Chapter 50: That Isn’t a Person—It’s an Animal!
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Rustle...
In the still, shadowy depths of the forest, Liu Wenchang kept the sound of his passage through the weeds as quiet as possible. He lightly brushed each tree trunk he passed, his eyes fixed on the figure less than thirty meters ahead.
He was maintaining a fairly good distance—not too fast, not too slow. He would not lose sight of his target, nor would he be discovered.
Of course, this was largely thanks to the past few days he had spent on the run, which had given him the chance to develop an ability he never should have had to acquire in this lifetime.
If he had not killed that man in a moment of overwhelming agitation seven days ago, he would never have ended up in such a state.
But that man had deserved to die. He deserved to die, die, die!
If only... if only the man had not kept hurling abuse at him, had not kept provoking him, how could he possibly have seized the dagger lying nearby and... and driven it in so easily?
Whenever he recalled the flash of blood before his eyes, the man's astonished expression and terrified gaze, he could not help shuddering.
For days now, every time that scene came to mind, fear seized him against his will.
Even in his dreams, the dead man came to visit him...
But it was too late for anything now. Nothing could be undone. He was already a wanted fugitive, and every police officer in Cliffside Town was searching for him!
At the same time, he considered himself rather lucky.
If those police officers had not spent three or four hours confirming that he was the true murderer, he might never have had the chance to leave Cliffside Town, reach the mountain villages in this region, and flee all the way into these great mountains.
Still, he had only just arrived and was unfamiliar with the terrain. He did not dare move about recklessly.
After all, the police might already have gathered at the foot of the mountain. Perhaps they were even preparing to search it.
He had to familiarize himself with the mountain as quickly as possible and find a way out for the days of flight ahead.
But who could have imagined that he would get lost?
He had been wandering through the mountains for so long that he no longer even had any sense of time.
Just as he thought he would lose himself in the forest and never find his way out, he saw Zhang Hao walking among the trees. The man carried a basket, wore a pair of straw sandals, and had a butcher knife tucked at his waist.
At a single glance, Liu Wenchang identified him.
He was most likely here to gather wild mountain delicacies.
Someone like that should be quite familiar with these mountains.
Perhaps if he followed him, he could find his way out.
“What if he discovers me...?”
At the thought, a savage glint flashed through his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he muttered to himself in encouragement, “I have a knife. I can use it to force him to lead me out of the mountains. If he refuses to cooperate... if he refuses... I’ll butcher him! I’ve seen blood before, at least! Yes! That’s what I’ll do!”
He already had one life on his hands. What difference would one more make?
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Of course, if he could avoid threats and violence, he would.
He did not want to expose himself, nor did he want to invite trouble while on the run.
But if the man recognized him, that would be another matter entirely.
His thoughts scattered, and Liu Wenchang’s expression stiffened.
He felt that the forest around him had grown noticeably grayer and dimmer. The deeper he went, the darker it became.
He looked ahead and abruptly halted, then hurriedly hid behind a nearby tree.
He had just seen the man gathering mountain delicacies stop in his tracks and stand there without moving.
Liu Wenchang did not choose to go forward and catch up. He remained behind the tree, his expression growing anxious, yet he could not bring himself to take the first step.
Why had the man suddenly stopped?
He was counting on that man to lead him out of the mountains. If he stopped moving, how was Liu Wenchang supposed to find his way out?
Moreover, the sky was growing darker by the minute. It would be completely dark before long, and visibility in the forest would become even worse. Even if he wanted to follow the man, he might no longer be able to keep up.
It was entirely possible that he would have to sleep in the mountains that night...
But he had not the slightest experience with surviving in the wild!
He had often heard people say that there were wolves and wild beasts in the mountains, as well as all sorts of strange things.
The mere thought of it made his scalp prickle.
Yet if he went forward now, he would certainly alert the man. If the man discovered him...
No. He would wait a little longer and see what the man intended to do.
If he still did not leave after some time, Liu Wenchang would find a way to sneak over and force him to lead him out of the mountains.
Yes. That was what he would do.
Having made up his mind, Liu Wenchang steeled himself.
Whoosh...
Just then, a gust of wind swept past.
Liu Wenchang shivered violently.
For some reason, the wind was extraordinarily cold—cold enough to pierce his bones. It was as though a chill had risen from the soles of his feet and shot straight into his brain.
Was the wind in these mountains always this cold?
Or was it because night had fallen?
No. He absolutely could not spend the night in the mountains. It was so cold at night that if he fell asleep, he might never wake again.
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Even if he did not freeze to death, he could catch a cold. He was already on the run; if he fell ill, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Before he could think any further—
Drip-drum, drip-drum...
Drip-drum, drip-drum...
From somewhere not far away came the sound of suona horns, accompanied by the faint beat of gongs and drums.
Suona horns... gongs and drums?
Why would such sounds be coming from the mountains at a time like this?
Whenever suona horns and gongs and drums were used, it was generally for either a wedding or a funeral.
And both occasions were normally held in broad daylight. He had never heard of anyone holding a funeral procession or getting married in the middle of the night.
Especially not in the mountains.
If it was happening in the mountains, it was most likely a funeral.
Yet the music did not sound like the mournful tune played at a funeral. It sounded more like the festive melody of a wedding...
Impossible. Who would hold a wedding in the mountains at night? That took an absurd amount of nerve. Were they not afraid of disturbing something they should not?
His thoughts raced as Liu Wenchang narrowed his eyes.
His most urgent task was to catch up with the man ahead and have him lead him out of the mountains so he could continue his flight.
Otherwise, once the police organized a search of the mountain, he would truly be finished.
But with the darkness all around him, where was he supposed to find anyone?
Just as worry surfaced on his face, a dim, ghostly glow seemed to appear out of nowhere in the black forest at the corner of his eye.
Then he saw several clusters of firelight ahead, illuminating a narrow path and driving away all the darkness around it.
On that path, the first things he saw were two “people” dressed in coarse cloth garments. Their faces were indistinct, their forms hazy, as though their entire bodies were covered by a thin membrane and veiled behind a layer of mist.
No. They did not look like people...
They merely had human shapes. They walked upright like humans and held suona horns, gongs, and drums like humans.
But now, those two “people” looked more like animals!
Yes. They were some kind of animals covered in fur!
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