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Chapter 2: Fog Fiend in the Mountains
About a dozen people all appeared to be middle-aged. Two armed escorts were easily identifiable, dressed in similar attire typical of martial artists, one carrying a broadsword, and the other with a flail at his waist. The rest disguised themselves as merchants, adhering to the black and white dress code mandated by the Dayan (大晏).
The group entered another side of the pavilion, unloaded their goods, piled them in a rain-free spot, and only then removed their cloaks, shaking off the water that had collected on them.
The pavilion was not large, so the horses and mules were left outside to endure the rain.
The dozen or so people spoke quietly with a dialect, wet and chilled from the rain and night wind. Some couldn't help but glance at the fire faced by Song You, and the dry firewood in the corner of the pavilion, exchanging glances and gestures.
Eventually, one person approached and bowed to Song You. "Greetings, Young Master. Did you gather this firewood? It might be more than what you need for the night, so can we buy some from you? Our clothes are damp, and we want to warm ourselves by the fire."
In Dayan, Daoists were addressed as Masters, and Song You was still clad in his Daoist robe. Therefore, it was only natural for the party to address him as Young Master
"I didn't gather it. It was here when I arrived. Feel free to use it if you need it."
"Thank you."
One of the middle-aged merchants carried a small bundle of firewood over, but instead of asking for fire, they started their own fire, took out dry rations, and heated them by the fire. They ate while conversing softly, occasionally glancing around.
The wind carried their voices.
Hearing them discuss their decision to seek shelter from the rain earlier, with some disagreement, Song You roughly understood the reason for their night journey to this point.
They were all tea merchants, originally headed to a lodging place for traveling merchants ten miles ahead. However, midway through their journey, a heavy rain began unexpectedly. Some people's goods, for reasons unknown, had waterproofing issues, and they feared the tea leaves might get soaked.
Consequently, they sought shelter to avoid the rain. Unfortunately, the stretch of road they were on was notorious for mysterious Fog Fiend at night, deterring many from traveling it after dark. As soon as the rain eased and they fixed the waterproofing problem, they hurriedly resumed their journey.
When passing through the pavilion, it was already nightfall, and walking in the dark was not a good idea. So, they had to rest here.
Some said they had already passed that troublesome stretch, while others claimed the tea vendor had already left, suggesting that the Fog Fiend were causing trouble. Some regretted their decision to seek shelter from the rain, while others argued they should not have stopped, but instead continued forward. The discussion even turned to Song You.
Although Song You wore a Daoist robe, he was young. Nowadays, there were few Daoist skilled in exorcism, and people didn't take them too seriously. After a brief conversation, they stopped paying much attention to him.
"Fog Fiend..." Song You stared into the fire, lost in thought.
This was a type of common mountain fiends, who liked to appear in the fog. Those with weak abilities relied on the fog to hide their forms and often frightened people through intimidation. Those with higher skills could emit fog to attack travelers.
However, these fiends usually couldn't cause much harm. Ordinary martial artists or even brave men were not afraid of them.
Seeing the fire dwindled, Song You added more firewood.
Unbeknownst to them, the rain had stopped.
When mountain rain ceased, it often led to fog, mostly in clusters or accumulated in mountain cols. This time was no exception.
However, this fog seemed unusually thick.
Previously, although it was late, there was still some light, and one could faintly see the silhouette of distant mountains. The firelight also revealed ancient cypresses by the roadside and weeds under the trees. But now, in the blink of an eye, the entire world seemed filled with dense fog.
Between the thick fog, mountains and trees were invisible. Even the two sections of the pavilion next to each other, with fires burning, could only be seen as blurry patches of light.
Even the firelight was compressed to its limit by the fog.
It seemed to have become eerie without them realizing.
The merchants were suddenly alarmed, realizing they might be dealing with demonic spirits.
"Don't be afraid, everyone! The more scared we are, the more aggressive it becomes!"
"He's right! Fiends are afraid of people too!"
"Add more wood, make the fire bigger!"
"But we're out of wood..."
The crowd exchanged glances and looked towards the direction of the other section of the pavilion. The fire there was still burning, emitting an orange glow.
