The World Below Surface

Ignoring the sudden chill in Luo Ying's expression, Lu Yan surreptitiously clutched the jade pendant nestled in his pocket.

"I've got no intentions of betraying the sect," he said with a reassuring smile. "But I must take part in the ancestor worship ceremony. Can I return it to you once that's done? Would that work for you?"

Lu Yan couldn't quite fathom why Luo Ying was so eager to send him away, but he had a hunch it wasn't for benevolent reasons.

With no compelling counterarguments at her disposal, Luo Ying found herself inwardly berating her early decision to entrust him with the pendant and reveal its capabilities. Unaware of the subtle hypnosis at play, she blamed her own carelessness. Though she didn't place full trust in Lu Yan, a peculiar mix of trust and a glimmer of hope compelled her to believe his words now that a hint of salvation had emerged.

"Are you absolutely sure about this? You'll give it back after the ancestor worship ceremony?" Luo Ying hesitated.

Sensing the potency of his psychological suggestion, Lu Yan nodded, his expression tinged with unease. "Honestly, I'd rather not do this, but... I have this ominous feeling that the ancestor worship holds extraordinary danger." He let out a soft sigh. "I don't want to meet my end. I swear, once the ancestor worship is over, I'll promptly return the jade pendant to you. If not, may I be cursed to never reach the realm of the gods and never hear the gods' gospel after my demise," Lu Yan intensified his vow.

This solemn commitment eventually put Luo Ying at ease. She made him reiterate the oath before releasing him.

Lu Yan retraced his steps.

Now, he had to face Li Li.

Li Li might have been absent from the Village of the Heavenly Immortals for some time, but the possibility of a chance encounter lingered like a ghostly whisper in the wind.

But that was alright. Ever since she had killed Yu Xian Guang, she had made herself an enemy.

He reached out to Lin Chu. "...It's me. Can you step out for a moment?"

*

*

An Xing Yu and his companions had scoured the area, looking for any trace of Lu Yan, but had come up empty-handed. In their pursuit, Lin Chu had taken a nasty fall, injuring her ankle and prompting her to return for some rest. Yu Huan and Xie Zi Qing had escorted her back, while An Xing Yu and Lin Xue Yuan intended to venture at the back of the village to delve deeper into the mysteries that surrounded it.

An Xing Yu was determined to uncover the secrets linking the village reservoir to the multitude of corpses it concealed. Were all these souls victims of Li Li?

Considering how frequently Li Li's dog "Lucky" indulged in its gruesome feasts, how many lives had she extinguished to amass such a macabre body count in the river? Who were these unfortunate souls when they were still alive?

Beneath the surface of An Xing Yu's curiosity, there was a deep-seated desire to confirm whether any of his own faith comrades had fallen prey to Li Li.

"May the gods shower their blessings upon you, and may the realm of the divine be free of suffering," An Xing Yu whispered to himself as he and Lin Xue Yuan traced the reservoir's edge, following the downstream flow.

Their progress soon hit a snag. A thick thicket obstructed their path after just a few hundred meters. Attempts to circumvent it only led them further astray.

"What if we turn back?" Lin Xue Yuan suggested, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "Can't we simply stay in the village and wait for the day of ancestral worship? Yes, the village might be fraught with danger, but we aren't in immediate peril, are we?"

While ominous happenings hung in the air, as long as they remained cautious, refrained from reckless actions, and avoided the village's forbidden zones, their safety appeared relatively assured. Up to this point, only one task-taker, Yu Xian Guang, had met his demise, and the circumstances of his clash with Li Li remained shrouded in mystery. Despite her guilt over Lin Chu, Lin Xue Yuan felt a measure of gratitude toward Li Li. Without her vigilant protection of the village, she might have not survived thus far.

An Xing Yu shook his head and pressed onward.

To his surprise, this place seemed entirely deserted and remote. Yet, every few hundred meters, they passed humble dwellings reminiscent of those back in the Village of the Heavenly Immortals. An Xing Yu followed the path winding past these structures.

He had never believed this mission would be as straightforward as it initially seemed. The current peace and quiet felt like a mirage. His instincts warned him that unless they found a solution before the ancestor worship ceremony, not one of them would make it through this task.

No exceptions.

In Lin Xue Yuan's eyes, defying the big shot's intentions was out of the question. She silently trailed An Xing Yu as they ventured deeper into the dense forest. The surroundings grew darker and colder. The sparse winter bird songs fell silent, and a damp chill settled in, sending shivers down Lin Xue Yuan's spine.

