Chapter 8: The Call from Old Yin Mountain
Chapter 8: The Call from Old Yin Mountain
Hu Ma was numb.
He never thought he'd end up being scolded as a scumbag in someone else's dream.
And he certainly never imagined he'd be living under the same roof with a creepy, eerie old woman and an inhuman little girl, and that too, voluntarily...
When he first woke up, he thought about running away, trying to understand this strange world. Now, he just lay there, resigned.
Whatever the old woman told him to do, he did, being a good, obedient grandson...
When she told him to eat the meat, he ate it with large bites.
Little Hongtang drooled so much it formed a little stream, but he ate every bit of it clean.
When the old woman forbade him from going out at night, he didn't even step outside the door, staying in the small house, even peeing against the wall.
For the big stuff, he held it in.
There was no choice; the outside world was too dangerous...
Of course, he had his limits. There were some things the old woman forbade, but he still did them.
Like housework.
Though he didn't understand what the Taisui meat was, Hu Ma gradually felt its miraculous effects.
The wounds on his shoulders were severe, through-and-through injuries. When Little Hongtang licked his wounds, the bleeding stopped, and he felt less pain.
But it wasn't a cure; it was more like a numbing agent. His arms were still weak, and the pain was dull and intermittent.
However, after eating the Taisui meat for a few days, the wounds healed at an astonishing rate.
The heat from the Taisui meat spread through his body from his abdomen, and the wounds seemed to heal under this warmth.
When he lay quietly, Hu Ma could feel the new flesh growing and connecting.
In just six or seven days, the wounds had scabbed over, and the inside seemed to be filled with new flesh.
As his strength returned, he became more diligent, sweeping, chopping wood, wiping tables, and even fetching water, hoping to leave a good impression on the old woman.
When the old woman occasionally napped and saw Hu Ma working hard, her gaze became complex.
She advised him to rest and not tire himself out, but Hu Ma just nodded. This was the only thing he had control over; could he really listen to her?
The future was uncertain, and how long he could keep his secrets was unclear. He was lost, but maybe if he behaved well now, when his identity was exposed, he wouldn't be completely destroyed?
Life, under these turbulent currents, seemed to have a strange, eerie calm.
The old woman, the young girl, and the little ghost lived together in the cramped house, like a family.
Until he was jolted awake by the thick, dark red fog once again.
"Am I back in that strange dream?"
"..."
Hu Ma walked forward slowly and saw the dilapidated altar and the statue submerged in shadows.
After a brief observation, he confirmed he wasn't dreaming.
The scene in this dream was identical to the last one, and the red incense stick he had inserted into the incense burner was still there, smoke curling and slowly dispersing.
If it were just a dream, how could it be so real, and how could the scenes connect?
If this dream was real, then the call he heard in the dream was real too?
"Huh?"
As he pondered this, Hu Ma noticed a change in the incense burner. The last time, the incense stick was almost burned out, but now, it had grown by about two fingers.
"How did it grow longer after burning for days?"
This subtle discovery brought a small sense of joy to his heart.
He didn't understand the principle, but he knew that by lighting this incense stick, he might hear that call again.
Indeed, it seemed like a dangerous thing to do.
In this bizarre world, he should be cautious with everything.
But the oppressive and eerie life he was living was driving him mad. Even a straw wouldn't be ignored.
He calmed his mind and waited patiently. The incense stick in the burner emitted a steady stream of smoke, which drifted into the red fog, not dissipating but slowly swirling, like a tiny snake wandering through the dark red mist.
Vaguely, Hu Ma felt that the smoke from the incense had a life of its own, as if it was searching for something.
There was no wind, yet the smoke seemed to be blown from left to right, changing shape.
After about a minute, Hu Ma suddenly heard a faint voice.
The smoke from the incense stick trembled, gradually stabilizing into a line, connecting to a direction within the thick fog.
