Chapter 15: The Corpse-Chasing Song

Of course, it wasn’t just the pack of wild dogs that reacted; even the man in the black dress turned his head. And I was completely exposed. I stopped hiding and simply got up from the ground. Naturally, my heart was pounding with unease and a touch of fear.

Though the black-dressed man’s attire was peculiar, I was surprised to find that he was quite handsome when he turned around, with delicate and refined features. However, the murderous look in his eyes immediately lowered my opinion of him by several degrees.

He said nothing, only staring coldly at me. At that moment, I forgot to continue playing the dog-chasing tune, and the wild dogs lowered their heads once more.

Feeling awkward, I looked at the man in black and said, “Sorry, I… I was just passing through.”

His gaze pinned me down, making my heart race wildly, and I suddenly forgot how to play the dog song. Of course, I had my own reasons for nervousness. Whether the old man who had thrown himself into the lake would live or die was none of my concern. Now that I was exposed, if I didn’t escape quickly, I might lose my own life.

After speaking, I gave him a sheepish smile and turned to slip away. But I had only taken a step when I heard a rustling sound rise from the desolate mountain behind me. Clearly, the wild dogs were moving again.

From behind came the man in black’s voice: “Since you’re here, why hurry away? But if you really want to leave, I won’t stop you. Just try to outrun these wild dogs, then you may run.”

I froze instantly. I’ve always had a weak constitution and poor stamina. If those dogs chased me, I would be caught within a hundred meters without fail. I quickly turned to the man in black and pleaded, “Big brother, I really was just passing through. Please let me go.”

“Passing through? And you know how to play the corpse-driving song that only corpse drivers know?” The man in black stared at me fiercely.

I was stunned. The corpse-driving song? What I’d been playing was a dog-chasing tune my father taught me as a child to scare off dogs.

I’ve always been afraid of dogs. I remember in my childhood, people often walked their dogs early in the morning outside my home. Every morning I went to school, these dogs scared me. Once, a little girl about six or seven years old was walking a dog. When I went downstairs to school again and saw the dog, I ran away in panic.

For some reason, the dog seemed to like me or something, for it chased after me. The girl lost her grip on the leash, and the dog slipped free. Terrified, I ran desperately, nearly getting hit by a car at the intersection.

After that, my father taught me this dog-chasing song at home, so that whenever I encountered dogs, I could just play it and scare them off.

How strange — now this dog song is being called a corpse-driving song? By that logic, does that mean my father was a corpse driver?

I stared at the man in black, still dazed. At that moment, he stepped away from the old man who had thrown himself into the lake and coldly said to me, “Still trying to fool me? Are you trying to save that old man who jumped into the lake?”

His words instantly snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked up at him and saw that he had pulled out a flute again, lifting it gently to his lips. It seemed there was no way out now. With no retreat left, I decided not to back down. I gently lifted the leaf in my hand, preparing to play the dog song once more.

He smiled at me. “That’s more like it. If you run without fighting, there’s no point in me killing you, right?”

No sooner had he said this than he placed the flute to his lips and began to play softly. Once again, the mournful whistle echoed through the desolate mountain. I didn’t hesitate and put the leaf to my mouth, blowing into it.

Instantly, the tones from the leaf and the bamboo flute intertwined, reverberating through the mountain with a piercing sound.

The wild dogs reacted again, sometimes lifting their heads, sometimes lowering them, occasionally barking at the sky. Clearly, they were being influenced by the two conflicting sounds.

I glanced at the man in black. His expression changed dramatically as he continuously shifted the flute’s melody, playing louder and louder. I dared not relax my vigilance. Seeing him play with increasing intensity, I raised my volume as well.

The pack of wild dogs became confused, seemingly torn between the two influences.

Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the old man who had thrown himself into the lake slowly rise. Suddenly, with a wave of his hand, countless wolves appeared in the mountain. These wolves immediately charged down, howling fiercely.

At the sound of the wolves’ howls, the wild dogs let out terrified yelps, breaking free from the control of both the dog song and the man in black’s flute.

This sudden turn of events startled the man in black. His flute playing stopped instantly as he turned to look at the old man with fear in his eyes. “You old bastard, you can still stand?”

The old man looked at him with a hoarse, icy voice: “I’ve seen too many lowly creatures like you in this century. If I could be defeated so easily, I would have died a thousand times over in the past hundred years.”

Suddenly, the wolves’ howls grew fiercer. The wild dogs were routed, scattering wildly through the mountain. Seizing the moment when the man in black lowered his flute, I grabbed the leaf and blew the dog song again with all my might.

Though most of the wild dogs were already panicked by the wolves’ presence, a few were once more swayed by the dog song. I kept changing the tune, and under my control, those dogs swiftly lunged toward the man in black.

Seeing this, the man in black panicked and surprisingly did not resist. Instead, he turned and fled in desperation. I pressed on, closing the gap and chasing after him.

From behind me, the old man shouted, “Do not pursue a cornered enemy.”

At that moment, the man in black and the few dogs had already fled far into the desolate mountain, vanishing from sight. I had no choice but to stop.

Turning around, the old man looked at me, exhausted. “Chasing after him alone, you’re no match.”

I thought about it and realized he was right. Chasing blindly could have meant death for me. I shuddered at the thought, blaming myself for getting carried away.

I looked at the old man, who was lying on the ground, barely alive, and hurried to support him.

“Who exactly is that man?” I asked as we headed back toward the city.

The old man sighed. “He’s probably a ghost master. When I was young, I made many enemies. Now that I’m old, people come after me often. I’m used to it by now.”

He paused, then looked at me. “But you’re reckless, boy. You saved me this time, but next time, he will definitely come for revenge.”