The path they followed eventually reached a dead end.

Then, suddenly, An Xing Yu looked up and spotted a distant mountain.

Describing the mountain's eerie visage proved to be an enigma for An Xing Yu. Even as he craned his neck to look up from the mountain's base, its summit remained shrouded in mystery. The mountain stood like a colossal void, its surface adorned with jagged, obsidian rocks that stood in stark contrast to the verdant woods that surrounded it. On this biting winter day, an eerie chill hung in the air, casting an ominous shadow over the landscape.

Yet, moments ago, this mountain had been absent from their view!

An Xing Yu's instincts tingled with unease. He cautiously took a step closer to the mountain's precipice, but the moment his foot touched the ground, an overwhelming, bone-chilling sensation washed over him, accompanied by an undeniable sense of dread.

Another step forward promised only certain death.

Realization dawned, and he quickly retreated two paces.

Turning to Lin Xue Yuan, who quivered with the same disconcerting sensations, An Xing Yu drew near, seeking solace in her warmth. He inquired, "What's happening?"

Lin Xue Yuan's breath came in quick, shallow gasps as she whispered, "I wanted to take a photo, but... the camera won't capture anything!"

"How is that even possible?" An Xing Yu exclaimed, his skepticism etching lines of doubt on his face. He took a step back, fetched his phone, and fired up the camera function. However, the screen presented a stark contrast to what his eyes beheld. It revealed nothing but a blank, white void, devoid of any discernible subject.

With a furrowed brow, he pressed the shutter button, reviewed the photo, and it remained a blank, utterly useless frame.

"Shouldn't we get going? This place feels exceedingly strange," Lin Xue Yuan implored, her voice carrying an unexplainable unease. She couldn't shake the feeling that something profoundly dreadful would unfold if they ventured closer to that looming mountain.

Unseen from a distance, untouched, unphotographable... Could this be the fabled 'back mountain' the villagers spoke of?

Hidden within that remote, mountainous enclave, An Xing Yu couldn't fathom what lay in wait. An overwhelming unease gripped him, twisting into physical discomfort, dizziness, and a relentless surge of restlessness that teetered on the edge of a scream. The urge to plunge forward and unveil the truth clawed at him, irresistible.

With a heaving chest, An Xing Yu suppressed the impulse and turned abruptly. "Let's get out of here."

Lin Xue Yuan remained silent, putting a few strides between them. What remained unspoken was that the grotesque expression An Xing Yu had worn moments ago resembled that of a demon.

Unbeknownst to her, her own countenance bore a similarly pallid and sinister aspect, reflecting a demon's image.

As they departed, a young girl in a crimson gown and long hair slowly emerged from the mountainside. Her once innocent and fair face now twisted grotesquely, her eyes a solid, ebony abyss devoid of any whites. She fixed an intense gaze upon the retreating figures, her face etched with bitter resentment.

After a while, the young girl vanished from sight.

It was only when they basked in the warmth of the sunlight that Lin Xue Yuan felt a resurgence of vitality. An Xing Yu had forged ahead a few paces, and their earlier rush nearly sent her stumbling as her shoelaces snagged on a small bush.

Crouching down, she ensured her shoelaces were securely fastened this time to prevent any mishaps. Rising to her feet, she casually remarked, "Thanks for waiting; I had to tie my shoelaces," without lifting her gaze as she accepted his hand to stand.

But as she straightened up, an unsettling discovery shook her to the core: An Xing Yu, who had stood directly in front of her, had inexplicably vanished!

In an instant, Lin Xue Yuan felt as though she had plunged into an icy abyss, her heart hammering madly. It was inconceivable.

She had been doing nothing more than tying her shoelaces, and An Xing Yu was not one to abandon a comrade. Where on earth could he have disappeared to?

"An Xing Yu?" Lin Xue Yuan froze in her tracks, terror gripping her throat, rendering her nearly voiceless. She whispered, "Where are you? Please, don't startle me... Reveal yourself!" Tears threatened as she grappled with the overwhelming fear closing in. With quivering steps, she pressed on.

"An Xing Yu? An Xing Yu?"

With a quickening pace, the path ahead seemed less menacing. Lin Xue Yuan rushed toward the exit, her strides gaining momentum. At last, a familiar figure materialized in the distance, and relief flooded her. She hurried forward.

"An Xing Yu! You scared me! Why were you walking so fast?"

