11: Chapter 11 The Acting Master Ghost

"Niu Fei, in which direction exactly is the human trafficker you mentioned?"

Niu Fei was dusting off his clothes and scratched his head upon hearing this: "I remember... it's probably on the edge of Dead Bones Marsh. Let's go there to settle down first and gather some information."

"Lead the way." "You got it!"

Niu Fei puffed out his chest and strode forward with big steps. Wu Xi followed behind, looking at his confident back, feeling a faint sense of unease in his heart.

Sure enough, in less than an hour, Niu Fei stopped.

"Um... it seems we went the wrong way."

Wu Xi sighed: "Take another path."

"Okay!" Another hour passed.

"It seems... we went wrong again."

Wu Xi took a deep breath, suppressing his anger: "Are you sure you know the way?"

"I'm sure! It's just... the roads all look about the same..."

Wu Xi rubbed his temples; this blockhead really couldn't be relied upon.

The two continued walking, and Niu Fei led them the wrong way two more times. Wu Xi couldn't be bothered to lecture him anymore, simply noting the surrounding terrain and judging the direction himself.

At noon, they finally reached a proper official road, but the scene on the road left them both silent.

Corpses lay scattered along the roadside; some were already rotting and stinking, attracting swarms of buzzing flies. Others were still alive but so emaciated they were nothing but skin and bone, with sunken eye sockets, looking like walking skeletons.

A woman sat by the roadside holding a child. The child had already ceased breathing, yet she continued to gently sway, humming an out-of-tune melody.

Wu Xi averted his gaze. Niu Fei's expression was also ugly; he lowered his head and quickened his pace.

"This world..." Niu Fei muttered, without finishing his sentence. Wu Xi didn't respond, but every time he saw such things, his heart felt stifled.

"Stop!" A violent shout came from the woods by the road.

Five men jumped out, wielding knives, spears, and clubs, surrounding the two of them.

The leader was a burly man with a Face full of flab, shirtless, with a crooked black Dragon tattooed on his chest. He looked Wu Xi and Niu Fei up and down, grinned, and revealed a mouth full of yellow teeth.

"Fat sheep! Hand over everything valuable on you, and we grandfathers will leave you a complete corpse!" The other four bandits laughed along; some tapped their palms with sticks, others ground their blades against stones with a rasping sound.

A quarter of an hour later.

"Don't, don't kill me!" The burly man's voice had changed pitch. "Spare me, heroes!" The other four bandits were already scared silly, their weapons clattering to the ground.

"I ask, you answer. Answer well, and I'll spare your lives." "Yes, yes, yes! Ask away, heroes!" "How do we get to Dead Bones Marsh?"

The burly man was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted: "Head, head northeast, follow this official road, and when you see an old crooked-neck locust tree, turn north. Walk for another half hour and you'll be there!"

Wu Xi applied a little force to his hand: "Are you sure?"

"Sure! Sure! This little one wouldn't dare lie to you!" The burly man grimaced in pain. "I used to live there; it definitely won't be wrong!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Xi recited an incantation. A mass of black mist appeared before him, churning and condensing, gradually revealing a hideous ghost head.

Its red hair was like blood, its red beard dancing wildly, but the Face had its eyes tightly shut, as if in deep sleep. A slit appeared by its mouth, sucking the souls of the four bandits into its brain; keeping these scoundrels alive would only be a menace.

Wu Xi frowned as he stared at the ghost head. He remembered the Zhong Kui summoned by the Bald Instructor in the mine was a fierce deity with open eyes.

Yet his own had its eyes closed, looking somewhat... compassionate?

"Save me..." A faint voice suddenly drilled into Wu Xi's mind.

Wu Xi looked around in confusion. By now, the ghost head had dissipated, and there was only the rustling of wind through the leaves.

"An illusion?" Wu Xi rubbed his temples and didn't think about it anymore, dusting his hands: "Old Niu, let's go. The direction shouldn't be wrong this time."

After more than half a day, the two finally reached their destination—Dead Bones Marsh.

Wu Xi stood at the edge of the marsh, brows furrowed. The scene before him was even worse than he had imagined.

The water of the Heizhuo River wound its way through here. The river water was not a normal color, but a murky black, like diluted ink or rotting blood.

Various debris floated on the water surface: rags, rotting wood, and... corpses.

The land on both banks of the river had been soaked by the river water for years, turning into a muddy marsh. In the black sludge, bubbles would occasionally surface, emitting a stench of rot as they burst.

"There are many ghosts here," Wu Xi said in a low voice, "Be careful." Niu Fei nodded, looking around nervously.

Deep in the marsh, some dilapidated shacks could be vaguely seen. Some had half-collapsed, while others were still emitting wisps of cooking smoke—though it was unclear what was being burned to produce that smoke.

Strange cries came from the distance, sounding like some kind of beast, or perhaps... human screams. Wu Xi walked forward along the edge of the marsh, his eyes scanning the shacks.

"Over there!" Niu Fei suddenly pointed ahead, "That house, I remember it!"

Wu Xi looked in the direction he pointed. At the edge of the marsh, under an old dead willow tree, a small wooden house was built.

The wooden house looked very dilapidated but was kept reasonably clean; there were even a few withered flowers planted at the entrance.

A woman was sitting at the entrance, seemingly sewing something. Wu Xi and Niu Fei exchanged a glance and walked over. Upon hearing footsteps, the woman looked up.

