noffsinger Chapter 89 Human or Ghost
Chapter 89 Human or Ghost
The night wind blows, and the trees sway.
Xiong Hai led the way, not taking the main path, but choosing the animal trails along the cliff edge.
After running for about an hour, the two crossed two mountain ridges. The surrounding forest became increasingly dense, with banyan tree aerial roots hanging down like curtains and old vines as thick as a child's arm, tightly binding the ancient trees.
Xiong Hai parted a clump of tall grass, revealing a towering old banyan tree with gnarled roots, its aerial roots dense as clouds.
"This is it." Xiong Hai took a short axe from his waist and chopped off the thin roots blocking the way in a few strokes, revealing a narrow crevice in the rock.
The crevice was so narrow that only one person could pass sideways. If Xiong Hai hadn't stepped on the loose soil beforehand, no one would have guessed that such a place was hidden under the banyan tree.
Xiong Hai tucked in his stomach and squeezed in, followed closely by Song Quyou and Da Huang. A cold, damp air wafted out from the crevice, carrying the smell of rotten wood and decaying soil.
After passing through the crevice in the rocks, a wide-open space suddenly appeared before us.
A sloping tomb passage descends downwards, its walls constructed of rough bluestone, mottled with moss, and occasionally dripping with seepage.
Xiong Hai took out a tinderbox from his waist and blew on it. The flickering flame illuminated the scattered skeletons on both sides of the tomb passage.
The skeletons lay scattered about, some lying face down, others face up, their clothes rotten into dark brown lint, their original appearance unrecognizable.
The tomb passage sloped downwards. After walking about a hundred steps, the two people and the dog came to see two tomb guardian stone beasts. One was intact, while the other was incomplete, with only the base and four paws remaining. The intact stone beast was shaped like a fierce dog, crouching, about three feet tall, and was entirely bluish-gray with fine cracks covering its surface.
Behind it was a stone door. The door was thick and heavy, with relief carvings and flowers on it. It was half-open, revealing a square stone chamber inside.
Xiong Hai held up his tinderbox and shone it into the doorway, then lowered his voice and said, "This is it. The pair of Xuanhua axes are behind the door, stuck in the stone base. Last time, as soon as I touched the door, that stone beast pounced on me."
Song Quyou pressed down on Xiong Hai's shoulder, pulled him behind him, and squinted at the half-open stone door.
It was pitch black through the crack in the door; the light from the tinderbox was immediately swallowed up as soon as it pierced through.
A stone chamber can be vaguely seen behind it, with a stone coffin in the center and a stone seat on one side, on which sits a pair of short, ornate axes with a faint, cold gleam, quite different from the rusty weapons around them.
Song Quyou looked at the tomb guardian beast with slightly green eyes at the entrance, drew his long sword, and casually flicked out a streak of green light, splitting the stone beast in two.
The stone beast slid in two, its cavity empty, and a plume of black smoke escaped from the crack, dissipating in an instant.
Xiong Hai's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He hesitated for a moment, then finally managed to utter:
"That's...that's it?"
"Destroying the stone golem beforehand will save us some trouble."
The two continued downwards, stepping into the stone chamber, stepping over the dry bones on the ground. In the firelight, they saw exquisite murals all around them.
The mural depicts auspicious clouds, cranes, divine generals, and soldiers, giving it a somewhat heavenly appearance.
Song Quyou then looked at the stone coffin in the middle. The coffin was quite peculiar, very wide, and combined with the patterns on the stone slabs on the ground, it resembled a solemn door.
After entering the stone chamber, Xiong Hai went straight for the pair of Xuanhua axes he had been longing for.
He stepped forward, grabbed the axe handle, his arm muscles bulging, and pulled it upwards sharply.
Not moving.
His face flushed red, and he tried again, but the Xuanhua axe seemed to be cast into the stone base, not even wobbling.
