Passerby: Secret Image of Ancient Scrolls

The night was deep, and the wind and snow continued. The wood-burning stove was burning brightly, casting a gentle glow on everyone's shadows.

The group sat around the wood-fired stove, listening to Ao Luya tell stories about the Greater Khingan Mountains.

"I've heard my grandmother say since I was little that there are many taboos hidden in the mountains and forests, and the most sacred and dangerous place is Xishan'ao."

Ao Luya paused, her tone growing increasingly solemn. "Xishan'ao is a forbidden area for our tribe. Grandma said that it holds a secret that our people must protect with their lives, a secret that concerns the survival of the entire tribe and the balance of Yin and Yang in the Greater Khingan Mountains. But what that secret is, Grandma never explained in detail. She said that when I truly grow up and am able to take on the responsibilities of a shaman, I will naturally know."

"What exactly is in that western mountain valley?" Lin Jian couldn't help but ask softly, his eyes full of curiosity. "Is there something magical, or... a powerful evil spirit?"

Ao Luya shook her head gently, her eyes filled with a hint of confusion, yet also with determination: "I don't know. Grandma only repeatedly told me that I must never easily step into Xishan Pass, especially at night. I must not light any open fires, disturb the creatures in the mountains, or touch anything deep within the forbidden area. She said that if I violated the taboos, it would not only bring disaster upon myself but also implicate the entire tribe, and even allow the evil spirits in the mountains to leak out."

"I once asked Grandma about the secret of that forbidden place. Grandma didn't answer, but only told me that the secret was the root of our people. Later, I secretly followed Grandma into Xishan'ao and learned that every shaman in the past would go to Xishan'ao before their death to hold a special succession ceremony. However, the content of the ceremony and the secret of the forbidden place could only be told by the previous shaman after the new shaman took over."

Shen Xun sat on the folding chair, his eyes slightly closed, his fingertips resting on the snake head sculpture on the peach wood staff. He didn't open his eyes, but he could clearly capture every detail in Ao Luya's words, and he could also keenly sense that when she mentioned the three words "Xishan'ao", the faint eerie and sinister aura in the distant depths of the forest intensified.

That evil aura was different from the violent evil energy at the bottom of the river, and it was also different from the cold and piercing evil energy of ordinary evil spirits. Instead, it carried a kind of continuous and stable evil energy.

Bai Wuchang wanted to pick up the hot pot on the stove and drink the mutton soup in one gulp. However, her body couldn't touch the food, but she still pretended to drink it with relish.

She suddenly raised her head, her soft voice low: "Shen Xun, it's that cold aura, just like I felt before, it's hidden again."

Shen Xun's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but the frown vanished in an instant.

This evil aura was very concealed, yet it carried traces of deliberate guidance. It was clearly not a naturally formed evil spirit, but rather something that had been deliberately nurtured by someone, and it was located in the direction of Xishan'ao.

After hearing Ao Luya's account of the forbidden area's secrets, Shen Xun became even more certain that this evil aura was definitely related to Su Jin, perhaps even a sinister spell that Su Jin had laid down beforehand.

He did not speak immediately, but remained in a deep thought with his eyes closed, his fingertips lightly stroking the gourd jade pendant, secretly sensing the source of the evil aura.

Fortunately, the evil aura was extremely weak, seemingly suppressed by something, and would not pose a threat to them for the time being. However, this also meant that the forbidden area of ​​Xishan'ao was probably already being targeted.

The secret that Aoluya spoke of may be facing unprecedented danger.

Ye Zhuo held a dry pine log in her hand and slowly added it to the stove. The flames instantly leaped higher, illuminating her stubborn profile clearly. As she listened to Ao Luya's story, her vision began to blur. She thought of the stories her grandfather had told her about the Greater Khingan Mountains, the forbidden land of Xishan'ao mentioned by Ao Luya, the unknown secrets, and the subtle changes in Shen Xun's expression. All of these made her vaguely feel that this trip to the Greater Khingan Mountains was definitely not so simple, and might even be related to her grandfather.

"Could it be that the person coveting the secrets of the forbidden area is Su Jin?" Ye Zhuo looked up at Ao Luya, her tone tinged with speculation. "Perhaps he came for the secrets of Xishan'ao."

