Volume Three: Beyond Leisure Chapter Ninety-Nine
“How is the investigation going?”
“Lady, your guess was correct—the last night the Emperor of Yaocen had an incident was in the Western Wasteland.”
But why the Western Wasteland?
Jin Li fell silent, her expression troubled. Seeing her distress, Qi Sui spoke gently to comfort her, “Lady, there’s no need to worry. I will help you.”
Jin Li gave a faint smile and tucked him back under the covers. “Qi Sui, rest well and heal your wounds first.”
“...Understood, Lady.” Qi Sui’s eyes lingered momentarily on the blanket before he hesitantly asked, “Lady, who was that disciple from the immortal sect?”
“A disciple from the Zhaoshan Sect.”
Jin Li concealed nothing. Qi Sui said no more, only whispering, “Lady, please be careful.”
“All right.”
With that, she left the room.
“Jin.”
Geng Yuan appeared behind her, reporting on the situation with the person they had just dealt with.
“That person was a puppet and has already self-destructed.”
Jin Li sighed lightly, her expression tinged with melancholy. “Geng Yuan, I may have some matters to attend to. Please return to Zhaoshan first.”
He refused outright. “No, I want to accompany you.”
Seeing the young girl about to speak, he grasped Jin Li’s hand and said firmly, “Didn’t I tell you? From now on, I want to stay by your side. No matter what happens, I will protect you.”
Jin Li looked at the rare determination and tenderness in the young man’s eyes and couldn’t help but laugh aloud. His face instantly flushed red, and he stammered nervously, “D-Don’t laugh.”
“Young man, your words touch my heart deeply.”
Lowering his gaze, shy, he murmured, “You—I... I’ve never said this to anyone else.”
“Good.”
“Jin, where are we headed?”
Geng Yuan watched as Jin Li formed an array, golden light spreading across the entire mountain.
“To the Western Wasteland.”
---
One month later, outside Peach Blossom Village.
Two figures stood there. One wore a long green robe embroidered with delicate bamboo leaves on the sleeves, her long hair half-tied at the back with a bamboo hairpin. Her features were refined, with slender fingers playing with a bamboo fan, her expression carefree and joyful.
Beside her was a handsome young man with delicate features, dressed in simple white robes, his sleeves tied with a black band, carrying a bamboo basket on his back.
Indeed, these two were Jin Li and Geng Yuan.
Over the past month, traveling toward the Western Wasteland, they noticed the celestial aura growing ever thinner.
But strange things had happened along the way.
Why hadn’t they seen a single villager? The cabbages in the fields grew well, yet no one was around.
“Geng Yuan, have you noticed something?”
The youth nodded. “Why haven’t we seen a soul?”
“Exactly.”
Just as they exchanged looks, shouts erupted suddenly from the surrounding forest. Many villagers wielding hoes and wooden sticks rushed out.
The group quickly surrounded the two.
The youth shielded the disguised Jin Li behind him.
Their rough cloth garments identified them as local villagers, and their demeanor suggested desperation.
Judging by this, they were here to capture them.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” a deep voice demanded.
Jin Li answered calmly, “We are just passing through, offering medical treatment and consultation.”
“Bind them! Now!” another voice ordered.
“Wait, wait—we really are doctors,” Jin Li hurried to explain, but to no avail. They were bound and taken into the village.
The village was eerily silent. Women worked slowly with vacant eyes; families ate in silence, strangers to one another.
By the well, an elderly man lay on the ground, drinking muddy water.
The smell of burning lingered, with smoke rising nearby.
The atmosphere was deeply unsettling.
They were brought to a comparatively well-built wooden house.
A young girl supported a man about sixty years old.
The girl looked at the rough villagers and said, “Did you bring the doctors?”
The man who had ordered the capture, named Li Duan, replied, “Little Su, they’re here.”
Little Su?
Jin Li looked up to see the girl approaching slowly. Her faded clothes hinted at hard times; her black hair was simply braided and pinned at the back with a plain wooden hairpin. Despite this, her face was youthful, her large eyes full of spirit.
Seeing Jin Li and Geng Yuan bound, she scolded the men, “Brother Li, how could you bind the doctors?”
The old man propped himself up on a cane. “What? Li Duan, release them.”
It was then clear the old man was blind.
The villagers exchanged glances. Li Duan spoke, “Release them.”
Jin Li flexed her aching hands, eyeing Little Su curiously. The girl was quite pretty.
The old man continued, “I apologize, doctors. They are young and ignorant. I offer my regrets on their behalf.”
“No matter,” Jin Li replied.
The old man smiled, revealing a gaunt but kind face. “A young man, no less. Youth is something to be respected.”
Jin Li bowed with grace. “Sir, though young, I have studied medicine under my father since childhood, learning his healing arts.”
Little Su spoke up. “Grandfather, these two are young masters, likely brothers.”
“I am Jin Li. Greetings, sir.”
The elder’s smile deepened. “Unexpected—so young yet skilled. Truly a promising generation.”
