Chapter 24: Ghost Mountain Villa 24
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Yan Shixun’s departure was swift, leaving the people in the living room bewildered, unsure of what had just happened.
The viewers in front of their screens were also taken aback: “[What’s going on? Why did Yan Shixun run away?]”
[He didn’t even respond to the director. Could it be that something terrifying is about to happen, and he sensed it, so he ran away quickly?]
[In front, what nonsense are you saying? Do you think Brother Yan’s expression matches what you just said? He went straight up to the fourth floor, didn’t you see? If he was running from something, shouldn’t he have gone to the front door?]
[Stop arguing! Look, something doesn’t seem right! Is it an earthquake? I feel like the camera is shaking.]
The sky outside the mansion quickly darkened, plunging the entire world into darkness. The crystal chandelier in the living room continued to sway and collide, producing a harsh sound. The furious wind battered the window glass, and faint “cracking” sounds could be heard, as if the glass was on the verge of breaking under the pressure.
Inside the villa, a sudden and powerful windstorm erupted, not only causing all the fabrics to flutter wildly in the wind but almost lifting people off their feet.
The guests gasped in surprise, instinctively clutching onto nearby objects and each other to stabilize themselves and prevent being blown away.
They had no idea why the surroundings had changed so abruptly, but after experiencing a series of bizarre events in the villa, they had a vague suspicion that Yan Shixun’s actions in heading to the fourth floor might have caused the current situation.
When the startled crowd looked up, due to the obstructed view, they could only see Yan Shixun standing at the corner of the staircase leading to the fourth floor, apparently using some kind of spell or technique to counter the raging wind.
Even Bai Shuang, who had been with Yan Shixun last night, avoiding monsters and female ghost, had never seen him with such a serious and frightening expression. She vaguely realized the gravity of the situation. Her face turned pale as she clutched her heart, silently praying that Yan Shixun could resolve the situation successfully.
——She didn’t know what lay on the fourth floor, but she believed that Yan Shixun could lead them all to escape this haunted place.
After what felt like an eternity, when the villa finally stopped shaking, everyone’s tense nerves gradually relaxed, replaced by a sense of relief and exhaustion as if they had survived a catastrophe.
However, another guest voiced his dissatisfaction, shouting, “What is Yan Shixun trying to do? Is he trying to get us all killed with this?!”
Bai Shuang was bewildered. “What are you talking about?”
An Nanyuanand others furrowed their brows, looking disapprovingly at the male singer who had adopted a mature uncle-like demeanor
Even Zhang Wubing, who usually had a good temper, couldn’t help but express his displeasure when he heard the male singer’s tone and attitude towards his “Brother Yan.” He said, “If it weren’t for him, we would have been in trouble during dinner last night. Furthermore, I understand that everyone is shaken up right now, making everyone nervous, but please remember that this is still a live broadcast. Watch your words.”
The fear of their lives being threatened, however, made the male singer throw caution to the wind. He had been suppressing his fear and frustration since he discovered something happened to Liu Yiyi early this morning.
The male singer stood up abruptly, pointing in the direction of the fourth floor and exclaimed, “Dare any of you say that these terrifying phenomena didn’t start when Yan Shixun went up to the fourth floor on his own? He didn’t even discuss it with us and just ran up there. He’s the one who caused the current situation! This eerie wind is so strong; it’s definitely because those things are angry!”
“Clearly, if we had done nothing, we wouldn’t have angered those things, and maybe they would have let us leave right away! But Yan Shixun acted on his own, causing us to incur the wrath of those things. Now, he’s run off on his own, leaving us here with nothing to eat or drink, just waiting to die!”
The male singer ranted for a while, but he saw that no one agreed with him.
Even the staff members who usually called him “Mister” were frowning and looking at him with strange eyes, as if they were watching a monkey in a zoo.
—They didn’t believe what he was saying and found him laughable, like a monkey.
This perception made the male singer furious, and he couldn’t hide the embarrassment on his face. His face turned red.
“Ha! Do you people think that relying on Yan Shixun is the way to get out of here?”
