Chapter 10 The Invisible Zone

The fields were neatly divided, with crops shining bright from root to leaf and grain, resembling golden ornaments, particularly striking against the dark mountains, shrouded in mystery. Those present were captivated by Feng Yi'an's words; such a strange sight in the dense night fog of the mountains? "Who is plowing?" Xu Yueping asked. Feng Yi'an shook his head, saying that the lost patroller had stumbled upon it and had not dared to approach. They reported it immediately, and high-ranking officials came, but they could not find it again. Liu Laotou, aged over seventy, sighed, "The night is boundless, and there are too many unknowns between the deep mountains and marshes. The vast uninhabited areas are extremely dangerous; even if the lord of the distant city comes, it is hard to go deep into them." "Grandpa Liu, have you encountered any strange occurrences too?" Qin Ming asked. Liu Laotou nodded, revealing a look of reminiscence, "Not just in the wilderness, even near our dwelling there have been oddities." Back then, he was still a teenager, flying kites with friends at the village entrance, only to find the string sticky when reeling it in, discovering that there was blood on the kite. "Right at the entrance of our village?" Yang Yongqing was shocked and could not help but look towards the night sky outside the window. After hesitating, Qin Ming said, "Could it be that birds were injured and crashed into the kite?" "Maybe, but when my grandfather saw the bloody kite string back then, his expression changed immediately, and he told me to keep it to myself. Decades have passed since then." Liu Laotou said. Such occurrences happening at one's doorstep always made one feel uneasy. Xu Yueping said, "Let Brother Feng speak more about the matters in the mountains." "Have you heard of the beast mourning the grave?" Feng Yi'an mentioned cautiously, with reverence, his expression very complex. "What kind of grave is it mourning?" someone asked, as they had walked in the mountains for years but had never encountered such a thing. Feng Yi'an replied, "Beast grave." "Do wild beasts also practice burial?" Xu Yueping was astonished. Feng Yi'an nodded, "The uninhabited area covered in night fog is awe-inspiring; anything strange can happen there." That day, the old leader of the patrolling team noticed abnormalities in the mountains, fearing that a mysterious being might further transform and cause chaos, and quietly approached. "The old leader wanted to obtain first-hand information and see what kind of 'strange insect' or 'famous beast' was evolving, for our side to prepare for prevention and precise counterattack." Because, after many mutations, these beings each possessed different abilities, and to deal with them, one needed to prepare various measures and means. The old leader suddenly realized on the way that the abnormal noise was actually crying, but he did not stop, and then saw a white-furred old beast sobbing at the grave during the night, which was quite eerie. Feng Yi'an said, "That dilapidated earthen grave has existed for at least a thousand years, as the ancient cypress sprouting from the grave has lived for at least a millennium." The old leader saw the white-furred mountain beast bowing as if in human homage, and there was even light rain falling near the grave, illuminating the dark forest. Then, more raptors descended from the night sky, and creatures emerged from the marshes, all following to pay their respects. Saying this, Feng Yi'an paused. "What happened next?" someone urged. Feng Yi'an said, "The old leader took the risk to approach closer, wanting to see the true form of the white-furred mountain beast, planning to return and check records to prepare targeted defenses." The white-furred old beast bowed its head, shed tears, and then inexplicably began to mutate; crying at the grave seemed to be a mysterious ritual that elevated its life level. The old leader quietly retreated, but on the way, he began to cough up blood, and his whole body itched; although he returned alive and reported what he saw, he ended up dying from decaying flesh. "A large number of people were dispatched above, and a fierce battle occurred in the mountains. It is said that fortunately, the message was relayed in time; otherwise, once the white-furred old beast fully developed, a great disaster would ensue." Everyone felt heavy-hearted; while the area outside the mountains was relatively peaceful, there were hidden truths in unseen places, with people silently guarding the mountains and killing. Liu Laotou, with white hair and a face full of wrinkles, sighed, "There are not just one or two people like the old leader. A close friend I made when I was young used to guard the mountains year-round, preventing dangerous anomalies; in the end, he grew old, and I don't know if he died in the mountains, as he never appeared again." Feng Yi'an nodded, saying, "Most of the members of our patrolling team have suffered serious injuries, and some are unable to end well, leaving no bones behind." He took the old leader's master as an example, saying, "Back then, that old senior was exceptionally skilled and highly respected; he had already been honorably retired due to