But thoughts and reality were two different things. I cautiously made my way forward until I was only a hundred or two hundred meters from the village entrance.
When I looked up, it was still the same as when I had come out, wrapped in a thick layer of fog.
Only, the fog covered an even wider area now. Gritting my teeth, I thought, I might as well make a break for it in one go.
I took several deep breaths, then spread my legs and charged toward the other side.
As I neared the village entrance, I lowered my head and squeezed my eyes shut.
I'm not listening, I'm not listening. I'm not looking, I'm not looking.
Only after sprinting through the village entrance did I dare raise my head and open my eyes.
But I still did not dare stop. I kept running as I carefully listened to the sounds around me.
Then I realized everything around me was deathly quiet. There was nothing there, none of those horrifying things from before.
Just as I let out a breath of relief, disaster struck. Rustling sounds behind me drew closer and closer, scaring the soul out of me.
I ran for my life, my legs spinning like Wind Fire Wheels. Having suffered once already, I did not dare look back.
Just as I gritted my teeth and sprinted wildly onward, I suddenly felt a chill run through my body.
It was not the kind of chill caused by wind. It was the kind that climbed from the soles of my feet, up my spine, and to the nape of my neck.
Something's wrong. This definitely isn't right. I hurriedly reached into my bag.
I pulled out a tattered Taoist robe and tried to put it on, but no matter how long I fumbled with it, I could not get it on.
When people panicked, they were bound to make mistakes. I was trying to dress while running.
I was not watching what lay on either side of the road when my hand suddenly felt empty.
In my panic, my mind went blank. I glanced to the side and saw the tattered Taoist robe hanging from a tree branch.
It must have snagged on a branch by the roadside while I was putting it on and slipped out of my hand.
I cursed inwardly. Of all times, when I had glanced toward the roadside just then, the corner of my eye had caught sight of what was behind me.
Behind me was a sea of black, packed with people. "Mm, all familiar faces."
One after another, they bared their teeth and claws, shrieking and yelling. Their faces looked as if they had been plastered with putty powder, white enough to make one's blood run cold.
Some dragged their intestines in one hand while reaching for me with claws bared in the other.
Some had eyeballs drooping out, dangling from their faces and swaying like little bells. I was scared to tears.
I wanted to scream, but not a sound came from my throat. It was as if my throat had suddenly lost its function.
When someone was terrified to the extreme, they could not make any sound at all. They could only gape with their mouths wide open.
As I ran, my legs felt as though they had been filled with lead, growing heavier and heavier. I truly could not run anymore.
Over the span of just a few short hours that night, I had run back and forth without knowing how far I had gone.
My body was already nearing its limit. I looked around, and my heart sank even further.
I had only just left the village. There was still a long way to the wasteland mentioned in the note, let alone the Bamboo Forest.
Thinking of the note, I remembered that it said to use that paper horse if I could not run anymore.
I gritted my teeth and kept running while feeling around in my pocket. I pulled it out and took a look.
Since I had already reached the end of the road, I figured I might as well try it. Then I recalled the words written on the note.
So I shouted, "Red Hare in hand, a thousand-mile journey is as flat as ground. Hurry as per order!"
After shouting, I threw the paper horse in my hand beneath my feet.
Suddenly, I felt my body lifted much higher, accompanied by a horse's neigh in my ears.
Taking a closer look, I saw that a tall chestnut horse had appeared beneath my crotch in an instant.
My entire body swayed atop the horse's back, and I immediately flailed about in a panic to grab the reins.
Since it was my first time riding a horse, I had no experience. My body was tilted slightly, so I tried to adjust my sitting posture.
This horse is running so fast. If I lose my grip and fall, I'll probably be thrown hard enough to knock the shit out of me.
I immediately stepped into the stirrups and raised myself a little, adjusting my posture slightly.
Then I plopped back down—right onto my balls. The pain brought tears to my eyes.
Riding a horse really was fast, but those things behind me clung on like dog-skin plaster. I could not shake them off no matter what.
I had neither a whip nor a stick, so I kept slapping the horse's back with my palm.
The speed grew faster and faster, yet no matter how fast I went, I still could not shake off those things behind me.
I was wondering what to do when, before I could think of anything, my body suddenly sank.
It felt as though something had climbed onto my back. My face turned green with fright.
Without a second thought, I reached into my bag, grabbed a handful of soybeans, and threw them behind me.
After waiting a moment without any movement, I thought, Did that not work?
My body was still heavy, and strange, indescribable sounds rang by my ears.
Then I remembered that I had not recited those words when I scattered the soybeans. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to slap myself twice.
I grabbed another handful of soybeans from my bag and shouted, "Divine Soldier, hurry as per order!"
Then I flung them behind me. At once, my body felt lighter, as though whatever had been pressing on me had climbed off my back.
Then rough shouts of battle reached my ears. "Kill... kill..."
There was also the clanging of cold weapons colliding. I was completely dumbfounded.
