Chapter Nine: The Monkey with the Ghostly Face

It was a face that sent chills crawling down one's spine. The eye sockets were deeply sunken, devoid of any glimmer, and only a pair of ashen, grayish pupils swirled with eerie motion. The gaunt cheekbones were etched with wrinkles like the bark of an ancient tree, as if... as if sealed away for years, like a desiccated corpse.

“Mm!”

Xiang Jiuxi was caught completely off guard. With a muffled grunt, he lost his balance and toppled headfirst, plunging straight to the ground.

The “ghost face” was swift and nimble. As Xiang Jiuxi fell, it leapt from his neck and, darting nimbly along the grooves, shot up toward the surface in a few quick bounds.

In his panic, Xiang Jiuxi caught a glimpse of the ghost face’s departing back—it was a creature shaped like a monkey.

The cave entrance was three meters above the ground. For the average person, a fall from such a height was sure to break a few bones. Fortunately, Xiang Jiuxi was a soldier by training; relying on his formidable physique, he instinctively shielded his head with his elbows and rolled to the side, landing steadily. Apart from some jarring impact to his internal organs, his bones and muscles were unharmed.

As soon as he hit the ground, he leveled his spear across his chest and pressed his back tightly against the wall, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings for any sign of danger.

After several minutes of quiet, Xiang Jiuxi finally determined that there were no further threats and allowed himself a sigh of relief. Yet that mummified visage remained deeply etched in his mind, haunting him long after the danger had passed.

He exhaled, striving to steady his nerves. Extreme emotion would only cloud his judgment. From this moment, he needed to explore the cave; a clear mind was essential for facing whatever lay ahead.

First, he set his sights on the entrance to the glowing tunnel.

Once composed, he moved stealthily to the mouth of the tunnel. The eerie blue light flickered like a flame trembling in the wind, casting his entire figure in a ghastly pallor.

The tunnel was not long, and its entrance was unusually smooth, bearing obvious signs of deliberate carving. Xiang Jiuxi lay prone at the opening and could see straight to the far end, where several clusters of blue fire danced and roiled in midair.

“What is that...what is that...?”

This bizarre scene seemed to draw Xiang Jiuxi into a fevered hallucination. He even saw a nimble skeleton standing at the tunnel’s end. The skeleton’s form was graceful, and it twirled and danced amidst the blue flames, its swaying figure imbued with an almost seductive allure.

He stared at the skeleton, entranced, for a long time. Suddenly, the skeleton turned its head, spreading its arms gracefully toward him as if in invitation.

Startled, Xiang Jiuxi shook his head vigorously and rubbed his eyes before peering once again into the tunnel.

But now—the skeleton was crouched at the far entrance, returning his gaze!

“Hiss!”

Xiang Jiuxi stumbled back in fright. At that moment, a strange, hollow wailing began to echo in his ears, piercing and mournful, stirring his deepest fears.

Accompanying the keening, the skeleton crawled into the tunnel and began to creep slowly toward him.

He tried to flee, but his limbs felt as if they’d been bound, leaving him powerless to move. Staring, his pupils contracted as the skeleton emerged from the tunnel, reaching out with its stark, white bone claws.

Crash—

At the crucial moment, the dull roar of flowing water snapped his consciousness back to reality.

“Ha!”

His chest heaved with ragged breaths, drawing in air with great effort. His lips had turned a bluish-purple, and though he could just manage to move, his limbs were sluggish and heavy.

“Oxygen...oxygen...”

Xiang Jiuxi forced his wandering gaze to focus and flexed his stiff joints. He realized he must have been suffering from hallucinations brought on by the onset of asphyxiation.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

He slapped himself across the face several times, regaining a bit more clarity. As he looked again, he saw no dancing skeleton—only the dwindling remnants of blue flames.

As the blue light dimmed, Xiang Jiuxi became certain: the underground oxygen was now too thin to sustain combustion.

