Volume 1, Chapter 45: That's Not Your Mom

At that exact moment, Luo Bin felt as though he had plunged into an icy cellar.

"Xiao Shan, don't keep staring at those evil entities! The more you look at them, the more their words will bewilder you!" Gu Ya, despite being consumed by terror, managed to stand up, grab Luo Bin's arm, and pull him backward.

Luo Feng snatched up his firewood chopper and thrust it straight through the gap in the door!

Just two steps backward, and Luo Bin could no longer see what was happening outside.

A moment later, Luo Feng withdrew the chopper; its tip was stained a brilliant crimson!

"The evil entities deep in the mountains are far more manipulative than the ones that enter the village. Don't listen, don't dwell on it, everything is fine," Luo Feng said in a muffled voice.

Only then did Luo Bin's heartbeat begin to settle slightly, though his temples continued to throb relentlessly, causing him intense discomfort.

Being an evil entity... that was indeed his fundamental nature.

He simply hadn't expected to hear it spoken aloud from the mouths of other evil entities.

An old saying goes: "Do no evil and you won't fear a knock on the door at midnight." The reason Luo Bin was terrified right now was precisely because this was a truth he dared not let anyone discover—his conscience was guilty!

The sound of laughter rose and fell, undulating endlessly, feeling much like the "people" outside mocking the people inside for deceiving themselves.

At that moment, another voice with a harsh, duck-like croak chimed in: "Whoever has their left pinky fingernail plucked out by us becomes one of us—becomes what you call an evil entity. Luo Feng, why don't you take another look at your son's pinky? Why don't you slice open his chest to see if his heart is still beating?"

"Would you like to test it? If both of you fall asleep in front of him, will he open the door and let us in to devour the two of you?"

Luo Feng let out a cold laugh and replied, "I retract what I said earlier; you aren't very good at bewendering people after all. You're fools, and you want to make me a fool as well? Xiao Shan is alive. If he were an evil entity, our entire family would have long since perished in the village. Get lost."

Luo Feng's will remained resolute, unshaken in the slightest.

"It's alright, Xiao Shan, it's alright..." Gu Ya pulled Luo Bin down to sit and whispered words of comfort to him.

Beads of sweat trickled down his temples. Luo Bin wiped them away, but subconsciously fixed his gaze on his left pinky finger.

Ever since he woke up from the soul-calling ritual, many days had passed, and he had completely pushed the matter of his fingernail to the back of his mind.

The blood scab had long since peeled off, leaving a bare stump of a finger that looked like a blunt piece of flesh, appearing jarringly conspicuous.

The sweat flowed even more profusely, some of it trickling into the corners of his eyes, burning with a sharp, stinging pain.

That Luo Feng and Gu Ya didn't believe it was certainly a good thing.

Yet, for Luo Bin himself, how could this not be a heavy blow?

"Xiao Shan, don't listen to their nonsense..." Gu Ya's eyes were red-rimmed. "Mom is right here. Mom and Dad both know that you're doing just fine. Don't listen to their bewilderment."

"When a fingernail falls off, it takes a very long time to grow back. Don't pay attention to what they say. If you listen, they win."

Turmoil still raged within Luo Bin's heart.

Well, at least he didn't need to worry about what Luo Feng and Gu Ya were thinking; instead, they were the ones comforting him.

"I'm fine..." Clenching his fists tightly, Luo Bin tucked his pinky finger deep into the center.

There was still a trace of slickness on his hand, left behind by the fragment of the plastic bag that had held the lamp oil.

Earlier, taking advantage of Gu Ya and Luo Feng's inattention, he had tossed it into the corner and pressed it deep into the dirt with the tip of his shoe.

After a long while, Luo Bin finally managed to drive away the remaining chaotic thoughts.

That's right. For him, the fact that his body was an evil entity was a reality, but at least the lamp oil could alleviate his aversion to light and his bloodthirst. Sooner or later, he would find a way out! Sooner or later, he would shatter the illusions of Guishan Village! Sooner or later, he would definitely resolve the problem plaguing his body!

