Chapter 45

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

Original Title: 挖坟挖出鬼

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, Yaoi

This translation is the product of my limited knowledge of Chinese characters as I attempt to learn the language. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 45

Taking Xiao Yu out of the duty-free shop, just as he was about to find a restaurant for dinner, Lin Yan suddenly froze. Two people stood opposite him waving at him, one wearing dirty jeans and a striped T-shirt, the other wearing a blue cloth robe with a pale calf showing at the hem. Lin Yan opened his mouth in surprise. It was Yin Zhou and A-Yan. Why were they here?

“You’re leaving too, what a coincidence. Where are you going?” Yin Zhou grinned preemptively.

“Stop pretending. How did you guys know I’m leaving today?” Lin Yan guessed what he wanted to do when he saw the stern expression on his face.

Yin Zhou’s face was fake: “So self-absorbed. Who said we’re here to see you? You should have asked what we were going to do.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“Travelling.”

“Look for my master.”

Lin Yan’s face was cold and disbelieving. The two looked at each other and continued innocently: “Accompanying him on his travels.”

“Accompanying him to find his master.”

He wasn’t taking any of these excuses. The two people who came here without permission acted in an extremely silent manner. They quickly found a seat and threw their bags down. They shared some fried chicken wings while deliberately talking loudly. No matter what he asked, they looked at the ceiling as though they hadn’t heard him.

Lin Yan was left to one side, a little moved.

He wasn’t confident that he could go deep into enemy territory alone, but he thought it was a personal matter between him and Xiao Yu, so he hadn’t told anyone when he was leaving except his parents. Yin Zhou knew Lin Yan’s habit of keeping everything negative to himself all too well. After hearing the news of the temple master, he didn’t even discuss anything with Lin Yan. He went directly online using his special skills to find the booking records, then he got the young Daoist and the two bought the tickets for the same flight.

“Your firewall sucks. There’s a bunch of Trojans. I also cleaned up the system junk for you after I was done.” Yin Zhou patted Lin Yan’s shoulder earnestly. “Don’t feel embarrassed to bother us. Multiple hands, multiple helpers. I’m done with all the projects I’ve been working on. I’m an idle person with money to spare, so it’s good to get out and about.”

The young Daoist interrupted: “I-I don’t trust you to go alone. Anyway, if you want to find Master, I’ll follow you there.”

Lin Yan wanted to say something, but the two came prepared. They opened their backpacks and unveiled a map, a compass, water bottles, commonly used medicines, a change of clothes, cash, flashlights, and even a walkie-talkie and cables. A-Yan’s had even more strange things. A variety of exorcism tools, not to mention a peach wood sword and compass wrapped in the middle of a thick pile of yellow talismans. In contrast, Lin Yan came empty-handed and looked more like a tourist wandering around the airport.

“Holy shit, you guys know this isn’t wilderness survival training, right?” Lin Yan took out a small pig-shaped hand-cranked generator from his bag and weighed it, then took out the sleeve of a sweater. “Hey, why did you bring so many black clothes in this heat?”

Yin Zhou snatched the clothes and bag back, and the little Daoist said: “H-He said it’s night clothes so that no one can see us when we go out at night.”

Lin Yan was in a state of confusion. He suddenly realized that the lack of secrecy was a big and serious mistake.

Yin Zhou was disdainful. He fastened the buckle with a click and lectured: “There’s also a checked bag filled with equipment. I brought a kitchen knife and a hammer. Who knows where the forces of evil are waiting for us. This is called being prepared.” He said proudly, patting the hiking bag: “For the sake of being so interesting, I’ll house next month and leave the cleaning to you.”

“I suddenly had a sense of mission to maintain peace and justice in the world.” Yin Zhou hugged the bag and sighed.

“I also have a faint sense of sadness about walking with a fool.” Lin Yan gritted his teeth, but his heart felt warm. His talk was just that: all talk. He had no idea what would happen after that. Now that there are two more people, his anxiety had been temporarily dispelled. Lin Yan stuffed the last piece of chicken into his mouth and grasped Yin Zhou’s shoulder hard: “Thanks. It’s on me when we get there.”

