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In this desolate wilderness, no matter how bold Ye Chenfeng was, he could not afford to let his guard down. To be cautious, he had to reconsider whether this path was safe. It was a route suggested by a passerby, claiming it would save time.
Eager to see Ding Li as soon as possible, Ye Chenfeng didn't think too much about it. However, upon reaching this point, he sensed something was off. Turning around seemed too late; the distance behind him was equal to that in front, and was it really wise to turn back?
Crack!
A sharp sound echoed, similar to someone stepping on a dry twig. Ye Chenfeng shouted, "Who’s there?"
Rustle… rustle…
Ye Chenfeng halted and scanned his surroundings warily, instinctively clutching his backpack tighter. The path behind him was shrouded in darkness, and the way ahead disappeared into the dense forest, appearing and vanishing like a snake winding forward.
However, that crackling sound definitely wasn’t just a figment of his imagination. Could it be that biker from earlier had quietly followed him with ill intentions, perhaps wanting to rob him of his backpack? Ye Chenfeng steadied himself and deliberately made some noise, clearing his throat and saying, "Brother, if you're a man, step out. Don’t hide; I don’t have time for games."
As soon as he spoke, although he saw no one, a chill wind rushed toward him, sending shivers down his spine. Looking around, he noted that although this was a small valley situated in the south, due to its orientation facing north, sunlight rarely reached here. The plants in the valley were mostly shade-loving species.
It was possible there were malevolent creatures lurking about. With that thought in mind, he took out a treasure from his backpack—a compass. He checked all directions; the needle remained still.
If the compass needle didn’t move, it meant there were no malevolent beings here.
With no evil spirits present, that earlier sound must have been made by a two-legged creature.
Ye Chenfeng had learned shadow paper-cutting techniques from Little Monk Shen Binghan. Coincidentally, his grandmother also understood the art of paper cutting. A paper figure affixed with talisman paper and recited incantations could yield immediate effects.
The paper figure obeyed Ye Chenfeng's command and floated up lightly, circling around five meters away from him.
Thinking about it carefully, in the darkness, an unexpected white figure suddenly appearing would surely scare anyone half to death. Sure enough, within minutes, a panicked scream came from not far behind: "Oh my god... a ghost... ah... don’t..."
In this silent and pitch-black forest, the sudden cries of panic would have sent an ordinary person fleeing in terror. Yet Ye Chenfeng remained calm as he sat resting on a protruding rock. Before long, someone came rushing in a flurry—it was none other than that biker.
He didn't see Ye Chenfeng, so he ran over and was startled, "What the hell... who..."
"It's me."
Hearing it was a person, the Biker relaxed slightly, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead and panting heavily, "We need to go, there's... there's a ghost."
"What ghost?"
"A white shadow, floating around... scared me to death."
"Don't be afraid. As long as you don't have ghosts in your heart, nothing will happen." Ye Chenfeng chanted a spell, and the paper figure ignited, disappearing in a wisp of blue smoke.
"Hey, hey, sorry about that. I just wanted to scare you a little; I didn't expect that thing to come out." The Biker was still shaken and didn't dare to leave Ye Chenfeng's side, closely following him.
Ye Chenfeng turned to look at him and said, "You're still following me?"
"Hey, hey, this time I'm your free guide. I won't charge you a dime; I'll take you straight to Evil Village."
"Aren't you afraid?"
"Two people are better than one. This damned forest is getting darker and darker. I'm afraid that thing is waiting for us... Hey, buddy, don't mind me tagging along."
Ye Chenfeng suppressed the urge to laugh and said, "It's fine if you follow me, but don't think about rummaging through my backpack. There's no money in there, just some useless stuff."
The Biker chuckled and replied, "Buddy, you're like Zhuge Liang reincarnated. Just a few minutes ago, I was indeed interested in your backpack. Now? I'm just trying to keep myself safe; I wouldn't dare."
"Do you want to see what's in my backpack?"
"Let's not look anymore, let's go!" The biker, worried that Ye Chenfeng might overthink things, hurriedly walked ahead and introduced himself, "My name is Xiao Jiang, and I live near Evil Village."
"Damn it, you're from Evil Village and you're trying to scare me," Ye Chenfeng muttered as he adjusted his backpack and followed behind Xiao Jiang.
"No, I meant near Evil Village, not inside it," Xiao Jiang corrected him unnecessarily.
With the layout of the paper figures in all directions, Xiao Jiang was quite frightened. Being a free tour guide along the way wasn't so bad after all. They walked and stopped, and suddenly Ye Chenfeng caught a whiff of a foul odor. He frowned and asked Xiao Jiang about it. Xiao Jiang replied, "Up ahead is the infamous Gouzi Forest. It's always waterlogged throughout the year. In winter it's not too bad, but in spring, summer, and autumn, the smell is particularly unbearable."
"Oh."
Gouzi Forest was home to many small scattered bamboo plants. Due to being submerged in water for a long time, the roots formed mud that emitted a terrible stench.
Ye Chenfeng was aware of this.
Xiao Jiang explained that the reason Evil Village was only partially built was due to certain events.
"What happened?"
Xiao Jiang sighed and said, "This happened many years ago. The local government was afraid it would affect investment and construction, so they sealed off any news about it. If I were to speak out, wouldn't that bring trouble upon myself?"
