The Monster on the Grave Soil

幽雾笼罩着天空. The dim mist shrouded the sky.

坟土铺满了大地. Grave Soil covered the earth.

黑色的血从不知多远的地方流淌过来,浸染着一片片坟土. Black Blood flowed from somewhere impossibly far away, soaking one patch of Grave Soil after another.

陈沐曾尝试靠近坟土上的那片黑褐色的血迹,但仅仅只是略一接近,一种难言的恐怖感就直接覆盖了他全身. Chen Mu had once tried to approach the dark-brown bloodstain on the Grave Soil, but the moment he drew even slightly closer, an indescribable terror immediately engulfed his entire body.

甚至连他身上的那一层莹莹白光,都开始震动摇晃. Even the faint white glow around him began to tremble and sway.

"这血都已经干涸了,但我却连靠近都做不到,还是在有系统保护的情况下...就算是一品武圣的血,也不可能有这般恐怖." "This blood has already dried up, yet I can't even approach it—and that's with the system protecting me... Even the blood of a First Rank Martial Saint couldn't possibly be this terrifying."

陈沐心中低喃. Chen Mu muttered inwardly.

最初的时候,他别说是靠近,就算看上一眼都会感到毛骨悚然,如今虽然能直视了,但却还是无法靠近. At first, let alone approaching it, even looking at it would make his flesh creep. Now he could face it directly, but he still couldn't draw near.

黑血与黑雾,是他在幽冥感觉到最恐怖的两种东西,如果没有体外那层莹莹白光的保护,别说是靠近,只一瞬间,他的心魂就会被侵蚀. Black Blood and the dark mist were the two most terrifying things he had encountered in the Netherworld. Without the protection of that faint white glow around his body, let alone approaching them—his Soulmind would be corroded in an instant.

黑雾,黑血,坟土,阴鬼. Dark mist, Black Blood, Grave Soil, Netherworld Ghosts.

这是陈沐四次神游幽冥以来,看到的仅有的东西,除此之外别无他物. These were the only things Chen Mu had seen in his four Soul Roamings through the Netherworld. Beyond them, there was nothing else.

继续往前. He continued forward.

远方的黑雾仍然遥远到仿佛永远都无法接近. The dark mist in the distance remained so far away that it seemed he could never approach it.

但! But!

就在这个时候,从那绵延无尽的黑暗中,忽然出现了一个黑暗的影子,这影子远远望去,并不是人类的外形,似延伸出无数黑色的触手. At that moment, a dark shadow suddenly appeared within that endless stretch of darkness. Seen from afar, it did not have a human shape; it seemed to have countless black tentacles extending from it.

而没等陈沐做出什么反应,它似乎便已发现了陈沐的存在. Before Chen Mu could react, it seemed to have already sensed his presence.

突兀的. Abruptly.

陈沐视线中,那个浑沌的黑影便消失了. The chaotic black shadow vanished from Chen Mu's sight.

这一刻,陈沐心中陡然警铃大作,一股强烈的恐怖在心间弥漫,感觉到一阵毛骨悚然,正想寻找那忽然消失的黑影时. At that moment, alarm bells suddenly rang in Chen Mu's mind. A violent terror spread through his heart, making his flesh creep. Just as he was about to search for the shadow that had suddenly disappeared—

一只惨白的婴儿手臂从他的背后伸出,探向他的肩膀. A deathly pale infant's arm reached out from behind him, stretching toward his shoulder.

不! No!

不是一只. Not one.

视线粗略的一瞥,就看到了不知多少只粗细不一的手臂,从他的后方伸过来,抓向他的身体. With one hurried glance, he saw countless arms of varying thickness reaching from behind him, grasping toward his body.

那种难言的恐怖覆盖了陈沐的全身,他想要躲避,但却完全无法动弹,甚至连思维都僵硬了,无法转动! That indescribable terror covered Chen Mu from head to toe. He wanted to evade them, but he couldn't move at all; even his thoughts had stiffened and stopped turning!

只能眼睁睁的看着那无数的小手抓取过来. He could only watch helplessly as those countless little hands reached for him.

然后. Then.

