Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
In the legends of Futu Ridge, the Snake Goddess is a powerful serpent that long ago retreated into the northern wilderness. Her territory has always been off-limits to others, known as the Forbidden Area of Futu Ridge.
For centuries, many ruthless fugitives have been driven into this forbidden land by Officers in pursuit. Some skeptical Officers have ventured into the area to continue their chase, only to disappear without a trace.
With the advancement of time, several decades ago, the government built roads through the mountains. Futu Ridge is not particularly large; with modern machinery and technology, it would take less than a month to tunnel through it. However, that night, the Migrant Workers had nightmares of being pressed down by ghosts.
A woman dressed in red appeared before them, her silence terrifying the workers into abandoning their tasks. This led to the infamous incident involving the County Leader and the crazed Snake Goddess.
Looking back now, whether clad in red or white, these women were all manifestations of the spirit haunting this place—she is indeed the Snake Goddess of Futu Ridge's legends.
If the Snake Goddess is truly a serpent that has mastered its powers and can captivate hearts, then the strange occurrences in the Forbidden Area of Futu Ridge over the centuries can be explained.
The corpses that linger in the forbidden land due to the Dragon Vein Spiritual Land are already muddled in memory, unable to recall their past lives. With her abilities, the Snake Goddess could easily control these bodies.
The Snake Goddess is the master of the Forbidden Area of Futu Ridge.
Beneath Futu Stupa lies an underground world that serves as her dwelling place—the burial site of the Dragon Vein.
No wonder when the county sought to build roads years ago, the Snake Goddess sent dreams from within her domain. Digging through mountains would inevitably reveal hidden spaces beneath them; once her true form was discovered by humans, she would surely meet her end against overwhelming numbers.
This world ultimately remains one where humanity sits at the top of the food chain.
I watched Guo Huaiyi enter the cave, uncertain when he had colluded with the Snake Goddess or what agreement existed between Guo the Blind and her.
From Guo Huaiyi's words, I sensed that the Snake Goddess's time was running out. If she truly is the White Snake spoken of by Chang Yuchun and Li Shanchang, having lived for six or seven hundred years, she would have perished long ago if not for the Dragon Vein Spiritual Land.
Finally, I understood that perhaps those three monks who appeared after the fall of the Ming Dynasty were not there for the Qing Dynasty; they were there to suppress the Snake Goddess.
Legends say that every few decades, extraordinary individuals emerge at Futu Ridge—like Old Scholar seventy years ago and Yang Sanqian twenty years ago.
I believe that before Old Scholar's time, many remarkable figures must have visited Futu Ridge; however, no records exist regarding these events, possibly due to someone working behind the scenes to prevent documentation.
So many extraordinary individuals have come to subdue the Snake Goddess; could she truly be that terrifying?
After Guo Huaiyi left, the Snake Goddess faced us for a long moment. A strand of her white hair floated, curling towards the spear beside the cave entrance, which she suddenly yanked out.
The spear shot towards Li Fugui, who grasped it tightly. His arm bulged with effort, and his feet slid back half a foot involuntarily.
The Snake Goddess said, "You may leave. Having broken my rules, there will be no second chance."
With that, she turned and walked into the Forbidden Cave, her long train trailing behind her. I faintly heard her cough, tinged with age.
I turned to look at the still-shocked crowd and caught a glimpse of Mr. Chang's fingers moving rhythmically, a flicker of energy retracting into his sleeve.
With a loud slap, Huzi was knocked to the ground by Li Fugui, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Grandpa," Huzi said, covering his cheek, confused about why Li Fugui had hit him.
Li Fugui snorted and replied, "One of them is Yang Sanqian's son, and the other is from the Daoist Sect. You are just an ordinary person. Think carefully about this, Huzi."
After saying that, Li Fugui cast a meaningful glance at me before turning to leave the forbidden area.
"The Investigation Team has been completely wiped out; this will surely attract attention from above. Futu Ridge will become a wasteland because of your ignorance."
His voice echoed like a sentence from hell in the night, striking our ears with its weight.
