Chapter 7: The Blind Man

With this bonfire, the blind man and I faced each other across the flames for a full half hour. In the end, I do not know if it was the man who felt he could not break through the fire before him, but he finally gave up on me. He slowly turned around and walked away, disappearing step by step into the darkness.

As the man approached, a sinister wind swept in from outside the cave, instantly blowing away the symbols drawn on the ground. Fortunately, this man seemed to have a fear of fire, as he attempted to rush in several times but was scorched by the bonfire at the cave entrance. Amidst the acrid stench of burning flesh, he hurriedly retreated.

The Toad's Mouth is a narrow and elongated place, and it is said that if one continues inward, it leads to the home of ghosts and monsters. I do not dare to enter there, but staying in the cave outside should not pose much of a problem.

At the moment the fire was suppressed, a pale figure reappeared at the cave entrance. It was still the man whose eyes were sealed with wire; at this moment, he actually wore a cold smile, as if he had already secured his victory over me, trapped inside the cave. ... Looking at the sight of the blind man, my heart sank to the depths ...

After seeing the blind man completely disappear, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Once I caught my breath, I could no longer hold on; I leaned against the cave wall, gasping for air, and slid down to sit on the ground. Thinking back to the scene just now, cold sweat instantly soaked my clothes. If I hadn't thought ahead and lit a bonfire at the cave entrance, I can't even imagine what would have happened now.

More than a decade after this incident occurred, not to mention the Frog Mouth, even the Mouth Mountain saw very few people daring to venture up.

A few villagers who had come to the mountain to gather herbs encountered Old Dog Shen. At first, they thought that this old fellow had fallen to his death. While they were peeling off his clothes, a cool breeze suddenly jolted Old Dog Shen awake, and he opened his eyes in terror. Seeing the villagers in front of him, who were already paralyzed with fear, and then glancing at the glaring sun above, he finally realized that he had escaped.

After the sky had not yet completely darkened, I lit a bonfire at the cave entrance and, following the teachings of Master Lü, drew several talismans to ward off evil spirits with burnt charcoal at the cave mouth. Once everything was nearly prepared, I baked some flatbreads and had them with pickled vegetables to satisfy my hunger. If it weren't for the flatbreads being too dry and scratching my throat as I swallowed, I would have truly felt that staying in the cave was quite pleasant; at least I didn't have to cook for Master Lü or fetch water for his feet, which allowed me some leisure. Once everything was nearly prepared, I baked some flatbreads and had them with pickled vegetables to satisfy my hunger. If it weren't for the flatbreads being too dry and scratching my throat as I swallowed, I would have truly felt that staying in the cave was quite pleasant; at least I didn't have to cook for Master Lü or fetch water for his feet, which allowed me some leisure.

The dark shadow lunged directly onto the blazing bonfire, and in an instant, the air was filled with the acrid stench of burnt flesh. At that moment, Shen Lian finally saw that what had fallen onto the fire was a dead roe deer. It was unclear how long the deer had been dead; its body had already rotted away significantly, with several areas decayed enough to expose bone, lying motionless on the fire and being roasted.

At this moment, I had mustered the courage to return to the cave entrance. I pulled out a charred branch from the bonfire and began to draw the exorcism symbols that I could still remember on the ground and the walls of the cave entrance. However, these symbols, which I had learned from the old Taoist Lu, seemed to have no effect at all. If it weren't for this bonfire, the man would have already charged at me.

At present, I cautiously kept watch by the fire, occasionally adding a few logs, anxiously waiting for dawn. Thus, more than an hour passed, and apart from the eerie sound of the wind outside, which resembled ghostly wails, nothing unusual occurred.

Upon seeing me, he denied everything regarding the stolen incense money. Master Lü was truly enraged. After a series of beatings and scoldings, he turned and left the cave. As he departed, his last words were: "This disciple can be considered a freebie. Tomorrow, I will tell your biological father that the little bastard cannot endure the trials of being a master. Having run off with the temple's incense money, you will die here tonight, and no one will find your corpse..." Having run off with the temple's incense money, you will die here tonight, and no one will find your corpse...

With the continuous onslaught of other dead animals from outside the cave, the bonfire was soon overwhelmed by the beasts that rushed in. Subsequently, these animals, which had been dead for an unknown period, continued to extinguish the scattered sources of fire on the ground. The cave, which had been as bright as day, was instantly plunged into darkness, filled with the stench of burnt fur.

