The sky had long since darkened, and the forest, shrouded by trees, was devoid of any light. Only two torches held by sturdy servants illuminated the narrow surroundings.
“Damn it! We’ve been here before, so why can’t we find our way out this time?” cursed a young man in fine clothes.
Another youth, who resembled him slightly, nodded and said, “Something’s not right. We may have gone far, but we’re still within our usual hunting grounds. We shouldn’t be lost for so long. We must have encountered spirits.”
The eldest of the group, about two years older, who was leading the way and holding the horses, turned back with a scowl and scolded, “Enough talk about spirits! Wang Xian, Wang Jian, both of you shut up!”
Angered by his outburst, the two youths retorted. Already frustrated from being lost in the forest for so long, they were in no mood for an argument. They stood with hands on hips, glaring at the older youth. “Xie Daopu, why are you taking it out on us? Weren’t you the one leading the way? I think you’re the one who’s lost! How dare you get angry!”
Xie Daopu threw down the horse’s reins and stomped towards the two youths, cursing, “Which little brat insisted on chasing a fox so far, refusing to stop no matter how much we called? Didn’t I say we should head back earlier? Now we’re stuck here, and you two brothers are blaming me?”
The two brothers who had insisted on chasing the fox felt guilty upon hearing this. Their anger deflated, and they mumbled sheepishly, “We didn’t think… with so many of us, how could we get lost? Besides, we didn’t go that far…”
The group trapped in this forest consisted of four noble youths and over a dozen servants. They were all leading horses and carrying bows and arrows. Some horses carried freshly hunted game – a few hares, yellow sheep, and a gray fox.
As tension grew among the three youths, a fourth, with delicate features, remained silent, observing their surroundings and occasionally examining the path. Sensing the conflict, he finally spoke up, “Stop arguing. Something is indeed amiss.”
Hearing him speak, the three turned to him. Xie Daopu asked, “Wei Xi, what have you noticed?”
Wei Xi replied, “It’s too dark to see clearly, but I’ve spotted a familiar tree. I left some of my belongings as markers, and now I’ve seen them again. This means we’ve been going in circles.”
“Impossible!” Wang Xian exclaimed. “We’ve been walking straight through the forest. We can’t be going in circles. Besides, we have experienced horses and hunting dogs. They wouldn’t lead us astray.”
Xie Daopu nodded, “Indeed. Wei Xi, do you have any theories?”
Wei Xi nodded calmly, “This isn’t deep in the mountains. We shouldn’t be lost, yet we are. I believe something is trapping us here.”
Sensing his implication, the other three youths felt a chill run down their spines. People of their time believed in spirits and ghosts. Even these bold youths, usually fearless, felt afraid when faced with such mysterious circumstances. Wang Xian and his brother had harbored similar suspicions, and now that even the level-headed Wei Xi shared this view, they grew more frightened. They instinctively moved closer to Wei Xi and called for the servants to gather around and light more torches.
Wei Xi suggested, “We’re just trapped for now. We should be safe. Let’s clear an area to rest for the night. When dawn breaks, we’ll surely find our way out.”
Everyone agreed with his proposal. The servants quickly cleared a space, lit a small bonfire, and arranged the horses in a circle around them. The group sat on the ground.
The four hungry youths began roasting their game over the fire. As the aroma of cooking meat filled the air, the Wang brothers swallowed hard and exchanged worried glances. “Do you think Elder Sister Zhen will scold us for being out all night?” they asked anxiously.
Wei Xi sighed, “She certainly will, but let’s not worry about that now. We should rest and focus on finding our way back tomorrow.”
The group sat silently by the fire for a long while, gradually feeling drowsy. Many servants had already fallen asleep. Xie Daopu and Wei Xi were talking when they too began to feel unusually sleepy. Xie Daopu rubbed his eyes and mumbled, “Why am I so tired?”
Wei Xi glanced around and noticed that the Wang brothers were already fast asleep, and most of the servants on the outskirts were yawning. He sensed something was wrong. They had stayed out late before but never felt this drowsy.
He suddenly stood up, shook the Wang brothers awake, and shouted, “Everyone, stand up and stay alert!”
The servants startled awake, got to their feet. Confused, they instinctively huddled together, protecting the four young masters in the center. Wang Xian, still groggy, didn’t understand what was happening until Wei Xi pinched his arm hard, jolting him fully awake.
“What are you… Why did you pinch me…” He started to complain but quickly sensed the tension and fell silent, warily scanning their surroundings. The bonfire’s flames danced, casting flickering shadows on the dense forest, creating an illusion of countless shapes darting just beyond their vision. Suddenly, a faint, eerie laughter echoed through the woods.
The laughter sounded like a mix of a woman’s and a child’s voice. What should have been a clear, crisp sound became ethereal and elusive as it filtered through the trees. Along with the laughter came hushed whispers, as if many people were talking quietly nearby. But no matter how hard they listened, they couldn’t make out the words or pinpoint the direction. The sounds seemed to come from all around them.
Many servants gulped nervously, raising their torches higher in an attempt to drive away these unseen entities. But it was futile; the soft, scattered sounds continued to surround them.
