Chapter Nine, A Night of Terror in the Graveyard of Bravado

But where can we find the red villain? Let him see the green villain? If not, he will definitely make up stories about us both, " said Brother Lu.

After saying this, I noticed that the young man's face turned pale, and he kept insisting he wouldn't go. Seeing that I had frightened him, I told him that if he lacked the courage, he shouldn't speak carelessly. Perhaps feeling embarrassed, he reluctantly agreed to my proposal. We arranged to meet at midnight with Brother Lu at the cemetery, and I warned him to be more cautious in our next encounter. My friends, seeing the situation escalate between us, were genuinely worried about our trip to the cemetery that night and rushed to dissuade us. However, I was determined to confront him once and for all, and he, for the sake of his pride, had no choice but to go along. Thus, the plan was set. We each returned home and agreed to meet at the west end of the village at the hour of the rat.

Climbing trees to dig bird nests, wading in the creek to catch fish and shrimp, the two of us had clearly become the leaders of the village children. This caused quite a commotion in the small village. When children gathered together, they loved to chat and boast, and somehow the conversation turned to the white monster that had terrorized the village three years ago. Although we were young at that time, the image of Wang Er's bloody arm from his injury remained etched in my mind. We used to pretend to be brave; even though everyone turned pale at the mention of the white monster, they all claimed not to be afraid and vowed to confront it. To calm the group of children, I said, "What’s so scary about the white monster? Just over there in the graveyard on the back mountain, there are red monsters and green monsters, and they are much more formidable." After saying this, I noticed the fearful expressions on the children's faces, and I felt quite pleased with myself. In truth, there were no red or green monsters; it was all a deception.

Understood, the dog said to me, and no one noticed the strange glint that flashed in his eyes

I discovered something shiny in the grass, glistening green with a hint of greed wwwhetushucomcom. A seed was lifted from the grass, and only then did we see what it was: a group of about six or seven dog-like animals blocking our way back. They appeared slightly larger than foxes, resembling dogs but with short, round ears, making sounds akin to a baby's cry as they slowly approached us.

Lu Ge casually returned home, "Hu Zi, are we really going to the cemetery with Gou Zi tonight?" Lu Ge asked me.

I suddenly realized that these were jackals! My father had said that such creatures are even more ferocious than wolves, hunting in packs, small yet agile, with high combat capability. My face turned pale as I glanced at the faces of the other two, which were no better than mine. We attempted to head towards the village, but after just two steps, they bared their teeth at us menacingly, poised to pounce. The three of us had no choice but to retreat deeper into the dense forest. We tried to head towards the village again, but after just two steps, they bared their teeth at us menacingly, poised to pounce. The three of us had no choice but to retreat deeper into the dense forest

Indeed, this time the two of us have managed to subdue him

"You are still smarter than Huzi. Alright, I will wait for you at your doorstep tonight." After saying this, he ran back home

These jackals do not seem in a hurry to eat us; they are slowly trailing behind, only baring their teeth and growling at us when we attempt to turn back. The three of us can only grit our teeth and continue downwards. Dogzi has cried several times, and Lu Ge also has an expression that suggests this might be the end for us. "It seems these beasts are not interested in eating us; rather, they want to drive us somewhere. We should take this opportunity to slip away," I said to the two of them.

The sound gradually transitioned from a faint echo to a clearer tone, prompting the dog to dash home, while I began to feel my legs weaken. Only Lu, who seemed oblivious to the situation, remained unfazed. I realized the sound was coming from the direction of the road leading back to the village, which meant we could only run up the mountain and not return. Fear enveloped me like water, making it difficult to breathe. I realized the sound was coming from the direction of the road leading back to the village, which meant we could only run up the mountain and not return. Fear enveloped me like water, making it difficult to breathe

I said nothing about this matter during dinner; if I had, my grandfather would certainly not have allowed me to go out. After finishing my meal, I put down my bowl and said I was tired and wanted to sleep, then ran into the room. My mother remarked from behind, "This child is something else, wanting to sleep so early." "That is still better than causing trouble for me by going out!" my father replied. My mother shot him a glare and went to the kitchen to clean up the dishes.

I was startled and broke out in a cold sweat. This, this is something I haven't learned yet. Where did that sound come from? Over there, Lu Ge thought the sound was me trying to scare the dog, and he pretended to be afraid. Looking again, the dog could no longer sit still; it stood up and began to wander around, appearing panicked and confused. The situation was bizarre to the extreme; I knew the sound did not come from me, and I was filled with fear. However, Lu Ge thought it was my attempt to scare the dog and pretended to be frightened, while the dog was genuinely terrified.

I found myself lacking both the mood and the time to retort against him, while the remaining few jackals had already lunged at the two of us. Their claws and teeth drew ever closer, and it seemed we could almost smell the foul stench from their mouths. It was evident that we were on the brink of being devoured! The situation had reached a critical point!

"Run away? How do I run away? If it weren't for you betting with me, I wouldn't be facing the jaws of the jackal!" The dog growled fiercely at me

You fool, I will just say I need to relieve myself, then hide in the bushes and imitate a baby crying. By then, won't that cowardly dog be scared to death! I said, gesturing animatedly.

