After crossing the mountain pass, we reached a small village with about a dozen households. Beyond it lay the mountain where the hidden dragon's mouth was said to be—likely where the village chief lived.
I checked my phone—it was 6:30, about thirty minutes ahead of schedule. Though I had made up that time, I knew it came at a price. My soul probably left my body on that wild ride, and I doubt I'll experience anything like that again in this lifetime.
At this hour, most villages would have the thin smoke of cooking fires rising into the sky, a sign that the villagers were preparing dinner after a day's work. But this village was eerily quiet, with no signs of life. They were probably all up in the mountains.
The village chief parked in front of his house, not greeting us. He awkwardly brought out some cheap cookies and apologized, "The old and young have gone up the mountain. There's no one left at home to cook, so Mr. Xu, Master Li, please make do with some snacks."
Huang Jiu, still groggy, lay slumped on my shoulder. Seeing the cheap biscuits, he immediately growled, "How dare you feed Your Lordship this trash food?"
The rural folks, used to seeing strange things, weren't surprised by Huang Jiu speaking. In fact, their eyes were full of respect.
As some of them tried to bow, I hurriedly stopped them, saying, "This Immortal Huang is my friend, there's no need for such formalities."
Both Xu Dafa and the village chief's eyes shifted, their gaze toward me changing. After all, in their minds, immortals were exalted beings, and ordinary people never dared to call them "brothers."
Huang Jiu was about to speak again, but I quickly shut his mouth. Thankfully, he hadn't fully transformed, or trying to silence him would have become a headache.
With Huang Jiu contained, I said, "It's getting late, let's head into the mountains."
I wasn't about to underestimate the cursed drought bones—especially with a malevolent spirit involved. I wanted to move quickly before nightfall brought any surprises.
The village chief glanced at Huang Jiu, then said to Xu Dafa, "Xu, why don't you take Master Li and the Immortal to the mountain, and I'll stay here to kill a chicken for them?"
I took the cookies from the village chief's hands, saying, "I'm fine with just a quick snack. You're the village chief, it'll be hard to manage things if you're not around."
The village chief hesitated, looking at Huang Jiu. I could tell he was worried. I roughly stuffed Huang Jiu back into the cat bag and said, "Don't mind him, he just has a sharp tongue."
The village chief was taken aback but hesitated only for a moment. He locked the door and led us toward the mountain, which was just a short distance away.
After about ten minutes, we arrived and found a crowd gathered around a low-lying area, seemingly focused on something ominous in the ground.
"Everyone, make way!" The village chief ordered. The crowd immediately parted, and upon seeing Xu Dafa, everyone's faces lit up with relief.
An older woman muttered, "It's Xu Dafa, Xu Dafa's back!"
With the murmurs of approval, the crowd cleared a path, and soon, a dark-skinned young man around 27 or 28 came running up with an anxious look on his face. "Xu Dafa, the body didn't burn properly. The spirit is really strong. Xu Chuang tried to burn the corpse earlier but fell right into its trap. He almost strangled himself!"
Xu Dafa listened intently and then turned to me, asking, "Master Li, what do you think?"
I glanced around at the crowd, which now included children. I spoke softly to the village chief, "Send the women and children back, and only keep ten of the strongest men."
The village chief raised his voice, calling out to the women and children, but they hesitated. It wasn't bravery; the countryside was dull, and any unusual event like this was like a free ticket to watch a horror show. No one wanted to miss it.
Thankfully, the village chief had enough authority to scold them, and they reluctantly dispersed, leaving only four of Xu Dafa's men and six young villagers.
Once the crowd cleared, I saw the muddy depression where the ominous event had been unfolding. In the middle was an excavated grave, from which water was steadily seeping.
"Wait here," I told them. "I'll go take a look. No one comes close unless I give permission!"
With a place as strange as this, reality and illusion were hard to distinguish. Any unexpected appearance—whether human or ghost—could be dangerous.
I grabbed a handful of the biscuits and passed some to Huang Jiu while stuffing a few into my own mouth. Huang Jiu grumbled but didn't refuse the food, although he clearly wasn't pleased.
As we walked toward the grave site, the cold chill I felt on my skin made it clear something was nearby, and I didn't need to use my spiritual sight to know it.
Huang Jiu, with his mouth full, grumbled, "How dare they disturb Your Lordship while I'm eating!"
The moment he spoke, the ominous presence behind me seemed to fade away. It seemed Huang Jiu's form, though not fully transformed, was still enough to deter any nearby spirits.
The mud beneath my feet was as soft as swampy clay. With every step, I sank deeper, but I couldn't hesitate. I moved cautiously but steadily, and with a wave of energy, I sent out a blood spike to pierce the coffin.
With precision, the spike lodged into the corpse inside.
Huang Jiu, mumbling around his mouthful, said, "Not bad, Li. Your energy control has improved."
I smiled proudly and continued walking toward the coffin. The body inside, now a drought bone, was no longer decaying and had no smell, unlike a corpse that had been dead for over a month.
I peered into the coffin. Inside lay a frail old woman in a dark blue embroidered burial robe. Her face was skeletal and disturbing, with a sharp, fox-like appearance.
If it was just her, I wouldn't have had to rush to the city.
I looked more carefully. I wasn't planning to delay, so I drew out the blood spike to break her joints and ensure that even if the body reanimated, it would be nothing more than a pile of mud—unable to rise.
Just as I was about to act, I noticed a red shadow appear in the peripheral vision of my scent-enhanced perception.
A ghost in red.
I pinpointed her location and calmly said, "When the mountains shift, the waters flow differently, and paths diverge. Grant me a favor, so we can part without harm."
Ghosts of the wild were rarely peaceful. They had to dodge ghost hunters and endure the relentless drain of sunlight. And a spirit that could appear at dusk was not someone I wanted to antagonize.
But even after I spoke kindly, the red ghost showed no signs of retreating. Instead, she bared her teeth and lunged toward me.
I frowned, shifted my feet, and opened the mud around me with a subtle movement. I then made a sealing gesture, preparing for a confrontation.
Huang Jiu, sensing her approach, muttered, "Is she an idiot? She knows we know she's here, and still wants to make a sneak attack?"
I too was puzzled, but if she wanted to come, then I wasn't about to back down.