What Ghost? Oh, a Poor Ghost

As the two red lanterns went out, Falling Flower Cave Inn was instantly swallowed by boundless darkness.

At the same time, the teeth-grating "creak" that came standard in horror movies began echoing through the corridor.

It was as though something heavy was dragging its feet, shuffling toward their room one step at a time.

"Bzzzt..."

The System in Jian Ning's head crackled again:

[Host... unidentified life-form approaching... recommendation: purchase the discounted store item, 'Marshal Tianpeng's Nine-Toothed Rake (Inflatable Edition).' Price: 500 points. Increases courage buff.]

Jian Ning huddled beneath the blankets like a startled quail, clinging tightly to Huo Si.

[Buy my ass! What's an inflatable rake supposed to do? Scratch a ghost's itch?]

"Huo Si, Huo Si, Huo Si... did you hear that? Footsteps! Could it be that unlucky ghost the landlady mentioned, the one hit by flying roof tiles?"

In the darkness, Huo Si's vision seemed barely affected.

One hand rested firmly against Jian Ning's lower back, while the other gently covered Jian Ning's ear. The motion was so tender, it was like soothing an agitated cat.

"Don't be afraid." Huo Si's low, steady voice sounded beside Jian Ning's ear. "It isn't a ghost."

Jian Ning asked shakily, "Y-you... how do you know? Can you hear ghosts' thoughts or something?"

Huo Si paused, a strange trace of amusement entering his voice. "I can't hear ghosts, but I heard... the owner of those footsteps cursing in his head."

Jian Ning: ???

Just then, the footsteps stopped outside their door.

Then, an eerie song drifted through the hall, as though it had risen from the depths of hell:

"The sun has set... the moon has risen... sleep nicely now... or the bugs will bite your little feet..."

The voice drifted nearer and farther away, elusive and unsteady, enough to make anyone's scalp prickle.

Jian Ning's heart nearly stopped.

[Fuck! A nursery rhyme! Rule number one of horror movies—anyone singing a nursery rhyme at midnight is bound to die!]

[System! Hurry! Exchange for that loudspeaker that plays 'Prosperity, Democracy, Civility, Harmony'! I'm going to wake it up with the light of righteousness!]

Just as Jian Ning was about to play the opening theme of News Broadcast in this inn filled with Miao ethnic charm—

BANG!!!

The door to the room next to theirs—Jian Xiu's room—was violently kicked open.

A beam from a powerful flashlight sliced through the darkness of the corridor like a sword.

Then came Jian Xiu's thunderous roar, projected from his diaphragm:

"Where did this demon come from? How dare you play ghostly tricks in front of your Grandpa Jian? Don't you know that no one's allowed to become a spirit after the founding of the nation?!"

Jian Ning and Huo Si exchanged a look.

Huo Si released him, got out of bed, and casually wrapped Jian Ning up like a silkworm cocoon before opening the door.

The scene in the corridor could only be described as "a passionate collision between modern technology and feudal superstition."

Jian Xiu wore tactical night-vision goggles and held a high-powered flashlight he had somehow dug up. In his other hand, he brandished that "consecrated" hiking pole, glaring furiously at a shadow at the end of the corridor.

And that shadow...

Was a little brat less than four feet tall, dressed in colorful Miao children's clothing and holding a battered gong.

Blinded by the flashlight, the kid dropped his gong with a clatter. All the eerie atmosphere vanished as he opened his mouth and let out an earthshaking wail:

"Waaah—!! Mom! Someone shined a laser at me! I'm blind! Wuwuwu..."

Jian Ning poked his head out from behind Huo Si. Once he saw the situation clearly in the flashlight beam, his face darkened.

[That's it?]

[The 'fierce ghost' that nearly scared me into wetting my pants was just some brat?]

[And I was about to bet all my points on this!]

At that moment, hurried footsteps came from the staircase.

Holding an oil lamp, the landlady rushed upstairs in a frenzy.

"Oh, my little darling!" The landlady scooped the brat up from the floor and patted his back heartbrokenly. Then she turned and glared at Jian Xiu. "What are you doing?! Why are you bullying my son instead of sleeping in the middle of the night?!"

Jian Xiu put away his hiking pole, pushed up his night-vision goggles, and spoke with righteous indignation. "Ma'am, can we be reasonable? Your son was the one refusing to sleep in the middle of the night, dragging his shoes through the hallway and singing ghost songs. That is a serious disturbance of the peace! According to the Public Security Administration Punishments Law..."