Suddenly, the big yellow dog that had been following Song Quyou suddenly flashed with yellow light and transformed into a magnificent steed as tall as a person. It bared its canine teeth at the stone coffin and growled softly.
Song Quyou felt a chill run down his spine, gripped the hilt of his sword, and slowly approached the stone coffin.
Big Yellow's golden fur stood on end, it growled incessantly, and its four paws gripped the ground tightly, as if it were about to pounce at any moment.
"Brother Xiong Hai, step back."
Upon hearing this, Xiong Hai loosened the axe handle, drew the short axe from his waist, and stepped back to hug the wall.
Song Quyou threw out two purification talismans, which flew and hovered in the stone chamber.
A dull scraping sound came from inside the stone coffin, as if something was slowly scratching the inner wall of the coffin lid with fingernails. The sound was piercing and fragmented, sometimes to the left and sometimes to the right, sending chills down one's spine in the silent tomb.
Song Quyou held his longsword horizontally in front of him, the blade pointing diagonally at the coffin lid, and said in a deep voice, "There is a living thing in the coffin."
Russian.
The stone coffin trembled suddenly, and a wisp of dark green mist seeped out from the cracks. It was pungent and sweet-smelling. Song Quyou felt dizzy after smelling just a trace of it and hurriedly held his breath and retreated.
The dark green mist overflowed, flowing down the coffin and spreading across the ground. The scattered bones, covered in the green mist, hissed and corroded, turning into a pool of black water in an instant.
Song Quyou frowned, made a hand seal with his left hand, and the purification talisman in the air suddenly transformed into a firebird, which pounced on the dark green mist.
In an instant, crimson flames spread, surging along the dark green mist towards the cracks in the stone coffin.
Just then, the coffin lid was suddenly lifted, and a blinding golden light shone through him, clearing his ears with a wave of energy.
Song Quyou rubbed his ears, and when he opened his eyes again, the purification talisman fire had been extinguished.
A withered, bony hand covered in dark green down emerged from the coffin, its five fingers gripping the edge of the coffin, its fingernails three inches long and shiny black.
Immediately afterwards, a desiccated corpse clad in tattered armor sat up from the coffin. It wore a rusty bronze helmet, beneath which was a withered and wrinkled face with sunken eye sockets and two eerie green flames flickering.
The mummified corpse stiffly turned its head, staring coldly at Song Quyou and the other person. It opened its mouth and spewed out green mist, hoarsely saying:
"Those who trespass into the Heavenly Palace... shall die!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the dried corpse leaped out of the coffin, landing silently with only a surge of dark green mist around it. It spread its arms, its ten fingers like hooks, and a stench-filled gust of wind rushed straight at Xiong Hai's face.
Xiong Hai reacted with lightning speed, dodging to the side and bringing his short axe down on the dried corpse's neck. The axe blade struck the withered flesh, producing a metallic clang and sparks flying, leaving only a shallow white mark.
Xiong Hai's hands went numb from the shock, and he used the force to retreat, but the dried corpse was relentless, turning around and sweeping its claws across again. Xiong Hai raised his axe to block, but was sent flying backward by the immense force, crashing heavily into the stone wall with a muffled groan.
The dried corpse strode forward, its fingernails gleaming coldly as it stabbed straight at Xiong Hai's face.
At that moment, a flash of green light appeared between Xiong Hai and the dried corpse. The dried corpse suddenly retreated, and its dark, gleaming fingernails fell to the ground.
Seeing this, the dried corpse seized the handle of the Xuanhua axe while retreating.
The pair of Xuanhua axes suddenly vibrated, and two dark, blood-red lines lit up on the axe blades, as if some kind of restriction had been activated.
Dark green mist surged from the stone coffin and poured into the seven orifices of the dried corpse. Its shriveled flesh swelled up at a visible speed, and its originally withered arms began to bulge with knotted muscles.
The originally dark green down gradually became coarser and harder, floating on the surface of the body and radiating a faint, cold light.
