Master Bai and Olā Wei rushed ahead, but Chen Ge purposely slowed down to put some distance between them.
This should be good enough. Olā Wei and Master Bai are still in my sight; I donāt need to worry about losing them.
Chen Ge placed the recorder in his hand but did not look back; he just pretended like nothing was happening. The wind in the valley stilled, and the surroundings became quiet, as if they had gone through some limit and entered a different world. The temperature dropped, and Chen Ge could feel a cold draft encroaching.
Itās coming.
Perhaps because he had the white cat as a meat shield, Chen Ge walked forward with ease. When the cold draft was just three meters away from Chen Ge, it suddenly stopped like it could sense something.
I havenāt even turned the recorder on yetāwhy did it stop?
Chen Ge gauged the distance in his heart. He pretended like he was afraid and scared, shaking too much to move forward. He slowed down again, trying his best to ālureā the ghost to attack him.
Why isnāt it coming? Does it want me to lean back to knock into it?
Chen Ge was seriously considering walking backward. He had confidence in his acting, but he was afraid his unusual movement might scare the monster off.
I should wait a little while longer.
The road narrowed, and it was almost swallowed up by brush and branches. Even Master Bai and Olā Wei had to slow down to deal with the blockage. Chen Ge knew that he could not make it too obvious. If the monster was not going to take his bait, then so be it. He walked forward to help Master Bai.
However, the moment he picked up speedāperhaps panickingāthe monster finally made its move. Chilliness climbed all over his heart, and this familiar feeling reminded Chen Ge of his first date when Zhang Ya stood behind him. The hairs on his neck rose, and the temperature dropped even more as iciness surrounded him.
Before Chen Ge could do anything, the white cat in his backpack suddenly squeezed its way out. It meowed at him twice before running away!
You coward! Donāt they say cats have nine livesā½
Well, at least the white cat warned him before it left. The chill grabbed Chen Geās shoulders like a pair of hands.
This feels familiar.
A womanās sobbing came from behind Chen Ge. It sounded scary and sad. Weirdly enough, it seemed like only Chen Ge could hear this. Master Bai and Olā Wei were busy with their own stuff and did not seem to hear anything.
Iciness curled into his heart, and his shoulders slowly slumped from the pressure. Chen Ge was reminded of Master Baiās story. The old manās father should have been experiencing this kind of pain then. To protect Master Bai, he had forced himself to carry the ghost the entire journey. His body turned heavier, and there was a pulling force coming from behind him like it was trying to pull Chen Ge into one of the open coffins.
Is it what they call a scapegoat?
The air seemed to freeze into ice, and it froze up Chen Geās lungs. The crying beside his ears influenced Chen Geās thought. The trees around him moved like they were coming alive. The sobbing echoed in Chen Geās mind, and a pale white face slowly appeared from Chen Geās back. It leaned toward Chen Geās ears, but before it could say anything, Chen Ge suddenly turned around.
āYou done crying?ā
The face stopped on Chen Geās shoulders, its dark abyss of a mouth wide open.
āIf youāre done crying, then be on your way.ā Chen Ge pressed the recorder, and Xu Yin appeared in half a red shirt to yank the monster off from Chen Geās back. Before it could resist, it was torn into pieces and consumed by Xu Yin!
The screams echoed through the woods, and even Chen Ge thought Xu Yin was a bit cruel. āIf youāre not done crying, why didnāt you tell me? Iām a reasonable person.ā
When Xu Yin finished his feast, the blood stain on his shirt grew. Based on this speed, it would not be long until he became a real Red Specter.
āChen Ge! What are you doing back there! Donāt stay too far from us!ā Master Bai waved at Chen Ge. They did not notice anything weird until Xu Yin disappeared. With their sense of alertness, without Chen Ge, both of them would have been pulled into the coffins already.
āComing!ā Chen Ge pocketed the recorder, and the white cat, which had escaped earlier, returned. It jumped on Chen Geās shoulder and refused to enter the backpack again.
āA life of contentment has dulled your survival instincts. You werenāt this cowardly before. Looks like Iāll need to bring you out with me more in the future.ā Chen Ge nudged the catās face. āThis is for your own good.ā
After catching up to Olā Wei, Chen Ge suddenly realized that since the ghost had been eaten directly by Xu Yin, he was not even sure what kind of power it had.
Itās probably a normal ghost. Thereās so many coffinsāit should have friends.
With Master Bai leading way, they used twenty minutes to exit the valley.
āThank God nothing happened.ā Master Bai was covered in cold sweat. āWe were lucky this time. Weāll reach the place after ten minutes or so. Before entering the Coffin Village, let me go talk to them first.ā He stared at Chen Ge. āAfter weāre in the village, no matter what happens, do not act rashly! Iām considered a village friend, let me handle this.ā
āYouāve been back here for decades already, do you think they will still give you face? Furthermore, the villagers knew you might not even be alive anymore.ā Chen Ge was telling the truth.
āIn comparison, I know about their culture better than you do. Weāre here to find people, not to wage a war. Itās better not to make enemies.ā Master Bai tried his best to advise Chen Ge. He was afraid that he might do something dumb.
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āWeāll do what you say.ā Olā Wei dragged Chen Ge. āFinding the children is more important.ā
Master Bai did not continue this topic. He pointed the cat on Chen Geās shoulders. āKeep your cat inside your bag or else the villagers will kill it on sight.ā
āThey donāt keep cats to deal with rats? Donāt you say every family has a coffin? Arenāt they afraid rats might bite through the wood?ā Chen Ge chased the cat for a long time before he caught it and shoved it inside the bag.
āThere are not many living creatures inside this village. In fact, Iāve not seen them rear livestock,ā the old man said. āIāll tell you about it as we walk. The village has many weird taboos, and they look different from normal humans, so youād better be prepared.ā