Volume Three: Tomb of the Fox Immortal - Chapter Thirty-Five: Goutou Mountain
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The old village chief waved his hand dismissively and merely glanced into the courtyard. But when he saw the utter chaos in the side room and the blood covering the ground, even he felt his scalp prickle. He had never intended to go inside in the first place, and after seeing the scene in the courtyard, he became even more certain of his decision: he would never set foot in this courtyard again.
Big Dog followed the old village chief’s gaze into the courtyard. The moment he saw the scene, he stared at Xu Tian beside him in terror, his face filled with shock.
Realizing that he had lost his composure, the old village chief cleared his throat before asking, “Master, what happened here last night?”
Xu Tian pointed into the courtyard. “We killed a skinless female ghost last night. At this point, your village probably has only the Headless Ghost left.”
Upon hearing this, Big Dog and the old village chief both drew in sharp breaths. But since it was already a chilly winter morning, the cold air made their front teeth ache with an icy numbness.
The old village chief bowed slightly to Xu Tian. Seeing this, Big Dog hurriedly followed suit and bowed as well.
“Master, I never imagined that you would eliminate that skinless ghost in a single night. I am deeply grateful. On behalf of everyone in Goutou Village, allow me to thank you first.”
Xu Tian stepped forward and helped the old village chief up. “There is no need for such ceremony, Chief. We came here precisely to deal with this matter. That skinless ghost brought her fate upon herself. Her soul being scattered was the consequence of her own actions.”
The old village chief nodded gratefully. “You have troubled yourselves on our behalf, Masters. Breakfast has already been prepared. Shall we—”
Xu Tian nodded. “We’ll head over now.”
The old village chief nodded and said to Big Dog, “Big Dog, wait here. Take the three Masters over once they are ready.”
“All right. You go on ahead, Chief.”
After the old village chief left, Xu Tian said to Big Dog, “Come on, let’s go back inside first. It’s cold out here. The other two haven’t gotten up yet. We were busy for most of the night yesterday, so they must be exhausted.”
“Master, perhaps I should wait outside the door.”
Xu Tian glanced back at him, then looked at the scene in the courtyard and smiled. “What are you afraid of with me here? Even if the Headless Ghost came, it wouldn’t trouble you.”
Big Dog scratched his head, then followed Xu Tian into the house.
Once inside, Xu Tian finally began to warm up. He raised his hand, patted Li Kun and me, and called out, “Old Liu, Old Li, wake up. The old village chief came by just now.”
Li Kun and I opened our eyes groggily. I looked up at Xu Tian and Big Dog standing above us.
“What time is it, Old Xu?”
Xu Tian lifted his arm and checked his watch. “Exactly seven o’clock. Get up quickly. We’ll eat something first, then go take care of business.”
I nodded. Li Kun and I sat up, folded our blankets, and then Li Kun glanced at Big Dog.
“Hey, Big Dog, what’s going on with you? Why are you covered in black smoke?”
Big Dog froze and hurriedly looked himself over, but he could not see any of the black smoke Li Kun had mentioned.
“What? Black smoke? There’s nothing there.”
After hearing this, I asked, “Old Li, you can see black smoke around Big Dog?”
Li Kun nodded. “More than just a little black smoke. If my eyesight weren’t so good, I wouldn’t even be able to see what Big Dog looks like. It’s incredibly thick.”
Big Dog was utterly bewildered. He turned to me and asked, “Master, what’s happening?”
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My brows drew tightly together. After a moment, I relaxed them, turned around, and patted Big Dog on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry. You’re fine.”
Only then did Big Dog let out a sigh of relief. “Let’s hurry over. There’s no hot water here, so if you want to wash up, you can do it at the village chief’s house.”
The four of us nodded and followed Big Dog straight to the old village chief’s home.
After the three of us finished washing up, we began devouring our food. Li Kun’s appetite was especially impressive. He had been the one who worked the hardest the previous night, and he ate four full bowls of rice before finally putting down his chopsticks.
After the meal, I asked the old village chief, “Chief, is there anywhere in your village that is particularly unusual?”
Li Kun and Xu Tian both froze, while the village chief looked puzzled.
“Particularly unusual?”
Li Kun asked, “Old Liu, why are you suddenly asking about that?”
“Did you forget what the skinless ghost told us last night?”
After I said this, Li Kun recalled the events of the previous night. He nodded, then turned to look at the old village chief across from us.
