The soul-chasing flag was released, swaying in the air, shaking its head left and right, like a mechanical dog, sniffing the scent of ghosts. After a while, the small white flag flew away to the northeast, and I waved to the old guy and chased after him.
"Are you the heir of ghost stories?" the old guy asked behind me.
I was stunned. How did he know that? I didn't expect that someone in Xiangxi, thousands of miles away, actually knew about the ghost story. I was stunned and asked, "Old man, how do you know that I am the ghost story inheritor?"
"This kind of soul-chasing flag is a spell unique to the Ghost Shop."
He really knew a lot about our family's ancestral shop, which made me even more curious. I asked him in surprise, "Have you ever been to the north, old man?"
"No, I met a ghost story inheritor named Xi Zhen in my hometown in my early years. He used this kind of magic."
"That's my grandfather," I said modestly, thinking that my grandfather had also been to Xiangxi, why did he come here? But I didn't know if he was a friend or an enemy to the old guy, so I had to be on guard.
"Well, I can see that you look and behave very similarly to your grandfather. We are old friends. He should be 76 years old this year. Is he in good health now?"
It turned out to be my grandfather's friend. I felt much more relaxed and said to him, "My grandfather died when I was just born."
The old man said "Oh" and his tone sounded very disappointed.
Just when I was about to ask my grandfather why he came to Xiangxi, I saw a small white flag hanging in front of a hillside, fluttering constantly, and I thought we had found the real owner. Although we didn't have a flashlight in the dark night, we could still vaguely see the small white flag. We quickened our pace and walked to the front. We vaguely saw a cave hidden between the dark grass and trees, exuding a gloomy and strange atmosphere.
The old man gently pulled my arm and whispered to me, "There are seventeen caves in the back mountain. This cave is the largest one, named 'Youwang Cave'. It is said that the cave god is a thousand-year-old demon. He is very powerful and has harmed many women over the years. The body of a customer in my hotel was killed by the cave god. Let's not act rashly and think of a foolproof plan first."
I would have forgotten about it if he hadn't mentioned it, and I began to reevaluate his character. Why hadn't he sent the customer's body home for so many days? But now was not the time to dwell on such matters, so I asked him quietly, "Isn't this too mythical? A thousand-year-old demon? Then what hope do we have to rescue him?"
I feel that the old guy is exaggerating. A thousand-year-old demon, how powerful must it be? With this thing on the mountain, you dare to build your hotel at the foot of the mountain. Aren't you afraid that it will eat you alive, skin and bones
He seemed to hear my tone of disbelief, and snorted coldly, saying, "You are new here, so you may not understand the situation here. Your grandfather suffered because of this. Many of the cave gods are incarnations of demons and are extremely difficult to deal with. Many of them harm the people in a certain area. For example, in Youwang Cave, every year the nearby villages have to contribute fallen cave girls and rich offerings in order to have peace. Otherwise, a huge disaster will befall them."
He sounded very serious, and combined with the mysterious rumors about the cave gods in western Hunan, I couldn't help but believe it, especially since he even carried my grandfather out as well.
"Then how do we get in and find someone?" I asked him.
The old man pondered for a while and said, "We can only burn incense and worship outside the cave first to see if he agrees to let us go in." As he spoke, I heard a rustling sound, and he seemed to take out incense and candles from his body. With a "click" sound, the eyes suddenly lit up. The old man lit a fire stick, lit three incense sticks, and stuck them into the ground. The soul-chasing flag was released, hanging in the air, shaking its head left and right, like a mechanical dog, cleverly sniffing the smell of ghosts. After a while, the small white flag flew away to the northeast, and I waved to the old guy and followed behind.
"Are you the heir of ghost stories?" the old guy asked behind me.
I was stunned. How did he know that? I didn't expect that someone in Xiangxi, thousands of miles away, actually knew about the ghost story. I was stunned and asked, "Old man, how do you know that I am the ghost story inheritor?"
"This kind of soul-chasing flag is a spell unique to the Ghost Shop."
He really knew a lot about our family's ancestral shop, which made me even more curious. I asked him in surprise, "Have you ever been to the north, old man?"
"No, I met a ghost story inheritor named Xi Zhen in my hometown in my early years. He used this kind of magic."
"That's my grandfather," I said modestly, thinking that my grandfather had also been to Xiangxi, why did he come here? But I didn't know if he was a friend or an enemy to the old guy, so I had to be on guard.
"Well, I can see that you look and behave very similarly to your grandfather. We are old friends. He should be 76 years old this year. Is he in good health now?"
It turned out to be my grandfather's friend. I felt much more relaxed and said to him, "My grandfather died when I was just born."
The old man said "Oh" and his tone sounded very disappointed.
Just when I was about to ask my grandfather why he came to Xiangxi, I saw a small white flag hanging in front of a hillside, fluttering constantly, and I thought we had found the real owner. Although we didn't have a flashlight in the dark night, we could still vaguely see the small white flag. We quickened our pace and walked to the front. We vaguely saw a cave hidden between the dark grass and trees, exuding a gloomy and strange atmosphere.
The old man gently pulled my arm and whispered to me, "There are seventeen caves in the back mountain. This cave is the largest one, named 'Youwang Cave'. It is said that the cave god is a thousand-year-old demon. He is very powerful and has harmed many women over the years. The body of a customer in my hotel was killed by the cave god. Let's not act rashly and think of a foolproof plan first."
I would have forgotten about it if he hadn't mentioned it, and I began to reevaluate his character. Why hadn't he sent the customer's body home for so many days? But now was not the time to dwell on such matters, so I asked him quietly, "Isn't this too mythical? A thousand-year-old demon? Then what hope do we have to rescue him?"
I feel that the old guy is exaggerating. A thousand-year-old demon, how powerful must it be? With this thing on the mountain, you dare to build your hotel at the foot of the mountain. Aren't you afraid that it will eat you alive, skin and bones
He seemed to hear my tone of disbelief, and snorted coldly, saying, "You are new here, so you may not understand the situation here. Your grandfather suffered because of this. Many of the cave gods are incarnations of demons and are extremely difficult to deal with. Many of them harm the people in a certain area. For example, in Youwang Cave, every year the nearby villages have to contribute fallen cave girls and rich offerings in order to have peace. Otherwise, a huge disaster will befall them."
He sounded very serious, and combined with the mysterious rumors about the cave gods in western Hunan, I couldn't help but believe it, especially since he even carried my grandfather out as well.
"Then how do we get in and find someone?" I asked him.
The old man pondered for a while and said, "We can only burn incense and worship outside the cave first to see if he agrees for us to go in." As he spoke, there was a rustling sound, and he seemed to take out incense and candles from his body. With a "click" sound, the scene in front of him suddenly became bright, and the old man lit the tinder, lit three incense sticks and stuck them into the ground.