Chapter 2, The First Secret Master of the Long Family Ridge.

Luo Diao asked Long Genzi to keep an eye on our clothes, personal belongings, and his hunting rifle, then we counted down together: three, two, one, and then we all submerged into the water

I felt as if my ankles were tightly hooked by something resembling iron hooks, and then I was violently pulled downwards. I fell into the water several times and crawled out again, but with each struggle, I lost a bit more strength

Luo Diao's face was quite strange, as if he had seen a ghost. I wanted to laugh, but at that moment, something suddenly yanked at my foot standing in the water, and I fell in with a splash, being dragged underwater.

The children in the mountains, since childhood, have rolled out of the muddy ground, climbing the mountains and crossing the waters. Although I was young at that time, my swimming skills were exceptional. I could hold my breath underwater for a long time without needing to come up. Throughout Longjialing, there was no one who could surpass me.

I asked what the ghost looked like, and Longgenzi was frightened, stammering that it looked like a yellow eel, but also had a lot of hair. Later, it seemed to resemble a small child

I do not know how long I had been thrashing about when I suddenly felt the iron hook that was gripping my ankle loosen. Instinctively, I flailed a couple of times towards the shore, and then I was firmly pulled up onto the riverbank by several warm hands

I counted in my heart, and at that time I had already completed the first grade, able to count from one to one hundred effortlessly. I counted little by little, just waiting to win, but the joy turned to sorrow. The large stone I had been holding finally could not bear my weight, began to float up, and started to slide down.

Seeing him in distress brings me a bit of comfort; I continually encourage myself to hold on, to persevere. Once I overcome that hurdle, I will have won

At that time, the child did not understand what artificial respiration was. When I regained consciousness, I felt nauseous and vomited twice, my intestines were in knots. Upon inquiring, I learned that Luo Diao and Long Genzi had dragged me into the woods, and Diao ran back to the village to call for adults. The reason I was saved was that suddenly a few wild monkeys in the woods came to help and drove away the spirits lurking beneath the water.

In this matter, I have indeed wronged Luo Diao, so when he was locked in the woodshed by his father and left to starve, I went to my own yard's chicken coop and took some eggs, delivering them to him several times

Luo Diao returned to the village not long after, calling the adults together, including his father, my father, several responsible adults from the village, and hunters from the neighboring village, creating quite a crowd. The main reason we came out this time was due to my instigation. My father had originally prepared a large willow branch, but upon seeing my pale face, his heart softened. He said little, only scolded a few words into the water with a dark expression. In contrast, after Luo Diao returned home, he was hung from the beam by his father and whipped with a cowhide belt for half the night. The main reason we came out this time was due to my instigation. My father had originally prepared a large willow branch, but upon seeing my pale face, his heart softened. He said little, only scolded a few words into the water with a dark expression. In contrast, after Luo Diao returned home, he was hung from the beam by his father and whipped with a cowhide belt for half the night

In the mountains, children are not allowed to play with guns privately, as this is considered a taboo

That is a memory I will find difficult to forget for the rest of my life, the entire world was a murky expanse of water, and my sole purpose in struggling was to take in just one more breath of air

Those who have experienced holding their breath underwater should understand that this process consists of three stages. The first stage occurs when one enters the water; there is a surge of air in the chest that allows one to hold on for more than ten seconds. After that, as the air is depleted, the need to hold one's breath intensifies, becoming increasingly uncomfortable. One must endure, endure, endure, and once that peak is surpassed, a sense of relief can be experienced for a while.

I thought this matter was more or less settled, after all, they are just three little kids. Whether there are water ghosts in that stream is something no one can say for certain. However, to my surprise, on the third day, my neck started to itch. At first, I thought it was just mosquito bites, but the more I scratched, the itchier it became. I scratched all night long, and by the time I got up on the fourth day, I discovered that one side of my neck was covered in blood, and my hands were smeared with fish scales soaked in fresh blood. Initially, I still thought it was mosquito bites, but the more I scratched, the itchier it became. I scratched all night long, and by the time I got up on the fourth day, I discovered that one side of my neck was covered in blood, and my hands were smeared with fish scales soaked in fresh blood.

As the two of us sank into the water, I noticed that the guy was slightly delayed, realizing he was trying to be clever, but I didn't mind; I wasn't afraid of him for that brief moment. When I submerged beneath the stream, the current flowed downstream, and I was carried along with it. Below was a pool of water, and fearing that Luo Diao would play tricks after being swept down, I crossed my legs together, resembling a deity in a temple, like Guanyin seated on a lotus throne. Then, I reached out to grasp a large rock in the stream, anchoring my body in place. As I submerged beneath the stream, the current flowed downstream, and I was carried along with it. Below was a pool of water, and fearing that Luo Diao would play tricks after being swept down, I crossed my legs together, resembling a deity in a temple, like Guanyin seated on a lotus throne. Then, I reached out to grasp a large rock in the stream, anchoring my body in place.

