The valley had become a choke point for the rat-whisker, and Hu Xiaoyue and I sneaked back that night, feeling a mixture of satisfaction and apprehension about what to do next. Hu Xiaoyue was right; we'd alerted them, and Chen Fugui and that old monster wouldn't let it go easily.
Sure enough, the next day, turmoil broke out in the village.
First, Li Xiulian's house was locked tight, and no one came out all day. When neighbors went to borrow something, they knocked for ages before the door opened. Li Xiulian was pale, her eyes darting around, and she claimed she wasn't feeling well. Her usually tidy yard looked messy, as if something had been hastily tidied up.
Then, the village secretary, Chen Fugui, unusually, began wandering around the village in broad daylight. His hands were behind his back, his face expressionless, but his triangular eyes scanned the doors and windows of every house like searchlights, lingering particularly long near the homes of Zhang Cai'e, Aunt Liu, and Aunt Wang. When he saw me, he paused, his gaze darkening as he gave me a sharp look. He said nothing, but the threatening tone was even stronger than the last time by the river.
Aunt Wang secretly came to tell me that Chen Fugui had "passed by" her house that morning, pretending to inquire about Xiaofen's condition. He went inside, sat for a while, and made small talk, subtly inquiring about any "unfamiliar faces" or "strange people" who had been seen in the village recently. He even specifically asked if Xiaofen had been "talking nonsense" again.
This was clearly an investigation! They suspected someone had leaked information or that an outsider was involved!
The members of the "Mutual Aid Association" were all somewhat nervous. Zhang Cai'e, though bold, was also fearful, worried that Li Xiulian might betray them. Aunt Liu was even more frightened and wanted to back out, but Aunt Wang persuaded her not to.
"If we back down now, it'll only make us look guilty!" Aunt Wang lowered her voice, but her tone was resolute. "As long as we insist we know nothing, that it was just a casual visit, what can he do to us? It's when we panic that we're more likely to give ourselves away!"
I agreed with Aunt Wang. The most important thing right now is to stay calm and not panic. Chen Fugui doesn't have solid evidence and doesn't dare to openly target so many villagers, especially since Aunt Wang and Zhang Cai'e's husbands are abroad. If things escalate, he'll have a hard time explaining himself.
But passive defense alone won't work. We need to divert Chen Fugui's attention from these ordinary women in the "Mutual Aid Association," at least to prevent him from thinking we are an organized threat.
I remembered an idea I'd had before—to find Chen Fugui something "other" to keep him busy.
"Aunt Wang, Aunt Zhang," I called them to my house (Hu Xiaoyue discreetly went to the inner room), and whispered, "Chen Fugui now suspects someone is behind this, and the focus is likely on investigating 'outsiders' and 'collusion.' We need to make him realize that the root of the village's troubles might not be with people, but somewhere else."
"Something else? What direction?" Zhang Cai'e asked.
"The back mountain, and… the river." I lowered my voice. "Didn't Li Xiulian often go to the back mountain? There's definitely something wrong there. And the riverbank, that's where Xiao Fen had her accident. Can we… think of a way to make Chen Fugui think that the 'things' in the back mountain or the river are up to no good, causing trouble, which is why they attracted 'meddlesome' people (like me), or caused his 'business' to go wrong?"
Aunt Wang's eyes lit up: "You mean… make some noise? Scare him a little? Make him think that it's his own evil stuff that's gone out of control?"
"Yes!" I nodded. "It doesn't need to be too big, just a little disturbance to make him suspicious. He's guilty, he'll definitely be more afraid of those things backfiring than we are."
Zhang Cai'e hesitated: "This… will this work? How can we make noise? We don't know magic…"
"We don't need to actually create anything powerful," I explained. "For example, find an opportunity to drop something near his house, or in places he frequents." Strange things, like rags stained with a fishy smell, ashes from burnt talisman paper, or... some stones and soil with a heavy yin energy gathered from the back mountain. Then have the village children 'accidentally' say they saw a dark shadow on the back mountain, or heard strange noises by the river. People's words are terrifying, especially these supernatural tales; they spread incredibly fast."
Aunt Wang slapped her thigh: "I think this will work! Leave it to me! I know a few gossipy old women who love to spread these things; they'll make it sound incredibly convincing! The things are easy to get—rotten leaves in the ditches on the back mountain…" "The mud underneath must be incredibly smelly and stinky!"
Zhang Cai'e chimed in, "I'll throw it near his house! I have good eyesight and quick legs, I guarantee no one will notice!"
