“It’s this white wolf! It caused the death of my brother!” 

Liu Dong immediately redirected his grief towards the white wolf, “If it weren’t for you, how would my brother have gone up the mountain! I’ll tear you apart!” 

Filled with anger, Liu Dong approached, grabbing the white wolf’s tail and preparing to smash it.

“Pala-la-la.” Suddenly, a sound like the swift running of a rabbit echoed around them.

The tension in the group rose again.

On this day, fireballs and monsters, one strange occurrence followed another. The villagers’ mental endurance had long reached its limit. Some were close to wetting their pants out of fear.

The mist created by the rain had not yet cleared, and the surroundings were veiled in a fog that obscured their vision.

“Pala-la-la.” Another series of running sounds resonated, causing the water vapor around them to stir, revealing the gloomy forest ahead.

Out of nowhere, a breeze swept through the misty air, causing it to swirl and disperse. As it cleared, they caught a glimpse of the somber and shadowy forest.

“Quick, let’s go!” Several burly men were already on edge. Carrying a corpse in the dark forest while rumors of monsters circulated was a nerve-wracking experience.

The group lifted the stretcher and hurriedly ran downhill. Liu Dong was also among them, swinging the white wolf in his hand.

“Clatter.” 

The quieter it was, the clearer this sound became. It accompanied Liu Dong’s group persistently, growing faster and more distinct.

“Stop!” The one leading the descent signaled everyone to halt. “Could it be the sound of our own footsteps?” he questioned, trying to appear composed.

In the midst of the mist, everyone’s countenances appeared pale.

“Clatter.” Suddenly, another string of sounds emerged, causing the mist around them to swirl. Dimly, they saw a figure darting by.

“There’s a monster!” Zhuzhi shouted, making everyone startle and scream.

“Monster! Monster!”

“Run, quickly!”

Just then, a snowy white figure burst out of the mist, its sharp claws reaching for Liu Dong’s hand. Also, its equally white eyes lock onto Liu Dong’s.

Liu Dong froze in place, as if his soul had been snatched away which led him unable to utter a sound.

The white claws sliced through Liu Dong’s hand, instantly drawing blood.

But Liu Dong was already so terrified that his spirit seemed to flee. He stood rooted to the spot, unable to make a sound.

“Ah!” Everyone screamed in fear, but in an instant, the white monster’s silhouette had disappeared into the white mist, leaving Liu Dong trembling on the spot. In his hand, the white wolf was gone.

“White… white wolf! The monster came for the white wolf. Run!” Several stout youths were so scared that they screamed like girls. They abandoned the stretcher and ran without concern for keeping quiet or carrying the corpse.

“Son!” Zhuzhi slapped Liu Dong’s face, snapping him back to his senses from the terror induced by the monster.

Liu Dong let out a piercing scream and pushed Zhuzhi away, fleeing down the path.

Amidst the drizzling rain, the group stumbled out of the mist, and upon seeing the torches below, they cried out in relief. They rushed downward, looking like souls who had escaped the clutches of death.

“Mother! Monster…”

“Father! The monster wasn’t burned to death…”

“Ah! Monster… Monster…”

At the base of the northern hillside, the villagers of Pingshan North Village were anxiously waiting. They had already lit torches and were scanning the pitch-black forest. Although they couldn’t yet see the figures of the search party coming down from the mountain, they could already hear cries and wails.

“Ah! Ah…”

“Monster! Ah, ah, ah…”

As night fell and silence enveloped the surroundings, the cries from the mountain became even clearer and more eerie, sending shivers down anyone who heard them.

Many curious villagers had begun to retreat, cowed by the mere mention of a monster. They gradually gathered around their village chief, the head of Pingshan North Village, a man in his forties.

“Mon… monster? Chief!” The crowd nervously gathered behind their village chief.

The village chief was equally afraid, but what could he do? He and Liu Dong’s family shared the surname Liu, were both village chiefs, and he couldn’t run away either. This was a test of his reputation.

So, he could only muster his courage, his scalp tingling with unease. Clenching his yellow teeth, he stood in front of the crowd and called out to the mountain, “Dongzi… Dongzi… is that you?” This shout, oddly enough, seemed to fortify his resolve.

At that moment, a group of people descended from the dark mountain path in a disarray.

“Chief… Chief…”

“There’s a monster… there’s a monster…”

The ones in the lead tumbled down haphazardly. Rolling onto the ground, they crawled up to the village chief, hugging his legs and crying, “Dead… dead… the village chief, the village chief is dead…”

“Spit.” 

The village chief smacked them one by one, “Who died after all? Look at you, so spineless. When I was a child, I climbed the mountain at night like it was a game.”

“Qiang… Qiang, Qiang, it’s Qiangzi who died…”

“Oh my, it’s our Qiangzi…” In an instant, Liu Qiang’s parents were in tears, “Qiangzi… oh Qiangzi…”

The villagers rushed to support the elderly Liu couple.

The group clinging to the village chief’s legs continued to sob, gasping for air between sobs, “He… he was killed by a monster… ah… Chief, Qiangzi was killed by a demon… his… his intestines were torn out… ah…”

The village chief’s legs trembled. The villagers around him turned pale in the firelight.

There truly was a monster on Pingshan.

Several men who had carried Liu Qiang’s body stumbled down the mountain. As they reached the bottom and saw the torchlight, their legs went weak, and they collapsed to the ground, either crying or staring blankly. They looked as if they had narrowly escaped from a monster’s clutches.

“Father… Mother…” Liu Dong shouted to his parents, and Liu Qiang’s elderly parents rushed toward their son’s body. In the firelight, the shroud covering Liu Qiang was stained red with blood.

“Whoosh!” A gust of chilly wind blew by, lifting a corner of the white cloth, and suddenly, something fell out. Instantly, screams erupted, adults covered the eyes of children, women’s faces turned pale, and Liu Qiang’s mother fainted.

“Ah! Ah! Intestines! Intestines!”

“Mother! Mother!”

“Run, run! This is too demonic!”

“Everyone, go home quickly, don’t get possessed!”

“Carry Liu Qiang’s body back!”

In no time, chaos engulfed Pingshan North Village.

Beneath the overcast sky, the boatmen selling cargo on the ship heading to Qin Prefecture were rowing past the Tianliu River at the foot of Pingshan Mountain. They saw villagers running frantically along the riverbank and field dikes, as if a fierce beast were chasing after them.

Late at night, by the riverside, and in the fields, the villagers were fleeing in terror, their expressions frantic. It was as if some kind of fierce predator was pursuing them, even though no one had ever heard of bandits coming down from Pingshan Mountain.