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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 5: Searching for Someone (Part Two)
The narrow path twisted and turned, with a steep drop on one side and a sheer cliff on the other. Below the precipice lay an unfathomable valley, where the occasional glimpse of houses appeared like inconspicuous haystacks, despite being grand two-story buildings. From this height, everything seemed diminished.
This road wound its way up the mountain, only turning to another peak after reaching a certain altitude. There were hardly any homes along the roadside; it was a seldom-traveled mountain path. A sign hung from a tree by the road, displaying the letters Z and S.
Driving in such an isolated place stirred an inexplicable sense of loneliness and unease within me. Qin Jian maintained a steady speed, focused intently on the road ahead. My usual habit of dozing off in the car was temporarily shaken by the winding mountain road; I dared not close my eyes, fixating instead on the front and side views, fearful that any sudden misstep from Qin Jian could spell disaster for both of us.
“Did they follow us?”
Qin Jian broke the silence, startling me. I glanced back and, surprisingly, it seemed they really hadn’t come after us. Whether it was due to the difficult terrain or some other reason was unclear; all we could do was keep moving forward until we reached a wider area where we could pull over and wait.
If they didn’t catch up with us, then there was only one possibility—they must have been too frightened to follow.
“We should have taken their phone numbers,” I remarked unnecessarily.
Qin Jian remained silent, continuing to drive without a word.
As we reached the halfway point up the mountain, a faint mist began to drift from the peaks beside the road. It shouldn’t be foggy at this time; perhaps it was due to the geographical conditions.
Suddenly, I asked without thinking, “Ma Qi, don’t you find this place strange?”
“What do you mean?”
I found it strange too but hesitated to voice my thoughts for fear of distracting him or clouding his judgment. The last thing I wanted was for a vehicle to suddenly appear ahead; that would make passing each other difficult since we weren’t on a designated passing lane.
“We’ve climbed this far without seeing a single person, and they haven’t followed us.”
“Yeah, I noticed that.”
“Then why aren’t you worried?” Qin Jian sounded irritated.
“Don’t rush; everything has its reason. Just like when we went to Ten-Mile Temple last time and encountered so many bizarre things—didn’t we make it home just fine in the end?”
“I’m not afraid; what worries me is that helping others might lead to trouble for us.”
Qin Jian had a point. If our involvement made things worse, that would be unfortunate. But I was also aware of these concerns, which kept me alert instead of dozing off. My eyes widened as I scanned our surroundings; apart from the slowly swirling mist, there didn’t seem to be anything else noteworthy.
"If I'm not mistaken, we should be approaching the Cemetery ahead, but why do I feel like we're just going in circles on this mountain road?" Indeed, it was as if they were trapped in a loop. Qin Jian, the Old Driver, had a good memory. Although he had never been to such a place before, he should have been able to estimate the distance based on the signs, pinpointing the exact location of the Cemetery.
As the car moved forward, I glanced at the roadside and noticed a sign hanging from a tree. Earlier, when there was no fog, it was clearly visible, but now everything appeared hazy. I urged Qin Jian to slow down and leaned forward, rolling down the window to squint through the mist.
The sign read: Seven Paths Bay Cemetery - 500 meters.
"Ah, I see it! Just 500 meters ahead is Seven Paths Bay Cemetery." Despite a vague sense of unease creeping in, I felt a bit relieved to have some direction.
Hearing this, Qin Jian's anxious demeanor visibly relaxed. The fog thickened like a white veil, testing his driving skills. His sharp features were set in seriousness, reflecting the gravity of the situation.
Seeing him so tense made me chuckle involuntarily.
"What's so funny? My palms are sweating here; why don't you give it a try?" He kept his eyes fixed ahead, wary of any potential mishaps.
"Forget it! With my clumsy skills, I wouldn't dare show off here."
Just then, through the fog ahead, a group of people began to emerge. They were lined up neatly, dressed in peculiar outfits and carrying spears and halberds, trudging along the mountain path with drooping spirits.
Upon seeing this, Qin Jian immediately slowed down. We watched as these individuals cautiously advanced; it seemed there were more people ahead. From inside the car, we couldn't see clearly through the glass.
"Should we stop?" A sense of foreboding washed over me as I recalled our eerie experiences on Strange Mountain—the earthquakes, landslides that claimed workers' lives, and deceased passersby that haunted my memories.
The figures before us did not appear to be dressed like modern people. It felt more like a film shoot. As this thought crossed my mind, Qin Jian muttered under his breath, "Damn it! These folks must be looking for a place to film in this remote mountainous area."
As we got closer to what looked like ancient armor they wore for their roles in whatever production they were part of, they continued their slow march. Reluctantly, we had to stop since we weren't on an uphill or downhill slope. Fortunately, there was a wide temporary resting area by the roadside where we parked and got out to see what these people were doing.
Thus began our slow pursuit of them; honestly, we didn't even know why we followed them so blindly—completely forgetting that we were supposed to be searching for my mother. After trailing for some time, the group suddenly vanished as if they had walked into thick fog that concealed them completely.
We continued running for a while but still saw no one. The mist gradually began to dissipate when we turned back and spotted an elderly man holding a girl in his arms. His gaze was vacant and his steps stiff as he walked away from us.
Walking side by side with Qin Jian, we passed by the old man with the child. I couldn't help but glance at him; he looked back at me too. Just a few steps apart, we suddenly halted and turned around at almost the same moment, exclaiming together: "Elderly sir!"
Indeed, the old man who had just brushed past us was none other than the Mad Old Woman. However, as we called out and turned around again, both he and the child vanished just like that previous group had done. We stood there bewildered as if under some spell—searching around frantically before exchanging confused glances and shrugging our shoulders.
"This is bizarre."
"Get back in the car," I said. I knew something was wrong, but why didn't I sense anything this time? It was unusually cold outside, but nothing else seemed out of the ordinary.
Qin Jian got in the car after me and settled into his seat.
The fog ahead was gradually dissipating, but we could really see figures walking through the mist from inside the car. I couldn't help but open the door and lean out to take a look, but there was nothing there.
"Wait a moment." I took out a talisman, holding the Purgatory Flame in my hand, and began to chant a spell, throwing it into the air. With a few swift motions, the fog seemed to disperse as if it had a life of its own, and suddenly everything around us became crystal clear. We were right at the entrance of Seven Paths Bay Cemetery.
There were no elderly people holding children, nor any actors filming a scene.
Qin Jian's mouth fell open in shock as he stared at everything before him. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, even my account of it might not have convinced him that it was real.
"What was that just now?"
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