"Alright! Let's split up then," I instructed. "Be careful, absolutely no one can see us, especially Chen Fugui and his lackeys. Don't throw it too obviously, just inconspicuous places like corners or near woodpiles. Spread the rumors naturally, don't make it deliberate."
With the plan set, Aunt Wang and Zhang Cai'e went off, eager to get started. Having lived in the village for years, they knew the terrain and the people well, and were better at this than I was.
I wasn't idle either. These little tricks could only cause temporary disruption, not shake Chen Fugui's foundation. The key was to improve our own strength, find solid evidence, or directly weaken his right-hand man (that rat-whisker sorcerer).
Hu Xiaoyue's injuries were steadily healing, and her demonic power was gradually replenishing. During the day, she mostly meditated and regulated her breathing in my backyard. Occasionally, she would guide me through some basic methods of using breath and sensing yin and yang. Although not orthodox Taoist techniques, they were often ingenious and I benefited greatly. Especially her mentions of the habits and weaknesses of mountain spirits, and methods for identifying various evil auras, were rarely recorded in my grandfather's notes.
I also seized the time to study the core notebooks left by my grandfather. Many talismans, formations, and incantations that I couldn't understand before, after these events, gradually became clearer. In particular, one set called "Five Thunder Orthodox Method - Fragment" – a lightning-summoning technique – although incomplete, with limited power, and demanding conditions for execution (requiring a specific time and the activation of one's own pure yang qi), seemed remarkably effective against evil spirits. I secretly memorized it and diligently studied it, hoping it might come in handy at a crucial moment.
While we were secretly plotting and working diligently, Chen Fugui seemed to be making new moves.
After keeping her house tightly shut for two days, Li Xiulian surprisingly emerged on the third day. She still looked unwell, but forced herself to walk around the village, telling everyone she met that she had suffered a sudden illness a few days prior but was now recovered. She even went to the small shop to buy incense, candles, and paper money, saying she was going to the back mountain to pay respects at her deceased parents' graves.
Paying respects at graves? At this critical juncture? And Li Xiulian's family home wasn't even in the direction of the back mountain!
Hu Xiaoyue and I both sensed something was amiss. This was likely an order from Chen Fugui or the sorcerer, sending Li Xiulian to the back mountain to "do business," or… to investigate something.
We decided to follow her.
Li Xiulian, carrying a basket filled with incense and offerings, indeed didn't return to her parents' home, but instead headed straight towards the depths of the back mountain, towards the valley with the simple altar that Hu Xiaoyue and I had visited before!
However, she didn't enter the valley. Instead, she stopped in an old forest some distance away. There, the trees were denser, the light dim, and the ground covered with a thick layer of decaying leaves.
Li Xiulian looked around, making sure no one was watching. She put down her basket, took out incense and candles, lit them, and placed a few simple offerings. Then she knelt on the ground, kowtowed several times towards the open space, and muttered incantations, as if in worship.
But her eyes kept darting around, especially into the depths of the forest, as if waiting for something, or perhaps guarding against something.
Hu Xiaoyue and I hid behind a thick bush, holding our breath and observing quietly.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a slight rustling sound suddenly came from the depths of the forest, like something crawling on the fallen leaves.
Li Xiulian froze, fear showing on her face, but she forced herself not to move.
From the shadows of the forest, something slowly "swam" out—not a snake, but a centipede, as thick as a child's arm, its body jet black and glossy, covered in eerie dark red ring-shaped patterns…?! But on its head, there was a vague, distorted outline resembling a human face. Thick, black liquid dripped from its mouthparts, emitting a strong, foul stench and an evil aura!
This was no creature of nature! It was an evil object concocted by that rat-whisker sorcerer!
Li Xiulian trembled with fear, but still managed to take something wrapped in oiled paper from the basket with trembling hands. She carefully placed it on the ground, then repeatedly kowtowed, muttering, "Immortal…Immortal messenger…I've brought the item…Please, Immortal Messenger, put in a good word for me before my master…Last…last time it really wasn't my fault…"
The "human-faced centipede" slowly "swam" to the oiled paper package, touching it with its mouthparts, seemingly inspecting it. Then, it raised its head, its two tiny black "eyes" looking at Li Xiulian. The blurry human face on its head twisted, emitting a sharp, hissing sound, like scraping metal, as if conveying some message.
Li Xiulian's face paled further after hearing this, and she nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes... I will definitely do as you say... I will definitely do as you say..."
