Chapter 3: Encounter with the Boar Spirit at Night

Just when I was terrified to the point of nearly collapsing, the bead in my pocket, which resembled jade but was not, fell to the ground with a tinkling sound. That shadowy figure, to be precise, that large pig, suddenly seemed as frightened as a rabbit seeing a wolf, and cried out in alarm: "Oh no, my life is over!" It shouted and dashed away towards the village, and with it, the thunder and lightning also receded, no longer exploding around us.

According to the elders, the large creature residing in the abandoned cave is no ordinary wild boar (of course, otherwise it would have been captured and turned into a meal long ago), but rather a talking female pig spirit with eyes that shine like lamps! It is elusive during the day, but at night it frightens people, often appearing during dark and stormy nights or amidst flashes of lightning and thunder.

The sound of thunder echoed all around us, accompanied by flashes of lightning. The dark figure drew closer to us, speaking in a deep, rumbling voice, "Let me hide for a moment, let me hide for a moment!"

The large landowner Hu Dekun insisted that he would not allow the vast expanse of fertile land to lie fallow and overgrown with weeds. Even if the rent continued to decrease, collecting a few dou of grain was still better than letting it go to waste and raising grasshoppers instead

Strangely, the thunder erupted near the haystack, with lightning flickering before our eyes. Moreover, the thunder grew louder and the lightning brighter, showing no signs of abating. What made it even more unbearable was that the booming thunder reverberated around us, exploding in the vicinity! The shadow was panting heavily, and a foul odor permeated the air around us! We felt as if we were trapped in a pigsty. The shadow was panting heavily, and a foul odor permeated the air around us! We felt as if we were trapped in a pigsty

As the saying goes, under a generous reward, there will surely be brave men; here it has become, under low rent, there will surely be someone to cultivate! Because the rent is indeed low, the poorest tenant in the village, Ah Xiang, rented that piece of land. He originally thought that with fertile soil and low rent, after a year of cultivation, it would be no problem for his family to have enough to eat. However, what he did not expect was that shortly after planting the crops, strange occurrences began, nearly costing him his life in that field

Two years ago, Hu Decai, known as the "Three-Handed Man" in the village, had the fortune of meeting him one evening

It was a night when the moonlight was as gentle as water. A cool breeze was blowing, and the little insects were singing softly. Dog Dan and I were quite happy, chatting about everything until we were so tired that we fell into a deep sleep.

That chaotic graveyard, I do not know when it began. According to my grandfather, from the time he could remember, all those from the surrounding three to five villages who died from violent illnesses, accidents, unclaimed bodies, or untimely deaths were buried there. Of course, in a place like this, it is unlikely that one would encounter many good things!

Hu Decai later recounted to others that his family was truly in dire straits, with his wife lying in bed groaning and several children crying out in hunger. In utter desperation, he thought of the abandoned kiln area that people seldom visited, planning to dig up a few sweet potatoes there to make ends meet

No one doubts what Hu Decai said, for he is neither the first nor the last to encounter that pig spirit. However, what I never expected was that I would also be one of them

To speak of that sow spirit, one must start with the abandoned brick kiln at the eastern end of the village

At the eastern end of the village lies the land of the wealthy landlord Hu Dekun, which was originally a fertile field that yielded gold when sown with grain and silver when planted with silver. However, due to a nearby area of chaotic graves, it has fallen into the status of inferior land, devoid of tenants to cultivate it and lacking permanent laborers to tend to it

It would be one thing if it were just a gigantic pig, but the most terrifying part is that it can actually speak human language! It even said it wants to hide beside us for a while. My goodness, how long is it going to hide? I feel like I am living under the sheets for years, no, I can say it is like living through seconds that feel like years!

Ah Xiang's wife and son knew that Ah Xiang must have been possessed by an evil spirit, so they quickly helped him back home

Later, Ah Xiang said that at that time he was working when he saw several people approaching him, asking him to take a break and enthusiastically offering him a lot of fine sugar to eat. Looking at the bright yellow high-quality sugar, he couldn't help but grab some and put it in his mouth. Little did he know, that sugar was actually sand.

