WOOY Chapter 26

The strange events at Bailongdui were certainly not trivial. Chang Dong asked Fei Tang, “Have Hui Ba and the others gone?”

“They all went, quietly, not wanting anyone to know. There are two or three people left in the main tent to keep watch. I said I needed to pee and slipped out… Dong ge, I’m heading back.”

Chang Dong reminded him, “Be careful at night; it’s not very safe here.”

Fei Tang nodded, shrinking his neck as he walked away, not daring to look at Ye Liuxi. After being scolded by her, he was somewhat afraid of her.

Chang Dong turned to Ye Liuxi, “Shall we go take a look? Can you walk well?”

Ye Liuxi already had a knife in her hand, “What if I can’t walk well? You’re not going to carry me. I’ll overcome it myself.”

Chang Dong wanted to laugh but thought she was right: who would sneak around at midnight carrying someone on their back?

——

At night, it was harder to see tracks and footprints on the ground. Hui Ba and the others had been gone for a while. After leaving the camp, they didn’t know which direction to follow. Chang Dong said, “Wait for me.”

He looked around, quickly running to a nearby yardang. With long arms and agile feet, he climbed up effortlessly, and after a few leaps, he was standing on top of the platform.

Ye Liuxi looked up, seeing him scan in all directions. He then lowered his center of gravity and swiftly slid back down. “This way.”

Hui Ba and his group weren’t moving fast. They swayed as they walked, and within a few minutes, the two had caught up with them, staying at a distance.

Ye Liuxi then asked him, “Have you practiced?”

Chang Dong didn’t immediately understand, “What?”

Ye Liuxi gestured upward with her finger, “Whoosh…”

“I played parkour for a while. As for fighting skills, I’m second-rate, not as good as a three-time national martial arts champion.”

Three-time national martial arts champion…

Ye Liuxi found the phrase familiar. She was sure she had heard it somewhere before.

Hui Ba and his group walked intermittently, occasionally looking for markers by the yardangs. It might have been an illusion, but the wind seemed stronger here, and the eerie sounds echoing through the Yardang formations were even more bizarre. Ye Liuxi kept looking back, feeling uneasy. She decided it wasn’t helpful to scare herself.

“Let me tell you a horror story.”

Chang Dong, focused on the people ahead, responded casually, “Sure.”

“There was a man and a woman, following a group of people late at night. The man was fast, and the woman fell behind. Suddenly, the woman was dragged away by something! But the man didn’t know and kept following…”

Chang Dong suddenly stopped, and Ye Liuxi almost bumped into his back.

“Isn’t that scary? There’s an even scarier one: the man thought someone was following him, thinking it was the woman, but it wasn’t…”

“Hand.”

“What?”

Chang Dong extended his hand, touching her palm and then holding it. “I’m scared. I worry that something strange might actually follow us.”

Ye Liuxi’s gaze shifted to their clasped hands. “Speaking of hands, I just thought of another one: the man always held the woman’s hand, but actually…”

Chang Dong squeezed her hand tightly.

She finally stopped telling stories.

…

After walking for about half an hour, they reached their destination.

The wind was strong. Chang Dong led Ye Liuxi to take cover behind a nearby dirt platform. He peeked out, roughly counted, and saw nine people, including Hui Ba.

The lights among the yardangs flickered chaotically, everything was rough but orderly: several iron pickaxes with flashlights tied to their tops were propped up in different positions, illuminating the area brightly. Hui Ba was overseeing, assigning two people to climb up high to keep watch, while the remaining six were divided into two groups, taking turns working.

For a while, apart from the sound of the wind, there was only the sound of iron pickaxes cutting into the yardangs and Hui Ba’s occasional scolding: “Slow! Slow down, don’t scratch the surface of the coffin, didn’t you see the small paintings? Paintings mean it’s an artwork, it’s valuable!”

Chang Dong observed clearly: that so-called coffin was halfway up the yardang, deeply embedded, and had to be chiseled out bit by bit.

Ye Liuxi found it odd: “This shouldn’t be called a coffin. A coffin should be buried underground. This is above ground, isn’t it?”

Indeed, it was about half a person’s height off the ground, not exactly “resting in peace.”

Chang Dong whispered, “And the surface of this coffin is just wooden planks. This isn’t consistent with the local burial customs…”

For example, in the Xiaohe Cemetery, most coffins were wrapped in cowhide. Experts explained that live cattle were slaughtered on the spot, then skinned to wrap the coffins. After burial, the cowhide would dry and constantly shrink, while the sand would absorb the blood and all moisture, preserving the bodies as much as possible. The ancient people devised this method out of necessity due to harsh conditions, and it proved effective. Western explorers who later excavated the cemetery highly praised this technique.

This coffin lacked similar protective measures, perhaps indicating that the burial was not taken seriously.

Chang Dong thought Hui Ba might end up disappointed.

The progress of digging out the coffin wasn’t promising. They had already changed three or four groups of people. Even Hui Ba joined in wielding a pickaxe. They worked until midnight, only managing to chisel out a narrow groove at the midpoint of the dirt platform, revealing about two-thirds of the coffin’s body—it was inserted into the platform like a tongue across the mouth.

Huoya brought over a loop of rope: “Master Ba, let’s pull it.”

Hui Ba, no longer concerned about the artistic value of the coffin’s surface, spat on the ground, “Tie it up. Everyone, come over and pull!”

The batteries were running low, and the flashlight beams dimmed. After some strenuous effort, the coffin was securely bound. Four people stood on each side, shoulder to shoulder with the ropes, pulling as if towing a boat, grunting, “One, two, three, go!”

