Chapter 2 (Part 1) Me and My Past Life

  As soon as the carriage left Luoyang City and got onto the highway, it sped up more and more, like it had gone mad. Although I have never ridden a horse before, I know that even if it were a thousand-li horse, it would not be able to run so fast.

  Too weird.

  The carriage shook violently, Wu Ka's face was icy, not a word, as if someone had raped his mother. What the hell is this bastard doing?

  Never mind! Anyway, I'll just be a monk for a day and ring the bell for a day. Now I'm not even afraid of death, just swindle food and drink.

  In the following days, except for going to the bathroom and eating, Wu Ka didn't let me get off the carriage. Even sleeping had to be done in the carriage. The plan of the broken Chu man was naturally abandoned. I only knew that the direction the horse cart was heading in became increasingly desolate, it should have been outside the border. Along the way, everything was bleak and gloomy, dead silent, not even a human shadow could be seen, meals were just dry rations, when thirsty, mountain springs and creek water were drunk. And no matter what I asked, Wu Ka wouldn't answer, only telling me to obediently listen.

  These days, I've gradually felt the shadow of death. For example, when I'm urinating under a tree, it will suddenly fall and hit my foot. When I'm taking a dump, a scorpion will suddenly emerge from the grass and pinch my butt to death. Even drinking water can inexplicably choke me.

  I had no choice but to be vigilant in all directions. Half a month later, we arrived at a swamp.

  "Get off the bus."

  "Got it." I lazily pushed open the car door and was startled all of a sudden.

  Four high-headed horses, all flesh and blood had disappeared, turned into four white bony horse skulls, stiffly standing still.

  I let out a scream and turned around, seeing Wu Ka's eyes swirling with an otherworldly aura, and couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine.

  Have I encountered a monster? What does the monster want from me? My flesh is dirty and smelly, definitely not edible. Could it be that the other party is a female monster who has taken a fancy to my appearance? But looking left and right, Wu Ka's Adam's apple on his neck doesn't seem fake.

  Three figures emerged from the bushes like ghosts.

  An old white-haired man, a sturdy fellow, and a sly dwarf all knelt down before Wuka: "Master, you've finally returned."

  Wuka murmured, "I've found a medium."

  "Congratulations, master, you actually found the spiritual medium before the time limit." The three guys lifted their heads and stared at me greedily, as if there were many silver coins on my face.

  I didn't say a word, now is not the time to speak, even if I asked, Wu Ka wouldn't tell me. The only thing I can be sure of is that I am the medium in their mouths, and they want to use me to do something big.

  There were four of them. I could only act on impulse and resist impulsively, which was useless. Besides, I'm almost dead anyway. In three days, I'll be seventeen years old.

  For my safety, Wu Ka was somewhat unexpected, patted me and said sinisterly: "Listen to me, you can survive."

  I guess he was just cheating me, but I didn't have much to lose anyway. Deep down, I actually hoped that Wu Ka was a monster, in which case he might really have the power to save me.

  "Hurry up, master, we only have three days left." The dwarf hopped up and down, impatiently.

  My heart skipped a beat, three days? What a coincidence.

  Wuka nodded: "Go in." The black robe unfolded, swept up and slid into the swamp. The white-haired old man and the strong man held me tightly on either side, closely following behind.

  Damn it, grandma's day, so anxious to reincarnate!

  The swamp was gloomy and quiet, with tangled vines blocking out the sky, leaving only a few gaps. The polluted water was green and murky, winding its way through the thickets, emitting turbid bubbles, and the fallen leaves were piled up very thickly, most of which had rotted into mush, giving off wave after wave of foul odor.

  We gradually went deeper into the swamp. I felt that it was very strange here, because I hadn't seen a single animal, not even small flying insects or ants.

  This swamp seems to have swallowed up all life.

  "Hurry up! Hurry up!" The dwarf urged me viciously, I really wanted to punch its wine-blotched nose.

  The day passed quickly and I soon lost all sense of direction. Wuka held a yellowed parchment map in his hand, occasionally glancing down at it as he continued to lead the way.

  "No way, I can't move anymore!" I panted, collapsing onto the ground.

  Wuka looked at me and said, "Let's take a rest for a while."

  After entering the swamp, Wu Ka was quite polite to me. I took a cold mantou handed over by the strong man and wolfed it down.