She looked to be in her forties, her Face haggard, with wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, but one could vaguely tell she must have had some beauty in her youth.

She wore a set of white-washed coarse cloth clothes, her hair simply tied behind her head and secured with a wooden hairpin.

Seeing Wu Xi and Niu Fei, the woman's eyes lit up. She put down her needlework, stood up, and looked at Niu Fei with a complex gaze.

"You... you still know how to return?" Her voice carried a hint of trembling and resentment, like an abandoned, aggrieved wife.

Niu Fei was stunned, opening his mouth, not knowing what to say. The woman stepped forward and grabbed Niu Fei's hand, her eyes instantly turning red.

"When I bought you, it was so you could provide for my old age and bury me! But you, you just ran off without a word! You heartless thing!"

As she spoke, tears fell, and her voice choked up, "Was I not good to you? Huh? I provided your food and clothing, treating you like my own son! You, you actually..."

Niu Fei was rendered helpless by her tearful accusation, his Face flushing red. "I, I..." "You are my own son!"

The woman suddenly raised her voice and hugged Niu Fei, crying uncontrollably. Niu Fei stood there stiffly, not knowing where to put his hands.

He looked at Wu Xi for help, but Wu Xi only slightly raised an eyebrow and didn't speak.

"Mom, Mom... I'm back." Niu Fei managed to squeeze out after a long time, his voice as small as a mosquito's buzzing. The woman cried even more sorrowfully, patting Niu Fei's back as she sobbed.

"My son, my son, you've finally returned..." Wu Xi watched this scene from the side, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. It was a pity she didn't go into acting.

After a while, the woman stopped crying and held onto Niu Fei's hand, refusing to let go.

"And this is..." She looked at Wu Xi, her eyes carrying a hint of vigilance.

"My friend, Wu Xi." Niu Fei hurriedly introduced him. The woman looked Wu Xi up and down and squeezed out a smile, though it looked somewhat stiff.

"So it's young brother Wu. Please come in, please come in, the wind is strong outside." She pulled Niu Fei into the house, and Wu Xi followed behind.

The inside of the wooden house looked more spacious than the outside and was kept very tidy. There was a wooden bed, a table, a few chairs, and a stove.

Some cured meat hung on the wall, emitting a faint, fishy smell.

"Sit, sit quickly." The woman greeted them warmly, "I'll pour you some water." She turned to busy herself at the stove, her back to the two of them.

Wu Xi's gaze swept around the room and finally landed on a pottery jar in the corner.

The pottery jar was covered with a cloth, but a corner of the cloth was lifted by the wind, revealing something pitch-black inside, looking like... some kind of powder.

"Aunt Mei," Wu Xi spoke up, "We came this time to ask for some information."

The woman turned around carrying two bowls of water, beaming: "What information? As long as Aunt Mei knows it, I will definitely tell you."

"Have you heard any news from the city recently?"

"The city is the same as always. Recently, I've only heard of three things. Something about a Tiger Demon appearing, a brawl at the Undertakers Manor, and that disaster relief grain has finally arrived."

"Right, right, right, look at my memory. You two strapping young men can just help me collect the disaster relief grain. I'll give you the entry permit."

The entry permit was something unique to Qi Prefecture City. Since the infestation of ghosts, the city had implemented strict controls.

The woman pulled a wooden tablet from her bosom. As she spoke, she dragged a small cloth bag from under the bed, from which came the sound of metal clinking.

"This is money, take it. Buy some meat, buy some vegetables, and buy a jar of good wine. Aunt Mei will cook you a good meal to welcome you."

Wu Xi took the cloth bag, "Okay, we'll go right now." He stood up, and Niu Fei stood up with him.

The woman saw them to the door, a kind smile on her Face, as if she were truly seeing off her own son.

"Be careful on the road, go and return early." "Understood, Mom." Niu Fei replied in a muffled voice.

Wu Xi walked in front, the corners of his mouth slightly lifted.

After walking some distance, Niu Fei leaned in, lowering his voice: "Wu Xi, does she... does she really want to be my mother?" Wu Xi glanced at him: "What do you think?"

Niu Fei scratched his head: "I, I don't know. She cried so sorrowfully, she should..."

Wu Xi interrupted him: "Should my foot. Can a kind-hearted, soft-hearted philanthropist be a human trafficker in this world, you big blockhead?"

"If you hadn't escaped back then, you'd probably already be cured meat hanging on her wall."

Niu Fei shuddered: "Then, then are we still coming back?" "Return, why wouldn't we?" Wu Xi smiled, "She wants to treat us to a meal, how can we not give her Face?"

Niu Fei looked confused: "Huh?" Wu Xi didn't explain, just quickened his pace.

"She wants to play, so we'll play along with her," Wu Xi said softly, "Besides, I also want to go to the city to see the situation."

Niu Fei nodded, half-understanding, and followed Wu Xi toward Luoquan City.

Wu Xi took out the entry permit Aunt Mei had shoved into his hand and waved it casually in front of the city guards, signaling that they wanted to enter the city.

Seeing that they were young men from out of town, the two guards immediately showed impatience, stepping forward to block their path.

Their tone carried a bit of bullying arrogance: "You came just in time. It's you two brats. Don't just stand there, come over and serve the porridge as a duty."