Chapter 3, Mysterious Transformation

The moon is thin and the stars are sparse, the air is dry and cold, yet my palms involuntarily break out in a cold sweat. Just as I am puzzled by this, a faint sound of footsteps suddenly arises behind me. I feel my ears instinctively perk up, and a chill runs down my back

Who

Meng Heizi hesitated for a moment, perhaps not wanting to show weakness in front of me, stammering, "It's... it's nothing! We can still run back."

Cough cough ~ ~ ~ Hahaha ... ... Meng Heizi pretended to cough a couple of times as if he had been hit, then pointed at me and couldn't help but laugh, "Chuqii, I thought you were fearless, but it turns out even a big living person like me can be scared, hahaha ... ... "

I suddenly realized that the incense on the ground had extinguished, and I wondered how it happened so quickly... Could it be that I dozed off just now...? I refuse to believe this is a curse; every time I try to do a good deed, something goes wrong. I refuse to believe this is a curse! Am I truly out of luck to the extreme?

Oh! The "quack" sound just now has disappeared without a trace. It seems that it also dislikes me, this unfortunate soul. This fleeting thought coincided with the speed of my turn. I suddenly looked towards the direction of the sound... There is no one on the mountain path below. Then what about the footsteps just now... I slowly stood up and carefully looked around again. My gaze gradually shifted towards the tombstone of Old Master Zhou. A strangely chilly mountain breeze swept by, sending a shiver down my spine, as if the characters on the tombstone were slowly dancing with the book. I instinctively rubbed my eyes and then gave a self-deprecating smile, realizing that I was just too tense. I looked around carefully once more, and my gaze gradually shifted towards Old Master Zhou's tombstone. A strangely chilly mountain breeze swept by, sending a shiver down my spine, as if the characters on the tombstone were slowly dancing with the book. I instinctively rubbed my eyes and then gave a self-deprecating smile, realizing that I was just too tense.

"The south? What south? Ah..." I murmured in confusion as I lowered my head. Suddenly, I looked up and saw that the middle-aged man had mysteriously vanished. I hurriedly ran forward and noticed a figure in the distance on the mountain path to the south, gradually moving away. I opened my mouth in surprise and thought, 'He runs really fast!'

Before I could even admire myself, Meng Heizi immediately waved his hand and said: "Go, go, go, we really can't handle this task. In fact, when I came here just now, I was running all the way. Now that I see you, I still feel a bit flustered. I came here because Uncle Zhou sent me. He went to the dilapidated temple to look for you and found out that you had already arrived. So he asked me to bring you some food."

Meng Heizi immediately felt embarrassed and scratched the back of his head. This kid is a complete shorty, simple-minded. Judging by his expression, Uncle Zhou must have given him some benefit; otherwise, his old man wouldn't have let him come to find me.

After consuming half a steamed bun, I felt it was still insufficient, so I proceeded to eat two more cornmeal buns. This meal was the happiest I had experienced, as I finally had some provisions left. After packing my belongings, I glanced at the sky; the moonlight was gradually reaching its zenith. I looked around once more and felt there was nothing else to attend to, so I lay down on the ground, resting my head on a stone. Sleepiness washed over me, and I soon fell into a deep slumber.

This was the first sentence I uttered after clearly seeing the face of the newcomer. The newcomer was Meng Heizi, an orphan like me, but he was more fortunate. From a young age, he was charming with a round face and was adopted by the Lao Meng family. He was also my only friend, but Uncle Meng did not allow Heizi to play with me. The reason is something everyone can probably guess. Just look at his face, as black as if he had crawled out of a coal pile, and beneath his smile, two rows of white teeth resembling a skeleton suspended in the dark night. I cursed fiercely and then punched Meng Heizi on the shoulder.

"Who are you?" I blurted out, as the person was facing away from me, so I thought it was more important to clarify who it was first

I had no opportunity to glance around, for what caught my eye was a desolate figure, a silhouette of a person. A sudden shock gripped my heart, and I instinctively touched the package beneath me. To say I was not afraid would be somewhat misleading, yet soon I found my fear dissipating, for I saw the shadow of that person on the ground. The elders say that ghosts do not cast shadows; only the living possess shadows.

Hearing this, I felt a surge of happiness in my heart and smiled, saying: "Aren't you afraid to go back? Would you like me to see you off?"

I do not know how long I have slept, but suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my chest. It was not a piercing pain, but rather a pain in my chest that radiated throughout my entire body. I jolted awake, and the moonlight in the sky had already tilted to the west. I did not know the time, only that such moonlight indicated it was the latter half of the night

I felt a bit embarrassed and casually remarked, "Just you? Hey! I don't mind much, but if someone else were to see you like this in the middle of the night, they might think they've encountered the Grim Reaper instead of a book!"

