Chapter 2, a person covered in blood

With this thought in mind, coupled with the bizarre scene at this moment, I turned around and left without saying a word

Outside, the grandfather and grandson exchanged glances, staring intently at the man. Indeed, the man's eyelids seemed to struggle to open, and his expression was clearly very weak. The moment he opened his eyes, I hurriedly leaned in, but before I could ask him who he was and why he was in such a state in the mountains, my grandfather stopped me, seemingly waiting for the man to speak.

I stepped back quickly, shaking the boning knife in my hand, shouting loudly. As for what I was saying, I can no longer remember, whether it was curses or a description of how this boning knife had skinned countless animals in my grandfather's hands. Those who are not afraid of death, come on!

The text appears to be a series of sounds or expressions rather than a coherent phrase or sentence in Simplified Chinese. Therefore, it does not have a direct translation into English.

I scrutinized this person carefully; he was covered in scars, looking as if he had been torn apart by a wild beast. However, there are not many large wild animals in the back mountain; at least, I have never seen tigers or wolves in my life. There are some wild boars, but could it be that he was attacked by a wild boar? Nevertheless, he appeared to have more injuries from a fall or perhaps from being beaten, as I have never seen a wild boar leave someone intact.

Since I have started to retreat, if I cannot even find my way back home, then I am truly in a panic. Holding a bone knife, I swing it wildly, close my eyes, and run forward quickly, not knowing if I am on the right path. In any case, ... I do not know how I managed to get out, I only felt a sudden sinking under my feet, as if something tripped me, and I fell down with a loud "thud".

Moreover, the prey that my grandfather held in one hand was still covered in blood. I was once again startled by this scene. It is not that I am particularly timid; perhaps the events that occurred earlier in the graveyard had made me somewhat desensitized, causing me to fear everything. However, this gruesome sight, especially in the dead of night, would make anyone tremble in fear

My entire face felt as if it had been smashed into a persimmon cake, and my nose was burning with pain. When I struggled to get up and touched my nose, I found that my hand was covered in sticky blood. Had my nose started to bleed?

A faint sound of friction arose behind me and all around, as if something was gently moving there. My nerves were constantly on edge, as if they were about to snap. I clenched my teeth and couldn't help but curse loudly: "What the hell! What kind of thing is this?!"

Peh! What is wrong with me? Why do I always think of the worst?

"Er Gou, go boil some hot water, help him clean up, and then find a piece of my clothing for him to change into." Grandfather, exhausted, sat down heavily on the stool, trembling hands filling a pot with tobacco, desperately taking a few puffs. It seemed that carrying this person back had worn him out significantly.

At that moment, I suddenly turned my head back and discovered, not far from the grave, a pair of eerie blue eyes staring at me without blinking. I nearly collapsed to the ground!

If you cannot speak, then do not say anything. I know you are seriously injured and it is not advisable to talk too much. Once you feel better, it will not be too late to talk. However, I can see that you do not seem to be a local. Are you from out of town?" The old man casually filled a pot with tobacco leaves, lit it, and began to smoke with a rhythmic puffing sound.

Grandfather threw the prey he was holding onto the ground and called for my help, urging me to assist the half-dead person on his back to the west room. Upon seeing this, my legs went weak. Our home only had two inner rooms; the east room was where Grandfather lived, and the west room was mine. How could I possibly sleep with such a bloody person in my room? After hesitating for a moment, I decided to follow Grandfather's instructions and helped the person onto my bed. After all, saving a life was of utmost importance. If this person could survive, it would also count as accumulating virtue.

In front of a cave entrance on the back mountain, I saw him unconscious in a puddle. I checked his pulse; it was still beating, so I carried him back. Well, it doesn't matter whether he is a beggar or someone who crawled out of the ravine; saving a life is the priority! After resting for a moment, Grandpa finally regained his composure and carefully examined the middle-aged man on the bed, who was severely injured. Meanwhile, he kept puffing on his pipe, his gaze distant, lost in thought.

"Er Gou! Are you still awake? Come out and help!" Grandpa seemed to see that the light in the living room was on, realizing that I was not asleep, and shouted loudly

Before the words were finished, that person suddenly fainted again

I hurriedly ran outside, but the scene before me left me stunned, for what my grandfather was carrying on his back was not a game, but rather two wild chickens and the corpse of a white animal in his hands, while on his back was a person

Suddenly, a loud thunderclap resounded, and on such a gloomy day, the sudden intensity of the thunder suggested that rain was imminent. I was suddenly filled with a sense of retreat; if there were to be a storm later, how could I possibly celebrate the occasion? Perhaps the Zhao family would not hold their event tonight after all. It might be better for me to just go home.

Just as I caught a glimpse of my grandfather, a flash of lightning struck outside, illuminating his bloodshot eyes. Immediately after, I saw my grandfather carrying a person covered in blood on his back, whose pale face resembled that of a corpse

Grandfather, this person is dressed very much like someone from the past. If it weren't for the breath of life, I would truly think you had brought a corpse back from the coffin!

