Chapter 4: Refining The Worm

Marie felt a lump in her throat. With a concerned expression on her face, she spoke, “Mr. Zhang Lisheng, you haven’t noticed what you’ve lost.

“I’ve seen many people who experienced the same thing as you when I was working with my teacher. They had a similar behavior to you when the incident just happened.

“The pain of losing a loved one isn’t that simple. You have to release your feelings when you need to. You can run or scream, or a good cry would be useful. Remember, suppressing your feelings doesn’t mean you’re being strong.

“If you need somebody to talk to in the future, you can call my number or come to me. I’ll be doing my internship at this hospital for half a year, my phone number is 139…”

“Thanks,” Zhang Lishen said. It was obvious that he was not used to people being overly concerned, so he just nodded without an expression on his face.

Marie could only nod and walk out of the ward under such circumstances.

“Tsk, tsk, such a great doctor. I heard that she graduated from a foreign university and volunteered to intern at our remote mountain village from the multinational medical assistance program. She’s something else, isn’t she?” Watching Marie leave, Tao Lielin, who had been accompanying Zhang Lisheng by his side, complimented the doctor. He then looked at Zhang Lisheng in concern and said, “Are you okay, Mountain Worm? You must tell me if you’re not feeling well, let’s get you treated right now, alright?”

“Nothing, Uncle Ah Lie. It’s just that I feel a little uncomfortable inside, I’ll get over this.” Zhang Lisheng shakily got up of the hospital bed and said, “I don’t want to stay here any longer, let’s go home.”

“The doctor said you’ll have to stay here for further observation. It’s complimentary, the county hospital panicked after that Dr. Marie acted out. Didn’t you see that the deputy director was here…” The middle-aged hunk advised Zhang Lisheng to stay for awhile, however, looking at his determined expression and figuring that the hospital was the place where he lost his father, he changed his mind and said with a sigh, “Alright then, let’s go.”

The uncle and nephew silently left the ward just like that. People crowded along the hospital corridor. Some of them were here to get treatment, some were admitted patients, some were collecting their medicine, and others were here to accompany someone else. The noise was unbearable, especially for Zhang Lisheng whose body was still weak. It was torture for him, and as he walked out of the hospital building, he felt much relieved.

It was late evening at the moment. The weather was chilly, and Zhang Lisheng suddenly asked after walking down the steps, “Uncle Ah Lie, is Ermu still waiting for us?”

“Of course he’s waiting. Although… Chunsheng and those idiots left after messing around at the hospital…”

“Mountain Worm, the traffic officer has evidence from the surveillance camera. Your father crossed the railing and rushed onto the road, and then got hit by a cab. Both of them are equally responsible, it’s the case of a car hitting a pedestrian,” the middle-aged hunk said with a low voice.

“Alright.”

“It’s actually quite a coincidence when you think about it. The person who hailed the cab that hit your father wasn’t just any stranger but was the foreigner that teaches at the secondary school in our village. I heard that he was also admitted to the hospital.”

A couple of years ago, secondary school aside, even the primary school in Guawo Village was combined with Shuiwan Village that was near the town. The children would have to walk more than ten miles through mountain roads before reaching school.

As time passed, the breathtaking unnamed canyon near the mountain village was discovered and became the highlight of tourism in Qu County and even Hengze City. At that time, Hope Primary School was built out of nowhere. Even the newly built No. 3 Secondary School in Damu Village was relocated here.`

Ever since then, the tourists no longer witnessed the magical scene of Guawo Village students going to school by climbing mountains.

The foreigner teacher who was teaching at the No. 3 Secondary School was a backpacking American who was over 50 years old. He came to Guawo Village two to three years ago and fell in love with the mountain village after seeing the beautiful sceneries there. He then ridiculously chose to live here and became avolunteer.

Naturally, Chinese who were used to the custom of returning to their roots could not understand the Westerners’ worldview to enjoy freedom during their childhood, enjoy life when they were young, work hard when they become mature, enjoy time with their families when they became middle-aged, and appreciate life when they became old. They thought there must be something wrong with the heads of old Americans to have made such choices.

“It was Sir Henry who hailed the cab?” Zhang Lisheng asked in shock.

“Yes. This foreigner gave up the good life he had—driving a car and living in a big house—just to come here to look at our poor ravine. He even started teaching here. What’s he even trying to do?

“If he didn’t come here, this wouldn’t have happened….

“Sigh, it’s fate after all.”

They arrived at the hospital entrance as they chatted. The street was still busy with cars. It seemed like the concept of a nightlife had been brought to this remote little town around the mountains due to the rising number of tourists.

Tao Lielin brought Zhang Lisheng into the truck that they came with after buying more than ten herbal eggs, a few packets of bread, and clean water at the stalls. They then rushed back to Guawo Village.

Due to the many tourists, the roads in the county town was even more difficult to travel at night compared to the day. However, the roads became empty after they got out of the county, and the truck sped up without them realizing it.

“Ermu, you idiot, can you not drive so fast? Slow down, slow down,” the middle-aged hunk said loudly as he peeled a herbal egg and passed it to Zhang Lisheng. As usual, Tao Lielin was squeezed in the passenger’s seat together with Zhang Lisheng.

