Ancient Country Returns to Ruins: Strange News from the Western Regions

  "Is there a ghost in the bracelet? What ghost?" I asked in confusion.

  Wu Zihan stopped talking and his eyes became distant, as if he had entered another world. I was speechless, most annoyed by people who only say half of what they mean.

  Karamay gazed into the distance and said, "This place is not suitable for a long stay. Just now, Ah Long used the Blood Curse to summon the Sky Moths. These creatures are as fierce as fire and will definitely seek revenge if their companions are killed. They can't tolerate it when their companions are killed, and soon more and more of them will gather. I'm afraid we few people won't be able to withstand their sonic attacks. Since we've already obtained the Sky Moth's eyeball, let's hurry back to the village and discuss our next move."

  Six people were preparing to head back, Xiao Lao took out a large spray bottle from his backpack and sprayed each of us thoroughly from all angles, including my little brother. He didn't even spare him. A few sprays got into my mouth, I tasted it and found it sweet with a hint of sourness: "What is this stuff, Xiao Lao? Why does it taste like this?"

  Xiao Lao pretended to be mysterious, and slowly said: "This is the celestial water. The sensitivity of the heavenly moth people's sense of smell can track down a person's trail within a hundred miles. Spraying this thing on it will cut off its roots, and they won't be able to catch up again."

  "Oh, where did this holy water come from?" I asked.

  "I am but an old man who urinates like a heavenly being."

  "Pfft……" I quickly spat out a few mouthfuls, "Xiao Lao, you have diabetes, right?" Karamay, Old Three and Fu Ma were all snickering uncontrollably beside me, only Wu Zihan's face was solemn, his brow furrowed as he stared into the distance.

  We returned to the village, and Karamay went outside to select two camels from the shed, preparing for tomorrow's departure with the team. The hostess set up a simple large bed in the main room that could accommodate five people, covering it with thick quilts, saying that the temperature might drop sharply at night. Lao San slept beside me, and I was scared silly by the moth man earlier. Now thinking back, he actually had such agile movements, truly unexpected. People who can enter the hidden bureau are indeed not ordinary people.

  "Lao San, when did you learn this kung fu? You've been hiding it pretty deeply, haven't you?" I said with a half-joking tone.

  Lao San smiled and said, "Second Brother, we are all hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the police station. My skills are just minor tricks, mainly relying on Big Eyes." He patted Fu Ma's shoulder as he spoke.

  I gave a thumbs up to Fuma who was sitting on the bed: "You're really something, in such a dark situation, that mothman disappeared instantly, you can still see clearly, indeed your eyes are small but focused."

  He scratched his head with a hint of embarrassment: "Actually, I'm not relying on these eyes."

  "What? Have you opened your heavenly eye?" I immediately stared at his forehead, except for a few acne, there was nothing.

  He slowly wrapped his long shirt around him, revealing his back. Under the light of the lamp, I clearly saw that on his waist was a palm-sized eye staring at me, and it blinked at me. I was suddenly frightened, my whole body shook, and I retreated several steps backward.

  Fu Ma saw me like this and hurriedly put down his clothes. "Are you okay?" he asked, with a hint of disappointment in his tone.

  I realized I was a bit overboard just now, and hurriedly waved my hand: "It's nothing, it's nothing, I just feel a bit..."

  "It's a bit nauseating, right?" Fu Ma's voice was noticeably softer.

  Next to him, Xiao Lao, who was already drowsy, suddenly gained spirit: "Jun Yang, little friend, don't underestimate these eyes. This is the Eye of Discernment, a legendary technique that only descendants of the Divine Clan possess. With this eye, I can see through your thoughts and mine, not just humans, but all thinking creatures."

  "So I guess you know where the moth people are flying to, who they're preparing to attack. This is amazing! Tell me, what am I thinking now?" I asked eagerly.

  Fu Ma shook his head: "From the moment you entered the house, I have never heard your inner voice."

  "Huh?" I was somewhat surprised, "Can you handle things or not? Were there people in the past that you couldn't see through either?"

  Fu Ma nodded: "There have been, people who died and came back to life, zombies, ghosts and..."

  "And me, I'm dizzy, and it seems I've become a rice dumpling." I helplessly pinched my own face, which was surprisingly elastic. "And you and Wu Zihan," Fu Ma said. Everyone's eyes turned to look at Wu Zihan, who was still in a state of being detached from the world, staring blankly at the corner of the wall. Wu Zihan was the person with the weakest sense of presence in our team, if Fu Ma hadn't mentioned him, I would have almost forgotten about this person.

  Karamay had just finished feeding the camel and came back from outside, with a layer of sand on his body: "It seems that *** is coming tomorrow, but we must set off. Director Zhou said to find the people from the Zhou family as soon as possible. Everyone should go to bed early."

  A sense of gratitude arose in my heart: "Thank you everyone."

  Karamay smiled and said, "Isn't this what should be? We'll still fight side by side in the future, saying thank you is too formal." His gaze suddenly shifted to my left hand, "Brother Junyang's bracelet is indeed unique, was it given by your grandfather?" For some reason, I always felt that his gaze just now was very familiar.