  Wuka had his back to me, and was again studying the sheepskin map. The dwarf kept staring at me, making my skin crawl. The white-haired old man sat on a tree stump, pulled out a dry pipe, tapped it against his heel, put it in his mouth, and suddenly let out a loud "puff" as the pipe slipped from his lips, and he began to cough violently.

  The cough was low and sharp, as if something was drilling out of his throat.

  The dwarf looked back at him in surprise, and Wu Ka's face also changed.

  "Ah!" A green, slimy substance spewed out of the old man's mouth, followed by fresh blood, entangled intestines, red lungs, and yellow liver. The old man clutched at his own throat in agony, collapsing to his knees.

  A warm heart jumped out and fell into the mud, beating slightly.

  I thought the old man was just playing a trick on me until he fell softly to the ground, and only then did I realize that the white-haired old man had died.

  The strong man was shocked and shouted out loud.

  "Shut up!" Wu Ka shouted, his face also looking unpleasant. He looked around restlessly, the red light in his eyes flashing on and off.

  I'm not afraid of dead people, every year when it snows heavily, several beggars in Luoyang City will inevitably freeze to death. I'll rush over immediately, strip their pockets and take away the one or two remaining copper coins. But as for an old man dying so strangely, this is my first time seeing it. I'm a bit scared, but also feel a little schadenfreude - if I really died, there would be more people to bury with me.

  All night, the strong man did not sleep, Wu Ka ordered him to keep watch.

  The next morning at dawn, before I was fully awake, I was dragged out by the dwarf.

  "Hurry up!" The dwarf shouted, this little runt had quite a bit of strength.

  The morning air was cold and damp, with a faint white mist floating around us, like wandering ghosts. The four of us walked silently, our heads down, through a thorny thicket. Suddenly I felt something was off - the ground beneath my feet was soft and muddy, but after we passed by, there should have been footprints left behind, yet now there were none, smooth as silk.

  It's as if we've entered an enchanted realm.

  A cold dewdrop fell from the tip of a leaf and slid down my neck, making me shiver. Where was Wu Ka going anyway?

  The sturdy man beside him suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes dull and unresponsive, letting out a loud roar.

  Wu Ka turned around and frowned, saying: "What are you doing?"

  The strong man didn't care, like a mad beast, opening his mouth and rushing out. With a "bang", the strong man's head hit the hard tree trunk, blood splashing everywhere. But he was still roaring, hugging the tree trunk, gnawing at the tree with his teeth, making a chilling "screeching" sound.

  He seems to have gone mad!

  Wukas' expression changed, and after a while, he said, "Don't mind him, let's continue on our way."

  The robust man suddenly turned his head, smiled at us, and walked towards us while smiling. His smile lines were like a few earthworms, moving eerily on his face.

  "Thud." Blood splattered, the strong man's left hand broke off and fell to the ground, followed by his right hand, his entire arm, eyeballs, mouth, and organs of his body separated one by one, scattering all over the floor. In the end, only two feet were left, which stepped towards us in the bright red pool of blood.

  The dwarf's face turned pale with fright, his whole body trembling. I was just as scared, my heart racing wildly. But Wu Ka remained calm and still, her two feet walking up to him before suddenly exploding in a burst of mud and blood that stained the ground red.

  I stared at the dwarf, and after a long time, I heard Wu Ka's hoarse voice: "What are you still dazing about? Let's go!"

  Another day has passed quickly.

  At night, when resting, the dwarf crouched under a scarred old tree stump, shivering violently. At the slightest rustle of wind, he would jump up like a startled rabbit.

  I yawned and fell asleep immediately, with Wu Ka sitting beside me keeping watch.

  At night, the swamp was eerie and desolate, with strange noises of "hissing" and "rustling" sounds occasionally coming from the dark. The old man and the strong man died under mysterious circumstances, but although I was a bit scared at the time, I didn't think much of it afterwards and slept soundly as usual.

  What's there for me to be afraid of now?

  When the sun rises, I lift my head and gaze at it for a long time. The sunlight on my face feels a bit cold. Today is the last day of my 16-year-old life. Last night, I dreamed of many people: Dad, Miss Wang, Big Bear, Li Jieying, and even Mom who passed away after giving birth to me.

  I suddenly feel that heaven is too unfair to me.

  Wuka made the dwarf throw away all the dry rations and water. He grasped my hand tightly, walking forward, Wuka's slippery and sticky paw was like a snail.