Ao Luya's expression instantly turned serious. She nodded slightly, her fingertips unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes. "Grandma has been saying lately that there are more and more strange things happening in the mountains and forests, and she told me to be more careful. I just didn't expect that Su Jin's target might really be our tribe's forbidden area. If he really trespasses into Xishan Pass, violates the taboo, and disturbs that secret, the consequences will be unimaginable."

The firewood crackled, sparks flying high into the air. They landed on the snow, instantly melting into small patches of water, which were quickly frozen into ice crystals by the cold wind. Lu Ye suddenly stood up from his folding chair. His gaze swept over everyone, and his crisp, decisive voice broke the brief silence: "Regardless of whether Su Jin's target is the secret of Xishan Pass or not, we will go into the mountains tomorrow to investigate. However, before we set off, there are two things that must be arranged properly, without any oversights."

All eyes turned to Lu Ye. He paused for a moment, then continued, "First, regarding the handguns, as previously agreed, I will submit them to the relevant departments for registration first thing tomorrow morning."

"Secondly, regarding the vehicle issue," Lu Ye continued, his expression still serious.

"Since we're heading to the Greater Khingan Mountains, Su Jin certainly won't let this go easily. Now, both of your vehicles are damaged. Old Gu's pickup truck is in a better position; there's only a small hole in the rear window, so it's not a big problem if we don't fix it for now. But the 2045's windows are all shattered, and the vehicle has been pierced in several places by crossbow bolts. The situation is urgent right now, and we don't have any extra time. The vehicle modifications have to be put on hold for now. We can only replace the windows as soon as possible, and then reinforce the vehicle body after we return from Xishan'ao."

After saying that, Lu Ye walked out of the canopy and contacted his friends to prepare the glass parts and matching tires in advance for installation early the next morning.

"Lu Ye has considered everything thoroughly," Shen Xun said. Lu Ye nodded and turned his gaze to everyone: "Does everyone have any objections?" Everyone shook their heads, indicating that they had no objections. Lin Jian held his cup and nodded gently, but suddenly remembered something and his brows furrowed slightly.

She subconsciously looked down at the Polaroid camera on her lap, remembering that Polaroid film seemed to have its own lifespan. Ordinary landscape photos would fade and disappear in three days at most, while those eerie images, although they lasted longer, would eventually dissipate and could never be restored.

"Oh, right, there's something I want to tell you all," Lin Jian suddenly spoke, her voice tinged with worry. She picked up the Polaroid film from her lap. "Look, these are some images of evil spirits I took before. The edges are already starting to fade. In a few more days, they'll be completely invisible. These are important clues. If we lose them, all our previous efforts will have been in vain."

Everyone crowded around, and Shen Xun slowly opened his eyes, reached out and took a photographic paper. He gently brushed his fingertips across the paper, his expression slightly somber: "The images of evil spirits are born from the spiritual energy of the photographic paper. The climate in Mohe is cold, and the spiritual energy dissipates even faster, so the images will naturally fade and disappear slowly."

"That won't do." Lin Jian immediately became anxious, her tone full of urgency. "These images contain traces of evil spirits and the appearance of malevolent energy at the bottom of the river. These are key clues for us to track Su Jin and investigate the strange phenomena in the mountains and forests. How can we let them just disappear like this?" Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she quickly said, "I can take pictures of these images and save them to my phone. That way, even if the images on the photographic paper disappear, we can still check them at any time and it won't delay our subsequent investigation."

At this point, a smile appeared on her face, and she added, "Besides, we're going into the mountains tomorrow, and I want to take a commemorative photo by the river and send a selfie to my friends to let them know we're safe. Taking a photo with my phone makes the paper exceptionally clear."

Ao Luya smiled, a gentle smile in her eyes, and nodded slightly: "That's a good idea. The spiritual energy of photographic paper is limited; storing it in a phone ensures long-term preservation and prevents you from missing any crucial clues. Taking a photo as a memento is a way to make the most of this encounter."

Lu Ye leaned against the car and, upon hearing this, cautioned, "Be careful when you're filming. Don't film anything you shouldn't. The area along the Mohe River is shrouded in yin energy, and evil spirits are active at night. It's inevitable that some evil spirits might be attached to the images. If you do film something like that, be sure to delete it immediately. Don't leave it on your phone and cause trouble, lest you be haunted by evil spirits."