  "Yes."

  "Can you take it down and let me see?" Karamay said. I took it down and handed it to him, he carefully examined it for half a day, "This bracelet seems to be made of some animal's bones, with talismans on it, but the words of the talisman are unfamiliar."

  "It's a Raksha ghost bone." Wu Zihan suddenly said beside me, startling me.

  "What? Let me take a look." Xiao Lao was somewhat excited, and Karamay handed the chain to him. He hastily put on his reading glasses and examined it up and down before exclaiming in amazement: "I recall that the 'Lingji Veda' has records of Rakshasa ghosts possessing divine powers, able to fly swiftly through the air or move quickly across land, making them fearsome evil spirits. It's said that the Rakshasa ghost's hometown is in the Taklamakan Desert. Whoever can capture this ghost is certainly no ordinary person. In my many years at the Hidden Bureau, I've never heard of anyone capturing this ghost. Using its bones to make a chain is unheard of - what does it mean?"

  "Only one person can catch the Rakshasa." Wu Zihan suddenly seemed to remember something.

  "Who is it?"

  "Raksha Ghost King, the one who wears the Raksha ancient hand chain will not be harmed by the Raksha ghost, and he also has another use." Wu Zihan looked me up and down, "Don't you have a Bagua-shaped tattoo on your body?"

  "Really, how did you know?" I lifted up my shirt and on my belly was a tattoo of the Eight Trigrams that Dad had taken me to get when I was in junior high school. At that time, I cried for a long time and couldn't understand it.

  "That's right, this is the Rakshasa curse, sealing the medium's psychic power, and it won't be harmed by others with psychic powers either." Wu Zihan said.

  "So I didn't feel any connection between Tianyuan's eyes and the ancient country of Daisen, so what about this bracelet?"

  "You won't even feel it, this curse will follow you for the rest of your life, unless the person who cast it dies." Wu Zihan said thoughtfully.

  Xiao Lao furrowed his brow and asked: "Zi Han younger brother, how did you know all this?"

  "Because I was also sealed away before." His expression changed slightly, as if he didn't want to bring it up.

  Karamay yawned and said, "The curse of Rakshasa has been lost for many years. I've only seen it in one place." He emphasized his tone, "It's the sheepskin scroll in the hands of the King of Loulan. Deputy Director Zhou mentioned it in his translation back then, but didn't reveal the method." Karamay seemed to be hinting at something, being a clever person, he sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat unusual and quickly changed the subject: "It's getting late, everyone should get some rest. If we find Old Zhou tomorrow, everything will become clear."

  At night, I tossed and turned, unable to figure out many things. What comforted me was that if it was Grandpa who cast the spell on me, then he must still be alive. But why did he cast this spell? What kind of spiritual power would I have that would make him so worried? The eight trigrams tattoo on my body was done by Dad when he took me to get a tattoo. Did Dad already know that Grandpa was pretending to be crazy? But why was Grandpa pretending to be crazy? A series of mysteries kept coming, and in a daze, I fell asleep.

  I don't know how long it took, but I seemed to hear a rustling sound outside. I turned over and felt the sound getting louder, not like the wind. I got up, ready to go to the bathroom, and the people around me were already asleep. I could hear Karamay talking in his sleep in the next room. I held my flashlight and searched the house for a circle, but couldn't find the toilet. Forget it, as long as you don't lift your head, there are toilets everywhere. Thinking of this, I opened the door and prepared to go outside to solve it casually.

  The village of Hutubi was pitch black at night, the moon in the sky was cloudy and uncertain, my ears were filled with the sound of wind, I suddenly felt a chill, my whole body shivered, and I walked dazedly to the cattle shed. Just as I was about to undo my pants, I found something emitting white steam upwards, the entire cattle shed was misty, and when I looked closely, it was a well.

  During the day, I didn't take a closer look, but next to this cowshed, there is also a well. In the white mist, I feel that in front of me, there is a black shadow moving around, and I also hear faint whispers. I plucked up my courage and shouted loudly: "Who's over there?" The voice echoed back and forth in the air.

  "I'm a bit hungry." The black mass replied, and the voice seemed somewhat familiar.

  "Hey, why are you hiding in the cattle shed when you're hungry?" I suddenly remembered a TV drama where poor children in old society couldn't eat and would run to the cattle shed to grab food from the livestock. It's possible that there are people like this in this desolate desert too. A gust of wind blew by, dispersing some of the fog. I shone my flashlight at the dark mass and said: "If you're hungry, come into the house..."

  That dark mass slowly raised its head, I took a closer look, his face was bloody and blurry, as if it had been slashed by a knife, and the five senses couldn't be distinguished. He was eating a small camel raw, half of which had already been eaten, with a piece of intestine still hanging from his mouth. Oh my god, this is clearly a ghost! I was so scared that my crotch immediately got wet, I shouted loudly and prepared to run back into the house.

  The ghost slowly said three words: "Zhou Jun Yang!" Then accompanied by a burst of eerie laughter, it echoed through the sky.