Five people trudged up the mountain, sometimes sinking deep, sometimes stepping shallow.
Jiuhuan Mountain was lush with vegetation.
Although the forest provided shade from the sun, it also made climbing more difficult.
Luckily, with two girls giggling and lightening the mood, the journey up the mountain wasn’t boring at all.
After hiking for over two hours, the two girls said they couldn’t walk anymore, so the group stopped to rest.
Everyone had brought water and food.
They spread out a picnic mat on the ground and rested right there.
Xie Dingxin had brought plenty of snacks up the mountain.
After giving the two girls two packs of spicy strips each, he quickly became familiar with them, asking what major they studied, what year they were in…and chatted on and on.
He was good-looking and knew how to coax people, so the two girls were soon laughing non-stop, and even revealed quite a bit of information.
Zhang Xianyu was quiet, silently listening from the side.
When she heard the girls mention their school and major, she casually searched the school’s name on her phone.
She hadn’t expected anything, but surprisingly, she actually found something.
Scrolling back a page on the search results, she saw a few news articles from three years ago.
The news was about two sophomore girls who went missing after summer vacation.
They hadn’t gone home, nor were they at school.
Their dormmates didn’t know where they’d gone.
It was only after their parents discovered they hadn’t returned and couldn’t reach them by phone that they contacted the counselor and realized the girls were missing.
The parents reported it to the police and even put up banners at the school to try to make a scene.
But after that short news report, there were no further updates.
Maybe the school had suppressed it.
The news used aliases for the two girls, and there was only one photo, with their faces pixelated.
Zhang Xianyu held her phone further away, looking at the photo, then at the two girls laughing and joking with Xie Dingxin.
Even though the photo was blurred, she could vaguely see a mole at the corner of the girl on the left’s mouth.
Coincidentally, the girl sitting on Xie Dingxin’s left also had a mole at the corner of her mouth, in exactly the same spot and size.
Without showing any reaction, Zhang Xianyu quietly closed the search page.
She didn’t touch the snacks the two girls shared, instead taking out the bread she’d prepared and eating one, then drank half a bottle of water.
After resting for half an hour, she suggested they continue climbing.
Jiuhuan Mountain wasn’t actually very tall, but because it was in the suburbs and undeveloped, the surrounding area was full of rolling hills.
If you weren’t a professional, it was easy to get lost if you went too deep.
Li Wei held a map and had a compass hanging around his neck.
He led them confidently onward.
Zhang Xianyu joked,
“Group leader, this isn’t your first time here, is it? You seem to know the place really well.”
Li Wei was startled, then smiled to cover it up.
“I just like to wander around, you know. I’ve climbed at least fifty, maybe a hundred mountains, so I’ve built up a lot of experience.”
Zhang Xianyu looked at the dark circles under his eyes and thought to herself, As expected, it’s always the ones who know how to swim that drown.
Li Wei must’ve met with an accident here at Jiuhuan Mountain and died in the hills.
Maybe no one even found his body, or he wouldn’t be stuck here as a Changgui.
She smiled, not saying anything more to arouse his suspicion.
They walked and rested along the way, and by dusk, Li Wei led them to a high slope and suggested they camp there for the night.
The top of the slope was fairly flat, with a few crooked trees around.
As long as they cleared the weeds and laid out sleeping bags, they could spend the night.
No one objected.
The two girls stayed to clear the weeds, while the three boys went nearby to look for dry branches for a fire.
Zhang Xianyu and Xie Dingxin went together.
While Li Wei wasn’t around, they exchanged information.
Seeing Xie Dingxin’s carefree, spring-outing smile, Zhang Xianyu’s conscience got the better of her and she reminded him,
“Don’t eat anything those girls give you. Who knows where it came from.”
Even if nothing seemed wrong now, who knew what those things really were?
Even if they really were sunflower seeds, those two girls have been dead for over three years.
You think three ghosts went out and bought you fresh seeds?
Xie Dingxin froze.
He’d seen nothing wrong with the sunflower seeds and just ate them without a thought.
He’d only come along for the camping trip, not to use his brain.
Maybe it was psychological, but after Zhang Xianyu spoke, he suddenly felt his stomach hurt.
Clutching his stomach with a twisted expression,
Xie Dingxin hugged his bundle of dry branches and ran off,
“I’m going to find a spot to take care of something.”
“You deserve it.”
Lin Wushui, hiding inside the Zhu Chuan, couldn’t help but sneer.
Zhang Xianyu touched the smooth, warm Zhu Chuan and continued picking up branches.
When Zhang Xianyu returned, she saw that Xie Dingxin was no longer joking with the girls.
