Chapter Forty-Nine: Mission Accomplished

Li Jianguo was caught off guard. How could Old Man Lü spit out a snake from his mouth? In his panic, Li Jianguo instinctively reached out to grab it, only to find it slippery, sticky, and reeking with a foul stench. It slipped right through his fingers.

The tongue, as long and sinuous as a serpent, coiled itself around Li Jianguo, binding him tightly like a dumpling. The more it wound, the tighter it grew. In no time, Li Jianguo felt a searing pain in his chest and abdomen, his face flushed purple, veins bulging on his forehead.

The situation was dire. Without a moment’s hesitation, Cui Yue sprang into action, rolling across the ground to snatch up the peachwood sword. He swung with all his might at the monstrous tongue protruding from Old Man Lü’s mouth. But his force was too great and his aim just off; the blade struck the threshold instead, snapping the sword clean in two. Thinking quickly, Cui Yue plunged the jagged end of the broken sword into the terrifying tongue.

A scream tore from Old Man Lü’s throat, his features contorted in agony, his face drawn tight as black liquid gushed from his mouth.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Jianguo struggled free, leaping away and immediately delivering a hard kick to Old Man Lü’s lower body. In a flash, he mounted the old man’s back, pinning both arms with a wrestler’s grip.

Old Man Lü thrashed with unnatural strength, fighting to throw Li Jianguo off. Li Jianguo could feel his grip slipping. He shouted desperately:

“Cui Yue, quickly! Find that yew-wood ritual fish and shove it in his mouth!”

“What wood? What fish? What does it look like?” Cui Yue, frantic and confused, scoured the mess on the floor like a headless chicken.

“For heaven’s sake, hurry! I can’t hold him much longer! It’s the pitch-black wooden fish—right by your right hand!” Li Jianguo cursed, urging Cui Yue to move faster as the old man was about to break free.

Cui Yue glanced to his right and, sure enough, spotted a rough-hewn, pitch-black object with deep cracks running along its body.

“Alright, I’ve got it! What now?”

“Shove it in his mouth!”

“Are you sure? It has to go in his mouth?”

Of course, where else would you shove it, his backside if you could manage?

Grabbing the wooden fish, Cui Yue wasted no time. He seized Old Man Lü’s disgusting tongue, ignoring the slime, and gave it a fierce yank.

With a blood-curdling scream, Old Man Lü’s jaws flew open, and Cui Yue rammed the yew-wood ritual fish deep into his mouth.

Strangely, the moment the fish entered his mouth, Old Man Lü collapsed like a deflated balloon, lying motionless on the floor, at Li Jianguo’s mercy.

A hissing noise filled the air as Old Man Lü’s body began to shrivel, his monstrous hands shrinking back to normal, countless tiny holes in his skin slowly seeping black fluid. Even the grotesque tongue gradually vanished.

Seeing the evil dissipate from Old Man Lü, Li Jianguo and Cui Yue finally breathed a deep sigh of relief. Dizzy and exhausted, Li Jianguo rolled off Old Man Lü’s back, sprawling on the floor, gasping for breath.

“Cui Yue?”

“Yeah?”

“We’re seriously lucky to be alive.”

“No kidding—almost bought it this time. I swear I’ll never follow you out again.”

“Heh... next time, next time we’ll talk...”

As they spoke, Cui Yue glanced up and saw the deathly aura that had shrouded Old Man Lü swirling into the ritual fish like a whirlwind, fading away at last.

A long while later, Old Man Lü finally came to, groaning softly.

It was done—the job complete!

Li Jianguo hurried over, retrieved the yew-wood ritual fish from Old Man Lü’s mouth, wiped it off disdainfully on his own clothes, then wrapped it in a clean cloth and tucked it away.

After another forty-five minutes, Old Man Lü had fully recovered. Though weak, his mind was clear. He said he only remembered bending over to dig bamboo shoots in the back hills, feeling something slick and clammy around his neck, but whenever he looked up, nothing was there. After that, he remembered nothing, his mind a fog these past few days.

Listening to his account, Cui Yue couldn’t help but recall the hanged ghost’s long, wet, crimson tongue, a chill running down his spine. He pictured Lü Datong obliviously digging for bamboo shoots, the ghoul dangling right above him, its tongue brushing his neck...

At long last, Li Jianguo and Cui Yue managed to rouse Lü Ergou.

With massive lumps on either side of his head and a swollen face, Lü Ergou shrank back in fear at the sight of his father, refusing to approach. It took considerable effort for Li Jianguo and Cui Yue to calm him down and explain everything that had happened. Lü Ergou listened, horrified, repeatedly confirming with Li Jianguo and out of his father’s earshot whether Lü Datong’s affliction was truly cured, and whether he’d suffer another attack.

After offering more reassurances and solemn promises that the ordeal was over, Li Jianguo finally put Lü Ergou’s mind at ease.

Of course, Li Jianguo could now pocket a tidy sum—a risky business, but a lucrative one.

As dusk approached, Li Jianguo and Cui Yue finally bid farewell to the Lü family and set off down the mountain road for home.