《Otherworldly Merchant》Chapter 89: Trap
Advertisement
“No problem.” I gave him a slight nod and confirmed, “I just need to wait for the golden silk quilt to cover the little dolls, and then I will bring that quilt to you, right?”
Receiving the old man’s confirmation, I heaved a sigh of relief and set off with the others. It wasn’t good to bring a big group as it was easily spotted. I wanted Yin Xinyue to stay and only Li Mazi and I would go. But Yin Xinyue said, “Compared to the graveyard, I’m more afraid of that odd old man.”
Right, I wasn’t sure if that man was a gentleman. I couldn’t put my mind at ease leaving Yin Xinyue, a great beauty, with him. So I took her along.
Groping around in the night, we used the light from our flashlights to get to the graveyard. Perhaps I had experienced this situation too many times, so I was not really scared.
Throwing the little dolls towards the golden quilt, we hurried to hide behind a tombstone, trying to observe the situation from there.
The night was dark and the wind was raging horribly. And as we were standing against the wind, we couldn’t open our eyes properly and could barely see the little dolls.
Since it was in a desolate, mountainous area, it became a wildlife paradise when night fell.
After staying here for a while, I saw green eyes flying around the graveyard. At the same time, we heard strange movements.
Although we understood that those sounds came from wild cats or stray dogs, under such an atmosphere and seeing so many green eyes flying around, we were somewhat fearful. However, no matter how scared I was, my eyes never left the dolls.
When it reached midnight, that was when negative energy was the thickest. I was certain that the quilt would take action…
Advertisement
Indeed, after an hour, I heard a woman sobbing at a grave in the center. Her voice was barely audible but it was really pitiable and mournful.
When I heard her, my heart couldn’t help but feel the same sadness.
I joked, “Li Mazi, don’t you want to be a hero and rescue the beauty? I’m sure that the sobbing woman needs some comfort.” Being provoked, Li Mazi glared at me.
The crying seemed to come from a distance, but somehow it sounded as though it was next to my ears. I felt flustered. It seemed to be very dangerous; it was no wonder that the old man said that we were not its match. I became more cautious. To avoid being possessed, I kept biting the tip of my tongue, using the pain to stimulate my nerves.
Right at that moment, the sorrowful sobbing stopped.
We heard a commotion from the grave the rich kid had dug up; it sounded like something was trying to climb out of it. I tried to open my eyes wide to see better. However, except for the mass of darkness, I saw nothing.
Then, a scene out of a horror movie took place. The golden quilt on the ground suddenly swelled as if someone had just gotten into it!
Not good! There’s really a ghost here!
And, from inside the quilt, a charming, female voice was heard, which wasn’t different from the previous sobbing, “Sir, you’re here. Let’s rest.”
Then, the quilt floated up, slowly flying toward the little dolls.
Li Mazi hid behind the tombstone, shivering. “Little Brother Zhang, I think I got it! Those two, before they died, I’m sure they had fun with her. They must’ve been overjoyed to make love with a ghost.”
I threw him a glance. “Well, if you like, you can be on top.”
Advertisement
Li Mazi waved his hand dismissively. “No, no, I still need to earn a lot of money…”
Afterward, things went smoothly. The quilt covered the dolls, and the whole world quieted down. No more crying. No more rattling sounds. And even the raging winds had somewhat calmed.
“Now!” I screamed then rushed toward the quilt. Yin Xinyue and Li Mazi followed close behind me.
Although the quilt had just shrouded the dolls, it felt as if two people were sleeping inside.
I knew one of them was the female ghost. Immediately, I stretched my arms, ready to grab the quilt.
However, as soon as I got it, a boy’s voice rose behind me. “Stop, don’t touch it.”
I was scared, my legs felt weak. I turned around and found a short silhouette standing inside the graveyard. I didn’t know when he had appeared there.
Who is that boy? Why didn't I hear anything when he approached us?
Li Mazi jolted back. However, seeing that it was a little boy, he was enraged and scoffed, “It’s really late at night. Who are you? Are you trying to scare people to death?”
“Hmph! You can’t tell the good from the bad. That old man wants to harm you. Drop the quilt and head west; there’s a small river. When you reach the river, all of you should jump in. No matter what happens, do not turn around. Just stay inside the river until the break of dawn.
