In late October, Xixiang remained a lush green, with beautiful scenery of emerald waters and verdant mountains everywhere.
As night fell, a nameless wind carrying the mountain’s moisture swept down toward the slopes. Besides the fragrance of mountain flora, it seemed to bring with it a strange transformation.
At some unknown moment, a pale yellow miasma quietly rose from the surface of the lake, firmly enveloping the village.
Slowly, the mist above Mulian Village grew larger and thicker.
On the surface of the lake, which no one was watching, the previously calm waters suddenly began to boil under the influence of the miasma. Bubbles gurgled and popped, churning up one snowy white splash after another.
As the miasma rose, ethereal shadows suddenly emerged on the lake’s surface, which should have been empty.
One.
Two.
Three...
At first, these shadows were somewhat blurred, but as the miasma spread, they suddenly began to solidify, turning directly into human figures. In groups of twos and threes, they walked toward the shore.
These figures included men and women, old and young. The clothes they wore came from various eras; some were in short-sleeved shirts, while others wore wide robes with long sleeves...
“Glug, glug, glug...”
The lake water churned violently, as if a powerful heat source beneath the surface was continuously heating it. The shadows drifted faster and faster, slowly disappearing into the village, leaving behind nothing but a trail of wet footprints.
These footprints extended all the way, acting like markers to lead the way for the things beneath the water.
...
Zhang Awu was a resident of Mulian Village. He had land and a house, but he was naturally lazy and gluttonous. He didn't go out to work or toil in the fields; instead, he spent his days finding shady friends to drink and eat meat with, or to play cards and gamble.
Even though he was in his late forties, no woman was willing to marry him. He was happy to be free, living from hand to mouth, for which he had received many scoldings from Grandpa Shi.
Today was no different. He had won two hundred and fifty yuan gambling, so he bought some wine and braised snacks, then called three of his brothers over to his house to drink.
——One of those brothers had stolen a large yellow dog from another village. Together, they had skinned it and boiled a pot of fragrant meat. With the braised snacks, a bite of dog meat and a gulp of wine, he felt like he was floating on air.
After several rounds of drinks, the four of them sat together boasting, discussing where to go to make money next year. Zhang Awu grew bored. With the alcohol hitting him and his bladder full, he ran into the yard to urinate.
Just as he unzipped his pants, Zhang Awu suddenly shuddered.
It felt like an evil wind had pierced through his body.
Zhang Awu shook his head and focused on relieving himself, only to hear someone speak behind him out of the blue:
“Xiao Wu, why don't you learn to be better? You spend all day stealing and idling. This won't do. Find a steady job. If you really can't, pull a cart or farm. At least you won't starve...”
“Enough, enough. Why do you talk so much? I’m the one spending the money I earn. Right now, I’m not bothered by wind or rain. Who would want to work like a dog for someone else?”
Zhang Awu had been startled at first, but when he turned and saw it was his own mother, the alcohol went to his head, and he began to shout regardless of the consequences:
“I know plenty of big bosses who started their own businesses from scratch. I just don't have the capital; otherwise, I would have made it big long ago. You sigh every day, sighing away all your child’s good fortune.
I’m still drinking with Limpy and the others. Give me some money, I need to buy more wine. Don't lie to me; I know my sister always sneaks money to you...”
His mother fell silent, her entire body shrinking into the shadows as she began to wipe away tears.
Zhang Awu spat, kicked the yellow dog skin in the yard, and went back into the house grumbling. The other three heard him talking to someone outside and asked curiously. His tongue was already heavy with drink as he mumbled:
“It’s just my mother. She’s always acting mysterious, chanting sutras all day. It’s annoying as hell. I’ll go buy more wine in a bit, and we’ll keep drinking. Whoever doesn't drink until they have to crawl home is a son of a bitch.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the other three turned as white as paper. One of them, who was slightly more sober, turned pale and said tremblingly:
“What nonsense are you talking? Your parents were so angry with you that they drank pesticide two years ago and died! They’re buried up on Qingmeng Mountain! Who did you see? You must have seen a ghost!”
Zhang Awu’s muddled brain suddenly buzzed, and he let out a scream, jumping up.
His mother... she had been so angry with him two years ago that she drank pesticide and couldn't be saved.
Then the person who just spoke to him... what was that?
None of them dared to speak. The room was deathly quiet, with only the dog meat pot still gurgling and bubbling.
Zhang Awu and the others looked at each other. No one dared to move. they just endured it like that until the hot pot boiled dry and there was absolutely no movement outside. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.
“Brother Wu, I’m heading back. Your house is creepy.”
“Yeah, it’s really creepy.”
“Oh, you actually believe the nonsense I said while drunk? Go, go. Once the sun comes up tomorrow morning, everything will be fine.”
Ignoring Zhang Awu’s attempts to make them stay, the remaining three hurriedly said their goodbyes. Zhang Awu cursed at them a few times. Once everyone was gone, he tightened his clothes, intending to go back to sleep.
But as he turned around, he saw his mother standing behind him, holding a bloody dog head in her arms and gnawing on it. A pair of grey eyes stared fixedly at him:
“Xiao Wu, Mom has money. Mom has lots of money. Here, it’s all for you...”
A handful of paper money covered Zhang Awu’s face. The smell of incense ash mixed with the stench of river water rushed into his throat. Without even struggling, Zhang Awu fainted.
“Crunch, crunch...”
In the pitch-black room, there was only the sound of his mother gnawing on the dog head. After finishing it, she clumsily wiped her mouth and dragged Zhang Awu out of the house.
Under the moonlight, the miasma above the village grew thicker. Only the mother’s eyes could be seen.
They were a murky yellow, glowing with a faint, eerie light.
“Scrape—scrape—”
This was the sound of Zhang Awu being dragged along the ground.
Despite such a loud noise, the village remained as silent as death until a loud “splash” rang out, and then everything returned to peace once more.
...
...
Stone River rafting had always been one of the popular tourist activities in Mulian Village. Taking a raft down the Stone River would slowly deliver you to the inner lake.
One could enjoy the scenery along the banks and experience the thrills of rafting. Therefore, even though the number of tourists had decreased, there were still plenty of people participating in this activity.
Of course, the inner lake was larger and offered more entertainment. Because it was a naturally formed lake due to geological reasons, it was a paradise for many diving enthusiasts.
“Splash—”
A tourist in a diving suit surfaced and signaled the diving instructor before grabbing the edge of the motorboat to climb up. He took off his diving gear:
“Heavens, Mulian Lake is truly too beautiful. Underwater is a completely different world. It’s just a pity that the maximum depth for diving is only fifty meters. If only I could personally explore the bottom of Mulian Lake.”
“Forget about that. The world record for scuba diving is three hundred and thirty-two meters, but that’s not even half the depth of our Mulian Lake.
This lake has a cliff-like drop-off. Don't be fooled by the shore being shallow, only a meter or two—tall people can even touch the bottom—but if you swim just two steps further, it’s a hundred-meter drop. If you can't swim, you’ll sink right down, and there won't even be time to save you.”
The diving instructor also climbed up. He was tilting his head to pour water out of his ears when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark shadow passing beneath the boat. He hurriedly called the tourists over to take photos:
“There’s a fish! A fish! Looking at its size, it must be at least a hundred pounds. It’s been years since I’ve seen such a large fish in this lake!”
The tourists swarmed forward, excitedly pulling out their phones to take pictures. As the dark shadow slowly approached, everyone held their breath.
In the next second, the smiles on everyone’s faces turned into horror.
It was a corpse of a young man, bloated from being soaked in water.
He had a buzz cut, a round face, and a dimple on his cheek.
Rate on N.U.
