Chapter Sixteen: Hezi Village (Part Eight)

Both jade and jadeite are believed to nurture people, but only a certain kind of jade possesses this power—it is called Living Jade. Like a human, Living Jade has invisible pores, which we in the trade refer to as "earth gates," channels through which the stone expels its impurities. When jade comes into contact with the human body, our warmth provides it with nourishment, granting it life, and it begins to change continuously. It is as if the roles are reversed—jade nurtures the person, yet in truth, it is the person who nurtures the jade.

Few in the trade make a living by nurturing jade, for it is a pursuit that consumes time—decades of intimate wear may pass before any transformation is discernible. Yet not every craftsman or collector of old jade walks about with strings of jade hanging from his person. Thus, jade that is truly nurtured usually becomes a family heirloom, seldom surfacing in the marketplace unless necessity or a wastrel brings it forth.

Given Professor Gu’s breadth of knowledge, I am certain that even if he has never witnessed the nurturing of Living Jade, he has at least heard of it. Yet, his grave expression told me that the matter in Hezi Village was far from simple.

Professor Gu looked at me and asked, “Do you know anything about the cultivation of Blood Jade?”

At his words, my heart skipped a beat. My gaze swept over the memorial tablets before us, and I asked quietly, “Are you saying that Hezi Village is nurturing Blood Jade?”

He nodded silently, and I felt myself losing composure. “Blood Jade is a priceless commodity, but every piece comes at the cost of a life.”

Back in Liuzixiang, I had answered Jin Zhenbang’s question about Blood Jade, never imagining I would encounter it again in this desolate countryside. A piece of fine Blood Jade requires centuries of co-cultivation by the living and the dead; even the lowest grade, if taken from a corpse, commands a price from a hundred thousand to several million, depending on quality. And that is without considering the use of living people in its creation.

At this point, I had a rough understanding of what Professor Gu was insinuating. I asked, “So the so-called River God ritual involves selecting certain girls from birth to wear jade next to their skin. When they reach fifteen, they are cast into the river, and after a hundred years, their bodies are exhumed to refine Blood Jade, which is then sold at exorbitant prices. Thus, the villagers need do nothing else and can enjoy centuries of prosperity?”

Professor Gu did not entirely agree. “Almost every newborn girl in the village is given a piece of jade on the day she is born. When they reach fourteen or fifteen, suitable candidates are chosen for the ritual, but the final decision rests with the clan chief.”

“Fourteen or fifteen…” I shook my head. In the trade, Blood Jade is seldom called by that name; we prefer to call it ‘Blood Infusion,’ formed when corpse fluids seep into the jade. Jade worn by the living can also produce a blood-infused effect, which depends on the wearer’s constitution—the more prone to anemia, the more pronounced the effect. It is an enigmatic principle, but after a decade or so, the transformation becomes apparent.

I surmised that the old man’s criteria for selecting ritual candidates must be based on this. If I confronted Wu Xiaomei, we would surely find traces of blood infusion in the jade she wears.

But why must these girls be cast into the river? The Haihe, split at Erdaokou by Fishmouth Beach, is swift and powerful—once a body is thrown in, it is swept away instantly. How could they possibly retrieve it a century later? Moreover, while it is commonly said that cold water preserves jade, the body must be wrapped in something to prevent rapid decay and keep fish and shrimp from devouring it.

It was then that I remembered the female corpses inside that coffin.

Suddenly, I raised my head and asked, “What’s the story with the black coffin in the river?”

Professor Gu replied, “That black coffin is likely the medium Hezi Village uses to preserve bodies for nurturing jade. It’s kept submerged for years, the pressure pushing it to the riverbed. Recently, rising water levels have destabilized the riverbed, and the coffin was forced to the shore. The corpses inside, bloated from corpse gases, burst open the lid, resulting in this so-called manifestation of the River God.”

I was dumbfounded. “Why have the bodies inside the coffin remained uncorrupted, as fresh as the living?”

“That coffin is crafted from sunken wood and kept in the icy cold of the riverbed. Preserving a body is no great feat. Moreover, I suspect there are more such black coffins at the bottom of Erdao River. The tradition of River God sacrifice dates back to the Longqing era. The corpses of those sacrificial girls, except those whose Blood Jade has been retrieved, still lie beneath the river. I had Tong Xiaomeng dive in to confirm the existence of these coffins. Once we’re out, I intend to expose this village entirely.”

“But if Tong Xiaomeng is locked in the coffin and thrown into the river, are you certain she’ll survive?” I asked uncertainly.

Professor Gu smiled, “Tong Xiaomeng is a three-time champion of the National Collegiate Swimming Championships. She grew up by the Ili River. Don’t underestimate her aquatic abilities.”

I nodded. Still, the greenish vapors rising from the river unsettled me.

Looking around, I saw only a single pyramid-shaped altar in the vast ancestral hall. If each memorial tablet represents a piece of fine Blood Jade, some centuries old and flawless, then this hall is nothing less than an endless vault, its value beyond measure.

“Did you bring it?” Professor Gu asked abruptly.

I froze. “Bring what?”

“The camera!” Professor Gu made an ‘OK’ gesture, the circle of his thumb and forefinger pressed to his eye, nearly making me weep.

I wasn’t sure how to explain, so I asked, “What do you want it for?”

“To record everything!” Professor Gu looked at me with exasperation. “Film the hall and the ritual. When I return to Beijing and hand it to the authorities, this village won’t escape justice. Don’t tell me you didn’t bring it?”

“Will a phone do?” I took out my phone and handed it to him. “It has video, though not as clear as your camera.”

At this point, Professor Gu didn’t care. He took the phone and said, “You need to go out again. Wu Xiaomei, upon learning Xiaomeng is taking her place, insists on going to the river mouth to save her. Find her, then wait with her at the crossing by daybreak. I’ll lead you both out.”

I nodded, glanced at the memorial tablets overhead, and crouched out through the rear door of the ancestral hall.

Human hearts are forever inscrutable. Three years ago, I accompanied a master down to the ancient Yellow River channel to collect relics in another remote river village. The villagers were poor, surviving by excavating antiques from the riverbed during the annual dry season. We fancied a broken bowl from a girl’s home, dating to the Ming Jing era. It wasn’t worth much, but when we named a price, the brothers in her family were overjoyed. In the end, the bowl was shattered, one brother’s leg was broken in a fight, and the cost of setting that leg could have bought two such bowls.

As I left the ancestral hall, I could still hear the commotion from the north side of the village. Clearly, disputes had arisen over the choice of sacrificial candidate. It was no wonder—when there’s money to be had, everyone is amiable; but when it comes to throwing their own daughters into the river, how many parents can truly accept it?

At Erdaokou, I saw neither Wu Xiaomei nor Tong Xiaomeng, which surprised me. I searched along the riverbank, running as I looked, and before I knew it, I was standing beside the black coffin.

I saw several female corpses lying inside. Previously, I’d observed from a tree by firelight, unable to see clearly. Up close, I realized their bodies showed not a hint of decay or shriveling. Their figures were graceful, their faces rosy and vibrant—no different from the living, perhaps even more radiant.

Recalling Professor Gu’s explanation for the incorrupt state of the black coffin’s corpses, I felt skepticism. I dared not linger, and as I turned to leave, I saw the corpse clad in green gauze open her eyes.