Chapter 8, The Tragic Scene in the Forest

Hmph ... ...

After turning around several times, Wang Fuxing could not find Zhang Wei. He shouted the Taiping Army's slogan that he had called out during the march and battle. In this desolate wilderness filled with corpses, he could only rely on himself to muster courage. ... The elders used to say that if one encounters corpses in the wilderness, one should be cautious of the drought demon. Suddenly, a black hand rested heavily on Wang Fuxing's shoulder ...

Hmph... Hmph hmph...

If one were to speak of her appearance, this woman, if she were alive, would undoubtedly be a great beauty, her skin as smooth as mutton fat. Now, however, it has turned a ghastly pale. Just at that moment, a gust of night wind blew by, and the torch in Zhang Wei's hand inexplicably extinguished, plunging the scene into utter darkness, with only the woman hanging from the tree faintly glowing in a pale white under the moonlight.

"Hey, carpenter, come over here! This woman gave birth to a child just before dying, can you show some competence? Help me hold the light, the child hasn't even touched the ground yet!" Zhang Wei waved one hand through the armpit of the person who was hanged, beckoning to himself, ... with one hand trying to untie the rope knot on the woman's head...

Wang Fuxing recognized the voice of Zhang Wei, which brought him a slight sense of reassurance. However, when he turned his head, he was met with the bloodless, pale face of the hanged woman. Her tongue was less than three inches from Wang Fuxing's forehead, and the woman's stiff tongue nearly flicked against his brow.

Wang Fuxing hesitantly said: "So these people will just leave their bodies to rot in the wilderness? We... we..."

Zhang Wei sighed, saying: "We can't do anything! The corpses here are so numerous that even the Qing soldiers cannot clean them up. By the time dawn breaks, the troops of King Zhao will naturally come to bury them. Carpenter, stop standing there foolishly and quickly see if they have any food on them. After we leave here, who knows where we will find something to eat? They are all dead and have no need for food anymore..."

I heard behind me Zhang Wei's bewildered question: "Carpenter, what are you making a fuss about here in the dead of night? If I had sent you to find a torch, I would have seen you shouting here in vain. Hurry up and come help!"

Zhang Wei gritted his teeth and took two more steps forward while holding the torch. Beneath a section of severed pine branches lay dozens of women’s corpses, carelessly covered by grass, their bodies devoid of any clothing. Hanging from the branches was another woman, her hair disheveled, staring wide-eyed at him. The woman was completely naked, with two streams of blood tears flowing from her eye sockets down her cheeks, and her crimson tongue dragging on her chin

Zhang Wei spoke while reaching out to rummage through the belongings of the deceased. Although Wang Fuxing felt that this action was inappropriate, upon further reflection, he realized that there was some truth to it; the dead are gone, but the living still need to eat. Wang Fuxing decided not to argue with Zhang Wei any longer and began to untie the belongings from the bloodied and mangled corpse, hoping to find something to sustain himself.

Ah... Wang Fuxing let out a cry as the torch fell to the ground, and the head of the hanged woman slowly lunged towards him. No matter how bold Wang Fuxing was, he was stunned with fear; the hanged woman was seeking a scapegoat to exact her vengeance.

Zhang Wei's torch faintly illuminated the front, revealing what seemed to be a white figure swaying. As he approached for a closer look, he exclaimed, oh my goodness, it was a woman hanging by her neck

Wang Fuxing supported the staggering and unsteady Zhang Wei as they ventured deeper into the forest, where a scene of unimaginable horror unfolded before their eyes. Hundreds, if not thousands, of fleeing civilians had been brutally slaughtered here, with blood staining the pine forest and the surrounding area. Many men's heads had been severed, leaving only a single braid discarded on the ground. Numerous bodies were piled together and thrown into the bonfire, intermittently accompanied by the crackling sound of wood bursting... Many men's heads had been severed, leaving only a single braid discarded on the ground... Numerous bodies were piled together and thrown into the bonfire, intermittently accompanied by the crackling sound of wood bursting...

Wang Fuxing rubbed his eyes before he understood that Zhang Wei was hanging a woman and was trying to free her from the noose by holding her waist... The woman's upper body was lifted by Zhang Wei, causing her head to naturally lean forward; at first glance, it really looked like the woman was moving

When a person is in extreme fear and has forgotten panic, there arises instead a strong sense of anger. Upon discovering that the pine tree from which the woman was hanged is less than twenty steps from the fire, Wang Fuxing can no longer pay attention to the raging flames. He hurriedly picks up several burning pine branches, thick as a child's arm, and quickly turns to save Zhang Wei

Zhang Wei was also stunned, nodding and saying: "My goodness! Could it be that we really encountered a ghost? I've already died once, and there's no way a female ghost could harm us!"

"Stop talking nonsense, I have seen dead people before! But I have never heard such strange sounds. Even if a female ghost is here to find you! You don't even spare the dead; if the King of Hell doesn't punish you, that would truly be against all reason!" Wang Fuxing glared with bulging eyes and scolded.

Oh... oh... where is my torch? I got it, I have the torch. You hold on, I am going to burn it! Wang Fuxing finally came to his senses, picked up the torch from the ground, and on tiptoe, burned through the rope knot on the woman's head. Strangely enough, the knot snapped immediately upon contact with fire, and the smooth, lifeless body of the woman fell straight onto Wang Fuxing's shoulder

Aow! Wang Fuxing seemed to be stepped on the tail of a cat, his entire body bristling as he let out a loud shout.

