At first, I thought I was mistaken. After asking Fatty, he said he saw it too.
We exchanged glances. Fatty asked, "Xiang Ye, how can there be people in this place?"
I shook my head, feeling uncertain, and said, "Let's get in the car first."
After signaling Jiang Feng, Fatty and I quickly got into the car.
Once in the car, upon learning that Fatty and I had seen a figure, they were also surprised.
Jiang Lingxi asked, "Could you have mistaken it?"
"Impossible, that figure was too clear," I replied. "Although it flashed by, I'm sure it was absolutely a human figure."
"Could it be a black bear?" Jiang Feng suggested.
The black bear he mentioned is a common sight here. His suggestion made me think it was quite possible.
"Never mind. I think none of you should get out to lead the way. I'll drive slowly," Jiang Feng proposed.
Jiang Lingxi said, "What is there to fear from a black bear? I'll go down if anything."
With that, she pulled open the car door and jumped out.
I have to say, this woman is truly bold. Are all women from Northeast China like this?
Judging by her appearance, Jiang Lingxi is definitely the delicate, gentle type. However, her words and actions completely change her demeanor.
Seeing her get out of the car, Fatty and I felt uneasy, so we followed suit.
Now that the three of us were outside, I felt we could handle anything.
But as soon as we got out, the figure reappeared in the dense fog.
This time, it didn't just flash by; it was clearly visible.
"Who's there?" Jiang Lingxi shouted. There was no response.
Before Fatty and I could say anything, she walked directly towards it with her flashlight.
Seeing this, we could only grit our teeth and follow.
Jiang Feng's car also started up and followed behind us.
As we got closer, we realized it was a straw effigy.
We didn't know who put this straw effigy here. It was wearing tattered clothes, a straw hat on its head, and had some snow on its body.
From a distance, it was hard to tell.
Seeing it was a scarecrow, we all breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was a false alarm.
"A scarecrow scared you all like this?" Jiang Lingxi made a face at us and said.
Fatty retorted, "How could it? Fatty and I are people who have even seen zombies. How could a mere scarecrow scare us?"
"Zombies?" Jiang Lingxi asked, confused.
I quickly glared at Fatty, giving him a look to tell him not to talk nonsense.
So I changed the subject, "Zombies is our local dialect, similar to black bears."
Jiang Lingxi laughed, "You southerners are truly strange. Black bears are black bears, why call them zombies?"
As we were chatting, the scarecrow moved. This made the three of us freeze for a moment.
A weasel emerged from the clothes of the scarecrow, bared its teeth at us, jumped to the ground, and scurried away.
"Why is there a Yellow Immortal here?" Fatty cursed, "Damn unlucky."
Jiang Lingxi poked the scarecrow with her flashlight, fearing something else might jump out. Unexpectedly, the scarecrow toppled over with a poke.
As the scarecrow fell, our gaze followed downwards, and we noticed something on the ground covered by snow.
Fatty kicked away the snow and found some candles and several broken bowls.
"Who did this? They're even worshipping a scarecrow?" Fatty retracted his foot and asked.
I leaned in for a closer look and realized there seemed to be something written on the scarecrow's clothes.
Upon closer inspection, I discovered it was a name. This immediately reminded me of a custom.
Seeing Jiang Lingxi about to rummage through the scarecrow again, I quickly stopped her, "Don't touch it."
She looked at me and asked, "What's wrong? You're being jumpy."
"This seems to be a soul-calling ritual," I said.
"Soul-calling?" Fatty looked at me, puzzled.
I nodded, "When I was young, I heard people say that if someone got lost in the mountains, they would make a straw effigy, write the lost person's name on it, and place it at a crossroads. They would then worship it on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, hoping to call the lost person back."
Jiang Lingxi covered her stomach and burst out laughing, "You're so big and strong, how can you still believe this?"
I replied, "Some things are better safe than sorry. I think we shouldn't mess with it and should get back in the car quickly."
"If you want to get in, you can. I'll lead the way outside," Jiang Lingxi said, ignoring my advice. She moved the scarecrow from the ground and kicked away the porcelain bowls and candles with her foot.
Seeing her like this, I couldn't say much more. After all, the car had to drive over this spot. If the scarecrow and bowls weren't moved, the tires might get punctured.
After Fatty and I got back into the car, Fatty said, "This girl is really reckless... Xiang Ye, do you think that soul-calling thing is real or not?"
"How would I know if it's real or not? I only heard it from the elders in my hometown," I replied.
Jiang Feng asked what we were talking about. Fatty recounted the incident with the scarecrow. After listening, his expression became extremely grim.
"What's wrong, Uncle Jiang?"
He swallowed, looked in the rearview mirror, and said, "No, we can't go any further. We need to go back immediately."
"Why?" Fatty asked.
Jiang Feng didn't answer but muttered, "If that legend is true, then we're in big trouble..."
Before I could ask him about the legend, he rolled down the window and motioned for Jiang Lingxi to get in the car.
Soon, he turned the car around. Without a word, he seemed very tense.
Jiang Lingxi found it strange and exchanged a look with us, as if asking what was going on.
I shook my head.
"Uncle, what happened?" Jiang Lingxi asked.
"Have you heard a rhyme?" Jiang Feng asked.
"What rhyme?"
"Scarecrow blocking the path, worshipping the yellow spirit, ghost village near, the road to the underworld... On the road to the underworld, the mist is thick, enter the ghost village, and you will not survive..."
"What is all this?" Jiang Lingxi said with a wry smile.
Jiang Feng sighed, "These are legends of Laoling Mountain. I don't know who made up this rhyme. We drivers all know it... No, we have to get out of here quickly."
Saying this, he stepped on the accelerator, increasing their speed.
Unexpectedly, in his haste, the car skidded and crashed headlong into a large tree.
With a loud bang, we were thrown around and disoriented. When we came to our senses, the car wouldn't start.
Perhaps it was because I heard Jiang Feng's rhyme, but I instinctively glanced at my watch and found it was exactly twelve o'clock...