This was a common mountain terrain formation, essentially a mountain crevice with a small opening but a larger interior like a jar. It wasn’t deep, less than two meters, and one could climb out using both hands and feet.

The crevice opening was probably covered by densely grown moss, almost completely concealed. For hikers, the danger level would be rated “mild to moderate”—you think you’re on solid ground, but suddenly your foot meets space, and down you go.

However, it was a good place to shelter from the rain. Since the heavy downpour couldn’t penetrate in such a short time, and the dense vegetation at the opening meant rainwater essentially “rolled over” the surface, Luo Ren called to Mu Dai, and they opened their rain jackets, using branches to secure them in the mud at the crevice opening, creating a simple rain shelter.

On the other side, Yi Wansan mocked Cao Yanhua: “That scream was hair-raising! What a scaredy-cat you are, Cao Fatty. We’ve been through so much together.”

Yan Hongsha held back her laughter, helping Cao Yanhua brush the wet mud off his body.

Cao Yanhua rolled his eyes: “I was just caught off guard, okay? I was rolling down, then fell and was a bit dazed. When I opened my eyes, the dog’s face was right in front of me. It was dark below, I couldn’t see clearly, and it looked like it was about to pounce on me. What’s wrong with screaming?”

Luo Ren shined his flashlight and walked toward the corner, crouching in front of a dog statue that was half-exposed from the ground.

No wonder Cao Yanhua was frightened. The dog was half-buried in the corner mud at an angle, as if ready to pounce. Perhaps due to its age, the dog’s head and body were covered with densely growing moss, which made it look extremely bizarre at first glance. Not to mention, insects were crawling in and out of the moss, occasionally causing parts of the dog’s body to move. In the dim light, it truly looked alive.

Cao Yanhua and the others gathered around, and several flashlight beams made the dog appear ghastly white all over.

“Little Luo Ge?”

Luo Ren said, “Dig it out. This stone statue has something special about it.”

This was a burial mountain, so a dog statue couldn’t appear out of nowhere—if it was a tomb guardian, there were many divine beasts in funeral culture.

He suddenly thought of something: “You all start digging. I’ll go up and take a look.”

He stood up, lifted a corner of the rain shelter, and with one push of his hand and a step of his foot, jumped back to the surface nimbly and quickly.

The digging wasn’t difficult. Because of their previous grave-fixing experience, they had brought a folding military shovel in their backpack when entering the mountains. After Cao Yanhua dug just a few shovelfuls, the stone statue loosened. It turned out the statue was connected to a base. He and Yi Wansan worked together to move the stone statue to a different spot.

Just as they finished relocating it, Luo Ren came back down, already soaked through in this short time. He said: “There’s a joint burial tomb for Tao Shangxian and Tao Wei-shi not far from here. It’s very likely that this ‘Tao Wei-shi’ is the Miss Wei from the water shadow.”

However, there wasn’t much information. The tombstone had the approximate burial time carved on it, with the characters “Xuantong Seventh Year.”

Xuantong Seventh Year—that was the late Qing Dynasty, Emperor Puyi’s reign title. By that time, China was already facing internal troubles and external threats, in a precarious situation.

As they were talking, Mu Dai suddenly exclaimed, crouching down to examine the base carefully, then vigorously rubbing it with her hand: “There are characters on this base!”

Indeed, there were characters, small carved ones with shallow engravings that had been buried in soil. Luo Ren looked up at the rain shelter, called Cao Yanhua and Yi Wansan to help, and they moved the dog statue to the edge. Then they lowered one end of the rain shelter, allowing accumulated rainwater to flow down like tap water, quickly washing the base clean.

Next, they tilted the base at an angle against the edge, found a suitable position in the crevice to place the flashlight—this way, when the light shone across at an angle, it created shadows that made the characters easier to read.

Everyone could see clearly that the first two characters were “Righteous Dog.”

Cao Yanhua was shocked, stammering: “Th-that dog, it’s a righteous dog?”

Luo Ren smiled faintly: “Let’s finish reading first.”

This was an inscription written by a scholar, not long, using very economical language.

Mixing classical and vernacular Chinese, the translation was that close friend Tao Shangxian had married the daughter of Old Master Wei. The couple respected each other like guests, intending to grow old together. Unexpectedly, disaster struck—their house caught fire, and the poor couple both died in the flames. Even more tragic was that Tao Wei-shi was pregnant, so it was counted as two bodies but three lives lost.