Seeing her companion, the pent-up tension in her chest began to dissipate. Lin Xue Yuan slowed her pace and approached cautiously. It was then she noticed a stinging sensation in her lower legs, likely the result of grazing them during her earlier sprint.

But it all felt like a small price for surviving the ordeal.

Hold on a moment!

Suddenly, Lin Xue Yuan recollected something.

If An Xing Yu had been the one leading all along, then who had helped her stand up?

This unsettling thought sent a fresh shiver racing down Lin Xue Yuan's spine. She glanced at An Xing Yu up ahead, trying to dispel the eerie notion from her mind. Quickening her pace, she reached out to tap his shoulder. "Could you please wait for me?"

An Xing Yu halted and turned to face her.

His visage appeared as if it had been stripped of its flesh, revealing twisted, crimson muscles underneath. His eyes, or whatever remained of them, held a glint of malevolence and icy coldness. In that pivotal moment of his turn, those eyes, brimming with bitterness, locked onto her with an unwavering, piercing intensity.

It's a ghost!

Lin Xue Yuan suddenly became aware that what she touched was chillingly icy.

"Ah, ah, ah—"

The wailing abruptly ceased.

...

An Xing Yu and Lin Xue Yuan sprinted through the woods until they reached its edge. There, they slowed their pace.

At this very moment, a deep sense of unease washed over him as he observed Lin Xue Yuan's peculiar demeanor. It was as if she had surrendered her soul, her vacant gaze drifting, and her movements akin to that of a lifeless husk. An Xing Yu called out to her repeatedly, but her eyes remained devoid of life, offering no response.

What was happening to her?

An Xing Yu extended his hand to check her breathing, finding faint signs of life. Yet, as he watched her eyes gradually whiten, it became apparent that she was in grave danger. Without intervention, her life hung by a thread.

Anxiety surged through An Xing Yu, but he felt powerless. Gritting his teeth, he hoisted her onto his back and raced toward the Village of the Heavenly Immortals, with hope in his heart that Li Li could offer assistance.

This impulsive decision had been influenced by the frigid, eerie air that had seeped down from the nearby mountains. In any other circumstance, he would never have ventured into such peril. He'd heard tales of individuals carrying others on their backs who had turned into malevolent spirits during missions or in horror tales. The rational course of action would have been to leave her in the woods and flee, but he couldn't bring himself to do that.

Leaving her alone in the forest meant inviting uncontrollable paranormal occurrences!

With Lin Xue Yuan on his back, he sprinted through the woods, determination trumping his waning stamina.

He ran relentlessly, the road ahead gradually drawing near, bathed in sunlight.

He put the woods behind him.

But at that exact moment, a tightening grip wrapped around his neck.

The sensation on his back grew colder, unlike anything a living being could cause.

It dawned on An Xing Yu that what he carried was strangely light, nothing like the weight of an adult woman.

Most task performers trained to sprint faster when pursued by ghosts and monsters, and Lin Xue Yuan was no exception. Her goal wasn't weight loss, and even if she shed pounds, it couldn't explain this unnatural lightness.

An Xing Yu drew a hushed breath, his heart racing as he fought to steady himself.

The weight on his back pressed down, those spectral arms refusing to let go. With painstaking care, he pried them away before inching towards the eerie reservoir.

"Lin Xue Yuan, are you feeling any better?" He refrained from disclosing his predicament, instead engaging in casual conversation.

The entity clinging to him stayed frigid, unyielding, and utterly silent.

Step by step, he edged closer to the riverbank. When he came within about a hundred meters of the decrepit bridge, a small red figure sprang onto the bridge.

It was Li Li!

An Xing Yu felt a surge of relief. Even from this distance, he could make out Li Li tossing something into the water.

It seemed to be... a person.

Li Li, catching An Xing Yu's gaze, oddly greeted him with excited waves and laughter.

The arms, which had clung tenaciously to An Xing Yu's neck, now hung limply in front of his chest, swaying with An Xing Yu's brisk strides.

Without a moment's hesitation, An Xing Yu sprinted toward the riverbank. With a powerful motion, he flung the burden from his back into the river, creating a sizable, noxious splash.

As he caught his breath, he looked up at Li Li and said, "Thank you."

Li Li giggled and gestured towards the river, inviting An Xing Yu to look.

Only then did An Xing Yu get a chance to observe what had been tossed into the water.

A strange creature, with long, spindly limbs and a blank expression, floated rhythmically in the river, its entire body a sickly pallor.

But what truly shocked An Xing Yu was what lay nearby.

