Chapter 3: The Upright Goat
Having a clear plan in mind, Hu Ma needed to ponder over how to carry it out.
The little girl in the red dress in front of him looked to be only about five or six years old, maybe even younger.
With her hair tied in horn-like braids, her thin arms and legs, she looked as delicate as a doll.
It seemed that a single punch could make her cry for a long time…
But Hu Ma was sure that if he did punch, the one ending up crying might be himself.
Her bizarre speed and astonishing strength, along with her way of licking wounds to stop the bleeding, all proved she was no ordinary human.
After all, how could someone accompanying such a sinister old lady be an ordinary person?
So, figuring out how to deal with her was the key.
The room was extremely quiet.
Seeing the atmosphere inside the house turning somewhat bizarre, Hu Ma dared not even breathe heavily, yet he also didn’t hear her breathing.
Thus, while thinking, he tentatively asked:
“What’s your name? What’s your relation to the old lady?”
“…”
“I’m called Xiao Hongtang, picked up by grandma from outside.”
The little girl was squatting on the ground, her small figure making her look a bit bizarre, similar to a grasshopper.
While speaking, her voice was milkily childish, innocent and cheerful, but it carried a clarity not usual for a child of five or six.
Continuing with his plan, Hu Ma asked: “How old are you?”
“I…”
This question seemed to stump Xiao Hongtang, she counted with her fingers for a while: “I’ve been with grandma for seven, eight years now…”
“But I don’t know how old I am.”
“…”
“Seven or eight years?”
Hu Ma instantly concluded that this was not an ordinary little girl.
She had not grown past the size of a seven or eight-year-old, plus the time during which the old lady picked her up, what about before that?
Perhaps, like that coffin board earlier, she was one of those “evil spirits” mentioned by the old lady? The old lady had her take care of him, which probably was just a way to keep an eye on him.
Watching her keep squatting there watching him, Hu Ma’s thoughts grew more active.
Observing carefully, besides staring at him, she couldn’t help but glance at something on the Eight Immortals table.
Following her gaze, he noticed the meat brought back by the old lady, wrapped in red paper and placed on the table.
For the past seven days, she seemed to have been feeding him strange chunks of meat, Hu Ma still remembered the nauseating taste.
The little girl seemed very tempted by this? “Do you really want to eat it?”
He quietly mulled, slowly asking the little girl.
“Don’t want…”
Upon hearing this, the little girl shook her head, then saliva almost dripped out uncontrolled.
“It’s delicious.”
Hu Ma confirmed that although the little girl was indeed not an ordinary child, she wasn’t too smart either, so he carefully enticed:
“You can try it, it’s really tasty.”
“…”
Clearly tempted, the little girl’s head shook like a tambourine: “It’s not right.”
“The meat was specially cut by grandma from Lord Tai Sui for Brother Hu Ma to eat.”
“…”
“What in the world is Lord Tai Sui?”
Bearing patience, Hu Ma continued to coax: “It’s okay…”
“It’s given to me, now I’m giving it to you to eat, grandma won’t know.”
“…”
Clearly moved, the little girl’s small neck kept swallowing saliva, hesitantly saying:
“You won’t tell grandma?”
“…”
Hu Ma assured: “If grandma asks, I’ll say I ate it all.”
“Gulp…”
The sound of the little girl swallowing saliva was so clear, even Hu Ma heard it.
She seemed to have made up her mind, with a “whoosh”, she leapt up.
Her small body easily jumped onto the table, reached out with her tender little hands, and held up the meat.
“Ah woo…”
With a wide-open mouth, her lips actually split to her ears.
Her neat and delicate teeth suddenly turned sharp and ferocious, biting down fiercely.
“What kind of monster is this?”
Hu Ma was scared by her appearance, almost disarming his built-up courage.
But the meat’s attraction to her was far greater than he imagined; jumping onto the table, she ate like a starved ghost reincarnated, seemingly oblivious to everything else. He also reacted, inching towards the door.
Reaching the door, he carefully looked back.
She was still eating, with her back to him, her little bottom poked out like a starving little beast.
Not to mention running away, the sky falling wouldn’t compare to the temptation of that piece of meat…
Hu Ma took a deep breath, quietly opened the barely-closed door, and with all his might, dashed out.