He sat off to the side, face pale, looking like a damp mushroom—completely listless.
“What’s wrong with him?”
The two girls giggled,
“Ate something bad.”
At their words, Xie Dingxin’s face got even worse.
Zhang Xianyu held back a laugh, dug a small pit in the ground to start the fire, then set up a small aluminum pot, poured in bottled water, and added a packet of instant seaweed and egg soup.
Once it boiled, it made for a decent meal in the wild.
When the soup was ready, Li Wei came back too.
Each person got a small bowl with a disposable plastic bowl and drank slowly.
Zhang Xianyu watched the three of them thoughtfully.
This was the first time she’d seen ghosts who weren’t afraid of sunlight, could eat and drink, and looked no different from ordinary people.
She just didn’t know if this state was permanent, or if there was some hidden restriction.
Zhang Xianyu’s curiosity was truly piqued.
She wanted to know what kind of thing was controlling these three people from behind the scenes.
After lunch, the sky gradually darkened.
The weather in October was already starting to cool.
Although the days were still hot, the temperature at night already had the feeling of early autumn.
Especially in the mountains, it was even colder.
The five of them sat around the fire for warmth, with a pile of dry branches beside them.
No one played with their phones; instead, they shared funny stories they’d experienced.
After a while, one of the girls suddenly suggested,
“Just chatting is boring. Why don’t we play a game?”
The other girl immediately chimed in,
“What game?”
“I’m fine with anything.”
Li Wei smiled, looking at Zhang Xianyu and Xie Dingxin.
Both Xie Dingxin and Zhang Xianyu said they had no problem.
The girl who first suggested it blinked playfully and smiled,
“I heard there’s a Japanese game called the ‘Longzhong Bird Game’. One person pretends to be the ghost, and the others walk in a circle around the ‘ghost’. When they stop, if the ‘ghost’ can guess who is standing directly behind them, that person becomes the new ghost and must accept a punishment.”
She explained the rules simply.
It was actually a very simple game, similar to the Chinese handkerchief game.
Seeing her expectant look, Zhang Xianyu instinctively felt there was something off about this game.
But she still agreed.
“Then for the first round, let Li Wei be the ghost.”
The girl who suggested it linked arms with her friend and said to Li Wei,
“Close your eyes and count to ten, then shout stop. Actually, in the real game, you’re supposed to sing the ‘Longmu Song’, but we can just count—no need to be so troublesome.”
“If you get guessed, you become the ghost and must accept a punishment, okay?”
The girl’s voice was light and cheerful.
She was clearly in a good mood, glancing at Zhang Xianyu and Xie Dingxin with a sweet, innocent expression every time she spoke.
What she didn’t know was that the firelight flickering on her face didn’t make her look cute—instead, it made her seem a bit eerie.
Zhang Xianyu gave Xie Dingxin a look.
The two of them shared a knowing smile.
Zhang Xianyu said,
“Let’s start, then.”
Li Wei crouched in the center with his eyes closed.
The four others alternated male and female as they stood in a circle.
When the girl said,
“Start,”
Li Wei began counting.
He counted slowly, each number sounding heavy, as if weighed down by labored breathing.
Zhang Xianyu pretended not to notice anything strange and moved around the circle naturally.
A breeze rose on the slope, rustling the leaves.
The temperature seemed to drop.
Li Wei started counting down.
“Stop!”
Just as he shouted, Zhang Xianyu took a step forward.
Standing directly behind Li Wei was the girl with the mole at the corner of her mouth.
Li Wei bowed his head, back hunched.
The people around him waited silently for him to guess who was behind him.
After a moment’s silence, Li Wei said softly,
“Ji Huanhuan.”
Ji Huanhuan—the girl with the mole—turned pale.
She stepped forward, her voice trembling,
“I lost.”
Li Wei stood up.
The swaying tree shadows cast over him, making his face look dark.
He glanced at Ji Huanhuan, then stood in her spot.
Ji Huanhuan crouched down to be the new ghost.
Xie Dingxin still wore his cheerful smile,
“Wasn’t there supposed to be a punishment? Where’s the punishment?”
Li Wei glanced at him, voice a little hoarse,
“She’s already received her punishment.”
“What punishment?”
Xie Dingxin muttered loudly.
“But Huanhuan is a girl, so let’s just skip it this time.”
Li Wei shot him a dark look and quietly said,
“Start.”
The four began circling again.
Zhang Xianyu calmly followed the only remaining girl in the group.
She could clearly sense the girl was tense, body stiff with anxiety.
She glanced thoughtfully at Ji Huanhuan, who was hunched over.
