Chapter 47: The Mobilization Meeting (1/1)

Seeing his father take a stand, the village chief's son fell silent. The chief sighed, recalling, "During the Destroy the Four Olds movement, I saw a young woman possessed by the Yellow Immortal. Six of us men were chased around by her, and when we finally tied her up, she snapped three - finger - thick hemp ropes. I believe you, but Zuohe Banner is a national - level poverty - stricken area on the border of Han and Inner Mongolian regions, connected to Zhoujiazhuang. With only 300 households, asking each to donate 1,000 yuan for a Taoist temple is too much. If the county finds out, I'll lose my position."

Before arriving, I'd observed the feng shui here. The saying "barren mountains and harsh waters breed tough people" holds true—bare hills, heavy malevolent qi, and water scarcity explain the locals' fiery tempers and poor fortunes.

I pondered and said, "Chief, to be frank, I've studied the village's feng shui. Help me build the temple, and I'll point out a feng shui site that will bring you great luck within three years and improve everyone's lives."

Overjoyed, the chief agreed. "Master!" His eyes lit up. "Since you say Ma Li's wife is a zombie, let the villagers see for themselves tonight. If true, I'll mobilize everyone immediately—it'll be much easier."

We struck a deal. While he rallied the villagers, I had work to do to subdue the flying corpse in the well. Some readers unfamiliar with feng shui might scoff, but feng shui (geomancy) has theoretic roots. For instance:

The Legend of Seven Stars on the Foot: Physiognomy says seven moles on the sole mean imperial destiny—Liu Bang, founder of the Han Dynasty, was said to have this mark. In 1950s Guangdong, a boy with three red moles on his left sole was told he'd hold three important offices. He became a barefoot doctor, then a 法医 (forensic doctor), rising to county police chief, 政法委书记 (head of political and legal affairs), and finally mayor. When he installed three 160,000 - yuan lamps for "Three Stars Highlighting," complaints forced adjusting one lamp to shine downward, resembling a nail that "pinned" his progress. After moving the lamp, he was promoted thrice—proving "three stars" referred to his three postings.

Back to Zuohe Banner: Spotting two century - old peach trees at the village entrance, I borrowed an axe from the chief. Peach wood is one of the "Five Spiritual Woods" (mulberry, elm, peach, locust, willow). As Ciyuan records: "Ancient times carved peach wood figures to ward off evil; Han Dynasty hung peach seals on doors." Huainanzi states, "Yi died by a peach stick"—even the god Yi feared peach wood, let alone a mere flying corpse.

I split the peach trunks into nine segments, carved them into sharp stakes with the Seven - Star Sword, and bundled them with peach leaves and twigs. When my parents died, Grandpa carved willow figurines; today, I used his technique on peach wood, shaping them into spiked nails instead of figures.

As I worked, the chief donned a green military uniform and a red - star cap, shouting through a loudspeaker at the cultural square: "Folks, the Ma family needs our help!"

"Chief, we can't donate—they were the richest! His daughter - in - law stole brick factory money, and they got 300,000 yuan in bride price!" someone yelled.

"Shut up, Er Gou, or I'll beat you!" The chief glared, then lied, "The Ma family's daughter - in - law is a zombie. Breathe a word outside, and I'll reclaim your land and ban you from breeding livestock with mine."

Though bluffing, the mention of zombies silenced skeptics. Rural folks are more open to supernatural tales.

At the Ma house, Ma Hong stopped me nervously: "Master, we wanted to handle this quietly—how will we face others?"

"Yeah," Ma Li groaned, "If she's dead, my 300,000 yuan bride price is gone! I'll have to charge more for my sister's marriage."

"Charge more?" I asked, learning that rural families often demand high bride prices for daughters to fund sons' weddings—a vicious cycle lowering women's status.

I sighed: "Your sister will marry well." She had a fair complexion, destined to leave her hometown.

Standing in the courtyard under the bright moon, villagers with flashlights gathered, waiting for midnight when the corpse puppet would transform.