The male singer, with his face red and his neck thick, sarcastically said, “If he’s really that amazing, why haven’t I heard of his name in Binhai City? I donate to Haiyun Temple every year, but I’ve never heard anyone mention a person like Yan Shixun among those masters. He’s probably just a charlatan trying to deceive people. Director, you’ve been fooled.”
Zhang Wubing was instantly enraged.
He knew that if it weren’t for his Brother Yan back in Binhai University, he would have died dozens of times by now! He could vouch for Brother Yan’s abilities with his life.
Zhang Wubing was about to retort the male singer, but someone else stepped forward even faster.
“Shut up!”
It was Ding Xixi, who had been hiding in the corner all this time.
Since she stepped on human bones while hiking up the mountain yesterday, she, who originally didn’t believe in the supernatural, had been on the brink of a mental breakdown due to the series of strange events that had occurred one after another. Just now, she was one of the guests who had been most frightened by the sudden phenomenon among the group.
However, now she was also the one with the most intense reaction.
“Brother Yan would never harm us. I trust him. He must be looking for a way to get us out of here!”
Ding Xi’s eyes were determined, and she had lost her usual smooth sophistication, appearing forceful. “He saved me twice. What about you? I saw it this morning when I was scared by something in the mirror in my room. You were only concerned with hiding at the back of everyone and aiming your split-screen camera at me. Are you both afraid of dying and trying to profit from my pitiful appearance at that moment by getting more subscribers and views?”
“One person has genuinely saved us so many times, while another one only hides behind others and coldly exploits a companion in danger. As long as we are alive and our eyes are intact, we should know who to trust.”
Ding Xi’s words were emphatic, leaving the living room in stunned silence.
Not to mention An Nanyuan and Bai Shuang, who already held Yan Shixun in high regard, but the rest of the group began to contemplate and found Ding Xi’s words increasingly convincing.
Although Yan Shixun initially appeared to clash with the production team when they first arrived at Gui Mountain, his assertive and brusque attitude had earned disapproval from some of the guests accustomed to the hierarchical nature of the entertainment industry. His amateur status also led some to look down on him.
However, in less than two days, Yan Shixun had already proven through his actions and abilities that he didn’t need an additional identity to enhance his brilliance.
In Yan Shixun’s heart, he had his own expansive world.
In that non-scientific domain that no one else had the privilege to touch, he possessed an absolutely convincing and dependable power.
And it cannot be denied that if it weren’t for Yan Shixun, the unprepared group would have consumed the suspicious meat prepared by the old steward, with dire consequences…
Just looking at Liu Yiyi’s condition was enough to make people imagine.
Even the few who had been led astray by the male singer’s words due to excessive fear, had some resentment in their hearts towards Yan Shixun for acting on his own and causing such terrifying phenomena, couldn’t help but feel a sense of guilt under Ding Xi’s words. Their previous dissatisfaction instantly turned into even stronger trust in Yan Shixun.
In this eerie and crisis-ridden mountain villa, cut off from the outside world with no means of communication, if they wanted to leave safely, it made much more sense to trust the one person who had the ability to protect them rather than blame him.
The male singer observed the changing expressions of the group and couldn’t help but exclaim, “You all actually trust someone whose background is unknown? Have you gone mad?”
An Nanyuan shrugged. “If we don’t trust Brother Yan’s words, should we trust you? As Sister Xixi said, it’s better to trust someone who has proven themselves through their actions, rather than someone who just stands by and ignores the safety of their companions. Besides…”
A mocking expression flashed across his face. “You think you have a big online presence and look down on Brother Yan, who is just an amateur. But your number of fans is probably just a fraction of mine, right? As a singer, your fame is not as great as Sister Xixi’s or Bai Shuang’s, and you haven’t won any awards. Who gave you the confidence to look down on Brother Yan, whom both Sister Xixi and I trust? Did someone feed that to you?”
As a member of an idol boy group, An Nanyuan had always been focused on image management. However, this time, he directly used his fame and status in such a public manner for the first time.
With no food, medicines, no nothing and dangers all around.
In this unique life-and-death situation within the villa, even someone accustomed to presenting a perfect image in front of the camera would instinctively approach their true self.