losing an arm, yet upon hearing that dangerous mountain monsters appeared, fearing that the younger generation could not withstand it, he stopped others from going to their deaths and dragged his own body to confront them." In that battle, although the old leader's master severely injured the mountain monster, he also perished tragically, leaving behind a large pool of blood and only half a blade. "That old senior's greatest wish in life was to be buried outside the mountains, alongside his deceased wife and children, yet his wish became empty; his soul cannot return, lost in the dark mountains." Feng Yi'an shook his head and sighed. The old man's wife and children had died early due to the chaos caused by mountain monsters, and since then, he had never remarried. The patrolling team took back his bloodied broken blade and buried it by his wife and children's grave. Hearing this, Qin Ming found that the spicy old wine had lost its flavor and fell into silence. Feng Yi'an, feeling down, said, "In the end, the patrollers, aside from the injured, the dead, and the madmen, have all fallen into the mountains, eating bloody, fur-covered raw meat like wild beasts, turning into utter monsters. Alas, we still do not know what our fate will be; perhaps the mountains are our final resting place." The atmosphere at the wine table was somewhat gloomy; now that there were changes in the mountains, perhaps a sweep was imminent, and no one knew what would happen next. Feng Yi'an took a gulp of the wine in his cup and said, "Brother Xu, I'll trouble you to bury the seeds." He solemnly took out a wooden box from his pocket, opening it to reveal four black seeds, about the size of kidney beans. Xu Yueping was taken aback, saying, "We have to plant them in winter?" Feng Yi'an’s expression was grave, saying, "Now soak them in the fire spring to nourish them, and they will flourish in early spring. This time, the patrolling team will definitely be at the forefront in the battle, and some brothers’ lives are likely starting a countdown; even if they survive, they may be severely injured, and we do not know if we can wait for the 'Black Moon' to grow. This is a life-saving herb for many; old Xu, you must take it to heart!" The Black Moon takes root in the fire spring, with leaves like orchids, and after the full buds bloom, each petal resembles a black crescent moon, scattering dark light and swirling white mist. Feng Yi'an wiped a bit of wine from his beard, stood up, and bid farewell, saying, "Thank you for your hospitality, Brother Xu. If we can return alive after the sweep, let’s gather again." "Brother Feng is highly skilled; he will surely turn misfortune into fortune," Xu Yueping said. The people present accompanied Feng Yi'an to the village entrance, watching him disappear into the night. "The harvest is poor; the patrolling team is considerate, only sending four seeds, which can withstand the spirit extracted from the fire spring," someone said. Patrollers not only monitor dangers in the mountains but also guard them, with various places willing to plant life-saving herbs for them, showing no reluctance. According to the agreement, each village must provide four to eight Black Moon plants each year; with only four, the impact on the crops in the fire fields is not that great. The people present dispersed. Liu Laotou had not left yet, staring at the four black seeds, saying, "They really grew them." As Qin Ming was leaving, he noticed Xu Yueping seemed to be preoccupied with something. ...... The streets were filled with more people, all carrying bows and hunting forks, preparing to enter the mountains. Yesterday, they had inquired in detail about the situation in the mountains from Qin Ming, and today they began to take action. Mainly, their food supplies were running low. "Great haul, we hunted two horned deer!" A group of people returned with good news, having had a bountiful harvest. "Currently, the external areas of the forest have calmed down; as long as we don't go deep, we can hunt cautiously." The next day, more people entered the mountains in groups, bringing back quite a bit of game. Many children cheered, unafraid of the cold, exhaling white mist as they ran around the streets, making the village atmosphere noticeably better. "Uncle, come to my house for a taste; we’re having deer meat today," Wen Rui happily called out to Qin Ming. Qin Ming had eaten wild game before, and as he walked out of Lu Ze's house, he happened to see Xu Yueping returning from the village entrance with a frown. "Uncle Xu, are you sending someone off?" "Yeah, the patrollers came and urged me to bury the Black Moon seeds," Xu Yueping said. Qin Ming felt that being a patroller was indeed not easy; facing various dangers, one might get injured or even die at any moment. He noticed Xu Yueping was preoccupied, his brow furrowed, so he did not say much. That day, when the last batch of people returned from the mountains, it caused a stir because most were injured, bloodied, and had lost their game. "That was close; we encountered a mutated snow ape, and Old Chen's arm nearly got torn off." The villagers who returned were still shaken. "Fortunately, we drove it off with bows and arrows; we managed to escape." They