Was this figure a zombie or a human? I couldn't tell for sure, but I leaned towards the former.
If it was indeed a zombie, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to have a peaceful night tonight.
The will-o'-the-wisps swirled around the figure standing up from the soil mound, and the green flames moved back and forth in the air, creating a green light. The surrounded dark figure, however, remained completely still, just smiling, its hoarse laughter conveying a sense of panic.
Suddenly, the will-o'-the-wisps erupted, rushing from all sides and instantly surrounding the dark figure. Then, the flames exploded, and in an instant, the fire shot up! One of the flames even reached the treetops, nearly burning me.
The will-o'-the-wisps and the dark figure seemed to be in conflict, and as a bystander, I couldn't calmly watch this spectacle. In reality, I was figuring out how to escape.
The dark shadow continued to smile, seemingly completely ignoring the swirling will-o'-the-wisps around it. Its arrogance gave off a feeling of mystery and eeriness.
Suddenly, one of the will-o'-the-wisps surged towards the dark figure. The green fire swept over the figure's face, and I widened my eyes as the fire passed over a long tail on the face in the darkness. However, after the flame disappeared, it didn't even ignite the figure's clothing. As if nothing had happened!
However, the dark figure's laughter came to a stop.
For some reason, its laughing was spine-chilling, but now, its unsmiling state was even more frightening!
The figure raised its head, and its disheveled long hair made it impossible for me to see its face. Slowly raising its hands, the nails, shimmering with a chilly light, seemed like terrifying blades. Subsequently, green gas gushed from the figure's feet, and the will-o'-the-wisps were quickly surrounded by these green fumes. I watched as the floating spirits landed on the ground, one after another, and under the coverage of the green gas, all the flames extinguished, revealing what seemed to be some blurry faces.
Screams once again spread throughout the forest, even more chaotic this time. All the will-o'-the-wisps were emitting what sounded like agonizing moans, and the dark figure stood in the midst of the green gas, appearing as quiet as an icy statue.
I quickly covered my nose and mouth with my hand. It was rumored that zombies emitted corpse gas from their bodies, which was similar to a toxin. If a normal person inhaled this gas, their body functions would rapidly deteriorate, and their flesh and organs would decay just like a corpse's. It would only take a few minutes from life to death! This was what Zhu had told me, and I believed he had no reason to deceive me.
I was up in the tree, and the suspected corpse gas couldn't float up that high. However, all the will-o'-the-wisps around had disappeared, and the dark figure slowly turned, as if searching for something. Gathering my courage, I cautiously peeked my head out, but at that moment, the figure under the tree suddenly lifted its head, and between its disheveled long hair emerged a pair of green eyes. Our gazes met, and it had spotted me!
My body reacted faster than my mind; I slid down the tree trunk to the ground and then, covering my nose and mouth, sprinted toward the other side of the forest.
When did it discover me? Did it know from the beginning that I was hiding in the tree, or did it see me by chance?
My mind is in a mess, constantly coming up with questions, but no matter what I think about at this moment, it doesn't matter. The important thing is to preserve my own life!
Run! I have to run!
With my current abilities, I'm no match for the opponent's men at all. In the late night, I don't care about the direction, just running wildly, with only one thought how to escape.
My heart was pounding, the feeling similar to when I was first followed by the pale-faced stranger. Of course, I knew that the pale-faced stranger definitely couldn't compare to the guy behind me.
After running for about five or six minutes, I stopped, there were no footsteps behind me, maybe it didn't catch up. Leaning against a tree, I took a few breaths, looked around, and saw some light in the distance, as if there were people living there.
In the deep mountains and old forests, especially when lost in the dark, being able to see a light is truly a boon! In any case, the presence of a light means there are people, and a place with people at least represents safety.
I immediately ran towards the light, which looked quite close, but when I actually started running, I realized it was still a distance away. After running for about five or six hundred meters, I approached the edge of the light. I thought it might be a village, but to my surprise, what appeared before my eyes was actually a temple.
