I Am the Youngest Son of the Gu King Who Cannot Cast a Spell [Through the Book] - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The screams reverberated through the valley, sounding like a scene from a brutal crime had unfolded there.

Gu Xiaobao clung desperately to anything he could grab, practically plastering himself onto Shen Que in fear. When he finally opened his eyes, he was met with a cold stare.

Realizing his awkward position, Gu Xiaobao quickly disentangled himself from Shen Que, blushing furiously.

“Oh, no, sorry! I… I got scared,” Gu Xiaobao stammered, attempting to salvage his dignity.

Shen Que remained stoic. “Are you still scared now?”

“Of course not!” Gu Xiaobao replied a bit too quickly.

Shen Que raised an eyebrow. “Then you can get down.”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Gu Xiaobao awkwardly climbed off Shen Que.

“It’s okay,” he said, trying to recover, “I mean, there are probably villagers collecting herbs or patrolling the mountains.”

But deep down, he chided himself for creating such a tense atmosphere in his own mind.

Gradually, Gu Xiaobao’s heart settled. But just as he began to calm down, the figures across from them suddenly stirred.

A voice broke the silence, irritated. “Who the hell is screaming in the mountains at this hour, nearly scaring us to death?”

“Back to life… real… corpse drivers!” Gu Xiaobao’s mind raced as he turned and jumped on Shen Que again in panic.

The rest of the memory was a blur. Gu Xiaobao couldn’t recall how he managed to get off Shen Que or how he ended up back in the car. By the time he snapped out of it, Shen Que had already driven them away from the impromptu scare in the mountains.

“Let’s find a place to stay first,” Shen Que finally broke the silence with a rare initiative.

It was a statement, not a question, and Gu Xiaobao eagerly nodded. He definitely did not want to be on that eerie mountain road a moment longer.

“Okay, okay!” Gu Xiaobao agreed, relieved.

Fortunately, there was a small county town about 20 kilometers away. Shen Que wasted no time and drove straight there. By 8 pm, they arrived at what seemed to be the town center.

In this small town, luxury hotels were nonexistent; they settled for a guesthouse. Gu Xiaobao didn’t mind; he’d lived in worse conditions when he first started working.

Shen Que, on the other hand, seemed less pleased. Gu Xiaobao observed him closely.

Shen Que called the front desk, maintaining his usual composed demeanor. “Do you have any rooms available?”

Eager to play out a scene from a romance novel where they’d have to share a room due to lack of availability, Gu Xiaobao listened intently. Unfortunately, the front desk had different plans.

“We have two rooms left: one double and one single,” the receptionist replied.

Gu Xiaobao couldn’t resist butting in. “Let’s take the double room. Two guys can share; it’ll save some money.”

Shen Que gave him a bemused look, clearly thinking he was being unreasonable. “Please show us both rooms,” he instructed the receptionist.

Clearly, Mr. Shen had no interest in saving a few bucks.

A couple of minutes later, Gu Xiaobao found himself holding a keycard to his own single room. He’d been so shaken up earlier that his T-shirt was soaked through; he decided to take a shower first thing.

As he showered, he tried to calm his nerves, but his mind kept replaying the terrifying scenes from the mountain. He tried to push away thoughts of classic horror movie scenarios playing out in the bathroom.

In a hurry, Gu Xiaobao finished showering and hastily dressed, not even bothering to dry his hair properly. He was so on edge that he dashed to Shen Que’s room in his slippers.

He knocked on the door, but there was no response. Flipping through the original owner’s phone, he found a contact labeled “My Light.”

Gu Xiaobao shuddered at the ominous name and quickly put the phone away. Maybe it was best not to disturb “My Light.”

It was still early, and Shen Que probably hadn’t gone to sleep yet. They’d come straight from the airport without having dinner. Gu Xiaobao figured Shen Que must have gone out to find food.

Looking down from the corridor window, Gu Xiaobao spotted Shen Que’s car still parked in the yard. He must be around somewhere nearby. Gu Xiaobao decided to go downstairs and start his search from the nearest restaurant.