Jin Li chuckled softly. “You flatter me, sir. Might I ask what has befallen your village?”
The old man covered his mouth and coughed violently before speaking slowly, “Alas, it is retribution.”
Geng Yuan frowned. “Sir, what do you mean?”
The elder gestured to Little Su, who began to recount clearly:
“Our village, Peach Blossom Village, once bloomed with peach blossoms year-round. The villagers lived peacefully, enjoying simple happiness. But one night, a strange illness spread among us. It was contagious, and healers from outside refused to come. Those infected suffered hallucinations, terror, confusion, and their skin developed pustules. Eventually, high fevers persisted, and many died.”
Little Su continued, “In one night, everything changed. The village chief called in a Taoist to exorcise the demons. The Taoist claimed the root of all evil was the peach wood, so the chief ordered all the peach blossoms cut and burned. The villagers took the Taoist’s medicine, which somewhat eased symptoms, but confusion remained, and sometimes, strange behaviors followed.”
Jin Li asked, puzzled, “Strange behaviors?”
Little Su nodded, then said slowly, “Those who took the medicine would sneak to the back mountain at midnight and return by dawn, appearing normal again. But when they saw flowers, they’d say ‘there are two eyes watching them.’”
“Watching them?” Jin Li frowned further.
Little Su nodded, “Last night, their convulsions returned worse than before. They even bite people.”
“Bite people?”
“Those sent to capture them were bitten.”
At this, Geng Yuan asked, “Where are the injured villagers? Could you take us to see them?”
Little Su glanced at the elder, who nodded. “Go ahead. Li Duan and Su Su will escort you.”
“Thank you.”
The group entered a simple house. In the courtyard stood a flower bed with a felled tree at its center. The rings on the stump showed it was an ancient tree.
Li Duan clasped his fists apologetically. “Please forgive our earlier rudeness.”
Jin Li smiled gently. “No offense taken.”
Li Duan’s rugged face softened, revealing the honest sturdiness of a country farmer.
Jin Li found the men who had just bound them suddenly more agreeable.
She smiled slightly, and Li Duan continued.
“We have already cleaned here. It is late. Please rest for the night. I will lead you up the mountain at dawn.”
Geng Yuan nodded. “Thank you.”
With nods all around, the others left.
Jin Li watched Little Su’s retreating figure.
The two tidied up and went to sleep.
---
But at midnight, Jin Li awoke suddenly, disoriented, and saw a figure flash past.
Alert, she rose silently and vanished.
Outside, clad in white, she looked around. The night was quiet save for occasional cries of night birds.
A shadow darted behind her; Jin Li spun and gave chase.
What was that?
At midnight, the sky was void of stars and moon, hidden behind thick black clouds. The surrounding dead trees clawed at the air like blackened talons. Strange noises stirred, awakening the cawing black crows overhead.
“Caw! Caw!”
The crows scattered in alarm, adding to the eerie scene.
Jin Li hovered in the air, hearing rustling nearby.
She quickly hid behind a large stone.
A dim yellow candlelight flickered and began to move.
A group of disheveled figures, their hair messy and clothes tattered, staggered along, arms raised, walking crookedly.
Walking corpses! Puppets!
The lantern leading them floated eerily in the air.
After a time, the lantern stopped near her.
Jin Li clenched her fists nervously.
Would she be discovered?
No; what followed made her scalp crawl.
A stench of rot swept over from all directions. From the dark earth, withered, decayed hands reached out.
She fought nausea, but then the puppets knelt down, as if feasting on something.
Eating corpses?! Disgusting!
So those who ventured to the back mountain at midnight came here to feed on the dead.
Jin Li slowly retreated, but as she turned, a lantern’s flickering light fixed on her.
Suddenly, a hand covered her mouth. The familiar scent of cedar filled her nose, and a familiar young voice whispered in her ear:
“Don’t make a sound.”
Her heart pounded wildly, threatening to burst. The lantern’s glow shifted to red. Jin Li gazed at it, a blue-purple light swirling in her palm.
Her vision blurred; her head grew heavy. Soon, the lantern became a vague shadow before disappearing.
Both collapsed behind the stone.
“Ha ha ha…”
Low laughter echoed all around.
Then came the clatter of bones striking bones, growing denser, as if conveying a message.
“Come, our dinner. Let us grant you eternal rest...”
“Ha ha ha…”
---
Heavy clouds obscured stars and moon; the night sky was ink-black. The faint yellow candlelight faded deep into the forest, and silence returned.
---
“Jin, Jin.”
Jin Li slowly lifted her heavy eyelids, her gaze sharpening on the young man.
She croaked, “Where are we?”
He sighed with relief. “You’re safe. This should be the gathering place of those candlelight ghosts.”
At that moment, the clattering bone sounds echoed again through the dark, empty stone cell.
The chamber was grim and terrifying. The faint yellow flames flickered, and Jin Li instinctively clutched the youth’s robes.
One by one, lanterns appeared, their dim light illuminating the cell.
Jin Li shut her eyes tightly.
The cell door opened, revealing a row of floating lanterns staring silently at the pair.
