Chapter 20: The Corpse Comes to Life

In this line of work, there is a rule that you must never look into the eyes of a dying person or a person who has just died, otherwise you will never forget that look for the rest of your life.

This was Sun Kui’s first time coming into contact with a dead person. When he touched the body of Zhao’s third son, it was still warm and soft. He was a little guilty, and couldn’t help but glance at Zhao’s third son’s face. As a result, the eyes that hadn’t closed looked at him as if they were staring at him. Sun Kui’s cold sweat came out all at once.

He also immediately remembered the rule of never looking into the eyes. This rule has nothing to do with ghosts and gods, but it will make people upset for a long time. At this time, Sun Kui realized that the eyes contained the most desperate emotion in the world!

The lifeless eyes, without any expression, were a dead silence. What else could it be but despair?

At this moment, the two colleagues he had just seen were already carrying the corpse and walking quickly. He remembered that if he didn’t delay his master, he wouldn’t dare to think too much at the moment. He took out the cinnabar in his pocket and stuffed it into the nostrils and mouth of the deceased, then sealed a talisman given by his master between the mouth and nose, and then quickly carried the corpse on his back and walked away.

The dead body was particularly heavy on his back. Sun Kui could feel the body on his back getting colder and harder. This was not a pleasant experience, but fortunately Sun Kui was strong and healthy. The place where his master was working was not too far from the execution ground, and they had arrived.

Opening the door, Lao Sun saw Sun Kui coming back and immediately went up to him, saying, “Quick, put the corpse here.”

The room was dark, with nothing in it except two stools. The most conspicuous thing was the two large wooden boards in the middle of the room, on which six bodies were neatly laid out.

Ordinary people would probably go crazy at the sight of this, but Sun Kui was used to it. He placed the corpse of the third son of Zhao on the far side and then wiped the sweat off his brow with his shirt.

At this time, Lao Sun did not have time to pay attention to Sun Kui, but instead picked up a plate of cinnabar and drew a symbol on the chest, back, two palms, soles of the feet, and forehead of the corpse of the third son of Zhao.

Sun Kui watched his master do all this with great interest. He knew that the soul was the quickest to disperse of the three souls and seven spirits. He had blocked the deceased’s mouth and nose and affixed a seal to seal the deceased’s last breath of yang qi. If the last breath of yang qi did not disperse, the deceased would at least be able to retain two spirits.

However, this is a temporary measure. There are still seven key points on the body that can disperse the soul and the spirit. Those seven places are where the master just drew the sealing symbols with cinnabar.

After drawing the seven symbols, Lao Sun let out a sigh of relief and called Sun Kui over, pointing to the corpse and saying, “Do you remember how to draw these symbols? You also know that we, the corpse carriers, have what is called the three-carry and three-not-carry rule. The so-called three-carry rule is, in summary, that the dead person has grievances, and it is not necessarily limited to the special cases of the three-carry rule. Only people with a lot of grievances will be unwilling to accept their own death, so their souls will dissipate more slowly, and it will be much easier for us to do things.

Sun Kui knew that his master was taking the opportunity to teach him, so he hurriedly nodded repeatedly in agreement. Seeing Sun Kui’s attitude, Old Sun was also satisfied, and he took out seven pieces of paper and pasted them on the seven places where he had just drawn the symbols.

The function of these seven talismans is the same as the one Sun Kui used to seal the corpse’s mouth and nose. They are both used to seal the corpse, but if the corpse encounters any situation, it will easily turn into a vampire, and it will not be fun if it turns into a vampire. Therefore, at night, when the moon rises, they must start to hurry the corpse, otherwise the consequences will be very serious. It is because the corpse can change in an unpredictable way, and no one can find a very certain law.

Lao Sun had already rested, and he had to get up again at night. This step was very important, and he now needed to rest.

Sun Kui, on the other hand, was busy changing the clothes of the deceased. The corpse must not bump into the living, and the corpse is always terrifying, so it is better to cover it up.

The clothes were all changed into a uniform black robe, and the face was covered with a bamboo hat. Sun Kui worked for a long time before he could rest. It was really a physical labor to change the clothes of the stiff corpse.

