Chapter 8, Cave

For a moment, silence fell again. Looking at Yang Xiufeng's face filled with sorrow, I realized that perhaps she already had the answer in her heart, but chose not to believe it. This topic was simply too heavy, and I did not want to continue. I cleared my throat and said, "Xiaofeng, I am hungry. Please give me something to eat"

I won't say much; I just found a rock to sit on. My legs feel a bit swollen, but I don't want to show it in front of the girl. I just hold on and steal glances at Yang Xiufeng, not wanting to notice that she is also secretly looking at me. Our eyes meet, both of our faces slightly flushed, and we hurriedly look away.

The silence between the two people became somewhat awkward; as time passed, the discomfort intensified. I was also struggling to endure it, so I casually brought up a topic: "Xiao Feng, I haven't asked how your father is doing yet"

Suddenly reminded of that old lady, I fell silent again. Bringing it up in broad daylight is truly unsettling. I really wanted to slap myself twice. At that moment, I was asked what I was doing, but it was already too late. Yang Xiufeng heard my words, glanced at me, bit her lip hard, and with a struggling expression, suddenly whispered, "Xiao Haige, you must know something. Did my grandmother come back from the dead?"

Left—left side—Yang Xiufeng's voice trembled slightly, as if she had not felt what had just happened. She was unsure whether it was intentional, and felt somewhat embarrassed to say anything. However, how could a girl not care? Her face was already flushed bright red, though it was not visible in the cave.

"Walk that way." I also didn't know what to say, feeling somewhat hesitant to look at Yang Xiufeng

As I gazed into the distance, although I could not see far, I found that I saw nothing at all. Would a ghost appear at this moment? If it truly did appear, what should I do? Just as I was feeling anxious, Yang Xiufeng buried her head in my arms and trembled as she said, "Snake—snake—"

As the words fell, it seemed as though a difficult task had been accomplished, and a sigh of relief was finally released. Yang Xiufeng merely responded with a sound from her nose, saying nothing further, and silently began to crawl forward again. An awkwardness spread between the two, and neither felt comfortable enough to speak. Fortunately, the darkness concealed much.

However, as I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, I could see Yang Xiufeng's bewildered figure, yet nothing significant happened. Perhaps it was simply that the flashlight was broken. I reassured myself and did not blame my startled reactions; after all, the experiences of the past two days could easily make one paranoid. Even though I was not easily frightened, I still felt uneasy. When I sensed Yang Xiufeng moving closer to me, I relaxed and tried to keep my voice steady: "It’s getting late; we should find a place to spend the night soon. Let’s get going."

I do not know—actually, Second Uncle has told me that when a person dies with unresolved grievances, they may rise from the dead. However, I cannot tell Yang Xiufeng; the truth is always difficult for people to accept. After all, both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh, and it is truly hard to bear to let a girl endure such things

Yang Xiufeng remained silent, merely turning and walking ahead. At this moment, the sun was setting, and night was about to fall. However, one could not linger here. It was not far from this place to the small path in the mountains. In my opinion, as long as the divine grandmother was still alive, she would have to walk. Following the small path should lead to something.

Finally emerging from the cave and the books, I took a deep breath, liberated from the stifling heat. Outside, it was truly refreshing. I turned to glance at Yang Xiufeng beside me; in the dim light of dusk, she appeared somewhat hazy. However, with her back turned to me, it was clear that she still could not let go of the awkwardness from earlier.

Breathing heavily, crawling in this narrow cave on a hot summer day is truly stifling. I am already drenched as if I had been washed with water. The cave is growing darker, and apart from a faint light point ahead, I cannot see how Yang Xiufeng is doing. I can only press forward, but unexpectedly, Yang Xiufeng suddenly stopped, and I bumped my head against her. Fortunately, I hit a soft spot, seemingly her backside.

The nights in the mountains are not as beautiful as one might imagine. The mountain breeze stirs, and the shadows of the trees sway gently, as if something is hidden within. A sense of loneliness envelops me; it is not just about Yang Xiufeng, a girl. In fact, conversing with another person is the best way to alleviate loneliness and fear. However, due to the awkwardness between us earlier, there is truly nothing to say. Of course, I am feeling guilty, after all, I was just lost in my own thoughts.

I do not know how long it has been since Yang Xiufeng and I last spoke. Just at that moment, the flashlight that had been shining suddenly went out, plunging everything before me into darkness. At that instant, I could not even see Yang Xiufeng. This change made my heart leap suddenly, and I stood up abruptly, my fists clenched, unable to suppress a chill that surged from my back.

Waving away the chaotic thoughts in my mind, I strive to ensure that I do not overthink. However, no matter how I warn myself, I cannot completely eliminate distractions. Just at the moment when I was caught in an internal struggle, Yang and *Tu* Shuxiu Feng suddenly retreated a step, and I was unaware of it. As a result, her backside pressed right against my face, and that scent became even more intense. For a young man full of vigor, this was an incredible stimulation. Who can know that in the depths of midnight dreams, there are often women.

I got my pants caught— I sensed Yang Xiufeng moving, probably trying to reach the place where they were caught.

