Xiao Taos Geistergeschichten (Vollversion)

Kapitel 33

"I hope so," Ling Li glanced at the scars on Tao Rujiu's face beside him and nodded.

The decaying corridor was riddled with pits of varying depths. A slight misstep could send you tumbling into a suddenly formed depression. Beneath the floor was a raised platform about ten centimeters high, filled with dust, wood chips, stones, and other indistinguishable debris. Most surprisingly, some of the junk from the Netherworld Palace had also been brought here.

Bending down to pick up a thin white sheet, he realized with a sharp reflex that it was the kind of plastic paper money commonly found on the ground in the ghost marriage area. It had obviously drifted there with the underground water.

Even now, under the dim light, Ling Li could still vaguely see tiny streams of water meandering silently among the decaying ancient trees.

Why would groundwater come here?

Ling Li showed the paper money to Qi Linpo, who looked puzzled for a while before finally speculating, "The reason the Sea God Temple can block the resentment isn't entirely due to the temple itself, but rather to the ancestral grave of Dongli deep within it. Most of the water hasn't flowed into the temple because there's a clay sculpture of Dongli in the main hall, which once symbolized Dongli Bupo as the core of this Sea God Temple. However, over time, although the weathering beneath the ground is slow, the clay sculpture is gradually deteriorating. Once the sculpture completely collapses, the river might overflow the Sea God Temple."

Tao Rujiu interjected, "In that case, wouldn't we be able to release the resentment in the water simply by destroying that clay sculpture? Wouldn't we no longer need to destroy Dongli Bupo's tomb?"

Hearing him ask such a question, Qin Huakai, who was standing to the side, seemed to see a glimmer of hope. However, Qi Linpo's subsequent answer still left no room for negotiation.

"That's impossible, because the tomb of Dongli Bupo is still there. Even if the water flows smoothly through the Sea God Temple, it will still be blocked in front of the tomb. So we must destroy the feng shui of the tomb."

On the other hand, Ling Li added along this hypothesis: "In that case, we just need to follow this water flow. The place where the water completely disappears is Dongli Bupo's grave."

Qi Linpo nodded and said, "That should make sense. Once we get out of this corridor, we'll follow the current."

In the dim light, the four of them took several deep breaths. The cold, rotten smell of the air filled their chests, making them feel even more suffocated.

"Tao Tao, you really shouldn't have come here." Qi Linpo turned slightly to Tao Rujiu and said, "To be honest, if something really happens to you, I can't take the responsibility."

Tao Rujiu knew he had indeed acted rashly. He had originally intended to bring Qin Huakai down to stop Dongli Bupo, but he hadn't considered that it would threaten Huakai's life. But now, regret or resentment were completely useless. "Shh, don't speak now."

Looking at the large pile of white paper figures at the end of the corridor, Qi Linpo lowered his voice and gave the order; while taking off his coat, he made a talisman gesture and then covered Qin Huakai's head with it.

He said to Huakai, "I'm going to hide you under this coat so those paper figures won't notice you. So you need to hold your breath and follow me for a while, and don't make any unnecessary movements. They are definitely not your or Dongli Bupo's friends, understand?"

Qin Hua nodded and obediently wrapped his arms around Qi Linpo's waist as they walked forward. When they were about five or six steps away from the white paper curtain, Qi Linpo commanded, "Hold your breath, everyone."

Tao Rujiu continued walking side by side with Ling Li, and immediately held his breath upon hearing the order. By the light of the emergency lamp in Ling Li's hand, he saw Qi Linpo helping Hua Kai into the white paper curtain.

Only now did they realize that the little paper figures were not simply hanging like a few curtains, but rather they were lifelike, with abstractly shaped heads and arms twisting and intertwining each other, forming a dense white passage in both vertical and horizontal directions.