Furthermore, An Nanyuan had witnessed the unexplainable aspects of Yan Shixun firsthand. In the late night at the villa and the garden, if it weren’t for Yan Shixun, he might have been killed by the old steward appearing in the living room or the monster wielding a huge axe in the garden.
The matters of life and death made An Nanyuan willing to defend Yan Shixun, whom he trusted and admired.
As for the male singer who had been repeatedly questioned was feeling quite upset, his face turned red and then pale, looking extremely unsightly.
He glared angrily at the other guests and said, “Fine, stay here and wait for death then! I won’t be foolish with you.”
With that, the male singer, with an air of hostility, shot a spiteful look at Zhang Wubing, who hadn’t supported him, and left with the words, “You’re just jealous because I don’t have the status of An Nanyuan, right? You’ll see the day I win the Song God Award!”
Zhang Wubing was perplexed, but due to his role as a director, he couldn’t disrupt the program on camera and refrained from swearing out loud.
However, he couldn’t help but think to himself: Even though Brother Yan always says I should change my name to ‘Youbing’, I think this guy is the one who’s really Youbing (sick in the head).”
What’s the big deal with fame and awards? Wasn’t he the one who caused trouble first? How did it suddenly become about belittling and praising him?
Bai Shuang also looked at the male singer’s departing figure in puzzlement and muttered quietly, “Weird.”
However, Ding Xi, who had just boldly confronted the male singer, seemed somewhat hesitant after he had actually left.
“Why does it feel like something’s not right with him?” Ding Xi furrowed her brows. “I may not be very familiar with him, but we’ve met a few times at events before. He didn’t seem like such a hasty, image-neglecting person. His behavior just now seems somewhat unusual. His usual temper shouldn’t be like this.”
As a fellow singer, Bai Shuang had some knowledge of the male singer and knew that he had a bad habit of bragging and boasting among his peers, but she didn’t think too much about it and didn’t have any suspicions like Ding Xi did.
“He must have been really scared.”
After all, in a life-threatening situation, everyone tends to reveal their true selves to some extent.
But another male guest kept glancing in the direction the male singer had left, looking rather perplexed.
Having spent many years in the entertainment industry, even if the male singer had a bad temper in private, would he really dare to be so arrogant in front of the camera? Something just didn’t seem right.
“Um… He just left like that. Do you think he’ll be okay?”
After having a heated exchange, the male singer had actually left, and now An Nanyuan was starting to have second thoughts.
With a vivid imagination, An Nanyuan immediately thought of the fates of those characters in horror movies who didn’t listen to others and acted alone. He shivered at the mental images conjured by his own thoughts.
Another guest nodded. “Maybe one of you should go check on him?”
“I’m also afraid to go alone. It seems safer to stay together in the living room. Besides, he chose to leave by himself. If we go looking for him, he might just scold us.”
“…Well, that makes sense. After all, he’s a grown man, and what could possibly happen?”
After everyone reached a consensus, a male guest hesitated and spoke up, “His room was originally on the right side of the second floor. But this morning, Mr. Yan said that everyone should move to the left side, so he moved into my room. Does that affect anything?”
Upon hearing this, the group exchanged glances and saw the hesitation and fear in each other’s eyes.
Of the four people staying on the right side, Liu Yiyi and the male actor were already in the first aid room, and Ding Xi had been quite frightened. So, that means the only one who had left alone recently was the male singer.
This……
Shouldn’t be a problem, right?
Although Zhang Wubing was unhappy with this person questioning Yan Shixun, as a director, he had a responsibility to ensure the safety of the members of the production team. So, he called a few staff members and prepared to go look for the male singer who had left.
“It seems like he didn’t return to his room. Maybe he’s also afraid to go back to his original room on the right, but he can’t bring himself to face the left room where he moved afterward?”
Bai Shuang pointed in the direction of the kitchen. “He went that way. Director, you should go find him over there.”
Zhang Wubing nodded. “Alright, and we’ll check if there’s any food and water over there as well.”
