Рай — это берег праха смертных

Глава 17

"Awooo..." The big black dog's sharp teeth bit into Master Fei's right cheek, and it shook its head violently, tearing at the flesh, blood splattering everywhere.

Secretary Qin and the others were caught off guard and stood there stunned. It was Fu who reacted quickly and rushed forward to try to pull Dahei down.

Despite the excruciating pain, Master Fei hurriedly thrust the acupressure peg into the black dog's forehead with his left hand. With a "plop," the steel tip of the acupressure peg pierced deeply into the black dog's skull... The black dog barked wildly, slowly released its grip, and collapsed onto Old Man Guo's withered corpse inside the coffin. It twitched a few times and then remained still.

Master Fei breathed a sigh of relief, his hand covering his right cheek, blood slowly trickling down between his fingers.

"Spit..." Suddenly, a small piece of sticky phlegm flew through the air and hit Master Fei right in the eye...

"Grandpa!" With a heart-wrenching cry, Nizi's frail figure appeared on the earthen pit.

"Nizi?" Youfu leaped forward and caught Nizi, who was about to jump down, with his one arm. Old Guo's current appearance was so grotesque that it could frighten a child.

"You are all bad people!" Nizi struggled desperately, shouting incessantly.

"Take this kid away quickly!" Secretary Qin snapped out of his daze and hurriedly ordered, then pointed at Youcai, "You, go down and help."

Master Fei rubbed his right eye inexplicably, then leaped onto the pit. He felt his vision was a little blurry. What was this sticky thing?

Mayor Guo examined him closely and found that Master Fei's right eye sclera was bloodshot and covered in mucus. The most serious injury was to his right cheek, which had been completely torn open, revealing white bone fragments and his inner teeth. "He needs to be taken to the hospital immediately!" he said anxiously.

Secretary Qin instructed the town government staff to quickly backfill the grave, while he and Mayor Guo escorted Master Fei to the old house. Then they drove to Ruicheng County Hospital for emergency treatment, as Fenglingdu was nearly 30 kilometers away from the county seat.

Inside the locust wood coffin, Dahei quietly lay down on Old Guo's body. The coffin lid was closed, and then they began to cover it with yellow earth. Soon, the grave was rebuilt.

“You’re all bad people…you even killed Big Black, boohoo…” Nizi cried.

Youfu put one arm around Nizi and whispered to comfort her, "Nizi, you're still young. You'll understand some things when you grow up."

"Who is that person?" Nizi asked.

"Which person?" Youfu asked, bewildered.

“That bad guy in black who killed Big Black,” Nizi said.

"You mean Elder Fei? He's an expert from the capital and also the Taoist priest of the Daluo Palace in Jiexiu," Youfu replied.

Nizi stared hatefully at the departing figures of Master Fei and his companions, spitting on the ground. She remembered this man and vowed to take revenge when she grew up.

In the emergency room of Ruicheng County Hospital, doctors stitched up Fei Daozhang's torn cheek, then wrapped it in bandages and administered a rabies vaccine.

"The little girl who brought that black dog to attack you is Guo Ni, the adopted daughter of Old Man Guo before his death," Mayor Guo told Daoist Fei awkwardly.

"Hmph, she's a wild girl. I'll still go find her after I recover from my injuries," Master Fei said, grinning.

Chapter 23, Part 3

Everyone had left in front of the grave, leaving only Youfu and Nizi.

The sudden death of Dahei dealt another blow to Nizi, who had not yet emerged from the shadow of her grandfather's passing. Her grandfather and Dahei were the most important relatives in her life. Now, she was left all alone in this cruel world. Nizi stared blankly and helplessly at the mound of yellow earth, sitting on the ground as if in a daze.

"Nizi, don't be sad. Go back with Uncle Guo," Youfu comforted her.

Nizi didn't answer, her gaze remaining fixed blankly on the grave.

For a long, long time, Nizi remained silent and motionless. Youfu, fearing something might happen to the child, stayed by her side the whole time.

“Nizi, your godmother said you’ll be going back to school in a couple of days. Why don’t you come home and pack your schoolbag and stationery, okay?” Youfu said.

Nizi seemed not to hear.

“Nizi, Grandpa and Dahei don’t want to see you like this. They both want you to be happy, right?” Youfu said again.

Nizi remained silent.

"Nizi, have you been to Fengling Temple? Have you met Master Yidu?" Youfu really didn't know how to comfort Nizi, so he could only try to provoke her with words.

Fengling Temple… Master Yidu… These words fragmentedly reached Nizi's ears. Yes, Fengling Temple… Thimble, those were the words her grandfather had told her before he died. What did Grandpa want her to do? He quietly slipped the thimble into Nizi's hand; was it for her to take to Fengling Temple? The name Master Yidu was also taught to her by her grandfather; it was probably the name of an old monk. She had asked her grandfather about it before, but he had only smiled… Nizi thought for a long time, then silently got up, turned around, and walked towards the village without a word.

