Exorcist Master - Chapter 75 - Sacred Mountain in Myanmar (Part XXIX)

Howard’s situation had cast a shadow over everyone’s mood, particularly Thomas, who was trudging forward with his head down.

As they left the cluster of graves behind, the road began to slope upward. The piled-up earth and stones formed a large mound. Chen Shaoxian, wielding a bamboo spear, was meticulously probing the path ahead. Fortunately, the mound was quite stable, and the group quickly reached the top.

Chen Shaoxian straightened his back and shined his flashlight down the path. Below, the mist was thick, and the flashlight beam barely created a short column of light.

Once everyone reached the top, Chen Shaoxian took the lead and headed down.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise from behind, followed by someone shouting, “Watch out.” Then came the sound of stones tumbling. Fortunately, the stones weren’t very large, and the group swiftly sidestepped to avoid them.

The stones rolled past them, and Chen Shaoxian checked his watch. After timing how long it took for the stones to hit the ground, he realized it was a full minute.

He turned back and said, “Be careful, everyone. It’s very deep below.”

The group cautiously made their way down, probing each step. The descent was steep, and occasionally protruding rocks would appear, forcing them to detour around them.

The further they descended, the thicker the mist became, and the ground grew increasingly damp. Chen Shaoxian stopped and turned to Song Yumu, saying, “Song-Ge, we need a signal flare.”

Song Yumu promptly launched a signal flare.

The flare illuminated the sky, and in its light, Chen Shaoxian saw that they weren’t far from the bottom now. The ground below was uneven and had patches of standing water.

With a clearer view of the situation, Chen Shaoxian led the group down. The air below carried a faint, unpleasant smell, fortunately not strong and not like swamp gas.

Chen Shaoxian noticed that the uneven ground seemed to be the result of digging with tools like shovels, as the marks were clear. He recalled what Grandpa Nie had told him, and said to Song Yumu, “Song-Ge, maybe that Japanese army report is true.”

Song Yumu looked at the ground and agreed, “If that’s the case, we need to be extra cautious.” He then turned to the group, “Everyone, be careful. This place is unusual.”

With that, the group carefully moved forward, navigating their way through the rugged terrain, occasionally spotting thick tree roots protruding from the ground.

Song Yumu accidentally stepped into a small puddle, and with a crunching sound, something seemed to latch onto his foot. Looking down, he was startled to see the puddle, which had already been shallow, now mostly splashed away. Only some thin mud remained, but within it was a skeletal human hand. It was this hand that had caught Song Yumu’s foot.

Shaking his head, Song Yumu thought, “When it rains, it pours,” and tried to free himself. However, the more he struggled, the tighter it became. The skeletal hand was pulling Song Yumu’s foot downward with increasing force.

Song Yumu felt as if his foot bones were about to be crushed.

The others noticed Song Yumu’s predicament and quickly grabbed his leg to pull him upward. Even with their combined strength, it was just barely enough to keep Song Yumu from being dragged further down.

Hearing the commotion, Chen Shaoxian, who was at the front, turned and saw the group clutching Song Yumu’s leg, with his entire foot already sunken into the mud. He rushed over to assess the situation and urgently used his evil-slaying blade to dig around Song Yumu’s trapped foot.

Soon, they exposed Song Yumu’s foot, and then unearthed the skeletal hand.

The hand seemed wary of the blade and loosened its grip slightly. Taking advantage of this, they pulled Song Yumu’s foot free while the skeletal hand retracted back into the ground.

The front of Song Yumu’s military boot was slightly deformed from the grip, and he could barely put weight on his foot.

Chen Shaoxian, squatting on the ground, removed Song Yumu’s boot and sock to reveal that his toes were somewhat dislocated. Feeling them carefully, Chen Shaoxian looked up and said to Song Yumu, “Luckily, it’s just a dislocation.”

Chen Shaoxian then found a roll of adhesive tape in his bag, tore off five strips, and applied one to each toenail. Holding Song Yumu’s little toe with his left hand, he said, “Bear with it, Song-Ge,” and with a swift pull of the tape, there was a popping sound as the toe snapped back into place, followed by four more quick snaps.

After helping Song Yumu put his boot and sock back on, Chen Shaoxian stood up and said, “Take a few steps.”

Song Yumu wiped the sweat from his forehead and cautiously took a few steps. Though his foot was still a bit swollen, he could at least walk without issue. He let out a sigh of relief and said, “It’s fine now. What was that?”

“A wandering soul, looking for someone to replace it. Everyone be careful, and avoid stepping into puddles,” Chen Shaoxian warned the others. However, he couldn’t help but think, “Perhaps those Myanmar laborers or Japanese soldiers disappeared like this.” Looking at the wet, muddy path, Chen Shaoxian felt a chill creep over him: “How many of those things might be underfoot?”