Chapter 18: A Frenzy of Demons, Part 11

Shi Xianyu had too many unanswered questions, a multitude of uncertainties swirling in her mind, clawing at her heart, so much so that even in the middle of the night, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

Why had Lady Wan burned paper offerings in secret?

Why had she uttered those strange words while doing so?

How utterly bizarre… too strange, indeed…

If she truly wanted answers, she would have to ask Lady Wan herself, or perhaps Wan Ji, but the boy had said Wan Ji was abandoned by his birth mother. If she barged in and asked, wouldn’t she only tear open old wounds?

Enough, she thought, better not dwell on these matters. Her purpose here was to help Shen Xiao find Mount Ling! As for other people’s private affairs, they were never hers to concern herself with.

They had lingered in this village for days now; it was time to set out again. The sooner she found Mount Ling, the sooner she could gather the power of wishes.

Shi Xianyu closed her eyes, trying to summon sleep, willing herself to drift off.

But she didn’t expect, as she hovered between sleep and wakefulness, to hear that voice once more—

“My child… I want my child… Child…”

She startled awake.

The voice came again and again, lingering and mournful, laced with a chilling bitterness that made her skin crawl.

Unable to bear it, Shi Xianyu got up and rubbed her arms. For a moment, she felt as if she were back at her great-grandfather’s funeral—sleeping in that empty old house, hearing those soft, lingering voices from beneath the bed…

Wait… just a moment.

Could it be that what she kept hearing was not a voice at all, but a wish?

That made sense! Because it was a wish, she could hear it from far away, while Shen Xiao and Lin Yuan could only sense it when they were very close.

Sudden understanding dawned on her—ah, so that’s how it was!

She quickly dressed and hurried out to find Shen Xiao and Lin Yuan.

Though she wasn’t sure what was happening, the voice persisted, which meant the problem was not yet solved.

She dashed to their door, hadn’t even raised her hand to knock when Lin Yuan opened the door first, as if he’d anticipated her arrival.

“Is Brother Shen awake?” Shi Xianyu asked anxiously, “I heard that voice again! It seems there’s more than one spider—maybe the last one we burned was the mother, and now the father spider has come!”

Lin Yuan silently stepped aside, letting her see the sleeping Shen Xiao inside.

“His powers are exhausted. He’s very tired,” Lin Yuan paused, then added, “And he drank alcohol.”

Shi Xianyu craned her neck to look inside, thinking: Well, that’s hopeless.

The Taoist priest who usually only meditated for rest was now sprawled across the bed, snoring loudly.

No wonder, after days and nights without rest and the celebration feast, he was unlikely to wake tonight.

“Come with me!” Shi Xianyu grabbed Lin Yuan’s hand and hurried outside. “The voice is getting closer! Maybe the monster is already in the village! Brother Shen can’t wake up, so it’s up to us!”

Lin Yuan followed, stunned, his gaze lingering on their joined hands, marveling at her boldness.

…

Shi Xianyu pulled Lin Yuan along at a brisk pace.

Of course, brisk only for her; for Lin Yuan, it was no different from a stroll beneath the moon.

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On the slope outside the village, they encountered a massive scorpion! Its shell gleamed like armor, and at the tip of its raised tail was a woman’s face—the same face as the spider!

Shi Xianyu’s hair stood on end, and she pointed at the scorpion in terror. “It’s that one! That’s where the voice comes from!”

Lin Yuan rushed forward!

The scorpion’s movements were sluggish, but the woman’s face at the tail could spit white threads! Lin Yuan dodged and attacked, his force shattering the scorpion’s shell. Yet, from within, countless white threads burst forth!

Fortunately, after the spider incident, he was prepared; only his robe’s hem caught a few threads as he rolled aside, then sprang up to strike the scorpion’s jaw!

Bang!

A venomous fang broke off!

Lin Yuan, pleased with his trophy, picked it up and, with both fangs in hand, reduced the scorpion to a mangled mess.

Shi Xianyu watched from nearby, her heart pounding, seeing those white threads brush Lin Yuan’s clothes again and again—almost wrapping him up like a cocoon!

These surely weren’t spider silk! If the spider could spit threads, why could a scorpion do so too?!

After dealing with the monstrous creature and claiming another fang, Lin Yuan trotted back, tail raised high and triumphant.

“You’re not hurt, are you?” Shi Xianyu grabbed his arm, anxiously inspecting him.

“No,” Lin Yuan replied, his lips curled in satisfaction—he enjoyed being cared for.

