When Hajime and U-ri started walking back to the cabin, U-ri kept a distance from Hajime from time to time. Hajime walked slowly but cautiously.
"Why do you keep looking back?" U-ri asked.
"I have a feeling that something or someone is watching us from the other side of the woods," Hajime replied.
U-ri stopped and looked around but found nothing. "I didn't see anything," he said.
"Don't use your eyes," Hajime instructed. "You have to use your senses."
U-ri turned around and continued to walk a few steps in front of Hajime. "I don't have magical sixth senses like you," he said, walking on.
Hajime quickly caught up with U-ri and asked, "Do you think something bad is going to happen? Yul's complexion was abnormal yesterday. He told me that he felt that someone was watching us, and now I feel the same way."
"Ptui… ptui… ptui." U-ri spat on the ground a few times. "If you can't think of anything good to say, then don't say such ominous things."
"You can't always think about the good," Hajime argued. "Sometimes we also have to think about the bad, which can help us prepare for the next destination. This journey is not an easy stroll in the palace garden."
"I totally get it because we met those beasts," U-ri said, "but what I'm trying to say is that we have to think positively first."
"Then why are you afraid of spirits and ghosts?" Hajime countered.
"Who said that?" U-ri asked.
"Everyone else thinks so," Hajime replied.
U-ri scoffed softly. "I'm not afraid of ghosts, but I really want to see them because I have a spell that forces them to do what I want."
"Is this spell useful?" Hajime inquired.
"I don't know. I haven't encountered a ghost yet, but I definitely want to try," U-ri admitted.
"What exactly do you need to catch ghosts for?" Hajime asked.
"My late wife died suddenly without leaving a word," U-ri explained. "So I want to ask the ghost to bring her soul back to the world. Maybe I can have a good talk with her."
"Can your spell be used multiple times or only once?" Hajime asked.
"It can only be used once." U-ri stopped and looked at Hajime. "Did someone leave you without saying a word?"
"Not really," Hajime said. "Just that I want to ask him a question." He smiled. "It's okay… I don't think he wants to talk to me because I haven't seen him in years."
"Who?" U-ri pressed.
Hajime looked away, trying to avoid eye contact with U-ri. "Forget it… but let's catch a ghost tonight."
U-ri and Hajime started walking again. "How?" U-ri asked.
"There's a grave not too far from the cabin," Hajime revealed.
U-ri's jaw dropped. "What? So, does everyone know about it?"
"Yes… Abrafo found it," Hajime said. "But they thought you were afraid of ghosts." He glanced into the woods and saw the white deer lurking behind them, following them. Hajime grabbed U-ri's arm. "Stop, turn to your left…"
"What am I supposed to see?" U-ri asked.
"The deer has been following us since we left the mountain lake," Hajime explained.
U-ri looked to the left and saw the white deer a few feet away from them. U-ri grabbed onto Hajime's arms. "Let's hurry up…"
"What's wrong?" Hajime asked.
"A white deer is a bad omen," U-ri said, quickening his pace. "I can't believe it… we can't even get a good rest…"
"What bad omen are you talking about?" Hajime asked.
"Seeing an all-white deer like that one is an ominous sign of impending danger," U-ri elaborated.
"You're not serious, are you?" Hajime questioned.
"I'm dead serious," U-ri affirmed.
"We didn't hurt the deer, why would it do bad things to us?" Hajime argued. "It's just superstition, you don't have to believe it too much."
Just as Hajime and U-ri looked back to see if the deer was still following them, the white deer seemed to have disappeared.
Hajime looked everywhere but found nothing. "Look, the white deer is gone," Hajime said. "I guess that's not a bad sign for us."
U-ri shook his head and looked straight ahead. Seeing a man in white walking in front of them, U-ri grabbed onto Hajime's arm. "Hajime…" he murmured.
"What?" Hajime turned around and saw the man in white walking in front of them. Hajime was also surprised, but he realized that the clothing of the person walking in front of them was the same as the man he had seen standing by the mountain lake. "U-ri… the clothes on that man are very similar to the one I saw by the lake."
"Are we seeing spirits walking around in broad daylight?" U-ri whispered.
"Do you want to use a spell?" Hajime asked.
"Not really… I'm not sure if the spell works during the day," U-ri replied.
Hajime and U-ri looked at each other, then looked back at the man walking in front of them, but the man was no longer visible. Instead, a big white deer walked in front of them.
Hajime and U-ri wiped their eyes, then looked up at the white deer walking in front of them again.
