Chapter 3, Night Road

I indeed saw a type of plant inside; this plant does not have leaves, only small fragmented branches, haphazardly spread out like blood vessels.

I did not think much; I just considered how to exert force to break the stone tablet, but during this process, an unexpected event occurred

I threw with considerable accuracy, and a small stone struck it with a sharp sound before bouncing away. The sound startled me, and I began to entertain a possibility. The fact that the small stone produced such a noise indicated that this white object was quite hard. I thought to myself, could it be that this thing is a stone tablet covered in moss on the surface?

I said to Panzi, "Let's go take a look."

Pan Zi leaned forward to closely observe the condition of the loose stone tablet, and at that moment, a jet of water suddenly spurted out from the tablet.

I do not know what that thing is either. They say it is a rabbit, but it is larger than a rabbit. They say it is a lamb, but where would a lamb hide in the grass at midnight without coming out

Finally, the two of us joined forces to pry open the fault. At the moment it revealed its true form, I saw a face painted on it

Panzi said it was good. In the past, we often sang to relieve boredom in prison, but it wasn't any serious songs, more like "Eighteen Touches" and "Blowing the Trumpet." We started singing, "Reaching out to touch here and there."

At dusk, our group arrived at a loess slope. I gazed at the endless dirt road before me, feeling anxious inside, fearing that at this pace, we would not reach Suiyuan Village tonight. At that moment, the old man stopped the donkey cart and said to the two of us very seriously, "Get off the cart"

We stopped five meters away from the white object, and I noticed that it had not moved during this time. Just then, I found a small stone at my feet, so I casually picked one up and threw it at it.

I feel that continuing like this puts too much pressure on us, so I suggested to Panzi that we sing while we walk. This would not only alleviate boredom but also help divert our attention.

The house we rented is not warm, yet both of us are sweating on our foreheads. I thought the strange person on the television would say something to us, but then the entire image disappeared, and it turned into the background color of the television, with music playing.

At the top of this stone tablet, there is a large crack that, at first glance, resembles a natural fissure; however, it is particularly straight, and its edges are exceptionally neat

Pan Zi spoke first, pointing at the stone tablet, "This object has been repaired and has fractures."

I have a guess, pointing at this stone, I said, "Panzi, I suspect that some plant has grown inside the stele. Just now, when I kicked the stele, it broke, and that is why a stream of sap gushed out."

After getting closer, I discovered that this white object measured about a bundle in both length and width, wrapped in weeds. I poked at it with the tip of my knife and scraped off some of the white fuzz.

He said that Suiyuan Village is famously known as a ghost village, where usually only the villagers flee, and he has never seen anyone like us, who would go out of their way to squeeze in. Moreover, the village is haunted at night, with either female ghosts leaning against the windows or singing and combing their hair outside. He has been quite generous to us, being able to drive us here in a donkey cart; if it were someone else, no amount of money would persuade them to come.

Panzi and I, carrying our travel bags, continued walking along this dirt road. Both of us are in our thirties, in the prime of our lives, and this fifty-li distance is nothing to us. If we keep walking without a break, we estimate we could reach the village before midnight.

I agree with this statement. To put it simply, this stele was not originally this large; it was later modified, and a new "signboard" was affixed over its original surface.

By the light of the moon, I saw that there were indeed words written above, in that kind of regular script—Suiyuan Village. Panzi was a bit taken aback; who knows what he was thinking, as he actually scraped off the top. After all, who has ever seen words written on the top of a stone tablet? However, by this stroke of luck, he made a surprising discovery. He exclaimed in surprise and pulled me to take a look.

During the journey, I took out my phone to search online. The remote area we were heading to is called Suiyuan Village. However, I discovered that when we got off the train, we had only completed half of the journey. The remaining distance could not be reached by train, and we would have to find another way ourselves.

The face is drawn very roughly, with only a vague outline of the features discernible; however, overall, he appears to be grinning menacingly

I primarily scrape this surface in front, and I have found that a spring knife is an effective tool for removing moss. With just a few strokes, it makes this surface exceptionally tidy

Pan nodded, and we proceeded to act separately

By feel, this liquid is quite thick, and it does have a somewhat bloody connotation. However, I brought my hand to my nose and sniffed it, discovering that the scent is somewhat sweet, completely different from the metallic smell of blood.

I was puzzled about what was happening, so I followed his gaze. I noticed something white in the grass by the roadside, estimated to be about knee-high, seemingly covered with a layer of fur, entangled in dry grass

The water was splashing onto Panzi's neck; I could see it clearly from a distance. It was a deep crimson color, slowly trickling down along Panzi's neck.

I am very averse to this type of music and do not wish to continue listening, so I have ejected the disc

If this scenery were placed in the city, it would undoubtedly be regarded as a landmark, attracting numerous tourists. However, here, it feels exceptionally eerie to both Panzi and me. As we gaze at the white mist, we both feel a sense of discomfort.

I handed it over to Panzi again. At first, Panzi just stared at it, but later he grew bolder and also took the plant in his hands to "play" with it.

