In regions where faith is respected, no amount of taboos seem surprising.
A single sentence like “You might face retribution” can instill fear in many people.
For example, the old saying “Don’t comb your hair at night, or you’ll attract ghosts.” Whether ghosts actually exist or not, many people simply stop combing their hair at night.
Your wishes may not come true, but punishments seem to be perfectly aimed.
After reading through these not overly strict rules, Bai Lixin subconsciously touched his face.
Since he woke up, he had noticed that his hands, height, and physique had all changed—this body was not his own.
Bai Lixin walked into the bathroom and turned on the light, and his face was immediately reflected in the mirror above the sink.
It was the face of a young man, around twenty-two or twenty-three years old, with fair, smooth skin and bright eyes.
If this wasn’t his own body, then it was highly likely that his real body was still in Xia Chi’s world, and his soul had left his body, pulled into this person named Su Zhen.
There must be a reason why he was drawn here.
He left the bathroom and came to the black suitcase. The suitcase was secured with a combination lock. Bai Lixin tried a few numbers, and the code wasn’t too hard to guess. When he entered “999888” at his third attempt, the lock clicked open.
Inside the suitcase were two simple changes of clothes, a wallet, some toiletries, and a square wooden box engraved with golden patterns.
Bai Lixin first opened the wallet. Inside were an ID card, two bank cards, a few hundred-yuan bills, and some loose change.
The name on the ID card was “Su Zhen,” and the photo was of the owner of this body.
In a side pocket of the wallet, there was a photo of a smiling man and woman. The man was not Su Zhen. Both appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old; the man was handsome, and the woman had long black hair with a sweet smile. Her facial features bore a five-to-six point resemblance to the young man whose body he now occupied.
They were making a heart gesture with their arms, likely a couple.
The wallet also contained three train tickets. One was relatively new, with the name “Su Zhen” on it.
Bai Lixin checked the time against the digital clock on the table and confirmed that this ticket had been purchased two days ago.
The other two tickets were from three years ago. One had the name “Qin Yanming” on it, and the other was marked with the name “Su Yixue.”
Both people had the surname “Su,” and their similar features suggested that the owner of this body and Su Yixue were most likely siblings.
He opened the wooden box engraved with strange patterns, and inside were some peculiar items.
There were pieces of yellow paper folded into triangles, a tarnished copper coin pendant, a bone necklace taken from some unknown creature, and a small bag of millet.
These seemed to be items for exorcism.
While handling the suitcase, he noticed something hard beneath the clothes, as though something was pressed underneath.
Out of curiosity, Bai Lixin lifted the clothes, revealing a sharp vajra pestle.
Under the vajra pestle was a piece of yellow paper. He unfolded the yellow paper and found strange diagrams and symbols drawn in red ink, which appeared to be blood.
Bai Lixin spread the paper out on the table and examined it for a while, concluding that this yellow paper was used for summoning—or more accurately, to “invite a god to come to you”.
Most likely, this was the item that had summoned his soul into this body.
Mortals summon gods when they have something to ask for.
‘But… Brother, if you had a request, couldn’t you have written it down clearly and passed it on to me? Why leave behind a suitcase for me to guess?’
If he had to guess, it must have something to do with his sister.
Perhaps she and her boyfriend disappeared on Snake God Mountain three years ago, and he had been sent to find her?
Or maybe his sister encountered something strange after returning, like a curse, and he had to come here because of that?
Bai Lixin rummaged through the suitcase again and found a smartphone in the pocket of one of the clothes.
He picked up Su Zhen’s phone, and the facial recognition unlocked it instantly.
The photo gallery was full of pictures of Snake God Mountain, including promotional shots he had seen before, photos of the Snake God Temple, and many other pictures he hadn’t seen yet. As he scrolled to the end, he found a picture of Su Zhen and Su Yixue together.
Bai Lixin opened the contacts, but strangely, there were no numbers or call records.
The only texts were automated messages from companies; there were no messages from any individuals.
He opened the WeChat app.
There was only one contact added on WeChat, and the profile picture was Su Yixue.
Bai Lixin clicked on the profile picture and found just a few brief messages, all sent by Su Zhen, with no reply from the other side.
Su Zhen: [Sister, I’m about to go to Snake God Mountain.]
Su Zhen: [Bless me.]
Su Zhen: [I will definitely find you.]
Bai Lixin: “…”
It seems that Su Zhen’s purpose for this trip is indeed to find his sister.
Suddenly, a loud noise came from the ceiling above. Bai Lixin looked up, then he heard a faint, low voice, “It hurts so much, why is the floor so slippery?”
It seemed the soundproofing of this inn wasn’t great.
Bai Lixin packed the items from the table into the suitcase, leaving only the phone, which he slipped into his pocket.
Just as he was about to check the layout of the room, a knock came from the door.
There was no peephole on the door of the inn. Bai Lixin opened the door, and standing outside were the two girls named Min Min and Man Man.
When Bai Lixin opened the door, Min Min immediately smiled brightly, “Handsome guy, how about joining us for dinner?”
Bai Lixin readily agreed, “Okay, let’s go.”
At first, he thought they were heading to the restaurant on the basement floor, but to his surprise, they bypassed the stairs and headed straight outside.
Bai Lixin: “We’re not eating at the restaurant?”
Two other girls were already standing in the courtyard, waving towards them. “Hurry up!”
Min Min, who was standing between Man Man and Bai Lixin, leaned closer to Bai Lixin, “It’s the first day, so of course we’re going out for something better. Handsome guy, I just checked the basement, and all they serve here is vegetarian food. After a long journey, don’t we deserve some meat to replenish our energy?”