"Damn it, this thing I've been eyeing for so long! It turned into a hairy zombie the moment this dried-up corpse picked it up."
Mao Jiang shook his arms, and the two Xuanhua axes drew two streaks of dark light in the air.
It was no longer in that stiff posture. With a push of its feet, it transformed into a blur, slashing down with its two axes.
Instead of retreating, Song Quyou advanced, his long sword flashing diagonally, the blade colliding with the axe blade.
Sparks flew, and a tremendous force traveled along the sword, causing numbness in the tiger's mouth. The person was shaken back three steps before finally stopping when their heels hit the stone wall.
Song Quyou's eyes turned cold, and his body emanated a surge of sword energy. He blocked, pushed, and swept at the Xuanhua axe that followed closely behind.
Mao Jiang staggered as he was pushed, retreating and dodging, while Song Quyou pushed off the wall with his heel, following closely behind.
In an instant, the sword flashed, and the tomb chamber flickered between light and darkness.
Song Quyou's long sword flashed, thrusting, pointing, slashing, parrying, and sweeping, leaving Xiong Hai dazzled and foaming at the mouth.
As for that invulnerable zombie, its heart, throat, shoulders, chest, and abdomen were pierced or separated the moment the sword light faded.
The lizard collapsed to the ground with a thud, its body mangled and disfigured. Dark green pus and blood gushed from its wounds, seeping into the cracks between the stone bricks and making a hissing, corrosive sound, but it was still struggling to get up.
The two Xuanhua axes flew out of their hands, spun a few times in the air, and then chopped deeply into the stone ground, the blades pointing downwards.
Xiong Hai straightened up, leaning against the stone wall, and wiped the foam from the corner of his mouth. "Brother Song, your swordsmanship is too fast; it's making my eyes dizzy."
Song Quyou sheathed his sword and casually flicked out a purification talisman, turning the struggling, writhing zombie into a crimson bonfire.
"We've got the axe, let's go."
Xiong Hai pulled the two Xuanhua axes from the stone ground, held them in his hands and examined them over and over, as if they were a newlywed bride.
Song Quyou glanced at the large stone coffin. The coffin was empty, with only some dark green mycelium clinging to the cracks in the stone. He had no intention of searching further.
……
The two people and the dog left the tomb passage and traveled through the mountains and forests towards the mountain village.
Song Quyou followed behind Xiong Hai, walking quickly. Looking at the motionless bright moon in the sky and smelling the somewhat smelly mountain wind, his heart felt heavy.
When they arrived at the mountain village, it was just dawn, and the creditor Xiong threw a feast, which the whole village celebrated together.
Xiong Hai put his arm around Song Quyou's shoulder and said, "Good brother, now we can have a good meal again."
When Xiong Boyuan saw Xiong Hai and Song Quyou, he waved and said, "You brat, what are you doing with Master Song again? Hurry up and take the master to have some wine."
Xiong Hai led Song Quyou to a table with an empty seat, picked up a wine bowl from the table, and was about to drink it down.
Song Quyou frowned deeply, grabbed Xiong Hai's wrist, and coldly slapped the wine bowl away.
The wine bowl slipped from his hand and shattered into three pieces on the ground, spilling wine everywhere.
Xiong Hai looked at Song Quyou and said, "Daoist, stop fooling around. I'm hot and thirsty after running all this way. Let me have a drink."
Before he could finish speaking, Song Quyou struck again with his palm, knocking the pair of Xuanhua axes in his other hand to the ground.
"Brother Song, you..."
"Look what's in the bowl."
Xiong Hai looked down and saw that what was flowing from the broken wine bowl on the ground was not clear wine, but a pool of dark green mud, bubbling with a putrid stench.
Xiong Hai's pupils contracted sharply, and he abruptly looked up at his surroundings.
The long table was piled high with smoked ham, roasted snake, and other dishes, which gradually changed their appearance in the morning light.
