The Tale Of The Ghost Eyes - Chapter 95 The Dark Daytime (7)

“So the demon or spirit,” I paused to emphasize the ‘or’ with an exaggerated head wobble, “Might be evil?” Another pause. “And it might,” I raised air quotations around ‘might’, “Have changed the frozen spirit into a red ghost to terrorize the living?” I finished by dropping my hands and letting them clap on my thighs, a noise that the valley picked up and amplified ten fold.

“Precisely what we are here to find out.” Master Liu said simply. I glared at him, daring for more information.

The summer air was cooler in the mountains, but it shifted very suddenly and grew colder still.

“Wait-” Master Sima started, raising one hand as if to fend of the wind. And then the mountains screamed. My echoing voice was nothing compared to the storm of screams bounding around the valley. It was a man’s voice, a very scared man.

Master Liu grabbed my hand and pulled me in the direction that Sima Jie was already running. “What’s going on?” I called, trying to keep my feet under me.

“I don’t know.” Master Liu replied with no humor in his voice, “If it isn’t a trick, it’s not something good.”

We continued running for two or so minutes towards the source of the screaming. As we went it grew louder and louder until it felt like the mountains themselves were chanting at us. And then all at once, it stopped. The noise died away like it’d never been.

In front of us was the stream we followed into the valley and a muddy patch of grass. I looked down and saw my shoes sinking into the watery soil. Hoards of frogs and crickets were scampering away from out footprints and diving towards the stream.

The whole world was silent. Master Liu and Master Sima were examining our surroundings with grave expressions. One by one, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck begin to rise. I looked behind me, but saw only grass, stones, and sand. When I turned back around, Master Sima was pinching his fingers in a rite of divination. He raised his hand to the sky and peered through them. With a frown that redefined his face, Master Sima uttered, “God”

Master Liu followed his gaze and drew in a deep breath, asking, “What is it Senior Uncle Apprentice?”

“Does the sky seem different to you?” Sima Jie asked.

I peered up curiously. My eyes rolled over puffy clouds and endless blue.

“What is missing?” Master Liu said beside me.

Then it hit me. “Godfather, where’s the sun?”

Master Liu gave me the strangest smile. “It’s in the sky, but not this one. We’ve been lured into a different kind of world through something else’s influence.”

Sima Jie nodded, his eyebrows pinched together in a daunting scowl. “If ordinary people entered this place they would wander out in time. Taoists on the other hand we seem to have triggered the lock. This place was made to catch us.”

“Is it the demon?”

Master Liu nodded.

The same cold breeze flowed past us and sent goose bumps down my spine. “A sky without a sun” I said.

“And wind without weight.” Master Liu said. “Look at the trees.”

The trees standing opposite of us were still. No leaves shook, no branches swayed, yet I could feel the cold wind gusting past me in spurts.

“How do we get out?” I asked, trying to sound brave.

“Master Sima and I already have.” Master Liu said, “Now it is your turn.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling fear squeezing my throat. “How do I get out of this?”

Master Liu looked at me like he could see through me. “I brought you here to cultivate your skill. Now, I will teach you how to remove the enchantment. We’ll be here to help if you need it.”

He walked me through a meditation incantation to slow my breathing and calm my heart rate. “Next, you’ll need pain.” He said. “A sting, a pinch, a bite, anything to wake up the parts of your mind that are being subdued.”

“That or I could invite my spirit friend and bulldoze our way out of this.” I thought bitterly. I realized that I was angry at Master Liu for putting me in this position. I shook myself and tried to clear my head. “Okay.” I said aloud, trying to get ready.

I moved my hands in the Taoist rite and murmured the meditation incantation. After a moment, I could still feel my heart pounding and sweat beading on my forehead. “One more time.” I said, more to myself than to Master Liu. This time I paired conjuration footwork with the incantation to give it more power. When I stomped my foot and said the final word in unison it was like being dunked under water. A ringing flooded my ears until I couldn’t hear anything. I stared around in amazement as the leaves on the trees began to shake. The clouds began to tremor and flash in and out of existence above me until all at once they were all gone. Replacing the clouds was a very bright mid afternoon sun.

My heart was racing and an unstoppable grin overtook me, “I did it! I removed the enchantment!”

Master Liu opened his mouth in a smile. His mouth continued to move, forming words that no longer owned sound. My elation became fear in an instant. I looked to the left and realized I couldn’t hear the stream bubbling. The trees shook, but made no sound. The cicadas were there, but none were screeching.

“You’re deaf.” Said a little thought inside my head.

“Master Liu!” I screamed. “Help me!” Hot tears threatened to burst from my eyes, but I blinked them back. I wouldn’t be a baby about this. I would fix this.

Master Liu gestured for me to be quiet. He turned, turned back, pointed at me and made the ‘follow’ gesture, and then walked away. Master Sima joined him in step.

“Help me” I said. The fear was growing in my head and I knew I’d never be the same.

After a few hundred steps the faintest whine of cicadas began to ring in my head. After a few hundred more, I could make out the soft squelch of wet mud beneath my shoes and the tick tick tick of grass against my pants as I walked. The fear subsided ounce by ounce as I walked behind my master.

“I can hear.” I said simply, not sure whether or not it was true.

“I see.” Master Liu said. “The enchantment might have robbed you of sound forever had you stayed there much longer.”

Dread filled me and I absently picked at my earlobe, yanking on it to be sure it was still attached.

I sped up and grasped Master Liu’s hand. I held his hand tightly and dared not loosen my grip. “This place is dangerous.” I thought to myself.

We continued to walk down the Falling Dragon Col. After a time we came across a large green pond, formed by brilliant green stones. I let out a “Wow,” on accident and smiled at the fact that I could hear it.

At the opposite end of the lake lay a young man. He wore brown pants and had a black backpack wrapped around his arms. Sunglasses were perched on his face. He looked like a student of some sort.

“Was he the one who screamed?” I whispered to Master Liu. He didn’t respond.

Sima Jie quickened his hobble towards the unconscious man. He knelt down and lifted the fellow’s torso up until his head was lolling forwards. Using his inexplicable strength, Master Sima propped the man up, opened his mouth and placed a pill on the man’s tongue. He closed the guy’s mouth and rolled his head back like forcing medicine down a dog’s throat.

“Master Sima, what do you think of this person?” Master Liu asked.

Sima Jie waived a dismissive hand, “If he’s here, he’s not ordinary. We might be able to learn something from him.”

Then both Master Liu and Sima Jie looked at the green stone pond at the same time. The pond was peaceful. It rippled in the light breeze. The water inside the pond was picture perfect and see through to the bottom. In the center of the waist deep water was a layer of green stones. One of such had something etched onto it. I followed their gaze and tried to make out the pattern.

Did this have something to do with the frozen ghost? Was all of this connected somehow?