Chapter 8: Mountains of Corpses and Seas of Fire

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As the old woman’s lips moved, a cold, mechanical voice echoed from her mouth.

1. The danger level of the Outbound Street is linearly correlated with the number of people present.

2. There is one and only one Incubus on Outbound Street.

3. The Incubus on Outbound Street only appears after unlocking all key locations and dream fragments.

4. Ritual activities: offering tributes, incense burning, bowing in solemn reverence, meticulous and complete sacrifice.

“Dream restoration agents, please gather clues swiftly to dispel the Incubus. We extend our most sincere respect for your contributions to the dream realm.”

The scene instantly became clear. The old woman on the stage began to sing again in a raspy voice.

Wu Que glanced at Hong Lei, noticing his serious expression, and couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

After so much effort, relying on his master’s charm to find a new important location, the Incubus remained locked, and the hints given were ambiguous.

Ritual activities: offering tributes, incense burning, bowing in solemn reverence, meticulous and complete sacrifice.

What exactly was meant by “complete sacrifice”?

Suddenly, shouts erupted from the crowd, breaking his train of thought.

The old woman threw down the battered gong, her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the stage. Her hands rose high as she screamed with heart-wrenching anguish:

“Fox, Yellow, and Serpent remain among us; come to the hall, we have matters to discuss!”

With her cry, the man lying there began to make creaking sounds—not like bones cracking, but more like twisting balloons rubbing together.

He twisted his body into a seated position, opened eyes glazed with moisture, and expressionless, gazed at the crowd below.

Unexpectedly, the crowd did not recoil in fear; instead, they knelt and prayed earnestly, as if the man on stage were a deity.

Wu Que was still dazed when a strong hand forced his head down, pressing him to the ground. Instinctively, he struggled, but a low whisper came from Hong Lei’s ear:

“Stay kneeling. Wait until we understand the truth before standing.”

Wu Que understood immediately, obediently settling into a comfortable kneeling posture, listening to the murmurs of prayer around him, and began to recite softly:

“Bless my mother, bless my younger siblings...”

Muttering under his breath, he glanced sideways at the crowd, seeing a sea of people kneeling densely around the stage.

Those who hadn’t yet knelt seemed bewitched; their heads tilted heavily to one side, muscles in their necks and shoulders tensed unnaturally, wrists and ankles turning purple and pale.

The man on stage sneered at them and hummed softly. Those few people, like puppets controlled by strings, twisted their bodies and collapsed.

Once their bodies lay flat on the ground, they appeared to awaken from a nightmare, clutching their stomachs in agony, vomiting a mix of grain, meat, vegetables, and bile.

The crowd covered their faces, unwilling to look. The man on stage spoke coldly:

“Some among you are sincere, others disrespectful. I trust you’ve witnessed the fate of the disrespectful.”

“Some feign respect outwardly but harbor disdain within. I am aware. In time, I shall come for you.”

Hearing these words, Wu Que felt an odd sensation, like being called upon by a teacher, and hurriedly bowed his head lower.

Then the man’s body creaked again as he twisted and lay back down on the stage.

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The kneeling crowd began whispering to each other. Suddenly, an old woman tore two gold earrings from her ears and threw the bloodied earrings onto the stage, loudly praying:

“Great deity, oh great deity, bless my seriously ill little grandson...”

As if awakened, the crowd threw their belongings onto the stage. The old woman on stage held a cloth bag, continuously stuffing items inside.

Wu Que hesitated about whether to throw something as well but was abruptly lifted by a powerful force. Turning back, he caught Hong Lei’s grim expression.

“It’s fake. Damn it, we knelt for nothing.”

“Master, how can you tell it’s fake?” Wu Que asked, puzzled. The scene had seemed so real.

“Look behind the stage.”

Wu Que focused and saw that those who had been writhing on the ground were nowhere to be found. Instead, they were sneaking behind the stage.

“The dream world has so many tricks as well?” Wu Que muttered in disbelief. “To go through so much trouble to deceive people—is it really necessary?”

“Where there is faith, there will always be those who exploit it for profit,” Hong Lei said solemnly. “Besides, the summoning is fake, but the gods might not be.”

“Let’s go. There are too many people here; lingering might bring trouble. Let’s check elsewhere.”

Hong Lei pulled his black cloak tighter and led Wu Que out of the crowd.

The town was not large. After a few steps through the crowd, they reached the town’s edge.

