The arrival of Yimiao gave me the courage to break the current deadlock.
Who left those eight prophetic words? Why did Insect Lao Si send me to western Hunan? And how did Guo Qiqi end up by the side of the old woman from western Hunan?
I asked Yimiao to help me examine the nature of the steel thread worms inside my body. Guo Qiqi interjected, saying the old woman was right—no one except her and Insect Lao Si could remove these worms. I pressed further, “Not even the five worms of the Insect Clan?”
Guo Qiqi replied, “They could, but those five worms are merely parasitic in your body. You haven’t fully mastered them yet. They won’t let you die, but they won’t bother expelling the steel thread worms either.”
I asked again, “Insect Lao Si isn’t from your Guo family, so how did he know you were under the old woman’s control? And why did he send me here to deal with seven zombies?”
Guo Qiqi instinctively glanced at the room of the old woman, Ma Ruolan, and said nothing. Clearly, it was a secret she wouldn’t reveal.
I wisely kept my mouth shut.
The preparations for entering the mountains to find the Yin Snake were thorough. We packed dry rations, ropes, flashlights, raincoats, various insect-repelling spices, and a few torches. To guard against wild beast attacks, Yimiao, Guo Qiqi, and I also carried local Miao knives.
By nightfall, the old woman summoned Liu Wa and instructed him to follow Guo Qiqi. Liu Wa appeared frail, standing half a head shorter than Guo Qiqi. When not enraged, he seemed silent and unassuming.
Counting the jade corpse and Liu Wa, our group totaled five, plus a dog, a cat, and Lian Xiaoyao.
Since we were traveling with zombies, we chose to depart at night.
As we set off, the old woman Ma Ruolan said a few words: “Master Xiao, if you don’t catch the Yin Snake, don’t bother coming back. Returning would mean certain death.”
Yimiao immediately flared up, shouting, “What nonsense are you spouting, old woman? If not for my master’s teachings to respect elders and care for the young, I’d have already taught you a lesson!”
Guo Qiqi quickly smoothed things over, laughing awkwardly, “This foolish Taoist is just talking nonsense.”
I calmed Yimiao down. The Miao people’s insect arts were renowned for their gu sorcery. The vast mountains of western Hunan and eastern Guizhou were largely uninhabited, with a humid climate teeming with venomous creatures—snakes, lizards, mantises, scorpions, and spiders. Ma Ruolan, the witch of Camellia Valley, was no ordinary woman.
Suppressing his anger, Yimiao snorted and followed along.
The Ten Thousand Mountains were a breeding ground for insect arts, a primal testing ground.
Liu Wa called out twice as a farewell to Ma Ruolan. He walked closest to Guo Qiqi, his demeanor oddly peculiar. Xie Xiaoyu stayed by my side. Since Xiao Jian and the kitten struggled on the mountain paths, I carried them on my back.
Liu Wa seemed instinctively wary of He Qingling, the kitten I carried. A single meow from her would make him tremble.
Guo Qiqi shook her head and sighed, “Cats and dogs have it the easiest.”
Once night fell, we left Camellia Valley, flashlights in hand, heading west along a narrow path. After half an hour, with no clue where in the Ten Thousand Mountains we were headed, the sounds of chickens and dogs faded, and we were fully immersed in the forest.
Yimiao suddenly remarked, “In the old days, we might’ve encountered wandering corpses at night. Nowadays, it’s much better—no need for corpse herding.”
Lian Xiaoyao scoffed, “Nonsense! How could dead people follow the living?”
The two began bickering, filling the journey with their squabbles.
Liu Wa stuck close to Guo Qiqi, as if afraid she’d get hurt. I asked Guo Qiqi how she ended up with Ma Ruolan. At first, she refused to answer, cautiously eyeing Liu Wa. Only after midnight, deep in the mountains and far from Camellia Valley, did she slowly reveal the truth.
