Chapter 57: Frequent Accidents

The staff member following behind Shi Shen looked in the direction he was pointing.

At the shaded foot of the mountain, two rows of figures clad in tattered cloth cloaks and bamboo hats moved slowly through the white mist. They were very tall, moving with a swaying gait as if they were walking on stilts.

Within the rolling white fog, countless transparent ghostly silhouettes could be seen interspersed between them. These ghosts were being escorted by the two rows of bamboo-hatted figures, drifting slowly toward the west before dissipating one by one along with the white mist.

Just looking at them, one could feel a bone-chilling cold brought by the Yin Energy that had condensed into a physical presence.

The staff member, who had been sweating and panting while following Shi Shen up the mountain, felt his body turn cold instantly the moment he saw those Ghost Soldiers.

He silently moved to Shi Shen’s other side, using his body to block the phone’s camera lens. “Brother, let’s just keep climbing. That’s just mountain mist, nothing worth filming.”

“But those…” Those ghostly figures look pretty cool.

The staff member interrupted Shi Shen. “It’s just mountain mist. You see it all the time in the big mountains. Let’s keep going.”

Having participated in so many episodes of this supernatural variety show, Shi Shen knew that the show’s staff were particularly superstitious about certain things.

Seeing the staff member’s firm refusal, he obediently refrained from saying more, put away his phone, and continued toward the summit.

Shi Shen didn’t take the matter to heart. Although today was the first time he had seen a ghost or witnessed the passage of Ghost Soldiers, he simply thought it was quite a spectacular sight and didn’t dwell on it.

Even knowing that ghosts truly existed in this world didn’t have any impact on his life.

If one does nothing shameful, one need not fear a ghost knocking at the door. In his nearly thirty years of life, he had acted with a clear conscience and done no evil, so he had no fear of ghostly retribution.

Furthermore, those ghosts had all been human once. they were someone’s loved ones, people others missed day and night but could never see again… So there was nothing to be afraid of. Shi Shen even felt a flicker of happiness.

If the Netherworld truly existed, then death was not a permanent farewell. Perhaps after he died, he could reunite with his late relatives in the Netherworld.

The staff member following Shi Shen, however, was far from being so open-minded.

He was one of the forty-odd staff members who had stayed behind in the village and had personally experienced just how bizarre this place was.

Although he had inexplicably lost his memory of working in the village, the experiences he had before losing those memories had left a deep impression on him.

He was part of the variety show’s props team. That day, while working on a prop, he found that his saw was broken, so he went to a villager’s house to borrow one.

The villager had very warmly welcomed him into the house, but he never expected that as soon as he entered, he would see a human head floating in mid-air… After making eye contact with that head, he lost consciousness and fell into an endless loop of nightmares.

When he woke up again, it was this morning.

Unlike the thirty or so people who had just arrived at the village, staff members like him who had stayed behind hadn’t just lost twelve hours of memory; they had lost several days of memory out of thin air.

However, since the Producer hadn’t mentioned leaving, he didn’t dare to go. If he left, his job would be gone.

Man dies for wealth as a bird dies for food¹. Even knowing this place was haunted, he had to grit his teeth and stay… because he still had a mortgage to pay every month. One could say he was shackled to this job by his house.

Sigh… The staff member sighed silently in his heart, pushed aside the branches in front of him, and continued following Shi Shen up the mountain.

Just then, he heard Shi Shen’s voice suddenly ring out: “By the way, what was your name again?”

“Han Shansi,” the staff member answered subconsciously. Only after answering did he suddenly realize something was wrong.

Shi Shen was walking in front of him, so how could Shi Shen’s voice have come from behind him?!

Before Han Shansi could think further, he heard a voice identical to his own whisper in his ear: “Han… Shan… Si…”

Han Shansi felt his vision go black and instantly lost consciousness.

Shi Shen had originally intended to rest halfway up to accommodate the stamina of the staff member following him.

But unexpectedly, after seeing the Ghost Soldiers, that staff member seemed like a changed person. He climbed a long stretch of mountain path in one breath without complaining of exhaustion. By the end, even when the incline of the path was nearly vertical, the staff member could still keep up with his pace, which made Shi Shen feel a sense of admiration for him.

