Chapter 715: Don't Look Back on a Night Road
"My grandfather dropped out of school when he was young. Because his family was poor, he always made a living by doing odd jobs for others."
"One day, my grandfather went to a neighboring village to pick up some goods. It was already dark when he was on his way back. The mountain path was winding and twisting, and there were few people around. He quickened his pace out of fear, but the goods on his back were very heavy, so he couldn't walk fast."
"As he passed a bend in the mountain, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him, as if someone had been following him all along."
"In my grandfather's hometown, there was a saying: when walking at night, you must not look around, and you must never look back. So my grandfather didn't dare to turn his head. He could only lower his head and trudge forward with the heavy basket on his back."
"But the faster he walked, the faster the footsteps became. The night was silent, with not a bird or insect to be heard. The leaves in the forest rustled. My grandfather's heart pounded like thunder, and his back was drenched in cold sweat. Just as the footsteps were getting closer and closer, he suddenly saw a fork in the road ahead. He mustered all his strength and ran onto the path that led to the village."
"He originally thought that this path would bring him closer to where there were more people, and that the thing following him would definitely not dare to follow. But he never expected that the footsteps would still come. Not only did they follow, but someone even reached out and patted him on the shoulder!"
"For a moment, he felt a chill shoot down his shoulder, his head buzzed, and he stood frozen in place, not daring to move. But then the person behind him spoke: 'Young man, I'm a bit scared walking alone at night. Let's go together.'"
"When my grandfather heard a human voice and turned around, he saw it was just a middle-aged man dressed like a local. With trembling legs, he took a cigarette from the man's hand, and the two of them chatted as they walked through the night."
"Along the way, my grandfather also took a few sips of the wine the middle-aged man handed him. The warmth spread through his body, filling him with energy. The two of them chatted and walked far away."
"Not long after, the middle-aged man suggested taking a rest. My grandfather didn't think much of it and agreed. The two of them sat there, drinking a little wine and smoking, laughing heartily as they talked."
"But after one cigarette after another, the middle-aged man still showed no sign of continuing on. My grandfather was anxious to get home, so he said, 'I need to go home. Let's chat another day.'"
"Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man's face changed drastically at these words. He slapped my grandfather on the chest and shouted, 'Who said we'd chat another day!'"
"My grandfather was dizzy from the alcohol for a while. When he came to his senses, the middle-aged man was gone. The place where he was standing was a cemetery, with dark, eerie mounds rising and falling. And the thing he had been leaning against while chatting with the middle-aged man was actually a tombstone!"
"My grandfather was so scared he ran for his life. Only after he got out of the cemetery did he realize that he had never actually reached the fork in the road. He didn't dare to continue walking, so he went to a nearby self-built cabin belonging to a mountain hunter."
"The place he lived in was a remote mountainous area. Back then, there were many people hunting in the mountains. Although the cabin was crude, it had a bed and blankets. My grandfather thought he would hide there for the night and leave in the morning. But just as he lay down, he heard 'click-clack, click-clack' footsteps outside the cabin. The sound would stop and start again, as if something was circling the house."
"My grandfather broke out in cold sweat again and again. But young people have strong fire in their hearts. After the fright, a surge of anger rose up in him. He grabbed a stool and rushed out, ready to fight to the death."
"The 'click-clack' sound was still there, but there was no one in the bamboo grove. After searching for a while, my grandfather found that the sound was actually coming from the dry bamboo shoot shells hanging on the bamboo. When bamboo grows, some of the shed shells get stuck and don't fall off. When the wind blows, they make a sound, which in the night sounds like footsteps. Not only were there shells on the bamboo, but someone with a lack of heart had also hung two shells on the back of his basket."
"At that point, his heart relaxed, and he went back to sleep. But after all the tossing and turning all night, he couldn't fall asleep. When the sky was just beginning to lighten the next day, he hurriedly carried his goods and went home."
"Unexpectedly, when he passed by the river, he heard footsteps again. Anger welled up in his heart. He was about to curse the person who had hung the bamboo shells on his basket when he suddenly remembered that he had already taken them off and thrown them away the night before. And this river had recently had a drowning. His hair stood on end. Without looking back, he threw down his basket and ran home."
"When he got home, he found a bruised red five-finger print on his chest. He ended up sick for several days. After he recovered, he didn't delve into what had happened that night. He just never walked at night again."
"As for who hung the bamboo shells, who the middle-aged man was, and what the footsteps following him by the river were, no one ever knew."
With that, Xu Ruosi stopped speaking and let out a slight breath before saying, "My story is finished."
The room fell silent. The candlelight on the wax figure flickered once. After a moment, Xie Ling took a deep breath. "Is the story you told... true?"
Xu Ruosi glanced at her. "What do you think?"
Xie Ling rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. "That's really scary... Should a story this scary meet the game's requirements?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the room began to rise. Xu Ruosi straightened her clothes and stood up.
"If you get a clue, remember to wait for us outside," Xie Ling instructed uneasily. "It's safer if we all go together."
Xu Ruosi didn't respond to her words. When the room stopped, she walked toward the door.
The people at the table watched her go, but no one took the opportunity to follow her out.
"I wonder what clue she'll get..." Xie Ling murmured.
Xu Huo glanced at the ventilation opening in the room. As the room descended, he spoke up. "Who's second?"
"Me, me!" Long Aotian said eagerly. "I have a strange tale I heard from a friend. It's really scary!"
The other three didn't argue. When the room stopped moving, he began to tell his story.
"In my friend's hometown, there was a salt field. There were usually a lot of people working there, but during holidays, all the workers would leave. The boss would have to hire someone to watch the place. They got paid for each night they watched."
"But this salt field was far from any residential area, and there weren't many people around. Plus, it was said that something bad had happened there before. So adults weren't willing to go. The boss usually found some half-grown youths through an intermediary—kids who were bold and hadn't heard the old rumors about the salt field."
"One day, when the salt field was on holiday, the intermediary found my friend's maternal uncle. He gave him the money and told him to watch the place. The uncle agreed without a second thought."
"Watching the place usually meant watching at night. So he ate his evening meal and then headed for the salt field."
"But unexpectedly, when it got dark, his grandmother came. She said she had hired an old fortune-teller to read his fortune, and the fortune-teller said he would have a calamity that night. It was best if he didn't go out."
"But he had already left. His grandmother was old, and there were no other able-bodied young men at home. So she had to go to other houses to find someone. She finally managed to find a distant relative to go with her, but by then it was very late. By that time, my friend's uncle could already see the salt field."
"He was walking on a small path on the hillside. From that high vantage point, he could see far. Before he even went down, he saw that the salt field was full of people! They were pushing, turning things over, shouting constantly—working with great fervor!"
(End of chapter)