Qi Linpo and Qin Huakai's figures quickly disappeared into the yellow and white paper scraps. A slight rustling sound then echoed in the deathly silent cave, reminding Tao Rujiu of rattlesnakes in the desert. Although the two who had entered had not yet shown any adverse reactions, Tao Rujiu still felt a nauseating stimulation, as if he were being ordered to crawl into a bunch of rattlesnakes with their red tongues flicking out.

Upon making this connection, his stomach immediately churned, and the wound on his cheek began to throb faintly.

Ling Li quickly noticed his abnormality, stopped and pulled him aside.

"Don't rush off," he asked in a low voice. "Are you feeling unwell after sweating so much?"

Tao Rujiu then felt a coldness on his forehead and reached out to wipe a handful of cold sweat.

“No…no.” He began to explain, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but the closer I get to those white paper figures, the sadder I feel.”

As he was speaking, he staggered heavily again, but fortunately Ling Li was there to support him so that he didn't fall.

The man frowned as he looked at the young man's forehead covered in cold sweat.

"At this point, there's no way we can leave you here alone. Whether you're afraid or not, you'll still be wearing these clothes. It's really better to..."

“I’m not afraid, it’s just…” The young man touched his forehead with his hand, gently interrupting the sharp words, “If I were afraid, I wouldn’t have come here. I just feel uncomfortable—the closer I get to the paper figure, the more uncomfortable I feel.”

Ling Li didn't understand magic, but he knew that the resentment on the paper doll must have affected Tao Rujiu. After thinking for a while, he took off his coat and made a talisman on it.

Tao Rujiu asked curiously, "How did you learn magic?"

Ling Li said sharply, "I just learned it from Qi Mao Xian. It's just a simple way to shield against Yin energy. I don't know if it will work."

As he spoke, the incantation was completed, and Ling Li, imitating Qi Linpo, draped his coat over Tao Rujiu's head.

Tao Rujiu felt a soft fabric gradually covering his head, carrying the warmth of a man's body. Strangely enough, the nausea and trembling sensation soon dissipated. In the darkness, he felt Ling Li gently encircle his waist, whispering, "Now follow me, and remember to hold your breath."

Tao Rujiu did as instructed. He hadn't walked far when he felt himself bump into something extremely light. It was slightly crisp, making a "crackling" sound. He involuntarily looked ahead and, partially obscured by his bangs, beneath his sharp coat, appeared one or two strings of small paper figures hanging down. There weren't many, about ten huddled together.

There was no wind around, yet these little figures trembled incessantly, slowly coalescing until they all peered their round heads toward Tao Rujiu.

Tao Rujiu began to hear a strange sound.

The sound of people talking.

The whispering male and female voices seemed to be coming from the mouths of those little paper figures. Although the genders and tones differed, they were all saying the same thing.

Get out! Get out! Get out right now!

Ling Li, half-embracing Tao Rujiu, walked through a dense array of white paper scraps. Qi Linpo and Qin Huakai's backs were no longer visible, leaving only faint footsteps—proving that the corridor with the hanging paper figures was quite long, perhaps not long enough to reach the end in a single breath.

So what should we do?

Ling Li couldn't deny his fear, but he also understood that his fear was completely unnecessary.

These white paper figures hanging before me were not inanimate objects, but were constantly in subtle motion. They twisted and rotated around each other, and when they sensed an object approaching, they clung to it as if by electrostatic attraction. This feeling of being stuck was very strange, as if I were wrapped in countless white spider silks.

Ling Li tried to touch them, expecting the paper figures to immediately attach themselves, but the opposite happened—the paper figures deliberately avoided his hands. In fact, there were no paper figures around any exposed part of his body. He couldn't think of any other reason. Ling Li could only offer this explanation: the source of all the paper figures' resentment was the ancestors of the Dongli family over the past few centuries. Because of their love for their descendants, these resentments specifically prevented the paper figures from taking any action against members of the Dongli family.

Ling Li was feeling a mix of emotions when he suddenly felt Tao Rujiu's hands tighten around his, writhing in pain. He quickly removed Tao Rujiu's coat and was horrified to see a white paper figure crawling on the black hair, its flat limbs slowly piercing the young man's scalp.