Shi Shen had a background as a martial arts actor in opera. He had been training his body since he was very young and had maintained his fitness habits to this day. Thus, climbing a mountain was easy for him, comparable to a running warm-up.

However, for an ordinary person without any training to do the same was truly impressive.

Shi Shen even had the thought of poaching this staff member for his own studio.

After the two reached the summit, Shi Shen chose a platform with a wide view and opened the hiking bag he was carrying. He took out a tripod, chose a good angle to set it up, and then clipped his phone onto it.

Just as Shi Shen stood by the edge of the cliff fiddling with his phone to start the livestream, the staff member slowly approached him.

“Hello, fans and friends. Today I’m filming a scenery livestream,” Shi Shen said as he slowly moved the tripod, using the phone to take a high-angle shot of the village below.

Although this ghost village was strange in every way, the scenery was impeccable.

It was now just after eight in the morning, and the sunlight was perfect. Looking down from the mountain, the secluded little village, surrounded by mountains on three sides, was enveloped in vast greenery. The morning mist had not yet fully dispersed, swirling around the peaks and making the village look like a fairyland.

[Brother Shen is so healthy, getting up at eight to climb a mountain while I’m still tucked in bed.]

[Wow, so beautiful. Is this the filming location for Stone’s next movie?]

[Brother Shen’s current schedule is for a variety show, right? Is this the recording site for that supernatural variety show?]

Shi Shen glanced at the bullet comments and replied, “Yeah, I’m currently at the filming location for our variety show.”

The camera panned slowly, bringing the large lake adjacent to the small village into view. Sunlight danced across the shimmering surface of the water, where a small boat drifted, leaving white ripples in its wake…

Then the boat flipped over.

Shi Shen’s hand holding the tripod trembled, and he instinctively flipped the camera to selfie mode.

Although he couldn’t see the exact features of the people on the boat from his position, he could make out the color of their clothes. They looked very much like the uniforms worn by the show’s crew.

Shi Shen couldn’t help but feel worried. The lake looked quite deep, and if the people on board couldn’t swim, they would be in grave danger.

He wanted to call the crew members back in the village so they could send help immediately.

Since his own phone was currently being used for the livestream, Shi Shen turned around, intending to borrow a phone from the staff member following him.

As soon as he turned his head, he saw the staff member standing extremely close to him with both hands outstretched, as if trying to push him off the cliff.

Shi Shen lunged to the side, narrowly dodging the pair of hands thrusting toward him.

“Did that boat just flip over?”

“Holy crap! That guy tried to kill Brother Shen!!”

“I didn’t expect to capture something so terrifying just by switching the camera! Can someone call the police?”

“Calm down, everyone… That, that doesn’t look like a person…”

Shi Shen’s reaction was pure instinct. As an action star, he had genuine martial arts training, and during the time before he became famous, he had even served as a martial arts choreographer for several film crews.

Thus, while sidestepping the attack, he subconsciously rolled behind his assailant and used a grappling move to pin the staff member from behind.

However, the moment he restrained the man, something strange happened.

Shi Shen first felt that the texture was wrong. When he let go, the staff member transformed into a tattered paper effigy².

The facial features drawn in ink on the paper had melted into a blur from years of exposure to the elements, yet the eerie upward curve of its mouth remained perfectly clear, as if it were mocking Shi Shen.

“Oh my god…”

“How did they do that living-person-to-prop trick?”

“They’re working so hard. This show’s promotion is incredible. I don’t even watch variety shows, but I’m starting to look forward to this Supernatural Variety Show.”

Shi Shen’s expression was exceptionally grim. He threw the paper effigy to the ground and looked back at the path they had come from.

As a guest on the show, he knew perfectly well that this “transformation” wasn’t part of the production’s plan. Something had happened to that staff member… and he had a good guess as to where it had occurred.

It must have happened just now, on that stretch of mountain path where they saw the Ghost Soldiers.

He had wondered why the staff member’s stamina had suddenly become so good, allowing him to follow Shi Shen to the summit with such ease. It turned out he had been replaced.

Shi Shen was about to rush back into the forest, but after a moment’s thought, he turned back to pick up the tripod.

Livestreaming was the task the crew had assigned him for the day. Since the stream had already started, he couldn’t just abandon it.

Being highly professional, Shi Shen intended to finish his full hour before ending the broadcast.