The big screen at the boarding gate showed that there was still half an hour before departure. There were very few people in the lounge. There were a few men in business suits, each tapping something on their laptop’s keyboard. The air was filled with the creamy scent of baked cheese from a western restaurant.

Lin Yan told the two about the situation after Xiao Yu left and the strange events that happened in the past few days. Hearing that the ghost had returned, Yin Zhou nodded with a complicated expression. When it became clear that he had decided to send Xiao Yu away, the young Daoist priest stared keenly into Lin Yan’s eyes: “You made up your mind?”

Lin Yan crossed his fingers on his forehead, bowed his head and said nothing.

Professor Chen sent the latest information on the ancient tomb, saying that the local area is planning to build a cultural tourism spot. The burial chamber and some of the burial objects are being cleaned and will soon be open to visitors. The silk and other easily oxidized cultural relics are specially sealed. He can say hello to the person in charge to let them in if needed.

The ancient tomb is located at the northern foot of Zhongtiao Mountain in the southwest corner of the province, adjacent to Shanxi Province, with high mountains in the south and a basin in the north, with year-round shade and no sunlight. The nearest landing point is a small town called Liumu Town, which belongs to Xia County and is more than four hours away from Wusu Airport.

After looking at the map, the three of them decided to rent a car that night and find a place to stay in town. The conditions were simple but easy to get back and forth. Lin Yan used the airport’s wireless network to book a hotel. However, after checking around, there was not a single hotel in town that had been registered online, as if completely isolated from modern society.

“We are going to the mountains and the countryside this time, and it’ll take a few days of hard work.” Lin Yan sighed while staring at his phone. “I wonder how long it will take to make progress.”

“Life is a hard journey, and the meaning of the universe is to search for it in life.” Yin Zhou nodded in a mock deep voice.

Soon after boarding the plane, Lin Yan changed seats with an older man who had a vacant seat next to him and leaned against the window. After the plane took off, he kept looking out of the window. The cabin was as quiet and dry as ever, and the people were being baked by the warm afternoon sun. The boundless sea of clouds was like a large flock of running white sheep, their eyes dazzling with a bright light.

It was hard to associate such good weather with ghosts.

Every story has an opportunity to happen. It may be a specific time or a specific place, but as soon as the person in question steps in, the story would start quietly before there was any change around. To Lin Yan, Xiao Yu’s tomb was such a place; terrifying, cold, depressing. It was the fork between the world and the underworld. Everyone was working silently, no one answered his questions, and no one told him that the coffin was hiding a ferocious ghost in it.

Recalling this part, he felt faint heart palpitations. The clouds sped past the plane window. The ancient tomb, where some mysterious force wanted him and the place where love Xiao Yu gave him had begun was also the only point of intersection that was getting closer and closer.

People inside and outside the event usually have two different views of it. The insiders believe that only by constantly approaching the center can they see the truth, while outsiders feel that the so-called quest is nothing more than a mosquito in a spider’s web of death struggle. The more you wave your arms and legs, the tighter your body will stick.

The bright sky’s dazzling eyes pricked his eyes with moisture. Xiao Yu tugged on his arm. Lin Yan leaned back in the chair. He turned his head to fix his eyes on that handsome face, and suddenly it was a little hard to bear.

“We haven’t gone far yet but I’m already starting to get homesick.” Lin Yan whispered. “I want to do nothing all day long but watch TV in bed with you, the corniest and vulgar things.”

“I brought you out the first time. This time, I don’t know if I’ll be left alone when I leave.”

A couple of lovers across the corridor were touching their heads and playing a game of lovingly tapping each other. Their intimacy was enviable. Lin Yan held Xiao Yu’s hand and stroked it along his knuckles. He felt as if there were many things he wanted to say to him, but he couldn’t get a single word out. He opened his mouth several times, and finally, let out a long sigh.

When they arrived at Wusu Airport, it was in the evening. There was a tinge of red in the western sky, and there was a faint coolness in the wind. Lin Yan dragged a trolley and stood in the square to look around. The nearby tour group was taking a head count. The old man in the red hat was in high spirits, the children were joyful, and their faces were full of anticipation and curiosity.

Everyone who travelled had their own purpose, and he was probably the only one, holding the hand of his lover, walking towards his grave step by step.

