The lab fax machine screeched through midnight. Feng clutched the report with bandaged left hand—UV light revealing "No DNA match for corpse oil." Thunder cracked as raindrops formed Nuo mask patterns on window grilles.

  A text blinked: "East of Graves."

  Flashlight wavered on mountain paths. Feng's boots crushed leaves, sweet rot mingling with decay. Past three lightning-struck trees, he found the kneeling figure—White Wuchang Nuo mask's tongue drooping to chest, fingers grave-digging like worship.

  "Ashes to..." Feng's coin ritual halted. The mask rotated 180°. Moonlight exposed maggots swarming eyeholes. The man crawled backward, spine arched like centipede.

  Feng's talisman-lined jacket rustled. Tar-like ooze from mask cracks birthed black hands clawing his ankles. Blade sliced palm—blood splattered Annals' cover, pages fluttering to "Yin Performer Chapter."

  "Possessed corpse, dispersed spirit." Feng kicked grave stones, shattering the mask's "周" (Zhou). The man screeched in female tones—fungal mist coalescing into opera ghost.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Feng pinned the man, nails digging mask edges. Corpse oil soaked fingers as left arm's black veins squirmed. The revealed face froze him—bloodshot eyes, mercury-laced grave dirt between teeth.

  "Forgive me!" Bloodied hand smeared mask forehead. Moonlit chant: "Yin souls pass, yang blood severs!" The specter wailed into nothingness.

  The man collapsed, rasping: "Zhou Xiaofeng... bones under stage... mirror..." His collar revealed Zhou clan sigil in vermillion.

  Downpour intensified. Feng dragged him to clinic. The doctor recoiled—tree-root veins crawling the neck, half-digested centipede clinging lips.

  "Clear out!" Feng ripped open medkit. Fungal threads erupted from nostrils. The flatline screamed death.

  Torchlights approached. Villagers cursed: "Outsider summoned mountain plague!"

  Feng crashed through windows into vegetable plots, left arm needling pain. White hyphae sprouted from sleeves. The last bus driver raised barrier at his bloody arm.

  ER nurses frowned at "fungal infection?" Feng bolted mid-bandage—convenience store mirrors reflected Judge Nuo mask making throat-slitting gestures.

  Motel shower spewed black-red water. Fungal stench matched grave soil. Annals sprawled open—blank pages bleeding opera notation.

  White Wuchang Nuo Mask (白无常傩面)

  A ritual mask depicting "White Wuchang," one of the underworld's soul-summoning deities in Taoist folklore. Wuchang (无常) literally means "impermanence," representing the transient nature of life.

  Yin Performer (阴戏子)

  Refers to spirits or possessed humans who perform ghostly operas in the underworld. The "Yin" denotes their connection to the realm of the dead.

  Opera Notation (工尺谱)

  A traditional Chinese musical notation system using Chinese characters to record pitch and rhythm, commonly seen in ritual operas.

  Fifth Watch Drum (五更鼓)

  An ancient timekeeping device marking the "fifth watch" (3:00-5:00 AM), believed to coincide with heightened supernatural activity.

  Zhou Clan Sigil (周家族徽)

  A secret symbol used by the Zhou family to mark ritual objects and bloodline affiliation. These sigils often contain occult meanings tied to their ancestral practices.

  Mountain Plague (山鬼散瘟)

  A folkloric term describing epidemics blamed on vengeful mountain spirits. In modern context, it metaphorically links biological outbreaks to supernatural causes.