"Are you sure what we saw was a human and not a deer?" U-ri asked suspiciously.
"I saw a man just a moment ago," Hajime insisted.
"Hajime, I suddenly have a creepy feeling," U-ri said. "My old white hair is standing on the back of my neck."
"So, what do you want us to do?" Hajime asked. "That thing is actually going in the same direction that we are going." Hajime took two steps forward, but U-ri's feet did not move. "U-ri…"
"I don't think I can move," U-ri confessed.
Hajime shook his head, reached into his robe, and threw the wolf-wood figure to the ground. With a quick chant, the wolf's body turned into a giant gray wolf that looked up to the sky and howled.
Hajime helped U-ri up onto the wolf's back and he also climbed onto the wolf's back. The grey wolf growled loudly at the white deer in front of them. In fright, the white deer suddenly jumped behind the bushes and hid behind the trees on the side of the road.
"It's scared of the wolf," U-ri observed.
Hajime watched the deer standing where it was, watching them with dark blue eyes. "He's not afraid of my wolf… maybe he's just curious…"
Yul, Abrafo, and Michio were sitting outside the cabin waiting for Hajime and U-ri when they suddenly heard a loud howl resounding through the mountains.
"That's Hajime's wolf," Yul said.
"How do you know?" Abrafo asked.
"Since we're here, we don't see any animals," Yul replied. "So, the only animals that will roam the place are Hajime's magical creatures."
"I have to agree with that," Michio said. Yul stood up slowly, grabbing his sword, but Michio quickly stopped him. "Where are you going?"
Yul put the sword back on his back and said, "Hajime and U-ri may be in trouble. Hajime wouldn't let his wolf cry so loudly for no reason."
"If Hajime or U-ri were really in danger, you're not in a position to help them," Michio argued. "Maybe U-ri was too tired to walk, and Hajime might have just summoned his wolf for that sole purpose."
Abrafo got up. "Michio is right. Let's wait for a while to see if they are approaching. If not, we will go find them together." Abrafo sat back down, looked at Yul's worried expression, and started giggling.
Michio looked at Abrafo. "Abrafo, what's so funny?"
"I thought I'd never see Yul give anyone that look… that worried look," Abrafo said.
"I don't think it's funny," Michio countered. "Yul is right to worry about them, and I worry about them too."
"Hajime is the key to bringing us to No Man's Land," Yul stated firmly. "Even if we have to give up our lives, Hajime must live to the end."
Abrafo looked at Yul and asked in a serious tone, "Is this the only reason you are worried about Hajime? If Hajime hears this, he will be very hurt."
"That's right… um… I hate keeping secrets," Michio admitted.
Yul sighed. "Since Hajime and U-ri are not here, I want to talk to you two. Hajime is the key to No Man's Land. Without Hajime, we cannot enter No Man's Land. Even if we enter No Man's Land, none of us can cross the River of Sorrow. Therefore, no matter what happens, Hajime must bring back the white dragon tail, purify the land, and save our people." He untied the belt tied around him, put his sword beside him, and sat back on the log.
"Are you kidding me when you say Hajime has to live even if we all die?" Abrafo asked.
"No… let's just keep this between the three of us," Yul said. "U-ri and Hajime don't need to know."
"I got it. Don't worry, no fourth person will know about this," Abrafo said with a heavy heart.
Michio looked forward and found that the grey wolf was approaching the cabin. "They're coming!" He rushed over. "You two worried us."
Hajime looked at Michio strangely. "Worried? This is the first time someone told me they're worried about me." He giggled when he heard Michio's words. "We're fine."
"Yul almost ran out to save you two," Michio said, helping U-ri off the wolf's back.
"We had some bad things happen to us on the way back," U-ri revealed.
"What kind of bad thing?" Michio asked.
Hajime jumped off the wolf's back. "We met a white deer. There's a mountain lake over there." He pointed to the left. "But there are no fish. The white deer was following us until I called my wolf."
"Hajime… the white deer is an ominous omen that something dangerous is about to happen," Michio said, his voice serious.
"You sound like U-ri," Hajime said, looking at Michio and U-ri. "Is this something that the people of Tanzang believe in?"
"Tanzang believes that seeing a white deer is a sign of bad things to happen," Yul explained, "because the white deer symbolizes the spirit of our deceased ancestors."
"Guard the house," Hajime said, and tapped the grey wolf's buttocks. "You mean your ancestors came to warn you that something bad was going to happen?"
Yul nodded.
"Interesting." A man's laughter resounded throughout the mountain. "How interesting…" The voice continued to laugh.