"Oh, get out of here! What law?" The landlady rolled her eyes. "The rules of our Miao village say that after nightfall, you have to sing the Insect-Driving Song. Otherwise, poisonous bugs from the mountains will crawl into your blankets and bite that little thing of yours off. Don't blame me for not warning you!"

When he heard "bite that little thing off," Jian Ning instinctively clamped his legs together.

[That vicious?]

"Huo Si, let's go back to sleep. I think the blankets are pretty safe."

But Huo Si did not move.

He adjusted his glasses and looked past the landlady at the seemingly ordinary oil lamp in her hand.

In that brief moment of chaos, he had heard a thought flash through the landlady's mind:

Damn it, these two outsiders have too much yang energy. Even the Holy Son's guiding gu insects don't dare approach them... I'll have to find another way.

Huo Si's gaze darkened slightly.

The Holy Son? Guiding gu insects?

It seemed the old Taoist priest's hint had been correct. This inn truly was an outpost for some faction.

"Sorry. My friend is a little oversensitive." Huo Si spoke calmly, pulling several red banknotes from his pocket and handing them to the landlady. "Buy the child some candy. Consider it an apology."

The moment the landlady saw the money, the anger vanished from her face, replaced by a flirtatious smile.

She extended fingers painted with bright red nail polish, lightly brushed them across Huo Si's palm as she took the bills, and even tossed him a seductive glance.

"This handsome young man is the sensible one. Fine, go back to sleep, all of you. Remember, no matter what sounds you hear, don't come out again. The nights in these mountains... eat people."

With that, she carried her still-sniffling son downstairs, swaying her hips as she went.

Jian Xiu watched her leave, still fuming. "Huo Si, why did you give her money? Her service attitude was clearly the problem! I'm leaving a bad review!"

"Alright, bro, calm down." Jian Ning hopped out of the room and pushed Jian Xiu toward his own. "Anything money can solve isn't a problem. Go to sleep. We still have to travel tomorrow."

After stuffing the still-muttering Jian Xiu back into his room, Jian Ning and Huo Si returned to theirs.

After all that commotion, the frightening atmosphere had completely disappeared.

Still, Jian Ning remained a little scared.

He climbed onto the bed and hugged the blanket, watching Huo Si relock the door. Then he asked softly, "Huo Si, what did the landlady mean earlier? What did she mean by saying the mountain nights eat people?"

Huo Si walked over, lifted the blanket, and lay down. With one long arm, he naturally drew Jian Ning into his embrace.

His body temperature ran high, like a heat source that instantly drove away the chill from Jian Ning's body.

"She was trying to scare you." Huo Si said it casually. "So you'd sleep obediently."

What he was really thinking was: So you don't run around and get targeted by the truly filthy things here.

Jian Ning snuggled against Huo Si and found a comfortable position.

[Good. As long as she was just trying to scare us.]

"But... Huo Si, why are you so hard? Are you hiding a weapon?"

Huo Si's body stiffened.

He looked down at the person in his arms, who was not only squirming around but also feeling up his abs, and his voice grew slightly hoarse. "Jian Ning, that's a holster. Don't touch it." (It really is just a holster.)

"Oh..." Jian Ning obediently withdrew his hand, but the little drama playing in his head refused to stop.

[A holster? Hehe, uniform temptation.]

[I wonder what a high-and-mighty beauty like Huo Si would look like if he ever lost control...]

Huo Si took a deep breath, caught Jian Ning's restless hand, and ground out beside his ear, "Jian Ning, if you don't sleep right now, I don't mind showing you what else I have that's hard besides a holster."

Jian Ning immediately wilted.

[Sleep! Right now! Immediately!]

Nothing happened that night. Except Jian Ning dreamed that piles of banknotes were chasing him.

The next morning, the mountain mist had dispersed somewhat.

The three of them packed their bags, ate a simple breakfast at the inn, and prepared to officially enter the village.

The landlady leaned against the doorway, cracking sunflower seeds. When she saw them emerge, she smiled and pointed toward an overgrown path ahead.

"The car can't go any farther. You'll have to walk. Follow this path straight ahead. When you see a big banyan tree covered in red cloth strips, that's the entrance to Black Wind Stronghold."

"Black Wind Stronghold?" Jian Ning complained. "That sounds like a bandit den."