The golden-red smoked leg was a piece of rotten wood crawling with maggots, and the jet-black roasted snake was a leg bone covered with dark green mycelium...
As for his "newlywed wife," her cold luster had faded, and she was covered in rust, as if she had removed her makeup.
Xiong Hai stood there, staring at the "unpalatable food," his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, unable to speak for a long time.
Song Quyou looked around and saw that the hunters who were toasting each other, the aunties who were cleaning up the leftover food, and the village elders who were basking in the sun with their canes were still laughing, joking, picking up food, and toasting each other.
But the bowls in their hands were filled with dark green mud, and the pieces of meat they picked up were full of maggots and rotten wood, yet no one noticed anything amiss.
"What... what the hell is going on?"
Xiong Hai's voice trembled as he grabbed Song Quyou's sleeve: "Daoist Master, where's my father? Where's Fang Li?"
Song Quyou ignored Xiong Hai, and a bright moon rose in his eyes, the Taiyin Bright Heart Mirror guarding his heart and breaking through illusions.
Strangely, there was no movement around, and everything remained the same.
Song Quyou's heart sank.
At this moment, Xiong Boyuan, the head of the table, carrying a wine bowl filled with mud, came to Song Quyou and Xiong Hai, raised the wine bowl and said, "Daoist, you saved my son, I toast you with a cup."
Song Quyou did not accept the wine, but stared at Xiong Boyuan's wrinkled face.
"Old Chieftain." His voice was as calm as a stagnant pool.
"Are you a human or a ghost?"
Xiong Boyuan's hand, holding the wine cup, froze in mid-air. The morning light shone from the east, casting the shadows of Song Quyou and Xiong Boyuan clearly on the ground.
"Master, what's wrong with you today? Why are you asking such strange questions?"
Song Quyou did not answer, but glanced at the steaming ground where a clear shadow was visible, and his brows furrowed even deeper.
The shadow is real.
The mud in the bowl was real too.
He slowly reached out and took the wine bowl from Xiong Boyuan. The rim of the bowl was icy to the touch, and the dark green mud inside sloshed slightly, emitting a putrid smell.
That stench came from the muddy bottom of the fishpond, where the sun never shines.
Song Quyou held the bowl but didn't drink. "Old chieftain, I want to ask you something."
"Please speak, Taoist priest."
"Where did the sorcerer who set up the formation for the village twenty years ago go?"
Xiong Boyuan's one eye revealed a hint of reminiscence: "The sorcerer left after setting up the formation, saying he was traveling around seeking immortality."
"father!"
Xiong Hai got impatient and stepped forward to knock the wine bowl out of Song Quyou's hand.
"Look what's in your bowl! Look at all that stuff on the table! Something's wrong with this village, you all..."
"Xiong Hai!"
Xiong Boyuan's face darkened, his voice carrying an undeniable authority: "You've had too much to drink. Go and rest with the Taoist priest. Don't cause a scene at the banquet. The village has finally seen the sun again. We should be holding a three-day feast. Don't disturb the villagers' enjoyment."
Xiong Hai was about to say something more when Song Quyou pressed down on his shoulder.
"The old chieftain is right, Brother Xiong Hai has indeed drunk too much. I'll take him back to sober up first."
He cupped his hands in greeting to Xiong Boyuan, then pulled Xiong Hai along as they walked out of the banquet hall.
Xiong Hai struggled a couple of times, only to find that Song Quyou's fingers were gripping his shoulder like iron clamps, unable to budge, so he could only stagger along with him.
Back in the stilted house where they were temporarily staying, Song Quyou looked solemnly at Xiong Hai beside him and said, "I am going to perform a spell. Brother Xiong Hai, guard the door for me. No one is allowed to come in."
Xiong Hai looked at Song Quyou with a face full of anxiety and said, "Daoist Master, my father..."
Song Quyou pressed down hard on Xiong Hai's shoulder to calm him down.
"Guard the door for me, or there's no saving us..."
……