Chapter 6 – Communicating with Demons

Hope rose within me. I hoped that this person really could unveil the truth of Green Dragon Mountain. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Captain Wu leading the team this time. The soldiers imposed martial law at the foot of the mountain, so we couldn’t go up to see.

Coincidentally, a while later, a soldier came down and told Captain Wu, “The cadre said to have you find someone familiar with the local situation and go up.”

As it was, we were right beside him. Captain Wu waved. “Old sir, please.”

Grandpa picked me up. “I want to bring the child with me,” he said.

Captain Wu was taken aback. “Old sir, no one knows what will happen. It won’t be good if we scare the kid, right?”

“This child has been with me since childhood. He can’t leave me.”

Captain Wu nodded. “Okay, fine.”

After we climbed the mountain, we saw the man in the Chinese tunic suit up close. Even I, a seven or eight-year old, thought that he was handsome—a very masculine type of handsomeness. After Grandpa explained the situation with the back of Green Dragon Mountain, he nodded and said, “Thank you, sir.”

Chinese Tunic waved. Soldiers carried a box over. At first, I thought that it was some secret weapon, but after they set it up, I realized that it was an altar. They placed it before the ancient stele and stepped to the side.

Chinese Tunic went up and lit three incense sticks, pushing them gently into the burner.

I couldn’t help but think that this was way too different from the demon-fighting scene I’d imagined!

Could the mountain ghost be defeated just like this?

Chinese Tunic didn’t do anything else. He stood before the altar, staring at the three incenses.

“Incense Reading?” Grandpa murmured.

“What’s that?” I asked hurriedly.

“I heard Old Blindman mention it before. There’s a saying that goes, ‘Incense Reading technique, watch the incense. The Immortals light incense to communicate with the three worlds.’

“People from some northern places are skilled at Incense Reading. The master communicating with spirits would worship all the gods at home. If anyone comes for a reading, he would have the man burn incense before the gods. The answer you want would appear within the smoke and ashes. Of course, regular people won’t understand. Only the communicating master can read the meaning. That incense is the medium for gods to communicate with humans.

“But Old Blindman also said that these people usually can only invite minor gods, so the shamanistic Chuma disciples in the Northeast use it more often.”

I didn’t really understand, but I found it magical, so I asked, “Then what is that guy asking the incense?”

Grandpa shook his head. “I wouldn’t know.”

As soon as he finished, his head whipped toward the Woods of No Return. I followed his gaze. A ball of black smoke was rising behind the woods. It seemed to carry something inside. The black smoke was moving straight toward the Woods of No Return. As it moved, the trees in the woods all swayed from side to side!

My mouth dropped open. Earlier, I’d promised Grandpa that I wouldn’t be scared, but now I was shaking. As the trees moved, I heard footsteps get closer from the direction of the woods. It was like a huge beast was racing through the trees, or an army of thousands of soldiers and horses!

Grandpa and I weren’t the only ones who saw this creepy scene. The prepared soldiers instantly raised their guns and aimed at the Woods of No Return. I hid in Grandpa’s arms, but I couldn’t help but look up at Chinese Tunic, whom I thought was a hero.

But then I realized that he’d knelt down before the altar at some point. He kept kowtowing toward the Woods of No Return while chanting something. His words were fast, spitting out things that I couldn’t understand like a machine gun.

“Hey, say something I can understand!” the government official-like man cried frantically. “What should we do? Blast them to hell or what?”

Chinese Tunic raised his head and said, “Everyone, go down the mountain. If we anger him, all of us will die! No matter what you hear, no matter what happens, do not look back, do not come back up! Remember! Do NOT look back!”