chen Village was once again enveloped in a terrifying shadow.

For a short while, no one dared to go up Qinglong Mountain.

Everyone locked their doors and windows tightly as soon as it got dark.

The Old Madam Ma who came this time was clearly more powerful than Master Cai.

Old Madam Ma wore her hair in a bun, dressing like a Daoist nun, and she brought along a black statue of a deity.

It was said that the black statue looked very bizarre, possessing three eyes and a massive mouth. It was painted all over with red and black streaks, looking incredibly frightening.

Only later did I learn that this kind of portable statue was mostly a “wild god” or a “rogue spirit”—deities that lacked official titles or heavenly decrees. It was highly likely a demon spirit worshipped by Old Madam Ma herself. A proper, orthodox deity would require selecting an auspicious day to be moved, along with prayers to heaven for divination.

My master later warned me that the deities of our land could only receive official titles and enjoy human incense offerings by doing good deeds to serve the common people. Wild gods like this one could never face the light.

Old Madam Ma instructed Bai Dabiao to prepare paper figures to replace Old Bai Gan’s body. She also brought a wooden ladder to burn on the soul-returning night, symbolizing that Old Bai Gan could use the “ladder” to ascend to heaven or descend to earth.

She further explained that the separated parts of Old Bai Gan’s corpse were caused by the foul things on the mountain smelling his resentment. Those entities had rushed over to feast on the malice, chewing his body to pieces.

Now that Old Bai Gan’s corpse was destroyed, he would surely turn into a fierce ghost, and he would definitely claim lives on his soul-returning night. This crisis would be incredibly hard to cross, and it could not be resolved without spending a large sum of money.

Old Madam Ma spoke with great authority, and Bai Dabiao completely believed her, shelling out another three thousand yuan.

“Then my uncle’s body is ruined, how do we clean up this mess?” Bai Dabiao asked.

Old Madam Ma smiled and said, “I will give you a peace talisman. Come up the mountain with me and bury him right on the spot. With my peace talisman, there definitely won’t be any big problems.”

Bai Dabiao felt that Old Madam Ma was highly capable and filled with confidence, far more reliable than Master Cai, so he followed her plan.

It was said that when Bai Dabiao and Old Madam Ma went up the mountain to refill the grave, the trees on both sides were packed with foxes, and packs of snakes slithered through the grass.

Old Madam Ma drew a talisman paper, waved it a few times in the air, and the talisman caught fire. The foxes and snakes then retreated.

In the blink of an eye, the day of Old Bai Gan’s soul-returning night arrived.

Early that morning, Old Madam Ma unexpectedly came to my house. She smiled and said, “Brother Chen, I have evil-warding talismans here, as well as some sacred charms. If you need them, they are one hundred yuan each. You only need ten of them to ensure you cross tonight safely. In addition, let your child stay at my altar room for a period of time.”

My parents thought Old Madam Ma was a good person and prepared to bite the bullet to spend one thousand yuan to avert the disaster.

Old Madam Ma then added, “The Chen family’s ancestral grave still needs to be moved. If you do that, Old Mr. Bai won’t come to cause you trouble anymore.”

My father’s face changed instantly, and he snapped, “You are taking money from both sides! Please leave, I won’t see you out.”

Old Madam Ma narrowed her eyes into slits. She did not get angry either and said, “Since you do not need this old woman’s help, then no matter what happens tonight, do not blame me for showing no mercy.”

Her viper-like eyes shot another glance at me: “Little child, remember these cold-hearted parents of yours. It is they who are sending you down to the underworld.”