At the same time, that voice became clear once more:
"Code name Ergetou, calling the reincarnated one at Old Yin Mountain. Is anyone there?"
"Repeat, Old Yin Mountain calling the reincarnated one. Is anyone there?"
"..."
Hu Ma's heart trembled.
If the last time he had heard it suddenly and then woke up, this time it was exceptionally clear.
Clear and real.
It was the same voice as before, but it sounded more tired this time, as if it had lost some of its vigor.
He called out urgently, seeming desperate.
"Damn it, are you all dead? Not a single one can hear me?"
"The incense is almost gone, this is the last call..."
"..."
Hearing the words "last call," Hu Ma's heart stirred, and he tentatively spoke up:
"I heard you, you are..."
"..."
After saying those words, he held his breath, unsure if the other side could hear him.
But then, the voice responded, filled with surprise, even making the thin wisp of smoke tremble:
"There really is someone. I knew this ghostly mountain wasn't just me..."
"Brother, help me..."
"..."
"?"
Hu Ma never expected such a down-to-earth response and hesitated for a moment before saying, "First, who are you?"
"Who else could it be if we can contact each other?"
The voice seemed anxious: "A damned soul who fell into this bizarre world, right?"
"Brother, I'm at Fox Coffin Village in Old Yin Mountain. Are you close by? Or, if you have a ghost servant, send me something to save my life—talismans, elixirs, old artifacts, anything..."
"..."
"Damned soul?"
Before he could finish, Hu Ma was surprised by the significant information in his words:
"Many people have come to this world?"
"..."
The question he asked instinctively made the other side fall silent for a moment. After a long pause, the voice replied in a strange tone:
"Is this your first connection?"
"..."
Hu Ma was uncertain and remained silent.
"Phew..."
The voice suddenly sounded a bit disappointed: "I've run into some trouble. I thought I could find someone to help, but it turns out I'm dealing with a newbie. Looks like I'm doomed this time, all because I was too greedy, thinking I could keep the benefits to myself..."
"Wait, what's really going on here?"
Listening to the other side's despondent muttering, Hu Ma grew anxious: "Where are we, really?"
"Brother, we all want to know what's happening and where we are."
The voice sounded tired as it sighed, "I don't know about you, but the few I've contacted all woke up in this damned world."
"This place is too dangerous. The elixir of immortality appears, evil spirits are everywhere, ghosts roam, and monsters gather. This place is a hell, a hell more terrifying than any, with more bizarre things!"
Hu Ma thought of the pale-faced men, upright sheep, and beautiful snakes he had seen, and understood completely.
He urgently asked, "What should we do?"
"What else can we do? Live..."
The voice sounded dejected, "Worship the gods, avoid the ghosts, and learn skills if you can..."
"Of course, the most important thing is to never let anyone discover your true identity. Otherwise, your fate will be worse than encountering a ghost..."
"..."
"True identity?"
Hu Ma felt like his brain was a tangled mess, and he mechanically asked, "What happens if they find out?"
"You're a complete newbie, brother..."
The other side seemed amused by Hu Ma's words, chuckled bitterly, and said, "This world is terrifying, right?"
Did he even need to ask?
Since coming to this world, he hadn't slept peacefully and hadn't even left the village.
"This world is full of evil, with terrifying things everywhere. There are bizarre flesh mountains, bewitching evil spirits, and the black wind disaster that steals everyone's souls. There's even the legendary Yellow Spring Road..."
Before Hu Ma could respond, the other side continued with a helpless tone: "But can you imagine, the people in this world fear us the most!"
"Us?"
Hu Ma was momentarily confused, "Why are they afraid of us?"
"They think we are yin ghosts!"
The voice sounded both helpless and resentfully sinister, "Crawling out of hell, possessing living people, and hiding in the human world."
"They see us as the most terrifying evil spirits!"
"If they discover our true identity, they will extract our souls, strip our bones, and leave nothing behind..."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
