The group stood in a daze for a moment when they saw Zhang Long return with a rabbit in hand.
“You caught one so quickly! As expected of Constable Zhang, what superb archery!”
“What a plump grey rabbit. It looks like we’re in for a treat tonight.”
“Hah! What a considerate rabbit! Seeing that us brothers only have these tasteless dry pancakes to gnaw on, it actually threw itself right into the constable's hands! Hahaha!”
“Quick, quick, skin it and bleed it. Wild rabbit has a gamey stench; it won't taste good if we just boil it. If only we’d remembered to bring spices, then it would be a real feast!”
The group crowded forward. Seeing Zhang Long’s grim expression, they assumed he was still grieving over Chunsheng being snatched by the tiger and hurried to comfort him:
“Constable, life and death are fated, and wealth is in the hands of Heaven. That hunter took our silver to lead the way.
Who could have known the brothers wouldn't react in time and let him be snatched away...”
“Speaking of which, that Magistrate of Wen County is a real piece of work. That tiger has grown so large, it’s likely become a demon. We’re just mere mortals; there’s nothing we can do against it!”
“Exactly. For a demon tiger of that size, we probably need people from the Demon Suppression Division to step in.”
The group chattered away, while only Nan Yi sat by the fire in silence, saying nothing.
Zhang Long tossed the dead rabbit to a companion and glanced around. Noticing someone was missing, he immediately furrowed his brows.
“Where is Zhou Dalang?”
Everyone looked at one another, but no one spoke.
—Earlier, Zhou Dalang had been foul-mouthed and started a conflict with Nan Yi. Not only had he lost two front teeth, but he had also lost face.
An older, more composed bailiff said:
“Hah, that fellow was spouting nonsense earlier and ended up losing face to Brother Yi, along with two teeth.
Well, he went to relieve himself about a cup of tea’s time ago and hasn't come back yet. How about I take a couple of brothers to go look for him?
It’ll save him from getting lost in these woods and not being able to find his way back.”
As soon as Zhang Long heard this, he knew something was wrong.
The dense forest was eerie. Once a person stepped inside and moved even slightly away from the fire, everything turned pitch black, leaving them blind.
Even though Zhou Dalang was a lecherous man, he certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to lose himself just to take a leak.
In all likelihood, it was just as the Nan family’s eldest daughter had said—there was something in these woods clouding his eyes.
Having been gone for so long without returning, given Zhou Dalang’s nature of valuing lust over his own life, his corpse was probably already cold.
Perhaps those chang ghosts were hiding in the trees, among the grass, or behind the rocks, watching them silently with cold eyes.
They were likely using their long, thin fingers—fingers like withered wood—to point at them one by one, letting out tittering and cackling ghostly laughs as they plotted how to devour them.
At this thought, Zhang Long felt a layer of cold sweat break out across his back.
The men had followed him into the mountains, after all.
Zhang Long wanted to search for Zhou Dalang, but when he thought of Nan Zhi’s warning about the chang ghosts and the tiger demon watching from the shadows, he could only feign anger and shout:
“That useless, good-for-nothing fool! It’s one thing for him to always cause trouble for Brother Yi, but in our current situation, he still doesn't know the weight of things!
There’s no need to look for him. He has a massive ego and usually relies on his uncle’s influence to act tough. He’s definitely just waiting for us to go and beg him to come back—”
Zhang Long walked a few steps and stopped by the fire, his gaze sweeping carefully over the faces of everyone present.
“I scouted the woods just now but found no trace of that beast. That tiger must have filled its belly and is now lying in its den to digest!
The mountain paths are rugged, and we outsiders aren't like the local hunters who know the trails. If we keep searching, we’ll likely lose our way in the forest.
Once the sun comes up tomorrow and we can see the path, we’ll head down the mountain first. We’ll find the local bailiffs and constables of Wen County and get more men to come up and avenge Brother Chunsheng!”
Although the men didn't understand why Zhang Long, who had been so determined and fierce about hunting the tiger earlier, had changed his mind after one trip out, they were all bailiffs who just wanted to earn their pay and live their lives. They had no grand ambitions of “eliminating evil for the people.”
Having seen the tiger eat a man with their own eyes during the day, they were all scared to death in their hearts.
Hearing Zhang Long say this, everyone looked joyful and hurriedly agreed.
After chasing that tiger all day, everyone was naturally tired and hungry.
