In the fourteenth year of the Eastern European continent's Apocalypse, on the western frontier of the Great Xia Dynasty, the two hundred and forty-ninth Guǐ Yè descended.
It was a magnificent scene. From the deep firmament, darkness like ink flowed downwards, spreading wantonly, like a giant net cast upon the mortal world, soaking every mountain hollow.
Everything engulfed by this darkness began to undergo strange transformations. Beautiful lotus flowers opened their mouths, revealing rows of jagged teeth. The scales of goldfish in the water became sharp as knives, stained with ink. Trees opened their eyes, extending their branches to prey on innocent victims.
Beneath the earth, a group of corpses of unknown age crawled from their graves. Their bones were like decaying withered trees, their noses adorned with ugly flesh. Their eye sockets were wide open, driven by desire, stumbling towards a distant village.
At this time, inside a house in Fengqing Village, a person in a black robe stood up from a bamboo chair.
"Straw cloak, lantern, bronze bell... oh, and this knife." The black-robed figure raised an eyebrow, sheathed the hunting knife on the table into his lower back, and donned all the items. He then smiled at the young face in front of the mirror.
His name was Xu Mu, the night watchman dispatched by the imperial court to Fengqing Village. Every night when the strange spirits invaded, he would carry the bronze bell and lantern to protect the entire village.
At this moment, a group of terrifying strange spirits had slowly gathered from the mountains surrounding Fengqing Village. So, he gently pushed open the door and stepped out into the rainy night. Xu Mu was not afraid of these terrifying man-eating monsters at all.
He even hummed a song.
...
"May Buddha bless us, may Buddha bless us..."
In a household in Fengqing Village, a farmer trembled and cowered in a corner, his legs shaking uncontrollably.
This man was Zhao Dayong, an ordinary farmer in Fengqing Village. Now, a group of strange spirits was piled outside his door, wanting to devour him alive. So, he could only pray silently.
But the demon-repelling bronze bell at the main entrance had already struck sparks against the bronze wall, yet it couldn't drive them away. What use was Buddha?
"Little Brother Xu, save me!"
Seeing that the strange spirits were about to break down the door, Zhao Dayong let out a fierce cry. Then, the strange spirits outside went into a frenzy. With a loud bang, they smashed open the door, ignoring the bell's obstruction, their eyes glowing with a faint green light.
Zhao Dayong's lips were pale. It seemed no one could save him, for the fastest spirit's withered hand had already crashed onto the windowsill outside!
"Clang!"
A resounding sound, as if someone had struck a bronze gong, startled all the strange spirits, their souls trembling.
The strange spirits' legs suddenly went weak, and they collapsed to the ground.
Zhao Dayong had no idea what had happened. At this moment, he could only follow his instincts, covering his ears and screaming non-stop.
Meanwhile, Xu Mu had already walked to Zhao Dayong's door. Just like when he went out, he was wearing a straw hat and cloak, with a black robe underneath, carrying a large red lantern and a bronze bell in each hand.
"By order!" Xu Mu shouted forcefully into the courtyard.
"Boom!" His words were like thunder. A hint of panic appeared on the withered, bony faces of the strange spirits.
"Demons of the Eastern Azure Plague, demons of the Northern Black Plague, rot of the mixed pond, wandering souls."
"Hasten to be taken away, do not linger!"
Xu Mu recited the ancient incantation, his voice clear and sonorous, like a booming bell. As the bronze bell shook, all the bells in the village rang in unison, like war drums on a battlefield, resounding through the heavens.
"Hiss!"
The sound of the demon-suppressing bell was countless times louder than before. The flute-like sound controlling them was completely drowned out. The strange spirits' souls trembled, as if they would be sent to hell in the next second. They dared not think of the man inside the house, and immediately descended into chaos, screaming as they fled into the street, seemingly trying to band together to resist.
But Xu Mu had anticipated this. With a flick of his right hand, the large red lantern he carried shot out a dazzling golden light, like the sun. The black mist that had accompanied the strange spirits was pierced, and bright moonlight once again shone upon Fengqing Village.
Instantly, the outermost spirits on the street began to emit white smoke, their bodies turning red and igniting, like the southern sun baking firewood. These strange spirits could no longer resist. Some instantly fell to the ground, completely lifeless, while others fled madly, trying to escape the inferno. The street was filled only with the screams of the strange spirits.
The golden light gradually faded, the bell's sound weakened, and the battle seemed to have ended just like that.
Then, on the distant mountain overlooking Fengqing Village, a man lost interest in watching. He furiously smashed his flute and departed in anger.
...
"I'm alive?"
It seemed a long time passed before Zhao Dayong weakly opened his eyes. Tremblingly, he reached for the window. The main door was wide open, and the courtyard was completely empty.
"I'm not dead!"
As the golden light outside receded, a black robe slowly walked past. Seeing the familiar back, the farmer immediately stopped his sobs:
"It's Little Brother Xu! He saved me!"
...
The strange spirits were dispersed, the rain gradually subsided, and the wind stopped. The gloomy aura that had shrouded Fengqing Village slowly receded.
It was safe now, but no one in the village dared to make a sound. So, only the night watchman in the black robe, carrying the large red lantern, remained on the street.
Xu Mu thought so too. Nothing else would happen tonight. So, he put away the bell and took out a bronze gong from his怀. He struck it four times, with a sense of urgency and calm:
"The wind and rain gradually ease, the specters retreat, tonight is peaceful and uneventful!"
The last raindrop slid off the brim of his straw hat and fell into a puddle at his feet. Xu Mu finished his last sentence as usual, announcing the end of the night.
Then, he slowly put away the bronze gong. A hint of weariness, and a touch of confusion, appeared on his handsome face.
Tonight's strange spirits seemed much more frenzied than before, and their actions seemed to have a pattern. They weren't even afraid of the demon-repelling bronze bell's sound anymore?
"It's very strange, don't you think, Charles?"
Xu Mu yawned as he spoke, bending down to place the lantern and bell he was holding on the ground. Then, he looked up at the moon with satisfaction, his face full of hope, showing no sign of confusion.
He wasn't actually curious about those strange spirits; he just wanted to say a few more words.
With a "hiss," a shadow appeared behind Xu Mu, silent.
"I say, Charles, in ten seconds, you won't be able to see me tomorrow. Are you really not going to answer me?"
"Nine, eight, seven, six..." The seconds ticked by, and the shadow still did not speak.
Something seemed wrong. Xu Mu squinted and looked back, his gaze passing through Charles's semi-transparent body.
Then, he saw a strange spirit with blood seeping from its seven orifices, its face contorted in a hideous grin.
At this very moment, the ten-second countdown ended. Xu Mu's dark pupils were suddenly filled with a vast and profound white.
So, even though this strange spirit was familiar, even intimate, he expressionlessly placed his hand on his waist.
There was a knife at his waist.
Clang!
Facing the strange spirit, iron struck iron. The hunting knife was drawn with a sharp clang!
...