After taking a bath, Sun Kui changed into a Taoist robe and put on a hat, then sat down next to his master to rest.

In fact, according to the master, they are not considered members of the Taoist sect and are not qualified to wear this clothing. However, because occasionally Taoist priests also do the job of transporting corpses, gradually people have become more accepting of the image of Taoist priests. As long as they carry a bell, people will know that they are corpse transporters and will naturally avoid them.

“Master, can you drive seven corpses this time?” Sun Kui was a little worried. This was a technical job, and the more corpses he drove, the greater the pressure.

“No matter what, I have to do it. This time I’m competing with someone for first place. This is a reputation in the industry. He’s taking five, I’m taking seven. I have to beat him.” Old Sun doesn’t lack money. At a certain point, he wants fame.

“Okay, Master, let’s do a good job on this business,” Sun Kui said with a smile.

Sun was quite moved by the look on his apprentice’s face. He felt that he had made the right choice in taking on this apprentice. Corpse carriers are generally ugly, and his apprentice was no exception. But he had a very honest and kind heart, which was much better than those who were good-looking.

Time passed quickly, and before long it was after 10 p.m. The corpses usually rise at 11 p.m., so by now, Lao Sun had already begun to busily prepare.

Sun Kui was preparing the straw ropes. This time, there were seven corpses, so he had to make sure that none of them got lost.

At this time, Lao Sun had already finished reciting the prayer before the corpse was raised. This prayer was passed down from generation to generation by the corpse carriers, used to worship the spirits of the dead, and incidentally to keep the other three spirits and five souls that had already scattered from following closely, returning to their hometown together. The last layer of meaning was that I am your guide, so you should cooperate well and not cause trouble, brothers.

After reciting the prayer, Lao Sun began to smear cinnabar on the necks of the corpses. Sun Kui was also helping. He could still do this little thing. After smearing the cinnabar, Lao Sun placed a circle of sealing charms on the neck of each corpse. Finally, he solemnly took out seven charms.

Speaking of sealing charms, every corpse carrier can draw them, and during the process of carrying the corpse, a large stack of them must be prepared, because they must be replaced every two days. However, when the corpse is raised, there is still a key charm that must be used.

This kind of talisman cannot be drawn by the corpse-carrier, but must be bought from a reputable Taoist priest. The corpse-carrier calls this talisman a magic talisman, but in Taoism, this talisman is actually a kind of talisman that enhances the power of the soul. The soul of the original dead person is scattered, and the two spirits that are forcibly left behind are also very weak. After this talisman is attached, it can stimulate the remaining two spirits to function. This is actually a kind of talisman that is equivalent to awakening the corpse, so it is so important.

It is very simple to explain. The two remaining spirits are strengthened, and the corpse can walk like a living person. Because there are only two spirits left, the corpse has almost lost all five senses, and only barely retains a little hearing, so the corpse-walker must ring a bell in order to lead the way.

This is a typical walking corpse, because without the three souls, the person’s memory, wisdom, etc. have been stripped away.

After pasting the talismans, Lao Sun tied them together with a five-colored rope. Why five colors? Because in the understanding of the corpse-chasing craftsmen, everything is inseparable from the five elements. The five colors represent the five elements, and with the power of the five elements, the talismans can operate freely.

This is an act that provides more psychological comfort than practical significance.

“Sun Kui, is it time?” After finishing all this, Lao Sun rested for a few minutes and then asked Sun Kui.

Sun Kui nodded solemnly and said, “Master, it’s almost time.”

At this point, Lao Sun stood up, and Sun Kui quickly opened the door. In the past, when the corpse was raised, the master would not let him watch, but this time he had to see it for himself.

After opening the door, Sun Kui saw Lao Sun pierce his left middle finger and then pass the bloody finger in front of each corpse’s nose. The corpse moved a little, and Lao Sun quickly ran away, holding the middle finger with paper and then shouting very loudly: “Get up!”

The most unforgettable scene in Sun Kui’s life appeared. The seven corpses stood up neatly.