Chapter 005: Substitutionary Death

Once the object was pulled out of the water, it became significantly heavier, almost impossible to drag. However, Daoist Qiu said it was not necessary to pull it all the way up; the current state was sufficient.

Why does he want me to see this inhuman thing? It is so disgusting and terrifying; he could have expressed it through words or some other indirect means, but he clearly wants me to have nightmares for a month. He is forcing me to look at this thing.

"Little boy." Uncle Lai shone the flashlight on my chest: "It's quite terrifying, isn't it?"

Moreover, during the brief silence between Uncle Lai and me, I noticed twice that Uncle Lai was looking at me, gazing at me calmly. I also sensed a hint of something unusual in Uncle Lai's eyes and actions.

This is it. The Taoist priest, with a body like a skeleton, patted the things we had pulled up with a thud.

I sat by the fish pond listening to Uncle Lai's stories, my nerves always on edge. Suddenly, a head popped up from the water in front of me, startling me. As a reflex, I kicked out with my foot. It was only after Daoist Qiu let out a cry of agony that I realized I had kicked the wrong target

When I came up, Zhang Qiao had quieted down a lot, sitting across from Daoist Qiu and listening to him speak. Daoist Qiu knew that I must have seen what was in the iron cage, and he turned back to smile at me. I found his smile quite irritating and felt like hitting him. Uncle Lai patted me on the back, and I had to suppress the urge to strike him, pulling Zhang Qiao aside to first do some ideological work with him

In a moment of daze, I realized that my relationship with books and my father, who works in geology, might be far more complex than I had imagined

What does he want to do

"That old fellow speaks in riddles." Zhang Qiao, trembling, lit a cigarette, as if he had been frightened by Daoist Qiu: "Zheng Tong, my eyes..."

The basement that I dug out myself is not large; after a few steps, I arrived next to the iron cage. I glanced down through the gaps in the steel framework, and in that instant, my mind abruptly ceased to function. What lay before me resembled a mental atomic bomb of immense power, nearly obliterating my thoughts

This thing saw the light, and it also saw me and Uncle Lai. It desperately tried to break free from the chains binding its limbs. To be honest, I was frightened and quickly shrank back, fearing it might suddenly break free from its confinement and lunge at me. Uncle Lai probably sensed that I was struggling to bear the sight, so he pulled me back a few steps.

"The thing that saves lives," Uncle Lai briefly explained. He said that when the ghostly shadow curse first appeared, there was no way to delay it; that was an experience bought with many lives.

In this distance and light, it is impossible for me to see everything clearly in its eyes. However, for some unknown reason, whenever it turns its head, I always feel that there is a shadow of a ghost crouching behind it in its pupils

This appears to be a large hollow incense burner, cast in bronze, with green rust all over it from being submerged in water. Something likely occurred inside the incense burner. When the object was pulled from the water, the contents began to strike against the burner, making a clattering sound.

I cannot describe it; you can only see for yourself, as that is the most direct way. Uncle Lai seemed unafraid of these things; perhaps after seeing them many times, he had developed an immunity. He did not answer me directly, but said a couple of things like that, and then approached the iron cage, shining a flashlight on it.

How long can it be postponed

"Uncle Lai, aren't you and Qiu ChujI being a bit inhumane?" I finally managed to calm my churning stomach a little, swallowed, and found the foul smell quite unbearable. Pinching my nose, I said: "This person is suffering immensely; why not let him die a peaceful death? Do you think he can be saved?"

What to fish for

That old fellow actually possesses genuine skills; he is a direct disciple of the previous generation of the Celestial Master from Longhu Mountain and serves as the vice chairman of the Religious Affairs Administration. When he takes action to treat your eyes, it is guaranteed to be foolproof

"Uncle Lai, what exactly is this?" I couldn't help but ask, yet I dared not look around carelessly, for fear of encountering something terrifying

I have a feeling of being pulled forward step by step by Uncle Lai, fully aware that it is certainly something frightening that will leave a shadow after seeing it. Yet, my curiosity is so strong that I cannot control it; even though I don't look, I remain unwilling to give up. I am not sure what I truly think in my heart, but amidst the conflict and hesitation, I took a few more steps forward with Uncle Lai.

