Journey to the West: The Immortal Clan Begins by Feeding Monkeys at Five Elements Mountain

Chapter 29 The Night Cries of Ten Thousand Beasts
Time flies, and half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Yi harvested the ten acres of autumn rice, dried it, and stored it in the granary. The golden fields were replaced by bean sprouts, and the field became clean and tidy.

In the past six months, my little girl Jiang Xi has been able to run a few steps, albeit unsteadily.

They would also utter phrases like "I want a hug" and "I want some fruit," their soft, sweet voice melting hearts.

That breathing technique had long since become second nature to me.

Even when sleeping soundly at night, each breath in and out has a somewhat long and drawn-out quality.

Now, she also receives a share of the medicinal meals and baths prepared at home.

However, Jiang Yi and Liu Xiulian were both extremely careful, and although the medicinal herbs were of good quality, they dared not use too much.

They were afraid that the medicine would have an adverse effect on the girl's body and cause some problems.

The village remains the same.

As soon as it gets light, hoes tap the ground, pots and pans sizzle, and wisps of smoke rise from the chimneys, as peaceful and steady as the villagers' nature.

However, this tranquility has recently been disturbed by some subtle ripples on the other side of the mountain.

It all comes down to that old story.

Two years ago, a tiger and a bear attacked people, causing widespread panic in Liangjie Village.

Since then, the hunters and herb gatherers in the village have only stayed in the shallow forest on the front mountain.

Hunting pheasants and rabbits, and gathering mushrooms and wild fruits, could barely earn a little income to supplement the family income.

But something's not quite right these past two months.

Several men who often went to the edge of the forest came back and clamored that they had seen some fresh animal tracks.

It was either footprints or urine stains, with a pungent, fishy smell, like that of a wild beast.

Some people even swore that they saw deep, frightening scratches on the tree bark.

These days, the mountains have been quiet for quite some time, and even stray dogs are a rare sight.

This sudden commotion today is naturally making people uneasy.

Time flew by, and the marks on the edge of the woods became more and more frequent.

It was no longer a fleeting glimpse of a fleeting figure; it seemed more like a bold individual trying to probe its depths.

It moved slowly and steadily, following the sparse bushes on the front of the mountain, its footprints becoming slightly deeper than before.

As more and more people in Liangjie Village witnessed the commotion, discussions grew increasingly varied, and the village's atmosphere split into two factions.

One side is overjoyed, the other is worried.

Those who were happy were mostly older hunters.

These past two years I've been idle, my bowstring is covered in dust, and the back of my blade is dull and rough. My heart has been burning with resentment for a long time.

Although some people say they've "retired from the world," when it comes to actually farming honestly, they scratch their heads and ears after half a day.

But the thought of sending them back to the deep mountains to fight tigers makes them hesitant.

Everyone remembers the year the tiger and bear caused trouble; the ancestral tablets are still placed in the ancestral hall.

Now, wild game from the mountains is coming to our doorstep, and it looks quite substantial, so naturally, we're green with envy.

One by one, they pulled out their most treasured hunting bows and knives, some oiling them, others sharpening their blades.

But some steady farmers, though they don't say it, have a heavy burden on their hearts.

They watched the beast's movements and felt uneasy.

Those things didn't seem to be wandering around randomly; rather, they crept in in a methodical way, as if marking out their territory.

At this rate, it will eventually grow so close to the edge of the village, or even encroach upon it.

"Who cares what kind of beast it is."

An old hunter rubbed his bowed back, his calloused hands gleaming, a slight smile playing at the corners of his eyes.

"Whether it's a tiger or a bear, as long as it dares to step into Two Realms Village, it's going to be meat!"

But before the old hunters could even draw their bows, something went wrong on the mountain.

The woman who got into trouble was Aunt Liu, a woman who was usually very adept at venturing into the woods.

She has a favorite spot, a damp, shady place on the front slope of the hill, where a cluster of fresh, tender mushrooms grows every now and then.

The place wasn't deep; she had been there dozens of times without ever making a mistake, leaving footprints on the path beneath her feet.

Who would have thought that this time they would run into a wolf.

It wasn't a stray dog, nor a weasel; it was a genuine grey-backed wolf, skinny to the bone, but with eerily bright eyes.