Her death couldn't have been too long ago, and her distorted face was all too familiar.

It was Lin Chu...

Just like the other lifeless bodies, her eyes had been cruelly gouged out, leaving behind hollow voids. Yet, the terror that had been etched on her face still lingered. She lay among a cluster of decaying, bloated corpses, and it wouldn't be long before she became one of them.

An Xing Yu struggled to accept that Lin Chu had met such a gruesome fate. But the harsh reality played out before him, leaving no room for denial.

How could this have happened?

Li Li's laughter rang out as she clapped her hands. "Come here and catch some fish! Lucky's hungry."

An Xing Yu couldn't muster the will to resist her command. He reluctantly obeyed, much as he had done before.

True to expectations, he reeled in Lin Chu's lifeless body.

With Lucky eagerly devouring its gruesome meal, An Xing Yu hung his head, lost in thought. However, Li Li misunderstood his expression. Her once joyful face turned icy and severe. "Keep watching! This is what happens when rules are disobeyed!"

An Xing Yu snapped back to attention, his gaze locked on the grim scene. What had befallen Yu Huan and Xie Zi Qing, the companions who had returned with Lin Chu? Lin Xue Yuan and Yu Xian Guang had met their end, leaving just the three of them.

And as for Lu Yan, where had he vanished to?

*

*

In the heart of the Heavenly Immortals Village, inside Zhang Bo's dwelling, an aura of pure white surrounded them, a clear sign that a funeral was underway.

Seated at the front, Zhang Bo let out mournful cries. In the funeral hall, two monochrome photographs lay side by side, their faces bearing an unmistakable familial resemblance.

By Zhang Bo's side, Lu Yan offered consoling words in hushed tones.

"They left this way... without waiting for me... How can I go on?" The middle-aged man was so overwhelmed by grief that he could hardly stand, his tears soaking most of the paper currency, causing it to smolder slowly when placed in the incense burner.

"Take all the time you need to grieve," Lu Yan reassured him, then proceeded to help with both the preparations inside and outside the funeral hall.

With the recent increase in funerals within the village, the residents had grown accustomed to the solemn ceremonies. Some had even stopped cooking their own meals, choosing instead to share in communal funeral feasts.

The village chief had entrusted Lu Yan with the solemn duty of aiding the Zhang Bo's residence, receiving and attending to the mourners.

As he stepped outside, his eyes were drawn to the two commemorative photographs in the funeral hall, and for a moment it seemed like they blinked at him. Then gazes of the people in the pictures seemed to shift, fixing on the middle-aged man who wept before the hall. He quickly left.

Zhang Bo's grief was unrelenting, the sudden loss of his wife and son overnight having turned half of his hair gray. His anguish was palpable.

In the photographs, the faces of the two individuals began to stir, leaning outward.

Slowly but surely, two ethereal figures emerged from the pictures. They still wore the gentle smiles captured in the photographs, reaching out their hands toward Zhang Bo.

...

"Xiao Lu, I appreciate your dedication today," the village chief, who had also arrived, said to Lu Yan. "Zhang Bo is overwhelmed by sorrow, and at times, he utters words he doesn't mean. Please don't take it to heart." Lately, the chief had been exceptionally busy, dashing about ceaselessly, and he looked quite fatigued.

Lu Yan responded with a gentle smile. "Of course, and besides, I owe a great deal to Zhang Bo's family from when I first returned to the village."

"Good lad," the village chief patted his shoulder. "Leaving him alone in there is not advisable. Later, we should all enter and ensure that everything is in order. These recent days have been tumultuous, and we need to restore some semblance of order."

Outside, a gathering of people enjoyed a feast, engaging in animated conversation. As the dishes on each table were all eaten, a group of sturdy, middle-aged laborers stood up, knocked on the door, and entered to assist with transporting the coffin.

The courtyard, once filled with grief, now seemed eerily deserted. Zhang Bo, who had been weeping on the platform just moments ago, was nowhere to be seen.

The brazier lay toppled over, its contents scattered into a mound of ashes, the ground bearing signs of a struggle.

Inside the memorial hall, the mourning portrait had undergone a sinister transformation. What was once a single somber image now portrayed a family of three in stark black and white, each of them bearing unnerving, cheerful smiles.

Fear gripped the villagers, paralyzing them with dread. None among them dared to step inside.

This... was clearly haunted!

A moment passed, and then the smiles in the photos all seemed to converge on them.

"Ghosts!!"

