Chapter 533: Chu Ren Mei

They slowed their pace to keep distance from the village; at their current speed, if they went all out, they could reach it in just a dozen breaths.

But instinctively, Lin An chose to slow his pace.

"Go on..."

"The old corpse of the deserted village— that name rings a bell, but Lin An was certain he hadn't seen it."

He had joined the army long ago.

As a child, due to family circumstances, he had little time for entertainment.

His voice was very soft.

The mountain village hidden in the night far away looked like a straight scroll painting.

Zhang Tie scratched his head, walking to his right:

"Lin Dui, I watched that film when I was very young."

"It's an old film; it's normal you haven't heard of it—I found it rummaging through trash piles with friends when I was a kid."

Gathering his thoughts, Xiong Hanzi's eyes showed recollection as he spoke carefully:

"At the start of that movie, it seemed like a few people were courting death, playing some spirit-summoning ritual— pretty much like planchette."

"Then one of them got haunted by a ghost, and the male lead wanted to save him, so he ran to a village."

"At first they couldn't see the ghost—or something like that—and needed to drink the river's water to see it."

"Anyway, after the protagonist drank the water, the village elders told him to take a bracelet into the river and put it on the female ghost to appease her resentment."

"In the end he went into the water, but it seemed unsuccessful."

In his recollection, Xiong Hanzi was clearly a bit afraid.

Especially in the current scene, it stirred up the shadow of his childhood.

He swallowed, shrank his neck, looked left and right, and added softly:

"In the end, everyone died."

"I don't exactly remember what happened, but that's basically how it went."

"When I watched it as a kid, I always covered my eyes and curled up, watching in fits and starts..."

Lin An glanced, somewhat surprised, at the tall and mighty Zhang Tie; he hadn't expected the fearsome-looking Xiong Hanzi to actually have little courage.

Before, when facing zombies and mutants, he had never seemed afraid...

What Xiong Hanzi recounted of the plot was hardly worth saying.

The key information amounted to only two points.

Water, bracelet.

Seeing Lin An's somewhat surprised expression, Zhang Tie gave a dry laugh:

"Lin Dui, I damn well aren't afraid of real monsters—I just hate all that hocus‑pocus nonsense about ghosts and spirits."

"Saying this doesn't fear your ridicule, but actually I'm a bit uneasy even when I usually see Mo Ling..."

"As for that film, there are a few scenes... I remember them especially vividly."

Xiong Hanzi spoke while tightening his grip on the new equipment shield on his right hand, and went on in detail:

"One is a scene in the movie where the protagonist's friends go to a bar to play."

"But when they turned around, they suddenly saw the female ghost clinging to his friend's back."

"That face was like a white sheet with three holes poked in it—the blackness in the mouth, eyes, and nostrils seemed capable of sucking your soul away."

"Damn, when I saw that scene back then, I nearly pissed myself."

"That female ghost, I recall, was called Chu Ren Mei..."

Lin An froze upon hearing that, not knowing why.

He suddenly recalled the blackness he had felt upon entering the instance.

Seeing Lin An's reaction, Xiong Hanzi continued speaking softly:

"Another scene shows a line of people queuing at the river bottom, each person's hand resting on the shoulder of the one ahead."

"While the protagonist was engrossed in watching, he noticed someone in the line suddenly turn their head."

"Good grief, the dead person queuing in the line was himself!"

"And in the final scene, an arm suddenly reaches out from the river, swaying gently like a reed..."

"Even after it ended, that thing wasn't dead! In the end it seemed to wrap around an eyeball‑sized creature, perching on his head."

By the time he said that, Zhang Tie felt a lingering fear.

He could hardly forget that film he watched as a child, especially the Cantonese ditty that often played in the movie.

It was mournful and lingering, like an opera singer slowly grinding into your bones.

"Pa-da-"

Gravel crushed underfoot.

Footsteps stopped.

Seeing him suddenly stop, Xiong Hanzi's heart tightened involuntarily:

"Lin Dui?!"

"What's wrong?!"

Lin An's eyes showed thought as he abruptly turned to look behind him at the woods, his gaze solemn:

"You mean the female ghost Chu Ren Mei from the film is in the river?"

"What are its characteristics?"

Xiong Hanzi mentioned the river repeatedly, which inevitably reminded him of a scene he had encountered upon first entering the instance.

A damp arm, icy cold to the bone.

The humid water vapor, and the white shadow glimpsed in an instant.

Putting the conditions together, it's exactly like the woman Xiong Hanzi spoke of...

A beautiful woman from Chu.

Feeling uneasy in his heart, Zhang Tie followed him in turning around, nervously looking toward the forest.

"Blue clothing."

"The Chu beauty wears blue clothing, her whole body deathly pale, like rotting soaked meat."

"Wherever she goes, water appears."

"I remember seeing a clip of the Chu beauty before her death in a movie."

"Her body was smashed by someone, so she walks very stiffly."

Nothing unusual.

Under the gaze of the two, the forest behind them rustled in the wind.

Blue clothing?

Lin An frowned slightly, turning back.

No.

The thing I just encountered...

It was clearly white.

He was certain, there was no sign of blue at all.

There was water... deathly pale skin... dying resentment.

But the characteristics don't match.

Combining the secret realm map name: Desolate Village Old Corpse.

The name also isn't quite like the horror movie Xiong Hanzi mentioned.

That seems to be merely a similarity in some aspect.

Setting aside his doubts, Lin An didn't think further.

Just go to the village to gather some information; comparing notes, we'll roughly know whether it's that thing.

Moreover, there's no mandatory mission requirement; I don't have to confront 'her'.

The white shadow was repelled by my slash, showing this thing can be attacked.

It's just that the effect isn't good.

Seeing he wasn't speaking, Zhang Tie hurriedly turned and kept pace with him.

Under the night, the two cautiously headed straight for the village; in the faint sky light, two long shadows trailed behind them.

On the muddy ground, two rows of equally deep footprints sank in.

Behind Lin An, a drop of water rolled from the blue scabbard onto the ground and shattered.