Due to the steadily rising terrain along the way, the stone houses built on the half-slope were arranged in a pleasant, staggered manner. The houses were sparse, with wild grass and vines growing rampantly everywhere—clearly not a place fit for habitation.
Once the car was parked, Yinyu pushed the door open without hesitation. The moment she stepped onto the road, the shallow heel of her shoe sank into the soft mud.
Zezhi turned off the car, got out, and looked towards the deeper part of the village. Turning towards the source of the sounds, she raised a hand and said, “It’s over there.”
The Yin Energy here was dense and heavy; it seemed like many ghosts and creatures were wandering outside.
Yinyu pulled her feet free with difficulty, desperately wanting to throw away the shoes she was wearing. But she had to wear them; the entire road was covered in wet mud, hardly something she could tolerate.
Zezhi walked ahead, passing by the houses, when she suddenly stopped.
Yinyu immediately looked towards where Zezhi was staring. Every house door in this village was tightly shut, and without exception, every door had white strips of paper plastered on them, resembling seals.
The white seals were all stuck on diagonally with writing on them. However, due to the great age and the exposure to sun and rain, the characters were mostly illegible now.
Yinyu walked a few more steps forward and stopped in front of a specific door. The white paper strip on this door was just barely legible.
At first glance, seeing the seal, one might think a crime had occurred. Only after reading the characters on it did she understand—this was a Calamity Notice.
A calamity, meaning disaster or harm.
In the old days, if someone died in a household, they had to paste this thing on their front door. The Calamity Notice recorded the deceased’s name, age, and the dates for their minor and major encoffinings. In more detail, it would also include the names of family members.
Seven days after death, the soul returns. When it returns, it brings Yin entities with it. Pasting this Calamity Notice was to prevent those who didn’t know the situation from passing by or visiting, so they wouldn’t inadvertently encounter disaster.
But every house in this whole village had a Calamity Notice pasted on it. Did someone die in every household? Looking at it that way, this place certainly was bizarre.
Having recognized the Calamity Notice, Yinyu continued following the sound. She saw not a single living person along the way, and she had no idea if a living person was playing those instruments.
Back when they first met, she would have asked Zezhi if she was afraid. Now, knowing this person had hidden depths, her words instead seemed to seek trust and sympathy. She said softly, “This place is truly frightening. Boss Yu, you’re so capable; you must take good care of me.”
Zezhi glanced at her. After rounding a house, she saw a group of people wearing theatrical costumes standing on the threshing ground in front of an Ancestral Hall.
Yinyu also stopped, narrowing her eyes for a closer look. In surprise, she said, “Are they putting on an opera?”
The village was long abandoned, yet on the threshing ground before the Ancestral Hall, people were still performing Nuo Opera. The scene looked eerie no matter how one looked at it.
The Nuo Opera performers and the musicians totaled a dozen or so, and all of them, without exception, wore vividly lifelike Nuo Masks.
The masks were so exquisitely crafted that at first glance, they looked like the performers’ original faces.
Yinyu watched for a long time. She saw that the smiling ones kept smiling, the crying ones kept crying, and the angry ones never calmed their rage. Every single expression was stiff and grotesquely strange. Only then did she realize they were masks.
Outside the Ancestral Hall gate stood a Spirit Altar. The altar not only displayed deity images but also placed offerings like chickens, ducks, fish, and fruits. Incense had been lit in the burner and was nearly burned down to the stub—suggesting this opera had been going on for quite some time.
The singing was rhythmic and cadenced. Listening closely, they had already progressed from singing the Spirit Invocation to the Sending off the Gods. Once this section was finished, it would be over.
Yinyu didn’t know if Zezhi understood this kind of thing. Out of habit, she spoke up: “This kind of Nuo Opera is used for Exorcisms.”
She paused, her eyes curving into crescents as she asked, “Does that place called Wisdom Water Red Mountain have customs like this?”
“No,” Zezhi answered instantly.
Yinyu wasn’t disappointed. She was only more curious about what else Wisdom Water Red Mountain might have, besides the White Jade Capital.
After singing the Sending off the Gods, the distant Nuo Opera before the Ancestral Hall concluded. Everyone offered incense together, knelt on woven prayer mats to kowtow, and only then did they remove their masks.
This place usually had no visitors. Now, just after the storm had passed, two strangers had suddenly appeared at this juncture, and naturally, the Nuo Opera performers noticed them.
One man walked over. The colorful robe he wore seemed ancient, its colors faded from washing. He stared at Yinyu and Zezhi and asked warily, “Where did you two come from? Planning to go up the mountain?”
Just as Yinyu was about to answer, Zezhi beside her spoke first.
Zezhi said with a natural expression, “We wanted to come up the mountain to take a look a while ago, but it suddenly started pouring. We had to wait until the rain finally stopped.”
The man didn’t believe her at all. His brow remained furrowed. “What’s up the mountain for you? From the looks of your outfits, you’re not hikers.”
“Taking photos, and maybe doing some live-streaming on the side.” Yinyu picked up the thread, placing a hand on Zezhi’s shoulder. “We heard this area is quite interesting. We had plans long ago, but they were delayed by the heavy rain. Now that it’s stopped, we wanted to scout out a location.”
Not only was Yinyu’s face exquisitely delicate, but she was also wearing an ink-painted qipao hardly suitable for mountain climbing. So what she said seemed plausible.
Zezhi cast her a dry glance but didn’t make a sound.
The man seemed to believe them, but he waved his hand impatiently. “Don’t go any further in. That place is unlucky. If you don’t want your lives cut short, turn back now.”
Yinyu had expected to get some information from him. She smiled, her eyes soft and brimming with charm. Feigning shock, she quickly asked, “What do you mean? We saw you performing the Nuo Opera just now. Is this place haunted?”