Huddling by the fire, they heated up the pancakes they had brought and ate them with cold water. Drowsiness soon set in.
Zhang Long didn't dare close his eyes. He pulled an experienced bailiff aside and sat by the fire to keep watch, his hand firmly on his official saber.
One constable complained that his saber was digging into him and wanted to set it aside, but Zhang Long scolded him thoroughly.
Even when someone got up in the middle of the night to relieve themselves, Zhang Long watched them intently, not letting them go far.
He was terrified that in the blink of an eye, another person would vanish just like Zhou Dalang.
Whether it was because the chang ghosts didn't dare to act rashly against the group or because the tiger was cunning, the first half of the night passed without incident.
Listening to the hooting of a mountain owl, Zhang Long rubbed his bloodshot eyes. He felt his eyelids growing heavy, as if they wanted to glue themselves shut.
He couldn't help but mutter to himself:
Why is it different from what the Nan family’s eldest daughter said?
Could it be that the chang ghosts won't come tonight?
Just as he was thinking this, Zhang Long cast a casual glance toward the forest. But that one glance made his entire body go cold.
He saw Zhou Dalang and Chunsheng emerging from the depths of the forest, one after the other, supporting each other.
Upon seeing the firelight, joy appeared on their faces. Only when they drew near did they collapse onto the ground, gasping for breath.
“What luck! What luck!”
“We finally made it back alive!”
The others were jolted awake. Seeing the two return alive, they were naturally overjoyed.
“Chunsheng! You’re not dead!”
“Zhou Da, you bastard, how did you take so long just to pee—”
“Heaven truly protected you! I really thought you were dead, Chunsheng!”
The group pelted them with questions. Zhang Long stepped forward and slapped both of them hard on the shoulders, laughing loudly.
“Brother Chunsheng, weren't you snatched by the tiger? To think you actually made it back, you truly are blessed with great luck!
And you, Zhou Da, why did you come back wearing nothing but your inner robes? Could it be there’s some soul-stealing fox in these woods that charmed you into stripping off your clothes?”
Only then did everyone notice that Chunsheng and Zhou Dalang were both in a wretched state.
Their heads and faces were covered in dirt. The former had a wound on his leg where a large chunk of flesh seemed to have been torn away by a wild beast.
The latter’s face was a greyish-ash color, his movements were stiff, and his body was stained with blood, as if he hadn't yet recovered from the shock.
“Heaven truly protected me. During the day, when I was snatched by that tiger, I had no choice but to play dead. I fell into the stream, and that’s how I escaped.
I just woke up in the stream and heard someone calling for help in the woods. When I went to look, I found Brother Zhou.”
Chunsheng glanced at Zhou Dalang, putting on an act of having narrowly escaped death.
“As it turns out, a band of outlaws has come to these mountains at some point. they’ve plundered gold, silver, and jewels from many wealthy families and settled here as bandits.
Those outlaws even kidnapped a village woman and were about to commit foul acts right there in the open. Brother Zhou tried to save her but was caught instead. They tied him to a tree and even stripped him of his official uniform and saber.”
“Hehe, yes, that’s how it was.”
Zhou Dalang kept his head lowered, so the others couldn't see his expression clearly. They simply assumed he was too embarrassed to speak in detail.
—But anyone who observed closely would notice that Zhou Dalang’s expression was frozen, and his complexion held an unnatural, deathly grey hue.
“There are bandits in the mountains? This little Wenshan has both a tiger problem and bandits. What a coincidence.”
Nan Yi, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up.
“Then how did the two of you escape?”
“It was a stroke of luck. Those outlaws were dividing their money in the woods, but they didn't expect the tiger to pass by. The beast mauled them all to death. I took the chance to crawl down from the tree and untie Brother Zhou.”
Chunsheng’s eyes darted around as he spoke calmly.
“The gold, silver, jade, and jewelry those people plundered are all scattered there in the forest! The two of us were afraid the tiger would return, so we hurried back to report the news.”
When the group heard there were gold and silver treasures in the woods, their hearts burned with greed, and they began questioning him excitedly.
“Is it true?”
“There’s really gold and silver? Zhou Dalang, did you see it too?”
“Tsk! That tiger actually did something good for the people! I just wonder who those riches will end up with?”
“Since it was stolen by bandits anyway, it might as well go to whoever finds it. Why not...”
Rate on N.U.
