Forbidden Land – CH 110

The altar was quickly set up. On it sat a small incense burner with three sticks of incense lit. There were no memorial tablets or figurines; instead, Zhang Chao’s undergarment was removed and placed in front of the altar.

Zhang Chao was lying in a small chair, which was placed beside the altar.

Grandpa then took out a yellow talisman and hastily wrote the words “Zhang Chao” on it with a brush, stuck a few grains of rice on it, and attached it to Zhang Chao’s head.

Zhang Chao remained like a fool, staring at them, his hands and feet motionless, letting them do as they pleased.

Afterward, Grandpa took out a large earthenware bowl usually used in rural areas, filled it with water, and stuck a chopstick into it. He said to her uncle, “Ah Guo, Ah Rong and I are going to call back the soul later. When the chopsticks start moving, go outside and call Ah Rong. We’ll be right back. Remember to keep your voice down on the phone; don’t scare the little hún away.”

As he spoke, he took two bamboo poles from his room, one with a piece of Zhang Chao’s clothing hanging from it, and handed it to Chen Rong, saying, “Ah Rong, take this and come with me.”

Grandpa himself held a bamboo pole with a triangular flag made of black paper at the top. Then, Grandpa turned off the light in the room, told her uncle to watch the chopsticks, and led Chen Rong outside.

Outside, Grandpa walked straight along the path leading to the outhouse. Chen Rong asked, “Grandpa, where are we going?”

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Grandpa shook his head. “I don’t know where his little hún went. We’ll just have to keep looking and see if it’s gone far. It’s past 3 AM now, and in two more hours it’ll be dawn. Ah, let’s hurry.”

Then, Grandpa had Chen Rong call out with him in Mandarin: “Zhang Chao, Zhang Chao, where are you? Come home, do you hear me? Come home with me; don’t stay outside. Hurry home.”

“Zhang Chao, Zhang Chao, here are your clothes; hurry home, your family is missing you. If you can’t find your way, come with us; hurry back, it’s cold outside. Hurry back.”

“Zhang Chao, Zhang Chao, don’t run far. You’re a person; you need to go home. The sun is about to rise; hurry home with us. If you hear me, follow us home.”

In the desolate mountain village, the voices of an old man and a young girl echoed through the night, quickly swallowed by the boundless emptiness.

Throughout the journey, Chen Rong shouted at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her face. Seeing his granddaughter’s distress, her grandfather, despite his age, also shouted at the top of his lungs.

After walking for more than thirty minutes along the path, they reached the top of the mountain. Then, in the distance, they saw a house about a hundred meters ahead, half of it collapsed. On the platform in front of the house, a woman dressed in black stood in the night wind, holding a white paper lantern without a lit candle, seemingly looking at them.

It was that madwoman again. Chen Rong felt a sudden surge of tension.

Her grandfather turned to look at her and said, “Ah Rong, don’t be afraid. We’ll deal with this madwoman later.”

Although they were far enough apart that the madwoman couldn’t hear them, she suddenly burst into laughter, a mournful, bleak, and terrifying laugh that added to the chill of the night.

Grandpa ignored her, continuing to call Zhang Chao’s name, urging him to come home.

Chen Rong, preoccupied with Zhang Chao, also ignored the madwoman and continued calling.

Then, the madwoman suddenly shouted, “Ah Bao! Ah Bao! It’s good to be home! It’s bad outside; Mom misses you! They’ve come to harm you again.”

Grandpa frowned and yelled at her, “Madwoman, if you call again, I’ll go up and beat you!”

The madwoman seemed frightened upon hearing this, stopped shouting, slowly turned her back, and began to jump step by step towards her house.

Just then, Chen Rong’s phone rang. She opened it, and, sure enough, it was her uncle calling. Excitedly, she answered the phone and whispered, “Uncle, is he back?”

His uncle said, “The chopsticks have moved; come back quickly.”

Chen Rong responded, hung up the phone, and hurriedly told her grandfather. Her grandfather said, “Quick! We need to go back quickly so the little hún can return as soon as possible, or it’ll run away again.”