Outside, the surroundings grew quiet.

Having said so much without achieving their goal, the evil entities did not waste any more breath.

Luo Feng sat leaning against the wall, his blade slid back into its leather scabbard.

GuYa held Luo Bin's clenched fist. Even though she was terrified herself, she continued to comfort him.

The power of maternal love was plain to see.

"I'm fine now, Mom," Luo Bin forced a smile.

Gu Ya pressed her lips together. Her smile bloomed brightly, and her tone grew even firmer.

"Once we've had something to eat, we'll get a good sleep to restore our energy. Tomorrow, I'll go scout the path with your dad. Once we find a way out, we won't have to face these disgusting things anymore!"

With that, Gu Ya untied a bundle she had been carrying and produced dry rations and water.

Luo Bin actually had very little appetite, but he forced himself to chew the flatbread hard and swallow it down.

In this environment, he had to eat his fill and sleep well to maintain his stamina.

Gu Ya tidied the bedding on the floor slightly. Lying down to sleep would be far too filthy, but at least they could sit and sleep leaning against the wall.

A full day of mountain climbing had long since exhausted everyone.

Soon, Gu Ya's breathing settled into a steady rhythm, and Luo Feng let out a light snore as well.

"Kill them. This is a golden opportunity. Kill them, and you'll truly be one of us."

Soft, murmuring whispers crept into his ears from behind.

The house itself was tiny. With an evil entity moving right up against the exterior wall behind him to speak, the voice naturally felt as though it were pressed directly against his ear.

Luo Bin shifted forward a little and simply lay flat on the ground. Moving away from the wall naturally cut off the whispered voices. Directly overhead hung the rusted oil lamp, its glare once again slightly piercing. Luo Bin hurriedly closed his eyes, and before long, he fell into a deep sleep.

His sleep that night was far from peaceful, plagued by disjointed, chaotic dreams.

He repeatedly relived the process of performing resuscitation and the original owner being murdered, then dreamed of himself walking along the village paths. Ahead of him walked a massive crowd of evil entities, while all the doors and courtyards remained tightly shut. He was covered in blood, looking utterly desolate.

A creaking sound caused Luo Bin to stir and open his eyes drowsily.

The light outside was not yet distinct; it was merely dawn, and the sun had not yet risen.

Chirping birds babbled noisily.

Luo Feng's figure stepped out of the house.

Luo Bin propped himself up into a sitting position, and Gu Ya reached out to steady him.

"I'm fine, Mom," Luo Bin smiled, then got to his feet.

He felt slightly dizzy, but stepping outside and catching the cool mountain breeze cleared his head considerably.

"The vast majority of people will head back today. After being out for two days, the village chief generally won't say anything." Diagonally ahead, Luo Feng loosened his limbs and joints while turning his head toward Luo Bin. "Later on, have your mom stay here, and the two of us will head toward the peak of the mountain."

Luo Bin's heart skipped a beat once more before he asked, "Is it safe?"

"With the door bar locked, it's safe. In the past, it was always you accompanying your mom; this time, she should be able to stay by herself." Luo Feng's words once again revealed subtle hints, delivered with such clever phrasing that they didn't raise suspicion.

"I'll be fine. You two father and son need to watch out for your safety." Gu Ya followed them out of the house and handed Luo Bin a flatbread stuffed with pickled vegetables and dried meat.

Taking it, Luo Bin bit down hard into a large mouthful.

Luo Feng took his flatbread as well and immediately instructed, "Old lady, go back inside and lock the bolt. We will definitely return before dark. Remember what I told you."

"Alright, I remember," Gu Ya nodded deeply and retreated back into the house.

A heavy *clank* sounded as the interior bolt was slid into place.

Luo Feng then resumed his stride forward, and Luo Bin followed closely behind him.

Eating as they walked, Luo Bin finally began to spot a few markers along the way, though they were sparse and far between.