Maybe Li Wei was telling the truth when he said “she’s already received her punishment.”
They just didn’t know what that punishment was yet.
She carefully sensed the atmosphere around them, but detected no other presences.
Zhang Xianyu touched the Red Jade Bead Bracelet on her wrist, but Lin Wushui didn’t send any warning either.
Just as she was distracted, Ji Huanhuan suddenly shouted,
“Stop!”
Zhang Xianyu stopped and looked up.
The person standing directly behind Ji Huanhuan was her close friend.
Since there were so few people, they’d drawn two intersecting center lines with the ghost at the center.
Everyone had to walk on the lines to ensure that when “stop” was called, someone would be standing directly behind the ghost.
“Chen Xiaomei.”
Ji Huanhuan turned her head.
Her face, half in shadow, looked a bit twisted.
She stared at her friend and repeated,
“Chen Xiaomei.”
“It’s your turn to be the ghost.”
Chen Xiaomei shot her a veiled glare, her fingers trembling at her side.
Ji Huanhuan took her place, gave her a gentle push, and said with a giggle,
“Go on, it’s your turn.”
Only then did Chen Xiaomei reluctantly move to the center.
Looks like the two girls’ relationship wasn’t as good as it seemed…
Zhang Xianyu thought, glancing over the now-silent Li Wei and Ji Huanhuan.
Maybe it was just the darkness, but their faces looked even gloomier.
Too bad she didn’t have any talismans with her.
If she had a Mingmu Talisman, she could see everything clearly…
Zhang Xianyu thought with some regret.
The third round began again.
Zhang Xianyu and Xie Dingxin were standing opposite each other.
Xie Dingxin winked at her, the corner of his mouth quirking up.
If they hadn’t been sure before, now they were certain there was something wrong with this game.
If they lost, they’d have to be the ghost—and being the ghost probably wasn’t just about taking a turn, but might mean actually becoming a substitute ghost.
If those three Changgui won, that would be a disaster.
So the two of them kept circling, but no matter how they moved, when the round ended, neither of them ever ended up directly behind the ghost.
The third round, Ji Huanhuan lost again and became the ghost.
The fourth round, Li Wei lost…
After eight rounds, the only ones ever becoming the ghost were Li Wei, Ji Huanhuan, and Chen Xiaomei.
The three of them looked even gloomier now.
Zhang Xianyu could basically confirm it wasn’t just the lighting.
Their faces darkening was likely the result of their punishment.
“I’m done playing.”
Ji Huanhuan sat down on the ground, pouting at Xie Dingxin,
“It’s always us three taking turns being the ghost and getting punished. It’s no fun at all.”
Xie Dingxin put on an exaggeratedly surprised look, perfectly playing the role of a clueless straight guy.
“Huh? But we never set any punishments.”
Ji Huanhuan: “…………”
She glared at him, then started acting spoiled,
“Why don’t you be the ghost for once? I don’t want to do it anymore.”
“But the rules say the loser becomes the ghost, and I haven’t lost.”
Xie Dingxin kept up the act, playing the oblivious guy to perfection.
“How about we play a few more rounds? Maybe I’ll lose next time, and then I’ll be the ghost.”
Ji Huanhuan stared at him, speechless.
“Forget it, let’s not play anymore. It’s getting late.”
The usually silent Li Wei suddenly spoke,
“We have more hiking to do tomorrow. Let’s get some rest.”
Once he spoke, Ji Huanhuan and Chen Xiaomei fell silent.
The group gradually crawled into their sleeping bags for the night.
Zhang Xianyu and Xie Dingxin exchanged a glance, then each got into their own sleeping bag.
In the mountains, with three Changgui sleeping nearby, Zhang Xianyu didn’t sleep too deeply.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated.
She lowered the brightness and picked it up—it was a WeChat message from Xie Dingxin.
[Ta Qing Temple Senior Brother: Do you smell something rotten, like a corpse?]
Zhang Xianyu was curled up in her sleeping bag.
After reading the message, she stuck her nose out and sniffed.
Sure enough, there was a strong smell of decay.
She held her breath and typed back from inside the sleeping bag.
[Lin Yuan Xianyu: Let me check.]
After sending the message, she held her breath again and poked her head out, looking at Li Wei, who was sleeping beside her.
Li Wei was sleeping with his back to her, so she could only vaguely see the outline of the back of his head.
Zhang Xianyu took out her phone and used the screen’s light to see more clearly.
—Li Wei, who was sleeping with his back to her, had an irregular hole in the back of his head.
The skin around the hole was crusted with black blood, and in the dim light, Zhang Xianyu could even see maggots wriggling inside the open wound.
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