The cry tore through the air, quickly echoed by others. The first person to shout took off running, setting off a frenzy of panic that infected everyone. Even those absorbed in playing the suona, a traditional Chinese musical instrument, abandoned their instruments and fled from Zhang's residence.

Lu Yan was the last one out, hurrying outside. Along the way, he ran into Yu Huan and Xie Ziqing. They watched the bewildered villagers for a moment before swiftly joining the exodus.

In the village's history, supernatural incidents had usually been open secret kept hidden, the populace only well aware of the higher mortality rate within their community. Li Li had always maintained control over such situations. Never before had malevolent spirits dared to manifest so boldly in broad daylight.

But where was Li Li now?!

An Xing Yu had been on his way back to the Village of the Heavenly Immortals from the reservoir when he sensed an unusual commotion in the distance. As he drew closer, he saw villagers, a rare sight near the reservoir, hurrying in his direction.

Wasn't it a well-known fact that villagers seldom ventured close to the reservoir?

An Xing Yu couldn't help but feel perplexed. It didn't take long for the group of villagers to approach, and the person leading them stopped and shouted from a distance, "Have you seen Li Li?"

An Xing Yu shook his head, concerned they might not notice his gesture, and called out loudly, "She's gone!"

His statement rang true. After Lucky had finished its meal, Li Li had left. An Xing Yu remained clueless about her whereabouts.

"Oh no, who will protect us now?" one of the middle-aged women racing ahead collapsed on the ground, tears streaming. "There's a ghost in the village... my second child met such a tragic end..."

"A guardian deity, my foot! We've pampered her with lavish meals and drinks all this time, but when duty calls, she's nowhere to be found!"

"Have we not treated her well enough?! Why won't she show herself?"

"She doesn't even acknowledge her own father and grandparents, how could she protect us? I propose we replace her with someone else. Isn't Madam Li's granddaughter, who's away studying, available? Let's invite her back."

The recent string of bizarre events had already left the villagers unnerved. Today, it had ignited the simmering fear in their hearts. The older generation clung to their superstitions, and even the younger ones were now calling for a replacement.

An Xing Yu hurried forward, catching wind of the villagers' candid words and beginning to form a vague notion.

Could the guardian deity be replaced?

So, how did Li Li end up becoming the guardian?

Despite the numerous villagers, An Xing Yu managed to locate Yu Huan and Xie Zi Qing. Once the three of them convened, An Xing Yu spoke in hushed tones, delivering a detailed account of Lin Chu and Lin Xue Yuan's gruesome demise.

"So, it's just the three of us now..." Fear etched across Yu Huan's face.

An Xing Yu nodded solemnly. "Let's not lose hope; we still have a chance. By the way, have either of you seen Lu Yan?"

Xie Zi Qing replied, "He's back there. Didn't you notice him earlier?"

An Xing Yu shook his head, choosing not to reveal his discovery of the sinister "back mountain." He intended to broach the subject with Lu Yan at a more opportune moment.

With Xie Ziqing's confirmation, An Xing Yu broke away from the crowd and made his way toward the rear. It didn't take long before he spotted Lu Yan, leaning casually against a tree just beyond the villagers, waiting with a patient air.

"Why are you here? Oh, and I have something to share with you," An Xing Yu rushed over, recounting the same tale he had told Xie Ziqing and Yu Huan, eager to get Lu Yan's perspective.

"Lin Chu is dead?" Lu Yan's amazement was unmistakable as he muttered, "That doesn't sound right; she's not the sort..."

An Xing Yu struggled to believe it too. "But I saw it happen. Li Li threw her into the water, and then she asked me to fish. I... I caught Lin Chu..."

He quickly shifted the conversation.

"The village isn't safe anymore, and we can't predict who might be the next victim," An Xing Yu voiced his growing concern. "The main problem is, we can't figure out what's triggering the revenants' attacks. The old rule of pretending not to see them doesn't seem to be working. There's definitely a revenant in Uncle Zhang's house, and Li Li has vanished. What's our plan?"

Lu Yan replied, "It's not a dead end just yet. Have you forgotten? There's still one place in the village that the revenants haven't touched."

"What?" An Xing Yu asked.

Lu Yan said two words, "The forbidden area."

Recognition dawned in An Xing Yu's eyes.

Yes, they had been to the forbidden area before and had witnessed Old Lady Li, who had been acting like a revenant, instantly calm down once she entered those forbidden grounds.

Given that, the forbidden area seemed like a promising option.