Meanwhile, in front of the live camera, many viewers who didn’t fully understand the situation but had been quite critical of Yan Shixun due to the male singer’s complaints, as well as the fans who had initially supported the male singer, started to feel uncertain. Some of them even began to see things differently.
[It seems like that’s the case. I watched Yan Shixun’s entire journey from finding Bai Shuang to hiding in the woodshed in Brother’s split-screen last night, and Yan Shixuan didn’t act recklessly like that person claimed. He has been protecting Brother and Bai Shuang all along.]
[I can’t laugh or cry, does Brother treat Brother Yan like an idol? It’s like the first time I’ve seen Brother speak so directly and sharply. But indeed, if it were me, I’d choose Brother Yan too. Brother Yan is way more handsome than this guy! Haha, beauty misled me.]
[This guy… his character is really not great. When Xixi got scared this morning, everyone was concerned about her, but he was the only one adjusting his split-screen angle to focus on Xixi. Since no one’s split-screen angles could see exactly what happened to Xixi, we all rushed to his split-screen to check.]
[Poor my Xi, she cried until her makeup was ruined. As a public figure, she shouldn’t have shown this side. After all, she’s still an actress. But not only did all the viewers see her in the most embarrassing state, she was also used by this person to gain followers. I’m speechless.]
[But why did Yan Shixun go to the fourth floor? His split-screen shows nothing, just pitch black. From the main live screen, he’s just standing on the stairs. Logically, the split-screen should show the stairs. Strange.]
[I noticed that too. I climbed over from Brother Yan’s split-screen to this side to see what’s going on. Brother Yan was really handsome just now! But it seems like after he finished reciting something, he turned on the lights? I saw a few flashes of light. Then the whole screen suddenly went completely black, and I couldn’t see anything.]
[On the main screen, you can only see Brother Yan standing still on the stairs. What’s going on with him! I’m really worried, Brother Yan must not have any trouble!]
[If even Brother Yan has trouble, this show is really going to be in big trouble…]
[Shut up! Stop jinxing it. They won’t be in danger; everyone will leave safely.]
[Yes, everything is improving. Look, the director and the others are even going to search for food.]
……
Not only were the viewers of the program keeping an eye on Yan Shixun’s movements, but on the other side, the Taoists of the Haiyun Temple were also doing something unprecedented: they were closely monitoring Yan Shixun’s split-screen on electronic screens.
Although Haiyun Temple was known for its blessings and miracles, many people didn’t know that exorcism and ghost-catching were the real expertise of the Taoists of Haiyun Temple.
Haiyun Temple not only cooperated with the authorities to handle supernatural events, but also regularly inspected places in Binhai City and its vicinity that were prone to harboring ghosts due to heavy Yin and resentment. If any abnormalities were found, they would deal with them immediately.
As for the Gui Mountain in the outskirts of Binhai City, Haiyun Temple knew its true origin very well.
Like the old stories the previous generation told about Gui Mountain—the bandits’ miserable deaths, passing travelers disappearing, and more—Haiyun Temple was very clear these weren’t baseless rumors.
But real events that happened.
According to the written records of Haiyun Temple’s successive Taoists over the generations, it could be confirmed a group of bandits did meet a wretched end at Gui Mountain, then an unnamed hill, a hundred years ago.
The nearby villagers were badly frightened by the sight of flesh chunks and blood covering the mountain. They invited Haiyun Temple’s Taoists at the time, hoping to hold a salvation ritual so these vicious, evil bandits wouldn’t become vengeful ghosts after death and disturb the surrounding villages.
But when the Taoists arrived as promised, there were no villagers to receive him. Going up the mountain himself, he didn’t see any of the claimed corpses either.
There was only an abandoned villa, shrouded in thick layers of dust and large patches of dried blood, standing silent atop the mountain. Proof the villagers hadn’t lied.
But from that day forth, the mountain was frequently reported to make passing travelers who temporarily took shelter in the villa disappear, never to emerge again. Several villagers who went up the mountain to gather firewood also went missing.
They might have been discovered days later, dead and in a pitiful state, thrown on the mountain, or they could have disappeared without a trace, never to be found again.