"The third resting point, two years ago, was the final resting point. Anyone who managed to reach that far was looking for a way out, but many of them died. Eventually, a family managed to return alive and informed the village chief. That was when I drew the lot and forged the fourth resting point."

"Back then, your mom waited for me at the second resting point. She waited for seven days, thinking I had died."

Luo Feng began to explain.

Luo Bin carefully committed the information to memory, then asked, "The village chief only requires a distance of one li. Doesn't seem all that difficult?"

Luo Feng paused slightly, cast a deep look at Luo Bin, and said, "A distance of one li—can that get you out of the village?"

He raised a hand, pointing far ahead and higher up, his tone ringing with conviction: "We are heading toward the peak. Not a single person in the village has ever climbed to the summit. To climb high is to look far; standing up there, perhaps we can see things clearly."

Luo Bin drew a deep breath, his heartbeat accelerating.

After walking for about half an hour without encountering any danger:

"Could it be that if you're careless and take the wrong turn, you end up back in the village? But since we haven't looped back this whole time, it means leaving might actually be possible here. There are no other perils—it just looks like an ordinary mountain path?"

"If people just walk a stretch during the day, stop to rest at night, and make camp in suitable places, wouldn't they be able to get out? Why hasn't a single new resting point been added in the past two years?" Just as Luo Bin finished speaking, a cold sweat broke out all over him.

Diagonally ahead, some twenty or thirty meters away, stood a twisted old tree with a person hanging from it, swaying in the wind like a windchime.

The corpse was completely weathered, resembling a mummy. Its legs were mangled beyond recognition, exposing the bone, and its body was covered in wounds.

"The evil entities that leave the village have grown smarter. Although I called them foolish yesterday, they achieved two goals with a single phrase: they made you feel tormented, believing something is wrong with you, while simultaneously making us suspect you."

"Our family is considered among the most mentally resilient in the village, but what about the other villagers? Who doesn't have secrets buried deep in their hearts? The evil entities always manage to trick people out of their houses."

"Especially since there are no houses along this path; people have to build them themselves. Fear easily makes people give up halfway." Luo Feng delivered these sentences in succession, his gaze fixed upon the hanging corpse, before suddenly asking, "Do you know how he died?"

"Weren't they hung up and killed by evil entities? Right, why wasn't he buried? I noticed gravesites around the third resting point," Luo Bin pressed on.

"Those were villagers who died of snake venom while scouting; subsequent climbers buried them one by one. Those who die by the hands of evil entities must be burned. He wasn't killed by evil entities. Look at the rope around his neck—he was already dead by the time he was hung up," Luo Feng explained.

Luo Bin frowned, failing to understand immediately. But upon closer inspection of the mummified corpse's neck, sure enough, there was a loop of rope that had deeply crushed the windpipe.

"Did mountain dwellers leave traps on this mountain in the past?" Luo Bin blurted out.

Luo Feng shot him a deep, lingering look before replying, "You truly are smart."

Luo Bin remained silent.

He couldn't very well tell Luo Feng that he and Gu Yiren had spent a night in the mountain dweller's house, could he?

Indeed, there was lamp oil there, and the village chief had retrieved lamp oil from that very location.

Now, however, Luo Bin felt certain that the house had certainly not been built by the village chief; it had simply existed there on its own.

Outside the house were traps of all kinds, and two evil entities dressed as mountain dwellers had even fallen into them...

This implied that once upon a time, normal people had also lived on this mountain?

As he pondered, he faintly caught the sound of cries for help coming from behind.

With a start, Luo Bin whipped his head around.

In the blurred distance ahead, he spotted a figure whose lower body seemed entirely swallowed by the earth, shouting desperately for help.

"Mom?" Luo Bin's heartbeat skipped a half-beat, and he moved to run back.

Luo Feng grabbed his shoulder in an iron grip, his gaze cold and heavy as he said, "That's not your mom. Your mom is staying inside the house. Have you forgotten what I told you?"

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and Luo Bin's eyelids twitched violently.