The signal in the mountains wasn’t as good as at the summit. Even though Shi Shen had a mobile network card in his bag, the stream was still very laggy. The video feed looked like a slideshow, but despite this, the fans in the chat didn’t leave. They were all curious to see what would happen next.

The disappearance of the staff member reminded Shi Shen of a story he had heard as a child.

Shi Shen’s hometown was in Minjiang Province. When he was young, he heard that in the remote, sparsely populated mountains, there were Shanxiao that caused trouble. They liked to hide people, livestock, and objects, and they enjoyed mimicking human speech.

These prank-loving Shanxiao were known as Shibogong³.

If you heard someone calling your name in the mountains, you must never answer, because it was very likely the Shibogong speaking. Once you answered, the Shibogong would hide you away.

Therefore, when entering the mountains, one should never call out a companion’s name, but use interjections like “Hey” or “Oi” instead.

However, the Shibogong had a weakness: they were afraid of the sound of clashing metal.

Shi Shen remembered that when he was a child, if livestock or children went missing in the mountains, the village chief would lead a large group of people into the forest beating gongs to demand the Shibogong return them.

As for metal… Shi Shen looked at the tripod in his hand.

He had metal right here. Once he got back to the mountainside, he would take the tripod apart and strike it to see if he could find the missing staff member.

Returning to the mid-mountain path, before Shi Shen even had a chance to strike the tripod, he found Han Shansi lying under a tree.

He quickly set the tripod with the phone aside and ran to Han Shansi’s side to check his condition.

Fortunately, aside from having his mouth stuffed full of dirt and leaves, the staff member hadn’t suffered any injuries, which made Shi Shen breathe a sigh of relief.

To prevent Han Shansi from suffocating, Shi Shen propped him up, pried his jaw open, and slapped his back hard to clear the clumps of dirt from his mouth.

But while Shi Shen was busy checking the staff member’s condition, he didn’t notice a shadow slowly poking its head out from among the branches and leaves above him.

“Brother Shen! Ahhh, watch out above you!”

“It looks like something is about to attack them… Is it a wild beast?”

“I thought this was just a promotional stream to hype the show. Why is it so thrilling and intense? Was it always like this?”

“I’m starting to worry. This doesn’t feel like acting to me. Could Brother Shen and the others really be in danger?”

Although he couldn’t see the comments, Shi Shen noticed something was wrong.

Just as a pair of hairy hands were about to lock around his neck, Shi Shen suddenly exploded into motion. He lunged upward, grabbed the damn thing, and used a shoulder throw to slam it directly off the tree.

After the creature hit the ground, both the fans in the livestream and Shi Shen finally saw it clearly. It was a creature covered in long hair, looking somewhat like a baboon.

Calling it a baboon wasn’t quite right, as its height and build made it look human, yet no human possessed such thick, floor-length hair.

Its flat face was completely covered by thick black sludge and facial hair, making it impossible to distinguish its specific features. Furthermore, this thing had only one foot… it wasn’t a disability; it was simply born with only one leg. From the way it had tumbled to the ground, Shi Shen could clearly see the structure of its limb.

[What on earth is that? A wild man? Is Brother Shen live-streaming from Shennongjia⁴?]

[Brother Shen captured the village when he was filming the scenery earlier, and based on the terrain, this doesn’t look like Shennongjia.]

[I swear on the primatology thesis I just finished writing that this thing is not any known species of cercopithecid.]

[I have an unrefined guess. The “Tang Yun” records: “The Shanxiao is a one-footed ghost that hails from Tingzhou.” I think this thing might be a Shanxiao… I didn’t expect such monsters to actually exist in this world.]

Although the bullet chat was discussing it with heated intensity, Shi Shen was in no mood to research what species this fellow belonged to.

This was because the long-haired monster quickly scrambled up from the ground and charged at him.

Han Shansi slowly woke up to the sound of a fierce struggle.

Upon opening his eyes, a surreal scene greeted him – Shi Shen was pinning a hideous, long-haired monster to the ground and pummeling it.

Han Shansi rubbed his eyes vigorously.

The monster was utterly powerless under Shi Shen’s iron fists. It howled as Shi Shen beat it, looking very much like a wailing, oversized punching bag.

Han Shansi finally understood why the Producer had insisted on “combat ability” as a requirement when selecting guests for the live stream.

