Deep in the mountains, Qingming Festival.
What does that make you think of?
Grave sweeping.
Now imagine, in addition to that, a stone shrine with an eerie rock inside, surrounded by a circle of red strings.
You might think of more than just grave sweeping...
The creepy atmosphere comes alive immediately.
Chen Lusi stood in the middle of the rugged ravine, raised his hand to make a camera gesture, then looked through the gap towards the stone shrine not far away.
The stone shrine was located beside the ravine's edge, looked small, square-shaped, with a stone slab as the cover, supported on both sides by stone strips.
At the center, worshiped, is a stone that resembles a baby, vaguely odd in shape.
Such a conspicuous man-made object.
And that naturally unnerving red string circle.
Anyone who sees it would surely think it's authentic...
But in reality.
It's just a Mountain God Stone Shrine, the person who built it is still alive and well.
A terrifying stone shrine in the deep mountains.
To put it bluntly, it's just an old-fashioned collectible created by a custom of stone worship.
Thinking about it.
Even Chen Lusi himself was amused by the term old-fashioned collectible.
He put down his hand, walked forward a few steps to the stone shrine, then crouched down, faced the stone, and bowed.
"Hope you'll bless me with a smooth year ahead... If not, at least let me find my way down the mountain."
Chen Lusi himself didn't believe in this stuff.
But as the saying goes, since you're here...
The most important thing is, he's lost his way.
He came to sweep the tombs but couldn't find the way down.
Up until now, a few cousins from down the mountain were still teaching him how to descend.
He's treating this shrine as his last resort.
However, having made his wish, Chen Lusi couldn't keep a straight face.
After all, if you really want your wish fulfilled, praying to so many ancestors is surely better than relying on a mysterious stone shrine.
...Ultimately, it's just psychological comfort.
"Really silly."
Chen Lusi looked at the odd rock, clapped his hands, and then, supporting his knees, stood up.
But whether because he squatted too long or suddenly stood up after intense activity.
As soon as he got up.
Chen Lusi felt as if hit with a hammer at the back of his head... a massive dizziness swept over him, his vision was instantly taken away.
His sight went black, he staggered back a few steps and nearly fell down.
Stumbling about, he barely managed to steady himself.
Chen Lusi quickly crouched down again, closed his eyes, and took deep breaths.
Until he felt the dizziness gradually fade away.
Only then did he open his eyes again... Yet it seemed foggy, with remaining dizziness, still not clear to see.
And amidst the swirling world.
Chen Lusi noticed a heart-stopping sight.
Not far away.
The stone in the center of the shrine, strangely shaped like a baby, came to life.
The top part, like a human head rising, leaned forward and laughed...
As if wanting to touch him.
"..."
In an instant.
Chen Lusi felt his heart stop.
He froze for half a second, then shut his eyes again, rubbing his temples vigorously.
When he opened them again.
The dizziness was gone.
The fog that veiled his vision disappeared too.
The shrine was still just a shrine, the stone remained a stone.
It didn't smile, nor did it move.
It was all like a hallucination during his dizzy spell.
But.
Back to the initial question...
Qingming Festival, deep mountains, terrifying stone shrine.
What does that make you think of?
Chen Lusi shifted his gaze away from the shrine, slowly stood up, and... turned and walked away.
Although he was willing to believe it was an illusion, honestly, it's still somewhat creepy being in the deep mountains.
He had no interest in questioning or pondering why he had such an illusion, neither did he want to investigate.
He'd rather recount this as a story to others later, rather than seeking a solution in the mountains.
In any case.
Time to go down the mountain.
Chen Lusi followed the ravine, started to walk down quickly.
Swiftly.
As he moved farther from the shrine, the lingering shock and scare faded away.
After running quite a distance.
Chen Lusi gradually slowed down.
Because as of yet, nothing has happened.
This made him more certain it was an illusion.
"Scared myself."
Chen Lusi completely stopped, glanced back at the shrine's location, and with a smile, mocked himself.
But just as he finished speaking.
Suddenly, he realized one thing —
The voices of the cousins seemed to have disappeared.
Then looked deeper.
He found the usual sounds of bugs and birds in the forest were gone as well.
The whole mountain.
Seemingly lost its 'life' in an instant.
Only the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves and branches remained.
"..."
Chen Lusi's expression stiffened, gradually retracting all emotions from his face, not wanting to stay a moment longer.
He immediately started jogging.
But deep forests really are full of surprises.
As if wheels rolled over fallen leaves, crushing the earth... suddenly echoed.
The once lifeless mountain forest suddenly produced such vibrant sounds, catching Chen Lusi's attention immediately.
In his jog, he couldn't help but glance to the left.
Then.
He saw a wheelchair... It was an old-fashioned folding wheelchair, with wheels that appeared somewhat deformed, the framework's steel pipes were covered in rust, and the leather seat cushion and backrest showed signs of peeling.
At that moment, it was slowly rolling down the slope, as if following Chen Lusi's steps.
"...."
Chen Lusi silently stared at the wheelchair.
Suddenly, footsteps came from the right side.
