Chapter 4, The Empty House on a Rainy Night

Just as I entered the room to change my clothes, I felt as if someone was watching me. At first, I didn't pay much attention, but later this feeling grew stronger. I turned my head to look outside the window, and unexpectedly, I saw a shadow dart past from outside.

I don't know, the villager said it was running fine originally, but suddenly something unknown sprang out from inside, hitting the front of the tractor as hard as a rock, damaging a large section of the engine. Hey, what a stroke of bad luck!

You see, the candlestick has just been extinguished, and there is still uncoagulated wax on it. We all witnessed the recent flicker of the flame, yet there is no one here. Could it be that we are seeing things? Or have we encountered something invisible?

What happened

Xiao Liu spoke rather ambiguously, and I did not react immediately. However, Li Qian, who was beside me, widened her eyes and said with trembling lips: "Are you saying that we encountered a ghost?"

The stout man furrowed his brows and shouted, "Fellow townsman, we are just passing by. It is pouring rain, and we would like to come in and take shelter from the rain."

What happened

After hearing a response from inside, Xiao Liu lifted the door curtain, and I quickly stepped into the room. The adjacent room is slightly smaller than ours, yet it appears more spacious.

Seeing the expressions of danger on both our faces, Li Qian lowered her head and changed her words

Um ... ...

After just a few exchanges, the conversation shifted to mysterious and supernatural matters. The chubby one has always been particularly talkative since childhood, and he immediately began to chatter away.

The mountain path was relatively even, and we were not walking too slowly. However, the weather was not on our side; before long, the humidity in the air began to rise noticeably. An old soldier in the team, Wang Jianjun, glanced at the sky and said solemnly, "It might rain."

After the rain, if a landslide occurs in the surrounding woods and hills, it could very likely take the lives of a few of us without any warning. Therefore, I suggested that we find a place to take shelter from the rain to avoid any accidents

What happened

Li Qian pointed at the window on the wall beside her, and I hurried to the window. This window was made of paper, but due to years of neglect, many places had already torn. Standing at the window, I could faintly feel the cold wind blowing in. I glanced outside the window, but saw nothing, only the pitch-black, deserted fields.

It is likely that you are too tired; changing into comfortable clothes, having something to eat, and taking a rest will suffice

Unable to shake off my worries, I put on my clothes and walked outside the house, circling around to the room where Li Qian was changing. I looked through the window, but unexpectedly, when I lowered my head to take a closer look, I noticed some unusual things. On the muddy ground beneath the windowsill, there were several footprints. As I leaned in to examine them, I saw that each footprint was about the size of half my palm, appearing quite chaotic, making it difficult to discern which animal had left them; in any case, they were not human.

Just now... I saw a shadow flash by outside the window.

Li Qian and I stepped forward to inquire

The house is not large, consisting of two rooms, one big and one small, separated by a curtain in the middle. We wandered around in the two rooms for quite a while, but we did not find a single person. The only thing on the table was a candle, which was clearly just extinguished.

However, after calling several times, there was no response from inside. The rain was getting heavier, and I could only step forward and push the wooden door hard. To my surprise, this seemingly tightly shut wooden door was actually ajar. With my push, the entire door immediately swung open. The interior of the house was dark, as if no one was there.

Can I come in? Li Qian

A young woman named Li Qian, who was traveling with us, asked curiously at that moment

I shook my head helplessly; the divination results earlier in the day were quite unsatisfactory, and as evening approached, I encountered a broken tractor. I felt a sense of unease, fearing that something might go wrong

Everyone quickened their pace and arrived in front of the house. The stout man stepped forward to knock on the door. However, just as he reached the entrance and his fingers barely touched the wooden door, the firelight inside suddenly extinguished, without a sound. Upon witnessing this scene, everyone was taken aback.

I noticed the atmosphere was somewhat tense, and I wanted to lighten the mood with a joke to smooth things over. However, I did not expect that Xiao Liu beside me seemed to have thought of something. She quickly turned and walked into the next room, searching with her eyes before revealing a puzzled expression and murmuring softly, "Why is it so strange?"

Li Qian's face suddenly turned very pale, and her pupils seemed to dilate; even I could tell that this girl was terrified

There is no one

The stout man led the way into the house

The overweight man spoke boastfully, while I casually remarked beside him, "Then tell me, what could be stranger than my stumbling upon this matter?"

