Chapter 60.1 Deserted Village 02
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The deserted village, initially known as Bimen Village, stood on the outskirts of K City within the Egui Mountains, previously dubbed the Starving Ghost Mountains. This name reflected the unfortunate feng shui of the area, leading to prolonged periods of famine and widespread starvation that claimed numerous lives. During that era, the Egui Mountains were shrouded in a haunting landscape of skeletal remains, earning them the eerie moniker of Starving Ghost Mountains [饿鬼/egui]. Over time, due to the ominous connotations associated with the name, it was eventually altered to Egui Mountains [厄桂/inauspicious cassia tree] for a more harmonious homophonic resonance.
Egui Mountains resembled a large iron wok, with the sunken portion at the center being Bimen Village. Nestled within the heart of the Egui Mountain Range, Bimen Village looked like meat being steamed. Because Bimen Village was far from the city and crowds, access was extremely inconvenient. Consequently, several years ago, the residents of Bimen Village started gradually moving away. Over time, the village became deserted, overrun with lush greenery. Ivy vines and other climbing plants covered both the interior and exterior of the buildings, making it look like a green kingdom when viewed from a distance.
Though a picturesque beauty from a distance, a palpable sense of dread crept in upon closer approach. A silence, akin to death itself, enveloped from all sides, stifling even the faintest of breaths.
Chen Yang walked down the mountainside, navigating a somewhat uneven path strewn with fallen leaves. Du Shuo tightly held Chen Yang’s hand to prevent him from accidentally falling. Upon hearing the names Bimen Village and Starving Ghost Mountains, Chen Yang immediately remarked, “The Ministry of Justice is like a mouth, swallowing the flesh of the people like dumplings. The Ministry of Works is like a ghost, born to be hungry. I don’t know why, but upon hearing these two names, this phrase suddenly came to my mind.”
The Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Works were two of the ministries during the Song Dynasty. This phrase originally meant that the Ministry of Justice couldn’t receive ‘filial piety money’, so its officials could only extract some profit from the poor peasants. And the Ministry of Works was the most impoverished, resembling ghosts suffering from intense hunger and thirst. The names Bimen Village and Egui Mountains indeed have some connection with this phrase, as during the harsh rule of tyrants and famines, the common people were comparable to the lowest of hungry ghosts in the Ghost Realm.
However, this phrase, when connected to the deserted village of today, inexplicably sent shivers down one’s spine.
Du Shuo: “Ghosts are usually cunning, be vigilant.”
At this moment, the two had already reached the entrance of the deserted village. The village’s structures were distinct, resembling fortresses. Almost every building stood as a two-story turret, with a small door, two meters high, facing east. The turrets had half-meter-high windows, pitch-black inside, concealing mysterious contents.
Near the village entrance, large trees with twisted roots sprawled, anchoring themselves into walls and turrets. Roots of varying thickness snaked and coiled on the walls, densely enveloping large stones. These seemingly delicate roots possessed a formidable force, silently infiltrating hard rocks, seeking crevices, and crushing stones from within.
Countless green vines entwined around the turrets, almost engulfing the buildings. In the present bright sunlight, only a deathly panic could be felt. Once the sunlight waned and darkness descended, this place would be completely shrouded in eerie gloom. Without sunlight and human presence, all one could sense was a pervasive Yin energy.
Chen Yang retrieved a voodoo doll and a small bottle from his backpack. The bottle contained a drop of blood, specifically the blood from Chief Yi Wu’s fingertips. Since fingers were connected to the heart, fingertip blood could substitute for heart blood. Chen Yang poured the blood from the bottle onto the doll’s chest and forehead, drawing symbols in the void, commanding, “Heed!”
The blood visibly merged into its skin. The next moment, the doll’s eyeballs noticeably rotated. Then, it blinked and sat up in Chen Yang’s palm, holding Chen Yang’s middle finger with a soft and sweet grip, calling out in a soft voice, “Yangyang, I am Wawa [doll].”
The voodoo doll was a girl, initially appearing eerie and fierce, but due to its sweet and innocent aura, it became quite adorable.
Chen Yang,instantly charmed, greeted with a smile, “Hello, Wawa, I’m Yangyang.”
The voodoo doll shyly flipped its hair to cover half its face, softly saying, “Yangyang, do you want to find Shengsheng?”
“Shengsheng?” Chen Yang quickly realized that the voodoo doll was referring to Yi Fusheng. In his impression, although Chief Witch Yi was a woman, she was never one to joke around. She had a serious and dignified personality, and was always conscientious and responsible. Definitely not a woman who liked to joke around, let alone be associated with “cute.” Chief Witch Yi and her brother, the temple master of Changdao Temple, were two entirely different individuals.
Initially, Chen Yang mistakenly believed he had grabbed the wrong voodoo doll. But now, it seemed he hadn’t erred at all. Chen Yang exclaimed, “I didn’t expect Chief Witch Yi to have such an adorable doll.”
Du Shu: “I’ve heard the Temple Master Yi sighs countless times about how women change after coming of age, lamenting the transformation of his once warm and affectionate sister into a stern and distant figure.” The underlying meaning of this statement suggested that Chief Witch Yi had once been a “soft girl.”
