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Chapter 48: Warrior Acolyte
But the attack never truly made contact with Li Xingyuan’s body, even though it moved faster than he could react.
It curved around him instead. For the first time, Li Xingyuan got a clear look at the liquid. It resembled the black water he’d seen before but was subtly different. Under the moonlight, it shimmered with a faintly translucent emerald green, teeming with pus-yellow masses—eyes, countless yellowed eyes, writhing within the viscous fluid.
Those eyes scrutinized him, while amorphous tentacles of emerald-green protoplasm probed cautiously in the night. At times they gleamed an oily black under the moonlight; at others, they refracted eerie iridescent hues.
Tentatively, the gelatinous mass squeezed and pulsed, emitting a bone-chilling sound: “Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!”
The noise was sharp and alien, yet carried an unsettling rhythm—as if it were a language not meant for human ears, or perhaps the guttural growl of some unspeakable horror.
Li Xingyuan didn’t move. He simply stared at the sticky mass. After a moment, the slime seemed to deflate slightly, disappointed. It emitted the strange cry again, this time higher-pitched and more piercing, vibrating against Li Xingyuan’s eardrums. When no response came, it slowly retracted back into the grotesque figure.
The masked figure continued to stare at Li Xingyuan, but as Li Xingyuan took two more steps forward without provoking another attack from the creature inside, he began to feel somewhat reassured. Slowly, he approached the platform.
He could still hear the sound—the unknown thing lurking within the two costumed figures continued to whisper, “Tekeli-li!” The noise was so faint that it almost blended into the ambient hum of a summer night, like restless insects chirping. But the longer one listened, the more the shrill, unnatural pitch pierced through, sending involuntary shivers down the spine.
“Old Liu,” Li Xingyuan whispered, crouching beside the bound man. “Wake up, Old Liu.”
Old Liu opened one eye, his face nearly obscured by dried blood. His head bore a wound where someone had struck him. The bleeding had stopped, leaving behind a crusty patch matted into his hair. Though battered, his gaze remained sharp.
“Mr. Li?”
“It’s me.” Li Xingyuan responded softly. “I’ll untie you.”
With just a light touch to the ropes binding Old Liu, they snapped apart. Ropes symbolized a form of closure—not conventional locks, but close enough.
Old Liu slumped to the ground, gasping for air. It took several moments for him to regain his strength.
“Do you have any water?” Old Liu croaked, his voice dry and hoarse.
“No, I haven’t had any either,” Li Xingyuan sighed, shaking his head. “Your wound, would it be a problem?”
"No, it's fine.” Old Liu struggled to his feet, eyeing the two swaying figures on the platform. “They didn’t attack you?”
“No, I don’t know why.” Li Xingyuan shook his head, equally baffled.
“That Mine Director Shi…” Old Liu began, “he told the villagers these people are Warrior Acolytes, possessed by Di Mu’s Ritual Attendants. But earlier today, I saw a few townsfolk suddenly collapse. They were carried away and returned like… this.”
Warrior Acolytes.
Li Xingyuan studied the two figures swaying unnaturally. Their costumes resembled cheap opera garb, making them look like lifeless dolls dressed up for show. Bent over awkwardly, their bodies twisted grotesquely, devoid of any divine majesty. Whatever inhabited them clearly cared little about how their outer shells were adorned.
Did the people of Fengyuan truly believe gods resided within such forms?
Then again, recalling the frenzied feast from earlier, Li Xingyuan realized the current mindset of Fengyuan’s residents might very well allow such delusions.
“This afternoon…” Li Xingyuan thought back to the cacophony of the feast, and his nerves twitched involuntarily. “Did you see it?”
Old Liu fixed him with a steady stare. “You saw it too?”
“They eat that stuff—it’s no surprise something went wrong,” Li Xingyuan sighed. “The whole town’s gone mad.”
“What do we do now?”
At Old Liu’s question, Li Xingyuan hesitated. He glanced toward the mine entrance. It was silent now, devoid of activity.
“We need to blow up the mine,” he said firmly. “Seal everything underground so nothing can ever escape.”
“And where will we get explosives?”
“This is a mining site, Old Liu. How could there not be explosives?” Li Xingyuan pointed toward the mine. “If we can secure some, do you know how to use them?”
Old Liu didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he snorted softly, seemingly offended by Li Xingyuan’s doubt in his expertise.
“That works.” Li Xingyuan nodded. “That works, Old Liu… Thank you.”
Old Liu shook his head silently, then turned to the other two men tied to the poles alongside him. Both were local government workers, heads drooping limply as they remained unconscious.
“What about them?”
“There’s a traitor in the town hall,” Li Xingyuan murmured. “Someone working with Mine Director Shi…”
“They’ve been tied here all afternoon, same as me.”
“I know, but…” Li Xingyuan hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. “You’re right. Let’s free them. Send them to find Lin Song. Tell him to bring the car over. We’ll destroy the mine and leave Fengyuan immediately.”
Though many mysteries remained unsolved, now wasn’t the time for answers. Ending this farce of Di Mu’s milk and escaping Fengyuan was the only sensible course of action.
Li Xingyuan and Old Liu freed the two government workers. Their injuries were less severe than Old Liu’s, likely because they hadn’t resisted much. Waking them proved far harder; it wasn’t until Li Xingyuan considered testing his abilities again that they finally stirred from their stupor.
The two men profusely thanked Li Xingyuan. Once informed of the plan, they hobbled off together, supporting each other as they made their way out of the mine.
The two masked figures stood nearby, utterly indifferent to the scene unfolding around them. Inside them, the creatures continued to exchange whispers in soft, insistent tones: “Tekeli-li!” The unnatural sound lingered stubbornly in the air, refusing to fade with the wind.
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