Volume One: The Soul-Summoning Gourd and the Soul-Igniting Lamp Chapter 77: Gurgle! Gurgle!

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Amidst the swirling fog, Gu Mo was suddenly jolted, his eyes wide with astonishment. As soon as he loosened his grip, he noticed something amiss. The pitch-black, gluttonous specter was holding a blood-soaked, disinfected cloth between its teeth. Judging by its appearance, this must have been left behind by Li Hetang.

A buzzing sound filled Gu Mo’s head, rendering his mind blank.

“Damn it! Why did that bastard leave this behind? Isn’t he setting me up?”

But then it dawned on him: “Li Hetang must be using me as bait! I can’t believe that scoundrel is playing dirty with me! Just as I thought—people you’ve just met are never reliable!”

Startled and alarmed, Gu Mo gripped the Measuring Ruler tightly in his hand.

“Hehehe~ Found you!”

The sinister laughter of the scarecrow echoed once more through the dense white mist. Not far away, the pumpkin-headed scarecrow had already caught Gu Mo’s scent, lured by the thick stench of blood.

“Face your fear!”

A sickening voice rang out as a terrifying scythe swept rapidly toward Gu Mo.

Caw! Caw! Caw!

From within the dense fog, a murder of crows swooped down on Gu Mo, their cries piercing the gloom. The white mist around him was thrown into chaos by the flapping of countless black wings, loose feathers scattering on the wind.

In that instant, Gu Mo sprang to his feet, clutching the Measuring Ruler and the Soul-Burning Lantern, ready to bolt. But the gluttonous specter on his shoulder suddenly leapt high into the air, opened its enormous, gaping maw, and aimed straight at the incoming crows.

With a chilling gust, the specter unleashed an unimaginable suction, swallowing the entire murder of crows in one go!

After devouring the flock, the black specter floated in midair, licking its lips with an unnaturally long tongue, looking thoroughly satisfied.

In the gentle breeze, Gu Mo—clutching his Measuring Ruler—was utterly dumbfounded.

“Gluttonous specter… you’re truly something else—no one can top you!”

Basked in praise, the specter darted nimbly back to Gu Mo’s shoulder, while the pumpkin-headed scarecrow opposite him began hopping comically in pursuit. Its eyes—capable of unravelling one’s mind—glowed terrifyingly within the fog and the waist-high grass.

“Terror is upon you!”

A deep, gravelly voice intoned. Snapping back to his senses, Gu Mo hoisted his Measuring Ruler and fled in panic.

As he ran, Gu Mo glanced doubtfully at the gluttonous specter in his hand.

“Furball, what on earth is this thing? Can you finish it off?”

The specter gazed at Gu Mo with eyes like twin galaxies.

“Gurgle, gurgle!”

Gu Mo was thrown into confusion. The language barrier made any attempt at communication futile.

(Love is said to know no borders, race, or creed. But surely basic communication is a must!)

The further Gu Mo ran, the more lost he felt. A chill seeped through his body, damp beads of water clinging to his skin. After a few steps, his foot struck something hard. The familiar sensation made him pause and glance down.

The scene before him sent a shudder down his spine—he felt as if he were trapped in an endless loop.

“Bones… a boundary marker? Have I been going in circles this whole time?”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the deadly scythe whistled toward him again.

A dull clang rang out!

Rolling out of harm’s way, Gu Mo saw a deep trench gouged into the ground. Had that strike landed, he would have lost an arm—if not his life!

Gritting his teeth, Gu Mo forced himself to his feet.

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In front of him, the scarecrow—emanating wisps of black energy—snapped its deadly scythe back with a hiss, making no moves to attack Gu Mo immediately. It seemed this grotesque apparition relished the chase.

“Hehehe… I’ve found you!”

Panting heavily, Gu Mo stared at the scarecrow only a few steps away, a strange thought rising unbidden.

“Everyone tires eventually. This thing must know it can’t kill me now. It’s just waiting for me to exhaust myself before striking.”

No sooner had he thought this than Gu Mo inwardly cursed those two idiots, Xiao Yulou and Li Hetang.

“What happened to ambushing it? What happened to using bait? In the end, I’m the one shouldering everything alone!”

While Gu Mo seethed, a thunderous roar erupted in the distance. From the sea of fog came an intense wave of heat. Suddenly, flames soared skyward, and the air was thick with the nauseating stench of burning flesh.

Gu Mo’s grip tightened in alarm. “Could there be more than one scarecrow in this mist?”

With this realization, he set his jaw: “Damn it! If you won’t attack, I won’t just sit here and take it!”

