Bizarre Honkai, a Wife-Chasing Crematorium

Changle let out a helpless, wry chuckle. "Of course, Brother Mingyue. You know more, so naturally, you have the right to decide. However… I'm curious, what sort of 'situation' are you referring to?"

Li Mo was silent for a few seconds, unwilling to continue the topic.

He changed the subject, stating the conclusion directly. "You wouldn't want to see that kind of situation. Because by then, we'd all be dead, and I wouldn't be able to protect you."

These words immediately sparked discontent among the martial artists, but Changle raised a hand to signal for silence, preventing an uproar.

"Since we have an agreement, let's go up the mountain. Brother Mingyue, will you lead the way, or should we?" Changle asked politely.

"Meow…"

Li Mo was about to answer when he heard an untimely meow.

"Brother Mingyue?!"

Changle saw Li Mo's pupils constrict instantly, his relaxed expression hardening. He turned without a word.

Granny Cat-Face's first meow was to announce her presence.

But the others, unaware of this rule, were still puzzled by the cat's cry.

"Leave this place."

The sharp meow grated on Li Mo's already tense nerves.

His instincts screamed at him to run. Without looking back, he sprinted towards the summit, disregarding whatever Bizzare Entity might lie ahead on the Taixu Heavenly Path.

Just like during the funeral, if he couldn't even survive now, there was no point talking about the future.

"Run? Why run? Hahaha! A cat's meow scared him like that? I think he's just putting on an act, trying to scare us with tricks." The martial artist, having held back for so long, couldn't help but mock.

But the next second, he saw Changle leading everyone in pursuit of Li Mo, leaving him standing alone, a deathly aura instantly enveloping him.

"Meow…"

The corpse of a dead cat fell from the sky, landing in front of the martial artist.

Unlike the ordinary man earlier, the martial artist was much more alert. How could a cat appear in the middle section of the Taixu Heavenly Path? A dead cat, no less?

"Damn it!"

Fear gripped the martial artist. He kicked the dead cat off the cliff and ran after the others.

Suddenly, he stumbled and fell. His body seemed to no longer be human, his accustomed movements conflicting with his physical form, causing him to crash heavily to the ground.

"Meow…"

The third meow arrived as expected. The martial artist vaguely heard faint footsteps behind him. Trembling, he turned to look.

A hunchbacked old woman wearing a hat slowly walked towards him, step by step.

Suddenly, she stopped where the dead cat had fallen, motionless.

Beast-like hands reached up and removed the hat, revealing that strange, half-human, half-cat face.

In the deep darkness, two eerie green eyes stared intently at the martial artist.

He tried to stand and flee, but his legs had atrophied, becoming incredibly thin and short, unable to support his large body.

A cat-faced human head shimmered in and out of existence.

The martial artist wanted to scream, to call for Changle's help, but when he opened his mouth, only a piercing meow escaped his throat…

"Meow…"

In the dark path, green eyes swiveled, watching the group disappear up the slope.

He didn't know them well.

He turned and walked down the mountain, seeking the loved ones and friends in his memory…

After ten minutes of intense running, the group had climbed countless steps. They only knew that the temperature on the mountain was getting colder, bone-chillingly so.

Only after that strange aura dissipated did Li Mo slow down, glancing back at the darkness behind them.

"Brother Mingyue, you finally decided to stop. If we kept running like that, we might have encountered a demon ambush before we were ready," Changle said with relief. The faster one traveled on the Heavenly Path, the quicker one died.

"Who are you?" Li Mo asked, confused.

"..."

"Hey, hey, Brother Mingyue, are you joking? It's me, Changle! We even exchanged names earlier. How could you forget me after such a short time?!"

Changle's expression was odd, looking at Li Mo with confusion.

The others also looked at him strangely. The black-clad men around Changle tensed, gripping the weapons at their waists, ready to draw them at any moment to protect Changle.

"..."

A flicker of bewilderment crossed Li Mo's eyes. There was no reason for the man to lie, and he did have memories of calling himself "Mingyue." At least before they separated earlier, several of the martial artists had called him that.

But he genuinely didn't recognize this man named Changle.

