Chapter 39: Village Rumors, Forest Tales

Upon reaching the village entrance, everyone finally stopped their steps, occasionally turning back to look.

In the flashlight's beam, everyone's faces showed some fear.

Fortunately, those animals clearly had no interest in them and did not give chase.

Zhou Niu and Wang Dazhu panted heavily, saying, "Village Chief, look, we're not lying, are we?"

The Village Chief nodded; at that moment he had just gotten out of breath from running, unable to speak a word, and only after a long while did he react.

The other villagers all wore expressions of shocked disbelief, saying, "My goodness, what's up with those little animals, gathering there like that, watching them for most of the night is really creepy."

Although those animals were small in size, their gathering like humans, performing moon-worshiping gestures, plus the final scene of them all turning their heads in unison,

created a strong visual impact; seeing that scene at first glance literally made one's scalp tingle, the uncanny valley effect reaching its peak.

A villager stroked his chin, wondering, "Could it be that there's something special there? Or maybe there's some treasure?"

"If you ask me, these animals are absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, cultivating; they're probably about to become spirits."

"That makes sense; I heard the master say our feng shui and terrain are quite good."

The Village Chief frowned slightly, saying, "Don't talk nonsense; what cultivation to become spirits? Since the founding of the country, animals aren't allowed to become spirits. What are you messing around with here? Does our village lack college students, or what?"

He waved his hand, saying, "Alright, it's late; everyone stop discussing and go home."

After the Village Chief had spoken, the villagers dared not say more, muttering a few words as they returned home; no matter how bold or curious someone was, they dared not turn back to see what was really happening.

The next morning, looking at the big sun in the sky, it seemed to give the villagers much courage.

Zhou Niu pulled Wang Dazhu, along with a few villagers from last night, and they set off together to the place from yesterday.

"It's daytime now; even if there really were some mountain wild spirits, they wouldn't dare cause trouble in broad daylight!"

Upon arriving there, everyone was dumbfounded; everything left no trace, as if nothing had happened at all.

"Strange, yesterday it was clearly here; the location should be correct."

We've come twice already, and now it's the third time, still in broad daylight; it's impossible that we took the wrong path.

Everyone searched everywhere, almost turning the ground upside down, yet found nothing—except for a big stone, there was nothing special.

It seemed the animals they saw last night were merely their hallucinations.

Zhou Niu and the others clearly knew that so many people had seen them; it couldn't be a hallucination.

"Hey, we ran into those animals worshiping the moon here yesterday; how did they vanish without a trace in just one night?"

A companion beside them couldn't help but roll their eyes, saying, "Look at what you're saying; that animal didn't sleep all night worshiping the moon—maybe it's snoring in its den right now, waiting for you to come."

"Having said that, this place is quite ordinary."

The villagers said this while heading toward the mountain base.

Why, then, did so many small animals appear here last night? Several villagers racked their brains but could not figure it out.

This matter spread like wings through the village in an instant, sparking heated discussion among the villagers.

"Hey, have you heard? Yesterday Er Niu and Wang Dazhu's group ran into many small animals together worshiping and cultivating under the moon in the mountains."

"What are you saying? Did they encounter a fox spirit that stole their souls? No wonder they look spaced out today, with dark circles under their eyes."

"No way! When our men went to look for them, they insisted they'd seen a gathering of Yaochi immortals, but those immortals turned out to be mountain wild spirits transformed!"

"Spread the word: there are animals cultivating to become spirits in this mountain, with supernatural powers; many villagers have been led astray, the mountain has been unsettled lately, so it's best not to go up there recently."

"Nonsense, what mountain wild spirits? It's clearly the Mountain God; the Mountain God, whether benevolent or not, blesses our Longyuan Village with favorable weather and a bountiful harvest next year."

This matter spread from ten to ten to a hundred, spawning various versions; even the neighboring village heard about it, and people came over to inquire.

But no matter which version, it drew the attention of many villagers, because so many people had seen it—whether mountain wild spirits or the Mountain God, none of them could be offended.

The villagers of Longyuan Village are simple and honest; adding to that, the villagers who had gone into the mountains earlier and seen the animals worshiping the moon described it in almost divine terms, so even if they didn't believe it, they felt some reverence in their hearts.

As a result, indeed far fewer villagers have been going into the mountains lately, and if they do, it's only in broad daylight.

They fear that walking too many night roads will lead them, like Zhou Niu and Wang Dazhu's group, to stumble upon something they shouldn't see.

If they then encounter a Yellow Weasel seeking investiture, they'd truly have nowhere to cry.

"If you ask me, these are all superstitions; I went to look later, and that place had nothing."

Under a big tree, a few men fanned themselves with palm-leaf fans, cooling off while discussing exactly what had happened when the Village Chief and others went up the mountain recently.

Originally only a few people knew, but because some of them had drunk alcohol there, they embellished and exaggerated the story, the more they talked the more exaggerated it became, leading to the later versions.

Just then, a weak voice came from the corner: "Uncle Zhang, does the mountain really have a Mountain God?"

Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a timid little girl looking at them, with a basket on her back filled with pigweed, pressing down on her thin shoulders.

Her clothes were somewhat ill-fitting, washed pale, and patched here and there, with no decent spot.

Even with her sleeves and pants rolled up, due to her overly petite frame, she still looked empty, as if she'd slipped into adult clothing.

Uncle Zhang first stared, then smiled, saying, "Hu Stupid Girl, that's all superstition, not to be taken seriously."

Upon hearing that, Hu Xiaocao slowly lowered her head, her eyes gradually losing their light.

The frail, lonely girl, due to malnutrition, had hair dry and yellow like straw; her whole body was passable only in the eyes, but now she resembled a candle snuffed out, making one's heart ache to look at her.

Her companion desperately tried to signal with their eyes; Uncle Zhang quickly caught on, coughing a few times, "But perhaps the Mountain God really exists, who knows?"

Hu Xiaocao suddenly lifted her head, the light in her eyes returning, the corners of her mouth slowly curving into a smile.

"I understand, Uncle Zhang."

She glanced up at the sky, then slapped her thigh, "Oh dear, Uncle Zhang, I'm not going to chat with you all; I need to hurry home, Mom's waiting for me to boil medicine."

Watching Hu Xiaocao's retreating figure.

The pigweed, over half a person tall, nearly covered her body, completely enveloping her; probably because it was too heavy, she had to hunch over.

Her frail body bore not just the pigweed, but the entire weight of life, all pressing on her shoulders.

Uncle Zhang and the others couldn't help but sigh, "Hu Stupid Girl is also a pitiful person."

Those nearby also sighed, "Who says otherwise?"

Accustomed to writing fantasy, I unconsciously brought the mountain scene into a fantasy backdrop, so in the previous chapter I mistakenly wrote the flashlight as a torch; it has been corrected.

(End of chapter)