During this time, many Taoists, shamans, and others who heard about the incidents attempted to resolve the issue but all returned empty-handed. Some who weren’t sufficiently spiritually advanced even lost their way and never came back.
The mountain earned a notorious reputation and became feared by the villagers in the vicinity, who began calling it “Ghost Mountain.”
For a long time, Ghost Mountain remained infamous for its malevolence until a period of peace and prosperity swept through the nation. The mountain’s evil reputation was gradually suppressed, and incidents of deaths were no longer reported.
It was later renamed Gui Mountain, its sinister past became a historical footnote, no longer mentioned by people. Instead, it became a popular tourist attraction in the outskirts of Binhai City, known for its beautiful scenery and loved by many.
However, since the beginning of this year when a group of college students who had decided to climb Gui Mountain during their winter break went missing, things started to take a sinister turn again.
The rescue teams initially thought that, as was often the case, these students lacked wilderness survival experience and had gotten themselves into trouble while hiking.
However, when they found the missing students, they were trembling uncontrollably, driven to madness by fear, and covered in bloodstains.
The students recounted their experiences in a disoriented manner, their eyes wide with terror. They claimed to have encountered gruesome humanoid creatures who tried to force flesh and blood into their mouths, as if they wanted to take their places and leave Gui Mountain themselves.
The rescue team was perplexed and initially planned to wait for the students’ emotions to stabilize before questioning them. However, on the way to the hospital, the students suddenly developed high fevers, shouting that there were ghosts and speaking gibberish.
Taoists from Haiyun Temple rushed to the hospital upon hearing the news. To their astonishment, they found that these students were nearly devoid of three souls and seven spirits. Their life force, which should have belonged to the living, was as low as that of someone on their deathbed.
After restoring the students’ lost souls, they were temporarily calmed. However, whenever someone mentioned Gui Mountain, they would scream in terror again. Even several strong men couldn’t restrain them.
Unable to extract any information about what had happened on Gui Mountain from the students, Haiyun Temple had no choice but to let them recover in the hospital.
——Moreover, one student remained missing, despite an extensive search of Gui Mountain.
Soon after, children from the villages near Gui Mountain reported seeing blood-covered individuals stumbling around the mountain or skeletal remains partially emerging from the ground, clawing desperately with bony fingers, as if trying to break free from the earth’s grasp.
At first, parents dismissed the children’s accounts as pranks and didn’t take them seriously. They thought the children were just trying to stir up trouble.
However, soon, not only the playing children, but also the villagers who went up the mountain to chop wood, the women who picked wild fruits, and the people who passed through the mountains to the neighboring villages… more and more people saw the bloody monsters in the mountains.
They looked like people who had been skinned, dragging their intestines and rotting organs on the ground. At dusk, they walked in the shadows cast by the trees in a daze, opened their mouths with only their jaws left, and uttered indistinct calls of unknown meaning, looking for their way in a daze.
However, they were always unable to move forward half a step when they approached the edge of the mountain. They had to turn back again, letting out a series of whimpering sounds like crying.
The dead wail, not knowing the way home.
The villagers were frightened out of their wits and quickly reported the incidents to the authorities.
However, when Haiyun Temple joined the authorities search efforts and conducted a thorough sweep of Gui Mountain, not a single human bone was found.
It wasn’t until the production team of the “Heart-Pounding Journey of Ninety-Nine Days
” program entered Gui Mountain, encountering perilous situations, that some viewers who knew Haiyun Temple’s Taoists saw that the symbols drawn by Yan Shixun were Taoist talismans. Curiosity led them to inform their Taoist friends.
This program, along with the creatures appearing on camera, caught the attention of Haiyun Temple.
They realized that what the production team was encountering might be the very creatures they had been seeking in vain. Moreover, the villa where the program’s participants stayed might be the source of all the anomalies that had occurred on Gui Mountain over the past century.
As a result, the members of Haiyun Temple discreetly monitored the live broadcast of the program, analyzing each frame with seriousness and tension.
They paid special attention to Yan Shixun’s camera feed.