Although it was only a short distance, the thick fog obscured the view. Given the current situation, it seemed that only the small area illuminated by that fire was safe. Who would dare to venture through the dense fog to get firewood? Or should they all go together to that side?
A cold wind suddenly blew from outside at this moment.
The people turned their gaze to the two escorts they had brought.
The escort with a flail felt uneasy, his gaze slightly evasive. The one with a broadsword, facing everyone's gaze, spat and turned his head, a hint of hostility in his eyes. Even the minor fiends might be frightened by his look.
"I'll go borrow some firewood!"
"I'll go with you, senior brother!"
"No need, junior brother, stay here and protect the hosts. If I encounter a fiend on the way, I'll kill it with one stroke!"
"Be careful, Master Chen!"
"A mere little evil spirit, I'll be back in no time!"
Chen, the escort with the broadsword, stepped into the thick fog, heading straight for the opposite fire. Despite his not-so-tall stature, he had a certain imposing manner.
Seeing this, the merchants felt a bit relieved.
As the saying goes, humans fear evil spirits, but evil spirits fear humans even more. With such a courageous martial artist, full of vitality, there was no need to be afraid of the ordinary evil spirits and minor demons.
So, the people watched the figure quickly blur into the fog. They could vaguely see him making a few slashes with his sword, scolding in a Guanxi accent(关西), but the fog not only blurred their vision but also muffled the sound. After a few steps, they could no longer hear clearly.
The merchants became nervous again, sometimes staring in that direction, sometimes looking around.
Before long, a figure emerged from the fog.
It was Chen, the escort.
He still held the broadsword, but his other hand was empty. Standing outside the pavilion, he looked somewhat panicked. "Oh no, the Young Master on the other side has fainted. Someone, please come help me carry him!"
Hearing this, the crowd was once again shocked, their pupils dilating.
The other escort had already pulled out his weapon, gripping it in his hand, swaying it, and licking his lips nervously, trying to hide his nervousness.
In the end, the merchant who had gone to the other section of the pavilion to borrow firewood stood up, trying to appear calm and even responded respectfully: "We are just passing through, making some hard-earned money, not intending to disturb you. If you're willing to leave, when we return, we will pass through here again. At that time, we will bring some pigs, sheep, and incense candles as a token of gratitude."
"What are you talking about? Come over and help carry the person!"
"Your, your voice doesn't sound right."
"..."
That escort surnamed Chen suddenly froze, eyes wide open, staring at them. In the next moment, he burst like a punctured balloon, turning into a burst of fog that merged into the surrounding fog, disappearing without a trace.
The fiend vanished decisively, leaving everyone even more horrified.
Everything was just as rumored...
But the rumored fiend was not easy to deal with.
After about the blink of an eye, another figure emerged from the fog. Holding a broadsword in one hand and a bundle of firewood in the other, the figure hastily took three or four steps through the fog and entered the range of the firelight before relaxing.
As this person looked around, they noticed that everyone had widened their eyes, staring at him with fearful and suspicious looks.
Chen, the escort, was taken aback, his gaze also becoming serious. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"A fiend just disguised itself as you, trying to lure us out."
"Did anyone leave?"
"It doesn't sound like you..."
"Humph, just a petty little trick!"
Chen loosened his left hand, and the bundle of firewood he was holding rolled to the ground. With a glance, he saw shadows moving in the fog and became alert.
"Master Chen, how is it over there?"
"Over where?"
"That Young Master's side of course. Did he notice anything unusual? Was he scared? Did he resist when you went to borrow firewood?"
"Him..." Chen, the escort, was momentarily stunned.
Earlier, his heart raced as he hastily went to borrow firewood. A few words were exchanged, then he hurriedly returned, fumbling with the firewood that dropped a few times; he paid little attention to the situation on the other side. Now, upon reflection, he realized the other section of the pavilion and the Young Master were strangely calm. Looking back, all he recalled was the crackling sound of the flames, and nothing else.
After thinking for a moment, Chen said, "I didn't pay much attention, but when I went to borrow firewood, the Young Master immediately agreed and even let me take all the firewood."
"Did you explain the situation to him? Did you ask the Young Master to come over?"
"You must be joking, Master Li. How could I forget about this? I told him there was a fiend here, said we had a lot of goods, inconvenient to move over there, and asked him to come here. But he just told me to take all the firewood."
