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墨書 Inktalez
After a hurried lunch, Mao Shixiong arranged for a minibus to take us to Gui Lianping. Since we wouldn't be able to replenish any supplies after leaving Xinhua Town, we stocked up on food and drinks there. As for the items needed for dealing with our spirit world friends, we had prepared plenty in advance; it was always more convenient to bring our own rather than buy unreliable goods on the spot.
Master Xiao, a robust figure raised in the village, not only carried some communal food supplies but also helped Wang Xiaolu with many of her things. I wasn't sure whether to call him a gentleman or suspect ulterior motives, but it was clear that he and Zhang Chuanzheng were subtly competing, especially when it came to assisting Wang Xiaolu—there was never any hesitation on his part.
The minibus driver was quite chatty. When he learned we were heading to Baojia Mountain, he urged us to reconsider. He said even professional expedition teams avoided that place, and amateurs like us should definitely stay away. When we asked why, he replied, "That place is haunted—really haunted. No one dares to linger there at night. Last time, two people got lost and wandered into Baojia Mountain; they were surrounded by hundreds of evil spirits and ended up going mad, screaming about ghosts."
Everyone chuckled dismissively. If that were true, then perhaps we were indeed headed to the right place. However, local folklore often lacks credibility; if it had a thirty percent chance of being true, that would be impressive. Rumors tend to grow more exaggerated with each retelling until even the tellers can hardly believe them.
Throughout the journey, the driver continued to advise against our trip, offering to take us back to Xinhua Town without charging extra if we changed our minds. It seemed he genuinely wanted to protect us. We thanked him for his concern and assured him that we would only explore the outskirts before returning, leaving him our contact number for the return trip. He sighed and said, "Alright, you young people are always hard to dissuade."
I couldn't help but think that if he knew our actual destination was the graveyard, he might have called the police.
The mountain roads were rough and bumpy. By the time we reached Gui Lianping, it was already four in the afternoon. Gui Lianping marked the end of the road; there were only a few scattered households far apart from each other. With so many of us, finding a farmhouse for lodging proved difficult. We negotiated with one farmer for a meal at two hundred yuan. The meal was hearty—two free-range chickens, two grass carp, and various fresh vegetables—yet they only charged one hundred fifty yuan. In the end, feeling guilty about their generosity, we insisted on giving the farmer an extra fifty yuan.
After dinner, as the moon rose above the treetops, we discussed walking until midnight before stopping for the night. The distance from Gui Lianping to Baojia Mountain wasn't far—only about ten kilometers in a straight line—but due to the mountainous terrain and nighttime conditions, our pace was slow. By midnight, we found ourselves in desolate surroundings after crossing three mountains; we had only covered half the distance.
Except for Zhou Hong from Corpse Chasing who carried two flashlights—one high-powered and one solar—we all had two flashlights each. With eight people sharing just three torches during our night trek, we were particularly frugal with lighting since we didn't know how much further we would need to go. Around eleven o'clock, we began searching for a suitable spot to pitch our tents.
There were no paths or clear directions in the mountains; however, we relied on our compass and the moon's position for navigation. Those of us in this line of work are extremely sensitive to direction—especially Zhou Hong, who conducted all his operations at night. He could accurately determine which way we should go just by glancing at the sky and could even predict tomorrow's weather: when winds would blow and when light rain might fall—a living weather forecast and compass rolled into one.
We set up camp on a slightly sloped hillside; it was hard to find flat ground on the mountain. Exhausted from our trek, none of us wanted to search for a better spot. Mao Ruiliang demonstrated excellent teamwork skills; he must have done plenty of hiking before. Under his guidance, we quickly pitched our tents according to the positions of the Big Dipper constellation; an extra person reinforced our formation at the Heavenly Pivot Position. Each tent had an individual’s talisman hanging outside.
While this precaution wasn't strictly necessary, it was better to be safe than sorry. That night’s supper was simple—we boiled water using a pot Zhou Hong had brought along since they always prepared such items when dealing with corpses. Each of us had a block of compressed instant noodles that didn’t take up much space and could be carried in bulk.
After several hours of relentless travel, everyone was utterly exhausted. After a light meal, we crawled into our tents.
Zhou Hong warned us that strong winds would pick up after midnight and last about half an hour; he advised everyone not to venture outside unnecessarily. Sure enough, around three o'clock in the morning, I was awakened by howling winds outside my tent. I’m not a particularly deep sleeper; branches whipped against the tent with loud cracks that made my rest uneasy. However, Zhou Hong assured me it would stop in an hour, so I lay awake waiting for silence.
To my right lay Master Xiao; his snores echoed through this environment like thunder—I had to admire his ability to sleep soundly. In the center of our camp layout was Wang Xiaolu’s tent at Tianquan position; she had a safety lamp hanging outside because this location on the slope would be pitch black without it during late hours.
The sound of the wind made it difficult for me to sleep, and it seemed there were other noises around as well. I sat up from the ground and, through the thin fabric of the tent, I surprisingly saw a shadow flash by the direction of Wang Xiaolu's tent. I wondered who would be wandering outside at this hour.
