Chapter 559: Chu Mo Island (25)
Chapter 559: Chu Mo Island (25)
"It was an early summer night.
Six high school students arrived at their school's Back Mountain.
The group consisted entirely of boys: Li Bin, Jia Ming, Hu Sheng, Zhao Guan, and the Wang brothers, Wang Xiaowen and Wang Xiaowu.
This was the third day after their college entrance exam. While their scores wouldn't be released yet, everything still hung in the balance. Still, that wouldn't stop them from celebrating for the next half-month.
And for tonight’s celebration… they’d decided to use textbooks as fuel for a barbecue.
It sounded absurd, but back then, it felt like a brilliant idea. The six had already made the plan the day after their exams ended. They picked the school's Back Mountain as the venue, setting the time for 9 PM.
As night fell, the six gradually gathered at the bus station near their school.
Wang Xiaowen and Wang Xiaowu arrived first, carrying the ingredients. Following them was Zhao Guan, who brought a portable fridge full of chilled beer. Li Bin and Jia Ming arrived next, hauling the barbecue equipment and utensils. Hu Sheng came just before 9 PM, carrying gasoline and matches.
Of course, besides these items, each of them carried backpacks filled with textbooks.
After reuniting, the six took a secret path up the mountain.
The Back Mountain wasn’t a steep peak—it was just a barren slope. It only took about fifteen minutes to reach the summit. The trees on the mountain weren’t dense; most had withered from years of neglect, leaving the paths overgrown with weeds.
The six boys were young and full of vigor. Though they carried heavy loads, their climbing speed barely slowed.
Within twenty minutes, they reached the mountaintop.
From here, they could see the entire school below—the classrooms, the playground, everything laid bare before them.
They quickly set up the barbecue equipment, prepared the fuel, and lit the fire.
Chattering and laughing, they gathered around the flames, beginning their feast.
They used their textbooks—those tormentors of countless sleepless nights—as napkins, wiping their hands and mouths. Occasionally, they’d tear out a few pages or toss entire books into the fire.
Gazing at the distant school buildings, complex emotions stirred within them. There were painful memories there, but also beautiful ones...
No matter what, those three years were an indelible part of their growth. Perhaps the bitterness they felt today would mellow into something else years down the line.
After several rounds of drinks and sauces, the hours passed.
The ingredients were devoured, and the textbooks were mostly reduced to ashes.
The beer still had about a third left.
The night deepened. Suddenly, Hu Sheng spoke up. "Hey, have you guys heard the urban legend about this Back Mountain?"
Jia Ming immediately responded. "Of course! Isn’t it called the Blood-Stained School Beauty?"
Li Bin added, "Wait, I heard it was called the Murderous Psychopath."
The Wang brothers said, "We heard the story called the Scavenger."
Zhao Guan shrugged. "Wandering Ghost."
"What? There are so many urban legends about our school's Back Mountain?" Hu Sheng was surprised. He’d only wanted to tell a ghost story to scare the group, but he hadn’t expected they’d all heard similar tales.
"Why don’t we each tell our version?" Hu Sheng suggested.
The others agreed. After a few more words, they began their stories one by one.
Urban legends were usually simple—summarized in a few sentences, or even one. But these boys added dramatic details, stretching their ghost stories into long, drawn-out tales.
Jia Ming’s Blood-Stained School Beauty was about a beautiful girl who was bullied for her looks. One day, she couldn’t take it anymore. She climbed the Back Mountain, sliced her face open with a utility knife, and bled to death. For the next three months, every girl who’d ever bullied her died on this mountain. Their faces were grotesquely twisted, as if invisible hands were trying to reshape them into someone else...
Li Bin’s Murderous Psychopath story told of a twisted teacher who targeted students from the school. After killing each one, he’d dismember the body and hide it on the Back Mountain. One night, he went up the mountain again to dump a body… and never came down. Later, police found his corpse on the mountain, surrounded by fragments of countless other bodies. These fragments clung to his body like swarming insects, impossible to remove.
