Yin Shou Shu

Chapter 220 Eroding Reality
Leaving the town was incredibly easy.

The cold wind blowing through the air grew increasingly chilly, raising goosebumps on one's skin.

But all the ghostly figures on Longchang Street had vanished, and the entire town was deathly silent.

The mandrill that Ran Qing had injured also fled out of town, and bloodstains left by the mandrill could be seen on the road as it fled.

Ran Qing and his two companions passed through without hindrance and quickly left Longchang Street, arriving at the roadside outside the town, where they saw two motorcycles parked by the roadside.

Four paper figures carried away three mummified corpses and the corpse of the corpse-driving woman, which was almost nothing but a skeleton.

A somber and heavy atmosphere hung over the three of them, and no one spoke as the motorcycle started.

As the two motorcycles started, Ran Qing and the other two quickly moved away from Longchang Street under the cover of night.

Four paper figures followed closely behind the motorcycle, which slowed down slightly, allowing the paper figures to keep up.

They didn't stop until they were far away from Longchang Street. They walked to the woods by the roadside, dug a simple hole, and buried the withered body of the corpse-driving woman in it, as if they were doing one last thing for the poor old woman.

The three then continued their journey.

The dark road was deserted and deathly silent.

There are hardly any cars on the roads in the towns during the day, let alone at night.

The three found a leeward spot to rest, placed the three mutilated corpses aside, tied them with red rope, and surrounded them with paper figures.

The mountains are dark and eerie after nightfall, with countless strange cries echoing through the forests and wilderness.

In the canyons on both sides of the Beipan River, the monkeys living on the cliffs howl like ghosts and wolves.

The three dared not continue their journey, for traveling at night could easily lead to encounters with evil spirits, as well as highway robbers who would try to rob them.

Moreover, it would be troublesome to travel with three mummies. They would have to wait until dawn to expose the three mummies to sunlight before returning to the city.

In the eerie night wind, Ran Qing rang a bell and ordered the paper figures to go into the forest and collect a lot of dry firewood.

The three of them sat in a bend in the mountain valley, sheltering themselves from the night wind.

Although it was the height of summer, the summer days in Yue Zhao were not scorching hot, and the night breeze was even a bit chilly.

The three men piled up dry firewood, lit it with a lighter, and then sat around the fire.

Long Zongshu was so tired that his face was pale. After chewing some chocolate and dry bread to fill his stomach, he fell asleep right next to the fire.

The kind of fire they use, the kind of fire that is extinguished through ignorance, consumes a great deal of physical and mental energy.

Now that things have settled down, Long Zongshu could no longer hold on, and soon his snoring could be heard by the fire.

By the dim firelight, Ran Qing said to Mo Li, "You should sleep too. I'll keep watch tonight."

He was flipping through the ancient coins in his hands.

These strange, ancient bronze coins gleamed with a cold luster in the firelight, and the bizarre patterns on their surface resembled some kind of hideous ghost face, issuing him some kind of warning.

Ran Qing couldn't sleep.

He had a vague feeling that something terrible would happen tonight when the unseen monster came after he fell asleep.

The four ancient ghost coins gathered together, and it seemed that some kind of qualitative change had occurred; he should now be able to fight back against that monster.

But we were all exhausted today. The incense ash we brought from the canvas bag was almost used up, and I had also used the Six Ghosts Summoning Yin Technique, so my energy was insufficient for a short period of time.

Ran Qing needed to return to the city to rest and prepare before luring the monster back.

Anyway, people who walk the path of the dead don't need much sleep, and they can stay up all night for a day or two without any problem.

Mo Li glanced at him and nodded: "Call me if anything happens."

She sat by the fire, her back against the solid rocks, and fell into a deep sleep.

In the howling night wind of the mountain valley, the only sound for a moment was the crackling of the dry firewood burning. Ran Qing sat silently by the campfire, looking at the dark mountains under the night sky, and suddenly felt a little dazed.

The pitiful face of the corpse-driving old woman, Xiao Sanyong, suddenly appeared before his eyes. They were people he had just met and didn't have any real relationship.

Seeing the tragic death of the other party after entering the red gate, Ran Qing couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

I have a feeling that the tragic death of that old man might happen to him, Mo Li, and Zong Shu in the future.

"The ghost realm of the Wujiang River is getting more and more eerie..."

Ran Qing looked at Xiao Mianhua and asked, "When Sixth Aunt was around, was there such a situation in the Wujiang Ghost Realm?"

When the Wujiang Ghost Realm became eerie and Ran Qing accidentally entered it, he comforted himself, saying that as long as he didn't enter the Wujiang Ghost Realm without permission, it wouldn't be a big problem no matter how eerie it was.

However, the current situation in Huaga Tiankeng and Longchang Street indicates that the anomalies of the Wujiang Ghost Realm have begun to erode reality.

Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, that ancient evil spirit shrouded in mist will also descend upon the human world...

Little Cotton yawned, thought for a moment, and shook her head: "No, I've never encountered such a situation before."

Ran Qing's expression remained solemn, and his eyes held an incredibly complex look in the flickering firelight.

Aunt Liu may have sensed something before she died.

On the night she died, the gates to the underworld were blocked, and countless wandering souls were trapped in the ghost city.

There must have been other signs before that, so the booklet left by Aunt Liu pointed Ran Qing to places where there were all the Ghost Luo Ancient Coins.

But since Aunt Liu had noticed all this, why didn't she just tell Ran Qing directly that there was danger?

Why is it written so vaguely?

Ran Qing couldn't understand or fathom Aunt Liu's thoughts.

As I pondered this, a strange, fishy smell suddenly drifted in on the night breeze.

The fishy smell was very faint, and Ran Qing didn't smell it.

But the little cotton ball and the four paper figures beside the fire all looked towards the dark woods not far away.

Little Cotton arched its back in terror, its fur standing on end, and barked in that direction like a frightened dog.

Her piercing and ferocious roar was a stark contrast to her usually timid and cowardly nature.

In a daze, Ran Qing recalled how Xiaomianhua had scared away a ravenous lynx when she took him to school...

While lost in thought, Ran Qing continued to move.

His flashlight shone directly in that direction, and in the dark forest, a bloody human skin was draped by a dark figure and flashed by.

Mandrill...

Ran Qing's expression changed drastically.

Unexpectedly, the mandrill followed us.

Just as he was about to wake his sleeping companion, a strange, stiff, and mechanically imitative voice suddenly drifted from the forest.

"A spirit medium... are you Mo Baifeng's apprentice?"

The mandrill's voice rang out in a sinister tone, and it even mentioned Aunt Liu's name.

Ran Qing was slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised—did this mandrill recognize Aunt Liu?
But then they saw the mandrill in the forest making a deep, strange gurgling sound, like the unusual noises made by cats and dogs when they are angry.

A few seconds later, the mandrill's stiff, awkward voice rang out again: "A trade... a spirit medium, let's make a trade."

(End of this chapter)