Chapter 202: A Mountain Suspended, A River Submerged (16)
Because the incident involved Yan Shixun, Taoist Wang, who should have left the temple for work, chose to stay behind out of concern for him.
In Taoist Wang’s eyes, Yan Shixun was family.
Even though Yan Shixun had now become famous—his name known to everyone in the exorcist world, with the powerful and wealthy all scrambling to get a reading from him—
But Taoist Wang still saw him as a “pitiful child” who had lost his master, been bullied, couldn’t even speak openly about his relationship, and had no one to bless him.
Because of this, he felt a deep sympathy for Yan Shixun and frequently defended him in front of the other Taoists.
Whenever Yan Shixun came up in conversation, Taoist Wang would act like a fiercely protective mother hen, glaring daggers at the other Taoist across from him. The moment anyone dared say a word against Yan Shixun, he would immediately launch into a loud and forceful rebuttal.
This made the others respond with stiff, insincere smiles, barely holding back the urge to roll their eyes and break their meditative calm.
—What was up with this sect? Wasn’t this protection a bit excessive?
Besides, all they said was that Taoist Yan wasn’t very warm or sociable—how did that amount to slander? Didn’t they follow it up with a long list of compliments about Taoist Yan’s strength and reliability? Did none of that count?
As time passed, the other Taoists of Haiyun Temple grew used to Taoist Wang’s behavior.
They numbly thought, This is exactly like a parent who lost their child and finally got them back…
So when one of the Taoists hurried back to the temple and saw Taoist Wang, he immediately told him everything about Longevity Village and the variety show crew.
Taoist Wang was stunned. “Nanming Mountain?!”
He spun around and ran straight toward the abbot’s office. With a loud “bang!”, he shoved the door open.
“Nanming Mountain is a place I’ve visited before! Now that Junior Brother Yan is there too, I have to go!”
The abbot lifted his head at the sound and looked at Taoist Wang, his expression blank with a hint of shock.
“Longevity Village…”
His voice trembled. “Mountain Hollow Village is actually the village downstream of Nanming Mountain. All these years, it’s been right under our noses, yet none of us noticed.”
The abbot was overwhelmed with guilt and regret, blaming himself to the extreme.
He had never imagined that despite all their careful precautions, they still overlooked Longevity Village, a place that had become quite well-known online.
It was strange, as though something had clouded their awareness. Even when they saw the name, they somehow dismissed it, subconsciously assuming it was just another scenic tourist spot that didn’t warrant their attention.
Just like in the livestream—those guests hadn’t been able to see the decaying corpses right in front of them.
Even the masters and Taoists hadn’t been able to perceive the existence of Longevity Village.
It wasn’t until the film crew arrived there and the rotting corpses hidden in the darkness appeared on camera that the illusion of peace and safety shattered like glass under a hammer.
The harsh, bloody truth of the danger came brutally into view.
When the abbot realized what had happened, he felt as if his entire heart was trembling uncontrollably.
Taoist Wang’s hurried steps gradually slowed. He rested his hand against the doorframe, staring dazedly at the abbot.
After a moment, Taoist Wang let out a quiet laugh.
“This journey is dangerous. If I don’t return…”
Taoist Wang spoke calmly, “Don’t bother looking for me.”
“Even if I die in Nanming, I swear I’ll make the ghosts stay behind and guard it.”
“Until I see with my own eyes that Nanming is no longer a threat.”
The abbot’s lips trembled. He blinked rapidly, forcing back the moisture in his eyes, and then gave a solemn nod.
“All right.”
…
As the official in charge led the rescue team toward Longevity Village, the Taoists of Haiyun Temple also departed immediately, heading out at the fastest speed possible.
Once they learned that Longevity Village lay just downstream of Nanming Mountain, the official became incredibly alert.
He rubbed his aching stomach while gritting his teeth, enduring the pain, and made a phone call to the local authorities in the southern region. He left out most of the details involving ghosts and monsters, and instead gave a brief explanation about the dangers posed by Longevity Village.
The local official from the southern region hesitated a little. “Although I’ve heard a few things about what happened over a decade ago from the older generation… you’re saying all those criminals and wrongdoers were hiding in Longevity Village? That can’t be true, right?”
“Longevity Village is widely known as a tourist destination in that area. Many people are even willing to retire there for a peaceful and happy life.”
His response reminded the official in charge of something crucial.
Since the time when Mountain Hollow Village had first been discovered decades ago by a group of lost surveyors, the prevailing narrative had always been how livable it was.
Because of that reputation, many hikers, mountain backpackers, travelers, photographers, and even painters on artistic expeditions had either publicly expressed or privately told friends and family that they planned to move to Longevity Village to live.
Their choices—and the articles, photos, and videos they shared—had, in turn, attracted even more people who became curious and wanted to visit the village for themselves.
Over the years, more and more people had entered Longevity Village to settle down. But the people outside… had never seen them again.
And yet—
As someone long in charge of regional coordination and planning, the official had a sharp instinct and quickly picked up on the most contradictory issue.
