105: Ghostly signs appear in an ancient well in a deserted village
Li Muchen pinched that pinch of ash again and held it to his nose to sniff. Besides the smell of the burnt talisman paper and cinnabar, there was a faint, extremely hidden scent—similar to sandalwood but more pungent and obscure. This was a specially made Sacrificial Incense commonly used for communication or transactions with "non-human" entities.
"That night, did you ever see or smell any special incense?" Li Muchen asked.
Chen Feng tried hard to recall, then shook his head blankly. "No... no. It was just very cold, and there was a musky stench."
Li Muchen's gaze narrowed slightly. The incense scent in these ashes was extremely unusual, certainly not something used in ordinary Daoist temples or folk Sacrifices; it seemed more like the product of some hidden Legacy. It appeared here at the bottom of the ancient well, alongside the fur of a Weasel Spirit and a broken ancient Jade Plaque... was it a coincidence, or had someone done this deliberately?
"This well is not that creature's nest; it's more like a... temporary 'Altar' or 'Beacon'," Li Muchen said slowly. "What happened that night was likely no chance encounter."
Chen Feng sucked in a cold breath. "Someone... someone set us up?"
"Not necessarily targeted at you specifically." Li Muchen looked toward the vast, distant mountains. "Perhaps you just happened to be passing by and met certain 'conditions,' so you were exploited."
He wrapped several items in a clean cloth and tucked them into his pouch. The Shamanic Runes and the words 'five immortals' on the Jade Plaque were important clues. That special incense ash might also point toward certain hidden factions.
Just as he finished putting the items away and prepared to search other corners of the village more carefully, the ancient well, which had been quiet all along, suddenly stirred.
It wasn't the well water churning, nor was it a demon appearing. Rather, the wisps of Demonic Qi and resentment that had been drifting away suddenly became dense and active, as if triggered or awakened by something!
At the same time, the snow within a few yards of the well's mouth began to melt silently, revealing the dark brown earth beneath, looking as if it had been soaked in blood! A bone-chilling malice that pierced straight through the Divine Soul began to spread from the well like a tide!
"Heh... heh heh..."
An extremely faint, eerie sound—half-crying, half-laughing, neither human nor beast—seemed to ring directly in their ears, or even in the depths of their hearts!
The hair on Chen Feng's body stood on end as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. His legs went weak, and he could barely stand; that familiar feeling of being stared at by a terrifying existence instantly gripped his heart!
Li Muchen's expression remained unchanged. He simply took a half-step forward, shielding Chen Feng behind him. His gaze was like lightning as he looked directly into the deep well. The invisible and intangible aura of pure quietude around him suddenly became solid, like a spring breeze turning into rain, yet containing an inviolable sense of awe that quietly blocked and dissolved the oncoming icy malice.
"Playing ghosts and spirits." His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear and calm, echoing through the dead village. "Since you've lured us here, why not show yourself?"
The eerie sound in the well came to an abrupt halt.
In the next instant, the air above the well's mouth distorted slightly, and a dim, yellowish shadow slowly emerged and condensed.
Within the light and shadow, one could vaguely see the outline of a short, hunched figure wearing a tattered straw hat and ill-fitting, oversized clothes. Its face was shrouded in shadow, save for a pair of mung-bean-sized eyes shimmering with an eerie green light, staring fixedly at Li Muchen through the gaps in the straw hat.
It was exactly the image of the "Weasel Spirit" that had asked for a title that night, just as Chen Feng had described!
However, this figure was not a physical entity at this moment; it was more like a wisp of residual demonic thought and essence mixed with the resentment from the well. It was ethereal and unstable, yet its aura was even more somber and eerie than what Chen Feng had described.
It seemed quite wary of Li Muchen and did not dare to approach. It simply hovered above the well, baring its uneven, sharp teeth and making a "hissing" strange noise:
"Meddling... in others' business... seeking death..."
The voice was dry and piercing, like two pieces of rusted iron rubbing together.
Li Muchen's expression was indifferent. "Are you the one who has been pestering my friend?"
"His life... was decided long ago... a Sacrifice... cannot escape..." The weasel essence laughed weirdly, its green eyes turning toward Chen Feng behind Li Muchen, filled with greed and malice. "The hour... is almost here... you all... must come... to be buried with us..."
