Chapter 8, Hengli Village

The old man was startled; this place was filled with elderly residents, and it was difficult to see a young person for half a month. Big sister? Where did a big sister come from? The old man snatched the cookies from Huzi, his voice becoming somewhat stern: "Which big sister? Why did Niu Niu go with her?"

The woman at the door, upon seeing the direction pointed by Huzi, immediately slapped her thigh, and tears streamed down her face. I was taken aback and stood up straight, thinking that while losing a child is indeed urgent, it is still a matter that has not yet been finalized. Why act as if someone has died?

Uncle said here, pausing for a moment, "In places where human habitation is sparse, there are bound to be many mountain spirits and ghostly beings. The oral route left by your grandfather is already vague, and with the rise and fall of vegetation over the past forty years, the paths within are likely to have changed significantly. If we go in to find our way, it will probably take considerable effort, and at that time, all of you must follow my instructions."

In the village, most of the residents are elderly individuals left behind, as the young people have all gone out to work. When we visited, we stayed at the home of a local family with the surname Wang, which consisted of three members: a grandfather and his two grandchildren, one granddaughter and one grandson

The old man put down his words and immediately asked his grandson, who was nibbling on a biscuit, "Where is Niu Niu?"

Generally, I do not take the initiative to converse with ghosts; if it were not for his insistence that my uncle repay a favor, we would not have gone through so much trouble.

The matter has been settled. As it is already afternoon, we have decided to rest for the night in the local county town and set off the next day, entering the mountains from Sanglin Township

The people in the mountains are quite poor. It was not easy to find a flashlight, and it was out of battery. Fortunately, we had brought oil lamps for our camping needs, so the seven of us divided into four groups, each carrying an oil lamp.

It was a very small village, located in the lower half of Mang Mountain, the nearest inhabited area to that stretch of Mang Forest. By the time we arrived, it was already past six in the afternoon, and once night fell in the mountains, everything became pitch black, rendering visibility impossible

A buzzing sound echoed in my mind, the woman in white, the python gorge, could it be...

I know they are very wary of the Python Forest, and I couldn't quite determine what Old Wang meant at that moment. I thought to myself, could it be that he is afraid to go? Is he thinking of giving up? Just as I finished this thought, Old Wang said: "Young man, come to me. If you really encounter any danger, you should run first"

Huzi said: "When the sun set, there was a sister in white clothes, Niuniu followed her, I called for Niuniu, but she did not come back"

At that moment, the one with the surname Chen suddenly took the initiative to speak, leisurely asking: "Why"

When I arrived at the place where Niuniu played during the day, I discovered that it was a mound of earth, covered with a type of wild plant known as 'water vegetable.' Old Wang introduced that this plant grows in February and can be used in cold dishes, having the effect of cooling the body. During this season, the village children dig for water vegetables while herding cattle.

Uncle probably feels quite bitter, having relaxed his standards and tacitly allowing us to follow along. However, he demands that if we encounter any danger, as indicated by https://www.hetushucom.com, we must obediently flee.

The elderly man was particularly pleased and asked us where we were going. I replied that we were heading to the Python Forest. The elderly man was immediately taken aback and said, "Going to the Python Valley? That is not permissible; that place is off-limits."

I nodded immediately with the little yellow dog, while the ghost Chen spoke slowly and expressionlessly, simply saying hello. The big man, however, was not focused on listening; he appeared fierce and intimidating, frequently paying attention to the movements outside. He seemed more like a bodyguard. Could it be that the Chen family hired a bodyguard? That would be quite wealthy

Indeed, we soon discovered traces of wild vegetable digging in the area of the earth mounds, where a sickle covered in soil was also placed. Upon seeing it, the woman immediately grasped the sickle in her hand and hoarsely said, "It belongs to our family"

The old man seemed to be startled by the ghostly presence of Chen. He blinked a few times and stared at Chen for a while, as if confirming that he was a human and not a ghost, before replying: "Don't mention you all; even the people in our village dare not go in there. There are too many frightening things inside, like bears and wild boars. It is said that there used to be wild men roaming about as well. And, oh... if you enter the ravine, it is said that there lives a female ghost who cries all night long. Once a living person steps into the ravine, their soul gets hooked, and they can never come out again"

At this moment, it is 8 PM, and the mountains are completely dark. Looking out from the village, the surroundings are pitch black, with occasional unknown animal sounds echoing in the darkness. Our group of five, along with Wang Laotou and that woman, is all heading towards Mangou in search of people

The people in the mountains are very hospitable. The elderly prepared some hanging cured meat to treat us. Looking at the bare walls of their home, I felt quite embarrassed to eat their cured meat without offering anything in return, so I took out a few packs of biscuits from my backpack and handed them to his little granddaughter

This is the edge of the Python Forest, where villagers often gather firewood, thus leaving some signs of human activity. I, along with Old Wang, carried a lantern, stumbling through the darkness, calling out for Niu Niu's name. After about ten minutes, Old Wang stopped, his face looking even worse. He gazed into the pitch-black forest ahead and sighed in his aged voice: "If we go any further, we have never been there before."