felt they had been too reckless this time by going too deep into the mountains and vowed not to be so careless next time. The heavy night fog dispersed, a new day arrived; although some people were injured yesterday, it did not scare off others because there were new survivors following along. However, it wasn't long before one group returned, many of them bloodied, and the new survivor was the most severely injured. His left shoulder blade was shattered, one leg bent unnaturally, his chest caved in, and he was spitting blood, uncertain if he would survive. "What happened?" "We encountered a blood bear!" someone said, lips trembling. Blood bears are powerful mutated creatures, with fur as red as blood, violent and fierce; even a new survivor might not survive an encounter with one. "Where's Brother Lu?" Qin Ming quickly rushed over to the neighboring yard. "He went into the mountains." Liang Wanqing, after knowing the situation, immediately became anxious. "I’ll go find him!" Qin Ming turned and left. Xu Yueping, realizing that there was still a group of people missing, immediately became anxious and called for all new survivors to enter the mountains together. Qin Ming ran at the front, snow billowing on both sides, startling Xu Yueping, who was closest to him, while the others had already been left far behind. As they approached the forest, Qin Ming stopped because a group of people was staggering out. He saw Lu Ze being carried out. "Brother Lu!" he rushed over. Lu Ze’s face was ashen, eyes closed, clothes tattered and stained with blood, his chest and abdomen heavily injured, with at least three broken ribs. Nearby, there were cries; two heavily injured people who had been carried back had already passed away. "Did the blood bear injure you?" Qin Ming asked. Someone, still frightened, said, "Yes, if the patrollers hadn't shown up, we might have lost many more lives." Qin Ming stared into the dark forest, drawing out his bright short knife. Xu Yueping arrived and stopped him, saying, "Don't take risks; we need to go back first!" Liang Wanqing, seeing Lu Ze being carried back, turned pale and stumbled over, with two children crying loudly. "Sister-in-law, Brother Lu just fainted," Qin Ming said. He had checked carefully and found that Lu Ze's broken ribs had not pierced any internal organs; after reconnecting and treating the wounds, the situation was not too serious. Many people were injured this time, and on the street, the sounds of crying from the elderly and children could be heard. The atmosphere in the village was oppressive, and Xu Yueping ordered that no one was allowed to enter the mountains from now on. Qin Ming walked into Xu Yueping's yard and found Liu Laotou and Yang Yongqing there as well. "Do you want to go kill the blood bear?" Xu Yueping asked in the house. Qin Ming's voice was not loud, saying, "Although Lu Ze has wounds left by bear claws, the broken ribs seem more like they were punched off." "If you have that feeling, it’s most likely man-made," Xu Yueping suddenly stood up, showing anger, saying, "Some people are going too far!" Qin Ming had sensed something and had some guesses. Ever since Xu Yueping obtained the four seeds, he had been preoccupied. "Why?" Qin Ming asked, guessing it was one thing but finding it hard to accept. Xu Yueping's voice was low: "The patrolling team forced me to bury the Black Moon seeds immediately; I didn't agree, and I didn't expect them to retaliate like this." Liu Laotou said, "There’s something wrong with the seeds; they are likely mutated and will absorb a lot of the fire spring’s spirit, affecting the farming in the fire fields, potentially leading to famine next year." Qin Ming's emotions were unsettled; seeing the bearded Feng Yi'an speak so boldly and recount part of the tragic history of patrollers, evoking feelings, yet he ended up doing such things. Yang Yongqing said, "What Feng Yi'an mentioned is all true, but it has nothing to do with the main members of this group!" Qin Ming recalled his previous words: some patrollers are very responsible. At that time, he felt Yang Yongqing seemed to imply that some were very irresponsible, expressing it quite subtly. Liu Laotou lowered his voice: "This group has hunted blood bears; I seriously suspect that someone is wearing that bear skin to do evil." Upon hearing this, a surge of anger rose in Qin Ming's heart. Patrollers should guard the mountains and protect the area, earning respect; yet what are they doing? On the surface, they are generous and responsible, but secretly they are doing evil, their hands stained with the blood of villagers. What happened to their former conscience? "Is Brother Xu at home?" Feng Yi'an led four patrollers into the yard. "It’s all our fault; we failed to protect the villagers this time," the bearded Feng Yi'an said with a guilty expression, stating they would immediately pursue the blood bear. Xu Yueping's fingers in his sleeves turned white from clenching, yet he couldn't explode and had to maintain his composure. He felt extremely uncomfortable; the other party came to apologize after killing, as if looking down from their position, smiling and mocking. Qin Ming sat quietly, temporarily suppressing the urge to draw his knife.