Chapter 193: The Black Boat Reaches Ezhou
The night was deep and still, and the desolate forest lay pitch-black.
In this place far from human habitation, a crude thatched hall stood in a clearing amid the woods.
The bright moon shone overhead, the night breeze rustled past, and the wind chimes beneath the thatched hall's eaves tinkled crisply.
The wind chimes themselves were strange. Their clappers were actually bronze talismans, which struck the bells with a clear ring whenever they swayed in the breeze.
The thatched hut was sparsely furnished. Its four walls were bare, with only a square table and a meditation cushion.
The candlelight on the table was dim and yellow. Offerings filled the space before it, while a heart, already turning black, lay conspicuously on a tray behind them.
An old monk sat upright on the cushion, chanting without pause as he moved the Buddhist prayer beads through his fingers one by one.
When the night reached Zi Hour, he suddenly opened his eyes, knelt on the cushion, and began bowing repeatedly toward the heart.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Yin Wind rose from all directions.
The moonlight outside the window seemed to grow even brighter.
At some unknown point, a gale sprang up in the mountains and forest. Leaves rustled, and before long, dense cries rang out.
There were wails, sobs, pleas for mercy, and furious roars. They sounded like human speech, yet also like the words of ghosts—strange and bizarre in every way.
At the same time, ghost fires drifted through the dense forest.
Pairs of blood-red eyes lit up in the gloomy woods. The grass rustled violently, as though countless wild beasts were rushing through it.
An ordinary person would probably have been scared half to death by such a sight. Yet the old monk