Chapter 6: Mutual Destruction

  I still wanted to continue listening, but was discovered by Zhong Ling'er. How could I still have the nerve? So I dryly laughed and said my first words to the goddess in my heart: "Hello."

  Jing Ling'er nodded slightly and said the first sentence she had ever spoken to me: "Hello." Then she said a second sentence: "You don't look very well."

  I'm a bit surprised and delighted, but at the same time I'm thinking, of course, my complexion isn't good, otherwise why would I come here?

  At this time, my father and Li Shenpo walked out of the main room one after another. My father's face didn't look too good, and he told me to go home.

  After the car started, I turned back to look at Zhong Ling'er, she was also looking in our direction. My father drove the motorcycle very fast, I kept looking at Zhong Ling'er, she initially looked back at me too, but later perhaps feeling embarrassed by my gaze, she lowered her head. I found that she was really beautiful and wanted to take a few more glances, unfortunately, the motorcycle turned a corner ahead and immediately lost sight of her.

  Her lovely figure has been lingering in front of my eyes.

  I asked my father if Wu Lele was dead or alive. My father said: "She should be alive, because she has woken up."

  "But why did Li Shenpo say she was dead?"

  My father didn't answer again, I suppose he was also puzzled. I felt that this Li Shenniang was really strange, and not to mention that she said a living person was dead. This time I came with my father to see her for illness, she didn't examine anything at all, and didn't put my illness on her mind. Could it be true what she said, that my illness is nothing serious and I'll be fine after resting for a few days?

  After returning from Li Godmother's house, I indeed felt much better. My mother was still very worried and told me to go rest in the room. Then she said to my father: "This child doesn't know where he went, hasn't been seen for a whole day." Father asked: "How come it hasn't been found yet?" Mother said no. I thought it was strange, so I went out to ask my mom what happened to Dahei. My mother said that Dahei had gone somewhere yesterday and hadn't returned home all the time. The villagers helped find him for a night and another day but still couldn't find him.

  I remembered the yellow-skinned one caught by Big Black, saying whether or not to go on the street? He caught a yellow-skinned one, guessing it was going to be sold. Mother said that the yellow-skinned one caught by Big Black escaped, and Big Black went after it, but never came back. I had an inexplicable sense of unease in my heart, guessing that something happened to Big Black.

  I arrived at Dahei's home, only to find the door locked. His parents must have gone out to look for him and hadn't returned yet. I headed straight towards the small hill behind his house.

  It was around 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and although it wasn't scorching hot, the sky was still very clear. However, as I ran into the small hill, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine as a cold gust of air hit me. The small hill is about over a hundred meters high, with mostly pine trees inside, which usually receive strong sunlight. But at this moment, I distinctly felt that there was a thin mist floating between the trees, hazy and indistinct, just like after a rain shower on a dusk, looking extremely gloomy.

  To find Dahei, I didn't think much and called out his name while searching for him on the mountain.

  When I arrived at the big black locust tree where Huang Pizi was caught, my heart inexplicably tensed up, and I didn't know why I had this feeling. I looked over there for a while, the iron hoop buried in the ground was gone, but there were still bloodstains of Huang Pizi on the pine needles. I stood under a pine tree, staring intently at that bloodstain. The surroundings suddenly became quiet, no insect sounds, no wind, only my heartbeat.

  "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

  Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew over, and a sound came from behind me, like something had crashed into the tree. I quickly turned around and looked in that direction, through several tall trees, and suddenly saw more than ten meters away, on a branch of a tree, hanging a black object!

  Because of the trees blocking the view and the distance, it was vaguely visible, and it seemed like a person's silhouette.

  My heart tightened, and I stood still for a full ten seconds before cautiously taking steps in that direction.

  As I drew closer, I found that it was indeed a person! He was facing away from me, suspended by a black cloth from a thick tree branch about half a meter off the ground. His body swayed gently in the wind, like a pendulum, striking the tree trunk with a soft, rhythmic sound.

  Bang! Bang!...

