Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Corpse Burial at White River

His words moved me deeply. Despite how his father had treated him just moments before, the boy was still thinking about not leaving, afraid that it would bring harm to his parents.

He was only about ten years old.

After letting me and Niu Dahuang out, the child went over and hugged his father, tears streaming down his face. Niu Dahuang stepped forward, checked the man's pulse, and said, "Don't worry, your father is all right. He's just exhausted."

The child was half-convinced, half-doubtful. Niu Dahuang pinched the man's philtrum, and he quickly regained consciousness. Seeing both me and Niu Dahuang out of the room, he looked surprised. However, now that his attempt to harm us had been exposed, he seemed a bit embarrassed and decided to tell us the truth.

It turned out that the Ma family had instructed them: if any strangers came—an old and a young person—asking questions along the way, they were to hand over any clues to the Ma family. In return, their child would not be made into a Yin-Yang Boy.

I asked the man who the Ma family really was, and why everyone in the town handed over their children to them.

The man shook his head, seemingly afraid to speak.

At this moment, Niu Dahuang stepped forward and said, "To be honest, the two of us are exactly the people the Ma family wants to catch. But with just you, you could never keep us here. When the Ma family shows up and finds out you lied to them, you'll be in serious trouble. But do you know why the Ma family is after us? It's because they fear us. So, tell us everything you know. Maybe we can help you."

"Well... all right. If you can really save my child, then I'll risk it." The man then roughly explained the situation in Baiqiao Town.

The Ma family was indeed a Taoist clan, wielding power over Baiqiao Town like a hand covering the sky.

Some days ago, an elder of the Ma family named Ma Zhenxing died. It was said that he had gone to a place called Old Jieling Village, and after returning, he fell gravely ill and passed away a few days later.

At this point, I was already certain that this was the same Ma family who had once come to our village to propose marriage to Wei Yang. And the deceased elder, Ma Zhenxing, should be the Ma family elder who had accompanied Ma Mingjing to propose back then—he had been struck by a bolt of heavenly lightning and severely injured. It seemed he hadn’t survived the injuries after returning home.

The man said that when someone in Baiqiao Town died, they always used a water burial, which involved a unique custom: the corpse would be placed on a bamboo raft and floated down the Bai River, which ran through the center of the town. If the raft passed smoothly under nine white bridges and then untied itself and sank at the end, it symbolized blessings for the descendants and prosperity for the family. Normally, the Bai River was calm, and the raft would drift along without trouble. But when it came to the Ma family elder’s funeral, the raft capsized after passing the fifth bridge, and the body sank, vanishing without a trace.

The raft only making it halfway was considered a bad omen—signifying the end of the family line.

The Ma family sent people to retrieve the body, but all who went down never returned.

Even more ominously, a prophetic couplet had begun circulating among the children of Baiqiao Town before all this happened:

On the Bai River, an old corpse is buried; The raft overturns, the corpse sinks, and the Ming line is severed.

No one knew where this prophecy came from, but soon it was on the lips of every child in town, chanted while skipping rope or playing marbles.

The meaning was clear: the Ma family’s current generation bore the “Ming” character, and the prophecy foretold the end of their bloodline.

On learning this, the Ma family immediately forbade anyone from singing the prophecy. Only then did the furor subside. It was said that after this, the Ma family consulted oracles regarding the sole direct heir, Ma Mingjing, and his marriage prospects. To their shock, the prophecy proved true. Then the Ma family somehow heard there was a chance to change their fate in Old Jieling Village.

So, the Ma family went to Old Jieling Village to seek that one opportunity. However, not only did their fate remain unchanged, but their elder Ma Zhenxing lost his life on the journey.

The Ma family had considered avoiding the water burial, fearing the omen, but the burial tradition in Baiqiao Town—sending the corpse down the Bai River—was not to be broken. On the other hand, if they abandoned the custom, it would be an admission of fear before the prophecy. Out of stubbornness as much as tradition, they went ahead with the water burial.

Unexpectedly, everything unfolded exactly as the prophecy had foretold: the body was lost, and the family line was cut off.

At this point, I asked, “These are strange events, certainly, but what do they have to do with the so-called Yin-Yang Boys?”