"I understand, thanks for reminding me, Captain Lu." Lin Jian nodded quickly, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes. He didn't say anything more, but carefully put the Polaroid camera into his coat pocket, afraid that it would get cold from the wind.

The warmth of the wood-burning stove permeated every corner of the sky. Everyone ate and drank their fill, and the fatigue of the past few days gradually crept in. Only Bai Wuchang was sullen; everyone else was eating, but she was the only one watching.

Lu Ye glanced at the sky, checked the guard equipment again, turned to his men, arranged the shifts for guard duty, and then walked out of the sky, quickly heading back to the snow slope he had come from, and drove his off-road vehicle down.

The vehicle was fully equipped, with a foldable rooftop tent that could comfortably accommodate two people. There was also a wood-burning heater, enough for him and his shift's men to take turns resting.

"I'm used to sleeping in a cuozi (a traditional Chinese sleeping platform), so I'll rest there with Bailu tonight." Aoluya stood up, looked at the cuozi, and then went inside.

"Sister Ye Zhuo, where are we sleeping?" Lin Jian asked softly as everyone made their own arrangements. Ye Zhuo pointed to the back of the 2045 car: "We girls will sleep in the double bed in the back, and Shen Xun can sleep in the single bed." As she spoke, she went into the car and found a whole leather tablecloth, along with some tape. She carefully used it to block the broken windows of the driver's side and the middle row of the 2045 car. The tape was more than enough to keep out the cold wind at night.

Shen Xun fell asleep on a single bed made of chairs pushed together. Bai Wuchang stuck out his tongue and said, "I should rest too." As he spoke, his figure turned into a wisp of white smoke and floated into Shen Xun's sleeve. Old Gu also stood up at this time and said with a smile, "You guys sleep here. I'm used to sleeping in the pickup truck. I have firewood and heating in my truck, and there are blankets and enough space. Sleeping for one night is no problem at all."

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhuo immediately took out a fireproof and heat-insulating board from the cabinet and handed it to Lao Gu. He also found a roll of tape: "There is a hole in the back window of the pickup truck. It's windy at night. Use the tape to stick this heat-insulating board to the hole. It can block the wind and also block some of the cold air."

"Alright!" Old Gu thanked him and turned to his pickup truck, pulling out the crossbow bolt that had pierced the back of the rear seat and sealing the hole with heat insulation material. Lu Ye had already unfolded the roof tent and checked the diesel heater to make sure it was working properly.

Everyone settled in comfortably, and the campsite was warm and cozy, a stark contrast to the bitter cold outside.

Ye Zhuo and Lin Jian nestled together on the large bed at the back of the car, resting peacefully in the warmth of the firewood; Old Gu slept soundly in the pickup truck, accompanied by snores; Ao Luya and Bai Lu lay quietly in the small room; Lu Ye and his men took turns keeping watch; the soft sounds of the firewood and gentle breathing wove together a rare tranquility after the disaster.

Shen Xun lay on a single bed made of chairs, his eyes closed, but his thoughts were still racing.

He clearly sensed that the evil aura swirling in the direction of Xishan'ao, connecting with the evil energy of the black stones at the bottom of the river to form a long and dangerous zone, which was Su Jin's doing. He suddenly recalled the photo of Lin Jianbang and the shaman, and that mysterious stone tablet faintly echoed the forbidden area aura that Ao Luya had mentioned.

Could the stone tablet be located in Xishan'ao?

Just as they were pondering, the copper bell on the peachwood staff suddenly rang softly, and the evil aura from the direction of Xishan'ao suddenly intensified for a moment before quickly disappearing, as if Su Jin was secretly probing or confirming their movements.

Shen Xun frowned slightly, understanding dawning on him: Su Jin might have already reached the edge of the forbidden area of ​​Xishan'ao, and might even have discovered traces of the stone tablet.

He didn't open his eyes, remaining quietly lying there, his resolve growing stronger. Tomorrow's journey into the mountains would not only be to explore the secrets of the stone tablet and the array's core, but also to engage in a clandestine contest with Su Jin.

The cold night remained long, and the warmth of the camp had not diminished, but the lurking danger, like an undercurrent beneath the ice, was quietly approaching them.