Chapter 1: Do not go out when it is dark

In the darkness outside the village, the sound of a baby crying could be heard. All the elderly villagers, except for the deaf, heard this cry. The old people looked at each other in confusion; the desolate and remote village was not a place where a baby could possibly appear nearby.

He often grazes cattle by the river, with the green mountains resembling dark ink, the azure waves, and the white clouds, creating a very pleasant atmosphere

The cow said: "You have a sickle at your waist; if you peel off my skin, you can save me from my predicament"

Suddenly, the cow beneath him spoke, startling Qin Mu, who quickly jumped down from the cow's back. He saw that the cow's eyes were filled with tears, and it spoke human words, saying to him: "Qin Mu, you were raised on my milk, so I am half your mother. You must save me!"

Qin Mu. Granny Si looked at the infant in the swaddling blanket, and the baby, unafraid of her, actually giggled and cooed.

The old horse beside him shook his head and said, "Impossible, you must have misheard... Oh, there really is the sound of a baby crying!"

What is the rush

Well done in killing

Old Lady Si laughed and said: "That would be a bargain for her. She should have died eleven years ago; if it weren't for the need to nurse you, could she have lived until now"

Old Lady Si glanced at him and said: "This woman is the wife of the lord of Xianglong City, which is a thousand miles away from here. The lord of Xianglong City is lecherous, while she is jealous. The lord enjoys flirting outside and abducting virtuous women. Whenever he tarnishes a woman's purity, this lady sends someone to beat that woman to death. I infiltrated Xianglong City with the intention of killing her, but upon seeing that she had just given birth to a child who is only three months old, and considering that you have no milk to drink while she does, I decided to turn her into a milk cow to nourish you. However, I did not expect that this woman would break free from the seal and be able to speak, almost causing you harm."

At the four corners of the village of Canlao stand four ancient stone statues, weathered and aged, so old that even Granny Si does not know who carved these statues or when they were erected here

Granny Si bent down, wanting to lift the statue, but she was hunchbacked and unable to do so. Old Ma shook his head: "Let me do it. I will carry the statue and accompany you!"

There really is a child

As darkness descended, four statues emitted a faint glow in the shadows. The statues continued to shine, bringing a sense of relief to Granny Si and the elders of the village

The female corpse seemed to have heard her words, its palm loosened, and it was swept away by the river, disappearing into the darkness

He lifted the statue with his one arm, steadied his steps; the statue was unimaginably heavy: "Old Lady Si, let us go!"

The crippled man walked slowly towards the village, and at the moment he entered, a thick darkness engulfed the village. The prey on his back was a striped tiger, still alive. Its tail was swept by the darkness, and suddenly the tiger let out a mournful roar. Qin Mu quickly looked over and saw that the tiger's tail had been reduced to mere bones, with all the skin and flesh gone, as if something had gnawed it away. The prey on his back was a striped tiger, still alive. Its tail was swept by the darkness, and suddenly the tiger let out a mournful roar. Qin Mu quickly looked over and saw that the tiger's tail had been reduced to mere bones, with all the skin and flesh gone, as if something had gnawed it away.

Old Lady Si nodded, but her expression was somewhat worried as she kept glancing towards the village outskirts, murmuring: "The cripple should be back... It really wasn't wise to let the cripple go out, that fellow has only one leg..."

The woman was about to stab him to death when suddenly she felt a chill in her heart. She looked down and saw a blade protruding from her chest.

When night falls, there will be some terrifying things moving in the darkness; to go out is to face death

The impact of this scene on him was so profound that he did not even know when he returned to the village

Qin Mu blushed; indeed, weaning at the age of four is somewhat excessive, but it seems that the key issue is not the weaning at four years old, is it

... ...

Returning to the Disabled Elderly Village, the villagers gathered around, all of them elderly, weak, ill, or disabled. Granny Si lifted the swaddling cloth and took a glance, breaking into a smile, her few remaining teeth showing: "In our Disabled Elderly Village, we finally have a healthy person!"

Qin Mu blinked his eyes and tentatively asked, "How can I save you?"

Qin Mu was perplexed.

I will go take a look

"Rest assured, the child is safe," said Granny Si softly to the woman underwater

Grandma Si was furious: "Why should I give away the child I picked up through my own efforts?"