"He..." The merchants exchanged glances again.
Before anything more could be uttered, a wail, reminiscent of a ghost's scream, pierced the air. The cold wind, accompanied by rain, incessantly rattled the campfire in the pavilion, nearly extinguishing its flames.
The flames turned deep red, casting an eerie glow in the fogy pavilion, resembling the underworld.
The people quickly huddled to shield the fire from the wind, and the fire rekindled. The light in the pavilion became bright again, bringing a sense of security.
Chen, the escort, stood with his sword, cursing again.
There was a folk saying that foul language could drive away evil spirits. Perhaps Chen thought of this, or maybe it was just to bolster his own courage.
Whatever the reason, the merchants did feel a bit comforted by it. However, they also realized that martial artists, with their robust vitality, were less afraid of evil spirits. But ordinary warriors seemed helpless against these elusive Fog Fiend, likely able to defend themselves but unable to protect the group.
Moreover, even if the fire was not blown out by the cold wind, it probably wouldn't last until dawn.
The Fog Fiend could easily wait until their firewood was exhausted!
As they just thought about this, another cold wind blew.
Even more urgent and colder than before, it seemed to pierce from the skin to the internal organs, reaching the depths of the soul, causing uncontrollable shivering. The fire, as if stimulated, contracted to its utmost, and only crimson charcoal could be seen.
Before they could shield the fire, the campfire extinguished instantly, leaving only the glowing charcoal that cast its light on faces filled with panic.
But the charcoal quickly turned black and gray.
In the midst of terror, the people saw shadows moving in the thick fog and another dimly lit fire not far away.
The fire on the other section of the pavilion hadn't been extinguished!
“Everyone! Let's go over there!" Someone shouted, and everyone immediately scrambled to get up, running frantically toward the glowing fire.
The fine rain pelted against their bodies, a bone-chilling cold penetrating to the core.
Li, the merchant, short in stature and the oldest, ran for his life. Even if he ran with all his might, he ran the slowest. Just as the fire, a symbol of safety, was getting closer and closer, he suddenly felt a hand grabbing his clothes. Then it grabbed his arm and neck, the icy fingers seemed to pierce into his flesh. At that moment, fear reached its peak, and he stretched his arm trying to grab the clothes of the person in front, but he couldn't reach.
This is it...
Facing death, he couldn't recall the refined words he had learned during his travels. He only knew that today he was probably going to die here, devoured by that evil spirit, his flesh and soul sucked dry, leaving nothing behind.
At this critical moment, a hand with calloused fingers grabbed him. The calluses were as hard as wood, scraping his skin painfully.
Li widened his eyes and saw that the expensive escort he had hired was proving his worth. He tightly held onto Li's wrist, scolding angrily while dragging him forward with great force.
It seemed like a tug-of-war.
"Whoosh..."
Li faintly saw a burst of fire, as if wood knots were exploding. The cold touch disappeared instantly, and the pulling force behind him vanished, replaced by an irresistible force dragging him forward.
Swish!
Li was pulled into the pavilion.
Beside his ears, he heard the sound of Chen spitting again, and then a triumphant and disdainful remark: "I thought too highly of it!"
Li, the merchant, snapped out of his panic and realized how quiet it was in this section of the pavilion—
Not that there was no wind, but only ordinary wind, so faint it was almost inaudible. Compared to the previous ghostly screams, it was as calm as a gentle breeze. The campfire in this section burned brightly, crackling, providing a comfortable warmth. The eerie wind seemed unable to enter.
It seemed as calm as when they first arrived.
With the firelight illuminating the area, a young man in Daoist robes sat cross-legged on the ground. His countenance was refined, his expression calm as he lowered his head, eyes reflecting the light of the fire.
This section was surprisingly peaceful.
Looking back outside, the thick fog still shrouded everything, shadows moving hesitantly inside, seeming unwilling to leave yet afraid to approach.
"Everyone..."
It was the voice of the Young Master.
Everyone shivered and quickly turned to look, their gazes respectful.
"Let's rest here tonight." The Young Master said, pursing his lips and then turning to look outside the pavilion. In the foggy drizzle, he spoke softly again: "Don't worry, when the rain stops, I'll come find you."
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