Chapter 4

Mary choked, her face showing a worried expression as she said, "Mr. Zhang Lisheng, you still haven't realized what you've lost. When I worked with my mentor, I saw many people with experiences similar to yours. In the early stages of such events, they had attitudes similar to yours. The pain of losing a loved one isn't that simple. When necessary, you need to release your emotions, whether by running, shouting, or crying. Remember, being strong doesn't mean suppressing your feelings. If you need to talk in the future, you can call me or come find me. I'll be interning at this hospital for the next six months. My phone number is 139..."

"Thank you." Zhang Lisheng, clearly unaccustomed to excessive concern, nodded expressionlessly.

In this situation, Mary could only nod and leave the ward.

"Tsk, tsk, what a good doctor. I heard she studied at a foreign university and came to our mountain village for an internship as part of an international medical aid project. She's different, all right," Tao Lelin, who had been with Zhang Lisheng, praised Mary as he watched her leave. He then looked at Zhang Lisheng with concern and said, "Shanchong, are you okay? If you feel uncomfortable, just say so, and we'll treat you right away."

"I'm fine, Uncle Lelin. Just a bit sad, but I'll get through it," Zhang Lisheng said as he shakily got out of bed. "I don't want to stay here. Let's go home."

"The doctor said you need to stay for observation, and it's free. Dr. Mary caused quite a stir, and the county hospital is very nervous. You didn't see it, but even the deputy director came..." The middle-aged man tried to persuade Zhang Lisheng, but seeing his determined look and thinking about the hospital being the place where his father died, he sighed and changed his mind. "Alright, let's go."

The two quietly left the ward.

The hospital corridor was bustling with people—patients, inpatients, those picking up medication, and visitors—making it a headache, especially for Zhang Lisheng, who was still weak. He felt much better once they left the hospital building.

It was already evening, and the weather was cool. As they walked down the steps, Zhang Lisheng suddenly asked, "Uncle Lelin, is Ermu still waiting for us?"

"He's waiting, but Chunsheng and the other kids left after causing a commotion at the hospital. Shanchong, the traffic police have surveillance. Your father was hit by a taxi while crossing the road illegally. The responsibility is shared equally, but it's still a car hitting a pedestrian," the middle-aged man said in a low voice.

"Hmm."

"Coincidentally, the taxi that hit your father was carrying a foreign teacher from our village's middle school. I heard he's also hospitalized here."

In recent years, even the primary school in Guawo Village had been merged with the one in Shuiwan Village, which was closer to the town. The children had to walk several miles of mountain roads to school. Later, when a beautiful, unnamed canyon was discovered nearby, it became a major tourist attraction for the county and even the city. Suddenly, a Hope Primary School was built in the village, and the new site for the third middle school in Damu Town was also planned here.

After that, tourists no longer saw the strange sight of Guawo Village's students climbing mountains to go to school. The foreign teacher at the third middle school was a fifty-something American who had come to Guawo Village on a self-guided trip a few years ago. He fell in love with the beautiful natural scenery and decided to stay and become a volunteer teacher.

The Chinese, who value returning to their roots, couldn't understand the Western worldview of enjoying freedom in childhood, life in youth, struggle in young adulthood, family in middle age, and life in old age. They thought the American old man's choice was crazy.

"Was it Mr. Henry who took the taxi?" Zhang Lisheng asked in surprise.

"Yes. This foreigner, instead of living a good life with a car and a house, came to our poor mountain village to enjoy the scenery and ended up teaching. What's he after? If he hadn't come, this wouldn't have happened... Sigh, it's all fate."

The two talked as they reached the hospital entrance. The street was still bustling with traffic, and the increasing number of tourists had brought the concept of nightlife to this remote mountain town.

They bought a dozen tea eggs, a few bags of bread, and some purified water from a street vendor. Tao Lelin then took Zhang Lisheng back to the truck and hurriedly headed for Guawo Village.

Because of the many tourists, the night roads in the county were even more congested than during the day, but once they left the county, the road became quiet, and the truck's speed unconsciously increased.

"Ermu, you can't drive so fast. Slow down, slow down," the middle-aged man said, sitting in the passenger seat with Zhang Lisheng and peeling a tea egg to give him.