Granny Si lifted the basket, inside which was a swaddled infant, with a jade pendant placed atop the swaddling. The jade pendant emitted a faint glow. The radiance of this pendant was quite similar to that of the stone statue, yet significantly weaker, serving to protect the child in the basket from the threats lurking in the darkness

An old man limped over and said, "Master Ma, you only have one arm and cannot carry the stone statue for long. I have both hands, so let me carry it instead"

"Grandma, that woman was killed by the lame grandfather..."

Qin Mu hesitated, and the cow said: "Have you forgotten the grace of nurturing?"

The woman, with her hair disheveled, snatched the sickle from the stunned Qin Mu's hands. In just a few swift motions, she cut through the leather on her legs and feet. Looking at Qin Mu, her malice surged, the sickle pressed against his neck, she coldly sneered: "Little villain, it is because of you that I was turned into a cow. For eleven years, I have only been able to eat grass and have to feed you milk! How pitiful! Just before I was transformed into a cow, I had just given birth, but was schemed against by that witch, turning me into a cow to nourish you! Today, I have finally escaped my predicament; I will first kill you and then cleanse this village of its evildoers!"

Carrying this statue out of the village, the things in the darkness fear the statue, I won't die anytime soon

Old Lady Si became agitated and tiptoed over to a stone statue in the village. Ma Lao hurried over and said, "Old Lady Si, are you out of your mind? It's dark, and leaving the village means certain death!"

Suddenly, Granny Si's ears twitched, she was taken aback, and exclaimed: "You all listen, there is a child's cry outside!"

Is his name Qin, or is Qin his surname

The village chief pondered and said, "Let his surname be Qin, and his name shall be Mu, Qin Mu. When he grows up, he can be sent to herd livestock, at least he will be able to make a living"

Mother-in-law, something strange happened today

This cow was his wet nurse during childhood. Although Granny Si originally intended to sell it, Qin Mu was reluctant to part with it, so the task of herding the cattle was entrusted to him.

This saying has been passed down in Canlao Village for many years, but it is impossible to verify its exact origin or the time and manner in which it was transmitted through literature. However, this saying is indeed a truth, beyond any doubt

The one-legged cripple exclaimed, "Old Lady Si, are you planning to support him? We can barely support ourselves! I think it would be better to send him away..."

"Mu'er, your grandfather the pharmacist has asked you to go back and take your medicine." The woman's body fell to the ground, and behind her stood the village's hunchbacked grandfather, with kind eyes and a simple expression, holding a bloodied knife in his hand, smiling at Qin Mu.

As the cowhide was being peeled halfway, a woman in her twenties or thirties rolled out from inside, her legs still wrapped in the cow's legs, the flesh and skin connected to the cowhide, but her upper body had already detached from the cowhide

Qin Mu walked towards the village with one foot high and the other low. When he turned back to look, he saw the cripple throwing the woman's corpse into the river

What is there in the darkness? he wondered in his heart

The darkness outside the village grew increasingly dense, yet with the light of the statue, the dilapidated village remained relatively safe

The village chief said, "Old woman, do you see anything else in the basket?"

Granny Si solemnly stated: "The stone statue in the village will protect us; the things in the darkness dare not enter the village"

Old Ma and Granny Si walked out of the Elderly Village, surrounded by unknown strange entities in the darkness. However, when illuminated by the light of the stone statue, they squeaked and retreated back into the shadows

By the river, the sound of a flute wafts through the air. A young shepherd, sitting on the back of a cow, plays the flute, producing a clear and melodious sound. This shepherd is around eleven or twelve years old, with delicate features, red lips, and white teeth. His clothes are partially open, and a jade pendant hangs from his chest.

Grandma Si from Canlao Village watched as the sunset gradually hid behind the mountains, feeling a surge of anxiety in her heart. As the sun descended and the last ray of light vanished, an overwhelming silence suddenly enveloped the world, devoid of any sound. Darkness slowly crept in from the west, devouring mountains, rivers, roads, and trees along the way, until it finally reached Canlao Village, engulfing it completely

"Do not call me the old hag! Cripple, mute, all of you must be careful, for the village is missing a statue. Be sure not to let the things in the darkness touch you!"

