Maiyi Onmyoji

The Bloody Handprint

Indeed, it was the same weasel I had seen before; its tail's white fur noticeably diminished.The weasel darted out, scampering wildly around the room, with a red thread tied to one of its hind legs.It wasn't moving very fast, as if it were injured.Everyone else was too frightened to move.I missed with the stool, then rushed forward, trying to stomp on it. The weasel, in desperation, turned and scrambled up my body.Luckily, my grandfather arrived just in time, grabbing the weasel by its tail and hurling it violently against the wall.With that, the weasel was terribly injured, flailing on the ground, unable to escape.I grabbed the stool and struck it hard.Immediately, flesh and blood flew, with pieces of red flesh splattering all over the floor.My grandfather pulled me back, picked up the weasel by its tail, and threw it onto the concrete outside, leaving it to bake in the sun.The weasel was dead, a major trouble was resolved, and I was elated.The elders murmured quietly about the mischief caused by the yellow weasel spirit, causing the police officer to frown.Just as I was about to speak, my grandfather raised his hand to silence me and walked into the house, nodding at the officer, "Shall we begin?"The officer quickly replied, "Try not to damage the body.""I understand."Grandfather nodded, and under everyone's watchful eyes, unbuttoned the old village chief's shirt, revealing a fist-sized, round hole in his chest where the heart had been gnawed to pieces!Damn, those red pieces of flesh earlier were chunks of the heart!Seeing this, I felt nauseated and hurriedly turned away to the door.Everyone was stunned, too horrified to look.The old village chief's son, Zhou Xinfang, screamed and ran outside.My grandfather quickly told the village head, "Chief, Dafa has a mental illness. Please send someone to watch over him.""I will!"The village head, in a panic, chased after him.Grandfather buttoned the shirt back up, nodded to the officer, and we all left the community office.The police officer asked my grandfather, "Old Shui, what do you make of this case?""You all saw what happened, but there are things you don't know. This weasel was a demonic creature raised by Old Fang, capable of transforming into human form, causing trouble in the village. Of course, you might not believe it, but the entire village knows.""Yes, Old Shui is right. This yellow weasel spirit is quite evil. It even tried to abduct my child. If my father hadn't noticed in time, my child would have been gone.""Officer, there's no doubt. This yellow weasel is real trouble. Anyone over thirty in the village can vouch for it. To be frank, this creature is sneaky. Raised by Old Fang, it not only harms people but also steals money and grain for him.""Officer, look at my chest. I was bitten by it while drunk and sleeping by the roadside. This creature likes to eat human hearts. If it weren't for Er Zhuang discovering me, it would have eaten my heart.""If you ask me, Old Fang is definitely behind this!""Old Fang killed his wife, served time, has a violent temper...""Plus, there was a dispute over the resettlement of the relocation project due to urbanization. Old Fang had a quarrel with the old village chief, which could be his motive for murder."More than a dozen elders nodded and spoke in unison, unanimously identifying Old Fang as the culprit.One officer stayed to guard the scene, while another, an older one, went with the villagers to Old Fang's house.They went to find Old Fang!He might still be at the cemetery, chasing me down.I tugged at my grandfather's hand, wanting to speak, but he gestured for me to stay quiet.I felt puzzled. Why wouldn't grandfather let me speak?Soon, we arrived at Old Fang's house.Not finding him, the villagers concluded that he must have fled.The police felt something was wrong and quickly called the station for backup.The villagers gathered in greater numbers, all chattering.At my grandfather's suggestion, everyone split into three groups to search the entire village for Old Fang.I found a chance to pull my grandfather aside and whispered to him about Old Fang trying to slash me with a knife earlier in the morning.Hearing this, my grandfather nervously said, "Da Lei, don't mention this to anyone. If we find Old Fang later, stay back and keep silent. If you speak, you'll get grandfather in trouble, understand?"Seeing his serious expression, I nodded fearfully.But I couldn't help but wonder how revealing this could get grandfather into trouble?Soon, we arrived at the cemetery.Since we couldn't find Old Fang, everyone agreed he must have escaped.The police sensed something was off and immediately called the station for assistance.More villagers gathered, discussing animatedly.Following my grandfather's suggestion, the group split into three paths to search the village.I seized a moment to pull my grandfather aside, whispering about Old Fang chasing me with a knife earlier.Grandfather's face tightened with concern. "Da Lei, don't mention this to anyone. If we find Old Fang later, stay back and say nothing. If you speak, you'll put grandfather in grave danger, do you understand?"Shaken by the gravity in his tone, I nodded hastily.But a sense of confusion lingered—how could speaking out cause such dire consequences for grandfather?As we reached the cemetery's depths, we all stopped in our tracks.Before the thatched hut stood Old Fang, holding a sickle, head bowed, motionless.The police officer drew his gun, calling out, "Old Fang, drop the sickle and cooperate with the police investigation.""Officer, he's resisting arrest with a weapon. You can shoot him."Zhou Yong, the old village chief's nephew, gripped a club, ready to charge at Old Fang.Grandfather pulled me behind him, shielding me.I noticed that the gray clothes were gone.Suddenly, Old Fang raised the sickle, rushing towards the officer!The officer had no choice but to fire.He aimed for Old Fang's leg.As Old Fang fell, Zhou Yong roared and struck him with the club, followed by the village chief's relatives with sticks!In the frenzy, the police officer's attempts to stop them went unheard.And so, before my eyes, Old Fang was beaten to death.In the chaos, grandfather rushed to the thatched hut, and I followed.Inside, I saw a letter, which grandfather quickly grabbed and stuffed into his pocket.There seemed to be a bloody handprint on the envelope, but grandfather moved too quickly for me to see clearly.Grandfather turned, his expression grave, and pulled me into the crowd, hurrying home.His hand felt cold and trembling.The scene was chaotic; no one noticed our departure.On the way, I asked grandfather what was going on, but he remained silent.Once home, he shut the door, lit a kerosene lamp, and passed the envelope over the flame.At last, I saw clearly—a child's bloody handprint adorned the envelope's surface.After heating it, grandfather snipped the middle of the envelope open with scissors.A faint wisp of white smoke emerged, the kerosene lamp flame dimming as it touched the smoke...