Volume Two: The Secret Burial in the Cliff Valley — Chapter 117: Dividing into Two Paths

Old Tantou was panting heavily, exhausted and covered in scrapes. The red robe he wore had been torn in several places by tree branches.

Seeing this moved me deeply; after all, he had come along to help me save people. For someone of his age to be in such a state, he was truly giving it his all.

"Are you alright, Master Tan?" I asked with concern.

Old Tantou wiped his face, smoothed out his robe, and replied, "I'm fine. These old bones haven't fallen apart yet. Quickly, keep chasing."

With that, Old Tantou mustered his remaining energy and led me in the direction the procession of corpses was heading. We didn't dare stop for a moment; I could tell that Old Tantou was also very tense.

Initially, I had been brimming with confidence, but seeing Old Tantou like this, my resolve began to waver. Fortunately, after pursuing them for a dozen minutes, we finally saw faint, shadowy figures ahead, which gave us hope and spurred us to quicken our pace.

Strangely, despite our steady speed and the fact that we had almost caught up, we found ourselves stuck at a distance of about twenty or thirty meters, unable to close the gap. The funeral procession seemed to accelerate whenever we did, once again threatening to leave us behind.

Old Tantou was drenched in sweat, his breathing becoming ragged. I, too, was gasping for air from the frantic run, but the procession showed no signs of fatigue; in fact, they seemed to be moving faster and faster.

"Master Tan, we need a plan! What should we do?" I shouted as I ran.

Old Tantou looked left and right, then waved his hand. "Don't panic. I have a way. Follow me."

Without another word, he veered off our path and ducked into the tall grass nearby.

"What are you doing? They’re right in front of us..." I yelled from behind.

"Don't speak, just follow," Old Tantou snapped.

I had no choice but to follow him into the brush. Unable to see the path ahead, I could only track his footsteps as we dashed forward. After another five or six minutes, a narrow trail appeared, even more overgrown than the one we had left.

Old Tantou was ecstatic when he saw it. "We found it! This is the place. Hurry, there's still time."

Old Tantou stopped, leaning forward with his hands on his knees to catch his breath. I looked around; the grass was waist-high, and a wind had picked up, causing the weeds to sway violently. I didn't understand what he had found, but before I could ask, he pulled the two flags from his back.

"What's your name, kid?" he asked, suddenly realizing he didn't know who I was.

"I'm Li Yang, Master Tan."

Old Tantou nodded solemnly. "Li Yang. Listen closely. Time is short, and we must split up. Remember every word I say; there can be no mistakes, or both of us will be doomed."

His face, pale in the moonlight, looked as if it might drip water, and his tone was terrifyingly serious. I shivered and nodded. "I understand, Master Tan. Please, tell me."

Old Tantou pointed at the ground. "This is the inevitable path for a cliff burial procession. We took a shortcut, and they should arrive here in about ten minutes. The cliff top is just ahead; if we can't separate the living from the dead here, it will be impossible later."

"Are you saying that if my third uncle and the others are in that group, I can pull them out here?"

Old Tantou waved his hand impatiently. "Obviously! Why ask? Don't speak, just listen. I have two 'Clear Sight' flags, and you have that 'Bone-Seeking' lantern. With the robe you're wearing, you should be able to deceive the Flag Bearer; he only recognizes the flags, not the people. Once they arrive, plant one flag—the one that says 'The Netherworld Has a Path'—on your right, and the one that says 'Heavenly Bone-Picking' on your left. Stand in the middle of the road with a stick of burning incense, and no matter what happens, do not move an inch. If the incense burns out, light another immediately. Keep chanting: 'Mountain stones, water, and earth; seek the corpses, pick the bones. Dust to dust, earth to earth; the dead to their burial, the living to their kin...' Can you remember that?"

The instructions weren't overly complicated. I mentally rehearsed them and nodded. He made me recite the chant once to be sure.

"Mountain stones, water, and earth; seek the corpses, pick the bones. Dust to dust, earth to earth; the dead to their burial, the living to their kin..."

Old Tantou nodded in satisfaction. "Remember, no matter what, do not leave this crossing until the entire procession has passed. Time is up; I must go."

He handed me a bundle of incense and a fire-starter, lit his own lantern, and disappeared down the trail.

"Where are you going, Master Tan?" I asked urgently.

"To guard the cliff top," he shouted back. "Once you're done here, come find me."

With that, he was gone. I was left alone as the mountain wind began to howl, chilling me to the bone.

The moonlight bathed the wilderness in a desolate glow. I didn't dare dally; I prepared the items and crouched, waiting for the procession. According to Old Tantou, I had a few minutes, but they felt like an eternity.

After dark, the mountain temperature plummeted, and the wind bit into my skin like a knife. Enduring both physical and mental torment, I kept my eyes fixed on the path.

About three or four minutes later, a white shadow appeared on the road. I jumped as a clatter of bronze bells echoed through the air.

The figure emerged fully—it was the Flag Bearer. He held a spirit banner in one hand, adorned with bronze bells that chimed with every step. Remembering Old Tantou’s instructions, I stood up, planted the two flags on either side of the road, set my lantern on the ground, and stood in the center of the path, holding the burning incense with both hands.

As the procession drew closer, the wind intensified, whipping the flags into a frenzy. The Flag Bearer stopped about five or six meters away. I could now see his features clearly in the moonlight.

I wish I hadn't looked. What I saw nearly made me scream.

He wasn't human; his body, even his face, was covered in thick, white fur, making him look like nothing more than a monster.