At that time, the pants we wore were all made from homemade coarse cloth, with the crotch patched repeatedly, and still soaked with my earlier warm urine. Of course, Longgen was unwilling. I counted my belongings and found that I had nothing to exchange, so I decided to leave it be, saying I would just put it there. I would go dive a couple of times and wash it later. Luo Diao also had a playful spirit, suggesting that we compete in playing the secret game to see who could last longer.

At that time, I had consumed too much water, and my entire memory was hazy. When I regained consciousness, the sound of Longgenzi wailing filled my ears, resembling a funeral dirge

Long Gengzi laughed beside me; he was not talkative, honest, and timid. After washing for a short while, he went ashore to wash his urine-soaked pants. I, feeling lazy and playful, asked him to help wash them while I went back into the water to have some fun.

That guy got up, which means I won, and my title as the number one secret king of Longjialing, Chen Erdan, remains intact. Therefore, I did not persist and stood up from the water in an instant. As a result, not only did I not receive cheers from my companions, but I also saw Luo Diao climbing ashore like a madman. On the shore, I noticed several wild monkeys jumping around on the grass, baring their teeth and throwing stones in my direction.

What about those wild monkeys? I asked again. He said they ran away; after we came ashore, they went deep into the forest.

However, it was only when I saw Luo Diao climbing ashore, shouting loudly at me, that I realized there was water in my ears, and I couldn't hear anything clearly. I could only see him waving his hands frantically, so I shook my head, and that was when I heard the latter half of his words: "... ... Hurry up, there are ghosts in the water!"

This so-called "dive challenge" is essentially about submerging one's head underwater to see who can hold their breath the longest. I have always been the diving champion of Longjialing, so I am not afraid of his challenge. Therefore, I boldly declared, "Bring it on, I am not afraid of you."

The sudden turn of events left me somewhat panicked. My hand instinctively reached down, searching for something to hold onto for stability. To my surprise, as the rock shifted, it felt as if something had emerged from below. I touched something slippery and slimy with my palm, resembling either mud or a large fish. Before I could react, I felt that thing slide up to my neck, its tail striking me, causing a sharp pain in my neck, and half of my body felt as if it had plunged into an ice cave. I swung my hand vigorously, feeling it was no longer there, and I relaxed a bit, still contemplating whether to remain crouched. However, when I looked ahead, I saw that Luo Diao had already stood up.

The old man in the mountains has a basket full of stories, among which are not lacking the legends of King Zhou and Lady Daji. Just now, when Luo Diao aimed, he also caught a glimpse of that little fox's face, which seemed human, like a little girl. Reflecting on it now, I cannot help but feel a sense of dread. I ignored his laughter and said I was doing it for the sake of the books. By striking the young one, you attract the old ones. This fox holds grudges the most; if the old fox at their home finds out that you killed its offspring, then you can forget about raising chickens, and peace will be a distant dream.

I have never lost in the art of holding my breath underwater, which gives me great confidence. Therefore, during the second stage, I remained quite relaxed, occasionally opening my eyes to observe Luo Diao, noticing his face was puffed up, as if he were in discomfort

Maclure Mountain is close to the outside world. Although there are monkeys in the mountains, they are not many. I found those few red-faced monkeys quite novel, and for a moment, I was lost in thought.

Due to the incident earlier where the gun went off accidentally, Luo Diao and I got into a fight. We ended up splashing water at each other twice in the water, and then we were as good as brothers again. He came over, patted my shoulder, and said, "Er Dan, are you looking at that little vixen, thinking of taking her home as a wife?"

It is quite amusing to mention that we stole the hunting gun from Luo Diao's father and ran out, intending to go hunting. However, when we heard a gunshot, all three of us little rascals wet our pants. Left with no choice, we ran to the nearby creek, took off our clothes, and tossed them onto the rocks beside us before jumping straight into the water. In June, the weather is hot and dry, and after spending most of the day in the forest, we were drenched in sweat. We didn't care much about it and jumped into the creek with a splash. The creek wasn't wide, so it was a bit swift, but it was no deeper than half a meter, which posed no challenge for us mountain kids who spent every day splashing in the ponds. In June, the weather is hot and dry, and after spending most of the day in the forest, we were drenched in sweat. We didn't care much about it and jumped into the creek with a splash. The creek wasn't wide, so it was a bit swift, but it was no deeper than half a meter, which posed no challenge for us mountain kids who spent every day splashing in the ponds.