I let out a sound and reached out with my left hand, but I couldn't see what was caught there, so I could only feel around with my hand. It was still soft in that area. At that moment, my heart was racing; it was the first time I had touched a girl in that way. Of course, I dared not think too much about it and hurriedly felt around to the side. Sure enough, it was the pants caught on a rock. I struggled to help untangle them, but I didn't know how long it had been. The scent at the tip of my nose grew stronger, and I felt as if I was about to explode. I swore I was really trying to restrain myself from letting my thoughts run wild. Of course, I dared not think too much about it and hurriedly felt around to the side. Sure enough, it was the pants caught on a rock. I struggled to help untangle them, but I didn't know how long it had been. The scent at the tip of my nose grew stronger, and I felt as if I was about to explode. I swore I was really trying to restrain myself from letting my thoughts run wild.

Yang Xiufeng remained silent, merely taking out ham and instant noodles from her backpack and silently handing them to me, while she herself showed no appetite at all. In truth, I had no appetite either, but this was also a good way to alleviate the awkwardness.

Ah—" A sharp scream escaped Yang Xiufeng's lips, as she recoiled in terror, her voice tinged with panic and helplessness. Yet, I was afraid without having seen anything at all. Perhaps it was due to the experiences of the past two days that my first instinct was to think of ghosts. My heart suddenly tightened, and I instinctively pulled the rushing Yang Xiufeng into my embrace.

In fact, I did not pay attention; Yang Xiufeng's breathing was also quite rapid. Unfortunately, at that moment, all my thoughts were focused on that hand. In any case, it was untied. When the hand retracted, my heart was still racing, but I tried my best to control my voice to sound more natural: "It’s untied—"

Some matters cannot be elaborated upon at www.hetushu.com, but I feel a bit bloated, and my face is somewhat flushed. I am at a loss for what to do when I hear Yang Xiufeng's voice sounding a bit strange: "Xiao Haige, I can't reach it, could you help me undo my pants?"

With a helpless bitter smile, I could only wait. However, in such a place, trying to turn around and reach my pants was clearly not an easy task. Yet, I really couldn't help, as it was quite an awkward situation. Although I couldn't see it, there was indeed a girl's backside right in front of me. Just thinking about this, it seemed as if an indescribable scent had crept into my nose, faint yet somewhat present.

I still vividly remember the situation back then, and I couldn't help but shiver, feeling that the mountain wind had grown a bit colder. Yet, Yang Xiufeng merely stared blankly at the sky behind me, seemingly lost in thought, her face reflecting a complex expression. After hesitating for quite a while, she finally gritted her teeth and said, "Xiao Haige, do you think that a zombie rising from the dead is due to the inability to close its eyes in death, unable to let go of its grievances?"

It is truly easy to misunderstand; this sentence only adds to my confusion. However, I dare not show it, merely responding with an acknowledgment. I even forgot to ask a question and reached out, feeling something soft. Suddenly, I was startled and instinctively withdrew my hand. But then I thought, isn't this just drawing attention to my guilt? Wouldn't this only prove that I am feeling guilty? I quickly steadied my mind and extended my hand again, clearing my throat: "Xiao Feng, it's over there."

He suddenly let out a sigh of relief, wondering what there was to fear from a snake. With a wry smile, he shook his head and pulled Yang Xiufeng forward. This series of surprises had somewhat diluted the earlier awkwardness. After a while, Yang Xiufeng perhaps also felt that burying her head in my embrace was inappropriate. At this moment, she regained her composure, abruptly withdrew from my arms, and stood blushing to the side, momentarily at a loss for what to do or say.

Silently walking forward, not a glimmer of light could be seen, which meant that the divine grandmother was not here. It was unclear how long we had been traversing through the mountains and forests, but we finally could not hold on any longer due to exhaustion. Yang Xiufeng sat down abruptly on a stone and quietly said, "Xiao Haige, let’s take a break."

With a soft sound, Yang Xiufeng clearly became frightened, tugging at my sleeve and closely following me step by step. The shadows of the trees in the dark mountains swayed, as if countless ghostly figures lurked within. Each step I took echoed beneath my feet, and it felt as if something had happened behind me. As I continued to follow closely, I couldn't understand why, but I always felt uneasy, as if something was about to occur.

Perhaps it is the torment within the heart; one cannot engage in actions that betray one's conscience, for otherwise, the torment of conscience will lead to one's own collapse. Nodding slightly, I felt that this line of conversation could not continue, and for a moment, I did not think much of it. Unexpectedly, I opened my mouth and asked, "It seems that you and your grandmother are the closest in your family, right? She—"

What happened?" He shrugged, just unsure why Yang Xiufeng had stopped.

Oh—" Yang Xiufeng was taken aback, her expression turning somewhat gloomy. She gently shook her head: "I don't know. Ever since returning from your second uncle's place, it seems like he has lost his soul, constantly mumbling about wanting to go to San Guniang Mountain to find the divine grandmother. In the end, he fell flat on the ground before even stepping out the door and couldn't get up. Otherwise, I wouldn't have to come out here as a girl."

It was silent for a moment, and I did not deceive Yang Xiufeng: "Weren't you also present at that time? You saw it all; it was truly frightening"