Chapter 38

Chapter 38

"There's a cave here, of all places…"

Lin Xingshu looked around, a little taken aback.

The young man, Xie Guan, had led him into a deep, secluded cave. The path ahead was uneven and pitch-black, with stalactites dripping water from the ceiling.

"Yes, we know this area well. Sometimes, when we're out gathering mushrooms and the weather turns bad, we'll take temporary shelter in spots like this nearby."

Xie Guan settled down, expertly pulling out his fire-starting tools. He gathered some dry weeds and slightly damp wood from around them, and soon, a bonfire was crackling merrily.

Lin Xingshu switched on his phone's flashlight and shone it deeper into the cave, faintly discerning traces of past human habitation.

"People used to live in there?"

Xie Guan, busy with his task, didn't even lift his head. "Our ancestors lived here a long, long time ago. That's an old site, from many years back."

Xie Guan's words piqued Lin Xingshu's curiosity. Holding the flashlight, he cautiously walked further into the cave, his footsteps echoing distinctly in the quiet.

The deeper he went, the stronger the damp, decaying smell became. Lin Xingshu quickly covered his nose and mouth.

The dim light swept across the narrow, cramped cave. Indeed, just as Xie Guan had said, there were clear signs of human presence: the ground was littered with rusty blades and scattered pottery shards, their painted patterns clearly indicating their ancient origins.

Lin Xingshu fumbled for his camera, ready to take a picture. As he stepped back, his foot landed with a sharp *snap*, like breaking a dry twig. The crisp sound resonated clearly in the empty space.

Lin Xingshu froze, slowly lowering his gaze. When he saw what was beneath his foot, his breath hitched, his eyes widening in disbelief as he recoiled several steps.

Beneath his foot was a bleached-white bone… very much resembling a human shinbone.

It must… it must just be an animal bone, right? He thought… He really needed to leave this place.

Lin Xingshu turned to leave, but no sooner had he taken a step than another brittle *crack* sounded from underfoot. His breath trembling, he looked down, his pupils instantly contracting.

At that moment, a white skull lay crushed beneath his foot, broken in two by his weight. The scythe embedded in its crown had also snapped from the pressure.

Not only that, but human bones were scattered around the skull, forming a circle around him. Lin Xingshu could no longer control himself and let out a startled cry. He spun around to run but tripped over something, falling hard onto the ground. His pale arm was gashed by sharp stones.

"What’s wrong?! Lin Xingshu! Are you alright—?!"

A flurry of frantic footsteps approached, and a flickering light drew near. Xie Guan ran towards him, silhouetted against the glow, his handsome face etched with worry. The moment he saw the bloodstain on Lin Xingshu's arm, his expression changed abruptly. He darted over like a gust of wind, gently helping Lin Xingshu to his feet.

"How did you fall? Does it hurt? Quick, let me see…"

"I-I’m fine…"

Xie Guan carefully lifted his arm, his brows furrowed, a flicker of self-reproach in his dark eyes. He bit his lip and murmured softly, "It's all my fault…"

"How could it be your fault? Don't say that… I'm really fine!"

Lin Xingshu managed a strained smile, slowly rising with Xie Guan's support. He glanced back at the ground and realized that what had tripped him was a small clay figurine.

The figurine was now shattered into pieces, its face painted to resemble a human male—a face that bore an uncanny resemblance to Xie Guan.

"Let's go. We shouldn't linger here."

Xie Guan put an arm around his shoulder, guiding him away. Lin Xingshu looked back at the cave one last time, and a shiver ran down his spine as his gaze fell upon the scattered bones on the ground.

"Xie Guan," he tugged at the sleeve of the person beside him, asking cautiously, "Why were there so many human bones in that cave? And I accidentally stepped on them… What do we do…?"

"Ah, you mean that."

Xie Guan's tone was calm, his dark eyes fixed straight ahead, utterly devoid of emotion.

"That place was originally used for sacrifices. You must have heard Liu Rong talk about the history of Xiushan Village, right?"

"I've heard. They say a century ago, there was a plague that left the people in misery. Later, they supposedly used some kind of scarecrow to ward off the disaster."

"That's not the truth."

Lin Xingshu froze, taking a moment to process. "What did you say?"

Xie Guan suddenly chuckled, tilting his head to look at Lin Xingshu, his dark eyes brimming with amusement.

"People have always preferred to cover the truth with false stories. How could a mere scarecrow deceive the heavens?"

"A hundred years ago, Xiushan Village did suffer a plague. The villagers, desperate, turned to the local magistrate for help. That magistrate had no particular talents—except for his mastery of dark arts. So, he used those arts to select a seventeen-year-old child from the village and offered them as a sacrifice to the heavens."

