Log 4: Jiangshi

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Summary: The Jiangshi (Pronounced "gee-ahng-she") is a creature from Chinese legend, one of the world's many variations of vampires.

Behavior and Powers: This vampire travels only at night, but instead of running or flying, it hops. It is said that this vampire's limbs have become so stiff after it's original death and subsequent rebirth that it can't physically move its joints anymore. I know that a hopping vampire doesn't sound as scary as a normal one, but these bad boys are still terrifying as heck. Instead of feeding on blood like our western vampires, these vampires feed on the life force of the humans they kill in the dead of night. Also unlike our usually eternally handsome or beautiful bloodsuckers, depending on when the corpse was reanimated, it will keep it's initial appearance. So if a person has been dead for a few years, they will come back as a gross, disfigured, decomposing, hopping corpse if it comes to it. The more life force it sucks from the living, the more powerful it becomes.

Known Weaknesses: Lucky for us fragile little bags of life, the Jiangshi have a number of weaknesses that range from making sense to a drunk bum tried it and it somehow worked. First, there's the sun, the usual solution for getting rid of everything that goes bump in the night. Next is fire, again, a classic. After that is the call of a rooster. This usually only wards off spirits because it makes them think the sun is about to rise. It's believed that if you write down a protective spell on a holy tag and stick it on their forehead, the Jiangshi will stop moving. This is usually why the Jiangshi is shown with a paper tag in media, which seems contradictory to be honest. Now we move on to the stranger counters to a Jiangshi. I have heard other weaknesses such as: Mirrors, the hooves of a black donkey, the blood of a black dog, chicken eggs, the urine of a virgin boy(??????),and dropping a bag of coins in front of them. Supposedly, they will stop to count the coins, giving you time to escape. But don't ask me about the other weaknesses. I'd be lying if I told you I knew how they worked.

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