Startled, Ling Li immediately reached out to grab the paper figure. Though clearly made of paper, it felt cold and slimy like a leech in his hand. Fortunately, the paper figure became submissive upon contact with his body heat, but more white paper figures sensed the presence of an outsider and swarmed towards him.

Ling Li hurriedly pulled Tao Rujiu into his arms, disregarding the need to hold his breath or anything like that, and immediately lowered his head and ran forward quickly. The white paper figures beside them stuck on and fell off, making it seem like snow was falling.

About ten seconds later, the surrounding noise gradually subsided. Ling Li felt his feet slip, staggered slightly, and found himself standing on the hard rock ground again. After running a few more steps, he let go of Tao Rujiu and carefully put her down, then looked around.

The wooden corridor had receded behind them, and the towering rock ceiling above them had returned to its former height. Stone railings were faintly visible in front of them, and white stone steps slowly rose along the terrain into the darkness.

Tao Rujiu gradually regained his senses from the dizziness. He tried to stand up, but Ling Li hurriedly came over and helped him up.

"Are you alright?" Ling Li asked with concern. "I'm afraid the talisman I drew wasn't powerful enough, and that thing crawled into my clothes."

Tao Rujiu shook his head, somewhat unaccustomed to the sudden and sharp self-criticism. After a long pause, he only managed to reply, "I'm fine." He then asked, "Where's Hua Kai?"

Ling Li didn't answer, only looking around with a pale face. He saw Qi Linpo walking towards them with a dark expression.

But the flowers were not by his side.

“He bit me and ran away,” Qi Linpo explained. “Just now, we were in the corridor when we suddenly heard a voice similar to Dongli Bupo’s. The voice told Huakai to go with him, so Huakai ran away.”

“But that voice isn’t Dongli’s at all!” Ling Li’s expression changed drastically. “That was a paper doll deliberately imitating it!” With that, he sighed heavily, pulled Tao Rujiu behind Qi Linpo, and turned around himself.

Qi Linpo stopped him abruptly and asked, "What are you going to do?"

He roared sharply, "Go and bring him back!"

Qi Linpo sneered, "What use would it be if you went? Don't think that just because you're in charge of the surface world, the monsters underground will give you face. They just want the three of us to get separated little by little so they can defeat us one by one."

Ling Li calmed down and realized that the explanation did make some sense. He then looked at Tao Rujiu, who was standing next to Qi Linpo. The young man stood quietly, the beam of his flashlight flickering slightly in his hand, illuminating a blank expression on his face.

Qi Linpo is right, Hua Kai is already in trouble. If, because of my wrong decision, Tao Rujiu also suffers some misfortune...

Ling Li was unwilling to think about it any further.

At this moment, Qi Linpo analyzed further: "Since the paper figures imitated Dongli Bupo's voice, they must also know the importance of the blooming flowers to Dongli Bupo. They won't mess with him, don't worry..."

As he spoke, he suddenly stumbled and let out a muffled groan.

Tao Rujiu seemed to sense something. He cautiously approached Qi Linpo and gently touched his waist. It felt wet.

His hand was covered in blood.

"What happened?" Ling Li asked in surprise, "Did the flowers dry?"

Qi Linpo said nonchalantly, "Didn't I tell you he bit me?"

It was indeed just one bite, but no one would have thought that this bite would actually tear a piece of flesh off Qi Linpo's waist!

What's most unsettling is that since Qi Linpo is injured, it means that the white paper doll possessing Hua Kai's body can also attack everyone, including Qi Linpo and Ling Li. Therefore, they must not only be wary of Dong Li Bupo, but also of Hua Kai being manipulated by the white paper doll, with the ultimate goal of finding Dong Li Bupo's grave.

It's easier said than done.

So Tao Rujiu tore off his shirt and used it to bandage Qi Linpo's wound. After discussing it, the three of them decided to continue up the stone steps.