The "human-faced centipede" seemed satisfied. It picked up the oiled paper package with its mouthparts, turned around, and slowly swam back into the depths of the forest, disappearing from sight.
Li Xiulian collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. It took her a long time to get up, hurriedly gathered the incense and offerings (she dared not touch those few items), and frantically left the forest.
After she had gone some distance, Hu Xiaoyue and I emerged from our hiding place and went to the spot where the "human-faced centipede" had appeared.
A small puddle of black slime remained on the ground, emitting a pungent, foul stench and carrying a strong evil aura. The oiled paper package had been taken away, but a faint, lingering scent of sandalwood mixed with the stench of blood remained in the air.
"It's a demon slave delivering messages and collecting 'offers'," Hu Xiaoyue said, her brow furrowing as she looked at the pool of slime. "To refine this kind of evil substance, it needs to be fed with the souls or essence of living people; it's extremely insidious. The sorcerer himself didn't show himself, but sent this thing out—it's both a precaution and a show of force, a warning to Li Xiulian and anyone else who might be spying."
"What could be in the oiled paper package Li Xiulian brought?" I asked. "New 'materials'? Or something else?"
"I don't know. But it's definitely useful to that sorcerer," Hu Xiaoyue said. "It seems their connection wasn't severed by our last interference; instead, they've adopted a more covert method. Moreover, Li Xiulian seems to have been severely warned or punished, making her even more fearful and obedient."
The situation was more complicated than we had imagined. Chen Fugui and the sorcerer hadn't restrained themselves; on the contrary, they were even more cautious, and their methods were even more cunning. Even messengers are using these sinister demon servants.
"Miss Hu, can you track that centipede? Or, can you roughly figure out which direction it went?" I asked.
Hu Xiaoyue shook her head: "Its aura is almost indistinguishable from the stagnant, decaying atmosphere of this old forest, and it's been concealed by magic, making it difficult to track. The general direction... it should be towards the altar in the valley, but its exact hiding place is hard to say."
It seems finding the sorcerer's lair directly won't be easy.
We left the old forest and headed back. On the way, my mood was heavy. The enemy's cunning and methods exceeded my expectations.
"My benefactor, don't be discouraged," Hu Xiaoyue seemed to sense my mood and gently comforted me, "The evil path is ultimately the evil path; it can't stand the light, and its actions will always have flaws. Today, at least we learned their new method of communication and confirmed that Li Xiulian is still under their control. Next, we can start with the oiled paper package Li Xiulian sent; perhaps we can guess their next move."
I nodded; that was all we could do. Right now, the "mutual aid society's" feint is underway, while Hu Xiaoyue and I are working hard to improve our skills and gather intelligence—we're doing it on two fronts.
Back in the village, Aunt Wang came to me excitedly, saying the word had spread. Several old women swore they heard a woman crying in the back hills at night, and someone even found a rag stained with mud. Although Chen Fugui hasn't publicly stated his position, I heard his dog has been barking particularly fiercely these past few nights, and his wife, Wu Jinfeng, is staying home more and more, looking even worse.
"Good job, Aunt Wang," I praised. "But know when to stop, don't overdo it, or it'll backfire."
"I know," Aunt Wang nodded, then lowered her voice, "There's something else... Aunt Liu seems a bit wavering. Her husband recently sent a message from abroad saying he'll be back soon, and she's afraid that getting involved with Chen Fugui now will affect him..."
I understood Aunt Liu's concerns. Her husband's return is a joyous occasion, and it's understandable that she doesn't want any complications.
"Aunt Wang, tell Aunt Liu that I understand her feelings. If she's really worried, she can temporarily withdraw, just be careful in general. But she must keep quiet about what happened before," I said. "The 'Mutual Aid Association' is for self-protection and mutual assistance; we can't force anyone. Those who want to stay, we'll weather the storm together; those who want to withdraw temporarily, we understand."
Aunt Wang sighed: "Alright, I'll go talk to her. Cai'e is determined; she says her husband hasn't been heard from in years, he's probably forgotten her, she has nothing to fear, she'll fight that old dog Chen Fugui to the end!"
After seeing Aunt Wang off, I looked at Hu Xiaoyue, who was meditating in the yard, and thought of Liu Yan's increasingly strange pregnancy, the indelible mark on Xiao Fen's wrist, and the missing Zhou Xiaohong…
As night deepened, I lit the oil lamp and continued studying Grandpa's notes. The downy fur on Hu Xiaoyue's tail glowed with a warm red light under the lamp.