“So just in case, and I’m saying just in case, if I can’t return and show you the way tonight and you’re really taken away by Lord Hong, just light this candle.” Teacher Xu’s tone was extremely calm.

However, Li Xiu couldn’t relax at all after hearing these words. He just looked at the teacher before him with incomparable fear, an astringent feeling in his nose.

“Light it…..and then what happens? What happens next?” Li Xu asked.

Teacher Xu was silent for a moment when a smile suddenly appeared at the corners of his mouth.

That smile was different from anything Li Xiu had seen before.

The smile currently on Teacher Xu’s face was not gentle at all. It could even be said that it contained an unusual arrogant and unruly temperament.

The originally tranquil, weary middle-aged teacher seemed to gain a youthful air in this moment, as if he wasn’t afraid of anything.

Teacher Xu blinked at Li Xiu. “I don’t know either.”

“I don’t know at all whether I can survive against that thing.” The spiritual master briskly explained to Li Xiu: “But let me tell you, those dead old fellows from over a decade ago shouldn’t have worked so meticulously to deal with such a vicious thing. They should have answered viciousness with viciousness and fought with their lives.”

“How can a person be afraid of ghosts?”

Li Xiu’s eyelids twitched when he heard these words, and an ominous feeling immediately arose in his heart.

The candle Teacher Xu had given him just now…..what fueled it? 

As soon as he had this idea, the candle in his hand felt surprisingly hot.

He subconsciously went to give the candle back to Teacher Xu, but the latter didn’t give him a chance.

As Li Xiu was in a daze, the older man opened the car door and walked out with no expression on his face.

The fog was so dense.

The moment Teacher Xu walked outside, it was like he had been swallowed by a huge, terrifying monster.

His figure instantly vanished into the fog.

And those rigid, frightening figures staggered away from the car as if they had sensed something.

“Teacher Xu!”

Qiao Yang covered his mouth. Although he had no clear view, he continued to stare in the direction Teacher Xu had gone.

“……”

Li Xiu kept looking out the window.

Amidst the tension, Fang Qian’an suddenly shook Li Xiu’s hand and called out to him: “It’s okay, A-Xiu. Teacher Xu will be fine. Isn’t he really capable?” 

He was obviously so afraid of ghosts, but still tried to feign being calm and composed in front of Li Xiu. Although…..he wasn’t very successful.

In the passenger seat ahead of them, Qiao Yang chattered continuously.

“He’ll be fine, I can feel it.”

“Yes, ah, my teacher is very powerful.”

He seemed to be talking both to himself and the others in the vehicle.

“I’m not just saying that. Teacher Xu is the most powerful master I’ve ever met. I heard that he had a hand in another reanimated corpse suppression. He’s the youngest spiritual master. He only went to find a path this time…..just to find a path…..”

If Qiao Yang hadn’t been crying as he spoke, his self-comfort might have been a little more convincing.

Time seemed to stretch.

Just as Li Xiu was staring out the window, so anxious that he felt as if his nerves were about to snap…..

Clap, clapclap—

He heard brisk clapping.

Li Xiu and Qiao Yang sat up straight at the same time and shouted in great surprise.

“He’s right outside!”

“He should be at the cemetery entrance!”

The clapping soon started once more.

At this moment, Qiao Yang seemed to think of something and hurriedly urged the other two to get out of the car: “Q-quickly! Teacher must have spent a lot of spiritual power!”

“I don’t know how long Teacher can hold out in his situation. We need to go out. Remember what Teacher said, while you’re going forward…..”

Fang Qian’an and Li Xiu spoke in unison:

“You must not open your eyes.”

“Don’t open your eyes.”

Hearing these answers from the two, Qiao Jin forced a smile. Then he pulled off his tie, cut it into two pieces with his pocket knife, and handed them to the two boys in front of him.

“Tie them on,” he said. “It’s time to go.”

Qiao Yang watched Fang Qian’an and Li Xiu tie them around their eyes. Then, he hardened his heart and opened the car door.

When they got out, the thick fog heavily enveloped them. The figures looming in the fog slowly turned toward them and staggered forward.

Ding-ling—

Through the thick, humid fog, the ringing of the bells in the car could still be faintly heard, sending a chill down Li Xiu’s spine.

There was a turbid, moist odor in the fog, and Li Xiu felt like every breath he took was through a wet rag sticking to his mouth and nose. That cold and gloomy sensation seemed to penetrate into the depths of Li Xiu’s body through his pores.

