Volume 1, Chapter 6: Epilepsy or Premonition?

"Village Chief, Xiao Shan is only seventeen. How could you ask him to watch the outsiders?" Gu Ya immediately stepped in front of Luo Bin, her voice laced with panic. "There are so many people in the village; anyone else would be more suitable than him!"

The village chief’s expression darkened.

"I understand, Village Chief. I will bring Xiao Shan over in a moment," Luo Feng said in a hoarse voice.

The village chief cast a sideways glance at Gu Ya before turning and leaving, his face devoid of emotion.

The silence in the house persisted until the village chief had closed the door and his footsteps had faded into the distance.

*Clang!* Gu Ya slammed the vegetable basin down, splashing oil across the table.

With reddened eyes, she turned to glare at Luo Feng. "Have you lost your mind? Is Xiao Shan not your son? You want to send him to watch the outsiders? Do you want to get him killed?"

"Calm down. Do you think questioning the village chief’s decision will do any good? If you make him suspect that something is wrong with our family, that is when real disaster will strike!" Luo Feng gripped Gu Ya’s arms, his gaze intense. "Think carefully—why do you think the village chief made this decision?"

"How would I know? I don't care, this is too dangerous! I have to go—" Gu Ya tried to pull away from his grip, refusing to listen.

"He suspects us!" Luo Feng said heavily.

Gu Ya fell silent, looking stunned and uneasy. "How is that possible?"

Luo Bin, having just regained his composure, didn't dare to speak, listening intently to Luo Feng’s words.

"Even though we managed to gloss things over at the mortuary last night, Xiao Shan is still missing the nail from his left pinky finger. And our lamp oil has been depleted far too quickly. The village chief isn't a fool; he’s bound to be suspicious. We have to do exactly as he says to wash away his doubts, or else something will definitely go wrong," Luo Feng stated firmly.

Gu Ya’s expression turned bitter; she was speechless.

Luo Feng turned his gaze toward Luo Bin. "Xiao Shan, you understand what your father means, don't you?"

"I... I understand..."

Luo Bin’s reply was slightly stuttered. It was hard to remain calm. No one could stay collected after encountering something like this. Luo Feng was too sharp; he had analyzed the village chief’s motives in just a few words, and he certainly wasn't exaggerating.

Lamp oil was a vital resource for resisting evil spirits. Even for the soul-summoning ritual for the original host, Luo Feng and Gu Ya had to secretly save up what little oil they could. If the consumption increased for no reason, the village chief would have to be an idiot not to be suspicious.

Luo Bin felt immense regret, blaming himself for not thinking it through the previous night and simply drinking the lamp oil, which had inadvertently caused this trouble.

"Serve Xiao Shan his meal. Once he’s finished, pack two changes of clothes for him." Luo Feng released Gu Ya’s shoulders, his tone softening significantly.

An hour later, at the Mountain God Temple.

This was a wooden structure larger than the mortuary, built with blue bricks and grey tiles. Its beams and pillars were painted red, making it look heavy and imposing.

The village ended right in front of the temple; heading right led into the mountains. Across the road stood a small, flat-roofed cottage.

Luo Feng stood by the roadside waiting, while Luo Bin and the village chief were inside.

The ten-square-meter shack contained a bed, a wooden table, and a small cabinet—everything was cramped. The windows were completely sealed with wooden boards, blocking out all light. A rusty iron hook protruded from the ceiling, holding an oil lamp coated in verdigris. It was filled to the brim, the surface tension keeping the oil from spilling over.

"Do not let anyone make contact with or take away the outsiders."

"If the outsiders run into the village before dark, you must notify me immediately."

"If they stay put, you must light the oil lamp just before nightfall and lock yourself inside this room. No matter what happens after that, you must turn a blind eye to it. You are never to open the door or extinguish the lamp, do you understand?" The village chief spoke to Luo Bin with great solemnity.

"Yes," Luo Bin nodded earnestly.

"Repeat what I said," the chief commanded.