Shi Xianyu, still shaken, glanced at the scorpion behind him. “Let’s find some wood and burn it—those white threads are too dangerous.”

Lin Yuan agreed, gently patting Shi Xianyu’s head, mimicking Shen Xiao’s way of comforting children in the village. “Don’t be afraid.”

Shi Xianyu paused, then blushed slightly, murmuring, “I’m not afraid. I just worry—if we get rid of the spider and the scorpion, what if another monster comes next time?”

Lin Yuan pondered, then said, “The spider is, but the scorpion is not a demon.”

Shi Xianyu stared in confusion. “You mean… this scorpion isn’t a demon? How can that be?!”

Lin Yuan nodded. “Not a demon—no demonic aura.”

He gestured around. “It’s just… very big.”

Shi Xianyu was speechless.

Just… big? A scorpion larger than a person—if it’s not a demon, it must be an extraordinary creature!

Could it be because of those white threads?

Once suspicion took root, she couldn’t help but investigate. With Lin Yuan beside her, she felt braver, so she stepped closer to the scorpion and crouched down to examine it.

Hmm… outwardly, it looked no different from a normal scorpion, except for the white threads filling its shell, stretching all the way to its tail. The woman’s face was dissolving, features blurred and darkened, like a puddle of decaying flesh.

She recalled how the white threads, exposed to sunlight, would rot and turn to black sludge.

Earlier, because of the spider, she and Shen Xiao had unconsciously assumed these white threads were spider silk—but were they really?

… At the very least, spider silk wasn’t usually so damp.

Summoning her courage, Shi Xianyu plucked a bit of white thread from the scorpion and rubbed it between her fingers.

It felt moist—wherever she squeezed, a wet imprint appeared. No wonder sunlight destroyed it. This characteristic reminded her of roadside moss: soft and wet, it died slowly under prolonged sunlight.

Shi Xianyu rubbed it again and found her fingers growing numb, until two of them lost feeling altogether.

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The toxicity was mild, but if her entire body went numb, it would be disastrous.

What exactly were these threads…

“My child… my child… child…”

Shi Xianyu shuddered, startled, looking toward the forest—how was the voice still there? Where did it come from?!

She stood, swaying slightly, and Lin Yuan supported her.

“My legs are numb…” Shi Xianyu said awkwardly—she’d crouched too long.

Lin Yuan, surprised, thought she’d been poisoned by the threads, and swiftly lifted her in his arms.

Shi Xianyu blushed, unsure how to explain that this numbness was not the other kind, but there were more pressing matters. She pointed toward the dark forest and said, “Can you take me into the woods? I heard the voice again—if we don’t resolve it, other monsters might come to the village.”

Lin Yuan nodded, carrying Shi Xianyu into the forest—

He moved swiftly, leaping onto the treetops, using the dense foliage to traverse above, avoiding most venomous snakes and wild beasts.

Whenever he soared high, Shi Xianyu felt as if she were flying—thrilling and exhilarating.

Following the voice, they ventured deeper into the forest, where ancient trees grew, the surroundings grew ever gloomier, and Lin Yuan slowed, his feline ears alert for any movement.

“There,” the girl in his arms suddenly pointed ahead, “It’s under that tree! The voice is coming from there!”

Lin Yuan frowned in suspicion. “No demonic aura.”

He’d expected to find a great demon lurking here, but now—nothing.

Shi Xianyu was equally perplexed but insisted, “The voice really is there. Let’s take a look?”

Lin Yuan nodded slightly and jumped down, carrying Shi Xianyu, his tail sweeping aside sharp branches as he steadied their approach, finally stopping beneath a massive ancient banyan tree—

The towering tree was dead, its rotting trunk covered in white mycelium, which spread relentlessly, smothering nearby plants and insects, so much so that Lin Yuan could go no further, forced to stop at the edge.

Shi Xianyu climbed down, staring in shock at the terrifying scene before her.

Dense leaves blocked sunlight, and the dead banyan provided nourishment, creating a natural breeding ground for the fungus.

She saw the thick mycelium molded into hundreds, thousands of women’s faces—pale and haunting, gazing at her, as if silently telling their story…

Shi Xianyu gritted her teeth, threw caution to the wind, and pressed her hand deep into the white mycelium, eyes shut tight.

A vision appeared—a woman clad in a green dress, walking anxiously through the woods, calling, “Child! Aji, where are you… My child… my child… child…”

She never found her child, only lost her way in the forest, stumbling into the mycelium.

Her limbs numbed and failed her, she collapsed, and no one came to save her; even in death, she never found her child.

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