Chapter 74: Joyful Wedding, Mourning Cry 5 Part 2
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“Even if this disciple’s fate was tough, struggling to live until the age of nine, the heavens and earth would not allow him to continue living. It was necessary to correct the error before reaching the perfect number ten. In theory, he should have died that year. The divination Master Chengyun performed for him also indicated so.”
“However, he survived. He successfully passed through the Gate of Lifeless Demise, a deathly ordeal. Against all odds, he carved out a path for himself in the land of the dead, entering the realm of perfection at the age of ten. Since then, his life has been intertwined with gods and ghosts. He has become a miracle between heaven and earth. As long as he lives, it is a defiance of the fate of heaven and earth, going against the natural order. He can even change the established course of human life.”
“No one knows where Yan Shixun’s limits lie. Even my master can only speculate that Yan Shixun has likely transcended the Three Realms. Being a human, a ghost, a deity—everything is possible for him. His destiny is no longer bound by his natal chart…”
After this, whatever Taoist Song Yi said next, Lu Xingxing couldn’t remember.
He could only remember that the talent he had always been proud of seemed to be nothing in front of Yan Shixun. And it had to be Yan Shixun! The person he initially thought was just a somewhat skilled charlatan when watching the live broadcast. But he hadn’t expected that he couldn’t even compare to someone he had looked down upon.
Although his master’s original intention was to comfort him, after being scolded by his grandmaster. But his master didn’t know that, for him, it was an even greater blow.
That’s why he had tried to divine Yan Shixun’s whereabouts, intending to challenge him and prove that he wasn’t inferior to Yan Shixun.
But unexpectedly, before he could find Yan Shixun, he was chased by a malevolent spirit and forced into a desperate escape, only to be saved by Yan Shixun along the way.
… This made him feel even more disheartened.
Lu Xingxing gazed at Yan Shixun with a complex expression, but he also became more cautious due to Yan Shixun’s vigilance.
Even if he refused to admit it, it seemed like Yan Shixun’s abilities were genuinely superior. In other words, Yan Shixun could notice many things that he had overlooked, and now Yan Shixun appeared to be on high alert…
Lu Xingxing followed Yan Shixun’s gaze, but apart from the mist flowing like white clouds between the mountains and the occasional hint of lush greenery, he didn’t see anything at all.
But he refused to give up. He gritted his teeth, and swore to see something from inside. He just couldn’t believe that if Yan Shixun could see, he couldn’t!
The dense fog dispersed and then gathered again, and Lu Xingxing’s face changed dramatically. “This, this, this…”
“Surrounded by mountains on all sides, it should have been a place of wealth and prosperity. However, due to the obstruction of high mountains, it never sees sunlight all year round and has become an extremely gloomy place. Something must have happened, causing all luck and vitality to dissipate, resulting in fog everywhere in the mountains. This fog is not just because of rain. If you come here at other times, it’s still filled with clouds and mist, and you won’t see any signs of human presence. The fortune that should have nurtured people has all been diverted to non-human entities, which makes the trees look lush and green, almost as if they’re fake.”
A calm and magnetic male voice came from the side, startling Lu Xingxing.
Because he was completely focused on looking outside the car and hadn’t paid attention to his surroundings, the sudden sound startled Lu Xingxing quite a bit. He jumped up in his seat, but as soon as he stood up, a well-defined hand firmly grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back down with irresistible force.
“Sit down. Do you have hyperactivity disorder? Why are you always trying to stand up for something.”
Yan Shixun furrowed his brow slightly, looking at Lu Xingxing with a puzzled expression. Then, he continued the conversation he hadn’t finished earlier, stating his conclusion, “If someone were to build a grave in a place like this, it would disperse all the spiritual energy that naturally remains in a person’s body after death, turning it all into extremely yin and heavy corpse energy. During gloomy months and days, or when there’s a solar eclipse, graves buried here are highly likely to give rise to reanimated corpses.”
