Old Yin Mountain Calling

Hu Ma had already gone numb.

Never in his life had he imagined that someone would crawl into his dreams just to call him a scumbag.

Still less had he imagined that he would willingly live under the same roof as a sinister, eerie Old Woman and an inhuman little girl...

When he had first woken up, he had still been thinking of escaping, of figuring out this world. Now, though, he had simply given up and lain flat.

Whatever Old Woman told him to do, he did. He obediently played the good grandson...

When Old Woman told him to eat meat, he took huge mouthfuls.

Xiao Hong Tang stood beside him, drooling so much it formed a little stream, yet he still cleaned his bowl spotless.

When Old Woman told him not to go out at night, he never stepped beyond the front gate or the inner door, obediently huddling inside the little house. Even when he needed to pee, he did it against the wall.

As for taking a dump, he held it in.

It couldn't be helped. The world outside was far too dangerous...

Of course, he had his own temper too. There were some things Old Woman told him not to do that he did anyway.

Like chores.

Though he still could not make heads or tails of Tai Sui Meat, Hu Ma had gradually begun to sense its miraculous properties.

The wounds in both his shoulders had been severe penetrating injuries. Back then, Xiao Hong Tang had licked them with her tongue, stopping the bleeding and leaving him with little pain.

But that had not healed the wounds. It had been more like an anesthetic; his arms remained weak, and dull pain still came and went.

Yet after eating Tai Sui Meat for several days in the village, his wounds had healed at an absurd pace.

Once the Tai Sui Meat entered his stomach, warmth swiftly spread from his lower abdomen throughout his entire body.

As though cradled by that warmth, his wounds slowly, little by little, knitted shut.

When he lay quietly at rest, Hu Ma could even feel the granulation tissue at the wounds growing slowly, reaching out and linking together.

In less than six or seven days, the wounds had already scabbed over, seemingly filled inside with newly grown flesh and blood.

As his strength gradually returned, he began eagerly making himself useful, scrambling to sweep the floor, chop firewood, wipe tables, even fetch water, hoping only to leave Old Woman with a good impression.

Whenever Old Woman woke from an occasional nap and saw Hu Ma's diligent figure at work, her gaze seemed somewhat complicated.

She urged Hu Ma to rest more and not wear himself out, but Hu Ma only agreed verbally. This was the only thing he still had any initiative over—could he really listen to her?

No one knew what the future held. He did not know how long he could keep his secret, and he was utterly lost as to where he should go. Perhaps if he behaved well now, then when his identity was exposed, at least he would not be beaten until his soul scattered and vanished?

Yet beneath those undercurrents, life settled into a strange sort of calm.

An old woman, a young man, and a little ghost lived together in that cramped house like a family.

Until he was once again startled awake by the thick dark-red mist.

"I'm back in that strange dream again?"

"..."

Hu Ma slowly walked forward and once again saw that ruined incense table, along with the idol sunk in shadow.

After observing it briefly, he was certain he was not dreaming.

The scene in this dream was exactly the same as last time. Even the red stick of incense he had inserted into the burner last time remained properly planted there, smoke curling upward and drifting slowly away.

If this really was a dream, why was it so real? And why did the scene continue from before?

If this dream was real, then the call he had heard in the dream last time had been real too?

"Huh?"

As he pondered this question, Hu Ma suddenly noticed that the incense burner had changed slightly. He clearly remembered that the stick of incense had nearly burned down last time, yet now it had grown longer again, nearly two fingers' breadth.

"How has it gotten longer after burning for days?"

That faint discovery brought a flicker of delight to his heart.

He did not understand the principle, but he knew that if he lit this incense stick, he might still be able to hear that call from last time.

Granted, this seemed like a very dangerous thing to do.

In this bizarre world, it seemed that no matter what one encountered, one ought to be more cautious.

But this stifling, sinister life he was living now had long since nearly driven him mad, hadn't it?

He would not let even a single straw slip away.

He calmed himself and waited patiently. The incense sat in the burner, its curling smoke drifting and swaying into the red mist. Yet it did not dissipate; instead, it slowly spun, like a tiny snake wandering through the dark-red fog.

Vaguely, Hu Ma felt that the smoke rising from the incense seemed to possess a life of its own, as though it were searching for something on his behalf.

There was clearly no wind around him, yet the smoke seemed blown by one, drifting from left to right, constantly changing shape.

Then, after roughly a minute, Hu Ma suddenly heard a blurry voice.

