Chapter 1: The Haunted Yōlin (Part 1)

  A grassland beside a mountain forest, a young man wearing a leather jacket sits on a large stone smoking. His eyes stare at the gloomy tree cluster in front of him. A forest ranger walks by and says:

  "Young man, no smoking here."

  The young man looked at him, stood up from the stone and took two steps forward:

  "Where is it?"

  "It won't work either."

  The young man shook his head in disappointment and walked a few more steps before asking tentatively, "Is it okay here?"

  "It's still not allowed."

  The dejected young man shifted a few steps to the left and said in despair, "Can't we stay here either?"

  The old forest ranger cursed loudly:

  "You've already smoked them all and you're still asking me? Damn it!"

  “……”

  Ding Lingxiu pinched out the cigarette butt and Old Man Lin chuckled:

  "Sorry, uncle, something urgent came up, won't happen again."

  "Hey, hey, hey...... where are you going?"

  "In front of the forest." Ding Lingxiu said as he took out the demon-seeking compass from his backpack.

  "Listen to me, young man, don't go in there, this forest is a devil's forest, once you enter, you will surely die." The old man guarding the forest spoke sincerely.

  "Oh, I know." Ding Lingxu said disbelievingly, his eyes still fixed on the demon-seeking compass in his hand.

  The old man's stone sundial swayed back and forth, Ding Lingxiu walked straight forward, as if nothing was wrong. The old man couldn't bear it anymore, and pulled him back with one hand.

  "Hey? Young man, why are you so disobedient? I've lived here for over a decade, can I still cheat you? Although this is a shortcut back to the county town, don't ever take it."

  "Why?" Ding Lingxiu muttered to himself, apparently taking the old man's words as nothing but a passing breeze.

  "This... this place is haunted..." The old man lowered his voice and cautiously looked around, as if he was afraid of something.

  "What's there to be afraid of?" Ding Lingxiao said with a smile, his footsteps showing no intention of stopping.

  "Aren't you afraid of ghosts?" The old man was shocked.

  "A hundred years later, I will also become a ghost, what is there to fear?" Ding Ling Xiu replied calmly.

  The quiet valley is filled with a gloomy wind, and except for the rustling sound of the leaves blown by the faint breeze, it seems unusually quiet.

  "You stinky little brat, how can you take life so lightly? Don't blame me for getting rough, if you keep going like this you'll end up dead." The old man raised his hoe, ready to knock Ding Lingyu unconscious with the wooden handle.

  Ding Lingxiu only felt a strong gust of wind hitting the back of his head, he immediately dodged to the side, the old man's shovel swung empty, almost falling to the ground.

  Ding Lingxiu didn't even turn his head and continued walking forward with his head down, as if nothing had happened.

  "Alas... this kid is so stubborn."

  Watching Ding Lingxiu disappear into the distance, the old man let out a long sigh, but he didn't dare to chase after him because Ding Lingxiu was already very close to that eerie and ominous mountain forest.

  The slanting sun was like blood, and in the dim yellow light, the short trees that had not yet revealed their vitality stood alone in the thickets. The faint golden color that the sunset had quietly applied to the tree tops added a few touches of lively vitality to this desolate scene.

  Ding Lingxiu walked and walked, gradually entering the depths of the mountain forest. The thin fog in front of him grew thicker, with the air condensing like cow's milk, yet seeming to flow slowly at the same time. Under the dim light, the trees cast shadows that seemed to be swaying, as if countless living creatures were stirring within.

  "Hehe......"

  Not far away, a woman's charming and seductive laughter pierced into Ding Lingxiu's ears. In this desolate mountain wilderness, if it were someone else, they would definitely shudder all over. Because this voice was really too sharp, strange and eerie, just like it was squeezed out from the gap between her vocal cords.

  Ding Lingxiu didn't care at all, raised his head to look around the surroundings, and gently shook his slightly sore neck.

  "Hehe...... come on......"

  The voice of the spirit came again, and the sound should not have had an echo in this dense foliage, but the call was echoing in Ding Ling's ears, and it seemed to be long and captivating.

  Ding Lingxiu stopped and took out an old leather book and a small ceramic bottle from her backpack.

  This book is very old, but it's not tattered, as if the person who kept it was very meticulous. On the cover of the book, in a font similar to clerical script, are written three large golden characters "Bai Gu Tu" (Hundred Ghosts Picture). The cowhide book is bound with red cord, and the workmanship looks quite rough. Below the big characters, there is also a pattern of a green dragon.

  Ding Lingxiu carefully poured a small amount from the ceramic bottle onto his hand, then flipped open the leather-bound book. The crimson liquid was clearly some kind of blood.

  The yellowed parchment pages of the cowhide book were revealed one by one as he flipped through it, but upon closer inspection, there was a small paragraph at the bottom of each page, with tiny font, similar to annotations in a book. However, the main text area was completely blank, except for a strange border composed of eerie symbols that looked like a cage, as if trying to confine something within the empty space.

  After flipping through several pages, I finally came across one with different content. The blank space on this page was occupied by a full-body portrait of a beautiful woman. The painting was very simple, like a child's sketch, but the young woman in it looked incredibly vivid and lifelike, as if she were about to jump off the paper. She held a paper umbrella, her posture was elegant, her movements seemed leisurely, strolling through a courtyard, carefree and content.

  Ding Lingxiu looked at the screen, clasped his hands together, and the cowhide book actually floated in mid-air, with a faint blue glow emanating from the text.

  "On the distant horizon, beyond the cold river, the desolate clouds are there, and the four spirits attend the sage."

  Ding Lingxiu closed her eyes and muttered to herself.