After returning from Chiang Mai, Thailand, Guo Qiqi had traveled to Fenghuang with tourists, hoping to experience the landscapes and culture described by Shen Congwen.
She explained that Camellia Valley was a Miao village, and its witch was Ma Ruolan. As she spoke, Guo Qiqi glanced again at Liu Wa, who was staring at the large moon in the sky. A fearless scorpion emerged to attack Guo Qiqi, but Liu Wa caught it.
I guessed, “You tried to steal something from the old woman but failed and got trapped?”
Guo Qiqi nodded. “The Guo family’s insects and the Miao gu worms have distinct traits. There’s one critical aspect our family couldn’t solve, so I was sent to steal a mantis gu.”
I laughed, “You’re quite the thief.” Instantly, I regretted my words—Guo Qiqi could clearly sense the sarcasm.
She replied, “You don’t understand my world. Yes, I took your copper jar, but I never intended to harm you.”
Feeling awkward, I quickly changed the subject. “But Insect Lao Si can also cultivate golden mantis gu and uses steel thread worms. Right now, I’m a victim of those worms.”
Guo Qiqi shook her head. “They’re fundamentally different. When I tried to steal the mantis gu from Ma Ruolan’s rundown hut, she caught me. She placed a gu curse on me—if I wanted to live, I had to stay by her side for three years and serve as Liu Wa’s bride. Only then would I survive.”
I asked, “Couldn’t your family break the curse?”
She nodded. “At first, I thought my experience with insects would protect me. But that night in Fenghuang, the pain nearly killed me. I had to return to Ma Ruolan. Since then, I’ve been tending to the seven brothers and raising gu worms.”
Hearing this, I finally understood. Guo Qiqi was trapped here, and her family had likely tried many ways to save her. Eventually, they orchestrated a convoluted plan involving me—to deal with the seven corpses and force Ma Ruolan to lift the curse.
I asked, “Does Ma Ruolan let you raise gu worms? Doesn’t that mean you’re learning her secrets?”
Guo Qiqi shook her head. “She’s far craftier than you think. For every gu technique she teaches me, I must reveal one of the Guo family’s insect-raising secrets. She’s too sharp for me to deceive. So, while I learn her methods, I also give up ours.”
As we talked, midnight passed. The moon hung overhead, and Xie Xiaoyu, absorbing its light, seemed revitalized. In the distance, eerie howls echoed—likely mountain spirits.
Yimiao bellowed, “By the power of the Tao, demons and monsters, be gone!” Soon, the sounds of fleeing creatures followed—just a few startled macaques.
I called out, “Yimiao, control your temper. This isn’t our territory. We’re here for the Yin Snake.”
Yimiao grumbled, “I’ve held back long enough. That old woman’s face looks like a ten-year-old rag, and her hair resembles armpit hair.”
The moment he finished, Yimiao cried out in pain, clutching his stomach and rolling on the ground, sweat pouring from his forehead. Remembering Guo Qiqi’s earlier tension, I realized Ma Ruolan had struck.
“It hurts! It hurts!” Yimiao wailed.
Guo Qiqi shouted, “Hold him down! Put a stick in his mouth so he doesn’t bite his tongue!” Her urgency was no joke. I broke a branch, pried Yimiao’s mouth open, and shoved it in. Drool dripped from his lips.
Lian Xiaoyao clenched her teeth. “How dare they hurt my man! Unforgivable!” She slammed her palm onto a rock, cracking it. Two scorpions scurried out from beneath.
After fifteen agonizing minutes, Yimiao finally recovered, drenched in sweat, eyes bloodshot. He dared not insult the old woman again. Gritting his teeth, he stood up, gripped my hand tightly, and cried, “Master Xiao, what’s happening to us? First Zhen Yangzi, then Insect Lao Si, and now this brilliant, beautiful, gentle, and wise old woman of western Hunan. Are we just cursed?”
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but feel that the new year had started with nothing but bad omens.
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