Clap, clapclap—

He didn’t know why, but after getting out of the car, Teacher Xu’s clapping seemed to be much fainter than when they were inside. The sound of the wind, a thin wailing sound with unclear whispers, diluted and fragmented the clapping.

Li Xiu had to stop and listen hard from time to time in order to just barely discern the direction of the clapping.

After walking like this for a short while, he felt a slight movement on his shoulders.

[“A-Xiu, ah…..”]

[“Why are you walking with your eyes covered? Seriously, you’ll fall if you walk like this, ah…..”]

Li Xiu’s heart palpitated at the sound of his grandmother’s old voice.

[“How can Grandma feel at ease when you’re like this…..”]

Holding back tears, Li Xiu pressed a copper coin to the back of his grandmother’s cold, clammy hand.

Fwoosh—

Li Xiu seemed to hear something akin to rising flames. Immediately afterward, the shoulder that had become cold and stiff under the touch of his “grandmother” felt a burning warmth.

And the weight that had previously pressed on Li Xiu’s shoulder vanished in an instant.

Li Xiu sniffled, walking forward and quickly as possible along with that warmth.

Clapclap—

The clapping came from in front of him to the left.

But Li Xiu had only walked a few steps when he heard Teacher Xu’s anxious voice coming from the other direction: “Wait, Li Xiu, don’t go any farther!”

The youth paused in his steps.

A shiver ran through his body, and his stomach began to slightly clench.

“That thing is imitating my clapping! Li Xiu, come this way!” Teacher Xu continued.

The tie around Li Xiu’s eyes was soaked with the cold sweat slowly rolling down his forehead.

Li Xiu only remained in place for a few seconds. He resumed walking toward the front left, and felt something brush his cheek.

Something like…..hair.

“Li Xiu, stop! Don’t go any farther!”

“Lord Hong is in front of you!”

Teacher Xu and Qiao Yang’s voices came one after another.

There was a faint rancid smell in the humid fog.

Clap….clap….

Yet the clapping continued to sound from in front of Li Xiu.

Gritting his teeth, Li Xiu tried his utmost to avoid turning around.

Teacher Xu once said that you shouldn’t believe a word from this kind of “thing.”

The back of his neck was already sticky and itchy. Long, wet hair was all over Li Xiu’s neck like a living thing. When it was about to burrow into his collar — Li Xiu found an opportunity and flung a copper coin behind him with all his strength.

“Wu—”

There was a wail of pain, and the hair that had fallen upon him vanished.

Along with the panicked calls from Teacher Xu and Qiao Yang.

Li Xiu’s knees weakened due to his nerves, and he almost fell.

He knew that this time, he’d made the right call…..those sounds were not from Teacher Xu or Qiao Yang. But…..what about next time?

Would he be so lucky next time?

And would any of the others get confused?

Countless thoughts swirled in Li Xiu’s mind, but he could only bite the bullet and move forward.

He occasionally bumped into some “people” during this period. Sometimes he even sensed those things at the tip of his nose, staring at him with bloodshot scarlet eyes.

And every time, he would find a way to use the copper coins.

Every coin dispelled the ghostly sensation of being watched and entangled by the otherworld. 

However…..

The more Li Xiu walked forward, the more he felt like Teacher Xu’s clapping was gettering farther and farther away. How long would he have to grope through the darkness like this before he was free? Li Xiu had no idea. All he knew was that his original handful of copper coins was depleting the more he went forward.

As the coins dwindled, Li Xiu’s heart tightened with every step he took.

Clapclap —

Finally, when Li Xiu had only two coins left in his palm, he heard very distinct clapping.

This time the clapping was so close that it seemed to ring from just before his eyes.

Li Xiu’s spirits soared as he realized he was about to get out of the night fog.

But in the next moment, he heard a whisper.

The eerie male voice Li Xiu had heard countless times in his dreams sounded right next to his ear.

[“A-Xiu, why are you so disobedient?”]

Right then, there was a shooting pain in Li Xiu’s disabled right foot.

— Something had grabbed his ankle.

Li Xiu screamed uncontrollably, and due to his unsteadiness, he fell to the ground before he could throw a copper coin.

The last two coins rolled out of the youth’s palm.

“Wu—”

Li Xiu sucked in a breath of cold air and began to desperately search for them on the ground.

However, what his hands touched was a face that had long lost its elasticity.

When he touched it, he could even feel his finger accidentally penetrate an already empty eye socket.