There was a row of taxis waiting for customers in the airport parking lot. The drivers gathered in groups of three or five to brag. When they saw Lin Yan and a few walking by, they swarmed them like chickens. But when they heard that they were going to Liumu Town, they all shook their hands and scattered. In the end, there was only a dark and thin middle-aged man left. After thinking for a long time, he snuffed his cigarette and said four hundred, four hundred and he’ll go.

“No way! Four hundred, that’s highway robbery!” Yin Zhou shouted.

“It’s too expensive to go to the east end by bus, but I can tell you that the place is very remote. In the middle of the night, forget a taxi, you won’t even find a cattle cart. You decide.” The driver impatiently patted the roof of the car. “It’s my loss when I go there. I’ll be coming back on an empty tank. I won’t check the meter. Three hundred dollars so you either go or don’t.”

In order to get there quickly, the three still got into his car and sped off into the sunset. As the driver said, after driving out of the airport, the four fields became more and more desolate. First the chaotic and bustling towns, and then it turned into the countryside. They passed by large fields of corn and sorghum. From time to time, a group of children dressed in red and green flashed by the roadside, curiously staring back at their car.

As the car bumped along, the sky gradually darkened, and the mountains in the distance appeared like black giants lying down. Soon the last ray of sunset was gone. The moon came up and the winding mountain road was covered with a thin layer of silver moonlight.

“I’m so hungry.” Yin Zhou complained. “I don’t know if there’ll be anything to eat in that hellhole.”

Lin Yan didn’t answer. The mountain road was no better than the city. The moonlight outside the window didn’t enter the car, and the darkness was so suffocating. Yin Zhou felt bored. He took out his mobile phone and turned it on. The blue light cast on his face, unspeakably eerie.

“Turn it off. We’re not there yet. Save some electricity.” Lin Yan said.

“Either way, there’s no signal. It’s the same with or without electricity.” Yin Zhou muttered. “It was a good idea to bring a walkie-talkie.”

A-Yan took out two prepared little wooden figures from his schoolbag and handed them to Lin Yan and Yin Zhou, each with a yellow talisman paper with their date of birth written on it. He said that these were body doubles. If something evil rushes them in the mountain, the double will first fall on the road, thus leaving time for the living to fight back.

Probably because being a Daoist priest was such an ancient profession, he was much more comfortable in primitive and dark places than in the city. The driver, who had been watching the young men in the car with his rearview mirror, could not help but curiously strike up a conversation: “You kids sure are superstitious.”

“In a place like this, any kind of natural force is stronger than humans.” Lin Yan remembered the little girl who had been staring at him with an unnatural expression, “Master, drive slowly. The road isn’t good.”

“Are you going to Liumu to see relatives?”

“To travel.” Lin Yan smiled.

The driver was a little surprised: “What’s so interesting there? It’s a place where even birds don’t go to shit.”

“We came to climb the mountain. I heard the scenery is very good.”

“Ah, what’s that called, ALICE*. I know you guys, with the big cameras on your back. You pick out the remote places to experience life whenever you have time, right?”

*(T/N: 驴友 - a Chinese term for people who like to travel together. Basically refers to someone who likes to hike, camp, or mountaineer with others)

Lin Yan didn’t answer, but instead asked: “Master, do you know about an ancient tomb nearby? I heard that it’ll be developed into a tourist area recently.”

The driver said: “I heard about it. Some time ago, an archaeological team came, and it was in the newspaper.”

Lin Yan said: “Then you know that more than twenty years ago there was a death?”

The driver seemed to think the topic of dead people was unlucky, and his face in the rearview mirror that just revealed a slight smile tightened immediately.

“I don’t know, I’m not from that place. You can find out for yourself when you get there.”

Afterwards, no matter what the three discussed, the driver didn’t take the initiative to speak. The asphalt road got narrower and narrower. A dark cloud covered the moon, and even the road couldn’t be seen clearly. The car turned one corner after another, and after going up a slope, there was a new slope, and the night wind was blowing in. Soon, even Yin Zhou, the chatterbox, grew quiet. Several people were silent, staring at the passing trees and the dark mountains outside the window in a daze.