Out of habit, I took out my compass and a mini flashlight to begin observing. If it wasn't a ghost or something similar, I wouldn't worry too much; perhaps someone just needed to relieve themselves. However, when I saw the reaction from the compass, my heart suddenly tightened.
The compass indicated that the shadow was indeed human, but there was something unsettling in the opposite direction of that shadow. It seemed there were several Wandering Souls approaching Wang Xiaolu's tent. In other words, the shadow was on my left while those Wandering Souls were on my right.
It was quite normal to encounter Wandering Souls in the mountains. Even if they were heading in our direction, it wasn't unusual; they might need to pass through our location. When we set up camp, I had suggested not camping on the shady side, as it could obstruct the path of Wandering Souls. However, moving to the sunny side would require climbing over to the other side of the mountain, and everyone seemed too exhausted to do that.
I continued to monitor the movements of those Wandering Souls with my compass. They paused briefly when they reached Master Xiao's tent, then quickly passed by my tent and arrived in front of Wang Xiaolu's tent. They hesitated for a moment before taking two more steps forward. Just when I thought they were about to move away, they turned back and stood still in front of Wang Xiaolu's tent.
I was puzzled and didn't understand what these Wandering Souls were up to. If they were just passing through, they shouldn't be lingering here. To figure out their intentions, I took out a small bottle of Cow Tears from my bag and opened it. Slowly, I created a small gap in the tent and peered through towards Wang Xiaolu's tent.
What I saw made it clear that these Spirit Gods were not just Wandering Souls passing by; their clothing was not modern attire but rather loose linen garments from the late Qing Dynasty. Spirit Gods dressed like this typically weren't in a hurry; there was no need for them to rush down a path that had been traveled for nearly a century.
They surrounded Wang Xiaolu's tent hesitantly, swaying gently without circling around. Their hands reached towards the tent but immediately withdrew upon contact, only to stretch out again moments later.
Wang Xiaolu had hung a wooden Ruyi outside her tent—not a jade one but a carved wooden piece she brought as a talisman. It was precisely because of this item that those Spirit Gods couldn't touch her tent.
Initially, I thought about ignoring them until dawn when these Wandering Souls would leave on their own. But then I remembered that the purpose of this Experience was to help send off souls from the mountains. Since that was the case, I couldn't just stand by idly. These Spirit Gods wandering in the mountains likely couldn't find their way to the Underworld. If I could assist them, perhaps I could help them find their path to Reincarnation.
With this thought in mind, I turned around and grabbed my Cloth Bag, pulling out several soul-binding talismans and some Cinnabar ash. I also took out a few carved wooden items prepared for collecting souls, planning to wait until the wind died down before setting up an arrangement to send them off. There were about four or five Spirit Gods over there. According to my compass readings, they seemed like ordinary Spirit Gods, so capturing them shouldn't be too difficult. If things got tough, I could always call for help.
However, just as I was about to unzip the tent flap, various incantations echoed from outside. My heart raced as I quickly unzipped the flap and slipped out.
Once outside the tent, everything had changed dramatically; those Spirit Gods had vanished. Mao Ruiliang, Zhang Chuanzheng, and Liu Zhiqiang stood at Wang Xiaolu's tent's edge, and Wang Xiaolu herself had already come out. They held various soul-collecting talismans in their hands. Mao Ruiliang held a black wooden token over a foot long; Liu Zhiqiang had a token too but slightly lighter in color. Zhang Chuanzheng held a money sword in his left hand and clutched a piece of talisman paper in his right hand. Wang Xiaolu simply held her wooden Ruyi that hung outside her tent and looked curiously at the other three.
I walked over to them with a puzzled expression and asked, "Mao Shixiong, what happened?"
Mao Ruiliang chuckled lightly and raised his wooden token as he said, "A few Wandering Spirits passed by earlier; we collected them. Once the wind dies down, we'll perform their transference."
"You are late, Liu Grandpa from the Charming Sect. How can you work in this line of business with such a lack of vigilance?" Zhang Chuanzheng raised the talisman in his hand, "I caught two, just like Mao Shixiong." His tone was filled with pride, as if he had unconsciously turned the number of souls he had helped transcend into a score for this Experience.
"How about this? To make this Experience less boring, let's set some competition rules," Mao Ruiliang suggested.
"What rules?" Meng Biao from Maoshan emerged from behind a tent, his expression calm but tinged with annoyance, seemingly unhappy that he had not participated in the capture of the recent Spirit Gods.
Hearing voices outside, Zhou Hong also crawled out from the tent, grinning as he said, "You all seem to be having a great time chatting."
All seven of them had come out, leaving only Master Xiao still snoring inside the tent. I sighed; since we were going to establish competition rules for the junior sisters, we might as well wake that pig up to discuss it together.
I walked up to Master Xiao's tent and knocked hard on it, calling out loudly, "Xiao, Master Pan has allowed you to date!"
As soon as I shouted that, Master Xiao's snoring stopped abruptly. He fumbled to open the tent and poked his head out, saying, "What the hell, Brother Liu, are you serious?"
There was a lot going on today, and we still had to go out at midnight. Let me update this chapter first.
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