法苑珠林 63.42

63.42

Under the Han, in Buwei County of Yongchang Commandery, there was tabooed water. The water held toxic vapors; it could only be crossed in the eleventh and twelfth months. From the first to the tenth month, it could not be crossed, as it would cause illness and kill people. Within its vapors was an evil entity, its form invisible, yet it seemed to produce sounds. It was as if someone were throwing and striking with stones: if it struck a tree, the tree would snap; if it struck a person, the person would be injured. The local custom called it the “ghost’s pellet.”