所有的手都触碰到了他体表的那层白光. Every hand touched the layer of white light covering his body.

轰!!! BOOM!!!

仿佛触碰了什么禁忌. It was as though they had touched some forbidden thing.

陈沐听到了一声凄厉的惨叫. Chen Mu heard a shrill, agonized scream.

准确的说,并不是一声,而似是无数个声音重迭在一起,在同一时间发出来的凄厉惨叫,令他一瞬间感觉思绪都要炸开. More precisely, it was not one scream, but countless voices layered atop one another, shrieking at the same time. For an instant, Chen Mu felt as though his thoughts were about to explode.

就看到一抹白光,似乎在一刹那间撕开了幽暗的天空,震碎了无边的坟土,映照到他的视线中,只剩下白茫茫的一片! A flash of white light tore through the dim sky in an instant, shattered the boundless Grave Soil, and flooded his vision until nothing remained but an expanse of dazzling white!

那一只只婴儿状的手臂,每被白色覆盖一寸,就消失一寸,直至最后整个消失不见,完全被白色所淹没. Those infant-like arms vanished inch by inch as the white covered them, until they disappeared entirely, swallowed completely by the whiteness.

唰. Whoosh.

陈沐的意识重新恢复. Chen Mu's consciousness returned.

眼前仍然是那一片无尽的坟土. The endless Grave Soil still stretched before him.

白光不见了,那一条条诡异可怕的婴儿手臂也没了痕迹,幽雾仍然弥漫着天穹,似乎一切都只是南柯一梦,刹那间出现的幻觉. The white light was gone, and the strange, terrifying infant arms had left no trace. The dim mist still filled the heavens, as though everything had merely been a fleeting dream—a hallucination that had appeared and vanished in an instant.

"那是什么..." "What was that..."

逐渐恢复的陈沐,感到脊背一阵发冷. As Chen Mu gradually recovered, a chill ran down his spine.

无论是翠儿,还是笑青山,又或者是莫竹,他们在自己靠近的时候,都不曾主动发起过攻击,甚至没有任何的动作. Whether Cui'er, Xiao Qingshan, or Mo Zhu, none of them had ever attacked him when he approached. They had not even made a move.

可刚刚那个, But that thing just now—

绝对不是这种类型. It absolutely wasn't like them.

那种恐怖无法用语言来形容,甚至都无法去理解,当对方接近的时候,他连思维都陷入了凝固,仿佛已经是生命层次上的差距. That terror could not be described with words, or even understood. When it approached, even his thoughts had frozen, as if the difference between them lay on entirely different levels of life.

只是那个东西恐怖,他体外这一层微弱的白光却更恐怖,那一瞬间,仿佛将整个世界都更改了. That thing was terrifying, but the faint white glow around his body was even more terrifying. In that instant, it seemed to have altered the entire world.

之前的陈沐只知道这层白光很强,强大到能隔绝幽冥的恐怖,令他这么微弱的心魂,都能安全的进入幽冥并在这里游走. Before this, Chen Mu had only known that the white glow was powerful—powerful enough to isolate the Netherworld's terrors, allowing even his feeble Soulmind to safely enter and roam through the Netherworld.

但现在. But now.

陈沐更明确了这黯淡白光的强大,即使是刚才那种可怕到他都无法理解的层次的诡异,都无法撼动他身上这一层白光. Chen Mu understood the strength of this dim white light more clearly. Even that incomprehensible horror from earlier had been unable to shake the layer of white light around him.

稍稍镇定了些思绪. After calming his thoughts somewhat,

陈沐微微摇头. Chen Mu shook his head slightly.

无论刚刚那是什么,也无论这系统赋予的白光究竟是什么层级的力量,对于现在的他来说,探究也没有任何意义. Whatever that thing had been, and whatever level of power the system's white light truly possessed, investigating it was meaningless to him now.

他现在需要做的,是尽快找个合适的鬼,消除对方的执念. What he needed to do now was find a suitable ghost as soon as possible and dispel its obsession.

随着陈沐继续往前,远处也出现了几个黑影,陈沐向着其中一个飞了过去,很快便接近了对方. As Chen Mu continued forward, several black shadows appeared in the distance. He flew toward one of them and soon drew near.