Li Mo struggled to recall all his previous memories, searching for any signs of tampering.

He had been pulled into a hazy dream midway, unable to remember anything except a few phrases.

He had been awakened from the dream by encountering this group of people, over twenty of them. Li Mo hadn't really memorized their faces.

Later, during the ascent, an ordinary person had suddenly died on the road, but it had actually been a corpse that had been dead for days, wrapped in a ghostly shroud, hidden among the group.

Considering how the Head Ghost had tampered with the memories and perceptions of those around him, it was highly possible that he had been affected during that incident.

But it didn't quite make sense…

If the ghostly shroud could affect the perception and memories of those nearby, then its target shouldn't have been limited to just Li Mo.

Judging by the reactions of the others, it seemed that only his memory was affected.

Think…

Li Mo recalled events in their normal linear order.

He had confirmed the true nature of the shroud as a ghost. The moment he saw the red ropes fading, he had left the area affected by the Bizzare Entity without hesitation. That had been the right thing to do.

Fading red ropes meant that ghosts were near living people. Every extra second of staying put carried the risk of death. There was no such thing as ghosts being afraid to act because of the collective "yang energy" of a group of people.

Ghosts only followed rules.

A small group had decided to follow him, likely because they believed he knew more, and there was an element of gambling involved.

But most had stayed behind. With no news now, it was likely they were dead or about to be.

Li Mo wouldn't be surprised if they were all wiped out.

However, he was more worried about the dozens of dead turning into Bizzare Entity derivatives or even new Bizzare Entities.

That would make the situation uncontrollable.

A disagreement had arisen within their small group. Some wanted to wait for the larger group behind them, while others wanted to follow him up the mountain.

Everyone had ultimately chosen to follow him. Of course, one ordinary person had been left behind due to exhaustion; his fate was unknown.

Finally, Li Mo had decided to give them one last chance, a chance to survive, but no one had been willing to abandon the opportunity right in front of them. They had insisted on climbing the mountain to meet the Immortal and ask for what they desired.

Li Mo couldn't do anything about that. During their conversation, he had heard a meow.

Taixu Mountain was incredibly high, with thin air and scarce resources. Unless brought there by humans, a cat would never appear in the mid-levels.

Having died once, Li Mo's perception of Bizzare Entities was more acute. His instincts urged him to leave immediately. A chilling aura enveloped him, and the temperature on the thermometer plummeted.

So he had led the others in a run, but one martial artist, seemingly disdainful, hadn't followed. He was likely dead by now.

Otherwise, after such a long time, he would have caught up with them at full sprint.

Had the meow blurred his memory?

No…

If the meow could blur memories, then the others' memories should have been affected as well, not just his.

Wait…

Li Mo suddenly realized a crucial factor, one he had overlooked from the start.

He remembered the four black-clad guards around the man who called himself Changle, and he also remembered the two wandering martial artists who had followed, but he had forgotten Changle himself.

So far, all his past experiences had indicated one thing—

A Bizzare Entity's abilities were never without reason, even if they seemed invincible and terrifying…

In reality, Bizzare Entities couldn't use their abilities perfectly one hundred percent of the time.

This also applied to memory manipulation. A Bizzare Entity that could tamper with memories would only tamper with memories within the confines of its rules.

This was an unchangeable, fundamental characteristic of a Bizzare Entity: strictly adhering to its own rules, the same as its fundamental characteristic of not truly being alive.

This meant that both he and Changle had a problem; there was a connection between them.

"Your name is Changle?"

Li Mo asked again, his expression serious.

Changle maintained his polite demeanor, answering courteously, "Yes, I am Changle. Did you remember, Brother Mingyue? Or did the demons of the Taixu Heavenly Path blind you, making you forget my existence?"

Li Mo didn't shake or nod his head.

He neither denied nor confirmed.

Li Mo slowly approached Changle, narrowing his eyes as he scrutinized him.

Li Mo's action aroused the suspicion of the black-clad guards. They quickly stepped between Changle and Li Mo, as if ready to cleave Li Mo in two with the half-drawn blades at their waists if he made any sudden moves.