Ye Chenfeng chuckled softly in the darkness and said, "It's fine; if you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you. By the way, how far is Evil Village?"
"Not far now; it's just up ahead."
Following Xiao Jiang's direction, Ye Chenfeng indeed saw a faint light.
When they first entered the dense forest, the sky was still dimly lit but not completely dark. Now that they had emerged from the woods, it was fully night. In the pitch-black darkness, seeing even a glimmer of light felt like a beacon of hope urging them forward.
Xiao Jiang led Ye Chenfeng along a path until they reached a clear open space. He pointed to a large tree ahead and said, "Just walk straight towards that big tree, and you'll find the entrance to Evil Village. Don't get lost."
"Got it." Ye Chenfeng took out twenty yuan and handed it to Xiao Jiang, saying, "You keep this."
Xiao Jiang jokingly refused, saying, "I'm actually working outside. My dad is sick at home, and I just came back. I ran into you and thought I'd scare you a bit. I didn't expect you to be so unfazed. Well then, we’re friends now. If I run into any trouble I can't handle, I'll come find you."
Ye Chenfeng could hear the sincerity in Xiao Jiang's words and nodded with a smile, "You're not bad yourself."
Xiao Jiang laughed and said, "I was trying to scare you earlier, but you didn’t even flinch or ask for details. That made me think you must have some skills; otherwise, how could that thing not have dealt with you?"
Ye Chenfeng was speechless. He had thought Xiao Jiang had figured out he was behind the paper doll incident, but it turned out he had a different perspective. Since Xiao Jiang believed that, there was no need for him to dwell on it further.
"Of course, I have a talisman on me."
"Can I see the talisman?"
Ye Chenfeng pulled out a ready-made talisman from his backpack and handed it to Xiao Jiang. "I have two of these; take one and remember to wear it around your neck."
Xiao Jiang happily accepted the talisman, repeatedly thanking him. He stubbornly walked a bit further with Ye Chenfeng before finally turning back with some hesitation.
They were almost at Evil Village.
Ye Chenfeng eagerly took out his phone and dialed Ding Li's number.
To avoid Ye Chenfeng, Ding Li had intentionally changed his number. This new number was given to him by Su Mother.
The call connected quickly.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Ding Li did not answer the phone.
Ye Chenfeng felt a surge of anxiety. He wondered if something had happened to her, so he hung up and dashed toward the village entrance.
A massive willow tree loomed ahead, startlingly illuminated by the beam of his flashlight.
There was something unusual about this willow tree. The closer he got, the more he could sense a heavy, oppressive aura hanging over it. As he approached, he saw thick, swirling shadows gathering at the top of the tree, rapidly coalescing into a mass of black mist that suddenly fell to the ground, transforming into a woman clad in black.
Ghost Granny appeared, and the atmosphere around her was thick with malevolent energy and chilling winds.
Ye Chenfeng halted in his tracks, fingers pinching a talisman, ready to strike at any moment. It seemed Ghost Granny had been waiting here; Ding Li was in grave danger.
"Young man, mind your own business," she rasped.
Her voice was hoarse, and the rising malevolence enveloped him like a suffocating blanket. Ye Chenfeng scoffed coldly, drawing a Bagua formation with his foot as he prepared to unleash the talisman.
Ghost Granny let out a chilling ghostly laugh, "Xiao Xiao," and lunged at Ye Chenfeng with overwhelming malice. A dense fog of darkness engulfed the sky, and in an instant, Ye Chenfeng found himself submerged in an endless abyss of blackness. His flashlight slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground.
From within the dark mist, he could hear piercing ghostly wails, sorrowful cries, and sharp, menacing shrieks.
He unleashed the talisman while chanting incantations to activate the Vajra Mantra of Padmasambhava. The black mist rapidly dispersed, revealing a glimpse of the night sky.
Ghost Granny fled.
She vanished without a trace.
With sufficient cultivation and so many specters attached to her, Ye Chenfeng couldn't do anything to her for the time being.
Lao Liu was a temporary refuge for Ghost Granny; she would definitely return.
Ye Chenfeng tidied himself up a bit and continued walking towards the village entrance.
At the entrance, it was eerily quiet and desolate. No wonder Xiao Jiang dared not approach this place; the atmosphere here was truly unwelcoming.
How could he find Ding Li without missing a beat? Listening to the distant barking of an unknown pet, Ye Chenfeng slowed his pace, holding the compass ready to deal with any malevolent spirits. The village had sparse houses, all standalone structures that resembled villas built in big cities.
A continuous wooden floor led to the entrance of each house.
This architectural style was second only to European styles found in Western countries, appearing somewhat out of place.
In front of each house in the village, there were street lamps lining the wooden path.
Entering from the village entrance, one could see from a high vantage point that these street lamps formed a Bagua pattern. It seemed that someone knowledgeable had recognized the issues here and created this Bagua arrangement of lights; unfortunately, such measures were ultimately futile.
The Bagua lamp formation could not protect the residents of Evil Village. As for Ghost Granny, she was eyeing the souls of those living in Evil Village, and soon enough, it was uncertain who would suffer next.
Ye Chenfeng took out the location confirmation given by Su Mother: AC320, Thousand-Meter Outlook.
Each house here had a name registered by its occupant; for instance, Ding Li's current residence was named Yiming Garden.
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