…
“Swoosh!”
It was supposed to be the afternoon, but stepping out, Hu Ma still found the sunlight somewhat dazzling.
Blocking the sun with his hand, he staggered forward.
His peripheral vision rapidly scanned his surroundings, but all he saw were rows of run-down, low-set wooden and tile houses, the bumpy dirt roads, livestock penned in wooden fences, stone mills, and wells.
Yet, he couldn’t see anything familiar from his memory: no cars, no electric lights, not even a telegraph pole.
Shadowy figures occasionally entered his line of sight.
These people wore drab burlap clothing, carried farming tools, and wore straw sandals, exuding a remote and ancient air.
“Ah…”
Someone saw Hu Ma and appeared even more frightened than him at this moment, panicking and scrambling away.
Whispers and mutterings entered Hu Ma’s ears: “Isn’t that the old lady’s grandson?”
“How is he still alive?”
“…”
The panic and unease within him surged.
He was afraid the eerie little girl would follow, more afraid the sinister old lady would suddenly appear.
Especially seeing the frightened crowd, as if someone turned their head to run off, seemingly to inform someone, he could only stagger forward, using all his strength.
Unknowingly, he didn’t know how far he had run, feeling his heart nearly jump out of his chest.
Where was he now?
He looked around at the sparse weeds and valleys, saw tall wooden fences ahead, and the deep, dense primeval forest.
Seemingly, he had run to the edge of the village?
Unwittingly, it had become dusk, the sky gradually darkening, the surroundings eerily silent. Due to the frantic escape, his body was extremely weak, his head dizzy.
His body felt as if it was filled with lead, barely able to move.
Just as he couldn’t help but stop, leaning on his knees gasping for air, he suddenly heard a rustling sound.
A vague, incomprehensible whisper, carried by the wind, entered his ears.
Though the content of the whisper was indiscernible, it inexplicably made Hu Ma’s hair stand on end. He instantly turned around, looking around alertly.
Around him were large patches of grass, and several old trees more robust than any he remembered from his previous life.
Following the direction of the whisper, Hu Ma’s gaze shifted, slowly focusing.
He saw the source of the sound, standing by a mound of grass, was a black goat.
Its yellow-brown horizontal pupils eerily stared at him.
Hu Ma stared back, wondering if the unnerving feeling and strange whispers were just his imagination.
Then suddenly, he saw the black goat slowly stand upright.
Like a human, it opened its front legs, standing only on its hind legs, still staring at Hu Ma.
The corners of its mouth even slowly curled into a creepy smile.
At that moment, Hu Ma felt his scalp tingle, involuntarily stumbling a few steps back.
“Gaga…”
Before he could understand, a strange laughter suddenly sounded nearby.
He swiftly turned his head and saw, not far off on an old branch, crouched a monkey-like creature.
No, not a monkey, but a person.
Naked, entirely an eerie white all over, yet unnaturally thin, with limbs significantly longer than an ordinary person’s, he squatted on the tree trunk like a monkey, his eyes a sinister blood-red, looking at him, excitedly cackling.
“Little brother…”
Before Hu Ma could panic, not far away came another sweet, sticky voice.
Turning his head, he saw the one calling him was a person, a very beautiful woman. She was almost entirely hidden in the grass, only her charming, attractive face visible, her lips slightly parted, emitting those enticing soft calls.
This voice seemed to have some magical power, making one unconsciously follow her call, stepping closer…
But Hu Ma only took one step before stopping.
He saw that lovely, enchanting head gradually extend out from the weeds.
Behind the head, startlingly, was a winding, dark red serpent body, scales scraping against the straw, rustling.
“What in the world is this?”
Hu Ma finally snapped awake, uncontrollable panic seizing his body, as if electrified.
The intense, unnerving feeling enveloped him, gasping for breath, vision darkening, his body about to collapse.
But at that moment, he suddenly heard a giggling voice: “Brother Hu Ma…”
“Don’t play around anymore, grandma is calling you home for dinner!”
“…”
At that instant, the eeriness vanished, Hu Ma finally exhaled a breath.
(End of Chapter)