In such a scenario, it would be unreasonable to say that I was not startled, because as soon as I sat down, I scanned the surroundings and found no signs of movement. This means that at this moment, there was no one else within the vicinity, except for the crow not far away... leaving me all alone.

Once again sitting down, I couldn't help but feel puzzled. What is going on today? Why do I always appear so restless? In the past, after preparing for funerals for others, I would simply fall asleep right away. Could it be that this time is too solemn?

Who

Old Lady Zhou's grave... How could the grave have become like this?! I was so frightened that my legs felt like they were made of sieve, unable to move an inch.

Little did anyone know that the man did not speak, but slowly turned around. He was a middle-aged man, dressed in coarse linen garments, yet apart from a hint of age on his face, he surprisingly exuded an air of elegance and charm.

Meng Heizi? Heizi? You bastard!

I still refrained from going to see Meng Heizi. It seems that those who are close to me are all incredibly unfortunate. Feeling a wave of disappointment, I returned to sit in front of the stone. Then, I lit an incense stick and inserted it into the ground. After listening carefully for a while, I estimated that Meng Heizi had already left before I felt at ease.

I excitedly took the small package, rarely has Uncle Tuesday shown such concern for me. Meng Heizi, not wanting to miss out, enviously remarked: "Three white steamed buns and ten corn buns, hehe, we only get to eat white steamed buns once a year, and it's you who gets to enjoy them."

I suddenly stood up and turned around, initially thinking that I was just scaring myself again. To my surprise, a shadowy figure of a short person appeared in my line of sight. I felt a chill rise in my chest, my fists clenched tightly, and I bit down hard on my teeth, managing not to make a sound. However, my eyes were already bulging painfully.

The middle-aged man slightly shook his head, then said with a half-smile, "Kid, this matter is quite tricky. If you can't endure it, come find me in the south."

In a hazy state, I felt an intense heat in my chest, and gradually a strange itching sensation began to arise. Instinctively, I scratched at it, and soon after, I heard a series of faint sounds resembling stones being struck. I found this sound quite peculiar, yet I truly did not want to get up; the drowsiness in my mind had completely engulfed me. Were it not for the heat and strange itching in my chest, I would likely not have heard the sound of those stones colliding.

I looked up and down at Meng Heizi in surprise and said, "He asked you to come, and you came? Why didn't your father stop you this time?"

"My surname is Yang, you may call me Mr. Yang," the middle-aged man said with a slight smile. "Young man, the work of grave digging harms oneself while benefiting others, and it involves a long-term absorption of negative energy into the body. Over time, this naturally leads to misfortune. Yet, I see you are entangled in solitude and adversity, and you still choose to engage in this work. It is quite strange..."

"Not yet? Not yet what? Are you also a fortune teller?" I never expected that this unfamiliar middle-aged man would also say that my fate is unfortunate. I felt quite displeased and casually questioned him, just waiting for him to admit it, so I could unleash all the insults I had for Mr. Wu on him. Stupid fortune teller, if my fate is so unfortunate, how come I haven't brought you down yet...

I glanced down at the small package in Meng Heizi's hand, feeling a surge of amusement, and said with a smile, "Heizi, what is this... Could it be that you are here to keep me company?"

Indeed, it is a bloody atmosphere

After speaking, Meng Heizi turned and went down the mountain path. I chuckled softly, just as I was about to turn around when suddenly I heard a "thud!" from the nearby mountain path, followed by Meng Heizi's complaining voice: "What the hell! When was this pit dug?! This is just my luck!"

I turned around with a sense of disinterest, and suddenly! ... I was taken aback, hurriedly rubbing my eyes, but there was no change before me. How could the tombstone of Old Master Zhou ... ? ... be shattered into pieces? ! ... Moreover ... ... the grave. ... ... the grave had actually been dug open at one corner, and a glaring black hole on the grave faintly exuded a bloody aura !

Upon opening the tattered package sent by Meng Heizi, I indeed found three white steamed buns and ten large corn cakes, all substantial in size. Coupled with a bit of food from Mr. Wu, I need not worry about hunger for the next three days. Thinking this delightfully, I immediately took out the half piece of white steamed bun that Mr. Wu had sent, licked my naturally moist lips, and began to savor it delicately.

Meng Heizi is not very tall, his whole body is stout and dark. A water bucket that is a bit taller is about the same as him. He then chuckled and scratched his forehead, saying: "On the seventh day, you are quite something, coming here quietly to pay respects to Old Master Zhou. In our village, apart from my father and mother, we admire you the most!"