What is going on

What he referred to as "crow's mouth" turned out to be quite accurate; before long, fine strands of rain began to fall from the sky, and after waiting a little longer, the rain intensified, causing everyone to panic.

It's nothing, don't scare yourself. Perhaps the candlestick was simply extinguished by the wind. The owner of this house will return shortly. How could it be so unfortunate to encounter two ghosts at once? Haha ... ...

As I turned my head, I vaguely saw a shadow darting out from beneath the tractor at a rapid speed, disappearing into the nearby haystack. After a while, the local farmer driving the tractor came over, exchanged a few words with the chubby man, and then the chubby man turned to us and shouted: "The farmer said the tractor is broken and cannot run."

Indeed, there is no one here, which is quite strange. You all put down your luggage first; if there are dry spare clothes, change into them. Cui Zhen, you and I should think of a way to find something to start a fire!

Li Qian herself also spoke somewhat ambiguously, and Xiao Liu and I exchanged glances, unable to provide a definitive answer

The fat man shook his head, but I jumped down from the tractor and walked to the front of the machine to take a look. I could clearly see a hole about the size of my fist, with sparks still flickering above it. Remembering the shadow I had just seen, I felt a slight worry in my heart, hoping I wouldn't really encounter the "earth beast" that the fat man had mentioned.

The people on the tractor began to complain, grabbing their luggage and tumbling down from the tractor

What bad luck!

I said with confusion

The fat man glanced at me, then suddenly stood up from the tractor, turned around, and shouted: "Do you think that in the mountains of Yunnan there are only people and animals? The last time I took a group to the border, I saw rats as big as dogs, scurrying around everywhere! The mountains are not peaceful; Yunnan has many monsters that even scientists have not discovered, which the locals call 'earth beasts.' Hehe, many of them are what we Han people refer to as ghosts and monsters, and they can eat people!" The mountains are not peaceful; Yunnan has many monsters that even scientists have not discovered, which the locals call 'earth beasts.' Hehe, many of them are what we Han people refer to as ghosts and monsters, and they can eat people!

I shouted out loud, and at the same time, Xiao Liu and I stood up and walked behind the curtain. However, I did not step inside

Everyone nodded in agreement, and the stout man looked out along the mountain path. He seemed to have discovered something in the distance and pointed, exclaiming: "It looks like there is a house over there; let's go take a look!"

The tractor was bumpily making its way along the mountain road at a very slow speed. The fat man asked the driver if they would only reach the town by sunset. With nothing to do, everyone started chatting to pass the time

Perhaps ... ... I misread it ... ...

I saw Li Qian with her head down and hurriedly asked

Forget about it, let's go inside and take shelter from this heavy rain

As the chubby man spoke, he gestured with his hands, and everyone burst into laughter, feeling that he was joking, especially with his comical face, which led no one to take him seriously

Xiao Liu followed up with a question

The sound of rain is loud, and the sky is completely shrouded in dark clouds. Although it is still evening, the surroundings are already engulfed in darkness. In the distance, a solitary light flickers, while two bungalows stand at the edge of the field.

Everyone discussed and decided that another tractor would go first. We would make our way to the town along the mountain road, and they would find someone to come back and carry us after they arrived.

Suddenly, the tractor shook violently, the overall force was immense, and everyone nearly toppled over. The fat man almost fell off the tractor, clutching the lever beside it, and exclaimed, "Damn it, what is going on!"

There is no one here, so where did the light just come from

I have told you that I have visited Yunnan several times over the years and have seen many strange and unusual things. Encountering a female ghost during a walking marriage is nothing! The truly bizarre events are ones you have not witnessed!

I chuckled a few times, while Li Qian sat silently against the wall on the floor, wrapped in a blanket

Wang Jianjun shouted, and Li Qian, being a female comrade, went next door. I, along with a male comrade who is an intellectual named Xiao Liu, was in the process of undressing. Suddenly, we heard a sharp scream from next door, "Ah!" It was Li Qian's voice, filled with fear, and Xiao Liu and I immediately changed our expressions in shock

I asked curiously

What has been lingering outside Li Qian's window? Moreover, it deliberately avoided us! I felt a sense of unease in my heart, and when I turned to glance at the dark fields, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching us from the shadows