However, just as they were about to set off again, a sharp gaze suddenly fixed on the stone wall not far behind Tao Rujiu. He suddenly warned, "Don't turn around!"

Qi Linpo and Tao Rujiu immediately stopped what they were doing and turned their questioning gazes toward Ling Li.

The man lowered his voice and told them, "There's something that looks like a blooming flower standing behind you."

Tao Rujiu suddenly shuddered involuntarily, while Qi Linpo somehow conjured a mirror and looked back through it.

In the dim light, a figure stood less than ten meters away on the edge of a rock face, a white paper figure tightly pasted over his face, completely obscuring his features. But judging from his clothing and height, it was undoubtedly Qin Huakai.

He stood motionless against the wall, holding a rusty long knife that he had somehow acquired.

Qi Linpo's heart sank, but he still made a hand seal and calmly said to the other two, "I have set up a magic array around us, so he doesn't dare to approach us for the time being; don't be afraid, keep moving forward."

Ling Li and Tao Rujiu hesitated for a moment, then nodded at the same time. The three of them then began to walk up the stone steps, while Qin Huakai, whose face was covered by a white paper figure, followed behind them at a distance, carrying a knife.

Both "he" and Qi Linpo knew very well that the magic array would eventually fail.

At the top of the steps is a spacious platform, less than three meters from the cave ceiling. Stone pillars, serving as both support and decoration, stand in the four cardinal directions. In the center rests a stone wall, taller than a person, carved with intricate waves. Fish leap and snakes soar in the waves, while lifelike sea eagles—the symbol of the Dongli family—fly above the water.

“I have a feeling,” Ling Li said in a low voice, “that Dong Li’s grave is nearby.”

The crowd's nerves tightened again at those words, and they involuntarily turned to look at Qin Huakai, who was following closely behind. The possessed boy was standing at the bottom of the steps.

"Ignore him," Qi Linpo instructed. "Go around the screen wall, the tomb should be behind it."

The three of them then went around to the right, and Tao Rujiu shone his flashlight into the distance. Before them lay a sacred path of moderate length. From near to far, stone structures such as a memorial archway, offering table, and incense altar appeared, and at the end was a gray-black tomb. Beyond that, the path was firmly blocked by rubble, making it impassable.

"Treasure Peak!"

Tao Rujiu had seen this type of tomb in an interview. It was an underground mausoleum that protruded above the ground, much like the roof of an underground palace.

The three of them walked to the end of the sacred path and shone their flashlights on it carefully. Only then did they realize that the sacred mound was actually brownish-red.

“Granite?” Ling Li reached out and touched it. It didn’t have the overly cold feeling he remembered. Instead, it felt more like modern cement and concrete. He looked around again, but there were no similar brownish-red stones on the rock walls or the ground.

Tao Rujiu explained to him, "This is called 'three-in-one soil,' a building material made by ancient people using glutinous rice paste, lime, and loess. It turns dark red because a certain proportion of ox blood was added. Once this 'three-in-one soil' is formed, it is very difficult to break it with external force because it combines the flexibility of glutinous rice with the hardness of rock. Even if you hit it with a hammer, it is very difficult to break it."

In the short time they were talking, Qi Linpo had already walked around the top of the treasure mound once, and then simply stated the result of his observation: "There is no entrance."

"No entrance?"

Ling Li and Tao Rujiu repeated in unison.

Linpo nodded: "They probably sealed it with mortar and soil, at least I couldn't find it just now."

Without an entrance, they cannot enter to destroy Dongli Bupo's body, which means they cannot change the feng shui of Hailing City. But if they do nothing, it will be even more troublesome when Dongli Bupo arrives.

"We have to find it even if we can't!" Ling Li gritted his teeth. "I refuse to believe that the door that was blocked up later will be completely integrated with the treasure roof that was repaired first!"

These words actually reminded Tao Rujiu, who slapped his forehead and immediately added:

"The ratio of the three-component soil is very important. The tomb I interviewed before had its soil peeled off due to long-term weathering of the three-component soil from different periods..."