Whether it was formed naturally or by human intention, this place was originally a gathering spot for spiritual energy. Families buried here would prosper for generations, not necessarily reaching high ranks in the government but certainly enjoying prosperity in their own right.
This place can also be considered an excellent spot for Feng Shui. In addition, according to regional customs, there is a tradition of having ancestral graves for clan in this area. If the families living nearby consult a Feng Shui master to evaluate the Feng Shui and determine the location for ancestral graves, this place is very likely to be chosen as someone’s ancestral resting place.
However, after the Feng Shui here was disrupted, the hierarchy of master and servant was completely reversed. The trees and mountains, which should have delivered spiritual energy to those buried in the graves, became dominant, absorbing the corpse energy from the graves and the fortune of the deceased’s descendants. The graves and ancestral resting places, which used to receive offerings, turned into servants. They not only distributed spiritual energy to the surroundings but also absorbed the Yin energy from the nearby trees and mountains, becoming the repository of darkness for the entire mountainous area.
If there were no burials or just a few, it would be manageable. What they feared most was that this place was really the ancestral resting place for an entire clan…
While everyone marveled at the beauty of the mountains, Yan Shixun furrowed his brow and looked at the fog outside the car window, trying to take advantage of the moments when the fog cleared to see what was hidden below.
“When did you sneak up here!”
Although Lu Xingxing couldn’t match Yan Shixun’s strength and was forcibly held in his seat, his heart was still pounding. He stared at Yan Shixun with a mix of complaint and lingering fear, saying, “Do you walk without making any sound? You scared the life out of me. I saw you standing in front just a moment ago, and suddenly you appeared behind me. Who are you trying to frighten?”
Yan Shixun’s eyes were as deep and contemplative as the night, as if he had fallen into serious thought, imagining certain dangerous scenarios, his gaze as sharp as a knife. This made Lu Xingxing shiver all over, feeling inexplicably afraid, and his complaining voice grew quieter.
After a while, Yan Shixun’s gaze finally shifted slightly from the car window to Lu Xingxing sitting beside it.
It turned out he had been looking outside all along, not targeting Lu Xingxing.
This realization made Lu Xingxing breathe a sigh of relief.
But then, Yan Shixun, as if he had discovered something interesting, pondered for a moment before saying, “Could it be… you were scared a moment ago?”
Lu Xingxing swore that he saw a hint of amusement in Yan Shixun’s eyes! Yan Shixun was definitely mocking him!
“No!” Lu Xingxing choked for a moment, turned his head defiantly, and said, “I am a registered Taoist of Haiyun Temple, what do I have to be afraid of? If even an unregistered amateur like you isn’t scared, why would I be?”
Yan Shixun chuckled briefly, finding it amusing that someone as serious as Taoist Song Yi had such a lively disciple.
But then, he reached out and effortlessly grabbed Lu Xingxing by the collar and pulled him out of the window, like it was the most natural thing to do.
Lu Xingxing: “???”
“Make some space. Since you can’t see anything, I’ll take the window seat.” Yan Shixun’s tone sounded polite, but his actions were quite forceful, leaving no room for Lu Xingxing to resist.
Lu Xingxing was infuriated but completely helpless against Yan Shixun. Moreover, deep down, he actually agreed with what Yan Shixun said. If he truly couldn’t see what Yan Shixun saw, it was better to yield his position to him.
However, why was the man in front of him looking at him with such terrifying eyes? Had he done something wrong?
Lu Xingxing felt an extremely chilling gaze on him, making him shiver. Subconsciously, he looked in that direction and saw Ye Li standing at the front.
Although the lighting inside the car was sufficient, Ye Li stood in the shadows, completely engulfed in darkness, his stern and handsome face appearing icy and inscrutable. It was unclear whether his expression was due to anger or simply being concealed by the shadows.
Lu Xingxing originally wanted to glare back, but his soul reacted before he could, causing him to quietly shrink away to the other side, away from Yan Shixun.
