Listening to the rustling sound getting closer and closer, Lu Yingjiu found himself still buried in Jing Xian’s embrace, feeling a deep sense of decadence. Jing Xian could easily distort this picture at any time, and no matter how hard he’d try, he wouldn’t be able to bring it back.
Just as he was about to decisively break free from Jing Xian’s grip, he heard Jing Xian casually say, “Why don’t you let me handle it? It’s not a big deal.”
Lu Yingjiu: “…”
Lu Yingjiu sighed and said, “Jing Xian, are you really not afraid of karmic retribution? When I let you go for the first time, I made it clear that priests cannot interfere too much in the mortal realm.”
The so-called laws of heaven and morality were elusive but omnipresent.
If violated, punishment would come sooner or later.
He had almost driven Jing Xian back to the ghost realm, if not for… if not for Jing Xian’s exceptionally special status. He wouldn’t allow a ghost to stay by his side otherwise.
In essence, Jing Xian was willful, and he was being indulgent.
Lu Yingjiu still felt uneasy deep down.
“I’m not afraid of those things.”
Lu Yingjiu frowned, “Jing Xian…”
Jing Xian smiled at him, reaching out to gently stroke his temple. “Maybe I used to be afraid, but since I met you, I’m not afraid anymore.”
Lu Yingjiu was momentarily stunned, then his ears felt a bit warm.
He cleared his throat. “Anyway, don’t intervene, or else…”
“Or else what?” Jing Xian raised an eyebrow, looking at him.
Lu Yingjiu thought for a moment, unable to come up with any threatening tactics. He decided to be honest, saying, “Or else, I’ll get angry.”
Jing Xian: “…”
The threat in this statement far exceeded Lu Yingjiu’s imagination. Jing Xian obediently released his grip, assuring him, “Alright, alright. I won’t intervene as long as you don’t speak.”
Lu Yingjiu then broke free from his embrace.
In just a few seconds, the approaching sound was almost upon them, seeming to be no more than seventy or eighty meters away. Lu Yingjiu held a talisman, looking out from the room—
The end of the passage was still pitch black, and nothing could be seen clearly.
The ground trembled beneath their feet, and bits of soil occasionally fell from above. The already unstable tunnel looked perilous, as if it could collapse at any moment. Lu Yingjiu thought it wasn’t suitable to exorcise ghosts here, it would be best to get back to the surface.
So, he whispered to Jing Xian, “Let’s go back the way we came.”
Bending down, he picked up black hairball and handed it to Jing Xian, instructing, “Just hold onto it and don’t do anything strange.”
Jing Xian nodded obediently.
Hairball: “Awoooo!” then resumed to stick its tongue out.
With the two people, they headed back in the same direction.
However, whatever was approaching seemed to sense the movement, and its actions accelerated instantly! It was almost charging towards them!
The threads above them continued to sway, and the small spiders rapidly crawled, whether fleeing or celebrating, it was unclear. Lu Yingjiu tossed a talisman, and the paper flew straight towards the end of the tunnel, illuminating two hairy spider legs in the firelight.
The legs were as thick as the adult man’s biceps, glossy black and hairy. As the light traveled upwards, it revealed a face!
A face that unmistakably belonged to Feng Mao!
Lu Yingjiu finally saw the monster’s appearance.
It turned out to be a giant spider with Feng Mao’s face… or to be more precise, it was Feng Mao!
The ground shook more violently, as if in the grip of a terrifying earthquake. Countless chunks of soil mixed with spider silk rained down on them, only to be burned to ashes by the firelight. The old tunnel was truly on the verge of collapsing.
Lu Yingjiu pulled Jing Xian and whispered, “Let’s talk outside!” With that, he raised his hand, and a burst of flames exploded in front of Feng Mao.
Feng Mao seemed impervious to pain, forcefully breaking through the wall of fire. The flames seemed to further enrage it. With its eight legs weaving in and out, its speed increased significantly. It crashed left and right, tearing apart the mud walls, carrying a massive amount of mud and spiderwebs like a predator hunting its prey, charging towards them.
Lu Yingjiu slapped talismans onto himself and Jing Xian.
As soon as the talismans were applied, they felt considerably lighter, moving with the agility of swallows. Despite Feng Mao’s furious pursuit, snapping and clawing, it couldn’t keep up with their pace.