Then the narrative shifted to talk about this dog.

It was written with great praise and endless compliments, saying that Tao Wei-shi was kind-hearted and had adopted a stray dog before her marriage. This dog was quite intelligent, guarding the home and protecting its masters with unwavering loyalty.

After Tao Wei-shi married into the Tao family, the dog was originally supposed to stay at Old Master Wei’s private school, but it followed her to the Tao residence, waiting pitifully at the gate. So Tao Shangxian decided to keep the dog at the Tao residence.

Reading this, Yan Hongsha said angrily: “Isn’t this like letting a wolf into the house?”

Next came the disaster. The fire was so intense that “neighbors couldn’t save them.” The Tao family servants scattered, but only that dog lingered on the ruins for days, digging out Tao Wei-shi’s bracelet from the fire site, whimpering and shedding tears.

At that time, the entire town was moved, praising that since the beginning of time, such a loyal dog was rarely seen. So this dog became the town’s “Righteous Dog.” Someone specially built a dog house for it, instructing children not to beat or scold it. Every day it was fed good meals. When the Tao couple was buried, the townspeople even pooled money to hire a stonemason to carve a statue, placing it by the tomb, symbolizing a righteous dog keeping vigil.

Cao Yanhua was so angry he was practically steaming from his head: “So it lived well for the rest of its life? It was the one who set the fire and killed people!”

Yi Wansan laughed coldly: “Isn’t this just like the fourth Ominous Bamboo Slip? What the eyes see can deceive people. The entire town was fooled, and for so many years, the Tao couple must be turning in their graves.”

The end of the inscription stated that perhaps the righteous dog moved heaven, as it lived far longer than ordinary domestic dogs. People even discussed burying it beside the Tao couple after their death.

But no one expected that one day, the dog would silently disappear. Later, a hunter from the mountains said he had seen it near Longevity Stone in the mountains, though it was unclear if this was true.

Such a bizarre story was worth recording, so later, the townspeople specially invited a stone carver to add this account to the base of the statue.

Luo Ren noted that the additional inscription was made around 1920, more than ten years after the Tao couple’s death.

After reading the inscription, everyone took a deep breath, not out of relief, but feeling they had exhaled all the absurdity, ridiculousness, and incredulity, yet with a sense of helplessness.

“Righteous Dog”—truly an insult to the word “righteous.”

Luo Ren said, “The Tao couple’s grave is not far above. Unlike a tomb, the statue would have been placed shallowly, with its base not very deep. Later, when the stone carver came to add the inscription—I’m guessing after several heavy rains and washouts, maybe even a lightning strike, it turned over and fell into this crevice.”

It was also luck. Thanks to Cao Yanhua’s fall, otherwise, the hidden crevice would not have been easy to find. Even if they had found the Tao couple’s tomb, they might not have gotten much information.

Yi Wansan had an impression of this Longevity Stone.

“That day at the front desk, I picked up a tourist flyer for Tong County. It listed many ‘essential’ attractions. Longevity Stone is in a branch of Yao Mountain, in another direction, some distance from here—about ten to twenty li. It can be connected to a tourist route with some Yellow River attractions.”

Yan Hongsha couldn’t understand: “Why would it leave the town where it had food, drink, and people to bury it properly?”

Mu Dai said, “It had a guilty conscience. Who knows what would happen after death? Its body appeared to be a dog on the outside, but inside it probably had a human form. What if the people preparing the body noticed and connected all the suspicious events? By then, forget burial—chopping it up wouldn’t be enough to satisfy their anger.”

Yi Wansan added: “Also, a dog living too long isn’t good—as its fame grew, what if one day it attracted researchers? Its secret could easily be exposed.”

Luo Ren nodded, his finger half-bent, tapping on the characters “Longevity Stone” in the inscription.

“We should visit this place. The literate dog left Long Town, probably preparing for its afterlife. Deep down, it was still human, and even in death, it wanted a secure place to be buried.”

Finally, they had a breakthrough.

It was already evening. Going to Longevity Stone, traveling back and forth, plus exploration, would be difficult, so they decided to return to Tong County first.

On the way back, they were jubilant. Luo Ren joked that they were blessed by Hongsha’s birthday, and also by Cao Fatty’s pivotal fall.

