sa

I discerned that the sound emanated from the rear of our group, most likely produced by the fellow at the tail. Those in the front also heard it. We retraced our steps, dispersing the mist as we proceeded backward. Amidst the thick fog, we observed the figure standing before the fellow. It was tall, tilting its head, unmistakably a human form, seemingly fixated on the fellow. I inhaled a cool breath, bewildered. When did this person appear? Was he following us all along?

Xiao He was between us. He removed the mountaineering clasp from his body, drew the short knife from behind his waist, and stealthily walked back. After observing for a moment, he stood up and beckoned us to come over.

We gathered around and discovered a skeleton tied to a tree. False alarm. Lao He went over, kicked the fellow, and scolded, "Haven't you seen a skeleton before? Why shout so loudly?"

The fellow rubbed his buttocks, looking disgruntled. "It's not my fault. Just now, as I was walking, it seemed like I heard someone talking behind me. I looked around and suddenly saw this guy here, giving me a fright."

"Nonsense. Who would be talking in these deep mountains and forests? Stop babbling, let's move quickly. Second Master and the others are still waiting."

I looked at the skeleton covered in intertwining vines. It must have been bound here while still alive. I wondered, "How could there be a dead person here?"

The old hunter came over, glanced at it, and then went back to leading the way. At the same time, he recounted the events that occurred in these mountains many years ago.

It was several years ago, around 1930, during the domestic revolutionary war. Several battles took place in the Wumeng Mountains. Due to the unfavorable position of our army at that time, the main forces scattered, and many small groups dispersed in these mountains to evade enemy encirclement.

Later, when the troops were summoned and reorganized, it was discovered that some squads were missing. It was speculated that they might have clashed with the enemy and sacrificed themselves. At that time, it was the rainy season, the valleys were deep, the mountains were steep, and the rugged roads made it too costly to return to search for them. They were more likely to get lost in the woods. The skeletons we found were probably left behind from that time.

But according to the old man himself, those people might have gone to places they shouldn't have.

I asked him, "Where are the places they shouldn't have gone?"

The old hunter suddenly stopped, didn't turn around, and said, "The place you are heading to now is where you shouldn't go."

We walked for another two hours, hastily ate a bit, rested on the spot for about an hour, and then continued on our way. As we walked, it seemed like we had crossed a low-lying area because the fog gradually thinned. Ahead, visible to the naked eye, a vast area of dilapidated buildings emerged—ruins. The old hunter led us there, informing us that we would camp there tonight.

Lao He wanted to continue the journey, but the old hunter insisted that we couldn't traverse the woods at night. His attitude was resolute, and Lao He had no choice but to give up.

We set up camp. Lao He and Xiao He pitched the tent, while the other two fellows took out solid fuel and smokeless stoves to prepare dinner. I helped the old hunter feed the mule. Looking at the remnants in the mountain, I asked the old hunter, "What was this place originally used for?"

The old man looked at me, sat on a nearby stone, took out a pipe, knocked it, picked the tobacco, and told me that this was originally the sacred altar of the Uman tribe.

As the old man's Chinese was very nonstandard and his tone was harsh, I found it challenging to understand. After communicating for a while, I roughly grasped his meaning.

In the Tang Dynasty, this area was home to a tribe called "Uman." Over time, they grew stronger and became known as the "Wumong Tribe," with the Wumong King as their ruler.

It was rumored that he was the incarnation of Satianba, with ten hands, and "Sa" was the altar of the Wumong tribe at that time.

Most of the old hunter's words were mixed with local legends, and I considered the credibility to be low. However, I had heard of this "Sa" because the Dong ethnic group still retained the custom of building a "Sa." The Dong people followed certain rules when constructing their villages, with a massive drum tower in the center. Residents surrounded the drum tower in concentric circles, and in front of the central drum tower, there was always a "Sa" used for worshiping spirits and seeking blessings.

