Mysteriöses Brennen

Kapitel 23

The girl covered her nose and stood up in horror, asking, "What is that? It stinks!"

Qiqi pulled the girl back and said, "Stand behind me. It's not that simple!"

Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, the whole house shook violently. Qiqi was about to rush out, but then worried about the girl behind her. Just as she hesitated, a figure suddenly rushed out. It was Lin Feng; he had woken up. Qiqi breathed a sigh of relief.

But when Lin Feng rushed out, he found nothing outside. There was only drifting white mist everywhere, and the house stood perfectly still, without a tremor. Lin Feng looked around in bewilderment, but still found nothing.

Lin Feng came in, and Qiqi asked, "What's that outside?"

Lin Feng shook his head in confusion and said, "There's nothing there, it's empty."

Qiqi was startled and asked, "What do you mean?"

The words had barely left her lips when the house began to shake violently again. Qiqi called out, "You stay here," and then she was already outside. Lin Feng nervously watched Qiqi's retreating figure; there was still no movement outside. Sure enough, when Qiqi returned, she looked equally confused, wondering what had happened.

Lin Feng, smelling the rotten stench in the air, asked, "Is that really yin energy outside?"

Qiqi paused for a moment, then carefully observed the outside of the door and said, "So that's how it is. That outside isn't yin energy, but the disguise inside is quite convincing. If I'm not mistaken, it's probably these white mists that made us hallucinate, making us think the house was moving, when it wasn't moving at all!"

After saying that, Qiqi went out the door, gathered a bunch of fallen leaves together, and said, "Lin Feng, bring me your lighter so I can use it."

Lin Feng tossed the lighter to Qiqi, who lit it and set the leaves ablaze. The dry leaves quickly burst into flames, filling the air with the scent of resin. The fire grew larger and larger, and the white steam gradually dissipated.

Qiqi looked up at the clear night sky above her head, let out a long sigh, and said, "This fog is coming towards us; it's probably coming from that cave entrance."

Lin Feng nodded and said, "Yes, I don't know what this thing is!"

The two stood at the door talking, while the girl timidly peeked out from behind the door.

Qiqi suddenly looked serious and said, "There are footsteps in the distance."

Lin Feng and the girl listened intently, but couldn't hear anything. Lin Feng knew that Qiqi had extraordinary hearing and perception, so he quickly called the two of them in. He then haphazardly blocked the doorway with the broken door panel, and the three of them quietly peered outside.

Sure enough, after a while, the footsteps became clearer and clearer. It turned out that those who had gone to the cave entrance had returned.

The people outside marched in perfect unison, but their steps were heavy, a far cry from the lightheartedness they had shown at the beginning. Their faces seemed weary, yet their eyes remained vacant and lifeless.

After a while, the footsteps stopped, presumably because everyone had gone home to sleep. Lin Feng finally let out a long sigh of relief and said, "That's so strange! I can't figure out what's going on no matter how hard I try!"

Qiqi said, "Don't you understand?"

Lin Feng asked, "Understand what?"

Qiqi said, "I guess there's some kind of monster living in that cave, or some evil spirit causing trouble. The white vapor coming out of it is specifically designed to bewitch people's minds."

Lin Feng nodded and said, "I know that, but how do you explain the strange behavior of the villagers during the day? You can't just say it's their custom!"

Kiki thought for a moment and said, "I think it's like this: that white mist confuses people's minds every day, making them see some very beautiful things. Like their deceased relatives living happily on the other side, beckoning to them, or something else. After someone jumps into that hole, the white mist controls them, making them go home. When they wake up in the morning, they have no idea where they went the night before. But they retain fragments of their memories of their relatives in heaven. Over time, they'll think their relatives are telling them in a dream that they're doing well. So, over time, their fear of death will fade. Once everyone has the same memory, they'll think death isn't scary, but rather something to be happy about. Outsiders will definitely be very surprised by their behavior, so they'll be very resistant to outsiders, afraid that they'll discover their secret."

Lin Feng thought for a moment and said, "You have a point!"

Qiqi said, "It's not that I'm right, it's that I'm right!"

Lin Feng asked, "So what exactly is in that cave?"

Kiki shook her head and said, "I don't know either. How about we go and take a look during the day?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment and said, "That's the only way!"

The girl suddenly asked, "What hole?"

Lin Feng said, "It's a cave. After you sound the gong, everyone should gather there!"

Qiqi suddenly said, "By the way, the gong is ringing. Does your village have a big gong?"

The girl shook her head and said, "There's none at all. My brother and I searched during the day, looking in every corner of the village, but we didn't see any gong."

After a while, seeing that there was no movement, Qiqi told Lin Feng to go to sleep first, and she would stay here to keep the girl company.

Lin Feng, having relaxed from the earlier tension, felt exhausted and went back to his room. Qi Qi told the girl to go to sleep first, while she stayed behind the registration desk to keep watch.

