“Calm yourself. With this poor monk here, malevolent spirits dare not come near.” Gu Zhaoyan had not expected that simply mentioning the incident would terrify Zhou Dashu to such an extent, and he furrowed his brows slightly. Reaching out to press his hand upon Zhou Dashu’s shoulder, his gentle voice bypassed the young man’s anxieties and sank straight into the depths of his heart. The fear within him vanished instantly, and a wave of warmth surged from his shoulder through all his limbs and bones.
The soothing voice and kindly smile successfully pacified Zhou Dashu’s terror. Drawing a long, steady breath, Zhou Dashu raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. “Yes, thank you, Master.”
Steadying his mind, he slowly recounted the events of the previous night. “I lost my father at a young age, and only my mother labored bitterly to drag me up.” Remembering the hardships of those years, he looked toward Zhou Mother standing to the side, his eyes turning slightly red.
Gu Zhaoyan did not interrupt, choosing to listen quietly.
“Fortunately, the people in the village were all kind-hearted. With everyone helping one another, I managed to grow up. Because my mother’s health has been poor due to exhaustion over the years, I frequently went to the town to find odd jobs. A few days ago, a fellow villager, Brother Xu, mentioned that my mother had been coughing again these past two days, so I hurriedly asked my foreman for leave and rushed back with the medicine I purchased.”
At this point, Zhou Dashu’s heart began to hammer with lingering fear, and he swallowed hard with a dry throat. Lifting his gaze to look upon Gu Zhaoyan’s sacred face, the remaining terror in his heart gradually ebbed away. “It was already dark by the time I reached West Mountain.”
“West Mountain?” The moment he heard that name, Gu Zhaoyan’s focus was instantly captured. “Where is West Mountain?”
The village chief explained, “West Mountain lies directly to the west at the tail end of the village. It takes about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to reach it. If you head north out of our Zhou Village from the front entrance, you can go toward the capital. If you head west from the tail of the village, it leads to Qishan Town. The people in our village usually go to Qishan Town to find work since it’s close to home.”
Zhou Dashu nodded. “At the time, I didn’t think much of it, figuring that as long as I crossed West Mountain, I would be home in the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Besides, I had walked that path many times. But who would have thought that shortly after entering West Mountain, something felt wrong?”
Gu Zhaoyan pressed further. “What felt wrong?”
“Clearly, I should have been able to get home within the time of a burning incense stick, but after walking that long last night, I discovered I had returned to the exact same spot.” Zhou Dashu raised a hand once more to wipe away the cold sweat. “When I saw that, I felt something was amiss, thinking I might have run into some unclean thing and hit a ghost wall.”
“I was terrified out of my wits at the time and ran forward in a panic, but no matter how I walked, before long I would end up back at the starting point.” Thinking back on it now, Zhou Dashu still felt a chill run through his entire body. “And I always felt as though something was following right behind me, so I ran forward in a frenzy of terror.”
Listening to Zhou Dashu’s account, Zhou Mother and the village chief could vividly imagine how desperate and frightened Zhou Dashu must have been last night. Zhou Mother silently wept, feeling agonizingly heartbroken. Yet the moment her emotions stirred, an itch caught in her throat. She desperately forced down the cough, not daring to disturb Gu Zhaoyan.
“What happened afterward?” Gu Zhaoyan’s soothing voice did an excellent job of calming the fear in Zhou Dashu’s heart.
Zhou Dashu continued, “Afterward, a gust of wind suddenly blew up, and shortly after, a fog rolled in from somewhere. The moment that fog touched my skin, it felt bone-chillingly cold, as if my whole body was trapped in an ice cell. I thought I was going to die, but then something pushed me from behind and told me to run forward quickly without looking back.” Recalling another detail, he lifted his head and looked eagerly at Gu Zhaoyan. “I heard that voice call me Little Tree.”
“What did you say? What did it call you?” Before Gu Zhaoyan could speak, Zhou Mother grabbed Zhou Dashu’s hand in a rush of intense emotion, asking urgently.
Unsure why his mother was reacting so strongly, Zhou Dashu stared blankly and replied, “It called me Little Tree.”
Zhou Mother froze. Stunned, she slowly released her grip on Zhou Dashu’s hand, and the next moment burst out wailing. “My child! Could it be you’ve forgotten, when you were little, your father’s favorite thing was to call you Little Tree! Cough, cough, cough!” She could no longer hold back the fit of coughing. Zhou Dashu hurriedly stroked her back to help her smooth her breath, while Zhou Mother shook her head to signal she was fine.
Zhou Dashu was only seven years old when his father passed away, and he was now seventeen. Ten years had passed, and his memories of his father’s appearance and voice had long since blurred. He remembered virtually nothing about his father, but hearing Zhou Mother say that the person who saved him was his father, he could no longer hold back his grief and broke down sobbing in his mother’s arms.
