North Mountain had always been called a dead land by the villagers, not only because it was a mass grave, but also because countless people had died there in the past.
In the late Qing Dynasty, North Mountain was a gold mining site nestled within surrounding mountains, officially named North Mountain Mining Town. At its peak, tens of thousands of people lived in the small town.
However, in the early years of the Republic of China, during a period of great chaos, something was dug up, or perhaps for other reasons, the entire town, including people, poultry, and livestock, perished overnight. The imperial court sent people to investigate.
Two waves of people went in, but no one ever came out. As the Qing Dynasty crumbled, the matter was dropped.
Later, when the Japanese invaded, knowing of the gold mine, they organized a small unit to explore. Once the news was confirmed, they planned to send a large excavation force. After three hundred well-equipped Japanese soldiers entered, they vanished without a trace, like pebbles dropped into a lake, causing no ripple.
Another, larger army was then sent to investigate. Only a handful returned, all driven mad, screaming at anyone they saw and fearing sunlight.
When the Japanese shamans came to China to provoke, some people also ventured in, but none returned. Eventually, the Japanese abandoned the area, ceasing further entry. However, fearing others might excavate, they sent people to blow up the only passage into the valley.
After the passage was destroyed, on the fifteenth day of every lunar month, the sounds of roaring and soldiers engaging in battle could be heard from within. These sounds persisted for nearly a decade.
During this time, not only did no one dare to approach North Mountain, but even looking at it at night would lead to nightmares. The roaring and sounds of battle only gradually faded with the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
After the founding of the nation, a great leader, during a movement to "break the four olds and overthrow all monsters and demons," initiated a vigorous campaign of reform. Consequently, no one dared to speak of North Mountain being haunted or cursed.
One must understand that during that period of international material scarcity, gold was a hard currency, and it would have been impossible not to exploit it.
But the outcome remained the same. No matter how many people were sent in, they vanished without a trace, like clay cows entering the sea. Finally, a high-ranking official gave the order to bombard the valley, burying everything within. As for the gold, it was deemed tainted with blood and thus unwanted. After the bombardment, no one was sent to inspect the site; the troops simply departed.
From that point on, North Mountain finally fell into complete silence.
However, due to its desolation, it became the village's mass grave, and also the burial ground for children who died prematurely.
When I was young and had just begun learning the Tiangang Seal Art, I believed that with the Tiangang Seal, I could go anywhere and venture into any place in the world. Thus, North Mountain, being the closest to my master's home, became my first destination for exploration.
The outcome, as expected, was that I couldn't even enter North Mountain Mining Town, let alone the mass grave. I was chased by a group of Yin spirits and evil entities, forcing me to flee in panic. If I hadn't run fast and my master hadn't woken up in the middle of the night hearing my cries for help, I would probably have been lying underground for years by now.
Although I agreed with Zhang Dabiao's desire to capture a black sha to tease Sun Chuang and Manager Xue, I disagreed with going into North Mountain to do so, because North Mountain had become a dead land where anyone who entered would die.
I haven't lived enough yet! I still don't have a girlfriend, nor have I even held a girl's hand. To die like this would be too unfair. Moreover, my master is waiting for me to bring back a large sum of money to save my father.
In fact, all I've said so far has only one purpose: to make Zhang Dabiao abandon the idea of capturing a black sha. Besides, I also feel that deceiving people in this manner is somehow unsettling.
After hearing me speak, Bai Ling'er's anthropomorphic little eyes widened, her pink tongue flicking in and out, before she finally patted her belly with her tail and murmured, "No wonder I've explored all the mountains around your home, but every time I fly near North Mountain, I feel a chilling sensation. So it's a dead land. It truly scared this young lady to death..."
Zhang Dabiao's face also turned grim. He had judged from the terrain that North Mountain harbored a black sha, but after I revealed the horrors of North Mountain, he also began to waver. Money versus life – anyone could figure out which was more valuable. No one would willingly sacrifice their life unless absolutely necessary.
"If what Qingyun says is true, then forget about going to North Mountain. But if the black sha is there, where else can we find it?" Zhang Dabiao put down his teacup, his earlier excitement gone, and looked troubled.
The three of them, along with the snake, fell into silence. Just then, a slightly hesitant voice spoke from the side.
"I don't know, may I say something?"
Instantly, three pairs of eyes, six gazes, fixed on the source of the sound.
"You... don't look at me like that, I'm scared." Huang San lay on three large yellow weasels, carried by them, his small eyes filled with terror.
"Hey, weren't you recuperating? You're better so quickly?" I asked him, surprised.
"Cough, cough... the injury isn't healed. I definitely broke a bone, it'll take at least half a month to set. If you had let me be your household spirit, I might have healed faster."
"Dream on. It's for your own good." I flatly refused. One must know their own capacity. I don't have the means to support a household spirit right now.
Huang San seemed to have expected my response. He grinned and continued, unbothered, "I heard you were looking for a black sha, so I came to see if I could help. After all, I can be considered a member of this family now, right?"
Huang San spoke slowly, with a hint of inferiority, because he knew he had brought immense trouble upon me. Now, he wanted to make amends in his own way.
Before I could speak, Bai Ling'er interjected, "What do you mean, a member of this family? Remember, you are my little subordinate. With Big Sister protecting you, let's see who dares to say anything." As she spoke, her gaze subtly shifted towards me, her meaning clear.
I inwardly chuckled. Bai Ling'er had put it so plainly. Could I still say that Huang San wasn't a member of this family? If I did, wouldn't I be like Zhu Bajie looking in the mirror, neither here nor there?
Besides, I had no intention of driving Huang San away. If I truly wanted him gone, I would have sent him away the moment I returned. Perhaps influenced by my master, I've always had an inexplicable fondness for wild spirits.
"Alright, Old Huang, say what you have to say. No one wants to drive you away. You've helped me, and I won't forget it. I'm not ungrateful. You mentioned you had a way just now, what is it? Tell us."
My words brought a look of excitement to Huang San's eyes. As the head of this household, no matter how fierce Bai Ling'er's pronouncements, as long as I disagreed, he could be kicked out with a single word. The ancestral spirits enshrined in my home were not to be trifled with.
"You're looking for a black sha, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"I know where there's one."
"Where?" Zhang Dabiao and Bai Ling'er asked in unison.
"Heh heh... there's a corpse near my old lair, but this fellow has already developed some intelligence, so dealing with it might be a bit troublesome."