The World Below Surface
Chapter 63: A pleasant addition

An Xing Yu reviewed the task and shared his ideas. He looked at her with his emotionless black eyes, awaiting her input.

After a moment's contemplation, Lin Chu put forward a hypothesis, "The task requires us to perform ancestor worship, but the specifics are not specified. Perhaps we should obtain information on ancestor worship from the villagers of Village of the Heavenly Immortals. Then, could we set the process of ancestor worship ourselves? For instance, just offering incense and then leaving?"

If they had adopted the identity of villagers, could they decide how to perform the ancestor worship ritual?

The group fell silent, each lost in their thoughts, considering her conjecture. An Xing Yu shook his head, his voice flat, "It's better not to. In the past, we had similar experiences. We might encounter even greater terrors if we deliberately modified the rules to avoid risks."

Lin Chu conceded defeat, "Okay, let's discuss it later." She wondered what kind of world they'll end up in.

**

Meanwhile, Lu Yan lay on the bed, his breathing steady and eyes closed. However, as soon as he closed his eyes, he felt something was off. He saw a black shadow outside the window, but it was pitch black outside, and the room was well-lit. The shadow he saw was not outside but inside the room with him!

He remained motionless, feigning sleep, as the rustling sound grew louder, the source still indistinguishable.

Then, something crawled onto the bed, its weight heavy and oppressive. He couldn't discern what it was, neither a person nor an animal. The thing was ice-cold, with an unnatural stiffness that made it grow heavier and colder as it pressed against him. Its damp, cold breath pervaded the room, seeping into his soul.

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Lu Yan had feigned sleep, lying motionless on the bed, but now he was indeed paralyzed. His limbs were rigid and pinned to the mattress, his fingers unable to even curl. 'Damnation, I'm in the grip of sleep paralysis!' In the days before the world changed, he might have sought a scientific explanation for this horror, but now he knew better. There were ghosts in this world, and one was on him. He fought to keep calm, slowing his heart and ignoring the gooseflesh that prickled his skin. He wondered what anyone would make of this sight if they dared to open the door. A dark shape was sprawled over him, face to face, as if trying to burrow into his flesh.

A little longer, he told himself. Just a little longer…

The door flew open with a deafening crash, and a gale-force wind tore through the room. The curtains whipped and twisted like mad snakes, and every object not nailed down - doors, windows, tables, chairs, wardrobes - rattled and banged as if possessed. The oil lamp smashed on the floor, spilling its flame. Chaos reigned in the cramped space, and amid the din, one could barely discern the shrill scream of a fox and the eerie wails of some nameless beast.

The noise was deafening, but no one emerged from the other rooms. Perhaps they were deaf to the chaos or preferred to stay hidden.

A primal instinct warned him not to open his eyes or cry out. He felt the thing's claws digging into his flesh, drawing blood. Sweat poured from his brow, but he clenched his teeth and endured the agony.

The wind raged outside, threatening to tear the roof off. Zhang Bo's protector, deity, fought with the black shadow, a furious struggle that seemed to last an eternity. Then, all at once, Lu Yan felt a release - the thing was gone.

Silence fell over the room, broken only by his ragged breaths. Had it all been a nightmare? No. The throbbing wounds on his shoulders and arms were proof enough that it was real. He opened his eyes and saw the chaos around him. The door had been flung open, revealing a dark corridor beyond. A blast of cold air swept in, bringing with it the piney smell of the yard. He staggered to his feet and made his way to the door. He reached for the handle but stopped when he heard a faint voice. "Lu Yan…" It was barely a whisper, yet so clear, as if someone was caressing his ear with their breath. He felt a strange pull, a compulsion to answer it.

"If you hear anything during the night, don't respond and don't come out, understand?" Zhang's wife's warning echoed in his mind. He ignored the voice and returned to his room. He lay on the bed, pulled the covers over his head, and tried to sleep. But the voice followed him, persistent and sweet. "Xiao Lu, it's me, open the door." It sounded just like his mother, how he remembered her from long ago.

He heard a soft knock on the door.

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"Xiao Lu? Are you asleep?"

"Xiao Lu, it's so cold outside, can you open the door for Mommy? Mommy misses you so much."

"Xiao Lu, don't ignore Mommy…."

Lu Yan felt a surge of irritation. He wished the voice would leave him alone.

