Chapter 32: Goblin Raid

  The yin-yang knife is icy cold and piercing to the bone, my hand slightly trembles.

  As I approached the red-clad female ghost, she had already unbuttoned her clothes, revealing her white and beautiful body. But her wound was not on her chest, but on one of her breasts, which had turned black from its original fair skin, shocking to behold, and emitting a faint stench of death that was extremely foul-smelling. Within seconds, I felt like I was almost suffocating.

  But my eyes were fixed on a certain spot and couldn't move away, it was so tempting that I couldn't feel the chill of the yin-yang knife for a while.

  "Can we start?" The red-clothed female ghost suddenly asked. She lowered her head, looking extremely shy and embarrassed. I finally came back to my senses, awkwardly clearing my throat, saying "Let's begin".

  I gripped the knife, just about to cut off that piece of rotten flesh, when suddenly a shout came from behind: "Little Knife!" I was greatly startled, my hand loosened, and the yin-yang knife fell to the ground. Then I heard Zhang Junhao shouting: "Brother, your old mother has arrived!" I hastily picked up the yin-yang knife and put it in the iron box, apologized to the red-clothed female ghost, saying that I would operate on her later, and retreated from the wooden hut.

  As I just arrived outside the wooden house, the wooden house suddenly disappeared. I found that Zhang Yunhao and I were indeed at the grave. Then my mother's shout came from behind, I didn't have time to think and jumped into the grass by the side of the road. Zhang Yunhao reacted quickly enough, without me calling him, he also followed and jumped in.

  We crouched in the grass, holding our breath and watching as my mother walked by in front of us. After she had gone far away, we jumped out, but the red-clothed female ghost was nowhere to be seen. I thought to myself, "Mom is really something, coming to find me at night like this. We're not three years old anymore." Zhang Junhao asked, "You just let your mom pass by like that?" I said what else could we do? If she saw us catching frogs on this hillside, she would definitely beat me to death. Zhang Junhao said if your mom keeps searching like this and can't find you, what will happen? She'll get anxious. I thought about it and felt the same way, so I quickly shouted out "Mom!" and ran up to her.

  I didn't run far before I saw my mom in front of me. There was a downhill slope ahead, and further down was a patch of terraced fields. My original plan was to reveal myself when my mom reached the terraced fields, so she wouldn't suspect anything. Otherwise, if she asked why she hadn't seen me along the way, I would have been speechless.

  But from a distance, I saw my mother standing there motionless, as if talking to someone. I found it strange, who would be in this desolate place so late? Was someone really here to catch frogs? Curious, I walked up and saw that he looked like a young boy, around 12 or 13 years old. Because the light was too dim, I couldn't see very clearly, as his whole body was black, almost like a black bucket. But I vaguely felt that the child seemed familiar.

  Look closely, I can finally see clearly, this kid looks more and more familiar.

  He told my mother that he was lost and asked her to take him home. My mother asked where his home was, and how come she had never seen him before. The child said he was a relative of a certain family, came here as a guest, and forgot the way back home while playing. My mother, being kind-hearted, said she would take him there, and while saying so, reached out to grab the child's hand.

  Suddenly, I remembered that the child wasn't the little ghost under the pagoda tree last night? He was only seven or eight years old yesterday, how did he grow up so big today? I didn't continue to think about it, because if he really is a ghost, then he must be deceiving my mother. If my mother follows him, she might not come back!

  "Mom!" I exclaimed loudly and urgently.

  My mother turned around and looked at me, also withdrawing her hand. I rushed up to her side and said, "Where did you go? Didn't I tell you not to run around? Do you know how dangerous it is tonight?" I didn't answer my mother's question, but instead stared at the little boy in front of me. He looked exactly like the little ghost under the pagoda tree last night, even his clothes were the same, just a bit taller.

  At this moment, he was staring at me with a gloomy gaze.

  Zhang Yunhao walked up and said, "What a strong ghostly aura!" Then he also looked at the child, who turned his head towards Zhang Yunhao, his face becoming even more gloomy. I had already confirmed that he was a ghost, and a thread of panic flashed through my mind. I told my mother and Zhang Yunhao, "Let's go home." The child suddenly looked at my mother and said, "You haven't taken me home yet."