Chen Lusi slowly turned his head.
A man in a suit, hands clasped behind his back, was calmly walking down.
From the looks of it, he seemed to be walking side by side with him.
It appeared quite normal.
If you ignore the meticulously tailored suit, and ignore the... the old-fashioned clock nearly half a meter long substituting his head.
"...."
Chen Lusi took a deep breath, looked forward, and resolved that no matter what sound he heard next, he wouldn't turn around to look.
The strange noise came a third time.
This time it appeared beside him.
Chen Lusi kept his eyes straight ahead, even as the other caught up quickly with steady stride.
He still pretended not to notice anything.
And so they stayed at an impasse for a dozen seconds.
The footsteps vanished.
Up ahead, familiar scenery came into view, he was almost at the foot of the mountain.
Chen Lusi couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, but he didn't even have time to catch his breath.
He had just slowed his pace.
In front.
A few meters away.
A silhouette appeared ghostly and ethereal, as sudden as a puff of smoke, right in the middle of the stream.
It was a girl.
She stood quietly at the center of the stream, clad in a thin, pure white long dress, exuding an indescribable sense of ethereality and sanctity.
...To put it another way.
She seemed to have no physical form, resembling a female ghost.
"......"
Seeing the girl, Chen Lusi's gradually slowing steps came to a complete halt.
He stood about two meters away, then bent over, holding his knees, and with a bowed head panting for breath, began to think of a plan.
The other wasn't playing games, directly greeting him with a fastball.
It seemed there was really no way to avoid it.
Thinking of this.
Tremors, fear, shock, dread...
The various emotions generated by the bizarre experiences along the way diminished one by one.
Chen Lusi looked at his shoes, exhaled slowly, then straightened up slowly and looked at the girl standing in front of him, suggesting, "Although I don't understand why a traditional ghost would be so punk... if you want my life, make it straightforward, there's really no need for all the scares, it's exhausting.
You could just make me think I'm walking on level ground, then let me step into the void and fall off a cliff, then arrange for a sharp stake at the bottom, end it all.
"...."
The girl not far away remained motionless.
Chen Lusi patiently waited a bit longer, still no reaction, the girl neither disappeared nor spoke.
He could only speak again, bargaining, "If you don't want my life, then let me pass. Dying here would be too embarrassing, feels like asking for it... If I've offended the mountain in any way, I apologize."
"...."
Finally, there was a reaction from the girl not far off.
She took a step forward.
It was only then that Chen Lusi noticed.
The girl was barefoot, her little pale feet directly stepping into the stream, stepping on the smooth, piercing stones.
Watching made one feel pain.
But the girl seemed unfazed, her fair, lovely face expressionless... on closer look, this ghostly girl was quite pretty.
She took another step forward, then slowly raised her hand, extending her slender fingers to point behind Chen Lusi, toward the mountain top.
"I just made a comment about an old-hand model... you won't make me climb the mountain again, right? You'd rather kill me now."
Following her fingers, Chen Lusi turned to glance behind him, the post-exercise burning sensation in his lungs forcing him to clench his fists.
His fists tightened.
But when he turned back.
The girl wasn't there anymore.
"...."
Chen Lusi paused, confused.
Then, in the next moment.
Dizziness and a brief sensation of falling rushed in.
The vanished sounds and spirits reappeared.
Including the impatient shouting of his cousin at the foot of the mountain.
Chen Lusi stumbled a few steps back.
Finally catching his breath.
The sudden sound of a knife chopping made him jump.
He jerked his head around.
But the anticipated bizarre scene didn't appear; instead, a few tower-like men entered his view.
Noticing the Security Army uniforms they wore.
Though surprised at their presence here, Chen Lusi quickly relaxed.
And they obviously noticed Chen Lusi as well.
The leader gave Chen Lusi a glance, put away the knife in his hand, and curiously asked, "Here for a cemetery visit?"
"Yes."
Chen Lusi instinctively replied.
"Take the path we cleared down, I just saw someone calling from the mountain, they're waiting for you?"
Upon confirmation, the leader nodded and asked an additional question.
"Probably."
Chen Lusi responded, then climbed the high slope of the stream, arriving beside them.
The group leader signaled for the others to clear the path down the mountain.
"...By the way, did you encounter anyone else descending?"
As Chen Lusi was about to pass through the crowd, the leader thought of something and suddenly asked.
Chen Lusi immediately halted his steps, opened his mouth, with a mind to say something.
But seeing the formal army gear, the words stalled at the tip of his tongue.
What to say?
Say he encountered a clock-headed person, a wheelchair, a girl in white, and some unknown ghostly entity?
Does that count as people?
"...No."
In the end.
Chen Lusi shook his head, said nothing, intending to return and consult the village elders.
"Then head down the mountain, take care on the way." said the leader, saying no more, merely advising caution.
Chen Lusi nodded, about to leave, but before departing, he glanced at the ones continuing to carve out the path, asked a brief question, "May I ask what you are doing...?"
The leader paused upon hearing it, then calmly replied, "Preventing forest fires."