The old village chief lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying, “Now that you mention it, there is indeed one unusual place in our village.”
The three of us and Big Dog all looked at him.
The old village chief continued, “That place is Flowing Heart Mountain, behind our village.”
“Flowing Heart Mountain?” Xu Tian repeated. As he spoke, he glanced at me, and the meaning in his eyes was obvious.
He then turned back to the old village chief. “Could there be something there?”
The old village chief nodded. “The front slope of Flowing Heart Mountain is where our village’s ancestral graves are located. Normally, whenever someone in the village dies, they are buried there. But strangely enough, every time someone dies and the villagers climb the mountain to bury them—”
“As soon as they reach the front slope, they begin to suffer from persistent dizziness. At first, we paid it no mind. But after returning to the village, they would continue to have terrible headaches, and it would take several hours before the pain eased.”
“At first, we thought the air on the mountain was simply bad. Later, however, we began to feel that there must be something sinister at work on the front slope. Otherwise, why would anyone develop a headache the moment they went up there?”
After the old village chief finished speaking, Xu Tian, Li Kun, and I exchanged glances.
“How could climbing the mountain cause headaches?” Xu Tian said. “Old Liu, what do you think is going on?”
I asked the old village chief, “Chief, can Flowing Heart Mountain’s front slope be seen from the village?”
The old village chief nodded. “Yes. You can see it as soon as you step outside. The front slope isn’t very far from here.”
With that, the old village chief and Big Dog rose to their feet. The three of us followed the old village chief outside.
When we reached the courtyard and opened the wooden gate, the old village chief raised his hand and pointed to the right.
“That mountain is Flowing Heart Mountain.”
We followed the direction he indicated. About five or six miles away stood a great mountain. The side facing us was relatively flat and broad, while the rear rose steeply upward.
I walked over to Li Kun and asked, “Old Li, can you see anything unusual about that mountain?”
Li Kun studied it carefully for a long while before answering, “Not very clearly. The mountain is shrouded in a kind of white mist. It looks as though fog has settled over it.”
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After Li Kun said this, the old village chief and Big Dog both froze. They turned to look at him, secretly wondering whether this Master had some problem with his eyes. There was no white mist over that mountain at all. The view was perfectly clear. Wasn’t he simply talking nonsense?
But the instant they saw Li Kun’s blood-red eyes, their doubts vanished as completely as if they had been struck by a truck.
I was somewhat puzzled by Li Kun’s words as well. What could be hidden beneath that white mist?
I turned to Xu Tian. “Old Xu, do you know what that white mist is?”
Xu Tian shook his head. “I don’t know. We’ll have to go there ourselves to find out what is really going on.”
I nodded and asked the old village chief, “Chief, is there anything else on Flowing Heart Mountain besides the front slope?”
The old village chief turned to me. “Only the front slope contains the village’s ancestral graves. The people of our village do not dare to go to the rear slope.”
“Do not dare to go there? Could there be something unclean on the rear slope as well?”
The old village chief shook his head. “Not exactly. We worship the mountain deity here. According to local belief, a fox immortal dwells on the rear slope. If anyone from the village goes there, they may anger the fox immortal, and the entire village will lose its peace. Our villagers built a Fox Immortal Temple on the mountain, and during the New Year and other festivals, we burn incense and make offerings to the fox immortal.”
At this, the corner of my mouth twitched. I had never expected a village chief of his age to still believe in fox immortals. More importantly, everyone in the village seemed to worship one.
I said, “Chief, we’ll go to Flowing Heart Mountain and have a look now. We should probably visit the rear slope as well.”
After hearing this, the old village chief nodded and turned to Big Dog.
“Big Dog, go guide the three Masters. With them accompanying you, nothing should happen to you. I’ll have Second Dog and Third Dog clean up that courtyard.”
Big Dog nodded. “Understood, Chief.”
The old village chief then returned inside.
I said to Big Dog, “Let’s go now.”
“Masters, are we really going empty-handed? Please wait a moment. I’ll get some offerings. If we go to the rear slope without making an offering to the fox immortal, it will blame me. The old village chief will probably scold me too.”
After hearing this, I nodded. “Then hurry back. We’ll wait here.”
Big Dog nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
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Volume Three: The Fox Immortal Tomb
Chapter Thirty-Five: Flowing Heart Mountain
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