The man said the problem lay with Ma Zhenxing himself.

Seven days after Ma Zhenxing’s body sank to the riverbed, his corpse inexplicably returned. Not only did it return—it came back to life.

“What? That’s impossible!” I exclaimed.

“It’s the truth. The Ma family even held a banquet for the occasion. All the most prominent people in town were invited, and they saw Ma Zhenxing with their own eyes, sitting alive at the head of the table.” The man’s face had gone pale—he was clearly terrified by the uncanny event.

After coming back to life, Ma Zhenxing declared that the Ma family would recruit a hundred Taoist apprentices to be taught the inner arts of the clan. These children would be called Yin-Yang Boys.

Given the Ma family’s power, anyone wishing to live in this town had to acquiesce to their demands. The recruitment of Taoist apprentices was seen as a rare opportunity to curry favor with the clan. As a result, nearly everyone vied for a spot. Eventually, one hundred children were selected to become Yin-Yang Boys, and contracts were signed.

But the truth was far darker.

Once sent to the Ma family, the Yin-Yang Boys did not receive any training in esoteric arts. Instead, they were forced to drink fresh blood and eat strange meats every day.

If a child disobeyed, he was beaten. If he complained to his parents, he was beaten again. And even if parents were told, they dared not break the contract, for fear of the Ma family’s might.

Every night, the chosen children would be placed in small coffins and delivered to the Ma estate.

At this point, Niu Dahuang asked, “When your son comes home, does he eat anything else?”

The child was ashen and emaciated. The man shook his head, saying, “He won’t eat anything at all at home. If there’s any raw meat, he’ll nibble a bit.”

“Let me take a look at him.”

Niu Dahuang checked the boy’s pulse, his expression changing at once. He rolled up the child’s sleeve and revealed a body blotched with bruises, as if he’d been beaten.

“These are marks from the Ma family!” the man said through gritted teeth.

“There are indeed signs of beatings, but most of these marks are livor mortis. Your son is already covered in corpse spots and refuses to eat normal food. I’m afraid he’s suffering from corpse poison,” Niu Dahuang declared.

“What? Corpse poison?” The man’s face was stricken with worry.

“Don’t worry. He hasn’t lost his senses yet, so the poison hasn’t reached his heart. I have a remedy here—one pill a day, and in three days, the poison will be gone. Now, before we entered your house, you mentioned that the River God was to be married. What’s that all about?” Niu Dahuang pressed.

The man sighed and said, “It’s all because of Ma Zhenxing. He claimed that it was thanks to the River God’s mercy that he returned to life. Therefore, the Ma family must repay the River God by giving him a proper wife—a formal marriage. These Yin-Yang Boys are actually the betrothal gifts that the Ma family plans to offer the River God at the wedding. Since they’re the ‘gifts,’ they’ll all be thrown into the river as sacrifices.”

I asked, “If the River God is to take a wife, who is she?”

The man said he didn't know for sure, only that the bride was not from the town. No one knew where she had been taken from—just that it was some poor, unfortunate woman.

His wife had gone to inform the Ma family and would be back soon.

If Niu Dahuang and I left now, it would bring disaster on this family, perhaps even death. So we decided to stay. After a while, the young boy said, “Grandpa, Big Brother, you should run! The Ma family is fierce. If they catch you, they’ll make you drink blood!”

I went over and patted his head, saying, “Don’t worry. The Ma family can’t do anything to us.”

“Really?” the child asked.

“Of course. I never lie,” I said, watching his father hold him close. The earlier conflict between father and son had been forced by circumstances. Unconsciously, I found myself thinking back to my own childhood, feeling a twinge of envy.

After a few minutes, the man’s face grew tense and anxious. “I think the Ma family people are nearly here. What should we do?”

Niu Dahuang said, “Just lock the two of us back in the room.”

“Wouldn’t that put you in danger?” the man asked.

“No. When they all come in, just let them into the room. We’ll deal with them ourselves. You and your family should hide somewhere safe,” Niu Dahuang instructed.

“All right!”

As soon as he agreed, voices sounded outside. Niu Dahuang and I hurried back into the room, and the man locked the door.

Through the crack, I saw five people led in by the woman, entering the house.