The Second Brother Went Mad

Granny Liu drew a strange, talisman-like scrawl on the fifth Zhang brother's forehead with cigarette ash in one continuous motion, then struck the crown of his head. His body shuddered and fell back onto the bed, silent and still, an ordinary corpse once more.

Then the eerie green glow in Granny Liu's eyes faded. She released the fifth Zhang brother and stepped back.

Grandpa came forward, examined the fifth Zhang brother's body, and asked cautiously, "Sister, has the Yellow Weasel left?"

Granny Liu took a deep breath. "I sent it away. Brother Wu, ask the Zhang Family to come in."

Grandpa hurried outside to call the Zhang brothers into the room. Their fifth brother's sudden return to life had terrified them, and none dared enter. Only after much coaxing did they finally go in together.

Seeing their fifth brother lying motionless on the bed put them somewhat at ease.

"You can't keep this body at home. It would be best to bury him first thing tomorrow morning. The Yellow Weasel certainly won't trouble his corpse again tonight, but you brothers need to be careful. They may come after you, especially the second brother. You flattened that Yellow Weasel's corpse with a shovel today, so they may target you," Granny Liu said.

The second Zhang brother shuddered in terror. "Why? That Yellow Weasel killed our fifth brother! Couldn't I take out my anger on its corpse?"

"You knew Yellow Weasels were sinister, yet you still dared touch its corpse! If it weren't for you, would one have possessed your fifth brother's body?" Grandpa demanded angrily.

At that, the second Zhang brother lowered his head and fell silent.

"How could ordinary people know what Yellow Weasels are thinking? But you should know they hold grudges more than anything. Offend them, and they won't stop until your family is ruined and dead. I'll be staying at Brother Wu's house for the next couple of days. If anything happens, come straight to me. But I will have to charge you. Pool some money between you brothers," Granny Liu said flatly.

The brothers had no choice but to scrape together a hundred yuan and give it to Granny Liu.

Spirit Mediums had a rule: they could not handle such matters for free.

She could waive payment for the Wu family, but she had to take money from other families. That was the rule.

After dealing with the fifth Zhang brother, Granny Liu went home with Grandpa.

Before leaving, Granny Liu advised the second Zhang brother to keep a few local dogs at home and raise some large white geese inside the house.

The second Zhang brother agreed.

Granny Liu kept feeling that something else would happen, so she decided to stay at our house for a few days, until I had weathered this ordeal.

As it turned out, trouble struck again in the middle of the night.

Around midnight, a terrible scream rang through the village. Half the village heard it.

That scream woke our entire family from a sound sleep.

A few minutes later, urgent knocking sounded at our courtyard gate.

Grandpa got up to answer it and found the second Zhang brother's wife standing outside, trembling all over. Her voice choked with tears as she said, "Uncle, please get Granny Liu and come to our house! My husband's gone mad. A Yellow Weasel must have latched onto him."

Grandpa hurried to fetch Granny Liu. She had already woken at the commotion and followed the second Zhang brother's wife to her house.

Grandpa took his large chopping saber along when he left. He truly hadn't expected a Yellow Weasel to go after the second Zhang brother anyway.

The Zhang Family had already lost one person. Were they really going to lose two lives just because someone had slapped his grandson?

That was going too far.

When the two of them reached the second Zhang brother's house and looked inside, they both recoiled in shock.

The place was a complete mess. Chicken blood spattered the walls and courtyard, and several chickens that were not quite dead lay flapping on the ground. The second Zhang brother stood bare-chested in the courtyard, clutching an old hen in both hands. With his teeth bared, he gnawed at its neck and gulped down its blood.

A Yellow Weasel lay beside him, its head crushed flat. It had clearly been dead for some time.

The second Zhang brother showed no fear when Grandpa and Granny Liu entered the courtyard. He narrowed his eyes and stared at them with venomous hatred. His face was smeared with chicken blood, making him look hideous and terrifying.

Suddenly, he threw aside the half-eaten hen and let out a series of strange sounds deep in his throat. Dropping onto all fours, he advanced toward Grandpa and Granny Liu with an unnatural gait.

"Second Zhang brother, take one more step and I'll cut you down!" Grandpa brandished his saber and roared.

Perhaps Grandpa's saber had intimidated him. The second Zhang brother stayed crouched on the ground, making strange cries without daring to come any closer.

His wife stood behind them, crying uncontrollably with fear.

Grandpa asked, "What happened to your husband?"

"We were asleep in our room in the middle of the night when we heard the chickens in the courtyard flapping and squawking nonstop. He got up to check and saw that all the chickens in the coop had been bitten to death. A big Yellow Weasel was standing in the courtyard, staring straight at him. When he saw all our chickens were dead, he grabbed a hoe and smashed the Yellow Weasel to death. Then he suddenly went mad and started screaming. I... I ran to get you," his wife said, her voice trembling.

"This Yellow Weasel intends to trade its life for the second Zhang brother's. Once it's finished tormenting him, he'll die," Granny Liu said.

Grandpa's anger flared at those words. He drove his saber into the ground and strode straight toward the second Zhang brother. The man did not flee. He simply stared at Grandpa with an eerie smile.

Grandpa seized him by the hair and delivered several hard slaps, shouting as he struck, "Yellow Weasel, if you keep tormenting people, I, Old Wu, will fight you to the death! All they did was slap my grandson. Is that really worth killing people over?"

The slaps rang out sharply, and the second Zhang brother's face quickly swelled.

Despite the brutal blows, the second Zhang brother kept smiling eerily. Then he let out a strange, piercing cry, a sound no human could have made.

His eyes suddenly rolled back, and he toppled backward, stiff as a board. His legs kicked wildly, and blood began flowing from his nostrils. Grandpa could not restrain him alone.

He looked as though someone had him in a death grip around the throat. Besides the blood running from his nose, white foam spilled from his mouth. He looked as if he might die at any moment.

"Sister, come and see what's happening!" Grandpa called as he tried to hold the second Zhang brother down.

Granny Liu came over, took one look, and said urgently, "Quick, hold him down!"

Unable to restrain him alone, Grandpa had to call over the man's wife, who stood frozen with terror. Only with her help could he barely keep the second Zhang brother under control.

Then Granny Liu suddenly drew out several silver needles, located a few acupuncture points on the second Zhang brother's body, and drove the needles in.