Chapter 6

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

The beast, gray and sleek, resembled a large dog but was agile, with a glossy coat. The fur on its neck stood up, and its long, wide mouth revealed a set of white, terrifying teeth. The village dogs in Longjialing couldn't compare to it. The creature suddenly rushed to a distance of about ten meters from us, crouching low with a pair of green, menacing eyes, and emitted a terrifying growl. Its body was taut like a coiled spring, ready to pounce at any moment.

My father, who was not particularly brave, wouldn't even dare to provoke a slightly aggressive dog in Longjialing, let alone a wolf. However, with his wife and children by his side, he had no choice but to steel himself, wielding a machete to shield us. My mother also held a machete and cried out, "Old Chen, Old Chen, what do we do? Should we hold them off so that Er Dan can run away?"

My mother was at a loss, and I was also terrified, hugging the little monkey on my shoulder, not knowing what to do. Just then, a low, menacing growl came from behind us. We instinctively turned our heads and saw two slightly smaller gray wolves emerge from our rear, blocking our escape route.

Before we could clearly see the two new wolves, a foul-smelling wind hit us from behind. I turned my head and saw the large gray wolf pounce directly in front of my father. My father, already on high alert, instinctively swung the machete at the black shadow. However, the wolf, a cunning creature, feinted the pounce and landed early. Seeing my father's swing miss, it immediately leaped and bit at me. Caught off guard, I was knocked down, and its foul-smelling mouth was almost at my face.

I fell to the ground, feeling the world become foul and stinky. I didn't even have time to block with my hands when I saw its white, sharp teeth about to bite my neck.

At that moment, the little monkey on my shoulder suddenly jumped onto the wolf's head and swiped at its eyes with its claws. Despite its small size, the monkey's claws were hard and managed to scratch the wolf's eyes. The wolf shook its head, and I temporarily escaped the danger of being bitten.

I quickly regained my senses and pushed the wolf's body. Despite its dog-like size, the wolf was incredibly heavy. Before I could push it off, it had already thrown the little monkey away and lowered its head to bite my neck again.

I was dazed by the stench, and at that moment, I truly felt the terror of death. I didn't even cry, my mind filled with the thought, "I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die..."

A sharp scream erupted like a gushing spring: "Ah, ah... Help!"

Just as the fear of death consumed me, and I was helpless and at a loss, I suddenly felt a lightness. The gray wolf that had been pressing down on me was lifted into the air and then fell to the ground with a thud.

As I regained my composure after the fear of death, I saw the gray wolf roll several times on the ground, then suddenly stand up, its body taut, and its foul-smelling mouth wide open. It howled at a slowly burning, flying yellow paper in the air: "Aa... oo..."

In response, a distant yet close, ancient and ethereal voice echoed in the air, as if from the sky or right beside my ear: "...If in the ghost temple, under the mountains, in the land of great plague, among the tombs, in the lairs of tigers and wolves, in the dens of snakes, one remains steadfast, all evil will be driven away..."

I was so terrified that my whole body was numb, but when I heard the ethereal voice, my heart suddenly became calm.

The wolf did not pounce again. Not only it, but the other two smaller wolves also ran to its side, growling and trembling.

A gentle breeze blew, and I noticed a stern-faced, sage-like old Taoist standing beside me, wearing a blue robe, with a bun on his head, gray temples, and neatly trimmed whiskers. His hands were exceptionally clean—long and white, more beautiful than a young woman's, like delicate sprouts, translucent and delicate.

My father, still shaken from the fight, became incredibly excited when he saw the old Taoist: "Master, Master, why are you here? Thank you for saving our lives!"

The old Taoist, with a serious face, reluctantly waved his hand: "I just happened to pass by and lent a hand. It's a small matter."

I watched the old Taoist and wondered if he was the old Taoist we were looking for in the mountains, given his appearance and my father's reaction.

My little head couldn't hold too many thoughts, but I was curious about how he had lifted the vicious beast and appeared so suddenly.

Was he that fast, without making a sound?

The old Taoist then glanced at the trembling wolves and said, "Go, what are you still doing here? Waiting for meat?"

The wolves, as if understanding human speech, whined, tucked their tails, and ran away as fast as they could.

Seeing the wolves run away, I panicked and grabbed the old Taoist's robe, shouting, "Hey, don't let them run away, kill them!"

The old Taoist looked at me with a serious expression and explained, "Heaven has a benevolent nature—every life in this world is unique and should be respected. If you can avoid killing, do so. This way, your hands and heart remain clean."

I looked at his clean hands and disagreed, saying, "If it's like you say, why did the wolf want to eat me?"

The old Taoist, whose face had been stern, smiled and said, "The wolf wanted to eat you because it's its nature. If it doesn't eat, it will starve. But if you kill it, it's out of hatred, not for survival. Killing out of hatred is the demonic nature in people's hearts. You must abandon it to live a peaceful and happy life, free from worries..."

I was confused, feeling that what the old Taoist said made some sense, but I couldn't quite grasp it. I didn't know what to say.

My father, seeing the wolves run away, felt a bit relieved and walked a few steps closer to the old Taoist, his eyes filled with excitement. He pointed at me and opened his mouth to speak.

However, before he could say anything, the old Taoist interrupted him with a gesture: "I know what you want to say and why you are here..."

He stroked his beard, his gaze piercing, and looked at me, saying, "This child has a dark forehead, surrounded by deathly aura, and is affected by water in the five elements... More importantly, he is destined to face eighteen calamities and will not live past eighteen years old!"