这黑影是个男子. The shadow was a man.

其眼中有两行血泪,脖颈上挂着一条污浊的绳索,正漫无目的的飘荡着,给陈沐的感觉和笑青山,莫竹相差不大. Two streams of bloody tears ran from his eyes. A filthy rope hung around his neck as he drifted aimlessly, giving Chen Mu much the same feeling as Xiao Qingshan and Mo Zhu.

耿和 Geng He

来历:京都南屏街

怨念:生性好赌,输光家财,家里妻女皆被变卖抵债,醒悟时已晚,自缢而亡

执念:负了家中妻女

陈沐看着系统界面的描述,轻微摇头. Chen Mu looked at the description on the system interface and gave a slight shake of his head.

能一缕执念不散,并在这幽冥中游荡,说明最后的一刻的确是有悔悟,而且这一丝执念也相当的强烈,几乎与笑青山,莫竹相当. For a strand of obsession to remain intact and wander through the Netherworld meant that he had indeed felt remorse at the final moment. That strand of obsession was also exceptionally strong, nearly on par with those of Xiao Qingshan and Mo Zhu.

但这并不值得同情和怜悯, But that was not worthy of sympathy or pity.

值得怜悯和同情的只有那无辜的妻女. The only ones worthy of pity and sympathy were his innocent wife and daughters.

陈沐缓缓的道:"我会去寻她们,若她们还活着的话." Chen Mu said slowly, "I'll go look for them, if they're still alive."

陈沐并不多么仁善,也不打算做个善人,承接下这份执念,也仅仅只是因为做起来难度不高,只要有情报,就不难解决. Chen Mu was not especially benevolent, nor did he intend to become a good man. He had accepted this obsession merely because it would not be difficult to fulfill. As long as he had the information, resolving it would not be hard.

耿和的魂影没有反应,在枯黄的坟土上静静的漂浮着. Geng He's soul-shade did not react. It floated quietly above the withered yellow Grave Soil.

... ...

卧房. Bedroom.

陈沐缓缓睁开眼睛. Chen Mu slowly opened his eyes.

"耿和..." "Geng He..."

他低喃一声. He murmured the name.

目前不清楚耿和的妻女是什么时候被卖的,只知道他来自京都南屏街,只有这么点粗略的信息,让任岩去打探已经不合适了. At present, it was unclear when Geng He's wife and daughters had been sold. Chen Mu only knew that he came from South Screen Street in the Capital. With such scant information, it would no longer be appropriate to have Ren Yan investigate.

陈沐知道一个去处. Chen Mu knew one place to go.

天机楼. Heaven's Secret Pavilion.

这是一个专门负责打探情报的机构. It was an organization dedicated to gathering information.

打探情报这种事情,就交给专业的人去做,耿和并非江湖人士,也不是什么重要人物,打探他的情报不会很难,也不需要很多金钱. Investigating information was best left to professionals. Geng He was neither a martial-world figure nor anyone important, so gathering information about him would not be difficult or expensive.

只是耿和的死不知道是多久之前的事了,如果一年以内还好,若是三年五年,时间越久,打探的难度自然也越大,所需的钱也会越多. The only problem was that no one knew how long ago Geng He had died. If it had been within a year, that would be fine. But if it had been three or five years, the longer ago it was, the more difficult the investigation would naturally be—and the more money it would require.

好在如今的他并不缺钱. Fortunately, Chen Mu was not short of money now.

用不了多久,万珍楼那边的第一笔利润就该分过来了. It would not be long before the first share of profits from Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion was sent over.

如果无法打探到耿和妻女的情报和消息,或者耿和的妻女已经亡故,那他就为耿和的妻女上一炷香,无法消除全部的执念,也能完成一部分. If he could not find any information about Geng He's wife and daughters, or if they had already died, he would burn incense for them. Even if he could not dispel the entire obsession, he could at least fulfill part of it.

若是这样还不行,那就让耿和'不小心'碰一下他身上的白光. If that still did not work, he would let Geng He "accidentally" touch the white light around him.

把任务重置一下. That would reset the task.

相信耿和也不会介意. He was sure Geng He would not mind.