“This young man named Yan Shixun, based on his familiarity with the Fayin Symbols displayed in the livestream, if I hadn’t confirmed that I’ve never heard of his name before, I would have thought he was a direct disciple of some high-ranking master or a senior within the monestry.”
One of the Taoists pointed at the livestream where Yan Shixun was drawing the symbols directly in the air with his hands and exclaimed, “The accuracy and fluency of this, creating the symbols flawlessly in one go, and unleashing their power so perfectly. Even if we know there are innate symbols, such innate talent is truly rare.”
Another elder Taoist chuckled, “If you had come to Haiyun Temple twenty years ago, you would know that there are indeed some people like this. Back then, Haiyun Temple had a wandering hermit who was just like that.”
A spark of enlightenment was all it took for a symbol; the world wastes ink and vermilion in vain.
In this circle, occasionally, you can find truly exceptional talents who seem to effortlessly grasp the essence of symbols, without the need for the elaborate rituals and procedures of acquired symbols.
In the eyes of these Taoists, both Yan Shixun and the hermit from twenty years ago clearly belonged to that category.
But soon, the Taoists had no more time for idle chatter.
Their attention was drawn to the unusual behavior of Yan Shixun.
In the camera frame, Yan Shixun stood at the corner of the staircase in the villa, completely still, his eyebrows furrowing and relaxing, his expression subtly changing.
The barrage of comments on the screen scrolled rapidly. The program’s comment section was also abuzz with discussions about what Yan Shixun might be doing.
However, the Taoists speculated that something on the fourth floor had caught Yan Shixun’s attention, something that the others couldn’t see. Yan Shixun’s immobility suggested that he might be engaged in a battle or a standoff with whatever was on the fourth floor.
“This young man has exceptional talent, but he’s still young. The things in Gui Mountain have resisted control for a hundred years. Confronting them head-on may not end well.”
One Taoist said, expressing concern. “If he’s trapped in an illusion and can’t break free, it could be bad.”
“Look at the Buddhist stature beside him…” another person pointed at Yan Shixun’s side. “Doesn’t this statue of Guanyin seem off?”
A stream of blood and tears flowed down from the closed eyes of the damaged Guanyin statue,.
Forming a pool of blood at Yan Shixun’s feet. Yet, Yan Shixun, standing in the pool, remained oblivious, lost in a world unseen by anyone else.
The once-clear camera footage began to flicker, resembling a TV screen with poor reception. Red snowflake-like artifacts began to spread across the screen, obscuring the clarity of all images.
With a determined look, one of the Taoists chanted a mantra to open his Third Eye.
His vision changed.
In the camera’s frame, the place where Yan Shixun stood was drenched in blood. Black strands of hair snaked and coiled around. Pale bony fingers extended from the dark tresses, reaching out to Yan Shixun from all directions.
The entire space was like a sealed glass container, with the gathered blood gradually rising until it submerged Yan Shixun’s head, swallowing him entirely in a sea of blood.
Blood was as deep as the sea, and grudges ran deeper.
Vengeful spirits sought to claim lives.
The camera feed, which had been flickering continuously, finally went dark as if the power had been abruptly cut off, plunging into complete darkness.
After a few seconds, the camera feed lit up again, and everything returned to normal.
There was no trace of blood, the black long hair that had covered the floor had vanished without a trace, and the skeletal figures seemed like nothing more than an illusion.
However, what had also disappeared was Yan Shixun.
The camera feed was still here, but Yan Shixun’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
Only the statue of Guanyin emitted faint cracking sounds as spiderweb-like fractures slowly covered the damaged golden body.
The eyes of the Guanyin statue remained tightly closed, devoid of any blood or tears, but a slight curve formed at the corner of her lips, lifting into a smile directed at the camera.
Compassionate towards all living beings.
The Daoist master: “!!!”
“We can’t wait any longer. We have to go to Gui Mountain immediately!”
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Thanks for the update
Ughhh….. Why do they have to watch the broadcast and just decide to go when thing are already bad? Why couldn’t they just hurry and go to the gui mountain…. It’s not like their comments are needed…🙄
Thanks for the chapter!!☺️😊😊☺️😊