They returned to the hotel just as darkness was falling. This was the earliest they had “finished work” in days. Luo Ren asked if they wanted to eat together, but Cao Yanhua said, “Let’s have free time. We’re tired of always being together.”

He had planned with Yi Wansan to look for a good birthday gift for Yan Hongsha.

This left Yan Hongsha in an awkward position. The only ones left were Mu Dai and Luo Ren. If she joined them, she’d be a third wheel, but if not, she’d be all alone, which felt dull.

Luo Ren read her mind and smiled: “You can go shopping with Mu Dai. I’ve been driving for the past couple of days and am quite tired. I need to rest and recharge.”

Yan Hongsha couldn’t hide her little scheme and immediately smiled.

So in a flash, everyone in the room went their separate ways. Mu Dai and Yan Hongsha walked arm in arm, just like ordinary best friends, whispering, giggling, and laughing as they left the elevator. When they reached the lobby, Mu Dai patted her pocket and realized she had forgotten her phone.

She asked Yan Hongsha to wait and ran back up to get it.

She swiped her card to enter the room, grabbed her phone, and as she was leaving, heard Luo Ren ask: “Who’s back?”

Mu Dai said, “It’s me, getting my phone.”

The bathroom door was partially open, with the sound of running water. Through the gap, she vaguely saw him standing by the sink. Mu Dai pushed the door open, saying: “You rest well…”

The words stuck in her throat. Luo Ren stood by the sink, likely because he had been rained on in the mountains, with his upper body bare, bent down to splash water on his face. Scattered water droplets flowed down his bronze-colored back.

He had several new knife wounds on his back. The others were shallow, but the deepest one ran diagonally from his left shoulder, cutting across his entire back.

Mu Dai stared, suddenly feeling a lump in her throat.

Luo Ren straightened up, took a towel to wipe his face, and halfway through, sensed something wasn’t right. Looking at her eyes through the mirror, he smiled: “What, feeling sorry for me?”

Mu Dai didn’t know why, but she nodded.

Luo Ren put down the towel, turned to look at her, and said: “Come here.”

Mu Dai closed the door and went to Luo Ren’s side. He smiled at her, his hand caressing down her back to her buttocks, then with one arm across, he lifted her firmly and sat her on the sink counter.

Then he leaned toward her.

Mu Dai uncomfortably leaned back. Beneath her was the sink counter, cold, with splashed water. Behind her was the mirror, faithfully reflecting everything in the room, though she couldn’t see it.

Luo Ren took her hand and pressed it to his abs, then slowly moved it upward, stopping at his left shoulder.

His muscles were firm, not very noticeable when clothed, but hard to the touch, completely different from her softness.

Luo Ren said, “Little girl, I’ve suffered quite a bit at your hands.”

His gaze fell obliquely on his shoulder: “Here, the first time we met, you hit me hard.”

Yes, that’s right.

At that time, he was pretending to buy fruit and borrowed a pen and paper from the vendor to write his number for her: “But miss, if you want a chance to get to know me, my name is Luo Ren, and you can call this number anytime…”

Mu Dai laughed, softly admitting: “Actually, that collision hurt me quite a bit too.”

Luo Ren lowered his head, gently biting her lip—a slight pain, like a delicate punishment. Then he took her hand again, tracing diagonally down to below his ribs.

“Here, in that small grove, during our fight, you struck me with your elbow. It nearly broke.”

Mu Dai couldn’t help laughing: “You had a knife at my throat.”

She gestured with her hand, completely justified.

Luo Ren blew gently on the spot she pointed to, tickling and tingling.

“I couldn’t bear to break even a bit of your skin, but do you know how many days I was bruised here? I couldn’t even lie on it while sleeping—it hurt when pressed. Those nights, I thought of you a lot. Just turning over unconsciously would wake me with a jolt of pain.”

Mu Dai felt embarrassed.

Using elbows was taught by Plum Flower Ninth Maiden, who said: “Mu Dai, the force in your fists is like decorative martial arts, barely a scratch. When you punch, it’s like a tickle to others, but your hands get hurt, which is a pity.”

She taught her to use two joints—elbows and knees—which became lethal weapons that could break bones when used.

At that time, she wanted to break his bones.