As they left, the environment shifted abruptly. The sun hid behind clouds, replaced by a fine, drizzling rain.

The humid, stifling air mixed with a metallic stench. The two removed their cloak hoods to breathe fresher air.

Fortunately, both Xujia Village and Wutai Hamlet faced due north, with only one main road connecting them. Though the weather was unpleasant, it saved them from route confusion.

Continuing forward, they spotted a disordered pile of stones. On the other side, a crowd of heads could be seen.

Quietly, the pair crept around the stones and glanced diagonally, spotting three boys wearing the same school uniform as Wu Que.

They laughed, cursing crudely. Judging by their wet hair, they must have just played in water.

Gathered around the stones, they used long, black-muddy fingernails to dig through the dirt and overturn stones, pulling out watermelon beetles and centipedes, which they dropped into an old money cloth bag at their feet.

Once enough insects were caught, they grinned wickedly and rolled the bag, crushing the bugs into a compact ball.

The bag was thin, and occasionally insect legs and antennae poked through, but their long nails pinched them off without mercy.

After forming a bug ball, the boys lit matches and roasted it, as if performing a dark sacrificial rite.

Wu Que hid behind a rock, watching the insects’ slender legs twitch and sizzle until they softened and disappeared. The smell of burnt shell and blood filled his nostrils.

When the roasting finished, they opened the bag and patiently crushed any surviving insects with their nails.

The boys’ eyes grew glazed with excitement from the killing. Suddenly, the leader stopped smiling. Squinting at the bloodied mess on the ground, he snapped his head toward Wu Que and Hong Lei.

Wu Que’s gaze met his.

That pure, malevolent look churned Wu Que’s stomach, sending a chill through his body.

In a daze, he imagined himself stuffed into a filthy bag, crushed into paste with sand and soil, his charred eyeballs mixed in with the severed limbs of insects.

Realizing they’d been spotted, the two stood up, and the three boys began approaching.

The leader stepped forward, his cruel expression replaced by a bright smile as he said to Wu Que:

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“Jiabai, it’s raining, still wandering near your doorstep?”

“And that’s your sister, huh? She’s really pretty.”

Though his words were polite, his eyes were fixed greedily on Hong Lei’s exposed pale skin, full of undisguised desire.

Hong Lei and Wu Que exchanged a glance, understanding the situation immediately. Wu Que quickly smiled and replied:

“She’s my sewing master. She came to visit, so I’m showing her around.”

Hong Lei pretended to be annoyed, poking the boy’s forehead and scolding in a sing-song voice:

“Go on now, bad kid. What are you staring at?”

“Heh heh, Master, I’m a classmate of Xu Jiabai’s,” the boy said, extending his filthy hand. His nails were still smeared with insect remains.

Hong Lei, used to such scenes, smiled and shook his hand, but when trying to pull away, found his grip held tightly.

The boy smiled, his eyes darkening with cruelty and lust. His voice suddenly sharpened as he sneered:

“What sister? Isn’t she the top courtesan in town? You think we don’t recognize her?”

“You’re silent and aloof in class, but now you’re hanging out with her—guess you’re in that line of work too. Since we’re classmates, why not let us three brothers have some fun?”

He reached dirty hands toward Hong Lei’s chest but was pushed back by a girl’s palm.

“Take your filthy hands off,” Wu Que stood before him, voice icy.

The two boys behind him laughed exaggeratedly, almost hysterically, some even gagging as they laughed.

The boy was stunned. He never expected this usually silent, bullied girl to dare defy him now.

Hearing the mocking laughter and seeing her disdainful gaze, he seethed with rage.

His body swelled instantly; his skin reddened and sprouted black hair. A thick blue tongue lolled from his wide mouth. His bulging muscles threatened to tear the school uniform.

“Ha ha, Xu Jiabai, I heard you’re a bastard with no parents.”

“Do brothels teach manners? Well, you’re just selling flesh; what need have you for manners?”

“If no one taught you rules, my family taught me some. Beg me, and I’ll teach you on behalf of your dead parents.”

He snarled, his hands transformed into bear paws, claws gleaming menacingly as he lunged at Wu Que.

“Bang!”

The mental image of the girl being torn apart didn’t come true.

She stood firm, eyes coldly watching him.

Clashing with his claws was a jet-black long blade.

Then, the once-weak, bullied girl spoke coldly:

“Master, you handle the other two.”

“This beast, I’ll slaughter with my own hands.”