In my childhood, I was the kind of child brimming with countless ideas and books, and Lu Ge was my loyal partner and executor. We were the mischievous duo; I was the strategist, and he was the daring pioneer. Often, when I came up with a bad idea, we would carry it out together, and in the end, he would take the blame. For my sake, he endured many beatings from Grandpa Lu. No matter how painful it was after being hit, he would always grin at me with a silly smile, appearing completely unconcerned.

Alright, first pick up some sticks or something. When I shout one, two, three, we scatter and run. I will go left, Lu Ge will go right, and Gouzi will be in the middle. If one of us can escape, that’s good enough. Remember, we must all run towards three different directions at the same time; this way, the wolf won't be able to react quickly to chase anyone, which gives us a chance to survive. Do you remember?

Understood, Lu Ge looked at me and nodded thoughtfully

All along the way, the only sound was the chirping of insects, and the surroundings were pitch black, enveloped in profound silence. The three of us remained silent, focused solely on walking. As we approached the cemetery, we distinctly felt the temperature drop; the wind blew in a chilling manner, and even the sound of insects ceased, sending shivers down our spines. I regretted my foolish decision to come to the cemetery, but since I was the one who suggested it first, I could only brace myself and continue.

"Hmph, who doesn't know that you two wear the same pants all day? I don't believe what he said; you need to prove it. " Dogzi said, shaking his head. "Are you looking to get beaten up? Lu Ge, teach him a lesson," I shouted to Lu Ge. Lu Ge rolled up his sleeves and walked towards him, which scared him into retreating, saying things like how he would hit someone if they exposed his lies. Upon hearing this, I quickly stopped Lu Ge; I needed to make sure the kid was convinced. I glanced at him and said, "If you don't believe me, come with me to the graveyard tonight and sleep there, and see if there really is a green ghost!"

I lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Although I went to the graveyard to scare the dog, I couldn't help but feel anxious myself. As I closed my eyes, the image of the moving finger from the coffin three years ago and Uncle Wang Er with his severed arm surfaced in my mind. "It's fine, it's fine, the zombie has already been burned," I kept reassuring myself in my heart.

Upon reaching the village entrance, we discovered a small figure there, facing away from us, continuously stomping its feet in anticipation. We quietly approached from behind and shouted loudly, causing the little one to leap five meters away in fright, which made both me and Lu Ge double over with laughter. Hearing our laughter, the figure finally dared to turn around, frowning at us and saying, "Don't laugh, there will come a time when you two will be scared!" With that, it led the way towards the cemetery on the back mountain

We sat down on a large piece of wood at the graveyard, and no one spoke about the ominous matters. Everyone wanted to leave this haunted place as soon as possible. I hurriedly said that I had a stomachache from eating something bad at night and needed to go over to the bushes to relieve myself. Trembling, I walked towards the bushes. Just as I was about to mimic a baby's cry to scare away the dogs, I heard a strange sound near my ear. Upon listening closely, I realized that the sound was coming from the bushes over there, resembling the low growl of a small beast, yet also akin to a baby's wail, echoing far into the silent night, piercing into the heart.

Lu Ge has been waiting outside my door for a while. When he saw me come out, he approached me. The two of us walked together towards the village entrance, chatting non-stop about the plan to scare the dog. Just thinking about how the dog would soon make a fool of itself made us burst into laughter, causing the dogs in the village to bark incessantly.

Just after I finished speaking, an older child pointed at me and said, "Little Huzi is lying; there is no Green Fiend, I think it's all made up." I looked up and felt angry; the one speaking was Wang Jincai, nicknamed Dogzi, who had bullied me a lot when we were young and often opposed me even now. I thought I had to assert my authority over him and give him a warning. I pointed at Lu Ge and said, "If you don't believe me, ask Lu Ge; he has heard about it too." Lu Ge quickly nodded.

"Alright, when I count to one, two, three, everyone run in your own direction. If anyone gets out, remember to bring someone back to rescue us. One." As soon as I counted to one, a small figure quickly ran towards the tree in front of him and climbed up. "Not good, Dogzi is betraying me." The thought just flashed through my mind when several jackals, seeing someone escape, rushed towards us. I stared blankly as the jackals charged at me with their sharp teeth and claws. A robust figure, taller than me by a head, stood in front of me with a stick; it was Brother Lu, determined to protect me with his life. "Not good, Dogzi is betraying me." The thought just flashed through my mind when several jackals, seeing someone escape, rushed towards us. I stared blankly as the jackals charged at me with their sharp teeth and claws. A robust figure, taller than me by a head, stood in front of me with a stick; it was Brother Lu, determined to protect me with his life. Bang! A stick struck the fastest charging jackal away. "It's not my fault! If it weren't for you two, I wouldn't have come to this graveyard, and I definitely wouldn't have encountered these man-eating beasts. I just want to survive!" Dogzi shouted at us from the tree.

After much effort, I finally reached midnight. I quietly put on my clothes and slipped out of the house, being extra careful when opening the door to avoid making any noise that might wake my family. Just as I arrived in the courtyard, a black shadow rushed over, which was the large black dog my father raised. Its fur was now shiny, standing as tall as my thigh, looking quite imposing. I softly barked at it a couple of times, signaling it to be quiet, and gently closed the courtyard gate.

"Stop arguing; finding a way to leave is the priority. Huzi is so clever that he will definitely think of a solution," Lu Ge defended me.