Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One: The Blood Moon Hangs in the Sky

Because our group was too large and difficult to coordinate, we arrived at the riverbank early. As we waited, the people following Old Liu and Tang Renjie gradually gathered. Eventually, Chen Dongfang, Li Qing, and the mysterious "A" also appeared. Watching "A" and Chen Dongfang, I couldn't help but admire their composure. The "Demon King" who had been causing chaos was, in all likelihood, in the hands of Chen Shitou and was to be sacrificed to the River God tonight. Chen Dongfang was one thing, but that girl was "A's" own daughter—how could he remain so calm? Was he that confident in Fatty, or was it that even the enigmatic "A" could not control his own child?

"A" and his companions greeted Fatty and me from afar. Later, Old Liu’s men brought chairs for the three of them. Finally, "A," Chen Dongfang, and these other true "big shots" ended up sitting together. Watching them, so calm and collected as if they were merely spectators, I felt a sudden, ominous foreboding. Birds of a feather flock together; they belonged to the same social stratum. To them, we were perhaps not worth a second thought. The treasures within the Twelve Ghost Caves were enough to stir the nerves of countless people and drive us to fight, but were they just here to watch the show?

After all, fair competition requires equal strength.

Fatty looked at me. After spending so much time together, we had developed an unspoken understanding. He walked over, handed me a cigarette, and we both lit up, silently watching "A," Old Liu, and the others sitting across from us. Fatty said, "You really don't need to belittle yourself. Putting aside your grandfather’s strength—he is a practitioner of the Ghost Path and the local City God, which shows he is a core figure even within that tradition. Didn't you hear 'A' say that when your father stirred up public anger years ago, they could only force your grandfather to execute family justice according to Ghost Path rules? They are actually quite wary of the Ghost Path. And your older brother—he is not just a martial artist. If I’m not mistaken, the Sun family he was adopted into is also a very mysterious lineage. You haven't dealt with people at that level, but once you reach their height, while there is great power, everyone has their own strengths and fears more things. No one is truly stronger than anyone else. In the end, everyone has only one life; who is really afraid of whom?"

"Is the Ghost Path really that powerful?" I asked, looking at Fatty. He had always spoken highly of it, but I had never asked for details, only knowing that its successors were rare.

"Powerful, extremely powerful. Ye, once you light your sky lantern and can access more, I will tell you about that history, and you will understand just how terrifying the Ghost Path is," Fatty said.

"More than your sect?" I asked on a whim.

"We were evenly matched in the past, but in the face of the greatest changes in five thousand years, my sect made one wrong move. If it weren't for the many secrets held by the Ghost Path, they would undoubtedly be the undisputed leaders of Taoism in the world today," Fatty replied.

Feeling a surge of excitement, I said, "Since it’s still early, why don't you give me a rough summary?"

"You've seen the ancient temples in the mountains, and you’ve heard Chen Dongfang talk about how the Ghost Path beheaded the gods in Shennongjia. You could say the Ghost Path stands in opposition to the gods. Throughout history, dynasties have either favored Taoism or Buddhism, and eventually, the two became almost indistinguishable. Emperors always revered the gods. Think about it: which emperor wouldn't revere the gods of the world to maintain their own supreme status? Who would dare not only to disrespect them but to actually seek to eradicate all the gods and Buddhas of the world?" Fatty said.

Stupid as I might be, I was still a college student. Fatty’s words suddenly clicked. My blood boiled with the realization. I looked at Fatty and asked, "The campaign to destroy the Four Olds?"

"Shh! Don't say too much. Do you understand now?" Fatty said, looking at me mysteriously.

I nodded, not daring to say more, but my heart was uncontrollably stirred. The Ghost Path looked down upon the gods, wearing shackles, beheading them—and that historical movement to strike down all demons and monsters was so similar to the ways of the Ghost Path. Without Fatty’s guidance, I never would have made that connection. If that were true, his high regard for the Ghost Path was well-founded. One only had to think carefully to understand what this implied.

Fatty’s words had a profound impact on me, restoring the confidence I had been losing. With such a powerful Ghost Path, my father being a practitioner, and my grandfather being a core figure, we truly had enough to compete fairly with Old Liu or even "A."

Unknowingly, I had already forgiven my grandfather. Even without his explanation, I understood his hidden difficulties. Perhaps this is the feeling that blood is thicker than water.

We sat quietly. Unlike the stiff, silent henchmen of Old Liu and Tang Renjie, the villagers on our side were lively. Some of the spirited older women were even bored enough to play music and dance the square dance, which helped me relax. I didn't tell them how dangerous tonight would be; for them, ignorance was bliss. My gaze, however, kept darting between two places: the direction of Chen Shitou’s house in the village and my brother’s home in Sanlitun.