After the old Daoist Lu left in a huff, I worried that he might be lying in ambush on the mountain path, so I still did not dare to descend the mountain alone. I only took advantage of the fact that it was not completely dark yet to gather some dry twigs nearby. Regardless of whether it was to bolster my courage or not, lighting a fire would help to dispel the dampness in the cave and also serve as a deterrent against wild beasts entering the cave. ... I refuse to believe that this old fellow would really dare to leave me, a child, all alone here ...

At that moment, I also understood what these corpses were meant to do. I no longer had time to be afraid; I directly picked up a thick branch and began to push the dead animals that were lying on the fire one by one. However, these animals, whose time of death was unknown, seemed to come back to life as soon as they left the fire; the moment their bodies touched the ground, they immediately bounced back and continued to pounce onto the fire.

I clearly saw that this roe deer was lively and jumped over by itself, so how did it rot like this in the blink of an eye? Before I could react, I saw a continuous stream of dark shadows rushing in from behind. Dead foxes, wolves that were mostly decayed, and the rotting corpses of animals that were unrecognizable, one after another, fell onto the bonfire, extinguishing the flames in just a moment.

After taking a break for most of the day, I cautiously walked to the campfire at the entrance of the cave. I glanced at the position of the moon in the sky; it was now roughly around midnight, and I would need to endure for at least another two or three hours before dawn. Fortunately, the firewood I had prepared should last until that time. As long as it gets bright, I will have the opportunity to escape

His luck was truly unfortunate; just as he had run halfway up the mountain, his foot slipped and he fell to the ground. Old Dog Shen's head struck a protruding rock, and everything went dark before he lost consciousness. By the time he woke up, it was already noon the next day

After hearing the sound of the bell, the man and the deer stopped moving forward. After taking one last glance at Old Dog Shen, he turned and walked towards the direction from which the bell rang. In the distance, those white figures also simultaneously floated deeper into the Toad's Mouth, until these "people" completely disappeared. Only then did Old Dog Shen return to normal, and he exerted all his strength to run down the mountain. In the distance, those white figures also simultaneously floated deeper into the Toad's Mouth, until these "people" completely disappeared. Only then did Old Dog Shen return to normal, and he exerted all his strength to run down the mountain.

I pulled a burning stick out of the campfire, preparing to throw it away to get some light and see what was happening outside. Suddenly, a shadow flashed before my eyes, startling me so much that I fell directly to the ground.

This 'person' was completely bare, not a single hair on his body, and under the moonlight, his skin appeared ghostly pale. In addition to being hairless, his ears and nose had been severed, and the upper and lower eyelids of his two eyes, as well as his mouth, had been pierced and bound with rusted iron wire. Upon suddenly encountering this 'person', my head buzzed with a 'hum!' My breathing became rapid in an instant, and I involuntarily retreated into the cave.

After Shen Laogou picked up a life, he would tell everyone about the ghostly happenings at the toad's mouth. It is uncertain whether this could be considered as being haunted by a ghost. Two months later, Shen Laogou used his own shotgun to kill his wife and child. He then blinded himself with an awl and hanged himself completely naked from the beam of his own house. The appearance of Shen Laogou at the time of his death resembled the ghost he had seen at the toad's mouth. He then blinded himself with an awl and hanged himself completely naked from the beam of his own house. The appearance of Shen Laogou at the time of his death resembled the ghost he had seen at the toad's mouth

Just as I was lying outside the campfire, contemplating whether to set a trap for a rabbit before it got completely dark, a figure suddenly appeared at the entrance of the cave... a completely naked person stood at the cave's mouth...

To bring the conversation back, after I was left in the cave by Old Daoist Lü, the head of the Erlang Temple fiercely threatened me a few times. Seeing that I, a mere boy, remained unfazed, he then made a harsh remark: "You little bastard, whenever you decide to return the incense money, that will be the time you can come down the mountain. If you dare to sneak away, I will break your legs if I catch you!"

Just as I let out a sigh of relief, thinking that with this pile of bonfires protecting us, that blind man would no longer appear, the howling wind outside suddenly ceased. Immediately after, a chaotic sound of footsteps echoed from outside the cave, resembling a large group of animals passing nearby. In this quiet, dark night, the sounds were particularly clear.