In the next moment, that eerie feeling disappeared.
Lu Xingxing: ?
……
After crossing two mountains and descending from the mountainous road, there was a designated area right before connecting with the main road. It was constructed as a large platform serving as a small service area. Vehicles could temporarily stop here for shelter, preventing dangerous head-on encounters when there were many vehicles. It also provided services like a gas station and restroom for passing vehicles to use.
Yan Shixun had already called Zhang Wubing in advance, instructing the convoy to temporarily stop after leaving the mountainous road.
“What’s going on, Brother Yan? Are you tired?” Zhang Wubing asked in a puzzled manner as he approached, but he quickly came up with what he believed was the correct answer, “But yeah, it’s been several hours; I guess we all need a restroom break. I see there’s also a gas station here; we can refuel while we’re at it.”
With that, Zhang Wubing temporarily turned the main screen to show the scenery and invited the guests to get off the bus and stretch their legs.
“Which village is this, and how far are we from our destination?” Yan Shixun suddenly asked.
Hearing Yan Shixun’s voice, Zhang Wubing hurried back to the tour bus and frantically retrieved the tour introduction script he had prepared before departure.
—Although he didn’t dare to hand the script over to Brother Yan. He had a feeling that even if he did, Brother Yan would probably just casually throw it away and go to sleep, without introducing anything to the camera.
“It seems there used to be people around here, but later, they disappeared. Maybe the entire village relocated? I noticed that seven or eight villages in this area all belong to the same clan. The Yang clan, in particular, seems to have a significant influence locally. Many people from these villages have been intermarrying with nearby villages for many years. There are probably over a dozen villages nearby with the surname Yang, all part of this clan. It’s recorded in the local county chronicles. In the local folk culture, the Yang clan and their ancestral hall are important components.”
Zhang Wubing flipped through the folk introduction he had collected and organized, saying to Yan Shixun, “The village we’re heading to this time, Family Tomb Village, is only a part of the Yang clan when you look at it. Judging by its geographical location, it seems to be on the outskirts.”
“Yang clan…” Yan Shixun repeated softly.
He remembered what the owner of the breakfast shop had told him earlier, how decades ago, the owner and his wife had fled from a village in the south, heading north all the way to Binhai City because many nearby villages were of the same clan, and they were afraid of being captured.
The owner and his wife belonged to the same clan but different villages, both descendants of the fifth generation of the same surname.
Surnamed Yang.
Yan Shixun fell silent and stood at the edge of the platform, looking down into the mountain hollow, trying to see through the thick fog to determine if there were any burial mounds below.
Zhang Wubing’s words had reminded him that since the nearby villages were all part of the Yang clan with a significant population and a tradition of ancestral graves, if this place was indeed the ancestral burial grounds of the Yang clan or just a burial ground for a village branch, the number of buried remains down there would be so extensive that it would be challenging to handle.
Once there were remains but not properly dealt with, even if there were no issues at present, when conditions were right—during certain lunar phases or celestial alignments—this place might become a site prone to disturbances.
However, peering through the shifting fog, Yan Shixun, even with his exceptional abilities, could only see a hazy expanse of white below and couldn’t make out any signs of burial mounds or similar features.
“Brother Yan, we should hurry; it’s about to get dark. The road conditions will be complex,” Zhang Wubing urged.
After directing the convoy to refuel, Zhang Wubing approached Yan Shixun and said, “There are no villages nearby, and we can’t spend the night in the mountains.”
Yan Shixun absentmindedly nodded. After all the guests had boarded their vehicles, he finally withdrew his gaze from below, got into the car, and turned his attention away.
Ye Li’s cold and indifferent eyes glanced at the dense fog outside the car window. His peripheral vision caught the expanding white dots within the fog.
Those slender white figures immediately froze in place and trembled in fear, no longer daring to approach.