The young nobles, except for Wei Xi, had turned pale. They might have been excited to face a tiger or a bear, eagerly drawing their bows to bring home a trophy. But this unknown presence filled them with fear.
Wei Xi appeared calm, but being just a teenager himself, he too felt uneasy. He began to regret not stopping the others earlier. If he couldn’t have prevented their reckless behavior, he should have at least informed Elder Sister Zhen and asked for her help. Why did he have to come along?
As everyone anxiously scanned their surroundings, the whispers and laughter suddenly ceased. This didn’t ease their tension; if anything, it made them even more nervous as they peered into the dark forest around them.
In the deathly silence, a figure slowly emerged from the trees.
The figure was tall and thin, carrying something in its hand. As they recognized the newcomer, the youths were stunned. Wei Xi was the first to speak in surprise, “Mister Mei?”
As he spoke, Wei Xi saw what Mei Zhuyu was holding. The thing’s neck was twisted, with dark blood dripping from the broken joint, emitting a strong, foul odor. It looked like a monkey but had two long tails and sharp black claws on its four limbs. Its face was unclear in the darkness, but it vaguely resembled… a human?
What is this? Wei Xi realized he had never seen such a creature before and took a step forward to get a better look.
Noticing his gaze, Mei Zhuyu threw the thing he was holding face-down into the bonfire and said, “This is a mountain yaoguai. The laughter you heard earlier came from it.”
“It’s late. Madam is waiting for you at the estate. Let’s head back and talk later.”
Perhaps because Mei Zhuyu’s blood-wiping appearance was too frightening, the four youths and their servants obediently followed him. They walked out of the small forest and saw over a dozen mounted knights and servants from the Duke of Yu’s household waiting for them. Only then did Wei Xi and the others completely relax. They had been worried that this ‘Mister Mei’ might be some kind of evil spirit.
Strangely enough, the forest that had trapped them, which they couldn’t escape no matter how hard they tried, took only a moment to exit when following Mei Zhuyu. After a short walk, they emerged from the woods and saw a sky full of stars.
“We’re out!” The Wang brothers, simple-minded as they were, were overjoyed. Xie Daopu glanced at Mei Zhuyu with some amazement before joining in the celebration of their escape. Only Wei Xi, recalling the strange creature thrown into the fire, began to form some suspicions. He looked at Mei Zhuyu differently now.
When they safely returned, Wu Zhen, as expected, scolded them while holding her belly. They all hung their heads in shame. Later, Wei Xi quietly asked Wu Zhen, “Elder Sister Zhen, is your husband… someone from beyond this world?”
Wu Zhen smiled mysteriously and said meaningfully, “He used to be a Daoist priest.”
Wei Xi nodded in understanding and remarked to Wu Zhen, “So Brother-in-law is such a powerful figure. No wonder you chose him, Elder Sister Zhen. It’s good to have him by your side. At least you won’t have to fear any evil spirits.”
The young man who spoke these words had no idea that his Elder Sister Zhen herself commanded countless so-called evil spirits.
Wei Xi must have shared something with his friends because the next day, Mei Zhuyu noticed that the youths who had previously ignored him were now stealing glances at him with a strange mix of awe and fear.
Wu Zhen, in a good mood, waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t mind them. Once we get them to the hunting grounds and let them hunt on their own, I’ll take you somewhere.”
Mei Zhuyu asked, “Where?”
Wu Zhen poked her husband’s waist with her riding crop, smiling mischievously. “Guess whether I’ll tell you now?”
Without needing to guess, Mei Zhuyu knew she wouldn’t. He shook his head resignedly.
Wu Zhen laughed, “You guessed right. I won’t!”
Wu Zhen had planned to send her young followers away so she could spend time alone with her husband. However, things didn’t go as planned. Shortly after arriving at their usual hunting grounds, they encountered another group.
At that moment, Mei Si was helping two youths and some servants drive a deer. Just as he was about to draw his bow, an arrow flew in from afar, piercing the deer’s neck.
Mei Si was instantly enraged. He shouted, “Didn’t you see we were hunting here? Which bastard dares to steal someone else’s game!”
A young nobleman riding a black horse, accompanied by several aristocratic youths and many servants, emerged from the forest.
Wu Zhen, hearing the commotion, arrived with her group. The two parties faced each other.
Upon seeing Wu Zhen, the black-horse rider who had stolen Mei Si’s prey smiled coldly, his tone strange as he said, “If it isn’t Second Lady Wu. It’s been a while. I heard you got married. Why aren’t you at home being a good wife and mother?”
Wu Zhen raised an eyebrow, looking him up and down. She put on a smile as if seeing an old friend and replied, “Oh, it’s the Marquis of Jiaoshan. I didn’t know you came to Chang’an this year. Had I known, I would have certainly paid a visit to your residence. I see you can ride and hunt now. Has your leg injury healed?”
Wu Zhen’s face was all smiles, her tone devoid of any anger. Yet her words nearly made the Marquis of Jiaoshan explode with rage, almost unable to resist the urge to charge over and kill her.