The repetitive scene seemed hypnotic. Lin Yan was a little sleepy. He yawned and rubbed against Xiao Yu’s shoulder. The ghost leaned over and thoughtfully let him rest on his shoulder.

A little dim light appeared in the distance. One, two, sparse small yellow lights broke the suffocating darkness. The driver, fearing they would fall asleep, coughed and said he was almost there.

Lin Yan straightened up and looked out the car window. He didn’t know if it was because of the night. The place was even more desolate than he thought, and it didn’t even look like a town at all. It was only when passing an area of small two-story buildings linked together that the similarities with a town became vaguely visible. The tallest building in the town was no more than four floors, the cinder road had no street lights and the mountains were the background to the streets.

“You guys stayed here last time you came too?” Yin Zhou was also a little surprised, “It’s so old.”

“Last time there was a bus to pick me up. After leaving the airport, we went straight to the temporary triple-slab house next to the tomb. I’ve never been here before.” Lin Yan smiled bitterly, “I told you that someone deliberately arranged that time. I didn’t even know where to go before I was taken into the tomb.”

The driver stopped the car and smoked while carrying out the luggage. Lin Yan paid the fare and asked him to find out the location of the hotel. The driver pointed at the opposite side of the road, “Well, that’s it, the biggest one in town.”

Following the direction of his hand, a two-story building was divided into two adjacent shops. The one on the left was called “Youyi Supermarket” while the one on the right was called “Jiajia Hotel.” There was a hair salon not far away. It had no name and the black and white cylinder in front of the door keeps spinning.

The taxi quickly drove away, and there were only three young men with luggage left on the dark street. The night wind was very strong, whirling and blowing the hem of their clothes. They were surrounded by desolate grass and trees. and occasionally a dog barked. For a while, it sounded to the east, and then it seemed to change direction. It reminded Lin Yan of when he was a child, when he returned to his hometown for New Year, there seemed to be only one dog in the village, which sounded everywhere but never appeared.

It was as if it only wanted to remind others that dogs existed here.

“Let’s go.” Lin Yan took a deep breath and led the way towards the opposite side of the road.

The glass door of the hotel had a yellow light on. The door was very old. The glass was covered with oil stains and fingerprints. No one wanted to wipe it. The two red plastic words “Jiajia” were pasted on the door. The second “Jia” had started to vertically fall off. Lin Yan stared at it, feeling a little unlucky.

The storefront was actually much bigger than it looked from the outside. When you enter the door and turn right, there was a restaurant. There were no customers. In front of the old solid wood counter, a waiter in a black suit was dozing off with her cheek resting in her hand. Her face was round, coated with a thick powder. Her bangs were too little to cover her forehead, and a small piece of her forehead was exposed when she shook her head.

The counter was decorated with some drinks with tacky packaging, their names illegible. There was a whiteboard on the wall with the menu written on it. Probably because of how late it was, the names of the top dishes were crossed with black bars.

The store was extremely quiet and the plump waiter was startled by the sound of pushing the door. She grunted reluctantly, “Accommodation or food?”

“Accommodation.” Lin Yan said, “Food as well.”

The waiter came to her senses. Her swollen eyes were covered with water vapour from drowsiness. She was actually not very old, but she looked old because of her bulging face and thin eyebrows. After snapping back and sizing up the customer in front of her, her eyes suddenly stopped when she landed on Lin Yan’s face and unconsciously gathered the hair behind her ears.

“How many days? The chef is off work and can only make dumplings, rice and noodles. What would you like?”

Lin Yan hesitated: “Let’s stay for three nights first. We need two rooms, one standard room, and one… um, with a queen bed.”

“Just three of you? Do you want a triple room? A big room with two wardrobes.” The girl was very attentive.

Yin Zhou threw the bag on the ground and suddenly regained his spirit: “We have three people, three people, we can play games online at night. Lin, it’s been a while since we’ve had an all-nighter.”

Lin Yan was a little embarrassed, and pointed behind him: “I also brought another one.”

Yin Zhou disagreed: “Doesn’t he just float around all day? You let him guard the door outside. There’s no one in this place. It’s creepy to stay here.”