The voodoo doll blinked its watery eyes and spoke softly, “Yangyang, I’ll take you to find Shengsheng.”
“Okay, thank you, Wawa.” Chen Yang placed the innocent doll on his shoulder. Just as he was about to let the voodoo doll lead the way, its already terrifying face suddenly became fiercer. Its watery eyes turned into cold, lifeless orbs. It leaped off, surprising Chen Yang who couldn’t react in time.
Du Shuo held back Chen Yang, who was about to chase after the doll. “It’s okay. Don’t bother.”
In the next moment, the voodoo doll jumped back onto Chen Yang’s shoulder. Its beautiful clothes turned into scraps, and one arm was severed. Chen Yang glanced at the doll and then looked up at Chonky perched on a tree branch, looking like a fluffy ball of fur. Clearly, the two had just engaged in a lively and rapid skirmish. The doll lost an arm, and Chonky had tufts of fur missing from its head.
The voodoo doll emitted a hostile vibe. “Cat ghost.”
Chonky let out a deep growl from its throat, a sound it made when encountering danger or enemies. Chen Yang looked between the voodoo doll and Chonky, explaining to both that they were friends, not enemies.
The voodoo doll and Chonky, upon hearing this, both displayed a disdainful attitude. Chonky, uninterested in concealing its feelings, openly showed its contempt. Surprisingly, the voodoo doll even wore an expression of grievance. “Wawa doesn’t like Fatty.”
Chonky nearly considered using its own twenty-five kilograms of weight to crush this ugly voodoo doll.
At this moment, Du Shuo cast a cold, indifferent glance at both the voodoo doll and Chonky, prompting an immediate hush to settle over them. Du Shuo said, “Lead the way.”
The voodoo doll silently guided Chen Yang, while Chonky, still afraid of Du Shuo, trailed behind the two from a distance. Du Shuo siad, “They’re both voodoo, and voodoos do not get along.”
Chen Yang suddenly understood. The saying “voodoos do not get along” meant that when two Voodoo Kings with refined forms and sentience encountered each other, they would instinctively harbor hostility. It was inevitable to drive the other out of their territory or directly consume them as nourishment. Voodoo Kings were constantly formed through battles and devouring, and the instinct to feel threatened upon encountering another Voodoo King was inherent.
Fortunately, with him and Du Shuo present, the voodoo doll and Chonky dared not engage in combat. Despite the doll’s soft and shy personality and Chonky’s round, chubby appearance, both were Voodoo Kings.
The voodoo doll led them deeper into the heart of the deserted village, bypassing several alleys and reaching a turret similarly enveloped by greenery. Unlike the turrets outside, these ones seemed better-preserved, with doors securely locked and undamaged. Outside the doors, a dark brown altar stood, seemingly used in the past to sun-dry radish slices.
Some turret doors were inscribed with bold warnings against thieves, threatening death and the like. It seemed as if these turrets still housed inhabitants, though the quietness was so profound that one could barely hear the chirping of insects.
Chen Yang looked down and spotted a rundown small temple dedicated to the Earth God. The humble structure showed signs of wear and tear, with the clay image of the Earth God inside bearing noticeable damage. The offerings table before it revealed only traces of incense ash, toppled oil lamps, and a dusty stone incense burner. Long neglected and devoid of recent offerings, it appeared that the Earth God might have been forgotten for quite some time.
He turned back and glanced behind, unsure if it was an illusion, but he consistently felt the layers of greenery towering like mountains and seas, blocking their path and surrounding them. Du Shuo’s inquiry reached his ears, “Yangyang, what’s wrong?”
Chen Yang shook his head. “The atmosphere feels strange, but I can’t pinpoint anything peculiar.”
Du Shuo cast a glance at the extensive greenery behind, withdrew his gaze, and said, “Let’s find Yi Fusheng and the others first.”
“Okay.” Chen Yang and Du Shuo continued on their way. However, when they stepped about three to four meters away, the dilapidated Earth God in the temple behind suddenly moved its eyes, becoming extremely eerie.
After Chen Yang and Du Shuo left, the place seemed to come alive. Countless demons and monsters gathered, engaging in hushed conversations. Occasionally, eerie laughter echoed, terrifying and bizarre. Tree leaves made a rustling sound. Chonky landed on the ground, swaying its tail slowly, moving forward. Its pair of bi-colored eyes glanced at the turrets beyond the greenery, and as it passed the Earth God temple, it stopped to stare at the damaged Earth God statue for a while.
Chonky extended its claws and with a ‘snap,’ knocked off half of the Earth God statue’s head. After shaking its claws, it swiftly and agilely disappeared into the jungle. As it left, only the remaining half-eyed expression of the Earth God statue moved, the curvature of its lips lifting downwards, displaying displeasure.
Suddenly, a dark shadow leaped through the forest at an incredible speed, landing on all fours, agile and swift, resembling a monster with a grotesque and pitch-black appearance. It vanished into one of the turrets, emitting insect-like chirping sounds.
After a few seconds, something was thrown from the turret window. It was a shriveled rabbit, devoid of flesh and reduced to skin and bones. If one were to step on it, they could crush the bones completely. With a soft “plop,” it sounded as if deflating a soccer ball.
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