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"Sacrifice? Buried with you?" Li Muchen's gaze turned cold. "Who decided the hour? And why choose him?"
"The Old Ancestor... wants to return... the contract... needs Blood Food..." The weasel essence spoke incoherently, its voice rising and falling, filled with madness. "You all... will die... you will all become Sacrifices for the Old Ancestor's return! Heh heh heh..."
It suddenly raised a "hand" and pointed at Li Muchen, its fingertips swirling with a murky black-and-yellow aura. "You... have Spiritual Qi on you... a great tonic... the Old Ancestor will like it... much more nourishing... than this trash..."
Before it could finish, the essence suddenly let out a shrill shriek. Its form exploded, transforming into dozens of dim yellow ghostly shadows that lunged at Li Muchen and Chen Feng with bared fangs and claws, carrying a pungent, musky Demonic Qi and icy resentment! Simultaneously, the icy malice from the well surged, as if it were about to materialize and drag the two of them into an endless dark abyss!
Chen Feng suffered a Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, closing his eyes and waiting for death.
However, he heard Li Muchen give a cold snort.
Without seeing him make any significant movement, he simply gave his sleeve a gentle flick.
A warm, peaceful, yet irresistibly powerful pale golden light rippled outward from him like a wave.
Wherever the golden light passed, the pouncing yellow ghostly shadows were like snow meeting the morning sun, emitting a "chi-chi" sound as they instantly dissolved and disintegrated, leaving not a single trace behind. The churning icy malice in the well also shrank back rapidly as if burned by the golden light, retreating into the depths of the well.
Only the final shrill shriek of the weasel essence, filled with shock, anger, and disbelief, lingered and drifted over the deserted village after the wind and snow.
The golden light faded, and the village returned to a deathly silence. The abnormalities around the well's mouth also completely disappeared. The snow remained as it was, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
Chen Feng opened his eyes tremblingly, only to see Li Muchen still standing in his original spot, his green robe fluttering slightly, his expression as calm as ever, with not even a corner of his clothes out of place.
"Muchen... is it... is it dead?" Chen Feng's voice shook.
"It was just a wisp of residual demonic essence attached to the resentment of this place, taking the opportunity to manifest and intimidate us," Li Muchen looked toward the ancient well, his gaze deep. "Its true body shouldn't be here. But through this residual thought, I did hear some interesting things."
The Old Ancestor's return... the Blood Food contract... the Sacrifice hour... these fragments of words, combined with that ancient Jade Plaque, the special incense ash, and the ambiguous attitude of Changqing Temple, hinted that the hidden undercurrents of the Northeast had already revealed a tip of the iceberg.
"This place is not for staying long." Li Muchen turned around. "Let's head back to town first. Some things need to be planned carefully."
How could Chen Feng have any objections? He nodded hurriedly, took one last lingering look at the now-calm ancient well with lingering fear, and quickly followed Li Muchen.
The two of them walked away through the snow, their figures gradually disappearing outside the deserted village.
They didn't notice that in the shadow of a half-collapsed earthen wall at the edge of the village, a pair of cloudy yet alert small eyes were staring fixedly at the direction they were leaving through a gap. A moment later, the shadow wriggled slightly, and a thin rat with grayish-yellow fur and long whiskers on its snout emerged silently, quickly disappearing into the depths of the ruins.
The Gray Immortal... a messenger.
The wind and snow rose again, gradually covering the footprints on the snowy ground.
Inside the cabin on the return journey, the heater hissed. Wrapped in a blanket, Chen Feng was still somewhat shaken, yet he felt more confident than when he arrived. He peeked at Li Muchen, who was resting with his eyes closed beside him, his heart filled with unspeakable shock and gratitude.
Li Muchen wasn't truly resting. His Divine Sense was repeatedly "watching" those broken and chaotic images and information fragments captured from the weasel essence's residual thought. At the same time, the ancient Jade Plaque in his pouch was emitting a faint, almost non-existent fluctuation through the cloth, resonating with a hidden place deep in the distant mountain range.
Outside the car window, the vast outline of Changbai Mountain rose and fell in the twilight snow and mist, like a crouching giant beast.
The mountain rain is about to fall; the wind has already filled the tower.