The waiter was curious and looked behind Lin Yan. Lin Yan was afraid that Yin Zhou would rashly tell her about the ghost and scare her. He was just about to nod his head and make do with it for the night when Xiao Yu came up from behind him. Without saying a word, he hooped his arms around his waist, all the way to the chest. A soft tongue started playing with his earlobe.

Lin Yan didn’t dare to move. The muscles all over his body were tense. The ghost rubbed his lower body through the jeans, and his breathing became urgent. Lin Yan’s hand was propped up on the counter and replied in a breathless muted voice: “Mmm… no, no, no, no, no need for three rooms. Two, make it two.”

“Are you okay?” Yin Zhou asked with concern.

“Sleep well tonight. We have to get up early tomorrow.” After speaking, he couldn’t help but gasp. He grabbed Xiao Yu’s wrist to warn him not to move.

The girl didn’t notice the difference. She took out a large disc full of keys from under the counter. She took out two strings and slapped them on the table, and then registered each of the ID numbers. A-Yan turned his head in disgust. He found an empty table with his bag on his back and sat down, staring out the window.

“Stop it.” Lin Yan glanced back at Xiao Yu while the girl was writing.

The three ordered two plates of beef dumplings and chatted while waiting for the dishes to be served. The hotel was too small and the chef had already finished and gotten off work. The waiter went to the kitchen to cook dumplings. Afraid that these few people would be bored, she put a cassette into the tape recorder. It turned out to be Dick and Cowboy. Outside, the street was pitch-black, with no streetlights, and a tractor drove by slowly, a puff of black smoke rising from the rear of the machine.

There was a faint smell of oil in the room.

“It’s really cold here.” Yin Zhou frowned and fiddled with his mobile phone. “I can’t even open a web page since the signal is so poor. Staying here for three days will make me die of boredom. I wonder if there’s an Internet cafe in town.”

“Do you think we’re back in the late 1980s? Tomorrow, go to the barber store to get a middle part, buy a pair of flared pants, and carry a guitar while walking and singing.” It’ll be so chic.“ Yin Zhou exclaimed.

This sentence made Lin Yan feel uncomfortable.

"It won’t take more than three days. When the girl comes over, let’s ask her about the tomb. The ancient tomb is very close to here. The locals should know best what happened before.”

Yin Zhou kicked Lin Yan’s suitcase: “Why did you bring so much stuff?”

Lin Yan smiled bitterly: “My young master is difficult to serve.”

Yin Zhou was silent for a while, then suddenly turned his head and said, “Lin, do you know that you are like a young bride now. I almost don’t recognize you anymore.”

Lin Yan was startled when he heard these words. The spoon in his hand slammed against the porcelain bowl with a crisp ding sound. He said softly, “Are you disappointed?”

Yin Zhou shook his head and sighed from his nose: “No, I just want to say, don’t hide anything. We’re buddies no matter what, nothing will change that.”

Lin Yan was stunned, his throat a little sore. He hesitated for a while, then nodded.

When the dumplings were served, they were steaming hot. The taste was very good, with an authentic farmhouse flavour. The beef was fresh, the peppers were fragrant, and the most powerful thing was the vinegar. The acid had a mellow flavour of the grain. The hunger of those people that had endured the bumpy cab ride here was quickly swept away. The girl in the store was cheerful and sat behind the counter chatting with the three of them. Hearing that they were inquiring about the ancient tomb, she was a little surprised, with a mysterious expression like she was about to tell a ghost story.

“I know where it is. I heard from my grandmother before that the land is evil. The front is the mountain and the water is behind. The sun can’t shine, and the crops don’t last long. The children nearby are not willing to play. The cold wind blows and it’s terrifying. People here always make up stories about that place. One of them I heard when I was a child. I remember it very clearly. It’s said that outsiders had moved there before, and the house had just been built. Suddenly one day, no one knew what happened, but the whole family was hanged to death. Later, people passed by the house in the middle of the night and saw the lights in the broken house, and a shadow appeared on the window, staggeringly hanging on the beam, scaring people to death! ”

Lin Yan was drinking dumpling broth. He took a big sip, but he couldn’t hold it all in and some dripped down. His hot face contorted.

Xiao Yu sat on the empty chair next to him and shook his head innocently.