This realization sent a chill crawling down his spine. He shuddered at the thought; had the sound of running water not startled him awake, he might well have perished here.

But then he thought—wait, something wasn’t right. From the first moment he’d lifted the stone door, those flames had been burning steadily, and even deeper underground he’d noticed nothing amiss. Why was there suddenly a lack of oxygen?

Thinking it through, Xiang Jiuxi had a sudden revelation.

This underground cave must have other air vents, which was why the flames had continued to burn. The current depletion of oxygen must have been caused by the ghost-faced monkey!

That creature, small and nimble, likely didn’t have the confidence to take Xiang Jiuxi head-on. So it had slipped up to the surface and blocked the vents, trying to trap him beneath the earth!

At this thought, Xiang Jiuxi’s heart lurched. If so, then the intelligence of that ghost-faced monkey far surpassed that of ordinary apes. Could it be...

No time to ponder; his breathing grew ever more rapid. He hurried beneath the tunnel and climbed up the grooves like steps. As he climbed, his forehead smacked hard against a stone.

Clearly, the exit had been blocked by the ghost face.

“Curse you! Treacherous beast! Despicable! Cowardly tactics!”

Xiang Jiuxi cursed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do—he had been played by a ghost monkey. He tried to shoulder the stone, but it wouldn’t budge. Judging by the weight, it must be at least two hundred pounds—impossible to move unless he could shift it from above.

By now, the blue light underground had quietly died out, and dizziness swept over him. Xiang Jiuxi clung to the mouth of the tunnel, pressing his nose close to the crevice between the stone and the opening, straining to draw in every breath.

Though the stone was heavy, it could not completely block the air, and soon he was out of immediate danger from lack of oxygen.

Once his mind cleared, Xiang Jiuxi realized there was no hope of rescuing himself. So he pointed his spear at the exit, adjusted his breathing, and lay in wait, unmoving.

He reasoned that since the ghost-faced monkey knew the cave so well, it must be its long-time home and would not abandon it easily. If he could just endure a while longer and ambush it when it returned, he might turn the tables.

Luckily, he had eaten beef not long ago and still had plenty of strength. The grooves carved by the ghost monkey also saved him much effort. Waiting half a day would not be a problem.

Still... he licked his lips, regretting not having been able to replenish his water. Even so, he was confident he could kill the ghost monkey with a single strike.

He waited in silence for a long time, but nothing stirred above.

With nothing else to do, Xiang Jiuxi’s thoughts wandered to the blue flames that had danced at the end of the tunnel. That must have been “ghost fire,” he supposed.

He could think of no better explanation.

Ghost fire was not really anything rare—just phosphine gas released from decomposing bones. Phosphine ignites easily even at room temperature, and its flame is a pale blue.

He was now beneath a mass grave, where bones were abundant. Ghost fire was hardly unusual.

There were, in truth, no real mysteries in this world. Once you understood the reasons, all strange phenomena were simply the workings of nature.

So he reassured himself, when suddenly a deep blue, profound light flared at his feet.

It was that same terrifying face: the deeply sunken, lifeless eyes, the strange gray pupils, the gaunt cheekbones wrinkled like tree bark—like a corpse desiccated for centuries.

“Mm!”

Xiang Jiuxi was once again startled out of his wits, lost his balance, and fell headfirst to the ground.

The ghost face, quick as ever, leapt from his neck and scampered up through the grooves to the surface.

In his panic, Xiang Jiuxi glimpsed its retreating form—a monkey-shaped creature.

The entrance was three meters high; an ordinary person would have broken bones in such a fall. Thanks to his military training, Xiang Jiuxi shielded his head, rolled, and landed unscathed except for some internal jolting.

He immediately leveled his spear, pressed his back to the wall, and searched the shadows for danger.

Only after several minutes of stillness did he relax, though the image of the mummified face was burned into his memory.

He exhaled, gathering his composure. Clear thinking was essential.