As the flames flickered, Wang Fuxing saw Zhang Wei standing there like a wooden post. Above Zhang Wei's head, a woman hung, her face illuminated by the fire, revealing a strange smile. ... The two streaks of crimson blood at the corner of his eyes became particularly glaring, and the tongue protruding from his chin resembled a bright red spirit snake writhing in midair

Once again, a series of intermittent ghostly wails came from behind Wang Fuxing, causing him to freeze in place, too afraid to move. He had heard from the elders that if one encountered such ghostly sounds, one must never look back; if you do, the ghost will devour your soul. Wang Fuxing stammered, "Quick... quick... quick... check if there is... something behind me? I can't look back; I don't want to become a wronged ghost's substitute..." Wang Fuxing said, stuttering.

Wang Fuxing shouted, "Hanged ghost, if you have the guts, come at me! Let’s see if I won’t turn you into ashes!"

Zhang Wei stared blankly at Wang Fuxing and exclaimed, "Carpenter, you are also a soldier who receives a salary, how could you believe such nonsense? When a person dies, it is like a lamp going out; what ghost could possibly cling to you? You are just overthinking it. Rest assured, we have crawled out from piles of corpses after years of fighting; if there were ghosts, we would have been harmed by them long ago..."

Wang Fuxing stammered, "How... how could there be so many dead? Who did this?"

Wang Fuxing scolded: "If you have the ability, come to me and listen. I clearly heard noises behind me! Zhang family brothers, don't just stand there talking without feeling any pain! I, Wang Fuxing, am not a coward, but I distinctly heard strange sounds behind my neck!"

Wang Fuxing ran while encouraging himself, saying: "Zhang family brothers, hold on for me! If that hanging female ghost dares to harm you, once I get the torch, I will definitely reduce that hanging ghost to ashes!"

It was only about ten steps from here to the cremation site, and Wang Fuxing turned and ran towards the flames. The sticky, slimy blood underfoot made him run forward with trepidation, but in his mind, he always felt the long tongue of a woman chasing after him

Under Wang Fuxing's furious shout, he suddenly felt something beneath his feet that violently tripped him. A glance revealed a bloodied and mangled arm coiling around his ankle. In a fit of rage, Wang Fuxing kicked fiercely at the bloody hand on the ground, which belonged to a woman whose head had been half severed and was gripping Wang Fuxing tightly.

Zhang Wei, holding the torch, deliberately teased, "I say, Wang the Carpenter, perhaps the King of Hell is afraid you won't be able to marry a wife in this lifetime and has sent a female ghost to serve you?"

Hmph... Hmph Hmph... Mmm Mmm Mmm...

Wang Fuxing tugged at Zhang Weidao: "How could there be a ghost hanging there? Did you hear it? The sound seems to be coming from... the body of the woman who hanged herself..."

Zhang Wei saw that Wang Fuxing's face had turned pale as death. Bending down, he endured the sharp pain in his chest and picked up a burning pine branch, slowly walking towards the direction where Wang Fuxing had come from. Aside from the hissing sound made by his feet stepping on the sticky bloodstains, there was no other sound. However, Wang the carpenter was not a man who would lie. Since he claimed to have heard strange noises, there must certainly be something unusual.

Wang Fuxing wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still in shock, and said: "Zhang family... Zhang family brothers, what do you mean by 'fallen'?"

Zhang Wei said: "If it weren't for the fact that I was ambushed and injured by the elite troops of the Young Heavenly King, I wouldn't be wasting time here! Hurry up and lend a hand, or the child's life will be lost! Carpenter, you're tall, burn the rope knot above with fire!"

Wang Fuxing was afraid that the female corpse would, as people said, rise from the dead due to the yang energy and become a zombie. It is said that zombies fear fire the most. Wang Fuxing waved the torch wildly around him, shouting loudly: "We share the fields, we share the clothes, we share the food! There is warmth everywhere, there is equality everywhere..." Suddenly, Wang Fuxing realized that Zhang Wei was missing, and on the ground lay only a number of corpses that had not yet stiffened.

"Carpenter, quickly bring a torch! The Qing soldiers are here committing atrocities | they have brutally killed them, and we cannot allow their bodies to be left to rot in the wilderness! Whether they are female ghosts or corpses, we will see them off on their journey." Zhang Wei weakly threw away the pine branch in his hand, staring at the pale, swaying corpses, his fists clenched in anger.

After walking several dozen steps, Zhang Wei and Wang Fuxing saw several dead monks lying haphazardly in the forest. These monks were clearly from a prominent family, having killed many Qing soldiers. Even the bravest cannot withstand overwhelming numbers; these monks were likely exhausted and shot by arrows from the Qing troops. ... An old monk was leaning against a tree trunk, holding a knife in one hand, with an arrow in his leg and a gash in his abdomen from which his intestines were spilling out ...

Zhang Weichang sighed, "In chaotic times, people are worse off than livestock! Judging by their clothing and appearance, these individuals must have fled from the north to escape disaster. It is likely that they were discovered by the vanguard of the Qing army and were captured for bounty! It is probably for this reason that King Zhao and his men hurriedly mobilized troops to intercept and kill. We must leave this forest immediately"

Only those who have experienced life and death together can speak so unrestrainedly, as the two of them walked one after the other towards the dark woods