Walking the Night Road, Who Was Speaking?

Uncle Yu stood at the door and watched me leave.

At the end of the day, Uncle Yu was just a "cook."

He could only use the methods he knew to help me resolve this matter.

He was nothing like those folk legends,

where Taoist priests wielding Peachwood Swords and yellow talismans

could raise a hand and possess heaven-reaching powers to Demon-Slaying and exorcise demons.

Still, I was already very fortunate to have encountered someone knowledgeable like Uncle Yu.

Otherwise, as an ordinary person, I would have had no way to deal with this at all.

Now, all I could do was rely on myself.

I also hoped Zhang Qiang could enter reincarnation soon and stop haunting me.

With that thought in mind, I started walking forward.

After walking for about ten minutes, Uncle Yu's voice suddenly rang out behind me:

"Xiao Jiang! Wait, it's Uncle Yu."

Hearing Uncle Yu's voice, I froze for a moment.

I was about to turn around, but my body stiffened in place.

I had heard people say before that if someone called your name late at night, you must never turn around immediately.

If you had to turn around, you should do it slowly, cautiously, inch by inch.

They said that if you turned too quickly, the three flames on your head might be blown out by a Yin wind.

Then those filthy things might seize the chance to harm you.

I used to scoff at such claims.

But now, I no longer dared to think that way.

So I did not turn around right away.

Instead, I rested one hand on the Dragon-Head Cleaver and said,

"Uncle Yu, is that really you? What is it?"

As I spoke, I gripped the Dragon-Head Cleaver at my waist tightly.

My head turned bit by bit, slowly and ever so slightly.

My field of vision gradually widened as well.

In my nervousness, I heard Uncle Yu laugh.

"Hehehe! Don't be so nervous. I'm a living person.

"But you do know a few tricks, kid. You didn't turn around right away."

As he spoke, a series of footsteps approached, drawing closer and closer.

I became even more wary and pulled the Dragon-Head Cleaver halfway free.

Only then did I catch sight of something out of the corner of my eye.

Uncle Yu, chubby and bald, was hurrying toward me with a bag in his hand.

Under the dim light, his shadow was cast upon the wall.

Seeing that it really was Uncle Yu and that he had a shadow,

I finally relaxed somewhat and turned around.

"Uncle Yu!"

Still shaken, I let out a long breath.

At the same time, I slid the half-drawn Dragon-Head Cleaver back into its sheath.

Uncle Yu chuckled.

"You're quite alert, kid. I brought you some peanuts. They might come in handy."

"Peanuts?"

I was a little confused.

Uncle Yu handed me the plastic bag in his hand. It was full of peanuts, still steaming hot.

"Uncle Yu, are these Yin Dish too?"

I asked suspiciously.

Uncle Yu shook his head.

"No. You're carrying Yin Dish on your back, so you'll inevitably attract the attention of those things along the way.

"I figured that while this Dragon Head Blade has some deterrent effect,

it's still only a weapon for self-defense when there's no other choice.

"So I fried some peanuts.

"If you run into something you can't avoid, grab a handful of peanuts and offer them up.

"With the Dragon-Head Cleaver on you to deter them, you should be able to avoid some trouble..."

Uncle Yu quickly explained why he had come and what the peanuts were for.

After hearing him out, I was deeply touched.

I had already walked so far, yet Uncle Yu had still run over to bring me peanuts.

Taking the peanuts, I thanked Uncle Yu again and again.

Uncle Yu merely waved his hand.

"Go on! Go early and come back early. I'll wait for your good news."

It was already late, so I did not linger with Uncle Yu.

I gave him an "Mm," picked up the peanuts he had given me, and continued onward.

Because Uncle Yu's rental house was in the back street, I had to turn through several long alleys before I could get out.

The alleyways were dimly lit, and quite a few streetlights were broken.

Walking through them alone gave me an eerie, gloomy feeling.

The sound of my footsteps, "tap, tap, tap," kept echoing through the alleys, making my skin crawl.

Even with the Dragon-Head Cleaver for protection, I could not help feeling nervous.

And just after I turned into one alley, I sensed that something was wrong.

I realized that someone seemed to be following behind me.

The feeling was unmistakable, as though their rhythm matched mine exactly.

It was as if someone were copying the way I walked.

When I walked, they walked. When I stopped, they stopped.

The back of my neck felt icy, and I hunched my shoulders without daring to look back.

I kept one hand on the Dragon-Head Cleaver at my waist, fully on guard.

Most likely, the scent of the Six-Offering Yin Dish had drawn those filthy things here.

So I quickened my pace, wanting to leave these alleys as soon as possible.

But just as I was about to leave the long alleyway,

the dim yellow streetlamp overhead suddenly flickered twice with a "bzz, bzz."

My already taut nerves tightened even further.

Not only that, a strange, eerie voice drifted up from behind me.

"Xiao Jiang! Wait, it's Uncle Yu."

The moment I heard that voice, my expression changed drastically.

My body jolted rigid in place.

The voice sounded neither male nor female, like someone was pinching their throat as they spoke.

No matter how I listened, it was not Uncle Yu's voice.

And the chill behind me grew stronger as gusts of Yin wind rose.

I quickly understood what was happening.

It was probably some filthy thing drawn in by the Yin Dish on my back, now imitating Uncle Yu's voice.

I did not answer. I only gripped the Dragon-Head Cleaver, carried the folding table, and broke into a faster jog.

But after only a few steps, Uncle Yu's voice truly sounded from behind me.

"Hehehe! Don't be so nervous. I'm a living person.

"But you do know a few tricks, kid..."

The moment those words reached my ears, my scalp went numb.

The voice was exactly like Uncle Yu's, but I became even more frightened.

Because those words and that tone were exactly the same as when Uncle Yu had brought me peanuts earlier.

That thing behind me was really copying Uncle Yu's speech, repeating every word he had just said without the slightest difference.

That made it even more impossible for me to stop.

I did not speak to the thing behind me either.

Instead, I quickly grabbed a handful of peanuts and scattered them on the ground, then sped up and ran forward.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

My footsteps continued echoing through the alley.

But in the next instant, I heard faint "squeak, squeak, squeak" sounds of someone chewing peanuts behind me.

At that moment, the feeling of someone following me in perfect step vanished as well.

I shuddered.

Just as Uncle Yu had said, filthy things really could latch onto you.

Taking a deep breath, I continued running forward.

But just as I was about to leave the back street, I saw a little girl standing beneath a streetlamp ahead.

She looked eight or nine years old. Her hair hung loose and disheveled, and she wore a white dress as she stood motionless with her face toward the wall.

Because she was pressed against the wall and the light was behind her,

I could not tell whether she had a shadow.

At the sight of her, I cautiously slowed down.

Without blinking, I stared at the little girl.

The more I looked, the more wrong it felt.

It was already past ten at night. Who would let their child stand facing a wall in an alley at this hour?

Thinking of what had happened over the past few days, along with that filthy thing imitating someone's voice just now,

I already had a very bad suspicion.

The little girl ahead was very likely one of those filthy things.

And the alley was only two meters wide.

If I wanted to leave, I had to pass behind her.

Nervously, I looked to either side.

I wanted to see whether I could go around her.

But I discovered that this was the only way out.

There was basically no way around her. I could only pass by the little girl.

Seeing that I could not avoid her, I had no choice but to grip the Dragon-Head Cleaver tightly.

Bracing myself, I walked toward the little girl step by step...