Overcome by intense curiosity, I could no longer care about not looking back.
I turned around and saw a man dressed like an ancient general.
He too rode a black horse and held a pitch-black spear.
There were also dozens of people dressed as ancient soldiers, holding weapons such as spears, sabers, and swords.
Those men roared as they tangled into a melee with the huge mass of things that had been chasing me.
But there was no helping it—the things behind me were simply too numerous.
Before long, the soldiers and that general turned into wisps of black smoke one after another and vanished.
I watched from horseback with my eyes wide and my tongue tied.
I had only just managed to open up a little distance when those things were already catching up again.
The distance between us steadily narrowed, and sweat broke out across my forehead.
I hurriedly reached into my bag again, grabbed a handful of soybeans, and shouted, "Divine Soldier, hurry as per order."
Then I threw them behind me. Once again, more than a dozen soldiers dressed like the ones before emerged from the soybeans in the blink of an eye.
Roaring, they charged at those things, but before long they too turned into wisps of black smoke and disappeared.
And so, whenever I saw that group of things closing the distance, I threw out a handful of soybeans.
I looked at the road. I was almost through the wasteland. Once I crossed it and went down the next small slope, I would reach the Bamboo Forest.
Seeing that there were still plenty of soybeans left in my bag, I let out a breath of relief.
Thinking back, tonight's experiences had been more thrilling than all my previous ten-plus years combined.
It was not until much later, when I met fellow travelers and friends like myself,
that whenever I told them about this incident, they would grit their teeth and call me a spendthrift, saying I had wasted resources and the like.
Of course, that was a story for later.
I kept running until I crossed the wasteland, and from afar, I finally saw the Bamboo Forest.
Strangely enough, once I drew near the Bamboo Forest, those ghostly things behind me vanished.
The cries, curses, and sobs all disappeared at once, as if they had evaporated into thin air.
Standing outside the Bamboo Forest, I looked inside and saw nothing but darkness. I immediately dismounted, intending to take a look.
But the moment I jumped down from the horse, my legs began to burn with pain.
It felt as though the skin along the insides of both legs had been rubbed raw.
I gritted my teeth, endured the burning pain, and prepared to lead the horse.
But before I could touch the reins, that chestnut horse instantly turned into a folded paper horse and fell to the ground.
I froze, having no idea what was going on. Given my current situation, I did not dare dwell on it and simply picked up the paper horse and tucked it into my pocket.
I tightened the bag on my body and headed deeper into the Bamboo Forest, looking around as I walked.
The bamboo stalks stood tall and slender, growing so densely that they seemed disorderly and chaotic.
But upon closer inspection, they appeared to have grown according to some hidden pattern.
The air carried a faint damp, moldy smell, mixed with the fresh fragrance of bamboo.
Whenever a breeze passed through, the bamboo leaves rustled softly.
It was like an ancient, lingering melody being played, yet it unconsciously revealed traces of solitude and desolation.
I did not know how long I walked before I saw a small point of light. Delighted, I strode toward it.
As I got closer, it seemed to be the outline of a house. After walking a little farther, I saw clearly that it was a wooden cabin.
It was made entirely of wood, with a layer of thatch spread over the roof. I strode toward the cabin.
I stopped outside a crude-looking gate woven from bamboo.
Looking into the yard, I saw jars covered with Talisman Paper filling the entire courtyard.
They were the kind of jars used in the countryside to pickle vegetables, stacked one atop another as far as the eye could see.
After looking around, I noticed a faint firelight inside. I pushed open the crude bamboo gate and walked toward the house.
As I walked, I felt something wrap around my ankle. The light was too dim for me to see what it was clearly.
I stood where I was and yanked my foot several times with all my strength, but I could not pull it free.
Puzzled, I lowered my head and looked carefully at my ankle.
The instant I looked, my face went pale with terror. My sphincter loosened, and with two "pfft pfft" sounds, I farted twice.
A large, deathly pale hand was gripping my ankle tightly.
That hand looked as though it had been coated with putty powder, completely devoid of color.
"Ah!" I screamed in fright and desperately tried to pull my foot free.
But no matter how hard I struggled, I could not break free from that hand. I could not help but scream and shout.
Suddenly, the door to the house opened, and a scruffy-looking old man ran out.
The old man roared, "Wicked creature, still refusing to behave!"
With a wave of his hand, he threw a sheet of yellow paper toward the hand gripping my foot.
A scream rang out, and the hand vanished into thin air. Trembling, I walked toward the old man.
He looked me up and down, then opened his mouth and asked,
"Young man, why did you come running to this old man's place in the dead of night?"
My soul had yet to settle, and my teeth were still chattering.
I swallowed and said, "Hello, sir. My father told me to come here."
The old man stiffened, then asked suspiciously, "Who is your father?"
I said my father was called Li Daorong. The old man nodded expressionlessly, then turned around and told me to follow him inside.
When I entered the cabin, I saw that it was not large, but it was a complete mess. Bottles and jars were scattered everywhere in the corners.