She stammered: “If I had known we would become… our people, I wouldn’t have done that. What did you think about me? Did you curse me?”

Luo Ren moved close to her lips, very near but not touching, and said: “I thought then, this little girl better not fall into my hands, or I’ll spend a lifetime getting revenge.”

With a note of regret: “Who knew you’d be like a startled deer in the forest, rushing right in.”

As he spoke, he slightly loosened his grip and asked: “Do you want to leave? It’s not too late.”

Mu Dai’s eyes darted around, and she said: “Yes.”

She put her hands on the counter, about to slip down, but her waist was suddenly gripped, and Luo Ren pulled her back, saying: “Too late.”

He lowered his head and kissed her forcefully, more like a bite. Mu Dai was very flustered, her hands slipping on the foamy water, unable to find support. Once, her hand almost slipped into the sink. In her confusion, she grabbed the faucet, and with a splash, the water pressure reached maximum.

Cold water droplets sprayed out, landing on one side of her face and neck. Even though the water vapor was increasing, the air seemed to grow increasingly dry…

Yan Hongsha’s voice came from outside: “Luo Ren, are you taking a shower? Has Mu Dai been back? She said she was coming back for her phone.”

This was truly unexpected. Mu Dai was so frightened that her heart almost stopped.

Luo Ren raised his head, winked at her as if laughing at her excessive nervousness.

He said, “She came up, got her phone, and went back down. She should be looking for you.”

As he spoke, he turned the faucet down a bit.

Yan Hongsha was puzzled: “I didn’t see her. This Mu Dai… I’ll call her phone and ask.”

Phone… phone… phone?

Mu Dai’s gaze suddenly fell on the phone beside her. Her scalp tingled as she grabbed it, not knowing what to do. Seeing water in the sink, her first reaction was to throw it in.

Luo Ren intercepted it, and the moment the phone changed hands, Mu Dai saw the screen suddenly light up.

That was… an incoming call. No time to turn it off.

It’s over…

So embarrassing. Mu Dai closed her eyes in frustration.

Instead of the expected ringtone, she heard a soft sound of something falling into water.

Instinctively looking, the phone was still in Luo Ren’s hand, but the phone’s back panel was between his two fingers, and below, the phone’s back cover was floating on the water in the sink, drifting like a small boat.

The door sounded. Yan Hongsha left, muttering.

Mu Dai let out a breath of relief, softly collapsing on the sink counter. Luo Ren lifted her down, pressed the back panel back, fished out the phone cover, wiped it on his pants, and reattached it.

He handed it back to her, saying: “Return to Hongsha, don’t neglect the birthday girl past her prime.”

Mu Dai took it, still somewhat dazed, patting her chest as she walked toward the door. Luo Ren reminded her, “Why not check through the peephole first? What if Hongsha is right outside?”

That’s true. Mu Dai felt quite foolish today.

Finally confirming it was safe, as she opened the door to leave, Luo Ren suddenly called out: “Hey.”

Mu Dai looked back.

“You’re welcome, no need to thank me. I’ve disassembled guns in nine seconds, one-handed.”

When they returned that night, everyone had had a lively time shopping. Mu Dai and Yan Hongsha had basically eaten their way through the town, while Cao Yanhua and Yi Wansan had found nothing, complaining to Luo Ren.

—Small town, really nothing good to buy. Bringing something back would be insulting to my Sister Hongsha…

So they washed up and rested, with the Longevity Stone trip scheduled for the next day.

While washing up, it was strange—every time the faucet ran high, Mu Dai’s heart would race. In bed, she tossed and turned for a long time before falling asleep.

At the end of the night, she had a dream.

She knew it was a dream because the beginning was identical to that night—fog rising in the hotel room, and in the mist, seven thin, strange shadows whispering to each other.

—Hide away, hide away.

—She won’t suspect it.

Why wouldn’t I “suspect”? Where is it hidden? On which person? Is it someone familiar?

Mu Dai suddenly became angry. In the dream, she gritted her teeth and rushed into the thick fog.

Those shadows scattered in flight, as if frightened by their secret being discovered.

Stumbling around, she suddenly saw a figure appear before her.

A man’s silhouette, tall and straight. That outline—she could trace it with her eyes closed.

Mu Dai’s heart tightened, and she abruptly stopped.

She slowly backed away.

Not you, it can’t be you.