Chapter 41: Strange Tales in the Village

Feeling that things were growing increasingly ominous and his path ahead was fraught with thorns, Luo Gan knew there was no time to lose.

Bidding farewell to the monk, Luo Gan took a few steps, then turned back to ask, “Hey, bald one, why is it that I can never find your temple? Where is it, really?”

The monk replied, “I set up my stall wherever fate takes me! It’s all about destiny. If fate deems it, you’ll find me. If not, searching is useless.”

Luo Gan nodded and said no more, though in his heart he understood perfectly well: this bald man was simply lazy. He begged for food as the mood struck him, opened his temple on a whim, and Luo Gan resolved that once he left, he would report this derelict NPC for his incompetence.

He decided to return to the village first to collect some odds and ends from his home. Since his competitor was so close, they would likely try to learn about his place in the village. If they found any clues there, it would put him at a great disadvantage. It was best to hurry back.

At the village entrance, Farmer A was anxiously calling villagers from all directions, gathering everyone together with an air that spoke of trouble.

When he saw Luo Gan, Farmer A shouted, “Ah Luo! You’re finally back! Hurry to Uncle De’s house—something big has happened!”

All hundred or so villagers were already assembled, clustered around Uncle De, who sat with his face buried in his hands, looking dejected and pained. Farmer A, accompanied by a few young men including Luo Gan, hurried over. When someone told Uncle De that everyone had arrived, he slowly stood up.

Uncle De began, “Today… I have something to tell you all, though some may already know.”

Farmer A lowered his head, and some people burst into tears.

Uncle De continued, “Recently, a number of young men from the village have gone missing. This is certainly unusual.”

Farmer A added, “Didn’t it start when A Dao took a few people and they disappeared?”

Uncle De nodded. “That’s probably when it began. A Dao claimed he’d made enough money for the bride price, went to the city overjoyed to celebrate, but never returned. He didn’t even come back for his bride.”

Luo Gan recalled that Master Wang and his lackey had gone missing around that time. Could it be related?

“I remember that Master Wang and his servant also vanished around then…” Luo Gan ventured.

Farmer A smacked Luo Gan on the head, shooting him a glare to warn him to keep quiet. Uncle De sighed heavily.

“Many people say you and Er Hu brought misfortune upon us,” Uncle De said.

Luo Gan was indignant—what kind of accusation was that?

“What do you mean, misfortune? Who hasn’t faced hardship?” he retorted.

Er Hu’s father immediately lashed out: “It’s all your fault for bringing outsiders into the village! Now our Er Hu is missing!”

Luo Gan was stunned. “Er Hu? He’s missing?”

Uncle De let out a weary sigh, and Farmer A explained, “Er Hu and several other young men have vanished recently. No one knows where they are.”

In that instant, countless eyes fixed upon Luo Gan, making him feel like a criminal on trial, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Luo Gan protested, “Hey! Er Hu is my good friend. Why would I ever harm him?”

Er Hu’s father snapped, “If you hadn’t been with him, would he have disappeared? He’s always been an honest boy, never left the village, and knows no one outside. Why would he just leave? He’s definitely missing!”

Uncle De said, “Everyone searched for two days and nights with no results. We were thinking of going to the county to ask if you knew anything.”

He was probing Luo Gan, and even those close to him now doubted him, leaving Luo Gan unable to defend himself.

At dusk, Luo Gan, Farmer A, Uncle De, Er Hu’s father, and others made their way into the dense southern forest. A group of more than ten, each armed with torches and wooden sticks, fully prepared for trouble.

It was clear they had brought Luo Gan here because they believed he was strongly connected to the disappearances. Unable to prove his innocence, he had no choice but to play the role of the suspect.

“This is the last place Er Hu and the others were seen,” Uncle De announced.

The forest stretched endlessly south of the village, a place rarely visited. The road to the county lay to the north, the sea to the east, a small hill to the west, but only the southern forest remained untouched, save for the occasional villager collecting firewood who would hurry back, unwilling to linger.

“Nothing seems out of the ordinary here,” Luo Gan observed.

Some of the villagers were already trembling, their grip on their sticks unsteady. Luo Gan couldn’t understand what was so frightening about a bamboo grove.

Farmer A whispered, “There’s something uncanny about this forest—those who venture deep inside never come out.”

To someone as educated as Luo Gan, superstition made no sense; everything was to be explained by science, and baseless speculation was merely fear.

“If it’s related to Er Hu’s disappearance, then let’s go in and see for ourselves. Who’s with me?” Luo Gan challenged.

The group exchanged uneasy glances. Though sturdy men, they balked at the prospect.

Luo Gan was inwardly contemptuous—their strength was all for show. Taking up a torch and a stick, he strode into the bamboo forest. Farmer A followed, while Uncle De looked back at the rest.

Uncle De hesitated, then said, “Let’s go. With so many of us, the sooner we go, the sooner we return.”

Only then did the others muster the courage to follow into the bamboo forest.

The waning light of dusk shimmered over the bamboo, casting mottled shadows on the ground. Luo Gan moved cautiously ahead, with Farmer A, braver than most, close behind.

“When we were kids, you were the one who cried the most. I never thought you’d be so bold now,” Farmer A remarked.

Luo Gan strode ahead as if nothing was amiss. “It’s nothing. A man of ambition fears nothing.”

But beneath his calm exterior, he was tense, desperate to get out of this haunted place. Still, with everyone forcing him, he had no choice but to press on.

Further back, Uncle De, slowed by age, soon lost sight of Luo Gan and the others. Suddenly, people around him began to thin out.

All at once, a chilling, inhuman scream rang out. Uncle De turned back and saw a farmer collapsed on the ground, foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolled back.

Uncle De slapped his face, but the man just convulsed, mumbling, “Monster, don’t hurt my family! Monster… monster!”

Everyone’s face went deathly pale at the words. The wind howled through the bamboo, and the last traces of twilight vanished. Someone tried to light a torch, but the flame wouldn’t catch. Uncle De called for someone to carry the fallen farmer, but to their horror, he had vanished.

Only five men remained with Uncle De and Er Hu’s father, both of whom felt their skin crawl.

Meanwhile, Luo Gan and Farmer A pressed ahead, but when Farmer A looked back, Uncle De’s group was nowhere to be seen.

“Did we walk too fast? None of them kept up. What if we get lost?” Farmer A asked anxiously.

“We still have some daylight left,” Luo Gan replied, worried. “If we wait too long, it’ll be even harder to find Er Hu.”

“But if we can’t find Er Hu, we can’t afford to lose Uncle De and the others too. Or what if they can’t find us?” Farmer A said.

Luo Gan had no choice but to agree. Otherwise, he’d be treated as an outcast.

The two waited where they stood, shivering in the eerie wind. When standing grew too tiring, they simply sat down.

Exhaustion crept over Luo Gan. He hadn’t rested properly in days. The world around him faded to black, and in the distance, he could just hear Farmer A’s voice.

“What’s going on? Ah Luo! Ah Luo!” Farmer A called.