One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Nie Lingfeng remained noncommittal and pulled Chen Duo into the car. Xiao Yang got into the driver's seat, and the car smoothly drove out of the airport and merged into the city traffic.

The streets of Guiyang aren't wide, but they're very clean. The buildings on both sides have a distinct southwestern style, and pedestrians seem to walk more leisurely than in northern cities. A light rain veiled the city in a misty haze, and the air was damp.

"Master Yang, how much do you know about the situation in Luodong Village?" Nie Lingfeng asked casually from the back seat.

As Xiao Yang drove, he glanced at Nie Lingfeng in the rearview mirror, his smile fading slightly. He lowered his voice and said, "Teacher Nie, to be honest, that village is eerie. I'm a local Miao from southeastern Guizhou, and I know the Moon Mountain area well, but Luodong Village... used to be just an ordinary village. The older generation had a lot of rules, but they were still normal. But for the past month or so, something's wrong, very wrong."

He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts: "First, several old shamans in the village, as if they had agreed beforehand, all said that the cave god was angry and demanded new offerings and new rituals. Then strange things started happening in the village. Some peddlers who came in to buy mountain goods said they saw the villagers staying up late at night, forming a circle in the open space in the middle of the village, lighting torches, singing and dancing, but the tunes they sang... were chilling and made one's hair stand on end. Others said they saw eerie green will-o'-the-wisps drifting around in the old forest behind the village at night. Even more bizarrely, several sickly people in the village, suffering from tuberculosis, suddenly recovered and could work in the fields again, but their eyes were vacant, and they didn't greet people, as if they had lost their souls."

"The three brothers the company sent before..." Nie Lingfeng asked.

Xiao Yang's face darkened, and his voice lowered even further: "Those three... were unfamiliar faces. They went in under the guise of gathering information and conducting research. The first few days were fine; they sent back some news. But the day after they decided to explore the 'Luodong' cave at night, they disappeared without a trace. Our people waited on the outskirts for two days, and sensing something was wrong, they risked approaching the village to inquire. The villagers either avoided them or said that the three had 'offended the cave god' and were 'invited' to the cave as guests, promising to return in a few days. But seven or eight days have passed, and we haven't seen a trace of them..."

He sighed, his tone tinged with worry and a barely perceptible fear: "Teacher Nie, I know you're a capable person. Headquarters sending you here must mean you're no ordinary person. But that village, and that cave... you and Miss Chen Duo, please be very careful. Our branch can only provide limited support. The village is very xenophobic now; it's very difficult for strangers to enter, let alone bring a large group."

Nie Lingfeng nodded and didn't press further. The situation was similar to the report he had seen, even more so. He glanced at Chen Duo beside him and noticed she was intently watching the street scene flashing past the car window, seemingly uninterested in their conversation, except for a barely perceptible twitch of her ear when Xiao Yang mentioned "sour fish soup." (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

The car stopped in front of a restaurant that looked a bit old but was very popular. The storefront wasn't big, and the sign read "Liu's Authentic Kaili Sour Fish Soup." Red lanterns hung at the entrance, and a rich, enticing aroma filled the air, a unique blend of wood ginger and chili peppers that made one's mouth water.

"This is it, please come in, both of you!" Xiao Yang parked the car and led the two inside familiarly, finding a relatively quiet corner to sit down.

Soon, a steaming pot of sour fish soup, with its bright red broth and garnished with vibrant green cilantro and fresh red tomato slices, was served. It used local rice paddy fish, whose tender flesh, soaked in the tangy, spicy, and savory broth, was incredibly appetizing. Accompanying it were several side dishes—cold mixed houttuynia cordata (fish mint), stir-fried fern shoots with cured pork, blood tofu, and a bowl of perfectly cooked, steaming white rice.

Chen Duo's eyes lit up instantly, her gaze fixed on the pot of bubbling sour fish soup. Her little nose twitched slightly, and she swallowed involuntarily. (☆▽☆)

Nie Lingfeng found it amusing, so he picked up a large piece of boneless fish belly meat for her and ladled a spoonful of golden sour soup over her rice: "Try it, be careful it's hot."

Chen Duo nodded vigorously, picked up her chopsticks, carefully blew on them, and then began to eat in small bites. The fish melted in her mouth; the rich sour soup, the unique fragrance of the Sichuan pepper, the refreshing spiciness of the chili, and the sweetness of the fish blended perfectly in her mouth, making her squint her eyes in satisfaction, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

"Is it good?" Nie Lingfeng asked.

"Mmm! Delicious!" Chen Duo nodded vigorously, picked up another piece of fish, and this time she imitated Nie Lingfeng by soaking rice in sour soup. She ate until her cheeks were bulging, like a greedy little squirrel.

Seeing Chen Duo eating so heartily, Xiao Yang smiled, easing the tense atmosphere considerably. He served himself a bowl of rice and continued speaking in a low voice as he ate: "We've planted an informant in Luodong Village, a daughter who married out of the village named Aya. She married into the neighboring village. Her mother is still in Luodong Village, so she can occasionally send out some news. According to her, the three oldest ghost masters in charge of the village are named Agong, Alue, and Aduo. Especially Agong, the oldest ghost master, is said to be able to 'communicate' with the cave spirit, and now the village's affairs are basically decided by him. Also, the Luodong Cave behind the village is usually a forbidden area, only ghost masters and specific people can approach it. Aya said that for the past month, there has often been a very strange smell near the cave entrance, like the smell of blood, or something rotting, mixed with the smell of incense, which makes people dizzy."

