C52 The Bloody Rain and Foul Wind

I never imagined I would stumble upon clues to my past so swiftly, so I eagerly inquired about the events that had transpired over a decade ago.

The elder took a drag from his cigarette and began, "For some reason, the three cataclysmic events at Yin Spirit Mountain all occurred on the fifteenth day of the lunar month. I vividly recall that on the thirteenth, many outsiders had converged on Hundred Ghost Slope. They were dressed quite distinctively—some in Taoist robes, others in Miao attire, and there were those in monk's robes. Initially, I thought they had come to exorcise demons and ghosts, but I soon sensed that something was amiss."

"What was off about them?"

"I kept a watchful eye on them from the shadows. There was a palpable tension among them. To my shock, by the next morning, a number of them had perished! As a Mountain Protecting Craftsman, I'm somewhat connected to the Supernatural World and have some insight into these matters. It was clear to me that these individuals had met their ends through poisoning, curses, or some sinister insect sorcery... Their deaths were all quite mysterious." The old man's gaze fixed on the house beam, lost in his recollections, oblivious to his pipe that had gone out.

My anticipation was at its peak when he paused. Impatient for more, I gently shook his sleeve and pressed, "Elder, what happened after that?"

"I was as curious as you about their next move, so I continued to watch from my hiding spot. But by midday, a Gu Master with a birthmark on his face discovered me! Fearing he would use his lethal Gu poison on me, I fled for my life, taking refuge in the Mountain God Temple, and I dared not venture out again," he recounted, still shaken by the memory.

Feeling a twinge of disappointment, I was about to speak when the old man cut me off, "Don't rush. Even though I spent that night of the fifteenth hidden in the Mountain God Temple, it doesn't mean I was oblivious to the outside world. That evening, the moon glowed a sinister blood-red, and there was no peace at Hundred Ghost Slope. The air was filled with the clash of battle, agonized screams, and the tumult of tumbling rocks and crashing trees..."

I furrowed my brow and couldn't resist asking, "Are they slaughtering each other? Or has the underworld's gateway flung open, and they're battling malevolent spirits?"

"I'm not sure what occurred, but by the next morning, all had gone quiet again. I descended the mountain with trepidation, and before I even reached Hundred Ghost Slope, the sky suddenly began to pour blood!" the elder recounted with fervor.

"Blood rain!" I exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yes, that day, before I even got to Hundred Ghost Slope, the air turned as bitterly cold as the deep winter! When I got there, it had become a veritable hell on earth, with innumerable bodies and blood flowing like a river. It's a sight I'll never forget for as long as I live. Even now, it haunts my dreams, jolting me awake," he said, exhaling a heavy sigh.

I could almost visualize the gruesome, blood-soaked scene, my mind conjuring the image of a wailing infant atop a mound of carcasses.

Nobody knew where the child had come from, why he was there, or how he survived three days and nights in such a place.

But reflecting on it now, perhaps he survived on the blood of the dead and the flesh of corpses...

I inhaled deeply and posed the crucial question, "Old man, did you happen to see a baby among the dead?"