Being able to fight was truly important. Fortunately, Shi Shen was a formidable fighter; otherwise, the two of them might have perished here in the mountains.

…He hadn’t expected such terrifying monsters to exist in the mountains near the village. This ghostly village was truly fraught with danger at every turn.

Han Shansi glanced at the phone that was still live-streaming, silently crawled to his feet, and adjusted the tripod to give Shi Shen the best possible filming angle.

This live-stream warm-up should be considered a great success. The bullet chat was lively, and the fans were all extremely interested in their variety show.

People in the bullet chat were already starting to ask if the theme of this supernatural variety show was “Kung Fu Superstar vs. King Kong.”

…Whatever. In any case, the live-stream’s popularity had soared, and he could now report back to his superiors.

**

While Shi Shen was out hiking and live-streaming, the staff from the editing team also began to take action.

There was no helping it; the material provided by the photography team was far too sparse, yet the Producer wanted them to cut ten rough trailers… even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. Even if they wanted to slap together a few clips just to get by, they still needed raw footage to work with.

So, the editing team sent one person to carry the equipment and head into the village to film alongside the photography team.

Because the staff members who had stayed in the village had all mysteriously lost several days of memory, and there was no footage at all in the cameras, the entire production crew – except for the celebrity guests – was working themselves to the bone to catch up with the schedule.

Accompanying the person from the editing team were two people from the photography team. The three of them unanimously agreed to go film by the lake.

The combination of lake and mountain scenery made for easy shots. If they wanted beautiful scenery, the lake and mountains were stunning no matter how they were framed; if they wanted a horror vibe, they could just change the angle. Whether it was the pitch-black mountains or underwater photography, the resulting footage would be very oppressive.

Since a later segment of the variety show involved worshipping the Water God, the crew had brought diving equipment. One of the three happened to know how to row, and there was a small boat moored by the lake. It could be said that everything was ready; even the heavens were looking down on them.

Xiao Wang from the editing team was still a bit uneasy. After all, the surrounding network of waterways was too complex. Even though someone knew how to row, he was still afraid they might accidentally be swept into some unfamiliar channel by the current.

To be safe, Xiao Wang specifically borrowed a climbing rope from the props department. He tied one end to a wooden stake at the ferry crossing and the other to the bow of their boat.

Regardless, they were only there to film some scenery and didn’t need to go far from the shore. A hundred-meter climbing rope was more than enough for them.

After taking a few photos of the ancestral hall on the shore, the three of them changed into their wetsuits. Then they put their jackets back on, fitted the filming equipment with waterproof cases, and rowed the boat toward the center of the lake.

At the foot of the mountain on the other side of the lake, Xie Sui had just finished negotiating the matter of sending off the ghosts with the Ghost Soldiers, watching as they led those innocent souls away.

Then, after the Ghost Soldiers and the white mist dissipated together, he saw three staff members rowing a boat into the middle of the lake.

Given: There was a man-eating evil god “Wuzhiqi” in the village. This Wuzhiqi was also known as the “Water God.” And there was only one place in the village with water.

Question: What was at the bottom of the lake?

It certainly wasn’t SpongeBob’s pineapple house.

Xie Sui pressed a hand to his forehead in exasperation.

He had cleared out all the Evil Cultivators and guests in the village, leaving only “Wuzhiqi” and the “Golden Mother of the Jade Pool” as unknowns for the time being, and then those staff members had accurately pinpointed this exact lake.

He was truly fed up with these staff members. With so many places in the village to film, why did they have to come to the lake… and didn’t they find it strange that there was an exquisite ancestral hall by the ferry that looked completely different from the rest of the village’s architecture?

The misfortune hovering over those staff members’ heads hadn’t even cleared yet. Xie Sui was truly afraid that when they reached the center of the lake, a “Water God” would suddenly leap out and drag them under.

Just as the thought occurred to him, in the next moment, the boat in the center of the lake capsized.

The process of the people and the boat disappearing was incredibly swift. In the blink of an eye, only a few bubbles remained on the surface of the lake.

Seeing this, Xie Sui didn’t even have time to take off his clothes. He charged straight to the lakeside and dove into the water.

Until the foul things in this village were completely cleaned up, he couldn’t let the production crew out of his sight again. Otherwise, there was no telling what else they would get themselves into.

Translator’s Notes