Chapter 9, here.

The lantern swayed gently, its dim light unable to reach far, illuminating only a path of about three to four meters. The ground beneath was very slippery; if one was not careful, their foot could easily slip into a hole beneath a tree. Upon realizing that I could no longer hear any voices, I began to panic, my heart racing wildly.

To be precise, she is still merely breathing, her chest rising and falling slightly

To be precise, it should be a female corpse, dressed in white clothing. Judging by the attire, it appears to be from the Republic of China era, wearing a wide-sleeved white qipao, with her hands crossed over her lower abdomen. At this moment, Niu Niu is standing at the position of her lower abdomen, her face pale as death, exhibiting a bluish hue, as if she were dead.

I felt that something was amiss, and I called out Niuniu's name again. At that moment, the voice sounded again: "I am here..." It remained in front of me, the voice maintaining the same tone, as if I had never approached her at all

Originally, we were divided into four groups, but we were not very far apart, and we could hear each other. From time to time, we could hear that woman calling out the name Niuniu, but I was unsure if I was searching too far. Shortly after entering the old forest, I could no longer hear any human voices; all around me were only the calls of unknown birds.

I immediately sensed something was amiss, and suddenly recalled the folk saying about ghosts responding to people, causing goosebumps to rise all over my body. I had never believed in such things, but in the past few days, first the little yellow dog spoke to me about Taoist exorcism, then Old Wang mentioned something about a woman in white, and now encountering such a bizarre situation left me no choice but to indulge in wild speculation.

I felt a surge of energy and joy in my heart. Could it be that I have found Niu Niu? That would be wonderful; let's see who would still dare to call me cowardly

My second reaction is to run away

The woman's face appeared as if coated with a layer of white powder, her entire body exhibiting a rigid state that immediately indicated she was dead. However, strangely, she showed no signs of decay, instead resembling a living person.

Listening to the sound, it seems to be a little girl

At first, I was stirred by Old Wang's piercing words, feeling a surge of righteous indignation. However, once Old Wang left, after struggling in the woods for more than ten minutes, I began to feel uncertain. I suddenly realized that I could hear no sound at all.

Although I studied psychiatry, the fundamental knowledge of observing the dead and the living is something that all professional doctors learn. While ordinary people may not notice it, as a licensed psychiatrist, I quickly realized the fact that Niu Niu is still alive

My heart raced for a long time, and the more I feared, the less I dared to move forward. The scenes from the horror movies I had watched replayed in my mind, and in the end, I was so frightened by my own imagination that I didn't even dare to look back, deeply afraid that if I turned my head, I would see a ghostly face standing behind me

I couldn't help but want to slap myself, thinking, "Sun Miao, oh Sun Miao, you're a grown man, can't you be a bit braver?" I must not be intimidated by a corpse! Gritting my teeth, I lit my lighter, trying to bolster my courage with a fierce demeanor, telling myself that fierce ghosts fear wicked people, and I must not appear too cowardly. With that thought, I immediately reached out and pulled Niu Niu into my embrace.

The woman was wearing a pair of old-fashioned embroidered shoes with white soles from the Republic of China era. When she put them on, they were almost as high as high heels, nearly matching my height. When she fell, her mouth came into contact with my throat, and I felt a cold object touching my skin, as if it were still blowing air, sending chills down my neck.

I felt as if the scenes from the horror movie were vividly unfolding before me, my legs nearly trembling. Without a second thought, I instinctively took a step back, and the woman's face was suddenly engulfed in darkness due to the lighting.

I shuddered involuntarily, daring not to think further, making a concerted effort to ignore the woman's voice, and I ran forward, bursting out of the old forest in one breath

Then, in response to my previous request, isn't that the ... ...

The female corpse did not appear as in the movie; she neither suddenly opened her gaping mouth nor suddenly appeared behind me. I lit my lighter and stumbled back while carrying Niuniu. As I ran, a sudden chill swept across my neck, and then I heard a faint voice: "I am here..." I was taken aback and turned my head, only to find that Niuniu was still in a state of unconsciousness. A chill swept across my neck again, and I heard that faint voice: "I am here..." I was taken aback and turned my head, only to find that Niuniu was still in a state of unconsciousness.

I immediately gathered my energy and rushed towards the direction from which the sound was coming, fearing that I might miss something. The path beneath my feet was particularly difficult to navigate, and several times I nearly fell. However, I ran a full hundred meters without seeing a single person. In fact, I noticed that the places I had passed through did not appear to have been trodden at all.

