The heavy rain poured down. On the winding mountain road, a group of people struggled to move forward.
"Master Tian, do we really have to go there?"
A frail local youth seemed hesitant, asking in the local dialect, "Haven't there been a lot of strange occurrences there recently?"
The majority of passengers on this rural bus were locals, who knew a thing or two about the recent bizarre rumors surrounding Dusheng Village, and their faces showed signs of uncertainty.
Tales of ghosts and spirits, though intangible and elusive, still carried a sense of dread.
"You tell me, if we don't go there, where can we go?"
Tian Yourong, who had once served in the military and was known for his temper, turned around and said, "Turning back to the nearest township in this downpour would take several hours at least. You'd freeze to death before you got there.
"There's no signal here, and who knows when the city will find out we've gone missing.