Since we are going to raise him, we should give him a name, right

Are there similar stone statues in other villages? Qin Mu asked curiously

The two individuals advanced towards the sound of crying, walking over a hundred steps until they reached the bank of a large river, from where the baby's cries emanated. The stone statue emitted a faint glow, illuminating only a short distance. The two carefully pinpointed the direction of the sound and walked upstream along the river, covering several dozen steps, when they realized the cries were nearby. Ma Laodu, with his one arm, was already struggling to keep going. Suddenly, Granny Si's eyes lit up as she spotted a faint glow; it was a basket resting on the riverbank, from which both the glow and the cries were coming.

The villagers were all submissive and did not dare to refute her. The village chief arrived on a stretcher; he was in a more miserable state than the others. While the others at least had some limbs, albeit fewer than normal, he had neither hands nor feet. However, everyone held him in great respect, and even the fierce and intimidating Granny Si did not dare to act recklessly.

Granny Si stepped forward, lifted the basket, but was slightly taken aback, unable to raise it. Beneath the basket was an arm, whitened by the river water, which was precisely this arm that had supported the basket and the child within it, carrying them all the way to the shore

Qin Mu was left speechless, exclaiming: "Grandmother, how can a person turn into a cow?"

Although the villagers of Canlao Village appear fierce and intimidating, they treat him very well. Granny Si is a seamstress, and on ordinary days, Qin Mu learns tailoring from her, gathers herbs and refines medicine under the guidance of the herbalist, practices leg techniques with Grandpa Qian, learns to discern sounds and locations from Grandpa Xian, and studies breathing and meditation with the village chief who has no hands or feet. Thus, his days pass quite quickly.

The limping grandfather ... ... Qin Mu's body went limp as he looked at the cowhide on the ground and the corpse of the woman, still unable to come to his senses

Old Ma glared at him and said: "You crippled fool, you have a broken leg, can you walk? Although I only have one arm, this arm is very strong!"

"Go back, go back." The cripple patted his shoulder and chuckled.

Qin Mu hesitated for a moment and recounted the incident of a woman emerging from the belly of a cow. Granny Si replied nonchalantly, "Are you referring to that woman? The cripple has already told me about it, and he handled it quite well. I mentioned selling the cow long ago when you were weaned at the age of four, but you were reluctant, which is why I let you continue to feed it. Look, now there’s been an incident, hasn’t there? I said that nursing until the age of four would lead to an attachment to the dairy cow."

He is a boy

The radiance of the jade pendant is merely faint, capable of protecting the child, yet unable to safeguard that woman

Granny Si flipped it over and shook her head, saying: "There is only this jade pendant, no other notes or anything. The pendant has inscriptions, and it features the character for 'Qin'. This jade pendant is pure, and it possesses a strange power; it is not an ordinary item. It must have originated from a prominent family, right?"

He curiously glanced at the darkness outside the village, where it was pitch black and nothing could be seen

"Mother-in-law, why can't we go out when it gets dark?" Qin Mu asked, looking up.

It is dark, do not go outside

Qin Mu raised the sickle and carefully cut through the cowhide. Strangely, when the cowhide was peeled open, not a single drop of blood flowed out, and inside the cowhide was unexpectedly empty, devoid of flesh and bones.

Qin Mu's mind was in turmoil, not understanding what this woman, who had emerged from a cowhide, was saying

Qin Mu looked over and saw the cripple, who was leaning on a crutch with one hand while holding the prey on his back with the other, limping towards him. The darkness surged towards the village like a swift tide, and Old Granny Si hurriedly shouted: "You dead cripple, hurry up, hurry up!"

This young man is the infant that Granny Si picked up by the river eleven years ago. Over the years, the elders in the village have raised this child with great care and hardship. Granny Si somehow acquired a cow, allowing Qin Mu to drink milk every day during his infancy, helping him survive the vulnerable period when early mortality was common.

... ...

Qin Mu! You little rascal, how should I tell you? Don't go out when it gets dark!

Qin Mu, Qin Mu, save me!

As night fell, the stone statues at the four corners of the old village automatically lit up again. Granny Si called back Qin Mu, who was about to sneak out of the village to check on the cowhide by the river, pulling him back.

Granny Si chuckled, revealing a half-mouth of missing teeth: "You want to learn? I will teach you... the lame man is back!"