Chapter 1: July 9, Forbidden to Approach the River

As dawn broke, Xu Yuan rose, pulled on his loose, tattered coarse linen tunic, and before stepping out to work, glanced at the almanac:

Today was the ninth day of the seventh month, in the ninth year of Emperor Ming's Xingyou reign.

Auspicious: travel, cleaning, moving, keeping livestock.

Inauspicious: breaking ground, buying a house, digging a well.

Forbidden: Cold Food, approaching the river, traveling at night!

Xu Yuan memorized it carefully.

The first two items—auspicious and inauspicious—were merely guidelines, but the last one, forbidden, if violated, could cost you your life!

These taboos ran deep in every subject of the Ming Empire; the habit of checking the almanac upon waking was etched into their bones.

"Forbidden to eat Cold Food means no raw or cold food—you must go into the mountains to chop firewood."

"Forbidden to approach the river means no getting near any mountain stream or creek."

"Pity—I can't go to Mei Yue Pond today to sneak a peek at those two water ghost sisters bathing," Xu Yuan sighed, nodding in approval: "The scholar-official was right—lust carries a knife above its head."

Xu Yuan was a menial at the inn's back courtyard; after rising, he did chores—brushing horses, unloading goods. After breakfast, he prepared to enter the mountains to chop wood.

Someone of his station ate only two meals a day.

He slung his axe over his waist rope and tossed a bundle of coarse hemp cord over his shoulder, ready to leave, when three figures suddenly turned from the front courtyard.

The boy in front was the apprentice of Accountant Mr. Liu, wearing a white vest and a black gauze wrap tied over his hair knot.

He spotted Xu Yuan and raised his hand: "Hey!"—then forgot Xu Yuan's name, so he blurted: "These two merchants are heading to Wangxiang Village to collect mountain goods; you can guide them along the way."

The two merchants, both around thirty, were sturdy; the taller one had a full beard and a missing segment of his left pinky.

The shorter, stockier one had mismatched eyes but kept a constant smile, seeming easygoing.

The burly man spoke bluntly: "Get us there, and you won't go unrewarded."

Xu Yuan stood blocking the gate, unmoving: "Merchants, some things must be settled before we go—it's not about the reward."

The mismatched-eyed man nodded: "We know the rules—we'll follow your lead in the mountains. If we disobey and attract something, you flee alone—don't let us drag you down."

Xu Yuan gave a thumbs-up, then turned and stepped out: "You two know the ropes—follow me."

Ghost Wushan teemed with malevolent spirits, its oddities endless.

Yet Ghost Wushan also held treasures worth more than gold, drawing merchants to collect them; Xu Yuan had been here nearly half a month, and this was already his fifth group to guide inside.

The villages in the mountains were no ordinary places, especially the mountain runners within them—none would dare make a living in Ghost Wushan without skill.

Xu Yuan always delivered them to the village gate and never entered.

Half a li beyond town lay a dirt embankment, over a zhang tall; beyond it flowed a river.

The mismatched-eyed man suddenly heard a call: "Husband~"

The voice was soft and melodic, like a pale, slender hand gently scratching inside his ear.

He couldn't help turning toward the sound and saw a beautiful woman's head rising above the embankment, her eyes brimming with tender longing as she gazed at him.

"Husband~" the beauty called again, and the man instantly felt she was his destined soulmate—he unconsciously stepped toward her.

The burly man sensed something wrong and lunged to grab him, but then he too heard the tender call: "Husband~"

Another woman's head emerged atop the embankment—delicate brows, almond eyes, a tiny oval face, skin as Bai Xi, radiating a fragile, pitiable charm—every feature perfectly matched the burly man's taste.

The burly man forgot everything, unconsciously reaching toward her: "Miss, have you encountered some trouble…?"

Two rope nooses flew through the air, snapping precisely around their necks and yanking them back.

Both snapped awake, their spines icy: "What kind of aberration is this?"

Xu Yuan had already stuffed his ears with rags and gestured for them to do the same.

Once their ears were blocked, the soul-stealing "Husband~" calls vanished.

The two beautiful heads atop the embankment flew into rage, their faces twisting into monstrous snarls, baring rows of fangs, shrieking: "Damned brats, you keep ruining our fun!"

A rustling sound rose from the embankment, and a row of beautiful female heads emerged in perfect unison, packed tightly together, each screaming curses at Xu Yuan.

As they raged, they revealed behind them massive, jet-black snail shells!

Each shell stood taller than a man, from which protruded beautiful heads with sharp teeth—yet for some reason, they dared not leave the embankment.