In less than two minutes, the entrance to the underground was in front of them. The weeds outside were faintly visible, and the boiling sound of rain could be heard.
Simultaneously, a large mass of mud fell from above, landing with a thud beside Lu Yingjiu. Water began to pour in from above, and countless chunks of mud fell, while the spiders fleeing in all directions were engulfed by the mud.
It was collapsing!
In the blink of an eye, Jing Xian held hairball in one hand and Lu Yingjiu in the other—
Lu Yingjiu felt himself lifted into the air.
His body became light, followed by the sensation of rainwater and dampness rushing towards him.
A chilly wind blew around, and Jing Xian, carrying them, effortlessly leaped nearly two meters, landing safely on the ground.
The wind outside was still strong, accompanied by raindrops the size of soybeans. Jing Xian took a few more steps forward, skillfully avoiding the collapsing ground, reaching a safe area. Lu Yingjiu looked back, witnessing large portions of the ground sinking, even the door to the underground had sunk significantly. The entire tunnel had completely disappeared.
But if he listened carefully, he could still hear movements beneath the soil.
It sounded like the scraping and stirring of mud and water.
Feng Mao was undoubtedly still alive, figuring out a way to get out.
But now wasn’t the time to engage with him.
Lu Yingjiu grabbed Jing Xian’s arm and said, “Let’s hurry back to the hotel!”
The two of them rushed back to the car, soaked.
Jing Xian ignited the engine, and the off-road vehicle roared, tearing through the strong wind, heading towards the hotel. Lu Yingjiu called Ye Feng, succinctly explaining the situation, concluding with, “Gather all the out-of-towners immediately! We’ll take the route to the graves to get out!”
Although Ye Feng was shocked, his reaction was quick. He immediately began coordinating with Xiao Li. Fortunately, most of the broadcasters lived in the hotel, and the person in red clothes knew most of them. He confirmed the exact number of people still in the village: there were 7.
Jing Xian pressed the accelerator almost to the floor.
Lu Yingjiu looked out the window and saw numerous small spiders on the road. The closer they got to the center of the village, the more and larger the spiders became, like a horde of spiders surging down from the mountain.
And…
On the way here, Lu Yingjiu hadn’t seen a single villager.
It’s unknown how many spiders they crushed along the way, but near the hotel, the ground had almost no place to step.
After killing one batch of spiders, another quickly replaced them, seemingly endless. The front entrance of the hotel, as well as the walls, were covered with their figures—various types, a dark mass mixed with colorful varieties. No one wanted to know what it felt like to have them crawling all over their bodies.
Just as Lu Yingjiu was about to get out of the car, he was suddenly pulled back by Jing Xian.
Jing Xian looked at him and said, “There’s something I need to tell you. The Spider Mother’s power shouldn’t be that strong originally. Her strength comes from the wishes people make.”
“What do you mean?” Lu Yingjiu asked.
“In other words, apart from turning followers into spiders for eternal life, she can also fulfill people’s wishes,” Jing Xian said. “Her immense power and the ability to infect the mountains protected by the Li Snake must be due to fulfilling someone’s, or some people’s, wishes. And that wish must have been significant.”
“…I understand,” Lu Yingjiu nodded slightly.
He opened the car door and threw out dozens of talismans!
The talismans ignited, cutting through the rain like swift swallows, weaving through the raindrops and falling in different directions.
Although the ground was flooded, they still burned fiercely upon landing, instantly incinerating the spiders. The air was filled with the smell of burnt protein, not even dispersed by the rain.
Suddenly, a cry for help rang out, “Help!!”
Lu Yingjiu looked up and saw at the front entrance of the hotel, two broadcasters—a man and a woman—surrounded by spiders.
The man held a burning talisman, presumably given to him by Ye Feng. However, the talisman had been accidentally soaked by the rain, and the flames were slowly extinguishing. The tide of spiders, sensing an opportunity, circled and crawled around the two, about to pounce on them.
Lu Yingjiu picked up hairball from the car—
Then, he threw it towards the hotel entrance like throwing a shot put!
Hairball: “Awoo?”
It landed roundly at the entrance and bounced a few times.
The two broadcasters couldn’t see hairbnall’s presence but felt the sudden hesitation in the spiders’ movements.
Even though the flames had gone out, the spiders didn’t dare to approach, seemingly fearing something.
After rolling several times and figuring out the situation, hairball shook its head and, in high spirits, wanted to go and play with the nearby spiders again.