As she spoke, she stared intently at Bai Lixin’s face, as if hinting at something.
Bai Lixin kept his eyes forward, pretending not to understand. “What do you feel like eating?”
Min Min swayed her hips and pointed to the alley diagonally across from them, “We just passed by there earlier. There’s a farmhouse-style barbecue place. Aren’t we great? We saw something good and remembered to invite you.”
Man Man pulled hard on Min Min’s arm, “Wipe your drool.”
Min Min clung to Man Man like a water snake, “There’s no drool. Man Man’s teasing me again. I only drool over you.”
The short-haired girl in the courtyard was getting impatient. As they approached, she hurriedly began walking out, “Let’s go, I still need to get back to work out.”
Min Min squealed, “Oh my, our gym class representative is really something. Even on a trip, she hasn’t forgotten her fitness routine.”
The short-haired girl shot Min Min a sideways glance, muttering under her breath, “Vixen.”
Min Min snorted disdainfully, “It takes good looks to be a vixen. Some people wish they could be one but can’t.”
The short-haired girl sneered, “You think ‘vixen’ is a compliment? You’re so eager to claim the title, I guess that rumor going around the school is true.”
“What rumor? That I’ve been kept? Or that I got a spot in the graduate program by getting close to the dean? Or maybe the one about me stealing someone’s boyfriend?” Min Min flicked her hair. “Hmph, let me tell you, they’re all fake. Some people are just jealous of others for being both beautiful and talented, so they spread baseless gossip. If I find out who’s been spreading rumors about me, I’ll tear their mouth apart.”
Man Man interrupted impatiently, “Can we just eat in peace?”
Chen Min Min and the short-haired girl immediately fell silent.
They lowered their heads, looking a little nervous.
The girl with long hair, who hadn’t spoken much, stepped forward to break the tension, “Wow, it smells so good. I can already smell the barbecue. Let’s go, let’s go. I puked a lot earlier but now I feel like I could eat a whole cow.”
Bai Lixin quietly followed behind the group, observing them.
Although these people had come together, their relationships were a mix of good and bad.
Those who didn’t get along were still sticking together, and that was probably because of one person.
That person was Man Man.
Man Man spoke very little, but she was definitely the soul of the group.
She was the tallest among them and had a cold, expressionless face. At first glance, she looked like a cold and aloof beauty.
Min Min, on the other hand, was the most flirtatious. She wore delicate makeup, spoke in a coquettish tone, liked to act cute, and was clingy.
The short-haired girl’s name was Shen Qiu, and she was straightforward and blunt.
Lastly, there was Qian Qian, the long-haired girl. She still looked a little pale, probably suffering from motion sickness, and seemed fragile and delicate.
Bai Lixin followed them into the alley, where they found a small courtyard with a handwritten “Farmhouse BBQ” sign hanging over the door.
The door was open, and inside the courtyard were four or five tables. One of the tables was already occupied, and the boss was standing nearby, fanning the grill with an old-fashioned fan, cooking the barbecue over a simple setup.
The couple who had gotten off the bus with them were sitting at one of the tables. The two sat very close to each other while waiting for their meal.
The four girls found a table in the corner and sat down. Min Min patted the seat beside her, signaling for Bai Lixin to sit there.
Bai Lixin acted as though he didn’t notice and sat next to the short-haired girl instead.
There was a menu on the table. As the girls looked through, two more people entered the courtyard.
Both were men, looking weary and covered in dust. They were dressed in form-fitting outdoor gear and had backpacks, hats, and hiking poles.
The boss seemed to know them, greeting them in the local dialect as soon as they walked in, “Back again? Did you find anything on the mountain this time?”
One of the sturdy men took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his forehead, “Just leaves. Today was better than yesterday, though—we saw a rabbit.”
The other man sat down and gulped down a glass of water before sighing, “Forget about the Snake God, we didn’t even see an ordinary little snake.”
The boss chuckled, “If it were that easy to encounter the Snake God, it wouldn’t be called a miracle or a stroke of luck. Some people come to Snake God Mountain once and see a white snake; others come thirty times before they see anything. And some never see the Snake God in their entire lives. You’ve only just started. Don’t give up—you might see the Snake God tomorrow.”
“Hey, Brother,” the sturdy man said as he sat down, “when you’re done, come over and have a drink with us. Tell us more stories about Snake God Mountain.”
The young man from the couple overheard and joined in, “What kind of stories? We’d love to hear some too.”
The boss smiled as he clumsily flipped the skewers on the grill, “Okay, why not? I’ll cook while I talk. Most of the tourists who come to Snake God Mountain do so for the Snake God’s blessings and to pray for something. So, what brings you two young lovers to Snake God Mountain?”
The girl from the couple raised her hand, showing the ring on her finger, “We’re getting married. I heard there’s a ‘Tree of Hearts’ on Snake God Mountain. If we hang a love lock on it, the Snake God will bless us to stay together forever and have a happy marriage.”
The boss: “Well, then you’d better be careful. During your time on Snake God Mountain, make sure you don’t get tempted to…”
The boss raised both his thumbs and bent them together.
The girl blushed instantly, but the young man pursued, “Why?”
The boss: “Although the snake god is a god, the nature of snakes is inherently lustful. The affection between men and women can disturb the snake god’s meditation. If you disrupt its tranquility, the snake god may deliver punishment in the dead of night.”
A man at the nearby table chimed in, “I heard that a couple disappeared on Snake God Mountain three years ago.”
The boss nodded, “Yes, they still haven’t been found.”
Example of a vajra pestle (used for demon subjugation)