But as soon as he stepped out of the guesthouse door, he froze in his tracks.

A row of figures stood against the wall just outside. The leader was squatting down, while the others stood in a neat row, facing the wall like statues.

Gu Xiaobao’s jaw dropped. “Uh…”

“Why are you here again?!” The leader stood abruptly, sounding anxious. “Keep it down, don’t shout!”

Different from the deep woods, where people might take courage from neon lights, Gu Xiaobao obeyed without a word. “You… why did you bring corpses to town?”

Gu Xiaobao, not being the original owner, had read about strange stories but never experienced anything like this in real life. Understandably, he was uneasy.

“These corpses have been treated. There’s no corpse stench, and they won’t scream or cry out. Why can’t they enter the town?” The leader snorted. “Besides, I need to rest. Walking those mountain roads every day is exhausting. I need to rest before I can quickly send them back to their hometowns.”

“Send them back? Their families?” Gu Xiaobao was bewildered.

“My parents, and their coworkers.” The leader turned back to the corpses, delicately brushing dust off their trousers.

His gentle touch surprised Gu Xiaobao. Despite the eerie circumstances, the leader seemed more like a skinny college student than a character from a horror movie. He looked about the same age as the original owner.

Gu Xiaobao probed cautiously, “Have you booked a room?”

The leader hesitated, clearly caught off guard by the question. After a moment, he shook his head. “No luck. The last two rooms were just taken.”

Gu Xiaobao hesitated briefly, then pulled out his room keycard. “We booked two rooms, but my companion can’t make it. You can stay in my room; I’ll find another place.”

“No, thank you,” the leader declined politely. “I’ll sleep outside tonight; it’s no big deal.”

In the winter of southwest China, even with some kung fu skills, it was hardly ideal to spend the night outdoors.

Gu Xiaobao insisted, smiling gently. “I’m not giving you a room for free. After booking the room, I don’t have money left for dinner. If you treat me to a meal, consider it a fair exchange.”

…

The small county town’s inn wasn’t fancy. Gu Xiaobao watched as the leader’s parents were respectfully moved inside. Then, he joined the leader at a nearby restaurant.

The leader introduced himself as Qian Long, just a year older than the original owner. His hometown was close to Linshi, not far from the urn, and it turned out they were fellow villagers.

Thinking about it, Gu Xiaobao softened. These weren’t eerie figures but someone’s parents, someone’s beloved, and someone’s gentle mother.

As they chatted over beer and snacks, Qian Long shared his story. “From Bincheng to here, it’s over 3,000 kilometers. I’ve been driving for nearly four months; I’m exhausted!”

“You’re from Bincheng?” Gu Xiaobao exclaimed. “What a coincidence! I’m from there too. I’m sorry to hear about your parents…”

Qian Long nodded sadly. “Work accident. Seven of our villagers fell from a poorly constructed scaffold. My father hit the ground and died instantly. My mother survived the fall but succumbed to her injuries in the hospital.”

Gu Xiaobao’s heart sank. “No wonder they looked so stiff.”

Qian Long continued, “My brother went looking for justice but was killed at the construction site under suspicious circumstances. The authorities brushed it off, claiming lack of evidence.”

Gu Xiaobao, having experienced life’s harsh realities since high school, understood the injustice that often prevailed. “I get it… Sometimes, the system fails us.”

Their conversation turned to lighter topics, and Gu Xiaobao found himself genuinely liking Qian Long. They exchanged contact information under the moonlight.

At that moment, a middle-aged man watched from a nearby tree, his gaze fixed on Qian Long.

Later that night, the man called Shen Que. “You’re supposed to be with Gu Xiaobao in Qianxiang. Why are you there? The company needs you back.”

“No, Dad, I’m staying,” Shen Que replied coolly, ending the call abruptly.

He glanced once more toward Gu Xiaobao and Qian Long before retreating to his room.