There was a bed made of planks, with a wooden cabinet beside it.
Next to the cabinet stood a crude table and stool.
A fire burned in the middle of the room. Above it hung a battered aluminum kettle with water boiling inside.
The old man sat beside the fire, puffing away at tobacco from a long pipe.
Then he pointed beside him and said, "Close the door and come sit."
I glanced at the bottles and jars filling the yard outside, feeling a chill creep through my heart. Then I shut the door and sat beside the old man.
Pointing outside, I asked timidly, "Grandpa, those things outside are...?"
The old man raised his eyes toward the jars outside and spoke slowly.
"Some wandering ghosts that cannot reincarnate, along with mountain spirits and strange beasts steeped in evil."
Then he shifted his gaze back to me. "Now tell me. What did you come here for?"
I said I did not know! My father's message had only told me to run here.
The old man gave me a suspicious look and said, "Tell me what happened. Tell me in detail."
So I told him everything, from my father burying me alive to my escape here.
The old man stared at me fixedly, his expression somewhat unfocused as he muttered, "So it has finally begun."
I did not understand, so I asked, "Grandpa, can you tell me what exactly is going on?"
The old man fell silent for a long time, then sighed. "Sigh! Fine. This old man will tell you."
Before his words had even faded, I suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented, and my body toppled to one side.
The old man hurriedly stood up, grabbed me, and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Dazed, I said, "I feel terribly cold. I really want to sleep."
The old man quickly flipped open my eyelids and saw that the whites of my eyes and the corners of my mouth had turned bluish-green.
Then he lifted my clothes and looked at my back. A patch of skin there had already turned black.
The old man said urgently, "Yin energy. Yin energy has entered your body."
My consciousness had already become extremely hazy. My head tilted, and I knew nothing more...
When I woke up, it seemed to already be the afternoon of the next day.
I opened my eyes and saw that I had been stripped down to nothing but my underwear, soaking in a large wooden barrel.
Unknown plants of all colors floated in the barrel.
Unlike the stinking baths my father had made me take before, this one carried a faint fragrance.
The old man pushed open the door and came in. "Awake?"
I nodded, then hurriedly asked about what had happened the night before.
The old man curled his lip. "Yin energy entered your body, kid. If it had not been discovered in time,
and if this old man did not happen to know a little of this craft, you would already be checking in at the Palace of the King of Hell."
Then he told me to get dressed and come out. I did as he said, and when I stood up, I saw that my skin had soaked pale.
After getting dressed, I walked outside and saw a crude table.
There was a bowl of water on the table. I picked it up, about to drink.
The old man pressed one hand over mine. "Wait."
Then he took a yellow Talisman Paper from his sleeve and held it between two fingers.
Without any visible movement, he merely shook the Talisman Paper, and with a puff, it spontaneously burst into flames.
He pressed it into the bowl of water, stirred it with his finger, then gestured for me to drink it.
I found it a little disgusting and hesitated to reach for the bowl.
The old man glared at me. "Drink it, now. Yin energy has entered your body. Last night's medicinal bath expelled most of it.
But some still remains inside you and can't be forced out completely. Only this old man's cultivation, combined with Talisman Paper, can cleanse it thoroughly."
I figured that if he wanted to harm me, I would have died last night. He wouldn't wait until I woke up just to poison me and take my life, would he?
Suppressing my nausea, I picked up the bowl, shut my eyes, and drained it in one gulp.
Strangely enough, the moment I finished drinking, my body felt much lighter.
The faint dizziness vanished as well, and my hearing and sight became sharper.
Then I bowed to the old man and said gratefully, "Thank you, Grandpa, for saving my life."
The old man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Oh! Quite the polite one, aren't you? No need to thank me. Your grandfather and I were old friends."
When you were born, your grandfather called me over for a drink. You hadn't even been named yet."
"Kid, what's your full name?"
"My name is Li Yutong."
The old man smiled and said it was a good name.
I asked him doubtfully, "Grandpa, you said you were old friends with my grandfather. Who are you?
And what exactly happened? Could you tell me?"
The old man sat down beside the table and pointed to another stool, signaling for me to sit.
I hunched my neck and sat beside him, waiting for him to speak.
What happened last night had shattered my worldview. I desperately wanted to know what had happened.
It was because of this conversation with the old man, and everything I later saw and heard while with him,
that I changed from an atheist into a thoroughgoing "shaman."
My life, too, underwent earth-shaking changes because of this old man.
Of course, that was a tale for later...
The old man took out a pipe and packed a little tobacco into it. Just as he began feeling around himself for a light,
I hurriedly took out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to him. "Have mine. Purple Cloud Comes—they're better than yours."
The old man accepted the cigarette. I struck a match and lit it for him.
He took two puffs, then kept looking at the pack in my hand.
I understood instantly and respectfully offered him the remaining half-pack with both hands. He smiled, took it, and tucked it into his pocket.