Chapter 37: A-Chen, Big Brother is gone!

On Niu-gang Mountain.

Su Mao used his wood-chopping knife to carve a crooked mark into the trunk of a tree by the path. He finally let out a breath and called out, "A-Liang, A-Hu, A-Tang!"

Su De, who had been sitting down to rest, stood up and joined in the calling.

Both of their voices were extremely hoarse, and their throats ached with every shout. Most critically, the beam of their flashlight had grown significantly dimmer.

This flashlight was one Su De had gritted his teeth to buy, as his carpentry work often kept him out late. He was so familiar with the road from the town to the village that he usually couldn't bear to use it unless absolutely necessary. But they were unfamiliar with Niu-gang Mountain, so to avoid getting lost, they had been forced to keep it on the entire time.

Now, the battery was clearly on the verge of giving out. Both men knew this, yet they clung to a final shred of hope, unwilling to give up.

Before long, the light dimmed further. Now, the path was barely visible.

"Big Brother, did you bring matches?"

"No, did you?"

"Sigh..."

Su De hesitated, then asked in a low voice, "Big Brother, should we just head back first? If we lose the light on these mountain paths, we’ll both be in serious trouble."

"Besides, A-Hu and A-Tang know this mountain well. Maybe A-Liang followed them down already. They might have taken a different path, right?"

As he spoke, his footsteps faltered.

The faint beam of the flashlight hit a tree, and there, starkly carved into the trunk, was the 'X' mark Su Mao had made earlier.

Su De’s body trembled, and terror welled up in his eyes.

"B-Big Brother, that’s the mark you made three times ago, right? But... we’ve been heading up the mountain, haven't we? How can this be?"

Su Mao wore an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

That 'X' mark had been carved at the bottom of the valley after they crossed the mountain. Since they had been climbing the whole time, it was impossible to have encountered this tree again.

Something was wrong.

The brothers exchanged a look, and their hearts turned cold.

"A-De, do you have to pee?"

"I... I can hold it for a bit."

Niu-wei Village was tucked deep in the mountains, and having lived to this age, they had heard plenty of stories from the elders and knew a few ways to deal with such things. There was a saying that 'those things' feared filthy objects; they loathed excrement and urine. If one really encountered such a thing, relieving oneself would disgust the entity, and it would soon depart.

The two quickly unzipped their pants and soaked the tree thoroughly.

Just then, the flashlight flickered and went out completely.

"Big Brother!"

"I'm holding onto you. Let’s walk slowly, step by step. There’s still a little bit of light."

As they spoke, they subconsciously looked up and realized it was a "hairy moon"—a night with a hazy, blurred lunar glow—which made their hearts tighten even further.

"Big Brother, it feels... a bit cold."

Su De’s voice was trembling.

By all accounts, they had been walking and shouting, so their bodies should have stayed warm. Yet, in the short time they had stopped, a chill had crept down their backs.

As he spoke, Su De felt a cold breeze on the back of his neck, as if... as if something behind him had blown a stream of cold air directly onto him.

"It's fine. We'll take small steps; that will keep us warm. Don't be afraid, we're two grown men!"

Su De relaxed slightly. "Right, we're two grown men." Even if they encountered 'that sort of thing,' they would be fine... wouldn't they?

At that moment, a strange cry erupted from the trees above. It sounded like an owl, yet also like a monkey—it was incredibly eerie.

Su Mao and Su De’s hearts constricted. Without knowing who started first, they began muttering, "Buddha bless us, Guanyin Bodhisattva bless us."

The other was chanting, "Mazu Niangniang bless us, Emperor Huaguang bless us!"

They instinctively turned to the gods for help. Unfortunately, it was useless.

They hadn't taken two steps up the mountain when a black shadow plummeted from above.

"Ah!" Su De shrieked, letting go of Su Mao’s clothes, and turned to run. Su Mao turned and ran as well.

But as they ran, the two of them became separated.

At some point, a white mist had risen in the mountains. Amidst the thick fog, A-Liang sat with a dazed look in his eyes, grinning foolishly. He crouched on the ground, digging at the soil with his hands, stuffing handfuls into his mouth while mumbling, "Delicious, it's so delicious!"

A-Tang lay on the ground, his hands mindlessly raking fallen leaves over himself, his expression one of complete satisfaction.

A-Hu was hugging a tree, kissing it repeatedly, his face flushed with bashfulness.

Su Mao ran aimlessly, suddenly plunging into the mist. He tripped over A-Tang, who was lying on the ground, and lunged forward.

"Ah!" he screamed, feeling his face get scratched by a branch, a stinging, burning pain.

Just then, a small squirrel jumped down and flicked its tail in front of him. Su Mao’s gaze grew hazy; he chuckled, one hand reaching out to claw at the ground, while the other seemed to be clutching something, making a harvesting motion.

"The rice is ripe, heh heh, a bumper harvest. We’ll have a good year this time. Cut, I'm cutting..."

"Squeak, squeak!"

The squirrel puffed out its cheeks, watched for a long time, and then jumped back into the trees, disappearing in an instant.

"Help, help, a ghost!"

Su De screamed in terror as he ran. His foot caught on a protruding root, and he pitched forward. Immediately after, he felt a sudden, crushing weight land on his back. The impact was so severe he felt as if his internal organs were about to be expelled.

He clearly felt his clothes being torn open, and something icy cold pressed against his back.

Su De began to tremble uncontrollably.

Intense fear kept him from looking back. His limbs went limp, and he was unable to move. He even opened his mouth to cry for help, but no sound came out.

Finished. It was really over now.

A-Ying, the children... What should I do? What should I do?

I can't die, I... I don't want to!

Just as he gathered his courage, clenched his fists, and tried to scramble up, a flash of light suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Following that was a sharp, stern shout: "Evil creature! You dare to harm people?"

Su De blinked.

This voice... why did it sound like his youngest brother?

Without knowing where the strength came from, he suddenly lifted his head.

What met his gaze was a brilliant light, and behind the light, the faint silhouette of a person.

He gasped in disbelief, "A-Chen?"

The figure didn't respond, but raised both hands, fingers dancing in the air.

Su De heard a shriek from above, and then the weight on his back vanished.

Su De scrambled forward on his hands and knees. Once he reached the figure, he finally managed to turn around and sit up. Upon sitting, he saw a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life.

In the glow of the light was a monster, black as ink. It had two long, massive arms, but only one leg.

At that moment, the monster seemed to be trapped by something in the light, and no matter how it pushed with its long arms, it couldn't break free.

"Fourth Brother, lend me your wood-chopping knife."

Su De felt his waist lighten. A faint scent of blood drifted overhead, followed by the sound of the knife being hurled toward the monster. With a shrill, piercing screech, the monster dissolved in resentment, gradually fading into the light.

"Huff!"

Su Chen let out a long breath before reaching out to Su De. "Fourth Brother, are you alright?"

Su De was pulled to his feet, staring at him in a daze.

He had never believed Su Chen when he said he understood these things, but now... he believed.

Thinking of the monster that had been crushing his back, the monster that seemed to be feeding on his flesh, Su De broke into a cold sweat.

Suddenly, he jumped up. "A-Chen, Big Brother! Big Brother is missing!"