The smoke from the incense trembled faintly, gradually steadied, and became a single thread connecting toward a direction deep within the thick mist.

At the same time, that voice became clear once more:

"Codename Erguotou, calling for Reincarnators from Old Yin Mountain. Can anyone hear me?"

"Repeating: Old Yin Mountain calling for Reincarnators. Can anyone hear me?"

"..."

Hu Ma's mind trembled.

If last time he had only heard it suddenly before immediately waking up, then this time, it was exceptionally clear.

Clear and real.

It was still the same voice from last time, only it sounded somewhat more weary now.

He was calling out urgently, almost as if he were growing desperate.

"...Fuck, is everyone dead? Not a single person can hear me?"

"The incense signal is nearly burned out. This is the final call..."

"..."

Hearing the words "final call," Hu Ma's heart stirred. He tentatively spoke up.

"I received it. You are..."

"..."

Having said those few words, he held his breath, unsure whether the other party could hear him.

But immediately after, that voice rang out in response, filled with delight. Even the straight wisp of smoke trembled.

"There really is someone! I knew I wasn't the only Reincarnator in this damned mountain range..."

"Brother, save me..."

"..."

"?"

Hu Ma had never expected such a down-to-earth reply. After hesitating, he said, "First tell me who you are."

"Who else could I possibly be if I can make contact?"

The other party sounded anxious. "A poor bastard who fell into this bizarre world, of course?"

"Brother, I'm in Fox Coffin Village on Old Yin Mountain. Are you far from me? Or if you have ghost servants, send me something to save my life—talismans, Taisui, Old Artifacts, anything..."

"..."

"Poor bastard?"

Before the man could finish, Hu Ma was already startled. He had gleaned some extraordinary information from his words.

"There are a lot of people who came to this world?"

"..."

The question he blurted out made the other party suddenly fall silent. After a long while, he finally spoke in an odd tone.

"Is this your first connection?"

"..."

Hu Ma was uncertain, so he answered with silence.

"Hah..."

The other party's voice suddenly sounded disappointed. "I ran into a bit of trouble. I thought I could find someone to help, but it turns out you're a total newbie. Looks like I won't escape this disaster after all. It's only because I was too greedy, wanting to keep this benefit all to myself..."

"No, what exactly is going on here?"

Listening to the other party's dejected muttering, Hu Ma grew anxious instead. "Where exactly are we?"

"Brother, we all want to know what's going on, and we all want to know where this is."

The other party's voice sounded exhausted as he sighed. "I don't know about you, but among the few people I've contacted, everyone opened their eyes and found themselves in this godforsaken world."

"This place is simply too dangerous. Taisui are emerging, Evil Spirits are everywhere, a hundred ghosts pass through the land, Spirits and Monsters gather in droves. This place is fucking hell—hell itself isn't this terrifying, nor does it have so many bizarre things!"

Hu Ma thought of the white-faced men, the Upright Sheep, and the Beauty Snake he had seen before, and deeply understood.

He urgently asked a question. "Then what should we do?"

"What else can we do? Stay alive..."

There was a dispirited note in the other party's voice. "Worship gods when you see gods, avoid ghosts when you see ghosts. Learn whatever skills you can..."

"Of course, the most important thing is to never let anyone discover your true identity. Otherwise, your fate will be even worse than running into a ghost..."

"..."

"True identity?"

Hu Ma felt as though his mind were a tangled mess. He could only ask mechanically, "What happens if they find out?"

"You really are completely new, brother..."

Hearing Hu Ma's words, the other party seemed to find it absurd. He gave a bitter laugh and said, "This world is terrifying, isn't it?"

Did that even need asking?

Ever since coming to this world, he had never slept peacefully—not even once—and he had not even left the stronghold.

"This world is steeped in evil. There are terrifying things everywhere: bizarre mountains of flesh, bewitching Evil Spirits, the Black Wind Disaster that snatches away everyone's souls, the legendary Yellow Springs Road..."

Before Hu Ma could answer, the other person continued helplessly, "But can you imagine it? What the people of this world fear most... is us!"

"Us?"

Hu Ma found it hard to understand for a moment. "Why would they fear us?"

"They think we're Yin Ghosts!"

The person's voice seemed tinged with helplessness, as well as a resentful, chilling fury. "Vicious ghosts that crawl out of hell, seize the bodies of the living, and hide among humankind."

"They see us as the most terrifying Evil Spirits!"

"Once they discover our true identities, they'll tear out our souls, strip away our bones, and refine us until not even dregs remain..."