“Can Longevity Village’s food supply and infrastructure really support such a large number of settlers?”
“Did any of you actually see what happened to those settlers after they entered the mountains? How they’re doing now? What their current situation is?”
His rapid series of questions left the other side speechless.
There was a long silence on the other end of the line before the person finally spoke. “No… I haven’t seen them. I’ve never considered that kind of question.”
The official’s voice sounded dazed, like someone who had just been jolted awake from a sweet dream—still groggy, still unwilling to face the stark difference between that illusion and reality.
“We’ve gone to Longevity Village a few times for research, but for some reason, every time we were there, we just felt so happy—too happy to want to think about anything that might tire us out or upset us. The things we should’ve asked, we only remembered after we’d already left the village.”
The questions posed by the official seemed to stir up the person’s confusion. Their mind slowly began to turn again, bringing back memories of strange things they had previously ignored without even realizing it.
“But… when we noticed that no new settlers were around in the village, we did ask the villagers about it. According to them, those who had moved there couldn’t handle the poor living conditions in the mountains, so they left.”
The person on the line was clearly trying hard to recall everything from their previous trips to Longevity Village, and their thoughts were gradually becoming clearer.
The official, however, went quiet for a moment before finally asking in a low voice, “All of them left?”
“Not a single person could bear living in Longevity Village?”
The official in charge let out a cold, silent laugh. “Nearly everyone who wanted to settle there had already lived in Longevity Village for a while. They should’ve been familiar enough with the situation.”
“And after all that understanding, they only said they couldn’t endure it after they officially moved in? Isn’t that a little late?”
“If it were just one or two people, that would be normal. But…”
He took the analysis report handed over by someone beside him.
It documented everyone who, ever since Longevity Village first came into public view decades ago, had openly expressed a desire to settle there—plus those mentioned in news reports whose friends and family claimed they’d already moved there.
Altogether, the total came to nearly a thousand people.
“The likelihood that all one thousand of them changed their minds.”
The official’s voice was soft, mixing with the phone static—barely more than a breath—as he asked, “How likely do you think that is?”
The person on the other end was speechless.
The official adjusted his tone and said, “What’s done is done. There’s no point dwelling on past work now. What matters is stopping what’s about to happen and cutting off the danger here and now.”
“Matters regarding Longevity Village are already being handled by a special department. For now, I need you to investigate the people who went there to settle…”
His eyes darkened. “Did they really leave because they couldn’t stand the hardship of mountain life?”
If this had happened decades ago, back when transportation and communication were inconvenient, it was entirely possible for someone to vanish after leaving their hometown and heading to another city. If they deliberately hid their whereabouts, their loved ones might never find them again.
But in the past decade or so, with travel records, surveillance cameras, GPS tracking—if someone really wanted to find someone, they could.
Ever since he learned of Longevity Village’s connection to Nanming Mountain, the official could no longer hold onto hope for those settlers.
Reason told him that the earliest settlers had most likely already ended up as one of the drowned corpses in the river. And the later ones? Probably didn’t fare much better.
But emotionally, he still wanted to hold on to any sliver of hope. Surveillance footage, travel records, tickets—anything that could trace their whereabouts might hold the key to saving lives.
The person on the other end solemnly promised to begin the investigation.
Meanwhile, the rescue team had already arrived at the base of the mountain outside Longevity Village.
From a distance, in the dark, they could see the production team’s vehicles ahead lit by headlights.
Since there were no roads built into the mountain, vehicles couldn’t pass. The team had no choice but to carry their gear on foot, trekking in under heavy loads.
Experienced rescuers knew this would significantly increase the risk. It would make them easy targets in the forest.
The danger lay in the shadows—they were fully exposed.
Hiking in meant giving up the first layer of protection provided by vehicles. They also had to travel light, abandon many supplies, and deal with severe physical strain.
All these disadvantages weighed heavily on the rescue team captain. The looming sense of danger kept his nerves taut.
Yet not a single person voiced the desire to turn back. Everyone’s eyes were sharp and resolute, determined to rescue the people in the mountains and uncover the truth behind Longevity Village.
The official in charge, meanwhile, pressed a hand to his stomach, which throbbed with pain so intense it made his entire body tremble. Holding the car door with his other hand, he fought to keep his muscles from shaking as he stepped out.
The rescue team captain’s ears twitched. With a serious expression, he asked those beside him, “Did you hear screaming?”
The team fell silent, tilting their heads to listen.
In the dead stillness of the dark, the mountains stood silent, void of any trace of life.
But from the guesthouse ahead came screams—raw, heart-wrenching cries mingled with sobs and desperate shouts for help. The sounds echoed across the mountains, wave after wave.
Inside the guesthouse, the hostess’s face was streaked with tears and smeared makeup, but she dared not stop moving for even a moment.
What had once been a cozy home had turned into a deadly hunting ground. Her loving, honest husband had transformed into a vicious executioner.
She ran frantically through the guesthouse, stumbled around the stairs, and dove into a room, trembling as she locked the door.
Listening to the approaching footsteps outside, her heart was filled with utter despair.
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