  In the quiet marshland, our footsteps echoed, "shasha", "shasha", monotonous and dull.

  The road became increasingly difficult to walk, often with large puddles of water and dense thorns. The muddy and slippery ground made it easy to misstep, and if I wasn't careful, my foot would sink in immediately, pulling me down. If Wu Ka hadn't held onto me, I might have lost my life several times.

  At noon, we passed through a patch of white-flowering reeds and Wu Ka stopped in his tracks.

  "It should be right here." He spread out the sheepskin map, many black lines crisscrossing, and in the center, a prominent red mark.

  "Master, look!" The dwarf's eyes widened as he pointed ahead. Sunlight shimmered like water, and behind the trees, a green oasis miraculously appeared. Beautiful flowers, clear pools of water, and lush grasslands were filled with glittering treasures.

  "This is grandma's treasure! If I move back to Luoyang City, I'll become rich immediately! Is Wu Ka coming here to find these treasures?"

  The little eyes of the dwarf protruded with a greedy light and jumped towards the oasis.

  "Don't go! It's not time yet!" Wuka shouted, but it was too late.

  In the water tank, a bird-like hand stretched out, thin and bony, and suddenly grasped the dwarf's throat. He struggled, being slowly dragged into the water tank, with his two legs still outside kicking desperately.

  I was dumbfounded.

  The dwarf disappeared into the pond, and after a while, he suddenly jumped out of the water, transformed into a bright red flesh ball. His skin had been completely stripped off, his bloody muscles bubbling, one by one, blood bubbles rolled down, jumping on the grass.

  The dwarf quickly turned into a pool of blood.

  All around was deathly still, as if nothing had happened. I bent down, feeling like vomiting.

  Wukasen said calmly, "Death has its own guilt." He looked up at the sky and sat down, staring at the oasis like a hungry wolf waiting patiently.

  The sun slowly sets, the evening wind blows by, and I lie down in a puddle of water, feeling both exhausted and a bit flustered. According to Bakuya's prophecy, I should be dead soon. And this bastard next to me doesn't seem to care whether I live or die.

  Wu Ka suddenly stood up.

  Bubbles of water, rising from the oasis, like a boiling hot porridge, rolling violently. The beautiful oasis turned into a dirty swamp, and the jewels sank one after another.

  A gigantic skull slowly emerged from the mud, with green horns, bronze bell-like eyes, and sturdy limbs covered in sharp, long spines. The monster arched its body, let out a deafening roar towards the sky, and spat out two large characters "North Border" from its bloody mouth.

  "North Border! It's really North Border!" Wu Ka exclaimed in a trembling voice, throwing away the sheepskin map, his face filled with wild joy.

  The two words "Northern Border" slowly transformed into two sharp swords, and a man and woman wearing Taoist robes leaped out of the air, dancing with their swords, white lights flashing, cutting the monster into a bloody rain.

  I still didn't understand what was going on when Wu Ka had already grabbed me and rushed forward.

  The Taoist man and woman let out a loud shout, their long swords flashing as they slashed towards us with deadly precision.

  The sword light shone like the scorching sun.

  Wu Ka lifted me up and firmly blocked in front of me.

  I curse his ancestors for eighteen generations! Wuka, your mother gave birth to a son without an anus! With eyes wide open, I saw the sharp sword approaching, the cold air piercing my skin, and I burst into loud curses. After all this time, it turned out that Wuka was here to send me to my death!

  This is a real joke, I followed Wu Ka to survive, but in the end, I dug my own grave. Jia Ye, your prophecy was really accurate!

  The long sword had just stabbed me and immediately melted like candle oil, disappearing quickly. The Taoist man and woman cried out in surprise, staring at me, and suddenly vanished.

  I didn't die after all?

  I couldn't believe it, those two cold gleaming swords, were they made of maltose syrup?

  "Rumble!" A ancient tomb slowly emerged, the tombstone cracked open, turning into fine sand rolling down, revealing a dark and bottomless cave below.

  The sound of Wu Ka's sinister laughter echoed in my ears, a surge of great force suddenly came, he grabbed me and flew towards the deep pit of the grave.

  At this moment, the sunset just disappeared on the horizon.

  On this day, I, who had just turned seventeen, disappeared into the territory of the Tang Dynasty.