Eternal Life of All Things

The staircase does not ascend in a circular spiral but in a square manner. At each turning point, there is a spacious platform. On the platform ahead of us, illuminated by the faint light of a flashlight, a person can be seen standing, gazing down at us.

However, this person is quite peculiar, with drooping arms. My initial thought was that he might be an old soldier, but soon after, I was startled to the core. Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that this person wasn't standing but suspended there.

I muttered under my breath, "Why would the Fox Huhu King's tomb be guarded by such bizarre creatures? What is this ghostly entity up to?"

Big Head pulled out a matchstick and said, "Who cares? Just by thinking with your buttocks, you can tell it's up to no good. In my opinion, a good torch would solve the problem."

I quickly stopped him, saying, "Nonsense, the interlayer here is made of wood. If we're not careful, we might all go up in flames."

"If this fellow blocks our way, should we not proceed?" Big Head asked, looking at Old Wan. He also seemed uncertain, and for a moment, everyone was at a loss. I took the flashlight from Han Sheng and, with determination, shone it forward. Although we couldn't venture forward, we needed to know who or what was obstructing the path.

Upon closer inspection, I realized that this person was petite, dressed in a loose white robe, with disheveled long hair. I wondered aloud, "Seems like it's a woman."

"Even if it's a demon, we have to get through," Big Head remarked.

He was right; regardless of the entity, we couldn't remain stranded here. After a brief discussion, we decided to approach and see for ourselves. Even if it turned out to be something sinister, we were ready to face it.

Big Head took out a black donkey hoof, whispered, "Let's go," and headed forward. Han Sheng stopped him, saying, "I'll go first, and you follow behind me."

With his gun held like a dagger, Han Sheng walked past the suspended figure. Big Head followed suit. As they passed, Han Sheng waved to us, surrounded by darkness.

The steps weren't long, and soon Han Sheng was close to the hanging figure. I couldn't help but hold my breath. As the flashlight approached, the ominous feeling in my heart intensified. Just when I was about to suffocate from tension, Han Sheng walked past the corpse unscathed.

Big Head followed, waving to us after crossing. The surroundings were dark, and I hurriedly crossed along with Zhao Min.

Even so, passing by the hanging corpse, I couldn't suppress an inexplicable nervousness. My palms were sweaty, and a faint smell of rust filled the air.

Once everyone crossed, I heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, I was puzzled. Who was the person hanging there? Could it be that it wasn't arranged by the Fox Huhu King but perhaps someone from Yushan?

Unable to dwell on it, we continued forward. However, after a short walk, I noticed the surroundings becoming blurry. I waved my hand in front of my eyes, thinking my vision was affected. To my surprise, a mist had enveloped the area. The dim environment made it hard to determine when the mist appeared. Looking up, I could still see Han Sheng's flashlight ahead, but his figure was now indistinct. Turning back, the mist below thickened, seemingly surging up from the lower floors.

I tried asking, "Big Head?"

"Hey, where are you?" I was startled. The voice seemed to be coming from above. When did he get in front of me? I hurriedly called, "Zhao Min?"

After a few seconds, a response came from above, "Where are you?"

I realized something was amiss. It must be because of the mist that I lagged behind. They had apparently passed by me without my notice.

Without much thought, I quickened my pace to catch up. However, after running several floors, I couldn't see their figures. I felt a sense of urgency and continued ascending. Finally, on one of the platforms, I saw a person whose silhouette resembled Zhao Min. I sighed in relief and said, "You still have a conscience. The mist is quite thick."

She didn't reply, just peered down from above. This startled me, and I stopped, calling her again. However, she still didn't respond. Wherever I moved, she kept looking at me.

My scalp tingled, and my heartbeat accelerated. I realized that this person wasn't Zhao Min. What's more, the person behind the thin mist had tilted her neck unnaturally, almost 90 degrees. It looked incredibly unnatural, not conforming to ergonomic movements. The stiff and awkward posture sent shivers down my spine.

"Squeak, squeak."

Suddenly, footsteps behind me. I startled and, with courage, asked, "Who is it?"

No response, only the footsteps became more urgent. I asked twice more, but there was still no answer. This left me bewildered. The mist was dispersed suddenly, revealing a disheveled and pale-faced woman in front of me. She had a strange smile, and her tongue extended to her chest. I was so scared that my vision went black, almost stumbling. However, when I touched my face, there was no one around, and I seemed to have awakened from a dream.

Before I could react, footsteps ascending the stairs echoed again. I was taken aback, holding my breath, and asked, "Who is it?"

The voice of Li Xin came from the mist, "It's me."

Relieved, I rushed to meet him. Being alone in such a haunted place could easily be frightening.

 He came up and asked, "Why didn't you respond?"

I told him about seeing a female ghost just now, terrified. Li Xin chuckled, emerged from the mist, and said, "Like this?"

Looking up, I saw the same hideous female ghost. My legs weakened, and I seemed to wake up from a dream again. Before I could react, the "squeak, squeak" of footsteps ascending from below was heard. Hearing this, I felt cold sweat on my back, thinking this time was really in trouble.

However, the footsteps disappeared, and my heart stopped for a moment. Suddenly, a person rushed out of the mist. Without waiting for me to see clearly, a piercing scream rang out. At the same time, the surroundings quickly became clear. The mist, the female ghost, everything disappeared.

I was perplexed, thinking that perhaps I had passed away. Looking around, I saw Big Head sitting not far from me on the stairs, crossing his hands, looking like a pig. It reminded me of my college roommate who made a similar expression while watching adult videos under the blanket. Old Wan and others were scattered nearby, all looking confused.

I looked around, feeling something amiss. Unfortunately, Han Sheng was nowhere to be seen. From downstairs, Han Sheng came up, carrying the corpse we had seen earlier.

I kicked Big Head, who woke up in confusion. Surprised, he said, "How did I fall asleep?"

I said, "Quick, wipe the corners of your mouth. Not only did you fall asleep, you even had wet dreams."

Blushing, Big Head defended himself, "That was you." Then he noticed Han Sheng and changed the subject, "Bro, you're really something."

Han Sheng threw the corpse to the ground, saying, "This thing caused the trouble just now."

Seeing the curled-up body, I realized it wasn't human but rather an animal similar to a wolf, covered in fur, with facial features resembling a human. It seemed the longer a creature lived, the more it acquired a humanoid appearance. This time, we had indeed encountered something extraordinary.

Pointing at it, Han Sheng explained, "This is a human-faced fox, a rare sight. Its fart is poisonous, known as Mirage Gas, capable of inducing hallucinations. We fell into its trap."

Big Head found it unbelievable, "Hey, according to what you're saying, isn't the Fox Huhu King strolling above our heads now?"

At this moment, I remembered something and blurted out, "Eternal life for all things."