I helped Huzi up and said, "Even if the Investigation Team members are Immortals, with Guo Family Father and Son's temperament, they won't spare anyone from Futu Ridge."
Huzi remained silent, lost in thought. I looked at Chen Jixian lying by the dam; he showed no signs of life now. When the Snake Goddess wanted to kill an ordinary person, no one could escape.
After we transported Chen Jixian's body back to Bright Moon Village's Production Team, we suddenly heard the sound of a text message being sent successfully from his phone in his pocket.
Not long after Huzi and I entered the Forbidden Cave, Chen Jixian had crawled down from the mountain. However, he was very weak and lost consciousness shortly after lying on the dam.
Chen Jixian must have sent information about Futu Ridge to his superiors just before he died. The magnetic field in the forbidden area was too strong for any signal; it wasn't until his body was carried back to Bright Moon Village that the message went out.
Although I didn't know what Chen Jixian intended to do, Li Fugui's words made me uneasy. Futu Ridge would indeed become a wasteland because of our ignorance.
"Surely, one missile can't destroy the entire Futu Ridge, can it?"
We returned to Bright Moon Village from the forbidden area just as dawn broke. Mr. Chang looked at the rising sun and said, "Alright, now that everything is taken care of, I should be on my way."
"Mr. Chang, after working all night, aren't you going to rest for a bit? I can take you to the county town after lunch," Huzi suggested.
"No need, you all should rest," Mr. Chang waved his hand.
After Mr. Chang finished speaking, he walked out of the Production Team's gate. I called out from behind, "Mr. Chang, who exactly are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am; you'll find out sooner or later. The disaster in Futu Ridge is coming. I hope you all can find a way out of this mountain and see the world outside," Mr. Chang replied.
Seeing me in a daze, Huzi patted my shoulder and said, "Hao, I'm going to take a nap. You should rest too."
Huzi yawned and soon fell asleep on the bed, snoring softly.
I looked at Huzi's exhausted face and felt a sense of unease in my heart.
In my early dreams, I wanted to walk out of this mountain and see the wonderful world beyond.
Having witnessed too many people become numb and having experienced too much that didn't belong to my age, I studied hard, solved problems, and prioritized exams because I wanted to leave this barren land.
I also wanted to be a hero, one who wielded a sword and acted with righteousness.
But when I finally stepped out of this mountain, I realized that the world was not as simple as I had imagined.
I began to think about returning to the mountains. Although it had only been a few months since I came back, I had hardly spent a single night sleeping soundly; fear haunted me every day.
"Yang Hao." Zhou Manman's voice suddenly rang in my ears.
I turned around to see Zhou Manman standing at the door. The morning sunlight streamed through her figure as she stood before me like a shy girl with clear eyes.
The Big Black Cat also appeared at my feet; it no longer exuded the hostility it once had but lay quietly beside me.
I felt a pang in my heart. Zhou Manman was now a ghost, untouchable and unreachable. If there were no other way, she would eventually be consumed by the Yang Qi of the mortal world, until she turned to ashes.
Zhou Manman touched my cheek and said, "I have avenged myself. Now that my soul has returned, it's time for me to go."
"Why?" I asked, furrowing my brow.
Zhou Manman replied, "After all, we are on different paths—humans and ghosts. It was only a matter of time before we parted ways. Staying by your side is of no benefit to me."
I said, "People can be reborn even after death. You can too. I will find a way to bring you back to life."
Zhou Manman shook her head. "My physical body is already destroyed. It's impossible for me to come back like Huzi did. Even if you could somehow find a new body for me, it would take decades. Besides, you've seen Guo Huaiyi—neither human nor ghost. I don't want to end up like that."
"Do you really have to go?" My eyes were red with tears.
Zhou Manman embraced me and whispered in my ear, "Your mother has told me everything. There are some things I can't share with you yet, but I can tell you that I still have a ray of hope. The Big Black Cat will take me far away to seek a way to reshape my body. Perhaps we will meet again."
With that, Zhou Manman whispered against my cheek. I nodded as I watched her turn away in solitude, gradually disappearing with the Big Black Cat.
I closed my eyes and let the tears flow down my face.
Comment 0 Comment Count