He had learned their tricks long ago. These things…these things would always try to lure him with familiar faces and voices. He was fooled the first time, but after ten times, a hundred times, he became numb. Even if they crawled up to him with his mother's face, he would not spare them a glance!

The voice outside changed from sweet to frantic. "Xiao Lu! Xiao Lu, for God's sake, open the door! It's here; it's coming for me!!" She pounded on the door, desperate to get in. He heard a snarl, like a hungry beast, close behind her.

"Open the door! Please, help me! Xiao Lu, help Mom…." She screamed as the beast tore into her flesh. He heard the wet sounds of ripping and chewing and the beast's triumphant growl. Her screams grew weaker until they were barely a whisper. "Help…help me…why won't you help me? Why won't you help Mom?!"

"Ah-" She gave one last shriek of agony. Then, nothing. Lu Yan lay still on the bed, his eyes shut and his face blank. A tear escaped from under his eyelid and rolled down his cheek. He wiped it away with a twitch of his lashes.

He heard several knocks on the door before dawn, each pretending to be someone he knew, each begging or ordering him to open the door. They had been tormenting him all night.

Then, Zhang Bo's wife's voice came: "Xiao Lu, are you alright? It's over now, Old Lady Third Whisker chased that thing away."

Lu Yan was about to reply when a warning flashed in his mind. He looked up and saw the darkness still hanging behind the thick curtains. He kept quiet.

"Xiao Lu? Are you alright? Please, don't frighten me, Xiao Lu?" The knocking grew more frantic. "Just say something if you're alright, don't scare us…."

Lu Yan checked his watch. It was barely four o'clock. He didn't know what was outside the door but knew it wasn't Zhang Bo's wife. He yawned and wondered.

The first time, he had been saved by the protective diety. Why didn't he care the second time? Was it because it couldn't harm him?

He was curious to open the door and see for himself, but he quickly dismissed it. He tried to think of something else.

As the dawn approached, a rooster crowed loud and clear.

The knocking on the door stopped at once.

He knew he was safe now, so he slept profoundly. A few hours later, when the sun was high, he heard Zhang Bo's wife knocking on the door. "Xiao Lu, are you awake yet?"

He opened his eyes and got up to open the door.

Zhang Bo's wife greeted him with a smile. She didn't seem bothered by the chaos in his room. She took him by the arm and led him outside. "Were you scared last night? Don't worry, Old Lady Third Whisker protected you. Go wash up and join us for breakfast. I'll clean up your room."

Lu Yan nodded and thanked her. "Thank you, and thank Old Lady Third Whisker too."

She beamed at him.

Zhang Bo was already at the table, ready to go to the fields after he ate. He had a hoe by the door. He saw Lu Yan and invited him to sit and eat with him. He said his son had to sleep more because of his poor health.

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Li Li was there too, a little girl in red, her braids bound with ribbons of the same hue. She tore at the meat with her sharp teeth, famished and fierce. Between bites, she mumbled: "You'll play with me later", her mouth bloody. She looked at Lu Yan with a predatory gleam in her eyes.

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he smiled and countered, "What would you like to play?"

She pondered momentarily, then said, "I want to take you to the reservoir. We'll catch some fish there."

Zhang Bo hissed at her. "Don't be foolish. That place is forbidden."

"I'm not hunting ghosts, only fish. Why can't I go?" She snapped back at him. "If not for me, he'd be dead by now. He owes me. I'm going, whether you like it or not!"

Lu Yan kept silent as he watched the old man and child bicker, though it hardly seemed a fair fight. Zhang Bo was plainly wary of Li Li and never raised his voice to her. She grew more defiant by the minute, and he had no power to stop her.

But Lu Yan had other thoughts on his mind. Li Li had claimed that she had saved his life last night. What did that mean? And what about her sharp teeth and the family's reverence for her? He began to suspect something.

Li Li finished her meal and cleaned herself up. Then she grabbed Lu Yan's hand and dragged him out. Her grip was cold as death, and he shuddered.

Li Li darted ahead, her smile radiant as she greeted the villagers who crossed their paths. They were all heading to the fields or the mountains, leaving the road to the reservoir untouched. She dragged Lu Yan along, her pace swift and nimble, unlike any other little girl. Lu Yan had to sprint to keep up with her.

"Look, look! That's our village reservoir!" Li Li exclaimed, pointing to the distance.

Lu Yan saw a fence and a bridge that arched high above it. The bridge looked oddly out of place in this rural setting.