—This action was promptly stopped by Lu Yingjiu.
With four talismans burning beside him, he quickly broke through the spider swarm, reached the entrance, and picked up hairball. He said to the two people, “Follow me!”
The four entered the hotel lobby.
Similar to Feng Mao’s underground tunnel, the lobby’s glass lamps were covered in numerous spider silk threads, extending all the way to the marble pillars, front desk, and floor.
Lu Yingjiu burned them away and, guided by the voices, found Ye Feng and the others at the hotel’s back door.
Around the back door, circles of burning talismans forced the spiders to keep their distance. Ye Feng and Xiao Li had gathered everyone together, while the person bitten by spiders was being supported by the person in red clothes and Aaron.
Seeing Lu Yingjiu bringing the two broadcasters, Ye Feng breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness! I was just about to go out and look for them! It’s good that they’re safe! Things here are really chaotic.”
The elevator was entangled in spider silk and unusable. Even the stairs were obstructed by spider webs. Despite the hotel not being large, Lu Yingjiu and Xiao Li had run up and down several times, making them tired and sweaty, with rain mixing in.
Lu Yingjiu quickly surveyed the group.
Every face showed fear, confusion, and helplessness.
He asked, “Is everyone here?”
The person in the red clothes immediately responded, “Everyone’s here! A total of 7 people!”
The wind howled, and Lu Yingjiu had to raise his voice again. “Let’s go now!”
Including him and Jing Xian, a total of 9 people returned to the hotel’s main entrance.
The off-road vehicle driven by the person in the red clothes proved very useful. They split into two groups, two off-road vehicles plowing through the layers of spider oceans, heading straight for the mountains to the south.
Once in the car, although everyone was panicked, they felt a sense of security.
One of the girls, looking to be in her early twenties, had a red and swollen spot on the back of her hand—probably from being bitten. With a teary voice, she said, “Just now, I was downstairs having dinner, and suddenly the waiter started vomiting, spewing a lot of blood! And many organs! Then he turned into a spider in front of my eyes wu wu wu. Everyone in front of me turned into spiders!”
The other woman beside her grabbed her hand, consoling her, saying, “We’ll be fine once we’re out of the village, once we’re out!”
“But we can’t get out at all, wuwuwu—!” The girl suddenly burst into loud sobs. “Wasn’t there a mudslide? You just said we should go up the mountain, and there will be even more spiders on the mountain!”
The other woman, more composed, hurriedly continued to comfort her.
Lu Yingjiu looked ahead and said, “No, there won’t be more spiders on the mountain.”
He pointed forward with his hand, saying, “There’s not a single spider there.”
Everyone was momentarily stunned, craning their necks to look outside. Even the girl looked through her tear-blurred vision.
Once they saw clearly, joy appeared on their faces.
The off-road vehicle was approaching the foothills to the south. Indeed, the closer they got to the bottom of the mountain, the fewer spiders there were. While spiders wreaked havoc on other peaks, this particular area, once protected by the Li Snake, had not a single spider.
However, how long this would last, no one dared to bet.
In reality, Lu Yingjiu also found it unexpected: the Li Snake had such a powerful impact on the Spider Mother, almost constituting a rivalry between spirits.
He remembered Jing Xian’s words: She can become so powerful; she must have fulfilled the wishes of someone or some people.
…It must have been a significant wish. Lu Yingjiu silently thought, there are no free lunches in the world, and those who make wishes must have paid a considerable price.
They reached the foot of the mountain, and the car came to a stop.
From here on, they could only rely on walking.
This might be the challenging part.
They got out of the car.
The wind tore at the leaves, creating a roaring cacophony. Ye Feng approached, shouting to Lu Yingjiu over the noise, “Let’s follow yesterday’s route and head to Hongqi Peak first!”
Time was of the essence, and everyone was preparing to climb the mountain when Lu Yingjiu suddenly turned around.
In the distance, amidst the pouring rain, Ah Mei stood alone, her clothes soaked and clinging to her body.
Surprisingly, she hadn’t transformed into a spider.
Someone recognized her and screamed, “She’s from the village!”
Panic spread instantly, and everyone scrambled to climb the mountain, but Ye Feng stopped them. “Slow down! Take it slow! If you get separated, no one can save you! Hey, I’m talking to you! Don’t run off!”
Although he said that, Ye Feng felt uneasy inside.
