Chapter 4: Illusion or Reality

"I will take you to meet seven individuals who have long predicted that you share a master-disciple bond with them," Old Wu said lightly as he walked ahead of me

I was so frightened that I scrambled up the mountain, regardless of whether what had just happened was an illusion or reality; everything was simply too bizarre. Suddenly, Old Wu shouted from behind, "Girl, what are you doing? Don't run up the mountain, hurry and come with me..."

Old Wu seemed to have noticed as well, immediately stopping in his tracks to shield me behind him. He drew a dagger from his waist, taking a defensive stance. One of the shadows suddenly laughed loudly, "Oh, Xiao Xi, long time no see. Have you forgotten me? I never expected you to have been hiding right under my nose..."

As I was almost running to the neighboring village, it seemed that those two evil spirits did not pursue me. I hurried towards Old Wu's house. There were a few houses in the village with lights on, and I felt a bit calmer. In Old Wu's courtyard, yellow talisman papers were pasted on all four corners, adorned with strange symbols that danced across the surface. Why did these symbols seem somewhat familiar? Without thinking much of it, when I reached the door, I suddenly remembered something: how could I enter the house without a key?

"Uncle Wu, who exactly are they that you keep mentioning?" I asked, furrowing my brows

I hesitated for a long time, covering my nose with my sleeve as I went down. Old Wu said that below was the Bureau of Secret Investigations, an organization specifically tasked with countering "them," which might have stored some strange and peculiar artifacts. A flurry of chaotic thoughts and *images* flashed through my mind.

At the same time, I "whoosh" opened my eyes. Surrounding me was pitch darkness, with a clear starry sky above. I could faintly hear the sound of insects all around. I scanned the area and was immediately filled with doubt. Where is this place? It seems I am still in the dense forest. I lay on the ground, wondering if everything that just happened was merely a dream. If it were a dream, how could it feel so real?

I shuddered all over and immediately turned to run towards the neighboring village. The two ghosts were just about to come towards me when Old Wu quickly recited a spell and lunged at the nearby evil spirit with a dagger. The evil spirit let out a low, animal-like growl, its face contorting as it lunged at Old Wu's neck. My second uncle stood silently at the village entrance, watching everything unfold before him.

Old Wu's tone was unusually urgent. I hesitated for a moment, turned back, and instinctively glanced at my neck, finding no marks of contact at all. I immediately breathed a sigh of relief and tentatively stopped in my tracks. "You... are you human or a ghost?" I mustered the courage to ask.

Old Wu shouted at me hoarsely, "Run quickly!" His voice was almost about to break.

Now is not the time to think too much; this place is not suitable for staying long. I quickly got up and prepared to run down the mountain. Suddenly, I heard a sound of footsteps. Not far away, a shadow was running towards me. Perhaps having stayed with the old man, I had become accustomed to the darkness, and I could actually see the appearance of the person coming towards me. It was none other than Old Wu.

Following this small path leads to the location of our village. In the previous dream, the village had already disappeared, and I immediately felt relieved that it was just a dream. I hope that when I return, I will see my father and younger brother. As soon as I thought of my father, I immediately asked Uncle Wu, "Uncle Wu, why hasn't my father come to pick me up?"

I gently tugged at the door and discovered that it was not locked at all. The room was lit, and as I leaned in, I found that the furnishings were exactly as they appeared in my dreams, except that every few steps there was a talisman affixed. On the table stood a mirror, which I had looked into in my dream. Taking a deep breath, I mustered my courage and picked up the mirror again to look into it. Suddenly, I was drenched in cold sweat; everything that had just happened was real. My eyes had truly turned a shade of emerald green. In an instant, I felt a sharp pain in my eyes, and my vision began to blur. The pain was so intense that it felt as if my eyeballs were about to be gouged out.

Still feeling exhilarated, I suddenly sensed something was amiss. Why was the village so lifeless today? Not a single house had its lights on, and the surroundings were eerily quiet. Although I had no idea what time it was, surely there couldn't be complete silence. I vaguely felt that there seemed to be a few people standing at the village entrance.

I knew that my second uncle in front of me must have a problem. Old Wu turned around and suddenly whispered in my ear, "Run to the place I just took you to." After saying this, he pushed me hard. I was instantly bewildered. The place he had just taken me to? Could it be that basement from the dream? Was it possible that it wasn't just a dream?