Why does it have to be at odds with me

But after just a few steps, I still saw a vast and chaotic graveyard ahead. Damn it, I am really lost in this not too big, not too small graveyard!

"Hehe! It was I who saved you. I went into the mountains to hunt, and when I returned, I found you unconscious at the entrance of a cave, covered in wounds. I checked your pulse, and it was still beating, so I carried you back. How are you feeling now?" Grandfather smiled kindly at the person and gently inquired.

What is this place? The man's breath was almost faint to the extreme, as if he were about to lose consciousness at any moment

My heart was inexplicably racing, and I quietly reassured myself, do not panic, do not be afraid, yet these words were clearly meant to comfort others tonight, but before I could use them, they had already been applied to myself

Nonsense! The person is clearly still breathing, how could he be dead? I have never seen this person before; he does not seem to be from our local area. By the way, when I discovered him, I encountered a strange occurrence!" Grandfather said, turning his head to give me a mysterious glance. Under my astonished gaze, Grandfather said seriously: "When I found him, there were many venomous snakes surrounding him, at least seven or eight coiled up there, yet not a single one approached him. It was I who pulled him out of the snake's den, and I almost got bitten by those snakes..."

Finally, I let out a sigh of relief, seeing that my grandfather was so exhausted he could hardly move. At his age, he still goes into the mountains to hunt every day, whether there is something to do or not. Today, he even brought back such a person; it truly is a lot for him to handle.

Oh... thank you, sir... I... I am now...

In the dead of night, how did grandfather carry someone back from the mountain? ... Could that person ... ? ... be a corpse?

The man seemed to be struggling to recall something. After a considerable amount of time, he finally nodded slightly, tacitly agreeing with the old man's words. Soon, he appeared to want to move, but it was evident that he could not. Finally, he slightly parted his lips and said: "I am Yang Yuanshan. Thank you, sir... for saving my life..."

"Is there really such a rare occurrence?" I slightly widened my eyes, having never heard of anyone lying next to a venomous snake and remaining unharmed. This person is truly peculiar. I exhaled and quickly turned to boil some water.

However, I am not having a good day either. The strange occurrences I encountered earlier, I wonder what my grandfather would think if I were to tell him about them. But before I could say anything, my grandfather suddenly furrowed his brow and stared intently at the person on the bed. I quickly turned back, as it seemed that the person's eyelids were twitching. Could it be that they are about to wake up?

Just at the moment when my nerves were taut, the outer door was suddenly slammed open with great force. I was so startled that I jumped up in surprise. At that moment, I realized that it had started to pour outside, though I did not notice when it had begun. The one who had burst through the door was my grandfather, who had been hunting in the mountains for the entire day.

Without a second thought, I ran back home with a bone-cutting knife in hand

I helped the middle-aged man, who was in a coma, wash his body and took out my grandfather's old gown to change him into. After my grandfather examined him, he found that most of his injuries were superficial, but there was also considerable internal bruising. My grandfather, being a local healer from the mountains, was knowledgeable about herbal medicine. He bandaged the external wounds and, for the internal injuries, took some herbs from the medicine cabinet, divided them into several portions, and after preparing them, instructed me to quickly brew them for the man to drink. After much effort, I finally managed to take care of him.

It seemed that I had exerted all the strength I had built up since childhood, and I ran very fast, very fast, until I heard the barking of dogs coming from the village not far away. I knew that I was safe

Gazing into the dim and bewildering distance, it seems there is still a path through a chaotic graveyard to traverse. Yet, when I arrived, I clearly saw that this graveyard was not as vast as it appears before me; it was evident that I could emerge from it in no time... It is just... it is just that I cannot move forward now...

What exactly are those heart-stopping, deep blue eyes?

Suddenly feeling flustered, this kind of thing I had only heard the elders talk about, yet I had never encountered it myself. Today, as I took on an errand for my grandfather for the first time, could I really be so unfortunate as to run into this? Gripping the bone-cutting knife, I abruptly turned around, constantly searching the surroundings, as if those graves might spring something out at any moment

Breathing heavily, I did not pay attention to the dismal night. I rushed into my own yard, opened the door, quickly lit the oil lamp, and casually tossed the bone knife onto the table. I gulped down water from the kettle, then sat back down, lowering my head to recall the thrilling and terrifying scenes from just moments ago

With a casual wave, I am not sure if it was this unintentional gesture that caused it, but suddenly everything became clear before me. At this moment, I found myself standing outside the graveyard, having walked out, and ahead of me was the direction of the village

Grandfather, where did you pick him up? This person is seriously injured! I helped to brush off some dirt from his face. He appears to be in his early forties, looking quite similar to us mountain folks—sturdy and robust. However, the old, tattered clothes he is wearing are rarely seen nowadays. He is dressed in a gray hemp garment, which is now in a state of disrepair.

After cursing a few times, I saw that white figure flash and then disappear, as if it had darted into another grave mound. I swallowed hard, and a sense of unease quietly rose in my heart. That thing seemed to be deliberately opposing me, darting around me repeatedly without approaching. It might be wary of the bone knife in my hand, but by blocking my path like this, it made it difficult for me to move an inch. What should I do about this?