The clattering sound which resembled a little horse running was exceptionally loud and obvious in the quiet night. A stool-like object ran briskly into Wen Leyang’s line of sight and a few of their companions immediately dived towards it with their weapons drawn but they were stopped with incredulous faces.
The object was not a living creature, it seemed to be made up of a few sticks of bamboo tied together with some green vines into the shape of a stool. It twisted itself around and stopped in front of them. A strip of green-colored cloth hung from the front of the ‘stool’ and two huge words were written on it: Retreat Immediately.
Little Chili Pepper stood closely next to Wen Leyang and stared incredulously at the object. She wasn’t sure if the stool would do anything else besides delivering this message.
Wen Leyang took a deep breath and spoke loudly, “The Luo family of Crow Ridge and the inner disciple of the Wen family of the Nine Peaks Mountain, humbly beg to meet with the Big Dragon’s Root of the Seven Maidens Mountain. I have a letter here that is addressed to your leader!”
He repeated his message twice and the giant forest was so dense and quiet that there wasn’t even an echo, one would even be shocked by the sound of a falling leaf.
Wen Leyang quietly sensed his surroundings, his sense was like tendrils of awareness which was released from his skin and they extended outward in all directions. But he couldn’t discover anything with his senses at all.
Suddenly, there was a crashing sound and the ‘stool’ trembled for a few moments before falling apart into pieces. It had only been made out of those few pieces of bamboo and some thin vines, there wasn’t a trace of anything suspicious in it at all.
Wen Buzuo walked towards the two teenagers and asked in a low voice, “What do you think, should we go over and take a look?”
Wen Leyang shook his head, “We should let everyone rest and continue on our journey tomorrow.”
Wen Leyang and Little Chili Pepper did not need to concern themselves with setting up the lookout post and the night’s watch as Wen Buzuo had arranged everything in an orderly manner. Other than his unbearably constant nagging, he was exceptionally experienced and capable in handling things.
The next day, they continued their journey forward without interruption. It was only at night when they had set up camp that another ‘stool’ had come running over with a piece of green cloth which said: Stop Walking.
Of course, Wen Leyang was not going to stop walking and he didn’t care if there were any Miao clansmen in the area. He once again declared the purpose of their trip in a loud voice and then fell asleep straight afterward.
By the third night they had completed more than half of their journey and it was exactly as Wen Buzuo had said, the temperature had been steadily increasing and though it was the middle of winter, within the forest it was so swelteringly hot that one would almost be tempted to strip to their undergarments in the heat.
The third ‘stool’ did appear but this time everyone felt at loss for the stool was bare and carried no messages for them.
Wen Buzuo scrutinized it for a long while before he exclaimed, “The cloth strip had fallen off.” A few strands of the cloth’s material still hung off the end of the stool and fluttered lightly in the night breeze.
Wen Leyang laughed involuntarily, “The cloth strip is missing, what was the bloody purpose for the stool to come here then?”
Wen Buzuo too chuckled, “We are only a day’s journey away from the stockade of the Qing Miao clan and we are actually in their territory now so everyone should be extra careful.”
The Seven Maidens Mountain loomed up in front of their eyes. They caught glimpses of the mountain from between the foliage of the trees. It was a heavy presence hanging over everyone’s heads like a giant looking back at them with spite.
Other than the few hidden lookout guards, the whole camp was deep in sleep. The campfire burned with a soft crackling sound and sparks burst out of it occasionally, scattering brightly into the night sky…
Suddenly, Mumu cried out in alarm. She opened her eyes and sat up, her face was shadowed with a deep sense of dread.
Wen Leyang was awoken by her cry and rushed to her side. He looked at her with concern and asked, “What happened?”
Everybody else too was jerked awake, they immediately spread out in search of the enemy.
Mumu regained her senses and a healthy pink glow came back to her pale face. She shook her head and smiled, “It’s nothing, I had a nightmare. I dreamt that we had all died, it was such an ominous dream. But such a dream is broken once spoken!” She then spat twice onto the ground.
Wen Leyang’s expression, however, changed from a relaxed one to a concerned look when he heard about her nightmare as he asked, “We all died?”
Mumu was nodding her head hesitantly when Wen Leyang suddenly said out of the blue, “Most of the others were sinking in quicksand while I had fallen into the water…” Before he could finish speaking, Little Chili Pepper had jumped up with horror, what he’d described was the nightmare which she had just seen! “How…how did you know this?”
Wen Buzuo ambled towards them with a big smile on his face and he chimed in cheerfully, “Me too, I was strangled to death by the tree vines…” Little Chili Pepper felt her hair stand with terror and she pointed at Wen Buzuo and cursed with rage, “Do you even know how to worry?”
Wen Leyang looked at the others, everyone’s expression had turned ashen as they slowly nodded as well.
They had all experienced the same nightmare. Wen Buzuo however, seemed unconcerned as he laughed blithely, “It’s only the witchcraft of the Qing Miao clan. The running stools, the nightmares, they were all meant to intimidate so don’t take it too seriously…”
Before he could finish speaking, a strange noise appeared from their surroundings and echoed around them. It was the squishing sound of someone trudging through sludgy mud and once in a while, it would make bubbling noises as well. The sound made everyone feel as if their bodies were coated with disgusting slime.