"Uncle Lelin, don't worry. I've been driving this route for years. Nothing will happen," the driver, Ermu, said nonchalantly, looking at the winding road with the headlights.

"Still, be careful," Zhang Lisheng mumbled, then turned to him and said, "Shanchong, when we get back to the village, you should stay at Uncle's house first. After your father's funeral, we'll think about what to do next. I'll go to the county police and civil affairs office tomorrow to find out where your mother is."

"My mother, Uncle Lelin, isn't my mother dead?" Zhang Lisheng's eyes widened in surprise.

"Your mother is still young. I saw her in the city a few years ago, and she looked younger than my wife. She couldn't have died. Your father was just lying to you," the middle-aged man sighed. "But she left when you were very young, and she was heartless. But think about it, no woman could stay with your father for long. It's a miracle that he found a wife and had you."

"Uncle Lelin, you can take care of me today, but not tomorrow. I need to go home and find my mother myself," Zhang Lisheng said, lowering his head and pausing for a moment. He then looked out the window at the dark forest and said firmly, "I appreciate your kindness, but I need to go home and find my mother myself."

The middle-aged man was taken aback and wanted to persuade him, but he saw the clear, slightly greenish eyes of the young man in the darkness and shuddered. He muttered, "You're truly a Zhang. This incident shows that you're a Zhang, indeed, very different."

The driver, Ermu, heard this and sneered.

The truck arrived at Guawo Village in the middle of the night. The entire village was quiet, with only the sounds of nocturnal insects and animals in the surrounding mountains.

Parking the truck at the village threshing ground, the driver turned off the lights and yawned, "We're here, Uncle Lelin."

"Ermu, you've been driving all day. Thank you," the middle-aged man patted the driver's shoulder.

"What are you talking about? We're all neighbors. If the tourism route really opens, you'll take care of me. I won't have wasted my day," the driver said with a smile.

"You're a good kid. I'll remember this. I just don't know if I can help as the deputy village chief," Tao Lelin said, smiling.

This made the driver very happy. Despite wanting to go home and sleep with his wife, he accompanied Tao Lelin and Zhang Lisheng all the way to Zhang Lisheng's house.

The old wooden door of the house was open, and the inside was pitch black under the moonlight, making one feel uneasy.

At the door, Zhang Lisheng bowed his head and said, "Thank you, Uncle Lelin and Brother Ermu."

"Don't say such formalities, kid. You really won't come back to Uncle's house?" the middle-aged man asked with concern.

The driver, also looking into the dark house, said absentmindedly, "Shanchong, if you don't go to Uncle Lelin's, why don't you come with me?"

Zhang Lisheng shook his head and said, "No, I can manage on my own." He then silently entered the old house and slowly closed the ancient peachwood door.

Outside, the middle-aged man sighed and walked home with the driver under the moonlight. Inside, under the moonlight, Zhang Lisheng's face showed a strange expression. He stood in the courtyard, took a deep breath, and suddenly made a strange sound: "Sss, sss, sss, sss..."

The sound was hoarse and low, like the mumbling of a madman, but it seemed to have a strange, soul-stealing power.

As the incantation began, the giant centipede that Zhang Lisheng had raised with his blood and essence emerged from the dark corner of the courtyard.

It saw its master and, without hesitation despite the previous rough handling, crawled toward him, ready to feed on blood.

It was already past the usual time for feeding, and the centipede was starving.

But as the centipede climbed onto his feet, Zhang Lisheng did not feed it. Instead, he recited the incantation in his mind, shouted "Seize!" loudly, and then, combining the ancient book's records with folk legends, bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of black blood.

The black blood mist fell in the moonlight.

The word "Seize" took half of the mysterious power surging in Zhang Lisheng's body, and after passing through his mouth and being amplified by a fleshy growth on his palate, it seemed to have a special magical power, making the bright moonlight tremble slightly.

The centipede, hearing the word "Seize," lost its spirit and, as Zhang Lisheng wished, leaped with its many legs, bathed in the black blood mist, and grew several inches under the moonlight. It then fell to the ground, unable to move.