  "Frosty fine rain, chance encounter on a winding path, the road ahead is rugged, never leave nor abandon."

  After finishing the last four sentences, the woman in the book seemed to have come to life, and she actually stood up from the paper. The body of the woman composed of lines absorbed the blood on the cowhide paper into her body with Ding Ling's finger dipped in it, turning into a small red person. A chill spread through the air.

  Right after that, a cluster of red light projected onto the ground, and in front of Ding Ling's eyes appeared an indistinct figure.

  The little people jumping on the book pages disappeared, leaving only the red "Rain Girl" in the blank space.

  "Long time no see, Rain Girl."

  Ding Lingxiu put away the leather-bound book and waved at the vague figure.

  A vision appeared, a beautiful woman with icy skin and jade bones slowly emerged. She was wearing a brocade cloud dress, holding a flower folding umbrella in her hand, gazing deeply at Ding Lingxiu, her eyes like scissors cutting water.

  "Little Master Ling, you've summoned me to your residence today. What's the purpose of this?" Yu Nu smiled cleverly and replied with a voice as melodious as an oriole's call.

  "There's no outsider here, speak properly." Ding Lingxiu curled her lips and lowered her head to pick at her fingernails.

  "Ding Lingxiu, what's the time now? You didn't have anything important to do, so why did you call me out here?" Yunu stood with her hands on her hips, her face scowling like a shrew.

  "Little Rain Sister, there is an extremely strong aura of evil here. And based on the intelligence I've gathered recently, I estimate that the Human-Faced Tree is right here." said Ding Lingyu.

  "Huh? Human-faced tree? What did you call me out for, this kind of thing you should ask Tie Shu about, have you been drinking fake wine?" Yu Nu's anger grew, she raised her head and curled her lip.

  "I'm not asking you to come out and fight, just get the beauty to help with a small favor." Ding Lingxiu smiled and gently pulled on Yu Nu's long sleeve.

  "Help? You won't let me help you in the rain?"

  "Really clever, people all say you're brainless with a big chest, but you're just an exception."

  "Hehe, don't always praise others like that, even if it's true."

  The rain woman put her hands behind her back and became flustered.

  "No, I mean you have no heart and no brain."

  "You..."

  The rain woman glared at him with anger in her eyes, and Ding Lingxu only felt a numbness on the top of his head as the hard, unyielding flower-shaped umbrella smashed down on his head.

  "Ah, come on, I was just joking. Don't be like that." Ding Lingxu rubbed his temples in pain and looked at Yu Nü with a wronged expression.

  "Hurry up and say it, what's going on? I'm very busy."

  "Alright, let's get down to business. I've taken a look with the Demon-Seeking Compass and found that the demonic energy here is quite scattered. This means there are not only human-faced trees but also many small tree spirits. Before we find it, I don't want to reveal my spiritual power, so I'll need your help."

  "With my power? I can only help you with the rain, nothing else!" The Rain Girl scratched her hair knot, looking very cute in the swaying tree shadows.

  "It doesn't have to rain, just use your aura and it's enough. The environment here is extremely humid, you cover your aura over my body, and it can greatly weaken my spiritual energy, making me look no different from an ordinary person."

  "You're really thoughtful. Okay, I'll give it a try."

  The rain girl finished speaking, lightly waving the flower-shaped umbrella in her hand, a colorful halo spinning gently in the remaining light, silver beads of water falling down with a rustling sound.

  Before long, a faint blue mist appeared in the air. The Rain Girl gently blew towards the mist, and it slowly moved, floating onto Ding Ling's body, wrapping him inside, and gradually seeping into his body.

  "Alright, it's all set." The rain girl put away her umbrella and clapped her hands.

  "Ah, ah, not bad, that's it, although a bit damp." Ding Lingxiu nodded in satisfaction with the wet outer garment Yu Nu had made for him.

  "Just stop being so picky and choosy, what a troublesome person."

  The rain girl muttered, lightly poking Ding Lingxiu's nose with her jade-like finger.

  "Alright, now they definitely can't see how much spiritual energy I have."

  "Why don't you just scare them away outside the forest? Wouldn't that be safer?" The Rain Maiden looked around at the eerie and dense woods, somewhat perplexed.

  "What did I just say, are you really brainless? It's not as humid outside as it is here. The aura you create will dissipate more than half before you even enter. And although it's already evening, I'm afraid it's still very dangerous for you to stand outside with your demonic powers."

  "Oh? You're still so concerned about me, I was wrong to blame you. Let's have dinner together when you're free." Yuniang smiled and said, her beautiful eyes shining brightly.

  "Haha......I've experienced your skills before." Yu Nu's one sentence seemed to stir up a painful memory for Ding Ling Xiu.

  "Cut it out, you really don't know how to behave as a host. Is there anything else? If not, I'll be leaving." The rain woman closed her umbrella and held it lightly in her hand.

  "Thank you beautiful lady, goodbye."

  The rain girl waved her hand at him, seeming to smile but not quite smiling.

  Ding Lingxiu opened the book again, reciting the incantation from before. The Rain Girl's figure gradually became blurry and transformed into a red light that flew into the book. A drop of blood was squeezed out of the small person's body and flowed into the circle at the bottom right corner of the page with the Rain Girl.

  See off Rain Girl, Ding Ling Xiu put away the cowhide book and continued to step into the depths of the dense forest.

  "Hehe...... come on......"

  The eerie and mournful sound came again from among the towering pines and cypresses that blocked out the sky.

  Ding Lingxiu raised his head and took big strides, with a faint smile hanging at the corner of his mouth. As a demon hunter, he had been searching for the human-faced tree's trail for over ten days, and finally found a clue, which was undoubtedly a huge joy.