"Nobody from the village can come here unless I say so. You couldn't either, but you're helping with the funeral tomorrow, so I'll make an exception for you."

As they approached the reservoir, Lu Yan caught a whiff of something foul.

It was not the stench of stagnant water that clogged a river for too long. It was the stench of death!

Li Li led Lu Yan onto the bridge. It was a strange construction. From afar, it seemed like a vast and sturdy bridge. But up close, it was only half-finished, abruptly ending in the middle. Lu Yan leaned over the edge and looked down. He saw where the stench was coming from.

On the water's surface, one bloated corpse after another bobbed up and down. Some had already swollen and burst apart, with chunks of flesh floating up and down, revealing white bones underneath. At a glance, there were at least thousands of corpses! The dense mass of them stretched as far as the eye could see.

Were it not for Lu Yan's familiarity with death, any ordinary soul would have spewed their guts on the spot.

Li Li laughed once more.

She drew back her lips to reveal the needle-like teeth that gleamed in her mouth, a wicked smile of ivory daggers. Her eyes, round and bright as a fox's, glinted with inexplicable malice. "These are all disobedient people and thieves," she snarled. "Look, that thing from last night is here too."

'Thieves?' Lu Yan's ears pricked up. The village was impoverished everywhere, so what could be valuable enough for outsiders to risk their lives to steal?

He shook his head and said, "I only came to honor my ancestors."

Lu Yan knew that more talk would only lead to more mistakes, so he kept his tongue until he could make sense of the madness. He also avoided asking Li Li how she intended to catch fish. What if she told him to dive into the river and grab them with his teeth? How could he refuse?

Li Li pursed her lips and clapped her hands together. "Come on, let's catch some fish. Lucky is hungry and wants to taste their flesh."

Lu Yan breathed a small sigh of relief when he saw two fishing rods, a bucket, and a bait bucket on the bridge. Li Li gestured towards the fishing rods and sat beside one of them, beckoning to Lu Yan.

He joined her and, for the moment, forgot about the possibility of falling off the bridge. He slowly reeled in the fishing line like a little girl and planned to put bait on the hook. But as soon as he opened the lid, he froze.

The small bucket was filled with human fingers and eyeballs. Li Li giggled when she saw the expression on his face. "Don't worry," she said, "these baits are very fresh, and the fish will love them."

Lu Yan nodded and said nothing. He picked up a finger, threaded it onto the hook, and then cast it into the water.

Li Li was right. This kind of bait was indeed very attractive to fish. One bloated corpse after another swayed and crowded towards the bait. Other corpses could also be seen rushing over through the murky water.

And then, the float shook.

Something was hooked.

Li Li rested her chin on her palm and gazed at him, toying with bait in her fingers. "You better catch one," she said, "or you'll be my fish!"

Lu Yan slowly reeled in the line.

The stench of decay wafted from the waterlogged female corpse. The corpse's black hair was matted with water plants and tightly clung to her face, obscuring her features. The fishing line extended from her mouth, which was a ghastly sight even with the veil of her hair. With muscles flexed, Lu Yan gritted his teeth and dragged the "fish" onto the shore.

While it was still in the water, everything was fine. But once the whole "fish" was out of the water, it wriggled in distress as it was hauled out of the water, struggling as though it were a live fish that had been caught. Lu Yan exerted strength to drag the corpse towards the bridge, and its weight increased by the water.

Unhelpful and cheering Li Li, indifferent to the gruesome reality before them, clapped as she taunted him, "Faster, faster! Lucky's getting hungry, and if you're not quick, you'll end up being the catch of the day!"

Finally, it reached the bridge, but a high railing blocked its path. Lu Yan gritted his teeth and pulled with all his might. In one heaving effort, the corpse was flung into the air and crashed to the ground with a sickening thud.

Li Li clapped in delight. "Wow! You're so amazing!" Then she put her hands to her mouth and shouted towards the forest. "Lucky! Lucky, come out, there's food!"

The sound of a beast growling filled the air, and the stench of decay grew stronger. A half-rotted dog covered in exposed bone emerged from the forest, racing towards them with incredible speed. Li Li greeted the creature with open arms, patting its decomposing head as it began to feast on the corpse's remains.

She urged it to eat, "Go ahead, eat your fill, then you'll have the strength to guard the door."

The dog growled and lowered its head to gnaw on the corpse. Suddenly, Li Li jerked upright and looked into the distance, "Quick! Let's go back!"

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