He turned his gaze once more to the glowing tunnel.

Taking care, he crept to the entrance. The blue light flickered like a candle in the wind, casting him in a ghastly pallor.

The tunnel was short, the opening smooth and clearly worked by hands.

Prone at the entrance, Xiang Jiuxi saw the far end, where blue flames leapt and danced in the air.

“What is that...?”

The uncanny sight seemed to plunge him into a wild hallucination. He saw a graceful skeleton at the tunnel’s end, spinning and dancing among the fire, its swaying form oddly alluring.

He stared, spellbound. Suddenly, the skeleton turned, spreading its arms in a seductive invitation.

Startled, Xiang Jiuxi shook his head, rubbed his eyes, and looked again.

Now the skeleton crouched at the far entrance, gazing right back at him.

“Hiss!”

He stumbled back in fright. A hollow, mournful wailing filled his ears, stirring dread in his heart.

With the wailing, the skeleton crawled into the tunnel, slowly making its way toward him.

He tried to flee, but his limbs were paralyzed, his pupils constricting as the skeleton emerged and reached out with its white bone claws.

Crash—

At the critical moment, the sound of flowing water snapped him awake.

“Hah!”

His chest heaved as he gasped for air, his lips purple, his limbs barely able to move.

“Oxygen...”

He forced his gaze to focus, flexed stiff joints, and realized he had been hallucinating from suffocation.

He slapped himself several times, regaining clarity. The dancing skeleton was gone; only the waning blue flames remained.

As the blue light faded, he realized the oxygen underground was now too thin even for flames to burn.

The chill of fear crept over him. If not for the water’s roar, he might have perished here.

But then—wait. From the moment he had opened the stone door, the flames had burned steadily. Even deeper underground, nothing had seemed amiss. Why was the oxygen suddenly gone?

Thinking it through, Xiang Jiuxi understood at last.

There must be other vents in the cave, which kept the flames burning. The sudden lack of oxygen must have been caused by the ghost-faced monkey.

Small and nimble, the creature must have realized it couldn’t defeat Xiang Jiuxi directly. So it had sneaked out and blocked the vents, trying to trap him below.

The realization made his heart pound. This ghost monkey’s intelligence far surpassed that of ordinary apes. Could it be...

No time to dwell on it. His breathing was growing more urgent. He hurried to the tunnel, climbed the grooves, and—bam—hit his head on a stone.

The exit was blocked.

“Damn you! Treacherous beast! Coward!”

He cursed inwardly, but what could he do? He’d been outwitted by a ghost monkey. He tried to budge the stone, but it was immovable—at least two hundred pounds, impossible to move from below.

The blue light was gone, dizziness overwhelmed him. Xiang Jiuxi clung to the entrance, pressing his nose into the gap to draw in the last remnants of air.

Though the stone was heavy, it could not fully block the air. Soon, he had survived the immediate crisis.

Once clear-headed, he realized rescue was impossible. He pointed his spear at the blocked exit, steadied his breathing, and lay in ambush.

The ghost monkey knew the cave well; it was surely its lair. It would not abandon it easily. If he could endure, he could ambush it and strike back.

Luckily, he had recently eaten beef and still had strength. The grooves carved by the monkey also helped conserve his energy. Waiting half a day was no problem.

Still... he licked his lips, regretting not having more water. Despite limited conditions, he was confident he could kill the monkey with a single strike.

He waited long and silently. Above, all was still.

With little else to do, his mind returned to the blue flames at the tunnel’s end. They must have been “ghost fire.”

He could think of no better explanation.

Ghost fire was not rare—just phosphine from decomposing bones. Phosphine ignites easily, burning with a pale blue flame.

Beneath a mass grave, bones were plentiful. Ghost fire was to be expected.

There were, in truth, no real mysteries in this world. Once the reasons were understood, all strange phenomena were simply the workings of nature.

So he comforted himself—when, suddenly, a deep blue light flared at his feet.