But then the woman cried out, "It's over, that is the direction of the Python Gorge"

The initial stretch of the road leading into Mangou is a dense forest. Not knowing exactly where Niuniu had gone, our group of four decided to split up and each chose a direction. I teamed up with Old Wang and we entered the forest to the east

I was taken aback, and immediately felt a burning sensation on my face. I thought to myself that it was truly unworthy of a gentleman to put an elderly person in danger. I raised the lantern high to discern the path ahead and discovered that the ancient trees nearby had grown increasingly tall, their roots twisted and gnarled, revealing many hollows. At this moment, it was night, and the entwined roots were covered in moss, making them extremely slippery. I found it difficult to step on them, let alone this elderly person.

I said, "Don't worry, I will definitely listen to you." The uncle glared at me and said, "I wasn't talking about you; your courage is like that of a mouse, running away faster than anyone else at the first sign of danger. I was talking about Xiao Tian."

I sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat tense and thought that continuing like this would not solve the problem. Since the little yellow dog had already taken the lead, I should be safe moving forward. Therefore, I said to my uncle: "Uncle, I have regarded you as a father since I was young. If I don't go with you this time and something happens to you, my conscience will be troubled for a lifetime."

We discussed until the early hours of the morning, and my uncle sketched a rough trend chart. The route was somewhat unstable. The following day, we took a car to Sanglin Township, replenished our supplies locally, and then boarded a boat to travel down the Mang River, arriving at a place called Hengli Village

I had not yet thought of a one, two, three, when I saw the ghost Chen Meng suddenly stand up from the stool, expressionless, and lightly utter two words: "Find someone"

The locals refer to that place as Mangou. It is said that there is a basin inside, flanked by cliffs on both sides, resembling a deep gorge.

The destination we are heading to is, in fact, located deep within the Mangshan Mountain Range. The entire range is divided into three sections due to the terrain. The upper section extends into Henan Province, the middle section is where the main peak of Mangshan is situated, making it a renowned tourist destination, while the lower section, due to geological changes, gradually diminishes in height, merging with the surrounding high mountain basins to form a complex terrain known as Manglin, which has remained untouched since ancient times. Even to this day, it remains an undeveloped area. According to legend, there are even wild men roaming within, and in the last century, there were scientific expedition teams that entered, but once inside, they never emerged again. The lower section, due to geological changes, gradually diminishes in height, merging with the surrounding high mountain basins to form a complex terrain known as Manglin, which has remained untouched since ancient times. Even to this day, it remains an undeveloped area. According to legend, there are even wild men roaming within, and in the last century, there were scientific expedition teams that entered, but once inside, they never emerged again.

I subconsciously observed the attire of those with the surname Chen and found it to be quite ordinary. The style of their clothing resembled that of some young travel enthusiasts, albeit in darker shades, much like the person themselves, dressed entirely in gray and black, evoking the imagery of black-and-white old photographs

Uncle glanced at Chen, his expression darkening, and shouted at the little yellow dog: "You little brat, what are you meddling in? Take him back." The little yellow dog felt stifled, pursed his lips, and glared fiercely at the ghost Chen.

Uncle let out a sigh, remaining silent, showing no intention of retreating. However, I could tell that he had softened a bit, so I seized the opportunity and said: "Uncle, we just want to see you off. If any unforeseen circumstances arise along the way, we will heed whatever you say."

The little yellow dog, whose real name is Zhao Tian, nodded in response, indicating his absolute compliance.

The child, with a round face and a fierce look, had crumbs of biscuits all over his mouth. He pointed to the left and said, "Niu Niu has gone with a big sister."

I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. As for wild boars, I can believe that, but a female ghost... I really want to see her. Does she have two heads or three arms? Just as I was about to tell the old man not to promote feudal superstitions, I heard a woman's voice outside, anxiously saying: "Wang Jiaye, have you seen Niuniu? Didn't Niuniu go to play with your Tiger? Why hasn't she come back yet?"

That evening, the five of us gathered in the inn, where our uncle introduced us to the general route.