“Of course, if you can stay there until dawn, I will save you. But if you can’t make it to dawn, I will come to pick up your corpses…”
The boy spoke with indifference, and listening to him made me shudder.
That old man is plotting against us? Why would he want to harm us?
I didn’t want to believe this child.
However, why did I feel his voice was familiar? It seemed that I had heard his voice somewhere before. So, I shone my flashlight on him.
When I saw the boy’s face, I almost screamed.
He was no one else but the little brother of the man wearing the Kumamon t-shirt, the little Daoist child who watched the gate of Mitu Temple in Hong Kong.
How did he appear in this graveyard?
Anyway, if he was with the Kumamon t-shirt man, I was sure I could trust him. I turned to snap at Li Mazi and Yin Xinyue, “Why are you still standing there? Do as he says!”
I took the initiative and dropped the quilt, running towards the west.
Along the way, my head was filled with questions.
That Daoist child should be in Hong Kong, shouldn’t he? How come he’s got to the Mainland?
And, why hadn’t he made a sound while approaching us?
Could the little boy be an imposter?
The more I ran, the more disordered my thoughts became because I didn’t know if it was our salvation or a bottomless abyss waiting ahead.
While we were running, another familiar voice came from behind us. “Zhang Jiulin, stop.”
That was the voice of the man in the Kumamon t-shirt.
I reacted immediately, halting. Li Mazi and Yin Xinyue also stopped. Unconsciously, they were about to turn around to look at him.
However, I still remembered what the Daoist boy had warned. I cried, “Don’t turn around. Continue running!”
Li Mazi cursed under his breath, “Who’s the bad guy, and who’s the good guy here? It’s a mess…”
Reluctantly, I forced a smile. “Just run, the faster the better. Head west. I don’t think we will die here.” Then, I sped up.
As the man wearing the Kumamon t-shirt had appeared out of the blue behind us, I felt something was off. So, I decided to ignore him.
Advertisement
- In Serial168 Chapters
NPC Code: Red Riding Hood
Red is an NPC (non-player character) villager of the popular game called “Code”. She is living her simple life to the fullest, not until an announcement crashes into the game. A horde of monsters mate...
8 162 - In Serial8 Chapters
Entangled Fates Book 1 - Quantum Beginnings
“By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.” —Eliezer Yudkowsky Hey all, we're moving over to book 2. This content is in a state of transition. The book is now availble on Amazon (includes extra chapters): https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B07W1534R8 Artificial intelligence was nearly mankind’s last invention. AI took off like a rocket, then when it racked up an impressive death toll, it crashed before it could blossom and took most high-tech industries with it. Resistance and fears became deep-set. Two decades after the infamous Rev. 4.6 incidents, humanity hasn’t quit dreaming of the wealth and power that could be at their fingertips. A new generation of mega-corporations rose from the ashes. When one melds a quantum computer to a barely functional mental patient as a PR move, there are those who seek to profit, those who want to destroy it, and Alex. Alex Sage is a typical college student trying to keep up his grades and maybe find a meaningful connection with the fairer sex. Then, an automated semi crashes into his home, killing his family and turning his head into a pin cushion in the process. Alex awakens to find most of his memories gone and an illegal AI hidden in his brain implant. Now the pet project of a tech billionaire and heavily in debt, Alex struggles to stay valuable enough to be kept online. Still grappling with the repercussions of his injuries, and threats from a dangerous anti-augmentation political movement, there are no easy answers and threats loom around every corner. Alex must use whatever resources he can to escape from under the thumb of a ruthless corporation, while keeping those he comes to love safe. Chapters will stay up on RRL until Aug 10. It'll go up on Kindle Unlimited after that. How do you get those extra chapters I didn't have planned for RR? If you want them, they'll be in the published book. Book 2 will still make sense without them - I made sure of that. But... isn't $3 a lot for extra chapters? Think of it as tipping me for a good job and you'd also be getting my eternal thanks. If you enjoyed it so much that the idea of missing out a few chapters haunts you, I did my job as an author and made an engaging story. What's in those extra chapters? Resolving a few issues, set up for the cybernetic revolution, a rather intense sex scene with a new partner, revelations of who's really pulling strings, and a bit of set up for book 2. Complaints that people missed out on it when it was published here won't help (sorry!). I posted this for the folks who helped me shape the book, which is you all! (Again, yay!) But... Why! Why not keep it all on RR forever? My editor likes being paid for one. For