The Wang brothers’ Scavenger legend was short and simple: sometimes, a hunched old man with a basket would appear on the mountain. If he paid you a visit, whatever you do, don’t respond. Pretend you didn’t hear him, or he’d throw you into his basket and carry you away...
Zhao Guan’s Wandering Ghost tale was about a timid student who hid in the Back Mountain every morning to escape bullying, only returning home at night. Over time, without lunch, his body weakened. Staring blankly all day, his mind grew hazy. Eventually, the school and family discovered this and blamed him entirely. His family beat him severely. The next day, he left home as usual… and never returned. Since then, people occasionally saw a shadow wandering the mountain. But whenever someone approached, it vanished, forever beyond reach...
After the five finished their stories, it was Hu Sheng’s turn.
As the initiator, he was confident his urban legend would be the most horrifying, saving it for last.
By now, the atmosphere had grown eerie. Though the boys were young and fearless, after hearing four ghost stories in this environment, they couldn’t help but feel their palms sweat and their bodies shiver.
As the time approached midnight—the peak of the supernatural—the moment was ripe. Hu Sheng began his tale.
"The urban legend I’m about to tell… has no fixed name because it has too many names. No one remembers its original title." Hu Sheng was a skilled storyteller, starting with deliberate suspense. "The story goes like this… Many years ago, there were two students at this school—a boy and a girl. They’d been childhood friends and confirmed their relationship in their second year of high school, even sharing a physical relationship…
But good times didn’t last. Their families discovered the truth. Naturally, it became a tragic love story. With no money and no ability to survive independently, they had only one way left to protest the world…
So, on a dark and stormy night, they came to the mountain…"
Hu Sheng paused mid-story.
His expression suddenly changed. His face turned pale, and his eyes fixed on the distance.
Li Bin, Jia Ming, Zhao Guan, and the Wang brothers also sensed something wrong. Tension rising, they turned their heads, following Hu Sheng’s gaze…
There, a boy and a girl walked toward them along the secret path. Each carried a flashlight.
Though not wearing school uniforms, their figures and features clearly marked them as high school students.
Faintly, their conversation reached the group…
"Hey, did you suddenly feel… it got colder?" the girl asked.
"Really?" the boy replied indifferently, forcing a smile. "You’re imagining things. It’s just a test of courage. Don’t be so nervous."
"But this Back Mountain really is creepy…" the girl countered. "Haven’t you heard the Six Ghosts urban legend?"
As they spoke, they walked forward. At that moment, they passed straight through the six boys’ bodies.
Simultaneously, the fire, barbecue equipment, beer, and ashes all vanished.
"What the hell was that?" the boy muttered.
The girl whispered mysteriously, "You see… many years ago, on a summer night, six boys came to this Back Mountain… burning textbooks in a barbecue.
"Haha… crazy, right?" the boy laughed.
"They were third-year students, just finishing their college entrance exam", the girl added.
"Oh… I get it", the boy replied.
The girl continued, "But something went wrong during their barbecue. A fire broke out, turning into a forest blaze that consumed all six of them… burning most of the mountain’s trees to ash. It became a wasteland."
"A case of joy turning to sorrow", the boy replied, unconsciously rubbing his arms as a chill crept over him.
"It doesn’t end there…" the girl said. "Later, the college entrance exam results came out. All six had been accepted to their dream universities. Unfortunately… they’d never see their acceptance letters."
"Heh… yeah… kinda creepy", the boy forced a laugh, his hairs standing on end as he glanced nervously at his surroundings, as if confirming nothing lurked in the darkness…
"Since then…" the girl continued, "a rumor spread… every summer night, flames occasionally appear on the mountain. That’s them—the six…"
Her words abruptly halted.
Because… she saw a charred, gangrenous hand resting on the shoulder of the boy beside her. And the boy remained completely unaware…
Feng Bu Jue’s story ended here. He paused for a few seconds, locking eyes with Imitation Soul. "Alright, that’s it. Not bad, right?"
(End of Chapter)
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