When Youfu saw that Nizi was walking back home, he felt relieved and followed her at a leisurely pace.

Upon arriving at the old house, Nizi went straight into her room in the west wing, then closed the door tightly, ignoring even Qin Ruhua's greeting.

"That brat is outrageous! 'Zhang San doesn't eat dead children, it's because the living spoil them,'" Qin Ruhua cursed in a low voice.

"Sister-in-law, don't blame Nizi. Too many things happened today," Youfu explained.

"Yes, Youcai and Dad rushed off in the car without even going inside. What happened to Old Fei? His face was covered in blood. My heart has been pounding with worry," Qin Ruhua said, touching her chest.

"Sigh, our dog bit Old Fei, and Old Fei killed Big Black. Nizi's mental state is probably affected; she doesn't say a word, as if she's become mute," Youfu replied. He had already sworn an oath about the Moonstone Coffin and couldn't even reveal it to his sister-in-law.

"Haha, that's great! The old black dog is dead. Ever since the day it came to our house, that beast has always had a problem with me. I was just waiting for it to die!" Qin Ruhua clapped her hands and laughed.

"Sister-in-law, something happened to Old Fei. I have to rush back to town, in case something happens." Youfu said and hurriedly left.

Inside the west wing, Nizi pulled the large bundle out from under the bed, then took off her shoes, sat on the bed, and untied the bundle.

Unfolding the yellow silk handkerchief, the thimble and glass bottle that her grandfather had left her lay there quietly. Nizi held them in her hands, turning them over and over to examine them. The bronze thimble was heavy, much heavier than a regular thimble.

Grandpa, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to take the thimble to the Wind Chime Temple? Grandpa, I'm going to close my eyes and go to sleep now. Can you tell me in my dreams?

Nizi lay down straight, held the copper thimble in her hands in front of her chest, and quietly closed her eyes.

After a while, Nizi finally fell asleep. In her dream, she saw Big Black, his face covered in blood, fighting with the Taoist priest in black... Big Black, danger! Run! In her dream, Nizi screamed frantically, raising her hands and pounding on the ground...

The heavy copper thimble in Nizi's hand slammed down onto the thin-walled glass bottle on the bed, shattering it...

The yellowish-white corpse oil in the glass bottle slowly diffused, sealing a hibernating blood flea within. It was about the size of a fingernail, with a scarlet exoskeleton, sharp mouthparts, and unusually large, white, cataract-like eyes. Upon contact with air, the blood flea slowly awoke. It moved its six hairy legs, then stood up, suddenly startled, realizing that Ni Zi was right in front of it…

The blood flea leaped lightly, landing precisely on the tip of Nizi's nose as she slept. It flicked its antennae, then carefully burrowed into her nostril...

Chapter 24, Part 1

Mong La Cha Wong Bing was the foremost sorcerer in Southeast Asia. His blood flea, cultivated with the utmost care, was considered the most poisonous insect in the world, insatiably bloodthirsty. In Thailand at the time, everyone from commoners to royalty, and even highly skilled sorcerers, trembled at the mere mention of its name. When Mong La Cha Wong Bing was injured in the jungles of Myanmar by the innate energy of the Quanzhen School's Daoist Jia, and fled back to the Siamese palace with the kidnapped infant girl, Zu Mo, he became aware of his cousin Mong La Cha Wong Kun Pa's ambition. To prevent the blood-curdling techniques he had painstakingly researched from being lost, he ordered his trusted confidant—a middle-aged sorcerer—to take the hermaphroditic, scarlet mutant blood flea born to the infant girl and the large blood flea couple, seal it in a glass bottle filled with corpse oil, and travel to the Hedong region of Shanxi, China, to seek out the descendants of Guo Pu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (who were also his own ancestors) who had entrusted their child to him. The trusted sorcerer finally fulfilled his mission, conducting thorough investigations and finding the only direct descendant of the Guo family, Old Man Guo, at Fenglingdu in Hedong. To prevent Kunba from finding the child, the middle-aged sorcerer, following his master's instructions, committed suicide under the frozen Yellow River. The current carried his body downstream, and when the ice and snow melted in spring, all traces would be gone.

Before leaving, Mong La Chaong Bing forcibly injected all his life's skills into Zu Mo's body using the "Infusion Technique." Several years later, the baby girl would naturally have an epiphany one day, thus becoming the greatest sorcerer in Siam since the Thonburi Dynasty.

As expected, just days after the baby girl was secretly sent away, Monglachawong Kunba plotted against his cousin, cutting off his limbs and imprisoning him in a stone house on the island. He interrogated him about the secret method of making blood curses and the whereabouts of the baby girl, but Monglachawong Bing remained silent until his death. —This history is recounted in "The Corpse Clothes of the Green Bag".

Nizi felt an itch inside her nose, which made her slowly wake up and open her eyes.