While I was speaking with Zhang Qiao, Daoist Qiu and Uncle Lai had already begun to make preparations. It was evident that the two of them were not doing this for the first time; they worked together with great familiarity. Uncle Lai covered all the ventilated windows in the small room with old newspapers, making the room almost airtight. After finishing the room, Daoist Qiu took us outside. The old woman then stripped by the fish pond, revealing her bony figure, and subsequently jumped into the pond with a thick rope in hand.

Uncle Lai crouched down to let me see more clearly, directly extending the flashlight into the cage, the light was very bright. The moaning sounds were emitted by this humanoid creature, and I truly did not know whether to call this thing a "person." It had a torso, limbs, and was continuously writhing slowly under the confinement of iron chains. A foul odor assaulted my senses, and I saw that its lower body was almost completely rotted away, with blackened, decaying flesh enveloping white bones.

How can I save Zhang Qiao? I interrupted my train of thought; other matters can be set aside for now, but I do not want any unforeseen incidents to happen to Zhang Qiao

What is it that I see

I am desperately trying to control my churning stomach, and before I have a chance to speak with Uncle Lai, the humanoid figure in the large iron cage seems to have heard our conversation. It slowly turns its head and looks this way. Its face is almost reduced to a mush, and the only thing I can discern is that pair of eyes.

The ghostly shadow in Zhang Qiao's eyes.

I feel uncertain; this large iron cage, half-buried underground, has shattered my courage. It is not just fear, but many other factors that can influence the mind. I only hope that Uncle Lai can give me a heads-up in advance, provide some hints, so that I do not encounter something I cannot bear to see

Uncle Lai adjusted his grip on the rope, thought for a moment, and said to me: "Do you know about a substitute death?"

As I climbed up the wooden ladder, I couldn't help but look back at the iron cage and the creature inside that resembled nothing human, both shrouded in darkness. I clearly remembered what Uncle Lai had said before: he mentioned that among all those who had fallen victim to the curse of the ghostly shadow and remained unharmed, it seemed that only my father was safe.

I feel like I am about to vomit. This has nothing to do with being bold, as everything before me is heart-wrenching. A wave of foul odor is making my throat itch incessantly.

"The Taoist priest can handle these matters; let us go up first," Uncle Lai said to me. "You need to inform your friend and tell him not to be anxious. To be honest, there is still no complete solution to the ghost shadow curse up to this point. What the Taoist priest can do is only to try to delay the onset of the curse."

"Do you see?" Uncle Lai squatted on the ground, turning to look at me: "I can assure you, if you miss this opportunity, after some time, your friends will also become like this"

Tragic! That is the only way I can describe it

"He cannot die," Uncle Lai said decisively. "If he dies, another person will die along with him. Therefore, he must live, and we must do everything possible to keep him alive; even one more day of life is valuable."

It varies from person to person, and it is difficult to draw a conclusion. Perhaps some individuals can delay it by ten or eight years, or even longer; while others may only be able to postpone it for three to five years, or even shorter. Uncle Lai brushed the dust off his hands and said, "Let's see how his fate unfolds."

Retrieve items

Under the beam of the flashlight held by Uncle Lai, I saw a humanoid object being restrained by several thick iron chains. It was confined in the very center of an iron cage, unable to move at all. Not only was its body imprisoned, but even what could barely be called a head was encased in a cage made of welded iron bars.

However, the Taoist Qiu did not blame me. He handed us a length of rope while bleeding from his nose and asked us to pull. The other end of the rope was certainly tied to something heavy, but fortunately, the object was in the water, and the buoyancy helped us. Uncle Lai, Zhang Qiao, and I pulled with all our might, and the object in the water was gradually dragged to the shore.

I can only say that he deliberately scared me. He wanted to use this very frightening thing to intimidate me. For instance, if I really wanted to go somewhere and Uncle Lai wanted to stop me, he would tell me that the place was terrifying and would even use some objects to intimidate me. Thinking of this, when I looked at Uncle Lai again, I felt that this amiable and gentle middle-aged man resembled an old fox in sheep's clothing. I couldn't help but smile bitterly to myself, wondering if it was realistic to expect an old fox to tell the truth. Thinking of this, when I looked at Uncle Lai again, I felt that this amiable and gentle middle-aged man resembled an old fox in sheep's clothing. I couldn't help but smile bitterly to myself, wondering if it was realistic to expect an old fox to tell the truth.

Uncle Lai's response is actually quite vague, but I seem to have understood a little something. This person, who is tormented to the point of being inhuman, has an unknown identity, but I suspect that he is definitely not a friend of Uncle Lai or Daoist Qiu