Grandpa's words once again made me very anxious. Usually, when people know that their disaster is approaching, they will try everything to avoid it. But Grandpa did not seem worried at all, instead, he had a look of detachment.
I didn't know if he was comforting me or himself at this moment, but I was a hundred percent not willing to let that ghost harm Grandpa.
After finishing supper, I asked Du Xiaolan and grandma to stay at home, then I took the peach branches and a bunch of peach branches that Grandpa had prepared, and went towards the grave.
Grandpa had been smoking the pipe all the way, and the flickering light in front of his mouth looked like a shining light.
When we were almost at the grave, Grandpa told me that the peach branches I had collected from the village gathered the positive energy of the whole village, and those small peach branch flags were not only full of positive energy but also had the effect of summoning spirits.
I didn't understand this very well, but I nodded. Anyway, I would do whatever Grandpa asked me to do.
When we reached Zhao Xiaocui's grave, Grandpa made some calculations, and then looked at the bright moon overhead. He took out dozens of copper coins from his pocket and instructed me, "Mingyang, in half an hour, when the yin energy is at its peak, arrange these copper coins in the formation of the Eight Trigrams, and insert a small flag in the center of each coin."
I took the coins and quickly arranged them in the area pointed out by Grandpa.
Because the copper coins had been touched by many people, their positive energy was no weaker than the peach branches. By using the small flags, and with the formation of the Eight Trigrams, it would be impossible for the ghost to come in and go out.
After I finished arranging them, Grandpa took down the nine leg bones on his back and twisted the head of the black rooster that he had been carrying.
The deep red blood gushed out instantly, falling straight onto the bare leg bones. When the bones touched the chicken blood, they began to absorb it frantically.
I was stunned, but Grandpa seemed accustomed to it. After all the blood had been squeezed out, the nine leg bones emitted a chilling red light.
I swallowed hard as I saw him taking the leg bones and encircling them in a circle at the center of the formation. After completing these tasks, Grandpa patted his hands, turned to me, and said, "When the ghost comes out later, you will lead it into the formation, but do not stay for too long. Otherwise, you will be trapped inside the Eight Trigrams with the ghost."
I remembered everything he said and Grandpa let out a long sigh, murmuring, "I hope for the best in the face of adversity."
I didn't make a sound, because at this moment I didn't know what to say. In the oppressive atmosphere, I squatted quietly on the ground, watching my grandfather's cigarette lighter flicker.
After leaving the cemetery, I sat quietly on the ground and watched him.
At exactly twelve o'clock, a cold wind swept in from all directions. My grandfather threw the cigarette lighter on the ground and gestured to me, saying, "Mingyang, get ready, it's coming!"
I summoned all my courage and hurried towards the cemetery. When I arrived at Zhao Xiaocui's grave, I heard a strange "rustling" sound, followed by a gap appearing on the grave. The ghost fetus, covered in black hair, crawled out from the grave.
Seeing this monster, my heart skipped a beat.
In just half a day, its body, which was originally the size of a baby, had now grown to the size of a ten-year-old child, with its thick black fur and elongated fangs.
I swallowed hard; my grandfather had said that the growth rate of the ghost fetus was much faster than that of humans, but the speed at which it had grown was still unacceptable to me.
After the ghost fetus completely crawled out of the grave, I screamed, and it suddenly looked in my direction, its eyes the size of bronze bells flashing with excitement.
"Wow!"
The ghost fetus screamed and leaped from the grave, pouncing towards me. Its sudden movement startled me. At this moment, with nothing in my hands, I turned and ran towards the Bagua formation.
It was fast, and the three-meter distance was reduced to less than a meter in an instant. With narrowed eyes and sweat forming on my forehead, I knew that if it accelerated even more, I would be torn into pieces by its long fangs in the next moment.
With all my strength, I managed to increase the distance between us by one meter. Although the Bagua formation was within arm's reach, it felt like it was a world away.
I couldn't afford to relax for a moment right now. If I wasn't careful, I would be killed instantly.
Seeing that I was just a few steps away from reaching the Bagua formation, my feet suddenly tightened as I was stumbled by something. Leveraging the strong inertia, I tumbled forward in an instant.
As I landed on the ground, I quickly rolled over and prepared to stand up. But when I looked to the side, the ghost fetus had already sprung into the air and pounced directly onto me.
In that moment, I panicked. Ignoring its terrifying appearance, I swiftly turned and fiercely pinned it down beneath me.
Lifting my fist, I aimed for its face and struck, but the ghost fetus was very fast; it dodged my attack, and with slightly bent legs, kicked me away.
The pain in my abdomen made me dizzy. At this moment, the distance to the Bagua formation was much farther, and there was a ferocious ghost fetus in front of me, making it impossible to break through its defenses.
Just as I was anxiously at a loss, my grandfather's voice suddenly rang out from nearby, "Mingyang, come back quickly!"
I was stunned, and the ghost fetus opposite me also paused, turning its head to look at my grandfather.
At this critical moment, I don't know where I found the courage. I lunged forward with all my strength, embracing the still unreacting ghost fetus, and in an instant, flew towards the Bagua formation.
With a "plop," I was thrown to the ground, but there was no time to stop at this moment. I struggled to break free from the ghost fetus's restraint and crawled out from the Bagua formation.
Almost as soon as I rolled out, the ghost fetus within the Bagua formation suddenly let out a piercing shrill scream. I quickly turned my head and saw that all the black fur on its body was standing on end as it moved menacingly inside the Bagua formation.
My grandfather swiftly approached from a distance and, bending down, picked up a peach branch and shot it at the ghost fetus as if it were a flying knife.
The ghost fetus was indeed very fast, and after dodging the attack, it let out a shrill scream and quickly pounced towards my grandfather.
I let out a big scream, but grandpa didn't dodge at all. Just as the ghost was about to break through the Bagua formation, to my surprise, the peach branch flags on the ground began to flutter without any wind.
As the ghost came into contact with a peach branch flag, it seemed to be shocked, retreating to its original position, trembling all over.