After stopping everyone, he walked over to Lu Yingjiu and asked in a low voice, “What’s going on with her?”
Lu Yingjiu shook his head slightly and wiped the rain off his chin with the back of his hand.
Ah Mei was walking towards them.
Her pace wasn’t fast, but her steps were stiff. She lowered her head, as if enduring some immense pain, relying on sheer willpower to push forward.
50 meters, 30 meters, 20 meters…
Ah Mei approached step by step.
Finally, when there were only 10 meters left, another person screamed, “Don’t come any closer! Stay away!” After saying that, he pulled out a fruit knife, tightly gripping it in his hand, exuding an aura that he would resist to the death if Ah Mei dared to come over.
Ah Mei indeed stopped in her tracks.
She raised her face, pale as if she were dead, and said, “Take me with you.”
Lu Yingjiu asked, “Why didn’t you turn into a spider?”
Ah Mei’s body swayed, and she said, “I’m different from them. I… I haven’t been completely transformed…”
The man holding the fruit knife became even more terrified. “You… you’re not going to let her come with us, right?! Are you insane!!”
He shook the knife tip, pointing it behind Lu Yingjiu—
In that instant, a strange force pulled the knife from his hand!
The fruit knife flew diagonally, spinning in the air several times before embedding itself in a tree trunk.
The man was stunned, tilted his head and met the gaze of Jing Xian.
Jing Xian silently stared at him, his eyes pitch black.
In this moment, the man’s scalp tingled, and the fear in his heart surpassed facing the countless spiders just now. His legs went weak, and he knelt in the mud, too terrified to move.
Lu Yingjiu silently watched Ah Mei.
The woman’s braided hair was soaked by the rain, and became shiny. Her eyes almost pleaded, “Take me with you. I don’t want to be a monster for the rest of my life. I don’t want to be crazy forever! I want to leave this place!”
Lu Yingjiu continued to remain silent.
The sound of wind and rain grew louder, and everyone was waiting for his decision.
After a few seconds, or maybe a few minutes, he sighed, “Come with us, but there’s a condition: you have to stay by my side all the time.”
Ah Mei’s eyes lit up, nodding repeatedly.
There was an uproar among the people.
But with the precedent of the knife-wielding man, no one dared to oppose Lu Yingjiu. Jing Xian stayed firmly by his side, like a territorial beast, intolerant of any intrusion or provocation.
So, they didn’t dare to say more, and just tried to keep their distance from Ah Mei as they started to climb the mountain.
In the typhoon weather, even without spiders, the mountain path was difficult and dangerous.
When Lu Yingjiu and the others descended earlier, they almost fell several times. Now, with the group’s physical exhaustion and panic, they stumbled repeatedly, each fall accompanied by a solid “thud,” sounding painful. After a while, their legs would surely be covered in bruises.
The girl in the car who wore thin clothing was shivering in the rain. Someone next to her handed her a coat. She thanked them in a low voice and, after putting on the coat, vigorously rubbed her hands.
Ah Mei was already in a particularly poor condition, but with astonishing resilience, she endured the pain and discomfort, surprisingly not falling behind.
After climbing for nearly half an hour, looking back at the village, they could only vaguely see a dark mass.
A large number of spiders wanted to approach the base of the mountain but dared not, only wriggling and surging in place.
One person exclaimed, “They really can’t come up!”
“Hard to say,” Lu Yingjiu replied, “We should be prepared for the worst.”
Based on his many years of experience in dealing with spirits, entities like the Spider Mother weren’t that easy to handle.
Anyway, for now, they were temporarily safe.
After another two hours of climbing, crossing countless broken branches and stumbling who knows how many times, they finally saw a small hexagonal pavilion at the top of the mountain.
There were faint patterns on the pillars, and a flame-engulfed serpent was winding its way up, spitting out its tongue at the top of the pavilion.
They found the pavilion to the graves.
Inside the pavilion, Ye Feng ignited a fire in the center using a piece of talisman paper.
Although the wind blew raindrops into the pavilion, with this fire, everyone gathered around, stretching out their hands to feel the warmth. They instantly felt rejuvenated. Even those who were shivering gradually relaxed, and color returned to their faces and fingertips.
The village was now far behind them.
Only at this moment did their complexion truly look better.
Ye Feng also sat down to rest.