She rubbed her nose and sat up. Grandpa hadn't come to deliver the message in his sleep. Sigh... Nizi felt a little disappointed. Just then, she caught sight of the broken glass bottle on the bed and was startled. How could a perfectly good bottle have broken? A yellowish-white stain had stained her yellow silk handkerchief; it was from the broken glass bottle. Nizi sniffed it and thought it had a faint, foul smell.

Nizi wrapped the thimble again in a yellow silk scarf, hid it in the pocket of her sheepskin coat, tied the bundle, and stuffed it under the bed.

"Nizi, Nizi..." Qin Ruhua's voice came from the courtyard.

Nizi pushed open the door, stood on the threshold, and silently looked at the "landlady".

Qin Ruhua swayed her thick waist as she walked in. "Girl, your godmother has something to ask you."

Nizi didn't say anything, she just stared at her.

“Hmm, Nizi, I heard that Dahei died. That’s good, your grandfather will have a companion now, right?” Qin Ruhua said, staring into Nizi’s eyes.

Nizi remained silent.

"Nizi, did your grandfather leave you a map before he died, or tell you where the map was hidden?" Qin Ruhua asked softly.

Nizi remained silent.

Chapter 24, Part 2

Ruicheng County People's Hospital.

Upon hearing that County Party Secretary Qin had arrived, the hospital director, wearing thick glasses, rushed to the emergency room.

"Secretary Qin, you've arrived. Is anyone sick?" the dean asked with concern.

"A comrade from Beijing was bitten by a vicious dog. The doctors have given him initial treatment and are now awaiting the test results," Secretary Qin said with a heavy heart.

"Is it a rabid dog? Has it been vaccinated against rabies?" the hospital director asked anxiously. He knew that if a dog contracted rabies, the mortality rate was one hundred percent.

At this moment, a doctor hurried over, gestured for the dean to walk aside, and then whispered a few words in his ear. The dean's expression gradually became serious.

"Is there a problem?" Secretary Qin stepped forward and asked seriously.

"Well, the wounds on the patient's face have been treated and stitched up. In the future, they will only leave some scars. But I'm afraid there might be some problems with his eyes..." the dean said hesitantly.

"Speak your mind," Secretary Qin urged impatiently.

"The patient's eyes were red, swollen, and inflamed, with cloudy lenses. We took some secretions for testing and found a strange enzyme-like substance. It might be an intracellular enzyme, similar to pepsin, but its pH value was <1, so it is not..." the dean said to Secretary Qin.

"To put it simply, what exactly is wrong with the patient?" Secretary Qin interrupted the dean's pedantic speech.

"Yes, we found an extremely strong acidic digestive enzyme in the patient's eyes; it would completely devour the patient's eyeballs," the dean said succinctly.

Secretary Qin still didn't understand and asked in confusion, "Dean, are you saying that the patient will go blind?"

“Exactly,” the dean replied.

"How could that be? The black dog only bit his cheek. Could some bacteria or virus have gotten into his eye?" Secretary Qin speculated.

“It’s not bacteria or viruses, it’s enzymes,” the dean insisted.

"Alright," Secretary Qin waved his hand, his face stern, and said loudly, "Then please tell me, what exactly is this 'enzyme'!"

"Yes, Secretary Qin, enzymes are biological catalysts produced by living cells in the body. They are composed of proteins and RNA and their function is to promote metabolism in the body. Therefore, enzymes are the foundation for cell survival. More than 4,000 kinds of enzymes have been discovered in mammals to date." The dean recited the textbook again.

"If it's such a good thing, why would it be used to eat the patient's eyeballs?" Secretary Qin sneered.

"For example, pepsin is an acidic enzyme that specifically breaks down and digests proteins from grains and meat. If it leaves the stomach and gets into the eye without losing its activity, it will break down and digest the eyeball..." The dean was sweating as he tried to explain.

Secretary Qin seemed to understand and nodded, saying, "Please continue."

The dean continued, "Pepsin loses its activity when it leaves the environment and temperature of the stomach, but the enzyme in the patient's eye is highly active. The doctors are constantly rinsing it with saline solution. If it is completely cleaned, the vitreous humor of the patient's eyeball will have been corroded, and blindness will be inevitable."

"Where did this enzyme come from?" Secretary Qin asked.

"I don't know," the dean answered honestly.

Chapter 24, Part 3

Soon, the new test results finally came out. After repeated cleaning by the doctors, the peculiar biological enzyme in the patient's eyes had been completely removed, and Master Fei walked out of the emergency room.

Secretary Qin leaned closer and stared intently at Master Fei's right eye... The once black pupil had turned into an uneven, milky white, like the eyeball of a steamed fish; he had gone blind.

Master Fei's smile remained unchanged, but a furious rage flashed in his left eye. "Let's go back to Fenglingdu," he said through gritted teeth.

"Mr. Fei, your eyes..." Secretary Qin said with sympathy and embarrassment.