The temple looked quite old, the surrounding walls were somewhat dilapidated, with many pits and potholes, the main gate was tightly closed, the temple was very small, with only two rooms, feeling smaller than Xuanming Temple.
I hesitated. If this were a village, I would definitely walk in. But since this was a temple, in the deep mountains and old forests, with the precedent of Xuanming Temple, I was a little apprehensive.
Should I continue to walk in the forest in the dark, or should I hide in the temple overnight?
I quickly made a decision on this multiple-choice question. The forest was too dangerous, not to mention the earth creatures and the monster just now. If I encountered a fierce beast, such as a wild wolf or a pack of stray dogs, I wouldn't be able to handle it. At least the front was a temple, and the light inside indicated there were people, so it shouldn't be dangerous.
After some consideration, I reached out and knocked on the temple door, only to hear "clang clang" for a while, and then a voice came from inside.
"Who's there?"
It sounded like a boy. It wasn't long before someone walked to the door from the inside. It was a bald little novice monk, wearing a gray-blue monk's robe, looking about eight or nine years old, and looking at me with some wariness.
"Hello, I'm lost in the forest, I'm not a bad person, can I hide here for a while?"
I spoke quickly, and when I saw that the other person was a little monk, I didn't know why, but my heart calmed down a bit. The little novice monk hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I'll go ask my master, you wait."
After he left, I leaned against the corner of the wall, my eyes always looking at the forest. The waiting time seemed particularly long. I wanted to smoke a cigarette, but I didn't even have one on me. I was really afraid that a monster would emerge in the cold night. There were too many accidents today, and my heart couldn't calm down.
"Bang!"
The wooden door behind me suddenly opened, and I quickly turned to look, only to see the same little novice monk as before. After opening the door, he bowed to me and said loudly, "My master said you can come in and stay overnight."
I nodded quickly and said, "Thank you."
As I walked through the main gate, I saw the little novice monk sprinkling some red beans at the entrance. After closing the door, I didn't ask much and went inside the temple, where I saw an old monk with long eyebrows and white beard sitting on a cushion looking at me.
This was the most kind-looking old monk I had ever seen, somewhat resembling the old monks in traditional Chinese story books, with long eyebrows hanging down and a long beard, looking somewhat frail, with a faint smile on his face.
The temple hall was lit with candles and was very clean. After entering such a place, the tension and exhaustion gradually eased, and I felt as if a burden had been lifted.
"Where did you come from, benefactor?"
He asked me and gestured me to sit on a nearby chair.
"I am from a village nearby. Today I got separated from my friends while hiking in the mountains, and ended up lost in the forest at night, which led me here. Sorry for the disturbance, master."
I hurriedly replied as the temple was filled with a faint smell of incense, which gave a calming feeling.
A young monk walked over with two bowls and said, "Master told me to prepare some food for you. We only have steamed buns in the temple. Please have some."
Truth be told, I was indeed hungry. While nodding my head, I mumbled my thanks and ate the buns. My hungry appearance made the young monk burst into laughter.
"It's not safe in these mountains. You can sleep in the storeroom for the night and leave at daybreak tomorrow."
After the old monk finished speaking, he nodded at me, then stood up with his hands behind his back and walked out of the temple. After he left, I scanned the temple while chewing the steamed buns. The temple was not large, and one could see through the doorway at a glance. It looked quite ordinary, except for the red ropes tied around the door frame, corners of the walls, and near the windows. This puzzled me, and the young monk, sitting across from me, seemed curious since he probably didn't see many outsiders.
"Is it just you and the master here?"
I asked.
"Well, in the past, we had a few other brothers, but they left the mountain. Now it's just me and the master..."
"Ah," I nodded, "By the way, why did you sprinkle red beans at the door earlier?"
The young monk was surprised for a moment, then chuckled, "Haha, my master taught me. He said there are ghosts in the mountains at night, but they won't come near if you sprinkle red beans. Also, the eternal lamp cannot be extinguished, if it is..."