The vehicles started, and the convoy resumed its journey.
The guests became lively again.
But Yan Shixun, with a furrowed brow, kept looking towards the rear of the vehicle as it continued down the road, until they completely left the rural road, and the cliff surrounded by mountains disappeared from view.
“Whoo! Whoo—!”
In the silent forest, a vulture spread its massive wings and descended from the dense fog. It landed on the roof of the gas station where the convoy had just stopped, folding its mottled black wings. With its all-white eyes, it stared fixedly at the departing convoy.
Amidst the thick fog, there were countless faint, rustling sounds, like bones tapping on the ground and the sound of friction against wood.
A fleshless, white hand suddenly extended from below a cliff, gripping the edge of the road’s soil.
Then, a skull, with only bones remaining, slowly emerged from the horizon, breaking through the dense fog.
Thin white maggots wriggled out of the hollow eye sockets of the skull, fell to the ground, and were quickly crushed underfoot by the bone-clad feet.
On the mountainside, countless white bones clung to the rocks, using their fleshless hand bones to grasp the cliff and climb upward.
They all merged with the bleak white fog, making it impossible to distinguish between fog and bone.
Below the cliff, covered entirely by white mist, there were swaying white bones everywhere.
They desperately extended their bony fingers upward, their jawbones opened and closed, emitting a “clack, clack” sound, as if they were impatiently trying to scream or wail about something. However, due to the lack of vocal cords and flesh, they could only gnash their teeth silently, venting their grievances to the world.
Incomplete and fragmented skeletons crawled in the mud, headless white bones aimlessly scanning the surroundings.
One by one, white bones successfully climbed the cliff. In the gradually darkening sky, they swayed unsteadily on the mountain road, and white maggots fell from them to the ground, only to be crushed underfoot.
“Puff…..”
A car wobbled as it drove onto the rural road, attempting to align itself with the road’s surface and enter the mountainous road.
The driver’s face was flushed, his gaze unfocused. Occasionally, he let out a belch and continued singing loudly along with the music playing inside the car. It appeared to be a local villager who had driven after getting drunk.
“Bang!” The sound of the car crashing into something and then running over it echoed.
The car swayed, and the driver, barely awake from the alcohol, belatedly realized that he seemed to have hit something.
He tried to undo his seatbelt, wanting to get out and check.
However, as he opened the car door just a crack, he heard a “click” sound, as if bones were tapping on the car’s exterior.
He paused and saw a skeletal hand reaching up onto the hood of his car.
Then, a head with no flesh appeared in his field of vision, hollow black eye sockets silently gazing at him.
The driver took a sharp breath, thinking about rubbing his eyes to check if he was really hallucinating due to alcohol. But at that moment, he realized that the car door he was holding onto was slowly creaking open from the outside, as if someone were pulling it. It was gradually swinging outward.
Trembling, the driver turned around and saw a segment of a leg bone protruding through the gap under the car.
He swallowed hard, feeling cold sweat all over his body, yet he couldn’t control himself from looking up.
In the night and thick fog, through the car window, he could only see a white pelvis bone and white maggots wriggling on it, extending toward the car window glass in a contorted manner.
The pelvis bone was hollow, devoid of its upper half.
On the car’s front hood, the skeletal hand clung to the car’s exterior, struggling as it slowly crawled toward the car’s windshield.
—Could it be that what he had just collided with was actually a skeleton?
The driver was terrified out of his wits, and the alcohol haze finally cleared from his mind.
He was left stupefied with fear, his entire body rigid as a stone, incapable of any movement. He tried to close the car door but found his arms were stiff, completely unresponsive to his brain’s commands. He wanted to run but his legs were numb, rendering him incapable of moving.
He could even hear the sound of every joint and bone in his body colliding and compressing.
“Creak… creak…”
The driver could only watch in wide-eyed horror as the skeleton drew closer and closer.
Finally, he let out a heart-wrenching scream.
“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”
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