  My mother said to me, "This child is a relative of the Huangshi uncle's family. She is taking him back now." I hastily called out, "Don't!" My mother was taken aback for a moment, and the little ghost glared at me even more angrily. I was anxious and couldn't think of a way to respond, so I pushed my mother away from the little ghost, pointing down the road ahead and saying, "Just keep walking forward, about 200 meters is the Huangshi uncle's house." After finishing speaking, I pushed my mother in the direction of home. My mother didn't understand what was going on and said, "Which way is your Huangshi uncle's house? You're going the wrong way!"

  The little devil stared at me with a straight face, without making a sound. His face was gloomy and he seemed very dissatisfied with me, but for the time being, he didn't erupt.

  My heart is getting more and more anxious, could this little devil be the Water Saint? What did he come to my mother for? Is he going to take my mother away?

  It's hateful that Zhang Yunhao also acted as a good Mr. saying "Hey, how can you do this? Why don't Auntie go back first, and I'll send this little friend back with Xiaodao brother?" I cursed in my heart, what are you sending for, aren't you afraid of death? Coldly said "Don't bother", do you know the way here? Don't get lost too, while saying that, she gave him a sideways glance.

  "What's wrong?" Zhang Yunhao said inexplicably: "Did sand get into your eyes? Let's go, there's a strong evil spirit here, if we don't leave, the ghost will come." My mother thought Zhang Yunhao was joking, so she didn't take it seriously and even smiled. I cursed inwardly again, thinking of the watch I bought last year. I spoke to Zhang Yunhao in a low voice: "He's a ghost!"

  Zhang Yunhao was taken aback, looked at the little ghost, then turned to me and asked with his eyes: Is he a ghost? I nodded. This kid is very clever, his face suddenly changed, and he hastily said to my mother: "Auntie, it's late, let's go home." My mother looked at the little ghost and said that she still had to send him back home. Zhang Yunhao said don't bother sending him, he knows the way home, let's go, let's go, saying this while glancing at me, and we both unintentionally pushed my mother.

  My mother was pushed out by the two of us for several steps, saying "What's wrong with you two kids?" The little ghost stood still on the spot and raised its voice again: "You said you would take me home, why don't you keep your word?" I asked Zhang Yunhao in a low voice, "Aren't you good at catching ghosts? Why don't you catch that little ghost?" Zhang Yunhao finally came to his senses and said, "This is easy, watch me," while taking out a harmonica and putting it to his mouth to blow.

  A beautiful and melodious tune was slowly coming out of the harmonica, simple yet lovely, soothing and comfortable. What made me feel depressed was that this was a great tune, but why did that little devil just stand there without any reaction at all?

  Mother said children should not whistle at night, it will attract ghosts.

  Zhang Yunhao was watching the little ghost while continuing to blow, I saw that the little ghost really didn't react, and my heart became anxious again. I asked Zhang Yunhao if he could do it or not, saying "this is like playing a lute to an ox". Zhang Yunhao put down his harmonica, and with confidence said: "I say it will work, it definitely will..." Before he finished speaking, suddenly a black shadow rushed over, Zhang Yunhao let out a startled cry, and his body suddenly fell backwards.

  "Ah!" The sudden change made my mother and I exclaim at the same time, only to see the little ghost pounce on Zhang Yunhao's body, with both hands tightly pinching Zhang Yunhao's neck!

  "Let him go!" I rushed to grab the little ghost, but found that it was like grabbing at air, with no reaction from the little ghost! My mother also hurried over to grab the little ghost, but grabbed nothing, and stood there stunned, saying: "This... what's going on?" I said he was a ghost, my mother's face changed color in shock, looked around, picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the little ghost, but unexpectedly hit Zhang Junhao's forehead instead. My mother used too much force, and Zhang Junhao's forehead started bleeding immediately. Poor Zhang Junhao was being choked by the little ghost and couldn't move or speak, one hand covering his neck and the other hand reaching out to me.

  I hastily grabbed Zhang Yunhao's hand and pulled upwards with all my might, but his body was like a thousand-jin boulder. I pulled for half the day, yet he didn't budge an inch. His complexion grew worse by the minute, and his eyes began to roll back in their sockets. It seemed he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

  My mother was also flustered and hastily shouted at me: "Take off your pants! Quick, take off your pants!"