Hui Ba continued to dig with the pickaxe to assist: wherever there was some movement, he take away two more shovels of soil.

It was hard to say whether it was good or bad luck for him. After a few minutes, the end of the coffin embedded in the yardang suddenly loosened. With the added force of pulling, it nearly slid out—two people standing in front couldn’t dodge in time and were knocked flying, hitting their heads on the opposite yardang.

With a loud thud, the coffin fell to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust that was quickly dispersed by the wind.

Chaos ensued, with people shouting all sorts of things. In the commotion, someone said, “Master Ba, they won’t make it. Their heads are…”

A moment ago, they were alive and kicking, and suddenly two of them were down. Chang Dong felt a twinge of pity. Ye Liuxi remarked, “That’s not a good omen, and the coffin hasn’t even been opened yet.”

Hui Ba shouted, “Stop yelling and move them aside first.”

His words carried authority. Huoya led the others to move their two companions aside. The others stood by, their expressions complicated as they thought about how they had all lived and eaten together just moments ago.

Hui Ba said, “I’m a man of honor, no doubt about it! Chen San and Ma Feng paved the way for us. Whatever is in this coffin, they get half!”

Everyone stood in silence for a moment. Huoya was the first to object: “Master Ba, that’s not fair. Just give them less. If they get half, the rest of us will be left with scraps.”

Others chimed in with their dissatisfaction:

— “Yeah, yeah. They won’t be able to enjoy it anyway…”

— “It’ll just end up benefiting their wives, who’ll then find other men. We might as well get a bigger share.”

Hui Ba saw that his men’s morale had quickly rebounded from their earlier panic. He exchanged a satisfied glance with Huoya, “We’ll discuss how to split it later. First, let’s open the coffin.”

A few people quickly gathered around the coffin, leaving the two still-warm bodies cooling in the wind.

Even though it was clear that Hui Ba was not a good person, seeing such blatant betrayal and callousness still chilled Chang Dong’s heart.

Huoya suddenly shouted, “Master Ba! This isn’t a coffin; there are no nails in it!”

Others started talking loudly one after another.

“Look here! There’s a hinge! My grandpa had an old chest like this; it just opens up.”

“It looks like a chest, but this shape… it’s a coffin.”

…

Hui Ba cursed, “Stop talking nonsense. Just open it and see.”

He put his hand on the coffin lid.

At that moment, the wind suddenly picked up, and among the familiar strange sounds, there seemed to be a faint, low hum. Listening carefully, it sounded like low chanting.

Hui Ba frowned, “Do you hear that?”

The chanting was intermittent, sometimes clear, sometimes faint. Hui Ba listened for a while and could barely make out a few words: “Yumen Pass… enter the pass…”

Chang Dong also focused on listening, but the wind scattered the sound too much. He could only vaguely hear, “You hide your beauty…”

Ye Liuxi laughed, “I think this has something to do with me.”

She stepped past Chang Dong and walked out confidently.

——

Hui Ba was startled to see someone appear from behind a yardang. His hair stood on end. When he realized it was Ye Liuxi and Chang Dong, his heart pounded like a drum.

He didn’t know why Ye Liuxi was on the list, but her demeanor made it clear she wasn’t someone to be trifled with. He had always followed the principle of avoiding offending her if possible. Now, seeing her suddenly appear at night, with a scorpion painted on the corner of her eye and a faint smile, she seemed transformed.

Hui Ba forced a laugh, “Sister Yexi… you shouldn’t sing to scare people like that…”

Ye Liuxi said, “Listen carefully, was I the one singing?”

Without needing her reminder, Hui Ba realized he was mistaken. The sound initially seemed like a faint sob, but then it grew like the distant waves of the sea—

“Yumen Pass, Ghost Gate Pass, one step out and your blood flows dry. You enjoy the golden house that you’ve built for your mistress, and you don’t care that I weep entering the pass…”

Hui Ba’s men gradually understood the words, turning pale with fear. Even Huoya’s legs were shaking. Hui Ba swallowed hard and suddenly got angry, shouting, “Who’s playing tricks!”

With that, he threw the iron pickaxe in his hand into the darkness. The sharp head pierced the salty soil but didn’t stand firm, wobbling unsteadily.

Hui Ba’s face twisted with malice, “Sister Yexi, I’ve been polite to you, not because I’m afraid. Make it clear, are you here to intercept the goods? I’ve shed blood and lost men, asking me to give this up to you, I’m not happy.”

Ye Liuxi smiled, “You’re overthinking. I’m just here to watch the excitement.”

Hui Ba was a bit skeptical but didn’t confront her directly. “Fine, but I’m not unreasonable. If this chest is full of good stuff, Sister Yexi, you can take a couple of items.”

He bent down and forcefully lifted the coffin lid…

Ye Liuxi hadn’t had time to see what was inside when she heard a cry of surprise and then the sound of something flying through the air. She quickly turned around—

Something flew across and landed with a clang on the nearby dirt platform.

It was the iron pickaxe Hui Ba had thrown.

Huoya was the first to jump up, “Who! Who’s there? Brothers, grab your weapons. Don’t let anyone catch us off guard…”

A dull thud followed as the coffin lid, which had been lifted, fell back down.

The sound drew everyone’s attention.

Hui Ba remained in his bent-over position, motionless, his clothes billowing in the wind, and the tuft of hair on his head was swaying.

Huoya, gathering his courage, approached and half-squatted man to look at him. “Master Ba…?”

In the dim light, Hui Ba’s eyes were wide open, and thin lines of blood were seeping from his neck.