They could only glare furiously as the three walked away, then slowly retreated behind the embankment.

Moments later, another merchant party passed by—and again, the soft, alluring call: "Husband~"

…

Xu Yuan walked as he spoke: "That place is called 'Beauty Embankment.' It was built to separate the river—otherwise, on Forbidden-to-Approach-the-River days, the consequences would be dire. But a group of malevolent spirits took it over."

The mismatched-eyed man asked: "What if we'd walked over?"

"You'd have lived beautifully—the Tian Luo girls would build you a house—yes, dig a hole right into the embankment, though what you'd see would be a grand, spacious tiled mansion."

"Then they'd cook you delicious meals every day—yes, all made from mud they dug from the riverbed."

"That mud would ensure you feel no pain as they eat you bit by bit—you're strong, your flesh firm—enough to last them… ten days."

Both felt a chill crawl up their necks—Ghost Wushan was truly monstrous; even at its foot lurked such terrifying abominations!

They couldn't help internally grumbling: Was "firm flesh" even a compliment?

The mismatched-eyed man suddenly remembered: "In Huguang Province, there's a tale of a Tian Luo girl marrying a farmer, cooking and building a home for her husband…"

Xu Yuan smirked downward: "She's skilled, brings property, and offers herself for free? What's her motive?"

Both shook their heads, deeply convinced.

They walked further, and ahead, a large mound of earth rose, beneath which curled a colorful, patchy thing.

Xu Yuan said: "That's the Hat Tomb."

The massive grave, seen from afar, resembled a short, thick mushroom.

"Legend says it's the tomb of a princess from the previous dynasty; because it's in Ghost Wushan, no one dares rob it."

As they drew near, the two merchants clearly saw:

An old woman wore a patchwork robe of many colors, her face caked with chalk-white powder like a layer of plaster, and sat hunched on a bamboo-backed chair, smoking a brass pipe.

The chair was small, the woman fat; it groaned under her weight but stubbornly refused to break.

Having learned from the experience at Beauty Dam, both men dared not move.

Xu Yuan whispered: "That's the Corpse Hag. I know all the local anomalies—don't speak, I'll handle this."

Seeing people on the road, the hag croaked like a crow: "Does His Majesty look beautiful?"

If a burly man came alone, he'd curse: "You're ugly enough to make someone sick," and the hag would fly into a rage: "Your eyes can't tell beauty from ugliness—better off without them!" Then she'd pluck out his eyes.

If a one-eyed man came alone, he might sense the trap and reply: "Beautiful—exquisitely lovely," and the hag would sneer: "Your tongue only lies—keeping it only harms others!" Then she'd rip out his tongue.

The correct response is…

Xu Yuan took off his worn straw sandal and said to the hag: "Does it look like your tongue when you were hanged?"

The hag, furious yet uneasy, protested: "His Majesty was not strangled with white silk!"

"You've forgotten. Go check the records."

The hag would grumble and shuffle back into the great tomb to consult the scrolls, determined to find out exactly how she died.

"It's you, little brat, who's mistaken!"

"Your brain can't even remember things—once I've checked, I'll dig it out and eat it!"

Xu Yuan slipped his sandals back on, waved to the two merchants, and signaled: Stay silent, move fast!

After passing the Hat Tomb, they slipped through several more perilous places, and Xu Yuan exhaled: "We're close to Wangxiang Village."

One-eyed grinned in praise: "We owe it all to you, young sir."

He grinned with his mouth wide open, and when he did, his one eye slanted sideways, giving the impression he was squinting at you.

He spoke only thanks, yet never mentioned payment.

Xu Yuan: "Everyone in the towns around here knows how to get through these outer zones—but it depends on the day. For example, the Corpse Hag—if today bans 'turning corpses' or 'calling souls,' she becomes utterly murderous, eating anything she sees, and no one escapes. That path becomes impassable."

One-eyed ventured again: "We'd like to hire you to take us deeper. The price is negotiable."

Xu Yuan shook his head again: "I can only take you this far. To go deeper, you need one of the old mountain-runners from the village. No one else works—even skilled cultivators who come in get trapped."

"Then we'll settle for you getting us to Wangxiang Village."

The two merchants felt disappointed: killing this boy and harvesting his soul would only guarantee safe passage through Ghost Wushan's outer zones—deeper still, they'd have to find those old mountain-runners.

Those old foxes were hard to deal with, unlike this fool of a boy, easy to outwit.

New book launch—thank you, esteemed readers, for your support!

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(End of Chapter)