"Very well. I hope I won't forget this name for the time being, even if… you're hiding something important from me. I've remembered you, Changle."

"Brother Mingyue, you jest. How would Changle dare to deceive you at such a critical juncture? I came here only to meet the Immortal, nothing more."

Changle spoke sincerely. His body language, micro-expressions, and tone all suggested he wasn't lying.

This confused Li Mo even more. It didn't seem like an act.

If his purpose wasn't the issue, then what made him different from the others present? There had to be a difference to result in this situation.

Changle cultivated True Energy like everyone else from this era. He had been with the group since they started climbing the mountain, not doing anything out of the ordinary.

Li Mo was certain there was a difference, he just hadn't noticed it yet.

"From my observation, I haven't seen any signs of lying on your face, but I will maintain a certain level of caution towards you."

Faced with Li Mo's distant words, Changle didn't seem bothered. He said naturally, "That's understandable. After all, we're just strangers who met by chance. We can't completely trust each other yet. It's only natural for you to be cautious, and we are as well."

"However, we all want to go up the mountain. At least in this regard, Brother Mingyue and I are on the same path."

Li Mo nodded, turning to walk upwards, his pace much slower, not as urgent as before.

"Let's go. We'll rest and adjust in half an hour."

"Walk even in this pitch darkness? What if we encounter something unclean…?"

"You're more likely to encounter something unclean if we stay here."

Li Mo stayed in the shadows, trying to avoid the moonlight as much as possible. Even if he occasionally came into contact with it, he quickly retreated back into the darkness.

Moonlight wasn't the only condition for a Kiana to appear. Other factors needed to align as well.

A Kiana summoned by moonlight alone was incomplete.

But with so little information, the situation was already chaotic enough. Li Mo didn't have the energy to deal with another Kiana.

With the moon high in the sky, his only option was to move to the other side of Taixu Mountain to avoid extensive exposure to moonlight.

"Alright, I trust Brother Mingyue."

Changle was the first to take his side, and the four black-clad guards behind him followed silently without a word.

The remaining two martial artists exchanged glances. Without a better option, and since nothing had happened to them yet, they could only brace themselves and follow Li Mo.

The group trudged up the steps, one by one. In the dark and deep night, no one noticed the words appearing on the steps beneath Li Mo's feet.

"Touch me, kiss me, hold me tight…"

"No need for pity, no need for gentleness."

"It's alright."

"All presents will depart, all pasts will be forgotten. You and I will eventually turn into a handful of meaningless dust."

"Scattered above the sky, sinking beneath the sea."

"So now, please just look at me…"

"Have you… taken your eyes off me again?"

"Forget her, forget them… Come to me, and never leave."

"Return to fifty thousand years ago, just the two of us, starting from zero."

Soon, moonlight, like a python, crept onto the ancient steps, worn by millennia of sun and moon. The elegant words bled, as if carved by a knife, oozing crimson blood.

A continuous stream of blood flowed down the mountain.

The moonlight acted like an eraser, obliterating the words on the steps with brute force.

Half an hour later, Li Mo and the others reached the side of the mountain away from the moonlight, shrouded in darkness.

Someone took out a fire starter [huo zhe zi, a traditional tool for creating fire] to light their way, but Li Mo stopped them.

"Brother Mingyue, what do you mean? Why are you stopping me from lighting the fire starter?"

Faced with the question, Li Mo didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Did you use this thing when you camped overnight before?"

"Of course, fire wards off evil spirits and mosquitoes, and it helps us spot danger in time."

"..."

Li Mo finally understood how the ghostly shroud had come to be. When they had camped at the foot of the mountain, they had lit fire starters. The ghost concealed within the shroud had been attracted and had blended into the group.

But because they had been discreet, they hadn't triggered the killing rule, allowing them to travel alongside the ghost without incident.

"Extinguish it. I'll warn you if danger approaches. In complete darkness, light illuminates not only our surroundings, but also ourselves," Li Mo said slowly.

The martial artist was obedient and quickly extinguished the fire starter.

However, Changle was very interested in Li Mo's way of handling these matters. His judgment was completely different from the others.