Nie Lingfeng listened silently, memorizing the three names: "Agong, Alu, and Aduo." He noticed that when Xiao Yang mentioned "Cave God" and "Luodong," his eyes held not only worry but also a trace of instinctive awe, a reverence for ancient taboos common to the locals. This kind of faith-based thing is often more difficult to deal with than mere force.

After finishing her meal, Chen Duo put down her bowl contentedly, a few specks of red oil still smeared on her face, which Nie Lingfeng gently wiped away with a tissue. Xiao Yang paid the bill, and the three of them got back into the car, officially embarking on their journey to Moon Mountain.

Leaving Guiyang, the scenery along the highway gradually changed from towns to rolling hills, and then to continuous mountain ranges. The rain had stopped sometime earlier, but the sky remained overcast, with leaden clouds hanging low over the mountain peaks, making the layered mountains appear even more secluded and tranquil, carrying a mysterious sense of oppression. The mountain road began to wind and twist, the car constantly climbing and turning along the winding mountain road, with steep mountain walls on one side and bottomless valleys on the other, where a jade-like stream could be faintly seen at the bottom.

At first, Chen Duo was fascinated by the towering mountains outside the window and the occasional village gates adorned with colorful ribbons, but as time went on, coupled with the bumpy mountain road, she gradually became carsick. Her face turned slightly pale, and she leaned back in her seat, hugging her panda plushie, and didn't say much.

Nie Lingfeng let her lean on his shoulder, transferring a gentle stream of internal energy to ease her discomfort. Xiao Yang was a good driver, driving steadily, but the long mountain road was still exhausting. Only the roar of the engine and the howling wind outside the window remained in the car.

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, the car finally left the paved road and entered a narrower, more bumpy dirt road. Dense primeval forests lined both sides of the road, tall trees blocking out the sun, vines intertwined, making the light dim. The air was more humid, mixed with the scent of earth, decaying leaves, and some indescribable, slightly sweet and slightly fishy plant aroma. The faint sounds of birdsong and animal roars added to the wild and mysterious atmosphere.

"We're almost at the foot of Moon Mountain." Xiao Yang stared intently at the road ahead, his voice tinged with fatigue. "Luodong Village is deeper in the mountains. The car can only go as far as the fork in the road ahead. There's a small village there where we can rest for the night. Tomorrow morning, we'll hike into the mountains, which will probably take another three or four hours."

After another bumpy half hour, a relatively open valley appeared ahead, with dozens of wooden stilted houses built against the mountainside, scattered in a neat and orderly fashion. The roofs were covered with dark blue tiles, some of which were already covered with moss. This was the "small village" that Xiao Yang had mentioned. It was actually a village, but much smaller than Luodong Village.

Xiao Yang parked his car in front of a relatively tidy stilted house with a wooden sign that read "Accommodation" hanging at the entrance. A middle-aged woman dressed in traditional Miao clothing, wearing a headscarf, with a dark complexion but a simple and honest smile, came out to greet him, saying in heavily accented Mandarin, "Master Yang is here! The room is all ready! Come in and rest!"

"Sister, thank you for your trouble. These two are experts from above, Teacher Nie and Miss Chen Duo." Xiao Yang introduced them familiarly, "Teacher Nie, Miss Chen Duo, this is Sister Alan, she runs this inn, it's clean and she's reliable."

Sister Alan warmly ushered the three into the house. The first floor of the stilted house served as both the main room and kitchen, with a hearth in the middle where water was boiling, making the room warm and cozy, filled with the aroma of firewood and food. The second floor was the guest room, which, although simple, was very clean, and the beds were made of brand-new blue-printed cotton bedding.

After settling Chen Duo into her room to rest, Nie Lingfeng and Xiao Yang went downstairs and sat down by the fire pit. Sister Alan poured them some hot bitter tea.

"Sister Alan, has there been any new developments at Luodong Village lately?" Xiao Yang asked in a low voice, holding a teacup.

Sister Alan's smile faded slightly. She looked around, lowered her voice, and said in an even stronger local accent, "It's really eerie! The day before yesterday, my husband went to the back mountain to chop firewood. In the distance, he saw the direction of Luodong Village. Before it was even completely dark, a huge fire had started burning in the middle of the village! The firelight was eerily green! We could also faintly hear the sounds of drumming and chanting. The tune... it made people's hearts pound. My husband rushed back and didn't sleep well all night."

She paused, a look of fear on her face: "Also, there's a young man in our village who secretly went to Luodong Village a few days ago to look for his sweetheart. But when he came back, he fell ill with a high fever and started talking, saying things like 'someone is calling him from the cave' and 'many eyes are watching him'... We invited a ghost master to come and see, and he said that he's been 'possessed by an evil spirit' and that he's been disturbed by the evil spirit of the cave god. He's still lying in the house now, sometimes better and sometimes worse."