Wen Buzuo frowned, “What’s that noise?” He immediately made a secret gesture and awaited the night sentry’s response. At the same time, he made a few unpleasant hoarse-sounding hooting noises from his mouth.
The surrounding area was silent and still, other than the sound of surging mud from afar, there was no other response.
Wen Leyang leaped up, his figure disappeared into the forest, leaving only this command behind, “Stay on the spot!”
Mumu was the inner disciple of the Luo family, it’s not like she was inexperienced at all. She sneered as she pulled out her long needles while Ah Dan hauled itself up into a big tree and hid between the branches. The thirty good hands in their company initially appeared to be scattered randomly in the east and west but in reality, they had sealed the entrance and exit of the empty space.
The two hidden guards on the outside had consisted of a member of the Wen and the Luo family respectively.
It was midnight and there was no light from the stars and the moon. All they could hear was the soft rustling sound of Wen Leyang’s clothes as he moved and this too disappeared after a while. Little Chili Pepper held her breath as she stood on the same spot like a clay sculpture. She stopped her body from bearing any living signs as she listened attentively to the surroundings. The flowing sound of the mud was closer now, it was as if it was flowing slowly towards them…
Mumu kept a count of the time in her heart, she had reached six hundred counts already.
Ten minutes had passed but it felt like a century, there was still no sign or sound from Wen Leyang.
The leader of The Centipede was a bold and strong fellow not quite forty years of age, his name was Luo Xie and he approached Little Chili Pepper to ask, “Do you want me to go look for him?”
Little Chili Pepper shook her head, “Let’s wait for him a little while longer.”
Luo Xie’s mouth opened to reply when a popping sound appeared from underneath him. A gigantic mud buddle burst below him and the solid ground turned unexpectedly into a muddy trap two meters wide. Lue Xie’s snarled and immediately pushed Little Chili Pepper out of the way. The mud had flowed up to his chest and though he struggled, he could not free himself. Luo Xie’s hands flashed and a pair of Spirit Needles appeared, he then stabbed the needles downwards into the mud.
He was the only one who could feel the pair of strong hands which had grasped onto his ankles firmly and were dragging him into the mud!
A short moment later, all that was left was a bunch of dirty air bubbles.
As Little Chili Pepper hit the ground, the rest of the group broke the guard formation and ran towards the muddy patch on the ground.
“Everyone, get out of the way!”
Wen Leyang’s forceful shout was heard before the shadow of his figure appeared in a strong surge of air. The force pushed everyone aside and he relied on his heavy inertia and slammed forcefully into the muddy swamp with the force of a heavy rock falling from the sky!
The bubbling sound immediately grew louder and sounded like a rat grinding its teeth or a venomous snake shedding its skin. It grated on everybody’s already strained nerves continuously.
A dull sound, like someone pounding a muffled drum, could be heard from under the ground.
After a while, there was a whoosh as a mud-covered person surged up from the sludge holding a crumpled object in his arms.
The mud-covered person’s body began to tremble in a peculiar manner and flung aside most of the mud in a strange fashion. His face was revealed, carrying a simple and honest expression with a hint of ferocity and rage. Mumu let out a long breath of relief.
Wen Leyang carefully placed the ‘object’ in his hand onto the ground and everyone realized that it was Luo Xie. His entire body had been crushed and crumped into a mess, not an intact bone had remained in his body.
The people from both the Death Trademark and The Centipede had nerves of steel but even they couldn’t help but turn pale at this. In everyone’s nightmare, Luo Xie had died exactly like this – with his body turned into something that was softer than dough and covered entirely with foul-smelling mud, yet there was a still slight smile on his face.
Wen Leyang’s voice was hoarse, “I’ve avenged him.”
The sound of the bubbling mud had receded in all directions like a falling tide. A short while later, the surrounding area was peaceful and quiet again.
Wen Buzuo, after the scare, unexpectedly had another vile smile on his face. He moved forward and asked Wen Leyang, “Should we advance or retreat?” I reckon there’s not much difference in either choice as the Miao clan has always been persistent in their endeavors. Now that their killer instincts have been triggered, they will not stop for anything.”
“We advance!” Wen Leyang helped Mumu up to her feet as he declared, “Everyone, follow me!”
All the pores on his entire body were rapidly opening and closing. Wen Leyang no longer relied on his eyes and ears as he sensed his surroundings attentively. He led the way as everyone followed swiftly behind him. But they had only moved forward a few meters when Little Chili Pepper’s body trembled once abruptly as she screamed in fright, “Ah Dan! Ah Dan was still on the tree!” The undead toddler would normally follow after its master without needing to be called and would never leave her side for long. But this time, it had not followed after its master.
Mumu had been absent-minded earlier, it was not because she was a coward as her mind was filled with the realization of her nightmare. So, she had followed along for a few steps before she suddenly realized that Ah Dan was missing.