I quickly closed my eyes and rubbed them with my hands, taking quite a while to recover. When I opened my eyes again, I suddenly noticed a pale face staring intently at me in the mirror. That face was right above me, just caught in the reflection of the mirror. I gasped in shock, nearly dropping the mirror in my hand. Looking up, I realized that the face was actually a portrait of a woman affixed to the ceiling.

In an instant, a chilling wind swept through; the two individuals who had just been beside my second uncle were now, one next to Old Wu and the other crouched on Old Wu's back, their mouths wide open like blood-filled chasms. They both grinned at me with a sinister smile, and I felt the air around me grow so cold it was almost suffocating, a wave of chill running from the soles of my feet up to my spine. I even saw the breath I exhaled condense into white mist

Old Wu did not speak, only breathing heavily. At this moment, we had already descended the mountain, and I saw that not far away was the village entrance. I could faintly see the houses still standing, and I immediately breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that it was indeed just a dream; our village had not disappeared.

The mountain we are on is called Mi Mountain. Although the mountain is not large, the forest is dense, making it easy to get lost inside. The villagers also call it "Lost Mountain." There is only one small path up and down the mountain, and even though I grew up here, I have never ventured deep into Mi Mountain.

The basement is much larger than I imagined. On the first floor, there are many weapons, ranging from small daggers and awls to large machetes and axes, all neatly arranged together. There are also many various weapons I have never seen before. I couldn't help but wonder to myself, was Old Wu once part of the underworld?

Old Wu furrowed his brow and said sternly: "What is a person and what is a ghost? Girl, hurry and follow me, this place has not been peaceful lately"

At that moment, I was completely bewildered and had no idea whom to trust. Old Wu noticed that I was standing still for a long time, so he came over, grabbed my arm, and started walking down the mountain. My mind was a blank, and I could only mechanically follow him.

The face in this portrait seems somewhat familiar to me. I suddenly recalled that when I first entered my father's inner chamber, there was an altar inside. I opened the altar and saw a statue of a woman, who held a cone-like object in her hand and wore strange clothing. However, at that time, she had her eyes closed. When those two evil spirits appeared, I also heard a hissing sound from the altar, akin to a snake flicking its tongue. The woman held a cone-like object in her hand and wore strange clothing, but at that time, she had her eyes closed. When those two evil spirits appeared, I also heard a hissing sound from the altar, akin to a snake flicking its tongue.

However, at that time, the eyes of the statue were closed, while in this portrait, the woman has her eyes wide open. The most bizarre thing is that her eyes are also emerald green. Why does Old Wu's family hang such a portrait? I have a vague feeling that this woman seems to be somewhat related to me, and the multitude of questions in my mind is almost overwhelming me.

I was all too familiar with that voice; it was none other than my second uncle. Instantly, I recalled the scene of him buying human skin, and I couldn't help but tremble all over. Indeed, there were fitting marks on his neck. When I finally saw the two individuals beside him, I nearly collapsed to the ground in fear; they were the two "clients" I had previously stitched together! Their necks even bore the stitches I had sewn myself!

Without overthinking, I walked straight to the bookshelf in the inner room and gently pushed it aside. Indeed, it revealed a set of green steps. However, a sudden wave of foul odor that rushed out from within made me vomit immediately. I had no idea what was stored in the basement.

I do not know what happened afterward; I just kept running with all my might, even afraid to look back for fear that those two evil spirits would chase me. Since the moment I stitched those two corpses together, fate has led me down a path of no return

Old Wu suddenly stopped in his tracks, chuckling twice, his shoulders shaking with laughter. I found his back to be extremely eerie. Slowly, Old Wu turned towards me, his face dark and low, he said: "I didn't expect you to be so lucky; the two evil spirits I carefully raised have let you slip by." He slowly raised his head, looking at me with a highly twisted expression, grinning smugly. In the dim light, I clearly saw a distinct mark between Old Wu's face and neck, which made me freeze for a moment. I recalled the old man who had embroidered human faces on human skin, and I immediately gasped in shock, whispering: "I didn't expect you to be so lucky; the two evil spirits I carefully raised have let you slip by." He slowly raised his head, looking at me with a highly twisted expression, grinning smugly. In the dim light, I clearly saw a distinct mark between Old Wu's face and neck, which made me freeze for a moment. I recalled the old man who had embroidered human faces on human skin, and I immediately gasped in shock. Just a moment ago, there was clearly nothing there. My intuition told me that something was wrong with Old Wu! I shouted loudly and turned to run, but I tripped on the stairs and fell hard.