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The driver, Ermu, looked at the winding roads with the help of his high-beam lights and said without much care, “Don’t worry, Uncle Ah Lie. I’ve been driving from our village to the county town back and forth for many years, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“You can never be too careful,” Tao Lielin muttered as he turned around to speak to Zhang Lisheng. “Mountain Worm, you can stay at my place when we get back to the village. Let’s come up with a plan after settling your father’s funeral.

“I’ll go to the Public Security Bureau and Civil Affairs Bureau the next day to see if we can find out where your mother is.”

“Mother? Uncle Ah Lie, isn’t my mother dead?” Zhang Lisheng asked with his eyes opened wide.

“Your mother is still young. I’ve seen her once in town more than ten years ago. She might have died if she’s unfortunate like my wife. It must’ve been your father who lied to you about her death.” The middle-aged hunk sighed and said, “But it’s cruel that the lady left before you could remember anything.

“But think about it, it’s not that I want to criticize your father, but which lady could stand him? It’s not bad that he managed to find someone to have you, god showed mercy that his legacy will go on.”

“Uncle Ah Lie, you can take care of me today, but you can’t take care of me tomorrow. I’ll have to stay at my own home, I’ll have to look for my mother on my own.” The accident and changes that he experienced today were just too overwhelming. Zhang Lisheng held his head down and took a moment of silence. He then looked up, and as he faced the sounds of the dark jungle outside the car window, he said in a determined manner, “I would like to thank you for being so kind to me, but I’ll have to stay home and look for my mother myself.”

The middle-aged hunk was stunned when he heard that. He attempted to advise him again, but had a chill inside him when he noticed the calm yet devastated expression on the young man’s face in the darkness. He mumbled, “Zhang family’s kid, it’s clear that you really are Zhang family’s child from this incident. You’re really, really extraordinary.”

Ermu, who was beside him, pouted in disdain when he heard what Tao Lielin said.

They had entered the night and into midnight just as the truck drove back into Guawo Village. The entire mountain village was quiet compared to earlier on, and what was left were the chirping of the birds, as well as the countless bugs that came out at night from within the surrounding jungle.

The driver turned off the car engine after parking his truck at the threshing floor at the entrance of the village. He yawned and said, “We’re here, Uncle Ah Lie.”

“Ermu, you must be tired from all that you’ve done today,” the middle-aged man spoke as he patted the driver’s shoulders.

“What are you talking about. We’re living in the same village, so you must take care of me when the tourism line really opens up in the future. By then, I’ll know if I didn’t waste my time today,” the driver laughed and said.

Tao Lielin was stunned before replying with a chuckle, “You bastard, you’re just a good for nothing. Sure, I’ll remember what you’ve done today, although I’m not sure whether as the deputy village chief, I’d still be able to make people listen to me by then.”

What he said made the driver overjoyed. The driver even accompanied Tao Lielin all the way to Zhang Lisheng’s house entrance, even though he could not wait to return home to mess around with his sleeping wife under the warm sheets.

As the wooden door was opened, the old house that was drenched in darkness under the moonlight gave people goosebumps.

Zhang Lisheng held his head low in front of the door and said, “Uncle Ah Lie, Brother Ermu, thanks for today.”

“Kid, you don’t have to be so polite during such a critical time. Do you really not want to follow me home?” the middle-aged hunk asked in concern.

The driver, who was standing beside him with eyes opened wide, was spacing out as he looked past the old house’s door. He politely said, “That’s right, Mountain Worm. If you don’t want to stay at Uncle Ah Lie’s house, why not you follow me instead?”

Zhang Lisheng shook his head and replied simply, “There’s really no need, I’m alright on my own.” He then walked into the old house in silence and closed the old, mahogany door slowly.

The middle-aged hunk who was outside of the door sighed and returned home with the driver under the moonlight. However, Zhang Lisheng, who was standing under the moonlight behind the door, revealed an odd expression. He let his emotions sink in as he stood in the courtyard. All of sudden, a noise that sounded like ‘pst shh…’ came out of his mouth.

His voice was husky and deep, just like a person who was talking in his sleep, but there was a strange enchanting force within it.

As the incantation was chanted, the huge centipede that Zhang Lisheng fed with blood crawled out of the dark corner in the old house’s courtyard.

Noticing its master’s silhouette, it did not hesitate from approaching him even after being pulled ruthlessly by Zhang Lisheng earlier. On the contrary, it crawled toward its master in high spirits and waited to be fed with blood.

The centipede had been starving for a long time since it had passed its usual feeding time.

However, Zhang Lisheng did not poke his body anymore to feed his blood as he looked at the centipede that had crawled to his leg. He shouted ‘assimilate’ as he formed the incantation passage in his mind, then he bit the tip of his tongue. Combining the records from the ancient books and folklore, he spurted a mouthful of blood mist.

The blood mist shed slowly under the moonlight—it was black in color.

As Zhang Lisheng yelled ‘assimilate’ from his throat, half of the magical energy that was flowing in his flesh through his mouth suddenly vanished and even caused the sarcoma on the roof of his mouth to vibrate. As if it possessed magical powers, it seemed to shake the bright, moonlit sky a little.

The centipede that Zhang Lisheng fed with blood had its spirit taken away as soon as it heard the word ‘assimilate’. Just as he wished, the centipede leaped with its thousands of legs with all its strength and showered in the black blood mist. Under the moonlight, it suddenly grew more than ten centimeters, and as it landed on the ground, it lay there unable to move.