  From his back, he is just Big Black!

  At that moment, my mind went blank and I stood there stupidly staring at Da Hei for a while. After a long time, I finally came back to myself and slowly walked towards Da Hei. But when I was about to reach him, my footsteps stopped abruptly, and the scene in front of me left me speechless again.

  On a tree trunk opposite Da Hei, something was also hanging, but it wasn't a person, rather a yellow-skinned monkey.

  That yellow-skinned monkey's front left leg was injured, and it was exactly the one that was caught by Big Black.

  How is it hanging here? What's going on? My heart was in a mess, the yellow-skinned monkey's eyes were wide open, staring at the big black opposite. I took a step forward and looked up at the big black, and with a cry of "ah", my body almost fell to the ground.

  Da Hei's hands hung straight down, a black cloth wrapped around his neck, and he was suspended there, stiffly upright, his eyes wide open, staring motionlessly at the yellow-skinned person opposite him. What was astonishing was that there was no fear on his face, but rather a hint of an eerie smile!

  I could no longer control myself, let out a loud roar and turned around to run down the hill.

  When my parents, Da Hei's parents and the villagers arrived at the small hill and saw what was in front of them, they all gasped in unison. Some timid children burst into loud wailing on the spot. My father immediately shouted: "Take the kids back!"

  Da Hei's mother let out a pained cry and fell forward onto the ground.

  I'm extremely sad, Dahei and I grew up together since childhood, although not biological brothers, but also like close friends. Now he's gone forever, I couldn't believe this fact at first, tears kept flowing down my face. And Dahei was a very clever person, how could he end up hanging from the tree with that yellow-skinned dog? Who did this?!

  Several men immediately brought down the big black, and suddenly I heard my father shouting: "There is still breathing, the big black is not dead yet!" My heart moved, and I quickly walked over to see that my father was already giving the big black artificial respiration. The big black's parents were anxiously watching from the side, looking at a loss.

  There were several people surrounding the yellow pelt, because it was actually hung together with Big Black, making it look even more bizarre. Everyone was discussing and speculating, some saying that there must be a monster at work, while others said it was man-made, perhaps a deranged killer had appeared in the village... Old hunter Qin Uncle took down the yellow pelt and grumbled: "What monster or killer? I think this yellow pelt is just playing tricks. Just wait till I get home and skin it, Big Black will be fine!"

  My father's face changed as soon as he heard this, and he hastily told Uncle Qin: "Don't touch its skin at all, just dig a hole here and bury it!" Then he called me to go back and fetch the hoe. Uncle Qin said that burying it would be a waste, as the yellow-skinned creature had several catties of meat on its body, which could be sold for tens or hundreds of yuan on the street. My father gravely said: "The yellow-skinned creature is naturally sinister and vengeful. I reckon it was Big Black who injured this yellow-skinned creature, and in order to avenge itself, it used sorcery to perish together with Big Black."

  Everyone looked at each other in dismay, half believing and half doubting Father's words. Qin Shu was extremely unconvinced - could this yellow-skinned monkey really be so stupid as to follow the big black one to its death? My father said: "If a yellow-skinned monkey wants to harm someone, another of the same kind must also die." As he spoke, he urged me to go back and fetch the hoe. I hesitated for a moment before running down the mountain.

  As I ran, I thought that if what my father said was true, then this yellow-skinned kid was too scary. To avenge himself, he didn't even want his own life... Fortunately, he didn't come looking for me... Again, the image of its pitiful and pleading eyes appeared before me. That day, I had pleaded on its behalf, but later my father called me back home and Da Hei ultimately didn't let it go either. I thought, I hadn't intended to harm it, so it shouldn't come looking for revenge against me...

  My heart is extremely chaotic and I'm scared to death.

  When I carried the hoe up the mountain, several people had already carried Dahei down. Dahei's mother was following behind, crying painfully. My heart felt a pang of sadness, and I wanted to comfort her, but didn't know what to say, so I just let out a long sigh and continued up the mountain with my hoe.