"It used to be a bandit den. Now it's a five-star tourist attraction—an undeveloped one." Carrying his enormous hiking pack, Jian Xiu checked his GPS as he spoke. "Let's go. According to the coordinates, King's signal source is deep inside the stronghold."

The three abandoned the car and continued on foot.

Though the sun shone brightly in the forest, that oppressive feeling remained.

After walking for about an hour, the woods ahead suddenly opened up.

An ancient banyan tree of tremendous size, its canopy blocking out the sky and sun, appeared before them.

The tree was indeed covered with red cloth strips. When the wind blew, they fluttered like countless hands summoning souls.

And beneath the tree stood someone.

The person wore a black outdoor jacket, a face mask, and a baseball cap, armed from head to toe, and was squatting on the ground... digging up wild vegetables?

Hearing footsteps, the person looked up.

Their eyes met.

Jian Ning froze.

The other person froze as well.

"...Gu Han?" Jian Ning called tentatively.

The person abruptly pulled down his mask, revealing a handsome yet somewhat haggard face—it was Gu Han, the top star of the entertainment industry who had always been at odds with Jian Ning and had previously tried to snatch the male lead role in Twin Emperors!

"Jian Ning?!" Gu Han's eyes widened. He was still holding a bunch of freshly dug houttuynia roots. "Why are you here?!"

Jian Ning looked at his bedraggled appearance, then at the wild vegetables in his hand, and immediately switched into mockery mode.

"Well, if it isn't the great actor Gu. What happened? Couldn't make it in showbiz anymore, so you came out to the wilderness to experience a makeover reality show?"

Gu Han's face reddened. He got to his feet and brushed off the dirt through gritted teeth. "What the hell do you know? I'm here for a photoshoot! This is the hottest trend right now—the post-apocalyptic style!"

[Post-apocalyptic style, my ass!]

[System, scan him. Why is this guy here?]

[Ding! Scan results: Gu Han. Today's luck: average. Status: lost for three days, hunger level 80%. True purpose: he was tracking the mysterious woman involved in his previous dating rumors—actually one of King's puppets—and followed her all the way here.]

Jian Ning laughed.

[So he traveled thousands of miles to chase his wife—except he's chasing a puppet.]

[This unlucky idiot is a real sucker too.]

Before Jian Ning could launch another round of mockery, Huo Si suddenly reached out and stopped him.

"Don't move." Huo Si's voice was extremely low, tinged with caution.

On the trunk of the great banyan tree, the red cloth strips that had been completely still began to slowly wriggle as though they had come alive.

They were not cloth strips at all.

They were thousands upon thousands of red, finger-thick... snakes!

"Hisss—"

Countless snakes flicked their tongues and dangled from the tree, forming a red "snake curtain" that completely blocked the only path into the stronghold.

Gu Han was so frightened that he dropped his houttuynia roots and leaped directly behind Jian Ning. "Fuck! What kind of special effect is this?! It's way too realistic!"

Jian Ning rolled his eyes. "Special effects, my ass! Those are real snakes!"

[System! Save me! I'm terrified of these squishy creatures!]

[Does the store have realgar wine? If not, just give me a Fahai!]

Huo Si's expression turned grave as he shielded Jian Ning behind him.

At that tense standoff, a clear peal of silver bells rang out from behind the curtain of snakes.

"Jingle—jingle—"

At the sound of the bells, the snakes moved as though receiving an order, parting neatly to either side and opening a path.

A young girl dressed in extravagant and intricate Miao ceremonial silver ornaments, her face veiled, emerged slowly barefoot over the fallen leaves.

She shook a silver bell in her hand. Her cool gaze swept over everyone before finally stopping on... Jian Ning.

Tilting her head, she spoke in a voice as crisp as a songbird's, yet her words made no sense at all:

"I waited twenty years... why is it a man?"

Jian Ning: ???

[What does that mean? Is she looking down on me for being a man?]

[Could this be the legendary... arranged marriage from the womb?]

[Huo Si! Someone's trying to steal your wife!]

The pressure around Huo Si instantly dropped to freezing point.

He stepped forward and blocked the girl's line of sight toward Jian Ning, his voice cold enough to chip ice from it.

"Move."

The girl laughed softly and shook the bell in her hand.

The surrounding snakes instantly raised their heads and assumed attacking postures.

"Once you enter Black Wind Stronghold, your life belongs to the Gu God." Her eyes shimmered with innocence and cruelty. "Want to pass? Fine."

She pointed at Jian Ning. "Leave him behind as a 'sacrifice,' and the three of you can get lost."