two, I'd like the ability to get broader readership. If I break even on editor costs, I'll be incredibly happy. What about book 2? Drafts for Book 2 will go up around Sept 10. My draft of Book 2 is done, and it will be handed to the editor once Book 1 is published. Feedback has been even more positive. Beta readers devoured it and wanted more. I'll add a link to Book 2 once it's up on RR. I'm more or less, using you all for Beta Readers, so you get it before it's "canon" and edited. I invite active and meaningful feedback during this process. In return, you get early access to chapters. That does mean that the book content or plot might be adjusted before it gets published as I refine it. Sex Y/N? Yes. I heard the feedback, 90% wanted it explicit. You all will get the "full" experience. Will I dump all of book 2 here? Honestly, I'm not sure yet. At a minimum, it'll be up to the 75% mark as we collect feedback, much like what I did with book 1. It really depends on how good the feedback is and how nice people are. Lots of support + meaningful feedback to make it better = higher likelihood you get all the book. Will be it up here indefinitely? No, it'll probably go up on KU at some point, but I'll make sure there's enough time for a large readership to grab it here. Then we move to book 3 which already is around 60K words already. What about other adventures in the same universe/characters? Yep. Absolutely. Nothing ready to share yet though. I plan to keep those side chapters and more slice of life stories as RR exclusive. Since I'm carving this off in book-sized segments, I'll have to figure out where those disconnected story arcs belong. I'm open to suggestions.
8 142 - In Serial14 Chapters
The Second Coming of Fate [A High Fantasy Story]
Prologue Arc: The Day That Begins Your Fate - COMPLETED Story Arc 1: Chaos in the Lamorian Kingdom - ONGOING Please consider following/leaving a rating. I plan to turn this into a long lasting series, and it would really mean a whole lot to me. :) ----- Having succumb to amnesia, Galvin one day appears in the Grand Forest east of the capital kingdom Lamora. For the next two months, he lives a perfectly carefree yet boring life until one fateful day changed everything. Encountering all sorts of characters and dealing with all sorts of shenanigans, Galvin begins to experience visions of what appears to be the future. With this newfound power in a world full of magic, yet plagued with war, discrimination, and brutality, will Galvin be able to change fate…or die trying? ----- Do you like stories where the protagonist doesn't start out strong and is deeply character driven (with a LOT of inner monologues)? A story that has its fair share of comedic and dark moments? Well then you've come to the right place! However, if you're looking for LitRPG mechanics, then unfortunately, this story doesn't contain too many of them. The dynamics of the story will be based on real life physics and mechanics (with a bit of magic of course!) Also, I delve deeply into a lot of disturbing topics, so readers do be warned. However, if any of this sounds interesting to you, then please come by and give my story a read. ----- Expect releases as soon as possible (which is like 4 - 10 days). Just know that I'm writing this story as it progresses, so a lot of first drafts are to be expected. :D
8 158 - In Serial23 Chapters
World Game Room
Want to be a winner? “The World Game Room is the most rewarding experience I have ever undertaken. 10/10” If you see an app with this description and these reviews DO NOT click it!!! You will be entered into a horrible, terrifying world where you will fight for your life every day through puzzles, escape rooms, and survival scenarios.
8 188 - In Serial30 Chapters
THE DEMONIC CELESTIAL
James a biochemist in his past life just got murderd by his best friend he is then transmigrated into th body of a youth without celestial veins watch at how he rules as the celestial sovereign
8 193 - In Serial12 Chapters
A Litrpg apocalypse
Join Aya as her world will be changed forever by the advance of a so-called System and where she will need to keep herself and the ones she cares about safe when the world goes to a different kind of hell than it was already heading to! The story will feature a stubborn and sometimes just plain weird female MC and those she cares about. Edit 02-03-22First mini arc is completed, am working on the second part. Note: this is my first time writing a Litrpg and the second time I tried to write a story which contains more than a few pages. So please bear with me and feel free to offer suggestions, positive criticism, and the like in the comments. A note’s note: the Litrpg part will be, especially in the beginning, slow going. While I like to think this story is going to be a Litrpg, it will not focus heavily on the mechanics. And finally, a note-like note of a note: English is not my native language and only me, myself and Word grammar check have looked at the text. If you see a horrible affront to the English language, please let me know. Enjoy!
8 157

