Chapter 37: Hundred Beasts Worship the Moon

All things possess a spirit; though they lack intelligence, they nonetheless draw near by instinctual attraction.

Ye Qin did not drive away these creatures, for the animals had no effect on his cultivation; when his cultivation ended, the animals would also leave on their own, and so they went away with them.

The sky revealed a hint of fish-belly white, the mountains greeted the first ray of morning light, which fell on the highest ground, soaking the stone steeped in moonlight, and then began to receive the baptism and washing of sunlight.

By now Ye Qin had already returned to the cave to rest; those animals had vanished without a trace, and last night's splendid sight was completely gone.

The mountaintop often shrouded in white mist; between dawn's light and rosy clouds, the mist swirled, the sun gradually rose, the sea of clouds surged, reflecting against the azure sky—as if a master's brushstroke, a bold sweep yielding the finest sunrise picture.

Golden light enveloped the endless mountains; amidst the vast rosy glow, it resembled dragon scales, emitting brilliant radiance, and even the nearby village was dotted with special colors.

Longyuan Village lies just a hundred meters outside the mountain's base; not far off is a huge lake, backed by mountains and beside water, and the local geography and climate are relatively suitable.

Although the location is relatively remote, many people live here—nearly a hundred households; though it cannot match the prosperity of a big city, each person's lifestyle differs.

Wang Dazhu and Zhou Niu returned from a wedding feast in the neighboring village; to take a shortcut, they chose a small mountain path.

The two had drunk too much, slowing their pace; by the time they came to their senses, the sky had already darkened.

It was evening, then night fell.

Zhou Niu tugged Wang Dazhu's arm, saying, "We need to hurry; if we delay any longer we won't be able to see the road."

One could say that the villagers around here, from the time they could walk, have been running wild over the hills and fields.

However, the mountains at night are still relatively dangerous; setting aside poisonous insects, snakes, and ants, if one accidentally encounters a medium-to-large carnivorous animal, it could be dangerous.

Zhou Niu belched, "Brother Wang, did you take the wrong road? I feel like we've been going in circles here."

Wang Dazhu scratched his head, "No way; I've walked this route a few months ago, it shouldn't be wrong; if we keep going west, we should be able to get out."

As night fell, a full moon hung high in the firmament, shedding silver light that illuminated the mountain paths; the two could barely make out directions, not being as helpless as blind men.

Zhou Niu looked at the moon overhead, "Good thing there's a moon today; our phones are dead, otherwise we'd truly be walking like blind men."

Wang Dazhu found it strange, "Today isn't the fifteenth of the eighth month, yet the moon is suddenly so round, like a big pancake from my family's pot."

As he spoke, he wiped the saliva left at the corner of his mouth.

Zhou Niu couldn't help but roll his eyes, 'You ate all that braised pork hock at the dinner table just now; you might as well have eaten it for nothing.'

Wang Dazhu gave a hehe laugh, rubbed his belly, 'We've walked a long mountain road; it's all digested, but the flavor of that braised pork hock is really good.'

The two walked with uneven steps on the road, 'But speaking of which, have you noticed that today's moon is brighter than usual?'

Consequently, the surrounding environment appears not so dim; the mountain men are accustomed to walking night roads and do not feel afraid.

'Moreover, why is it so quiet today?'

Zhou Niu surveyed the surroundings; normally there would be insect chirps and bird calls, especially frog croaks and cicada sounds, occasionally mixed with the cries of night owls.

But now there is no sound at all; the silence is unbelievable, only the footsteps of the two of them, which feels strangely unfamiliar.

Although many animals are resting now, for some nocturnal creatures this is precisely their most active time.

Hearing Zhou Niu say that, Wang Dazhu also wondered, looking up at the sky, 'Exactly; when we used to walk night roads, we always saw night owls flying by, but now we can't see a single one.'

In the countryside, people are accustomed to calling owls night owls.

It seems the entire mountainside's creatures have fallen into deep sleep; even the field mice that like to be active at night cannot be found, as if these animals have all hidden away.

The overly quiet environment instead makes them feel somewhat unaccustomed; although Wang Dazhu and Zhou Niu do not believe in supernatural tales, they now feel something somewhat out of the ordinary.

'Forget it, we should hurry; I always feel that the mountains today are strange.'

Wang Dazhu is thick-skinned, not thinking so much.

The two quickened their pace, never expecting that the path they were on would gradually become advantageous, heading toward the highest terrain.

Zhou Niu furrowed his brows, 'Logically, we should have already reached the mountain base by now; why are we still here? Could we have taken a wrong direction again?'

Wang Dazhu seemed to have seen something, waving at Zhou Niu, 'Big Brother Zhou, come over and look; there seems to be something ahead.'

Ahead loomed indistinctly; Zhou Niu pushed aside the shrub thicket, but upon seeing the scene before them, the two's pupils contracted sharply, and they froze in place.

Wang Dazhu sucked in a breath of cold air, about to cry out, but Zhou Niu firmly covered his mouth; at this moment his eyes widened enormously and his complexion drastically changed.

The two leaned against a large tree, their breathing becoming somewhat heavy.

One cannot help but wonder what they actually saw!

Wang Dazhu lowered his voice, 'Big Brother Zhou, could we just have had a hallucination? Why are so many animals gathered together?'

Zhou Niu shook his head, also uncertain, wondering if he had drunk too much.

He took a deep breath and again pushed aside the shrub thicket in front of him.

By the moonlight overhead, this time he could see more clearly.

He saw not far away a dense crowd of wild animals packed together, so many that he couldn't see the end at a glance.

They were field mice, rabbits, weasels, foxes—these small animals.

Although these animals are small in size, their numbers are still considerable.

Among these animals, many are even in antagonistic relationships.

Foxes and rabbits stood side by side!

Also weasels and field mice; although both names contain the character for 'mouse', sounding like relatives, they are actually unrelated, and furthermore field mice appear on the weasel's menu.

This is not yet the most important.

Most importantly, all the animals maintained the same posture!

Wang Dazhu swallowed hard, feeling his throat as if smoking, extremely dry; he incredulously spoke:

'Big Brother Zhou, do you feel that these animals seem to be...'

He couldn't say the rest.

Zhou Niu's face turned ashen, large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and fell to the ground; he obviously understood his meaning.

Those animals' upper bodies were upright, forelimbs slightly bent; from their angle they looked like, like—worshipping the moon!

Hundred Beasts Worship the Moon!

This scene simply made goosebumps rise all over one's skin.

When the night mountain wind blew, the two couldn't help but shiver, only then realizing their backs were soaked in cold sweat.

(End of chapter)