Volume 2, Chapter 26: Ghost Manor (10)

Nothing happened until dawn. The girl slept like a kitten, her brow furrowed and her body twitching occasionally, indicating she wasn't sleeping soundly. After a night of fright, most people probably wouldn't be able to sleep at all, but the girl had fallen asleep because she trusted Qiqi beside her.

The young man froze when he entered and saw Qiqi standing behind the registration desk. Then his face suddenly turned grim, and he shouted excitedly, "Where's my sister? What have you done to her? You devils!" The young man appeared extremely agitated.

Qiqi quickly said, "Your sister is fine, she's sleeping inside!"

The young man waved his fist and said, "I don't believe it, you guys must have ruined her." Just as he finished speaking, the girl came out from inside and said, "Brother, what are you doing? Why are you making so much noise so early in the morning!"

The young man ran up to the girl, put his arm around her shoulder, and asked, "Are you alright?"

The girl rubbed her sleepy eyes and said, "It's nothing. I was so lucky to have this older sister last night, otherwise I would have been scared to death."

The young man glanced at Qiqi and said apologetically, "I'm sorry about earlier. I was too worried about my sister. You know how strange this village is. I was really worried something might happen to her!"

Kiki gave her an understanding look and said, "It's okay!"

The young man then asked the girl, "What happened last night?"

The girl recounted what had happened that night, and the young man looked incredulous. After listening, he said to Qiqi, "Thank you so much for protecting my sister."

Before Qiqi could speak, a voice said, "You're only thanking her, not me!" Lin Feng had already packed a small bag and walked over.

Qiqi smiled and said, "Why are you still like a little kid, needing so much praise? Besides, didn't they just say thank you to 'us'? That 'us' includes you!"

Lin Feng laughed and said, "Just kidding, Qiqi, we should go!"

Qiqi nodded and said, "Okay!" Then she walked out of the registration desk. The girl grabbed Qiqi and said, "Sister, are you coming back tonight?"

Qiqi thought for a moment and realized that she definitely wouldn't be able to finish her business today, so she said, "We'll definitely be back tonight."

The young man suddenly said, "Are you still going to look for that bad outsider?"

Qiqi knew he was talking about Zhang Xiang, so she said, "By the way, we actually wanted to solve the strange things happening in your village. It would be even better if we could find that guy!"

The young man looked at the two of them worriedly and said, "Outsiders wander around aimlessly and will definitely disappear in this village. If you can't find him during the day, come back to my place at night. I think if the villagers catch that guy, you'll see him tonight!"

Kiki said, "Oh?" and then asked, "Why?"

The young man shook his head and said, "If you can't find it, you'll know when you come tonight!"

Qiqi nodded and said, "Okay! Thank you!" Then she said to the girl, "Little sister, I'll come again tonight. Get some rest during the day!" The girl smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, I'll wait for you!"

Lin Feng had been waiting for his eldest son to get impatient before Qiqi finally left. As soon as she came out, Lin Feng said, "Women are such a hassle. It's not like it's a matter of life and death, why all the fuss?"

Kiki just smiled and ignored him. The two walked side by side through the village towards the woods. They tried to find places with few people so that no one would know they were going to the strange cave.

Soon we left the village, and ahead lay the grove of trees. Entering the grove, we were enveloped in the lingering mist and the fresh scent of dew, an invigorating and comforting aroma. Unidentified wildflowers bloomed everywhere, emitting fragrant wafts. The branches overhead intertwined and twisted, creating a deep shade within the grove, with only occasional rays of sunlight filtering through and illuminating the roadside, resulting in beautiful interplay of light and shadow.

Lin Feng looked around and said, "This huge forest is so quiet, not even a bird can be heard. Although the trees are lush, it looks lifeless, just like a ghost village."

Qiqi nodded and said, "Yes, the area around here can't escape the influence of that cave."

The two walked and talked, soon passing through the woods and arriving at the mountain that coiled like a snake, with the cave entrance at its base. During the day, the cave entrance looked no different from any other cave entrance, deep and dark. It no longer emitted white steam, and the nauseating stench was gone.

Qiqi peeked inside the cave and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this guy is sleeping. It seems that the man who ate it last night made it very comfortable!"

Lin Feng picked up a stone and threw it into the cave. The stone slid down the cave wall. He noticed the sound of the stone rubbing against the cave wall; it wasn't the crisp sound of stones hitting each other, but rather a dull and muffled sound, and it wasn't very loud. It was as if the cave wall wasn't made of stone at all.

Lin Feng touched the entrance of the hole. It felt warm to the touch and a little soft. Lin Feng subconsciously withdrew his hand and took a few steps back to examine the entrance.

Qiqi noticed that Lin Feng's expression suddenly seemed a bit off and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Feng said, "This cave entrance doesn't seem to be made of stone; it looks more like a mouth."

Kiki was stunned for a moment and said, "Mouth?" Then she reached out to touch it. Upon touching it, Kiki also took two steps back and said, "Oh my god, it's alive! This hole is alive!"

Lin Feng said, "You can feel it?"

Kiki said, "He disguised himself very well. I couldn't tell he was alive unless I touched him directly. But his physical signs showed that he was really sleeping."