I suddenly feel that both of us have been deceived. We spent quite a bit of money on the donkey cart, a total of 200 "dollars." The old man spoke quite well at the time, so how did we end up in this desolate wilderness

Until 10 PM, we were still wandering along the dirt road, with sparse wild grasses on both sides. I do not understand how the natural environment here is so unique; at this moment, wisps of white mist began to rise along the road.

At that time, I truly did not feel anything; I thought that after getting off the train, I could just take a bus or something. However, once I actually got off the train, I realized that the situation was far more complicated than I had imagined

I gave Panzi some time to catch his breath, then called him over to help me clean out the fractures with a spring knife. During this process, a jet of red liquid would occasionally spurt out, but we paid little attention to it.

I knew he must have discovered something, so I leaned over to take a look.

I can guess what Panzi is thinking; this water looks just like blood, and it sprays out from the rocks. If anyone were to suddenly encounter this situation, they would surely be frightened

I selected a spot and rubbed it back and forth with a knife, cutting off a small piece of the branch and taking it out. As I looked at it, I was reminded of Yangxie grass, which I had learned about by chance during a conversation with a friend. Although I cannot definitively say that this plant is Yangxie grass, the sap of Yangxie grass is indeed red

Pan Zi exhibited a remarkable strength, delivering over ten kicks, which caused the fault to loosen and the cracks to widen. I did not want to tire Pan Zi out, so I took the opportunity to replace him, similarly using thick-soled leather shoes to strike the stone tablet.

As informants, we are not allowed to carry firearms, but we have all developed a habit of hiding a spring knife in our socks. The two of us took out the knives and, with one in front and the other behind, made our way there.

This is our first time visiting this remote mountainous area, and encountering strange occurrences unexpectedly, we inevitably need to be cautious. I said to Panzi, "Let’s not rush to leave; let’s use the back of the knife to clean the stone tablet and see if there is any information on it."

I couldn't spare the time to study this stone tablet, so I hurriedly grabbed Panzi, urging him not to move recklessly, and casually felt around his neck.

This white mist is quite strange, with distinct areas and patches. In some places, it is particularly dense, making it impossible to see through at a glance, while in other areas, it is much lighter.

However, in reality, the mountain roads are much more difficult to traverse than the asphalt roads in the city. Wearing thick-soled leather shoes, I occasionally step on stones, which causes my soles to ache. Our pace of progress has also become exceedingly slow.

During this period, a strong wind occasionally swept through, causing the white mist to dance and swirl like a ghost, while the wild grasses on both sides of the road responded in kind. Against the backdrop of the night, these wild grasses swayed back and forth like strands of hair sprouting from the ground

The next afternoon, both Panzi and I spent our time in a state of repression. By evening, we arrived at the train station on time and boarded the train that would take us to the remote mountainous area.

Pan Zi casually wiped his hand, but upon seeing the red mark in his palm, he was taken aback, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to find words, retreating a few steps in confusion.

A chorus of chirping and singing began to resonate, and it was clear that this was by no means a modern song. In my opinion, it was a tune from the Republic of China era, the kind that could only be heard on an old-fashioned phonograph.

Panzi still looked at me with some disbelief, so I mustered my courage and leaned forward, extending the knife inside again

These white hairs are indeed moss. I looked around again and thought, since this is a stone tablet, and it is standing upright here, it must have some significance; perhaps it even has inscriptions on it.

The old man was not confused at all. He raised his whip and pointed into the distance, saying, "Follow this dirt road and walk another fifty miles, and you will reach Suiyuan Village. I can only take you this far; the rest you must walk on foot."

However, after walking a short distance, Panzi suddenly stopped, ceased singing, and squinted his eyes, staring intently ahead

Panzi's thoughts were similar to mine, and he even cursed, saying "damn it"

Panzi simply wouldn't leave, and even asked me what that white thing was

At that moment, both Panzi and I were taken aback. Panzi, forcing a smile, asked, "I said, is this Suiyuan Village?"

Neither Panzi nor I would agree to this. Panzi, feeling agitated, wanted to continue the argument, but the old man's subsequent remarks made both of us particularly sensitive.

We took a long-distance bus, then rode a tractor, and finally ended up on a donkey cart

I thought that since he did not take us to our destination, Panzi and I should demand the fare back, or even take it by force. However, the old man was quite advanced in age and could not withstand any trouble. If we really took action, we might end up causing him serious harm. In the end, I sighed, accepted my misfortune, and let him go.

I drew the knife from top to bottom, and when I reached the middle area of the fracture, I found that the knife was blocked by something. I had a flashlight hanging at my waist, so I took it out and shone it inside.

Pan Zi first used his hand to probe the crack, stating that he felt the fault was not very secure and could be kicked open with his foot. He then asked me to move aside and proceeded to raise his foot and kick the stone tablet.

This donkey cart simply cannot move quickly, its speed is comparable to that of an average person walking. Especially the old man driving the cart, who hardly speaks along the way, just occasionally cracks his whip to urge the donkey on, which makes both Panzi and me feel quite bored.

At that moment, the old man was quite unusual; as he left, he suddenly chuckled softly. I cannot quite describe the feeling his laughter evoked, but it was certainly strange and peculiar.