Seeing the raw display of emotion between mother and son, Gu Zhaoyan sighed softly. “A parent’s love knows no bounds. Even after passing away, Benefactor Zhou never forgot his wife and child. It is truly touching.”
Watching Zhou Dashu mourn his father, Gu Zhaoyan suddenly recalled the heartbreaking sound of his own mother weeping the night before she sent him away. To this day, he still remembered how utterly soul-crushing his mother’s cries had been.
In his past life, he was an orphan without parents; in this life, his affinity with his father was shallow, yet he could deeply empathize with the pain people felt when losing family, for he possessed a master who was like a father to him, Master Liaokong. Now that Zhou Father had helped Zhou Dashu escape from mortal danger, he himself was likely…
The village chief’s eyes grew red as well. Being older than Zhou Father, he naturally remembered him—a hearty, open, and honest man. Who would have thought he would fall gravely ill and pass away? It was truly lamentable. Hearing now that Zhou Father still thought of saving his own son even after death, the village chief couldn’t help marveling at the depth of fatherly love.
“Amitabha, esteemed benefactors, please grieve no more,” Gu Zhaoyan gently advised.
Zhou Mother wiped her tears and looked at Gu Zhaoyan. “May I ask, Master, how is my old Zhou…”
In truth, even if she didn’t ask, she knew her husband’s situation was likely poor, but she still clung to a sliver of faint hope as she asked.
Gu Zhaoyan shook his head. “Since I did not lay eyes upon him, this poor monk cannot determine his current state.” Yet he suspected it likely wasn’t good; a moment of carelessness could easily result in him being scattered by other demons and ghosts, or consumed by his own kind.
He turned his gaze to the village chief. “Village chief, may I ask if the individuals who perished in the village have all been buried?”
The village chief nodded. “Indeed. Because they all suffered violent, unnatural deaths, we specifically invited a master from a temple to chant scriptures for a few days before burying them.” Yet that temple master was surely no match for the eminent master standing before them; otherwise, he wouldn’t have failed to notice anything unusual and simply left after finishing the scriptures.
Gu Zhaoyan sighed. Since they were already buried, examining their remains was out of the question.
Having promised the villagers he would provide them with exorcism and peace talismans, Gu Zhaoyan returned to the village chief’s house and began drawing the talismans. Although he hadn’t asked for money, the villagers still chipped in whatever they could, paying the standard price for peace talismans at a local temple, merely a few copper coins.
Gu Zhaoyan reiterated his instructions for them to stay indoors after nightfall, eat their meals early, and rest, promising that he would resolve this bizarre affair as swiftly as possible. Filled with profound gratitude, the villagers accepted the talismans, bowed repeatedly in thanks, and departed.
Although the village chief’s household was hardly well-to-do, the old man still had his wife cook a bowl of white rice and stir-fry two plates of vegetable dishes for Gu Zhaoyan. Seeing the chief’s guilty and uneasy expression, Gu Zhaoyan smiled. “Thank you, Benefactor.”
Seeing that Gu Zhaoyan showed no sign of disdain, the village chief finally set his mind at ease. “Then please enjoy your meal, Master.”
Gu Zhaoyan nodded with a smile. “Benefactor need not prepare food for Bailang. It will accompany me outside shortly and forage for itself.”
“Ah, understood.” Smiling, the village chief stepped out and closed the door behind him.
Listening to the footsteps fade into the distance, Bailang spoke softly. “You’re going to West Mountain?”
Gu Zhaoyan replied, “West Mountain definitely holds some strange secret. When you and I arrived, we entered from the front of the village, and that road was completely clean, the demonic aura only appeared once we got deep inside the village. It stands to reason that the demonic aura is coming from the other side.” He handed a remaining piece of flatbread to Bailang. “Eat up quickly, and we’ll set off once you’re done.”
Bailang flicked its front paw, pushing the flatbread right back to the edge of Gu Zhaoyan’s hand. “I don’t eat these things, and I won’t starve.” With that, it flopped down onto the floor and fell silent.
Gu Zhaoyan curled his lip and let the matter drop. Knowing that Bailang disliked such tasteless fare, he stopped bothering it and lowered his head to finish his meal.
After eating and waiting a short while longer, Gu Zhaoyan finally led Bailang toward the tail of the village.
Deep into the night, Zhou Village appeared even more tranquil and still, devoid of even the sound of chirping insects or birds, as if their throats had been sealed shut.
Upon reaching West Mountain, they saw heavy fog blanketing the valley ahead. Bailang observed, “Someone is about to run into bad luck.”