Volume 3 - The Tomb of the Fox Immortal - Chapter 9 - Peril at the Summit

After learning more about Gou Tou Village, Li Kun and I bid farewell to Sun Wufang. Xu Tian waved goodbye as well, heading home to ask the old man how he had escaped the fox immortal’s pursuit. Li Kun and I then climbed into the van we had been using and drove back to my house.

By the time we returned, it was well past five, and the sky had already turned completely dark. The old man gave us a displeased glance as he surveyed our unkempt faces and stubble-covered chins. “The two of you look as though you’ve been through a battle,” he muttered. “If you return in a few more days, I fear I would no longer recognize you.”

Li Kun and I raised our hands to our chins, feeling the rough growth that had accumulated over our prolonged absence. These past days had left us with nothing to shave, leaving our beards scruffy and unkempt. Our old man maintained a neat goat beard, yet even that did not seem sufficient to hide our own disheveled state.

Once we had cleaned ourselves up, Li Kun turned to me and asked what we intended to do next. I shook my head slightly. “We should wait for Xu Tian’s reply first. Only after he contacts us will we venture to Gou Tou Village and take a proper look.”

Li Kun hesitated, his expression grave. “What if that village truly harbors some malevolent spirit? Then what—”

I understood his unspoken concern. If a genuine ghost or spirit indeed dwelled there, I possessed no certain means of dealing with it. Such entities were invisible, untouchable, and beyond the reach of ordinary measures.

At that moment, I recalled the soul-suppressing bell I carried. Under Li Kun’s watchful gaze, I drew it from my breast pocket and held it up for inspection.

Li Kun’s eyes widened in curiosity. “Old Liu, what is this?”

I explained, “I once inquired of Old Xu about this soul-suppressing bell. He claimed it can open the heavenly eyes. Should that prove true, we may yet find a way to exorcise the ghost haunting Gou Tou Village.”

“Open the heavenly eyes?” Li Kun echoed, puzzled.

I nodded. “Old Xu stated that the bell requires prolonged wear to activate its power. Yet I have carried it for some time now, and I still see nothing. It seems he was mistaken, or perhaps the bell’s true function remains unknown to him.”

Li Kun remembered our earlier visit to the ghost market, where the Thousand Poison Daoist and the Ghost Lamp Daoist had shown interest in the item. “Should we return and question them again?” he suggested.

I shook my head. “They offered no answers last time. Even if we asked once more, we would likely learn nothing. We must discover the truth through our own efforts. Perhaps, in time, the bell’s secret will reveal itself.”

Li Kun scratched his head, muttering that Old Xu’s words had been delightfully enigmatic, as though he spoke of opening heavenly eyes in jest.

The phone suddenly rang. Li Kun glanced at the screen and saw it was a call from Gao Feng. He showed me the display, and I gestured for him to answer.

Li Kun pressed the button. From the other end came Gao Feng’s voice, strained and barely above a whisper. “Li Kun… is Liu Jie with you?”

“We’re together,” Li Kun replied.

“I’ve been calling him all day, but he never answers. His phone’s been off.”

I fished my own phone from my pocket and checked it. Sure enough, it had been dead for hours. These past days had consumed all my attention, and I had failed to notice the battery’s depletion. I spread my hands in silent explanation.

Gao Feng’s tone grew more urgent. “Let Liu Jie speak to me. I have an emergency.”

Li Kun handed me the phone. “Hello, Gao Feng. What’s happened?”

Gao Feng was inside a three-story pavilion perched on Changqing Mountain. The structure was built of gray stone bricks and surrounded by opulent wooden furnishings, the sort of residence only the wealthiest families could afford. Yet the building was empty except for Gao Feng and Tian Tian, who lay unconscious on the floor nearby. A large altar stood to their right, bearing tablets of varying sizes. The central tablet bore the four characters “Zhong Teng Gao Xiong,” while the smaller ones on either side displayed names that were unmistakably foreign.

Gao Feng’s voice trembled with panic. “Liu Jie, Tian Tian’s in trouble. She’s unconscious.”

Li Kun and I immediately abandoned our conversation and rushed toward the van. I took the passenger seat while Li Kun gripped the wheel.

Gao Feng continued, his words growing softer as he described the scene. “We were at the foot of the mountain enjoying the company gathering. A colleague suggested we explore the heights, and three others from our office joined us. I heard their screams, but now… nothing. No sound at all.”

While Gao Feng spoke, we were already speeding toward Changqing Mountain. I asked for his location, and he replied that he was halfway up the slope, at the base of a grand mansion. The place was filled with new furniture and countless empty rooms.

I urged him to remain calm and listen carefully. “Gao Feng, stay where you are. Li Kun and I are on our way. Don’t move. Keep silent. Do you understand?”

Gao Feng whispered that she was in the innermost three-story pavilion on the right side of the mansion, and that the inner chamber appeared to be an altar, where faint candlelight still flickered.

I felt a chill run down my spine. A mansion in the mountains, an altar, and candlelight in an otherwise empty building—something was clearly amiss. I instructed Gao Feng once more to remain perfectly still, to make no sound, and to wait for us. Only then did I allow myself to speak again, keeping my voice steady so she would not grow more frightened.

We raced toward Changqing Mountain, the van’s engine roaring as we sought to reach her before whatever darkness had claimed Tian Tian claimed Gao Feng as well.