Volume Two: The Secret Burial in the Cliff Valley — Chapter 125: Revisiting Old Haunts

Because Qin Wuyu referred to himself as Master Nanliu, the villagers later renamed Nanyang Hollow to Nanliu Village to commemorate his achievements.

Ma Su finished recounting this and concluded, "That is the origin of Nanliu Village."

Liang Yue and I had been listening intently, eagerly waiting to hear what happened next. To our surprise, Ma Su brought his story to an abrupt halt, leaving us feeling rather unsatisfied. However, Ma Su insisted that this was all the information recorded on the stone tablet.

I nodded, thinking to myself that while the origin of Nanliu Village made for a nice story, it didn't seem to have any direct connection to the village's uncanny nature.

I stood on my tiptoes to look ahead. It seemed we had reached the end of the tall, wild grass. In previous attempts, we had always been met with sheer stone walls, but this time, things felt different. We trekked through the grass and finally arrived at a passageway. It was hardly a proper path—just a stretch of rubble with a half-meter-wide trail winding through the middle.

Even so, this change filled us with excitement; it suggested we might have finally found the entrance to the cliff valley. I looked up; the sun had risen, and its warmth on my skin was comforting, easing much of the fear I had harbored about the valley. Yet, I knew well that sunlight can mask many things, but masking is not the same as non-existence. These hidden dangers could be far more perilous than any overt threat.

Still, one must venture into the tiger's den to catch the cub. My third uncle was still missing without a trace, and even Old Tantou had vanished after entering. I was certain they hadn't disappeared for no reason. Especially in Old Tantou’s case—he hadn't emerged from the valley at the agreed-upon time, which meant he had almost certainly met with disaster.

We left the wild grass behind, and Ma Su left a distinct mark on the ground to indicate the way back. We followed the path inward, passing piles of stones scattered irregularly, varying in size and shape. Liang Yue and I led the way, observing our surroundings.

Everything was deathly silent. Aside from our own footsteps, there was no sound at all. It was strange; despite the lush vegetation, which should have been teeming with birdlife, the area was as eerily quiet as the forest outside.

Knowing Ma Su was an expert in the biological sciences, I asked as we walked, "Old Ma, do you think the cliff burials have affected the ecosystem so severely that no small animals can survive here?"

I waited for a long time, but Ma Su didn't answer. I realized that the sound of his footsteps behind me had also ceased.

I turned around in a panic, fearing that something had gone wrong. I found Ma Su trailing behind, his pace slowed to a crawl. He was looking around with a suspicious expression, as if searching for something.

"Old Ma, what are you looking for?" I hurried to ask.

Ma Su caught up with a few quick strides and said, "Li Yang, I’ve discovered... this place... could it really be..."

His words were cryptic and confusing. Liang Yue raised her voice, "Come on, Old Ma, just say it. Why are you being so hesitant?"

Ma Su gestured to the surroundings. "I’m not certain yet, but I feel like I’ve been here before..."

"You’ve been here? When?" Liang Yue asked.

Ma Su shook his head. "I’m not sure. Let’s keep going and see."

His reaction left me feeling dazed, but we continued forward for a short distance. Ma Su kept scanning the area until we reached a section of a low, half-collapsed wall. At the sight of it, he suddenly shouted, "I remember! This is the place! This is it!"

"Old Ma, you really have been here? Where is this?"

Ma Su stared at me. "Do you remember me telling you that our research team once came to Mount Niuyang?"

I nodded, saying I remembered. Ma Su pointed at the ground beneath our feet. "This is the abandoned village I told you about."

"What?" Hearing him, the story he had once shared with me flashed through my mind.

At that time, the four of them had spent the night in this abandoned village. In the middle of the night, a fifth person had suddenly appeared. When Ma Su went to investigate, he was knocked unconscious by his assistant, Xing Mo. Later, they discovered a creature called a "ground dragon" on Zhou Zheng and Wen Youyou. Both were injured, and after they returned, Wen Youyou lost her life, while Zhou Zheng was left a broken shell of a man.

It was because of this that Ma Su had been harboring a deep-seated knot of unresolved guilt, which was the very reason he had insisted on coming to Mount Niuyang this time. Of course, when they had come before, they hadn't known this was Nanliu Village.

I immediately realized a problem and couldn't help but ask, "That’s not right, Old Ma. If you were already here—in Nanliu Village—that contradicts what I know. From what I’ve gathered, only those with a 'Yin fate,' or those like me who are missing a 'life-lantern,' can find their way here."

Liang Yue found this curious and asked dismissively, "That sounds awfully mystical. I don't have a 'Yin fate,' and didn't I get here just fine?"

Ma Su waved his hand. "I understand now. It doesn't mean everyone has to have a Yin fate; it only requires one person in the group to have it. Without Li Yang, Liang and I could never have found this place. Then, as for our last trip... could it be that..."

I nodded. "One of the four of you last time must have had a Yin fate, which is why you were able to find this abandoned village."

Ma Su agreed, though he looked puzzled. "But who could it have been?"

"By the way, Old Ma," I said, seizing the opportunity to ask, "you mentioned that when you were camping in these mountains last time, you lit a bonfire, right? And you used flashlights while moving at night?"

Ma Su nodded. "Yes. How else could we find our way in the dark? Not having a fire at night is dangerous; it’s a standard safety measure for camping. Why? Is there a problem?"

I nodded. "There is. When I came to Mount Niuyang with Old Tantou, he told me that one must carry a special 'bone-seeking lantern' when entering the mountains. Because the lantern is made of human skin, it filters the light. Otherwise, any light will attract 'mountain ghouls,' and we would be attacked."

"Mountain ghouls? They’re here? We didn't encounter any last time," Ma Su said. He clearly knew what they were, but he was just as baffled by the issue regarding the fire and flashlights.

"Old Ma, who was in charge of leading the way when you entered the mountains last time?" Liang Yue suddenly asked.