"It's already so late..."
Walking alone on a country path, Kai-chan looked up at the sky, which was dim and overcast.
Judging by the sky, it was already past six o'clock, and he would definitely be home very late.
Kai-chan walked through the country path, came to the foot of the mountain, and was about to enter the forest when he paused, stopping in place.
"This is..."
Kai-chan stood at the entrance of the forest path, looking down at his feet, his expression grave.
He saw that on the forest path, which was covered with layers of withered yellow leaves, a large amount of withered yellow leaves had been swept to the side of the road by something, revealing the black earth beneath and leaving behind footprints.
"Someone went up the mountain!?"
Kai-chan looked at the two lines of walking traces left at the path's entrance, frowning in thought.
He looked around, at the boundless fields. Not far away, a few bare tree shadows stood menacingly, swaying in the wind.
Other than that, there was nothing.
"At this time, no one would go up the mountain."
Kai-chan thought to himself, because of the wild beasts on the mountain, locals would only go up during the day, never at night.
And the reason his family could live on the mountain was special.
"Whoosh~"
Kai-chan stood still, took a deep breath, and stepped into the forest.
"Squeak squeak~"
"Howl~"
In the eerie, dark forest, the chirping of insects and birds was incessant, and the howling of wild beasts occasionally echoed in the distance.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Kai-chan finally saw a glimmer of bright light, which was his home.
His expression brightened, and he quickened his pace.
"Woof woof..."
But just then, a sound of a wild beast came from the bushes beside him.
Kai-chan stopped in his tracks, looked towards the roadside bushes, walked over, and pushed aside the bushes.
He saw a grey-furred forest wolf hidden in the bushes, crouching low, baring its teeth at the brightly lit wooden house not far away, growling "woof woof" with a fierce expression.
Even though Kai-chan had arrived in front of it, it remained motionless.
"Ahui, what's wrong?"
Kai-chan knelt down and reached out to touch the forest wolf's head, not at all worried that the beast would bite him.
This wolf was very familiar with him. They often played together, and he had even given it a name.
Kai-chan stroked the forest wolf's head, following its fur all the way down its back. After a few strokes, he paused, stopping.
Because he realized that Ahui's body...
was trembling.
One should know that this forest wolf was a mountain overlord in Qingyao Mountain. In such a place, what could make an overlord tremble with fear?
He stared intently at Ahui, finding that its gaze never shifted, remaining fixed on the wooden house ahead.
"Woof woof..."
Kai-chan looked at his home, his heart turning cold. He remembered the two lines of footprints he saw at the foot of the mountain, and couldn't help but stand up abruptly.
"Could it be!"
"Creak~"
As soon as he stood up, a harsh sound reached his ears.
He saw a figure, with its back to the bright light, appear in the opened doorway.
Kai-chan was stunned for a moment, and the figure in the doorway also remained motionless, standing silently, not looking around, like a human puppet.
For a moment, the scene was eerily silent.
Because its back was to the light, Kai-chan couldn't see the figure's facial expression, only a dark void.
But judging by its height, posture, and clothes, it should be his mother.
"Woof~"
At this moment, Ahui, the forest wolf who had been crouching in the bushes, let out a low growl, tucked its tail between its legs, and fled into the depths of the forest.
"Ahui..."
Kai-chan turned to look at the desperately fleeing forest wolf, his heart growing more puzzled.
Although Ahui was only close to him, his mother and younger siblings would usually give it some food. Although it often ignored them, it wouldn't flee in panic upon seeing his mother.
"Kai-chan?"
"Is Kai-chan back?"
At this moment, his mother, standing in the doorway, spoke. She took a step forward, walking towards the forest.
"Mom..."
Kai-chan was about to respond, but as he opened his lips, he suddenly remembered the forest wolf Ahui's behavior, and immediately pressed his lips tightly together.
He squatted down, hiding in the bushes, observing his mother.
"Kai-chan? Is Kai-chan back?"
His mother continued to call his name, but Kai-chan, for some reason, looking at the familiar figure, felt his heart pound faster and faster in his chest.
He stared intently at his mother, his gaze blurring for a moment, finally noticing a hint of something strange.
Although his mother was calling out verbally, she seemed unsure if it was her son who had returned.
But strangely, as she spoke, she walked straight towards the bushes where he was currently hiding.
"Kai-chan, now that you're back, come inside quickly."
"Dinner is ready, and Naru and Hana are waiting."
His mother spoke as she walked, but suddenly her tone changed, as if she had already confirmed that Kai-chan was hiding in the bushes, and she quickened her pace towards him.
"Thump thump thump thump"
As the distance between his mother and him grew shorter, Kai-chan could feel his heart beating faster and faster, more and more violently.
Kai-chan's face was pale, and he had a bad premonition.
At the same time, a strong sense of crisis rose from the bottom of his heart. Even his skin felt a slight tingling.
Kai-chan understood in his heart that this inexplicable premonition was his body's instinct warning him.
This was a talent he had possessed since childhood, unknown to anyone except his long-deceased father, including his mother and younger siblings.
"Kai-chan, what's wrong with you?"
Suddenly, a cold, blade-like, indifferent female voice sounded in front of him.
"Huh!?"
Kai-chan suddenly looked up, his pupils sharply contracting, and his breathing stopped.
He saw that his mother, who had just been more than ten meters away, was now standing directly in front of the bushes where he was hiding, looking down at him with an indifferent expression.
Her eyes were hollow, her expression cold, completely lacking his mother's usual gentle and soft demeanor.
Like a walking corpse, a puppet.
"Whoosh..."
The bushes rustled. Kai-chan grabbed a handful of black earth and suddenly leaped out of the bushes, throwing the black earth at his mother.
The moment his mother reached out to block the dirt, Kai-chan took off the basket on his back and slammed it with a "thump" onto his mother's head, then turned and ran.
"Huff huff huff~"
Kai-chan ran wildly through the dark forest. Large amounts of branches and vines slapped against his face, leaving scratches.
But he didn't care at all, only running forward incessantly.
"Can't stop... can't stop..."
"Stopping means death!"
Kai-chan transformed into a blur, moving extremely fast.
He kicked aside the leaves and grass piles blocking his way, skirted a small hill, and a narrow path appeared before him.
"Finally, a path."
Kai-chan leaped out of the dense vegetation and ran wildly on the path.
He wanted to escape to Qingyao Town and inform the local police, asking them to take weapons up the mountain to investigate what had happened at his house.
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