Luo Bin repeated the instructions, word for word. Only then did the village chief’s brow relax. "Very good."

He turned and walked out of the shack, calling out, "Luo Feng, your son is very level-headed; he won't be in any danger. Let’s go."

Luo Feng cast a glance back, gave a slight nod, and followed the village chief away.

Only after their figures had completely disappeared did Luo Bin let out a heavy, weary breath. He looked at the Mountain God Temple across the road, thinking silently: *Three days. I just need to stay here.*

Subconsciously, he glanced to the right. The concrete road rose into a steep incline, disappearing into the distant forest. The trees were so dense and gloomy that sunlight couldn't penetrate them, and the sense of oppressive dread was as suffocating as a rising tide.

...

Inside the Mountain God Temple.

The statue of the Mountain God looked bizarre: it had greyish-white hair, yellow skin, a high, red bridge of the nose that ran straight into its forehead, and a sharp, protruding mouth that looked like a beak.

Two men and two women were tied up, leaning against a pillar.

They were members of the municipal archaeological team. An ancient tomb had been looted in Guishan, and they had been sent for a rescue excavation. A landslide had occurred, burying several professors; their signal was completely cut off, and even their satellite phone wouldn't work.

Consequently, Xu Qi, the leader of the team most familiar with the route, had driven the three of them out to find help.

But yesterday, in the middle of the night, things had turned strange. People kept appearing by the roadside, smiling and blocking the car, even throwing themselves onto the hood. They hadn't dared to stop.

When they entered the village at dawn, hoping for help, the villagers’ gazes had been even more unsettling. Most importantly, in the collective memory of the four and on the maps of Guishan, this village had never existed.

Fearing robbery, they had sped away, but they got lost and ended up right back in the village. Desperate, they tried to ask for directions, only for the villager they approached to yell, bringing out over a hundred people!

They tried to speed away again, but their car ended up back in the village. Then came the blown tire, and their capture.

"What kind of hellish place is this..." Xu Qi’s eyes were bloodshot, his forty-something face looking utterly haggard. He tried to struggle against the ropes, but they only grew tighter.

"Who knows, Brother Xu? I kept saying we shouldn't have driven the car back. The village was wrong from the start; I knew something would happen," said the woman, Zhu Qianqian. She was in her early twenties with short, crisp hair, but her face was full of terror.

"Kidnapping is kidnapping. They’re just spinning a web of lies to make us comply—talk of evil spirits, not being able to leave the village... it’s all a trick to force us. We have to reach the city tonight to find rescue. The temperature will drop, and the older professors won't survive the night," said the man, Zhang Li, who was in his late twenties, his tone frantic.

"If we can make it back to the car by nightfall, we should be thanking our lucky stars. There’s a spare tire in the trunk," Xu Qi said, throwing himself sideways and falling to the ground, his head positioned right next to Zhang Li’s wrists. "Xiao Zhang, hold still, I'll help you loosen them."

Xu Qi bit onto the knot of the rope, his cheeks bulging as he worked to undo it with his teeth.

"I’ve been here before..." the woman with the tear mole, Gu Yiren, stared blankly at the Mountain God statue, murmuring. "It was right inside this temple. The first night, after dark, Zhang Li opened the door, and a crowd poured in. They tore Zhang Li apart and ate us..."

"The second night, someone said they knew where the car was, and Brother Xu believed them, but then his brains were eaten... we all died."

"The third night... Qianqian, they tore your face off..."

"The fourth night, I... I... blood... someone is drinking my blood..."

Gu Yiren’s voice grew increasingly shaky. Suddenly, she let out a piercing scream, collapsed to the ground, and began to convulse, her body arching like a shrimp.

Zhu Qianqian looked uneasy, whispering, "Could it be real? But when Yiren was in the car, she said she didn't know this place, didn't she?"

Zhang Li tightened his jaw, shaking his head with urgency. "Yiren has mild epilepsy; she hallucinates when she’s stressed. I knew something like this would happen the moment she started staring at the statue. Brother Xu, hurry up and untie me, she’s having a seizure!"