Chapter 38: A Strange Occurrence in the Mountains

The matter of Hundred Beasts Worship the Moon is simply unheard of.

Not to mention how these beasts manage to act like humans; just the fact that they can restrain their nature and coexist so harmoniously is simply impossible.

When a rabbit sees a fox or a weasel, not running would be bad enough; how could it just stand there frozen?

Yet such an unimaginable scene happened right before their eyes.

Wang Dazhu and Zhou Niu were too far away, and with so many animals in front blocking their sight, they didn't see that, in the distance those animals were facing—the mountain peak—there was actually also a snake.

The animals appeared to be worshipping the moon, but in fact they were worshipping Ye Qin.

But the mountain is too high and Ye Qin too small, so from that distance they couldn't see him clearly.

If they knew, they would surely be even more shocked.

Wang Dazhu couldn't help rubbing his eyes, feeling that tonight's scene completely overturned his worldview.

"Brother Zhou, could we be hallucinating?"

Zhou Niu's face looked grim: "How could we both be hallucinating together?"

If it really were a hallucination, it would be far too vivid.

The two didn't notice, but on the treetops above them, a shadow seemed to flicker.

Zhou Niu seemed to sense something, and instinctively looked up—countless pairs of dark green eyes suddenly lit up in the treetops.

That scene was simply unforgettable for him.

Numerous owls stood on the treetops, staring wide-eyed at the two.

The color drained from their faces at that moment; they finally understood why they hadn't seen a single owl before—it was because all of them had gathered here.

Even the bravest person, seeing the scene before them, would likely feel chills down their spine.

Owls that usually look dull and stupid now appeared extraordinarily terrifying, countless pairs of eyes fixedly staring at them.

Wang Dazhu was almost scared limp, Zhou Niu trembled as he gripped his hand tightly, shouting, "Run, run!"

The two tumbled and ran toward the distance, fleeing desperately; by a twist of fate, their directionless frantic sprint actually led them to find a path.

Looking at the familiar village not far away in the darkness, they felt a sense of having survived a disaster.

The two were almost moved to tears of joy.

They had barely reached the mountain's base when they met the village head coming toward them, along with over a dozen familiar villagers, holding flashlights.

It turned out that the villagers who had gone drinking with them had all returned, except these two; it was so late, and worried something might have happened, they came out to look for them.

They hadn't expected to run into them.

"What's wrong with you? You're panicking as if something's chasing you from behind."

The two and the village head looked at each other as if they had seen relatives.

"Village head, you don't know—we encountered something even more terrifying than a ghost!"

The flashlight's beam dispelled their anxiety and fear, and Zhou Niu and Wang Dazhu babbled, recounting everything they had just experienced in detail.

The village head and a few villagers exchanged glances; as they approached, they smelled the strong alcohol on the two, saw their flushed faces, and looked skeptical.

"Hundred Beasts Worship the Moon? I think you two are just drunk; even if you had eaten more peanuts, you wouldn't be this drunk."

He hadn't expected the village head and others to not believe them at all, and Wang Dazhu instantly grew angry.

"Village head, we're telling the truth—those rabbits, foxes, and those animals all stood together; you don't know how creepy it looked, with countless owls staring at us from above."

The village head wore an expression of just quietly watching you spin tales.

"Very well said; next time don't say it—Dazhu, I never realized your imagination was this rich before."

What Zhou Niu and Wang Dazhu said was quite sincere; although somewhat incoherent, their expressions didn't look like they were joking.

The village head and others were half-believing, half-doubting; although they had lived most of their lives up and down the mountain and had often gone into the hills, they had truly never seen or heard of such a thing.

There are many folk tales, but frankly they're all fake—mostly used to scare children, or for idle chatter at the village square; I've never encountered one in my life.

"Since you say it's so eerie, then take us to see whether there really is a Hundred Beasts Worship the Moon."

"Maybe we should forget it; I'm a bit scared—those animals look weirdly eerie."

"Look at your cowardly self—these are just small animals; what are you afraid of? Besides, we're all here; could those weasels and foxes even eat you?"

Moreover, this hill near the village doesn't have any particularly large wildlife; they mostly hide deep in the mountains, and with so many of us together, if we saw them they'd likely avoid us.

The other villagers laughed and teased: "Where's all that spooky stuff they're talking about? Dazhu, you're just drunk and bragging—those animals couldn't possibly have become spirits, let alone worship the moon."

Wang Dazhu and Zhou Niu, seeing the villagers doubt them, instantly grew a little angry.

"Let's go then—who's afraid of whom?"

With so many of them, they probably wouldn't encounter any accident.

Everyone together headed up the mountain again; the two, relying on memory, actually managed to find the spot.

Looking at the familiar scene and path, Zhou Niu and Wang Dazhu exchanged a glance, unconsciously lowering their voices: "Just a few more steps ahead, there's a patch of bushes; part them and you'll be able to see."

The whole way was eerily silent, with not a single insect chirp or bird call, just as Zhou Niu and Wang Dazhu had said at the start—not even a single owl was seen.

Although the villagers also felt it was too quiet, they didn't think much about it, still holding a skeptical attitude toward what the two had said earlier.

However, influenced by the surroundings, they also lightened their steps and gently pushed aside the bushes ahead.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the scene before them, unable to believe it, their faces showing the same expression.

Many small animals gathered here, heads raised to the sky; since animals like weasels can stand upright, their forelimbs were slightly bent.

While those that cannot stand upright sat on their haunches on the ground, heads tilted upward to look at the sky.

Everything was exactly as Zhou Niu and the others had described, without the slightest exaggeration.

"I never expected it to really look like they're worshipping the moon!"

"My goodness, this is too miraculous—why are so many animals gathered here?"

Even Zhou Niu and Wang Dazhu, seeing it a second time, were still overwhelmed with shock they couldn't put into words.

"See? I told you I wasn't lying to you."

This time, the village chief finally believed them.

It's likely that they brought too many people this time, causing too much of a disturbance.

Those small animals seemed to sense their presence.

Whoosh—

In an instant, all the animals turned their heads in unison, and a faint color refracted in their beastly pupils.

Although the animals were quite normal, having so many of them gathered together staring at you makes it rather eerie.

Seeing this scene, everyone felt their scalps go numb.

Even though they were just small animals and couldn't cause much harm, Zhou Niu and his party still couldn't control a feeling of fear welling up inside them.

Even a multitude of ants can kill an elephant, and the unknown is the most terrifying.

Everyone instinctively stepped back a few paces, and the bushes in front returned to their original state, blocking the animals' eerie gazes.

But that intense feeling of being watched did not diminish; it grew stronger.

Looking up again, everyone saw the trees densely packed with night owls, staring at them unblinkingly.

The group fled in disarray, only daring to look back after getting far away; those sights had vanished, but were deeply etched in their minds.

Thinking back to that strange scene, nobody dared linger long, and they hurried down the mountain.

Mistyped, wrote flashlight as torch—having written too much fantasy, already corrected.

(End of chapter)