Frightening Joke: Above the Mist
Chapter 223: Floating Corpse

Chapter 223: Chapter 223: Floating Corpse

"Sigh, a bunch of young people, always not believing in these things. Of all places to visit, they have to go to that ghostly place."

Old Li muttered as he led the way.

Bai Yanliang and his group of five had been walking through the mountain woods for most of the day, at least three hours by their estimate.

Fortunately, all five were in pretty good shape, frequently exercising, so even though they were tired from trekking in the mountain forest, they weren’t at the point of being unable to move their legs.

The real concern was actually Uncle Li, who had taken two thousand yuan from Yu Wenxuan and immediately agreed to guide them without a word.

However, after another hour of walking, they realized their concerns were unnecessary.

The sixty-something old man was not only robust but also more agile than the youngsters.

"Uncle Li, how much longer until we reach Zhongyuan Village?"

Jiang Li wiped her sweat and asked; in terms of stamina, she was the weakest among them.

Xu Zhifei, who looked pale and fragile, had walked for four hours without breaking a sweat.

"Almost there!" Old Li used a stick to push away encroaching branches as he spoke, "After climbing that hill up ahead, you’ll see a river. Follow that river for another half an hour, and you’ll be there!"

So, according to this, it would take at least another hour to reach their destination.

Just walking consumed half the day; where exactly in the deep mountains was Zhongyuan Village?

Jiang Li fell silent, conserving her energy.

The five of them followed Old Li to another hilltop, where he stopped walking.

"Look, there’s the river. Just follow it straight ahead, and you’ll reach your destination. I’m not going any further."

Old Li said, rubbing his hands together.

The group looked in the direction Old Li pointed and indeed saw a sparkling river.

The river wasn’t fast-flowing, clear and bright, like a jade belt tied around the mountainside.

However, Jiang Li suddenly let out a scream.

"Ah!!!"

"What’s wrong?" Lu Guo asked hurriedly.

The group turned to look at her. Jiang Li was deathly pale, lips blue, pointing tremblingly at the river, "Look... down the river..."

Downstream...

Bai Yanliang followed Jiang Li’s gaze downstream and instantly found himself breathless!

Was that... Jiang Li?!

Floating on the river, pushed along by the water, was a body!

The corpse was bloated, the skin pale, eyes wide open, mouth agape as if it had seen something horrifically terrifying.

Though far away, the clothing and figure clearly belonged to Jiang Li!

The corpse of Jiang Li!

Jiang Li herself was so scared that her legs turned to jelly.

According to Old Li, they were supposed to follow this river straight ahead for another half an hour.

But they hadn’t even started walking when Jiang Li’s "corpse" drifted out from the village direction.

"Wait, look!"

Just as the eerie scene was chilling them to the bone, Lu Guo pointed upstream, trembling all over, "That’s us!"

Bai Yanliang, Xu Zhifei, and Yu Wenxuan had already spotted the corpses slowly floating in.

Soon, they identified themselves.

Just like Jiang Li, their bodies were bloated, eyes and mouths wide open, faces contorted with fear.

"Oh no! I’m not going anymore... I told you there’s something wrong, I’m not going, no matter how much money you give me."

Old Li’s face turned ashen at the supernatural sight, refusing to take another step forward.

Just as he was about to make a break for it, Yu Wenxuan grabbed him.

Yu Wenxuan showed no respect for the elderly.

He stared at Old Li without anger or shouting, just calmly saying, "We agreed you’d take us to Zhongyuan Village. Not a meter less, understand?"

Old Li felt a chill run down his neck, intimidated by the squinting young man’s gaze.

He looked pleadingly at the two seemingly soft-hearted women.

However, Jiang Li was so terrified she didn’t notice him, and when Xu Zhifei glanced at Old Li, it gave him goosebumps.

Resigned, he turned to Bai Yanliang and Lu Guo, hoping they’d let him go.

Lu Guo showed a hint of hesitation, willing to plead for him.

But Bai Yanliang inadvertently took a step forward, blocking Lu Guo from Old Li.

"You have to do what you promised."

Bai Yanliang said to Old Li with a sidelong glance.

Old Li swallowed, trembling inside, but could only nod.

He should have never been greedy for this bit of money...

What kind of people are they?

The five calmed themselves for a moment and continued onward.

Descending the hill, the forest wind rushed past their ears, like the howls of wild beasts in the mountains or eerie cries of unknown origin.

As they reached the riverside, the tall grass grew thicker.

Old Li used his stick to pave a way through.

Walking through the underbrush, the grass reached knee-high, showing it hadn’t seen visitors for a long time.

Beside them was the very river where they had just seen their five corpses floating, stirring chill deep within.

This was incredibly eerie...

It was already past noon.

It had taken them half a day just walking.

The riverside grass grew denser, strange noises becoming more frequent.

Occasionally, stepping on the grass felt like something was moving, as if everything around was slowly changing...

Last in the line, Bai Yanliang felt this sensation more strongly.

More than once, he felt observed. Branches and weeds seemed like countless strong hands, making each step increasingly difficult.

"We’re almost there, turn around that bend, and you’ll see the village."

Old Li’s emotions seemed unstable; he appeared very anxious, breathing heavily.

Xu Zhifei turned back and looked at Bai Yanliang, who was trailing behind.

"Be careful."

Her voice was as cold as a stone frozen for decades, utterly lacking any warmth of concern.

Bai Yanliang didn’t mind, nodding as he glanced at the river beside him.

Since earlier, he noticed... the river had stopped moving.

Though it had been flowing, as they walked upstream, its pace slowed more and more.

Now... it had completely stopped.

Yu Wenxuan seemed to have noticed this as well.

He observed the river, which didn’t even ripple under the mountain wind, thoughtfully.

Neither Bai Yanliang nor Yu Wenxuan mentioned this discovery to the others for the time being.

Just then, Old Li suddenly quickened his pace.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry..." Old Li’s voice trembled as his abruptly increased speed left Lu Guo, who was second in line, struggling to keep up!

Yu Wenxuan’s eyes sharpened as he brushed past Lu Guo and dashed after Old Li.

But Old Li had just reached the river bend, where it tucked into the mountainside. When Yu Wenxuan rounded the bend, he abruptly halted.

The river, seemingly stagnant, continued forward, yet there, at the mountain’s foot, lay a village.

Old Li... was nowhere to be seen.