Ghosts—Jin Li’s deepest fear—rattled her heart into chaos.
The youth’s voice was cold and sharp. “You brought us here and still won’t reveal yourselves?”
Behind the yellow lanterns, shadowy figures slowly emerged, robed in long yellow cloth, heads bowed and bodies hunched. Geng Yuan could barely discern their faces.
Then the candlelight ghosts lifted their heads, revealing only one eye each, blood-red and glaring. No other features remained.
“Heh—so it truly is you.”
One candlelight ghost stepped forward, holding a lantern. Beneath the heavy yellow robe came a voice: “Our master wishes to see you.”
The voice was faint. Jin Li opened her eyes slowly but was shielded by the young man, who whispered in her ear, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
He lowered his hand and spoke again coldly, “Heh—see us? Who is your master? What right do they have to see us?”
But the candlelight ghosts ignored him, lifting their lanterns and closing in.
Jin Li said nothing, but anger flared in her eyes.
Geng Yuan grasped her hand, which was growing colder.
He seemed frightened.
Jin Li tilted her head to look at him. He shook his head gently, signaling her to stay calm.
Stepping forward without fear, his voice was colder than ice.
“Heh—so this is your hospitality? Lead the way!”
The candlelight ghosts retreated, surrounding them as they slowly exited the stone cell.
Outside, Geng Yuan continued to protect Jin Li.
She observed the stone walls, recognizing the craftsmanship as no ordinary work.
Just beyond the cell was a suspension bridge.
Looking up, she realized a vast cavern lay beyond, bottomless and incomprehensibly deep.
Stalactites hung coldly above, and countless small caves dotted the walls, each with a lantern emitting faint green light.
Thousands of such lanterns illuminated the cavern’s ceiling.
The bridge, woven with twisting vines, stretched straight to the opposite cliffside.
Looking closer, the vines seemed alive, writhing as if breathing.
The candlelight ghosts urged them onward.
Geng Yuan pulled the increasingly cold Jin Li forward.
Jin Li glanced down beneath the bridge—bottomless abyss.
Her scalp tingled, her legs weakened.
The vines writhed more violently.
She faltered, unable to stand.
Geng Yuan hurriedly lifted her, speaking softly, “Don’t look, don’t listen. Stay calm. I’ll take you across.”
Jin Li met his eyes and nodded, closing her eyes slowly.
But as they reached the bridge’s midpoint, a piercing infant’s wail echoed from below, wrenching their hearts.
Jin Li pressed close to Geng Yuan’s chest.
Suddenly, the sound of fluttering wings filled the air.
Geng Yuan looked up, scanning their surroundings.
Red dots multiplied, flapping grew louder.
The yellow candlelight vanished.
Geng Yuan watched the disappearing ghosts and the growing mass of red dots, with infant wails rising.
Alarm bells rang in his heart.
Danger.
He held Jin Li tightly and began to run.
But just before reaching the other side, the vines loosened suddenly.
Before Geng Yuan could react, his foot slipped.
They both plummeted.
In that moment of peril, Geng Yuan quickly formed a talisman with his fingers and struck it toward the vines.
He pulled the thread and caught it firmly.
“Jin!”
In the red glow, Geng Yuan caught Jin Li.
She looked down at the empty space beneath her feet.
He shouted, “Hold my hand!”
Jin Li raised her hand, grasping his firmly.
Geng Yuan frowned, looking at the thread cutting into his hand, blood welling.
If this continued, his hand would be severed.
Blood dripped.
His sleeve darkened with moisture.
“Let go of me! You’ll lose your hand!”
“I won’t let go!” he gritted out.
He would never let go.
The creatures in the cavern screamed in agony.
“Flap, flap, flap—”
The sound of wings beating grew nearer.
The monsters charged, shrieking.
Jin Li looked up at the flying beasts and shouted, “Let go!”
Geng Yuan ignored her.
“I won’t—”
Before he finished, Jin Li flung her arm suddenly.
She felt weightless and dropped swiftly.
The beast narrowly missed Geng Yuan. Had she not released his hand, the monster would have devoured it.
He looked down, watching Jin Li’s descent.
“Jin!”
Then the monster swallowed her whole.
“Jin!”
Geng Yuan’s cry echoed throughout the cavern.
He watched helplessly as Jin Li fell into the beast’s maw.
Pain struck his heart sharply, stealing his breath.
His eyes reddened; a hot tear fell unnoticed.
It was pain.
“Jin! Jin!”
His hand clenched tightly; the blood began to flow back.
A strange black mist appeared over his chest.
The thread snapped, but Geng Yuan did not fall.
He hovered in midair, his gaze icy as he stared at the monsters.
Then, in a low growl, he spoke deliberately:
“D-Die.”
He raised his hand.
Countless eerie, red-glowing threads spread through the cavern, slicing the flying monsters to pieces.
Their bodies floated in the air.
Geng Yuan’s cold eyes swept the surroundings.
But the tenderness he usually showed was gone.
He seemed a stranger—no, more like a demon.