I know that hetushu.com has left a shadow of a thunder-striking evil object in my heart, but what I do not know is that the one who was startled and cried out, "Oh no, my life is over!" and fled in terror was actually that inconspicuous bead made of an unknown material! Because that bead was something I obtained from my dreams

Both Dog Egg and I felt each other's trembling, covering our heads with a mosquito net sheet. My body was drenched in cold sweat, and I dared not move under the sheet, only hoping that the monster would leave quickly

On the second day, the poorest old man, Hu Changlai, at the east end of the village, told people that the sow from the abandoned kiln had sought refuge under his shed to escape the thunder just before dawn. The smell of the pig was so strong that it made him dizzy... That creature kept murmuring in a low voice, "I was so scared, I was so scared!" until the thunder stopped at dawn and it finally left

After Hu Decai was so frightened that he rolled and crawled, stumbling back home, he discovered that his pants were wet with urine. His whole body trembled as if he had fallen into an ice hole, leaving him so scared that he was bedridden for several months before he could finally get out of bed

May is the time for harvesting wheat, and June is the season. Unlike now, when there are combines that can complete harvesting and threshing in one go, there were no hand tractors to be seen at that time. Everything was done by hand with sickles. After cutting, the wheat would be sun-dried in the threshing yard for a few days before being ground with stone rollers. Therefore, during the drying process, it was necessary to have someone watch over the field at night.

Over time, that brick kiln gradually fell into disrepair, merely growing some sweet potatoes that required little management, relying on fate and the heavens for sustenance

Ah Xiang's wife and son sensed that something was amiss. They hurried over to take a look and saw Ah Xiang staring blankly, repeatedly shoving sand into his mouth. As he ate the sand, he mumbled to himself: "Delicious, really delicious... I'll have a bit more..."

That day, the old tenant Ah Xiang had not returned after weeding past noon. Concerned that something might be wrong, Ah Xiang's wife took their eldest son and went to the field to look for him. From a distance, they saw Ah Xiang squatting in the field, seemingly stuffing something into his mouth with both hands.

I still vividly remember that the grunting sound made by the shadow was indeed similar to that of a pig, and it seemed quite frightened, filled with fear... Indeed, having fed pigs at home since childhood, I am very familiar with them! Based on the sound and the strong odor emanating from it, it was undoubtedly a pig, a super large pig!

Since then, Dog Egg and I have never dared to go to the fields at the east end of the village, and despite being fearless, we have been afraid of thunder ever since that day

Looking back, my goodness, a pig larger than a cow was right behind me, with a mouth longer than a foot, ears like fans, and eyes shining like lanterns. It opened its big mouth and spoke in a deep, resonant voice, "Get out of the way, get out of the way... www.hetushu.com!"

After the incident with Ah Xiang eating sugar, no one dared to cultivate that piece of land anymore. The large landowner Hu Dekun saw that the land was about to become barren, and with no other options, he built a brick kiln there, hiring people to dig the soil, make bricks, and fire them.

That year during the wheat harvest, at night, Dog Dan and I slept in the threshing ground at the eastern end of the village, watching over the field (about one kilometer away from the abandoned kiln), ensuring that the wheat was not stolen by anyone

To know what happens next, please look forward to the next installment

At that time, the moon was obscured by dark clouds, and one could not see five fingers in front of them. Hu Decai had barely dug up a few sweet potatoes when he caught a whiff of the distinct, pungent odor of pigs wafting from behind, accompanied by the sound of grunting not far behind him. However, the grunting was much louder than that of domestic pigs, and he immediately felt a chill run down his spine and the hair on his neck stand on end

Around the time when dawn was just breaking, a sudden clap of thunder startled both of us awake. As we opened our eyes, we were met with a fierce storm, with howling winds and flashing lightning. My dog and I were about to get up to cover the wheat with a rain tarp when we saw a dark figure rushing towards us from the east. In the blink of an eye, it pounced in front of us, indistinct and blurry, resembling a large cow, emanating a foul and unpleasant odor that made it hard to breathe. It came to a stop next to the stack of wheat where we had been sleeping.

However, not many kilns were fired, as the villagers responsible for stoking the fire and guarding the kilns at night were always frightened by the sounds of nearby babies crying and adults weeping, causing no one to dare return. Even when a few strong young men were sent to keep watch at night, they too fled in terror.