Mr. He earnestly looked at everyone, “Alright, alright, we’re back. Let’s go and check on that girl. Everyone, go home now. My son, Ah Qi, has a stubborn temper. As long as you’re all here, he won’t open the door. After you leave, we’ll go in and take a look. If the girl is really hurt, we’ll ask Ah Qi to call Doctor Lu.”

“Alright.” The old village head also nodded, turned around, and waved his hand. Everyone left in disappointment. They all wanted to see what the girl that He Shiqi had brought back looked like.

The old village head reminded He Xiucai with concern, “Old He, you must take a look at the girl, ask and make sure.”

“I know, I know.” Lin Yuniang impatiently shooed the old village head away.

The old village head looked worried, “If the girl is injured, we should treat her promptly. Also, be sure not to let Ah Qi near her. The clothes on that girl don’t seem ordinary. If her parents come looking for her, how do we explain.”

“I know,” Lin Yuniang pushed the old village head out of the courtyard, then turned and walked away.

In the twilight, the old village head looked at Lin Yuniang’s hurried steps and scratched his head, “Why is she walking so fast now?”

Lin Yuniang rushed back to He Shiqi’s room. Mr. He had already taken out his tobacco pouch and was squatting at the door, smoking.

The small house only had three rooms: one for the elderly couple, one for He Shiqi, and a kitchen. All of them were tiny rooms.

Lin Yuniang looked at her old husband, and Mr. He took a few puffs of his tobacco and also looked at his wife. Both of them had a trace of guilt on their faces but suppressed the wavering deep in their hearts. They entered their own room together, closed the door, and waited for the evening to arrive quickly.

As the light faded, a dark cloud slowly drifted in from the southeast, gradually shrouding the once peaceful small mountain village.

On the northern foothills of Ping Mountain, a group of people walked along the narrow mountain path in the dimming sky, shouting as they walked, “Ah! Liu Qiang! Liu Qiang!”

Liu Qiang had a younger brother named Liu Dong. When the catastrophe happened, not only were Mr. He and his wife anxious, but on the other side of the mountain, Liu Qiang’s family was also frantic.

As the earth shook, Liu Dong, Liu Qiang’s younger brother, joined the group in searching for his brother on the mountain. He had a rough idea of where his brother had set up traps. Along the way, everyone kept discussing the catastrophe of the fallen flames.

The higher they went, the more shocking the scene became.

Then they reached the spot where Liu Qiang had set up the traps, everyone was stunned by what they saw before them.

The entire forest in front of them had been flattened! Where there used to be dense trees, there was now a flat expanse. Broken trees and branches were scattered everywhere, blackened by sparks and smoke, turning the area into a scene resembling hell on earth.

“Brother! Brother!” Liu Dong became anxious.

Everyone also looked around with pale faces. These were ordinary villagers who had never witnessed such a natural disaster. Frightened, some even had weak legs, but even standing still was considered showing Liu Qiang some face.

“This! This! Dongzi, I think Big Brother Qiang is more likely to be in danger than not!” Everyone was panicking and trembling, as nobody wanted to linger longer in this hellish place. They were all afraid.

“Dongzi, I’ve heard my wife say that this is the Heavenly Descent Three Fires meant to burn the mountain’s demons!”

“Dongzi, let’s go, let’s go.” Fear began to take hold.

Liu Dong’s eyes were filled with tears. He was scared too, but his brother was missing. When he came up the mountain, he had promised his parents that he would either find his brother alive or his body. Who would have thought the scene above would be like this? It made him want to run away in terror.

As the day gradually darkened, the sight of broken trees and black smoke became even more sinister.

“God, it’s getting dark. We should leave quickly. What if these fires didn’t burn the demons?”

Fear gripped everyone, and they anxiously looked around.

As the sky darkened, the wind picked up, and the sight of broken branches and the faint sparks resembled countless evil creatures crawling out from the gates of hell, ready to tear Liu Dong and his companions apart and feast on them.

“Ahhh!” Suddenly, a terrified scream sent everyone jumping in alarm. In a split second, they panicked and yelled, “Ah! Ah!”

Everyone collided like headless flies.

Only Zhuzhu stood frozen, his face pale. He pointed in one direction, as the scream had come from him. His mouth trembled, and his voice trembled as he stammered, “Dong, Dong, Dong, Dong, your, your brother, brother…”

He pointed trembling fingers toward the sky in the direction they came from.

Everyone followed his gaze and suddenly paled, falling to the ground in shock.

There, they saw Liu Qiang’s body impaled on a broken tree. Blood flowed from seven holes, his eyes bulging, and the tree trunk was stained red with his blood. The entire tree turned red in the faint light of the sparks, and a section of white intestines hung from it. The sight was horrifying, enough to send shivers down the spine.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Liu Dong was instantly terrified and collapsed to the ground, crawling towards the tree with Liu Qiang’s body impaled, wailing, “Brother! Brother! Brother!” Liu Qiang reached the base of the tree, hugged the bloody trunk, and began to sob uncontrollably, “Ah! brother! How did you die so tragically? You’re not a monster, why did heaven turn a blind eye? turn a blind eye?”

“Splash.” Suddenly, a heavy rain poured down, instantly extinguishing the sparks that covered the mountain. Immediately, mist rose from the entire forest, like morning fog enveloping everyone. The only sound was Liu Dong’s sorrowful cries.

The rain washed away the blood from the tree trunk, and Liu Dong’s face was smeared with blood.

No one paid any more attention to fear. They grabbed the tools they had brought and began to cut down trees.

“Crash.” The trees fell, and Liu Qiang’s body and the tree crashed onto the muddy ground. Liu Dong lunged towards the fallen body, clutching it and continuing to sob, “In this state, what are we going to tell our parents when they see you? Ah!”

The rain gradually subsided, falling lightly, washing away the ashes on the ground.

Among the group that had come, a few with more courage quickly tidied up Liu Qiang’s body and placed it on a stretcher. There was an art to this process—first, you had to close the eyes of the deceased, and if they wouldn’t close, you had to cover them with a piece of white cloth.

There were many explanations for these practices, but ultimately they were about showing respect for the deceased. Another reason was that if you saw a corpse staring at you with wide eyes, wouldn’t you feel uneasy? Closing the eyes made it seem like the person was asleep, making it easier for the mind to bear.

“Put a copper coin in his mouth.” Someone took out a coin and placed it in Liu Qiang’s mouth.

“Do we need to tie a red string?” Someone hesitated and asked.

“He’s not possessed by an evil spirit. What are you afraid of, faking death? If you’re scared, hurry down the mountain!” Everyone quickly wrapped Liu Qiang’s body tightly with white cloth. With combined effort, they lifted the stretcher and hurriedly descended the mountain.

“Thud!” Suddenly, something fell from above and hit the ground. Everyone looked and saw a white wolf! It was unclear if it was dead or unconscious; it lay motionless on the ground.