Initially, Wang Laotou was unwilling, saying that we had already been immensely grateful for the enthusiastic help from the library in finding someone, and how could we let ourselves take risks? After much persuasion on my part, he finally said sternly: "If we delay any longer, it will be difficult to find Niu Niu." Upon hearing this, he finally relented.

Although there have been reports on television about the well-preserved female corpse from Mawangdui, that corpse was completely swollen, and its skin was wrinkled. It is nothing like this female corpse, which appears as if it is about to open its eyes at any moment

This is abnormal

This is a relatively deep hollow in the tree, but fortunately, many tree roots extend across the entrance, making it not difficult for me as an adult to climb up. Just then, I shifted my gaze and suddenly noticed a figure not far from me. At first glance, she was standing there, almost startling me, but soon I realized it was Niu Niu

I dared not look again, casually pulled off my belt, tied Niu Niu to myself, and began to climb out of the tree hole.

After a while, I even felt that I was being too timid. This reminded me of some legends from the countryside. As the saying goes: "One righteous person can suppress a hundred evils." As long as one harbors a sense of righteousness in their heart and is fearless, they need not fear even passing through a graveyard at midnight. In simple terms, as long as one has not committed any wrongdoing, they can boldly move forward.

Did Niu Niu not come to this place

Behind Niuniu, there stood a woman.

I actually felt a bit scared, but Mr. Wang is already seventy-eight this year. Taking him along would neither bolster my courage nor would it be safe, as it could easily lead to an accident. After some thought, I decided to let him go back first while I continued to search ahead

It is evident that ... ... is very abnormal

I was completely stunned by the scene at https://mhetushucomcom. Relying solely on a facade of bravado, at that moment, when she collapsed, I could no longer hold back. With a sudden scream, I kicked out with a surge of courage I didn't know I possessed, directly sending the female corpse flying, where it collided with the tree roots. Coincidentally, the gnarled roots caught the corpse, leaving it hanging like a hanged ghost.

Now I find myself in a dilemma. If I abandon her and run away, I fear I will be plagued by a guilty conscience for the rest of my life. Which is more important, conscience or life... After hesitating for a moment, I decided to run first and go back to get help. But just as I turned around, that phrase echoed in my mind: "I am here..."

I felt somewhat uncertain and couldn't help but call out again: "Niu Niu?"

With a single tug, the female corpse naturally fell down, landing squarely on top of me

I only felt a sudden emptiness beneath my feet, followed by a sharp pain in my backside. The lantern fell to the ground with a loud thud, and I was unsure if it had struck a stone, but the lantern was extinguished.

I immediately walked towards Niu Niu, but as I got closer, the sight before me made my legs go weak, and I nearly fell to my knees

It is not that I am timid; I estimate that anyone who ventures alone into the deep mountains and forests in the middle of the night would find it hard to remain calm.

In utter helplessness, I almost gritted my teeth and ran forward, my gaze constantly scanning the surroundings. Perhaps I was running too fast; in a moment of inattention, my foot slipped, and I suddenly fell into a tree hollow

But immediately afterwards, I noticed that Niu Niu was still moving

The imagination of humanity is boundless. I stood in place for a few seconds, almost overwhelmed by the impulse to run away, but I was also afraid that if it truly was Niu Niu calling for help, I would be abandoning a life.

Although I grew up in the countryside, my father soon moved to the county town, and my uncle's family was affluent, always brightly lit. When have I ever ventured alone through such a dark old forest?

I recalled that in this lifetime, apart from enjoying bullying the weak, I have not committed any other immoral acts. At most, I can only be considered to have a few minor flaws, which still allows me to squeeze into the ranks of good people. I straightened my back and walked forward without looking sideways. Perhaps due to a psychological effect, I truly felt less afraid.

I am here ... ... that faint sound rang out again, still ahead of me. It was clearly the voice of a little girl. I suspected that Niu Niu might have fallen into a tree hole, so I kept an eye on the gaps between the tree roots. After walking over a hundred meters, I still did not see anyone.

In the darkness, as I recovered from the pain, I sensed a strong, damp, and decayed odor in my nose, likely the scent of moldy leaves in the tree hollow. I have a slight fear of the dark, so I quickly took out my lighter. With the faint glow of the lighter, I was able to see the environment I was in.

Although I have never seen her, the silhouette is only the height of an eight or nine-year-old child. From the blurred outline, I can still see two pigtails. I let out a sigh, thinking to myself, little ancestor, I finally found you. If this continues, I will be scared out of my wits.

As I walked, I called out Niuniu's name, but no one responded to me. Just when I felt numb from shouting, I suddenly heard a faint voice coming from my left front: "I am here"