The youth whimpered again in terror.

[“Li Xiu—”]

Song Cheng’s voice rang out.

Then came Wang Rongfa’s vicious cursing.

[“Little cripple. Keep running away if you have the ability—”]

Li Xiu’s knees softened as he felt something soft and boneless hang across his back, heavy and and wet.

Twisted knuckles dug into Li Xiu’s neck bit by bit, constricting his breathing.

Li Xiu’s blindfold fell off during the struggle.

The copper coins!

As long as he had the copper coins, he could drive these things away!

The desire to survive mixed with his intense fear, and Li Xiu could barely control his instinct to open his eyes and search for the coins.

But he still couldn’t find them. 

Was he….going to be trapped here?

Or would the evil spirits kill him directly?

A feeling of despair came over him like a tsunami.

“Help me…..wu…..”

Just when Li Xiu was about to give up and open his eyes, he was suddenly grabbed and pulled up from the ground.

“Don’t open your eyes! You idiot!”

A boy’s rough voice exploded in Li Xiu’s ears.

Right after, several copper coins were stuffed into Li Xiu’s palm.

“Take them and go straight forward! The exit is right in front of you!” Li Xiu heard Fang Qian’an shout.

The school bully’s voice was still as domineering as ever, but Li Xiu could tell that Fang Qian’an’s voice was shaking badly.

Everyone was blindfolded.

So how had Fang Qian’an known he had fallen?

Unless, after hearing his screams, he was stupid enough to tear off his blindfold and open his eyes.

Only then did he discover that he was in a desperate situation.

“Fang Qian’an?”

Li Xiu subconsciously reached out to grab the boy, but Fang Qian’an avoided his fingertips.

The boy shoved Li Xiu hard.

Li Xiu staggered a few steps and felt the air around him suddenly become lighter.

“Damnit! Fang—” Li Xiu also heard Teacher Xu’s voice. The other party seemed to call out to Fang Qian’an but cut himself off halfway. “Li Xiu, don’t stop. Hurry, move forward!”

He even heard Qiao Yang shout: “Li Xiu, why are you standing there? Come on, ah!”

Inexplicably, Li Xiu was sure this time that the people speaking were the real Teacher Xu and Qiao Yang, rather than ghostly imitations in the fog.

But Li Xiu couldn’t help but stay in place.

Li Xiu turned and opened his arms to feel around, shouting: “Fang Qian’an? Where are you? Did you get out?”

Fang Qian’an scolded him again: “A-Xiu, you idiot, I’m out! What are you still looking for, get a move on, ah—”

But Li Xiu didn’t leave according to Fang Qian’an’s demand.

“I’m sorry,” Li Xiu murmured to Teacher Xu and Qiao Yang, who didn’t seem to be far away.

“I’m really sorry…..”

He was panting violently, lines of physiological tears running from the corners of his eyes due to the extreme stress and fear.

“I can’t…..I can’t leave Fang Qian’an here alone. He’ll die.”

Then, Li Xiu opened his eyes.

There were two blurry forms right in front of him. Through the thin fog, Li Xiu could clearly see the wan faces of Teacher Xu and Qiao Yang. Teacher Xu’s face was distorted, as if he was still shouting something at him.

But Li Xiu heard nothing. Their faces only appeared for a moment before the thick fog surged in and completely obscured their figures.

Li Xiu let out a sob, shuddering as he turned around.

Then he saw Fang Qian’an’s pale gray face.

When he met Li Xiu’s gaze, Fang Qian’an’s eyes flashed slightly.

An extremely weak whisper fell from his gray lips.

“I fucking…..don’t need you…..to save me…..run away…..ah…..idiot…..”

“A-Xiu, run away.”

Then the luster in his eyes disappeared completely. 

The tall 1.9 meter boy’s body hung like limp dough from the fingertips of a looming red figure.

The monster’s face was blurry as it leaned forward slightly in the thick fog. There seemed to be a pair of real eyes inside the abyss-like eye sockets, staring intently at Li Xiu.

[“A-Xiu.”]

[“My A-Xiu…..”]

It reached out and held Li Xiu’s head.

And Li Xiu trembled as he faced it straight-on.

“Ge…..Gege.” With difficulty, Li Xiu spoke softly to the terrifying monster.

*

*

[“A-Xiu, ah, don’t be afraid.”]

[“This is your gege.”]

[“As long as you treat him as your gege, he will never harm you.”]

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Chapter 55 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 57