Lin Feng nodded and said, "That makes things easier. I'll go down and take a look!"

Qiqi thought for a moment and said, "I'll go down with you."

As Lin Feng took a flashlight out of his bag, he said, "I think we shouldn't. I'm not a child who doesn't know how to take care of myself."

Qiqi insisted, "Who knows what's down there? Since this cave is alive, no one can predict what will happen down there. It's good for the two of us to have someone to look out for us!"

Lin Feng had no choice but to agree, and the two walked inside hand in hand.

Volume 2, Chapter 27: Ghost Manor (11)

The cave walls were sticky and damp, so the two tried to avoid touching them. The cave wasn't high, and they had to bend over to walk through. The ground beneath their feet had a certain springiness, making it very uncomfortable to walk on.

The flashlight beam illuminated the path ahead, but they had no idea how far it stretched. Because the cave walls were steeply sloping, the two had to carefully plant their feet to avoid slipping. The further they went, the stronger the stench of decay became. By the end, Lin Feng almost vomited; his stomach was convulsing, and he was drenched in sweat. Qiqi, however, managed to endure it; after all, her constitution was different from that of ordinary humans, and her tolerance was far greater than that of the average person.

The two had already walked quite a distance inside, and when they looked back, all they could see was a small dot of light flickering faintly at the cave entrance.

With a "crack," Lin Feng seemed to trip over something. He quickly shone his flashlight on it and saw a human skeleton. The white skull had its mouth wide open, as if it were calling out something, but it would never be able to make a sound again.

Lin Feng and Qi Qi stopped and shone their flashlights around, discovering they had entered a circular space. The space wasn't very large, only about ten square meters, and it reeked of decay and dampness. The walls were covered in pinkish, disgusting lumps that slowly secreted a sticky fluid that occasionally dripped onto the floor with a faint "drip" sound.

In the very center, there were skeletons everywhere, at least a hundred or so, resembling a vast, chaotic battlefield. The skeletons were either sitting or standing, in various postures.

Qiqi suddenly tugged at Lin Feng and said, "Look there!"

Lin Feng shone his flashlight in the direction Qi Qi was pointing and saw a person lying there, occasionally letting out a weak groan. It was hardly human; the skin was gone, revealing pink flesh and dark red veins between the muscle fibers. The body was covered in a bright white mucus, and the mouth, devoid of lips, was wide open. The eyelids were gone too, leaving only terrifying eyes staring at the two of them with a pleading look.

Lin Feng and Qi Qi walked over to the man, and Lin Feng couldn't help but turn away and vomit. After vomiting, Lin Feng felt much better and asked the man, "Can you still speak?"

Judging from his expression, Lin Feng should have known that the man was completely unable to speak. The man's mouth opened slightly twice, and a gurgling sound came from his throat, unable to form a single syllable. Lin Feng could clearly see the muscles and tendons in the man's throat twitching as he moved the muscles in his throat.

The two were at a loss for what to do. Seeing the man's suffering, Qiqi said to Lin Feng, "I think we should just give him a quick death. It's too cruel to let him be tortured to death like this!"

Hearing Qiqi say this, the man tried to make a few strange noises, and his eyes showed gratitude. Clearly, he didn't want to suffer this torment anymore and hoped that Qiqi would end it soon.

Lin Feng looked at the man and knew there was no hope, so he hardened his heart and nodded in agreement.

Kiki pulled a dagger from her waist and slowly walked towards the man. The man looked upwards, ignoring Kiki, and the pink muscles on his skinless face twitched incessantly.

Just as Qiqi raised the dagger to stab, suddenly many red tentacles sprouted from the person's body, like octopus tentacles, tightly binding them. The person groaned loudly, opened their eyes, and looked at Qiqi with pleading eyes.

Lin Feng shone his flashlight on the tentacles, and those illuminated by the strong beam retracted. The suckers attached to them tore a large chunk of flesh from the man's body, and blood gushed from the severed blood vessels. The man emitted hoarse, unpleasant sounds, clearly in great pain.

Kiki couldn't bear to see him suffer any longer, so she gritted her teeth and prepared to plunge the dagger in her hand into the man's heart. The man convulsed a few times and then stopped moving.

After plunging the dagger into the man's heart, Qiqi took a few steps back. The red tentacles remained attached to him, greedily feeding. Lin Feng shone his flashlight on him; although the tentacles illuminated by the bright light retracted, new tentacles emerged from the previously illuminated areas, still firmly attached.

Lin Feng said with disgust, "What the hell is this thing! It's disgusting!"

Qiqi said, "I think it's that guy's digestive system. The hole is its mouth, the passage we just walked through is its esophagus, and this is its stomach!"

Lin Feng gasped and said, "How big is this thing? Its esophagus alone is over two hundred meters long. Is this entire mountain made up of it?"

Kiki said, "Let's go back. The skeletons here are people that guy tricked into coming here to fill his stomach with illusions. If it wakes up, we'll be in trouble. You saw those tentacles too. They stick to people as soon as they touch them, and when they retract, they tear off a piece of flesh!"