Xie Guan’s smile deepened, the corners of his mouth curving upwards as if recounting a particularly delightful tale. His arm around Lin Xingshu’s shoulders tightened even more. Lin Xingshu swallowed hard and cautiously asked, "And then?"

Instead of answering, Xie Guan countered, "Do you know whose bones those are in the cave?"

Lin Xingshu opened his mouth, stammering, "I-I don't know…"

"They belong to that poor child."

"To bear the suffering for the villagers, the magistrate ordered the people to strip the child’s flesh from their bones, carving the body into hundreds of pieces. Then, they dripped their own blood from between their brows onto each piece before shaping them into the form of a scarecrow. To the world, they lied, claiming it was the scarecrow that saved them from disaster."

"No one knew of the child’s tragic fate. The discarded bones were left there, forgotten. Do you know? To ensure the child’s death, they even drove a blade straight through their skull."

Xie Guan spoke while smiling, but Lin Xingshu felt nothing but chills.

He had never heard a story so horrifying—one without ghosts, yet leaving him utterly terrified.

He couldn’t even imagine the agony of having a blade driven through one’s skull. Just a child, their body torn into hundreds of pieces—how cruel, how absurd…

Even worse, the villagers of Xiushan Village carried on as if nothing had happened, even worshipping the scarecrow as a deity. What did that make the child they had murdered?

Was their worship of the scarecrow truly for blessings—or to bury their unspeakable sins?

"However…"

Xie Guan suddenly spoke again, tilting his head. "They got the wrong person. The child they killed wasn’t the one chosen."

"The true chosen child was actually the only son of a local wealthy merchant. When the merchant heard his son had been selected, he bribed the magistrate with silver to spare his child, pushing an innocent one forward as the scapegoat."

"What?!"

Lin Xingshu’s face twisted in shock. The chosen one could be swapped with money? How was that possible…

"No, no."

Lin Xingshu frowned, unconsciously rubbing his chin as he mulled over the story. Slowly, he shook his head. "This story doesn’t add up."

"Oh? What’s wrong with it?" Xie Guan watched him with keen interest.

"Even if there was a plague back then, hundreds survived. With so many people, how was it only the merchant’s son who got chosen? And the merchant bribed the magistrate—I may not understand mysticism, but sacrifices are supposed to be precise. How could they just swap people like that?"

"You said earlier that the magistrate was highly skilled in dark arts. So, is it possible the plague wasn’t a natural disaster, but man-made? The goal was extortion, and that child became the sacrifice."

After a prolonged silence, Xie Guan didn't answer him directly. The two were nearing the cave's mouth, with the bonfire crackling as it burned.

"Xie Guan? Am I right?" Lin Xingshu couldn't help but ask.

Xie Guan helped him sit down by the bonfire. The firelight tinted his pale face a soft pink. Smiling, he tossed in another log.

"Perhaps. I don't know either."

Lin Xingshu felt disappointed, but Xie Guan spoke again: "However, I do know a pretty interesting theory."

He suddenly turned to look at Lin Xingshu, his slanted eyes curving into crescent moons.

"They say that souls who are brutally killed before their destined time, filled with deep resentment, might return as malevolent spirits seeking revenge."

"Drip—"

A drop of water fell into a puddle inside the cave. Everything went dead quiet, with only the crackling of the fire and the heavy breathing of the two men audible.

"Hahaha, just kidding! Look at you—your face has gone pale. Don’t worry, it’s been hundreds of years. If that child wanted revenge, they would’ve come back long ago. Why wait until now? Don’t be scared, I was just saying it for fun."

He laughed heartily, carefree and unbothered. Lin Xingshu managed a weak laugh but hunched his shoulders, slowly wrapping his arms around his body.

"Are you cold?"

Xie Guan slowly stood up and sat beside him, his eyes roaming over Lin Xingshu. Lin Xingshu froze for a moment before looking down at himself, only then realizing that his rain-soaked clothes were clinging tightly to his skin, hinting at his toned physique.

Embarrassed, Lin Xingshu instinctively gripped his damp clothes, drawing his knees up to hide his current state from Xie Guan.

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around him, resting near his collar, while another hand reached for the buttons of his shirt, slender fingers poised to undo them.

Lin Xingshu flinched violently, jerking upright. "Xie Guan, what are you doing?!"

"Taking off your clothes."

Xie Guan put on an innocent face, his hand still hovering midair. Lin Xingshu’s pale face flushed crimson as he clutched his collar tightly. "Wh-why are you taking off my clothes?"

Xie Guan chuckled softly, leisurely resting his chin on his palm as he gazed at Lin Xingshu with amusement, his dark eyes taking him in.

"Rainy day, inside a cave, taking off clothes... what do you think I’m planning to do?"