They met unexpectedly, and the aunt was bitten. Fortunately, the wound was not deep, and she managed to escape.

The wolf... it bit once, but didn't chase. Instead, it turned and ran away, faster than anyone else. Aunt Liu climbed back to the mountain pass, her face ashen. When she told the story, the village was in an uproar.

Even the loudest old hunters were silent this time.

He quietly put away his bow and arrows, and stopped sharpening his knife.

It's not that I'm afraid of wolves.

Normally, those small beasts wouldn't even have enough lives for them to take.

But it bit without chasing, as if it was calculating the consequences in its mind and knew when to advance and when to retreat.

This is different.

It is not a wild beast, but a spirit that has gained some spiritual insight.

Moreover, the incident two years ago where a tiger and bear attacked someone still sends chills down one's spine.

Someone calculated the two events and suddenly felt that something might have happened in the forest.

It wasn't just one or two wild beasts that had become strange; the entire atmosphere of the forest had changed.

If beasts were to gain intelligence, they would sooner or later become demons.

At that point, it wouldn't be a matter of "hunter" and "hunted".

Some of the timid ones, those with meager means, would secretly pack their bags when they felt uneasy.

Some asked relatives for help, others inquired about ways to move out of their ancestral home and try their luck elsewhere.

Two days passed in a state of panic. The sun couldn't even provide warmth, the dogs were listless, and the roosters stopped crowing.

Until that night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

Suddenly, a series of wolf howls and tiger roars erupted from the woods in front of the mountain.

At first, it was just a few distant cries, but in an instant, it became the wailing of ten thousand beasts in the night.

The howls of wolves, the roars of tigers, the cries of foxes, and the howls of bears mingled together in a chaotic mess, so loud that the mountains trembled and the clouds swirled.

The cries were shrill and mournful, sounding like wild beasts fighting to the death across the mountains, driven mad by pain and filled with bone-chilling hatred.

The roars continued unabated throughout the night.

Everyone in the village had their lights on, but no one was sleeping. They just huddled under their blankets, listening intently. Even the children didn't dare to cry.

At midnight, Jiang Yi could smell the fishy stench even across several mountain gullies, as if the blood had been soaked in the wind and was blowing into the village from the treetops.

As soon as it was light, it came true.

The mountain wind blows, and from the village entrance to the field ends, there is an overwhelming, pungent smell of blood that makes people want to vomit.

Several young men, usually quite daring, quietly teamed up, took hunting knives and clubs, and cautiously made their way up the mountain.

A short while later, someone came running back, tumbling and crawling, carrying half a blood-stained wolf carcass on their shoulder.

He ran home while shouting:

"The mountain... the mountain is full of dead bodies, all of them wild animal carcasses!"

Others followed behind, their faces pale, but they held the wild boar tightly in their arms.

Seeing this, the villagers, who didn't believe in superstitions, also stepped into the woods.

Only after walking a long way did I realize that what that person said was absolutely true.

Starting from the front of the mountain, looking along the edge of the forest deeper into the forest, one sees corpses strewn everywhere.

There were tigers, wolves, leopards, wild boars, foxes, rabbits, and even a few hedgehogs, big and small, nothing was missing.

Blood seeped into the soil, staining the ground red, and the leaves in the forest smelled of blood, as if they had been fumigated.

Their deaths varied; some had their abdomens ruptured and intestines spilling out, while others had their limbs twisted and turned, but all died swiftly and cleanly.

Next comes the bustling season of "collecting mountain goods".

The villagers who used to guard their homes were now envious when they saw the Zuo family carrying a small wild boar and the You family bringing back two spotted raccoons.

This is a free gift from heaven; its fur, bones, and muscles can all be sold for money. After pickling and smoking it, it can even last through the winter.

So they disregarded their fear and every household was filled with noise and chatter.

With children in tow, knives in hand, and ropes in hand, they rushed up the mountain like they were going to a fair, their faces no longer showing any fear.

Jiang Yi stood at the entrance of the village.

Watching the eldest sister of the Niu family, who usually covered her eyes when killing chickens, carrying a shiny fox in each hand, walking briskly with a smile on her lips, I saw her descend the mountain.

This calmed down the eager Jiang Ming, telling him to stay home and look after his younger sister. Then he turned and went up the mountain with Liu Xiulian.

(End of this chapter)