The man who’d come over had absolutely no patience, or perhaps he was already vexed. Brusquely, he said, “Didn’t you see the state of the village on your way here? Are your eyes just for decoration?”
“We just didn’t understand the situation, so we came to ask you.” Yinyu wasn’t angry. Instead, she smiled even more, her eyes curving up.
A woman in the distance called out, “Chongzi, watch your tongue!”
Even though Zhen Hechong then lowered his voice, his tone remained impatient. “Yes, it’s haunted. You saw what Ivory Mast Beach looks like now, right? You should know.”
“We do know, but why would it be haunted here?” Yinyu pressed.
Zhen Hechong’s features were fierce to begin with; whenever he got riled up, he looked like he was about to hit someone.
The woman who had shouted at him from a distance quickly walked over. She said kindly, “Little sisters, if you want to know, just come down the mountain with us first.”
Yinyu glanced at Zezhi, nodded, and said, “Sorry to trouble you, then.”
“No trouble at all,” the woman waved her hand and turned her head to call out, “Hurry up and pack! Get down the mountain before it gets dark.”
Once night fell, Ghostly Evils would swarm out. If this place really was haunted, they did need to leave quickly.
Those people in the distance rustled as they took off their opera robes, frantically stuffing things into boxes, not daring to slow down for a moment.
It seemed this woman was the leader, or at least someone of considerable status.
As they walked down the mountain, that group walked ahead. Yinyu and Zezhi followed behind, not walking fast, but not lagging too far either.
Yinyu lowered her voice. “How was that, Boss Yu? My trick was pretty good, wasn’t it?”
“Quite adept at bluffing,” Zezhi evaluated coolly.
That didn’t sound like a compliment, but Yinyu simply scoffed and didn’t correct the other’s wording.
After walking around the base of the mountain for a while, they realized there was actually an inn here.
A small inn, seemingly converted from a self-built house, with an exceedingly crude sign.
However, Yinyu noticed a brown Water Vessel placed right in front of the inn’s entrance. The vessel was even cemented into the ground there—impossible to move.
The woman looked back, saw Yinyu staring at the Water Vessel, and explained, “That’s practically an antique, must be over a hundred years old. It was used in the past to check for Spirit Money.”
Yinyu had indeed heard of such a practice, though she wasn’t sure if Wisdom Water Red Mountain had similar customs. She simply said to Zezhi, “In the past, during wars or great disasters, many people would die. When the Yin Energy was dense enough, it could blot out the sky and the sun, and ghosts would no longer fear the sunlight.”
“So ghosts could travel during the day?” Zezhi’s voice was calm.
Yinyu touched the mouth of the vessel. “Exactly. They would appear no different from living people, and they’d even try to pay with Spirit Money. So some shopkeepers would place a Water Vessel at their doorstep. Anything that floated, was fragile and easily dissolved—that was Spirit Money transformed.”
The woman nearby had been listening intently. Surprised, she said, “I didn’t expect you to know about these things.”
Yinyu couldn’t afford to blow her cover. Unhurriedly, she fabricated, “I researched this before coming here.”
The woman nodded slightly, a worried cloud lingering between her brows. She said, “Our ancestors lived up on that mountain. The reason no one lives there now is that Overgrown Mountain always has Plague Ghosts searching for substitutes. You might not believe this, but the truth is, the village was emptied out by sickness because of it.”
Yinyu certainly believed it. This was exactly what she wanted to hear.
The woman looked weary and dejected, raising her hand. “Come in and have a seat.”
Entering the door, they saw the receptionist smiling broadly. “Sister Zi, you’re back! Any trouble?”
Only then did she notice the two unfamiliar faces trailing behind. Her smile instantly vanished, and she asked hesitantly, “Oh, we have guests?”
“Pour the guests some water.” Zhen Hezi sat down, looking utterly exhausted. “Actually, this is the first time I’ve ever performed the Nuo Dance in front of that Ancestral Hall. Going back from my parents’ generation, it’s been several generations since anyone danced there. It’s a good thing we kept learning it and didn’t let it fall into disuse. And wouldn’t you know it, it finally came in handy.”
Yinyu, feigning casual humor, remarked, “That long ago? Could the last performance have been during your Gaozu generation?”
Zhen Hezi looked over at her silently.
“Just a guess,” Yinyu said.
Zhen Hezi shook her head. “I can’t remember clearly. To be honest, even the stories about the Plague Ghosts searching for substitutes—I only heard those from the older generation. Later, the Plague Ghosts in the mountain were suppressed. It wasn’t until our generation that we started doing the Nuo Dance at the Ancestral Hall again.”
“Has another Plague Ghost emerged to seek substitutes?” Zezhi always managed to hit the nail on the head.
Zhen Hezi’s pupils trembled. She understood that if she told others about this, they would think she was crazy. Finally meeting two people who believed her now, she couldn’t help but open up. “A few months ago, someone went into Overgrown Mountain. After coming out, they contracted an incurable illness and soon died of it.”
She licked her dry lips, her eyes dark and grave. “After that, people in the vicinity started falling sick one after another. Doctors couldn’t identify the cause of the illness. We began to suspect that the Plague Ghosts on the mountain might have come out again. Later on… we invited a master to take a look. That master just glanced and immediately turned to leave, saying the Yin Energy here was extremely heavy and a great disaster was destined to occur within days.”
That master hadn’t been wrong. When Yang Energy weakens, all sorts of natural and man-made calamities come rushing in.
Yinyu said thoughtfully, “Not only are the Plague Ghosts running outwards, but I’m afraid the Yin Energy from Overgrown Mountain is also spilling outward. This mountain really does have something going on.”
She shifted her gaze and looked toward Zezhi. “What do you think, Boss Yu?”