Enraged, Gu Mo lowered his stance, icy chills surging through him as ghastly green flames enveloped his body. (From afar, he looked like an oversized firefly!)

With a boom, the nearby darkness and mist were driven back by Gu Mo’s ghostly blaze.

The pumpkin-headed scarecrow, its blood-red eyes whirling, shivered and took a step back.

There was no way Gu Mo, burning with rage, would let this fiend have its way so easily.

He heard the rapid tap of footsteps—moving in the Seven Star Northern Dipper Steps, Gu Mo darted in front of the pumpkin-headed scarecrow.

With a whoosh, he swung the Measuring Ruler down hard.

Clang!

The scarecrow raised its scythe to block, the blow ringing out through the mist.

Whoosh!

A thick puff of white fog spewed from the pumpkin’s mouth.

Sensing a trick, Gu Mo instinctively dodged aside.

In a flash, the scarecrow raised its lethal scythe high and cleaved down at Gu Mo.

Unable to react in time, Gu Mo felt the weight on his Measuring Ruler suddenly vanish and his heart skipped a beat.

Swish!

A cold gleam slashed through the air, and Gu Mo felt the bottom drop out of his world.

“It’s over! Why was I so careless? This is the end!”

In a split second, there was a sharp clang. Gu Mo looked down to see the scythe caught fast in the jaws of the gluttonous specter.

“Face your fear!”

Another blood-curdling scream rang out as the scarecrow tried to wrench the scythe free. But the specter refused to let go.

Crunch!

The black specter bit the razor-sharp scythe in two.

Seizing his chance, Gu Mo kicked out with all his might.

With a squelch, his left leg punched straight through the scarecrow’s body!

At that moment, the pumpkin-headed scarecrow opened its rusted, nail-studded mouth and spewed another thick cloud of white mist at Gu Mo.

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A wave of frigid air washed over him. Shocked to his core, Gu Mo held his breath, swinging the Measuring Ruler blindly by instinct alone. (Don’t ask why—one “catty” of fear doesn’t begin to describe it!)

He heard a muffled thump as the pumpkin head, still spewing mist, was sent flying by his blow. The scarecrow, still gripping its scythe, seemed to have lost all ability to move.

Seeing this, Gu Mo pulled his left leg free, bewildered.

“What’s going on? It’s actually this weak? Why was I running before?”

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

The gluttonous specter, chewing up the scythe’s remains with four rows of fangs, shot Gu Mo a puzzled look that seemed to say:

“That was your decision to run, not mine!”

Meeting the creature’s meaningful gaze, Gu Mo rolled his eyes and fished a cheap lighter from his pocket.

Click.

He flicked the lighter and held the wavering flame to the scarecrow’s body.

After several tries, Gu Mo frowned and realized, “It’s too damp—won’t catch fire at all!”

Just then, the black, furry specter used its tongue to pick up the Soul-Burning Lantern from the ground.

Staring into the specter’s starry eyes, Gu Mo suddenly understood.

He cupped the lantern and brought it close to the scarecrow’s body.

With a roar, the scarecrow was instantly engulfed in a pillar of green ghostly fire!

In no time at all, the distant pumpkin head let out a shrill, hysterical wail.

“Ah—ah! Fear… fear!”

Soon, the Soul-Burning Lantern in Gu Mo’s hands was extinguished, and the monstrous pumpkin head fell silent as well.

When the ghostfire died down, Gu Mo gathered up the lantern with a grave face, then strode toward the pumpkin head.

As he drew closer, he saw the pumpkin rapidly rot and collapse before his eyes. In the blink of an eye, the yellow gourd had turned into a puddle of foul-smelling liquid.

Gu Mo clamped his nose and mouth at the sight. Within the viscous muck, he glimpsed a black talisman with indecipherable markings.

Suspicious, he furrowed his brows and used the Soul-Burning Lantern once again to ignite the bizarre object.

As the green flames faded, Gu Mo finally let out a sigh of relief.

With the ghostly fire withdrawn, he gazed at the thick fog ahead, exhaled, and set off once more.

Whatever happened, he had to rendezvous with those two idiots. Solo grinding in this place was just unbearable.

After a few minutes, Gu Mo spotted a black figure kneeling ahead.

He crouched down, breath held, moving silently. Even the furball specter on his shoulder clamped its jaws shut in cooperation.

After a few seconds, Gu Mo peered ahead and found the scene even stranger.

Not far away, Li Hetang—the very scoundrel—was kneeling on the ground, slowly removing his bulletproof vest, his muscular frame on full display.

Out of the mist, a massive scythe extended toward him.

Gu Mo’s heart skipped a beat.

“Damn—that guy’s done for!”

…