He reached into his backpack and found half a bottle of mineral water, seemingly placed there a couple of days ago. The bottle was crushed and crumpled, looking quite ugly.
Even though some time had passed, it was the best they had. He took it out and asked Lu Yingjiu, “I only have this much water left. Do you want…..”
He came to a sudden halt.
Lu Yingjiu held a small black thermos in both hands, looking at Ye Feng. “Hmm?”
Steam wafted from the thermos, and Ye Feng faintly caught the scent of wolfberries and chrysanthemum.
In this environment, a cup of hot tea was indeed invaluable.
……Why does he have tea to drink??
And still looked steaming hot!
Ye Feng widened his eyes, almost in disbelief.
Lu Yingjiu glanced at the crumpled mineral water bottle in his hand, then at the thermos handed over by Jing Xian. Suddenly realizing something, he handed the thermos forward. “Do you want it?”
Ye Feng: “No, no, no.”
He glanced at Jing Xian beside him—Jing Xian’s expression was very amiable, with a smiling face. However, Ye Feng inexplicably felt that if he dared to take it, everything would be over. He would be completely done for.
Lu Yingjiu, puzzled, asked, “Really don’t want it?”
“No, no, no.” Ye Feng shook his head vigorously, “I prefer drinking mineral water, it’s great. I’ve liked drinking it since I was a child. It has a slightly sweet taste! I love Nongfu Spring the most!”
Lu Yingjiu: “…Why are you still implanting advertisements?”
However, just by looking at Jing Xian’s expression, he knew what was going on.
Lu Yingjiu immediately shot Jing Xian a glare and elbowed him, whispering, “What’s with this flying vinegar all the time.”
Jing Xian wasn’t offended and only chuckled a few times.
Under the gaze of Ye Feng, who seemed resigned to death, Lu Yingjiu poured him a cup of hot tea.
After resting for more than ten minutes, everyone felt much better.
Ye Feng drank what he regarded as “decapitation tea,” feeling warm all over. Finally, he had the leisure to speak. “Speaking of this spider…”
Lu Yingjiu turned his head to listen.
Ye Feng continued, “My second grandfather’s ability to exorcise ghosts is truly unparalleled. He led an honest life and devoted a lot of effort to the nursing home. Despite his old age, he could stay up for several days just to find some information. He also went up the mountain for weeks on end to capture ghosts, all for the safety of the nursing home.”
“You could say that without him, the nursing home would probably have closed down long ago.”
“Although he had a peculiar temper, many people in the family still admired him.”
Lu Yingjiu nodded. “You’ve mentioned him several times.”
Ye Feng sighed and went on, “Even when everyone else had left back then, he insisted on coming back several times to investigate the truth. After all, managing such a large nursing home wasn’t easy. In those days, the nursing home was the only place that could help those who had encountered ghosts.”
“He spent so many years coming and going in the village but never discovered any issues… It’s also possible that he was too familiar with the villagers and didn’t consider such suspicions.” He sighed again. “I never thought he would overlook this.”
“Until his death, he still couldn’t forget about the things here.”
“I think the reason he left behind his belongings was probably in the hope that one day I would return here,” Ye Feng said.
Just as Lu Yingjiu was about to respond, he heard Ah Mei suddenly call out, “Ye Feng.”
Ye Feng was taken aback.
Ah Mei stared at him without turning her eyes away. “Ye Feng, your name is Ye Feng, right? I know you.”
Ye Feng responded, “How do you…”
Ah Mei coughed a few times. “To be precise, I knew you when you were a child and your second grandfather, Ye Deyong.” She looked at Ye Feng intently, her expression serious. “You said he was honest and dedicated to the nursing home? That’s utter nonsense!”
Ye Feng was stunned, then angry. “What do you mean? How can you speak so ill of him without reason? What do you know?!”
“I know everything! I know it all!” Ah Mei’s emotions escalated, staring with wide eyes. “I overheard the conversation between your grandfather and Feng Mao! Your grandfather was the mastermind behind everything!”
Everyone was stunned.
Ah Mei’s face turned pale. She coughed violently a few times and shouted, “The village believes in the Spider Mother, but we’re just ordinary people! For decades, centuries, we never knew how to summon her! It was your grandfather who told Feng Mao how to summon her!”
“What honesty, what not forgetting, it was all nonsense! It was all an act! With his exorcism, it turned everyone into monsters!”
Weeeeeeell…. that’s a plot twist.