From start to finish, neither Chen Shitou nor my brother, the two key figures of the night, had appeared.

***

We waited until nearly midnight. The moon was directly overhead. Fatty told the older women to return home; women are associated with *yin*, and since we were dealing with a Corpse King in the water—which grows stronger when meeting *yin*—they needed to avoid the area. Once they were gone, Fatty placed two fire basins within the Innate Bagua formation formed by the forty-nine men. The basins were filled with firewood and charcoal, then doused with lard. They were placed exactly at the *yin* and *yang* eye positions of the formation.

Midnight arrived.

Chen Shitou and his three children finally emerged from the village entrance.

Chen Shitou was dressed in black. He walked silently in front, followed by his children carrying a wooden raft covered in flowers and offerings. In the center of the flowers lay a girl dressed in fine silk and satin. She lay there so peacefully; if not for my encounter with her at the hotel, I might have truly believed she was just a quiet girl.

"A" stood up at that moment, squinting at Chen Shitou’s direction but making no move to stop him. Chen Shitou and his children placed the raft by the water’s edge. Once there, Chen Shitou knelt first, followed by his children. He then drew a knife, slashed his palm, and let his blood drip into the water. He pressed his head deeply into the dirt and cried out, "Master, your most loyal servant awaits your rebirth."

Fatty checked his watch, then looked at the sky.

In truth, everyone was looking at the moon. Above us, a black line was quietly devouring it.

"I knew it wouldn't be that simple. A heavenly dog eating the moon—the *yin* energy will double! Once every sixty years, just as predicted! Where the hell is Sun Zhongmou?!" Fatty cursed under his breath.

Just then, using the moonlight, I saw a black line darting rapidly through the water in the direction of the Twelve Ghost Caves.

The previously calm Luo River began to ripple. One wave followed another, growing larger and larger until they became giant swells. As the waves churned, the water level of the entire Luo River seemed to be dropping rapidly!

The river was surging with massive waves, yet we on the bank couldn't feel a single trace of wind!

Was this the legendary "waves rising without wind"?!

Fatty waved his hand and shouted, "The time has come! Light the fires! Raise the talismans!"

Chen Qingshan and I took torches to the two basins and ignited them. Thanks to the lard, the fire flared up ferociously. At the same time, the forty-nine able-bodied men raised the talismans Fatty had distributed. Suddenly, the talismans glowed, and the firelight shot out. Around us, a radiant Taiji diagram had truly been formed!

In the sky, the heavenly dog ate the moon. On the ground, a Taiji diagram shone. In the water, waves surged as the water level receded.

When the moon finally disappeared completely, I saw by the firelight that Chen Shitou and his children had pushed the raft into the water. The currents caught the raft, pulling it straight toward the Twelve Ghost Caves.

I couldn't help but worry for the girl. She was still feigning sleep—was this girl truly not afraid of death? If it were Han Xue, she would have been scared senseless by now.

"What is Sun Zhongmou playing at?! Fatty Yin, why hasn't he shown up?!" Fatty cursed, throwing out four talismans. The four divine beasts I had seen before—the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise—appeared above him once more.

At that moment, the people on Old Liu’s side fired a flare, followed by several more. These flares illuminated the area of the Twelve Ghost Caves as if it were broad daylight.

And because of those flares, I saw the scene Chen Dongfang had once described to me.

Walking corpses.

Countless corpses were emerging from the openings of the Twelve Ghost Caves.

They walked in the water like people, slowly emerging onto the surface. There were countless bodies; many had drowned in the caves since ancient times, and with the massacres during the Japanese occupation, the number was unfathomable. Behind them were dozens of female corpses. They were all uncorrupted, looking youthful and beautiful, dressed in white gauze as if dancing in the water.

The scene was a living hell.

In the sky, after the eclipse, the moon began to reappear. But the moon that emerged was changed.

It had turned blood-red.

Before long, a blood-red moon stood in the sky. The whole world seemed to be turning into a crimson hue.

The water level had now dropped to the level of the Twelve Ghost Caves. I had lived my whole life, yet I had never seen the Luo River recede to such a degree. It was then that I discovered a massive altar in front of the caves.

As the altar was revealed, the floating corpses in the water began to walk toward the shore.

"Where is Sun Zhongmou?!" Fatty yelled again.

Another flare was fired.

This time, I saw the silhouette of my brother, Sun Zhongmou, walking toward the altar.

On his back, he carried a massive drum.

A red drum.

He supported the drum with one hand and beat it with the other.

As the drum sounded, the heavens and earth changed color.