In the glow of the setting sun, I approached the dilapidated building. The "Sa" had a considerable area, with a massive three-tiered circular stone platform in the center. Several curved stone pillars were distributed around it, resembling an upturned palm with fingers reaching upward. Four artificially carved stone stairs led to the top.

Around the altar were a dozen or so statues, but after hundreds of years of wind and rain, many statues were damaged, and most were blurred. Only one could still be somewhat identified. I shone my flashlight over, and to my surprise, it was a carving wearing a strange mask. The upper half was human, and the lower half was spherical. The carving was quite blurry, and only the outline could be used to judge, but I could affirm that it was not a human carving, possibly the totem of the tribe at that time.

Suddenly, I felt the urge to urinate. I walked to the stone carving, held the flashlight in my mouth, and was about to undo my trousers when faint sounds reached my ears. The sounds seemed like two people conversing, but I was startled. Ignoring the half-undone pants, I quickly used my left hand to grab the flashlight and swept it around, asking, "Who's there?"

However, all around were enormous dilapidated structures, with no signs of people. Yet, the sound was undoubtedly real. I knew I hadn't misheard. Feeling a bit stiff, deep in the mountains and forests, could it be haunted? I lowered the flashlight again, scanning, but found nothing. Just when I doubted if I was getting nervous for no reason, the sound resurfaced, this time from the direction of the ruined altar.

Instinctively, I used the flashlight to scan over, and the sound abruptly stopped. This time, I was certain I hadn't misheard. The tone was undoubtedly of two people conversing, but the sound was elusive, and I couldn't make out the conversation.

I swallowed my saliva, instinctively took a step back, as if something had grabbed my foot. Although I didn't step out, my body had already leaned backward. A stumble, and I quickly took another step back to stabilize myself, lowering my head to see that there were numerous vines under the stone carving. I hadn't noticed them when I first arrived, almost tripping over them.

I raised the flashlight again, swaying it toward the altar. There was indeed no one, but it was

 strange. I returned to the campsite.

Lao He asked why it took me so long to come back. As I explained the situation, before he could speak, the usually smiling fellow suddenly approached, quietly asking me, "Was the sound elusive, and you couldn't understand what they were saying?"

I was also surprised, looking at his nervous expression, nodding.

Lao He's eyebrows twitched, his expression darkened. He looked at Xiao He on the other side, and Xiao He didn't speak. Bending down, he drew his knife and stealthily traced back the path I had just taken.

Lao He moved his lips, seemingly saying, "Let's continue talking." The fellow who welcomed us in the village spoke, "I wonder if this mule can make it there."

Lao He took over, "The livestock in this village have good endurance; it's not a problem."

We all understood and absentmindedly engaged in various conversations. After about seven or eight minutes, Xiao He returned with his knife, shaking his head, "There are no signs of movement above."

Xiao He, once a reconnaissance soldier in a field army, joined his father's expedition after his service. He claimed there was no one following us, and we naturally believed him. However, it seemed peculiar—perhaps a mere rumor? The fellow and I exchanged glances, and Lao He approached as the old hunter walked over, whispering, "Regardless of whether someone is tailing us, exercise caution throughout this journey. Tonight, we two will take the first watch. Ensure the fire doesn't go out. I'll be with Shanmao in the first half of the night, and Liangzi with Xiao He in the second."

Liangzi is the cheerful fellow, and Shanmao was the one who welcomed us in the village. I spoke, "Lao He, you needn't keep watch tonight. You're not so young anymore. Shanmao and I will take care of it."

Seeing unanimous agreement, Lao He nodded. However, the old hunter added, "Don't gaze randomly at night."

That night, Shanmao and I, he looked at me, "If you're tired, go back to sleep. Nothing's amiss." I shook my head, informing him that I usually stayed up late. He didn't say much, tossing a large cigarette my way. I lit it from the campfire and began smoking.

We didn't have much in common, and our conversation was minimal. It continued this way until Liangzi and Xiao He came to take over in the second half of the night. Shanmao left the remaining half-pack of cigarettes for Liangzi and went back to sleep. Within minutes of entering the tent, Shanmao started snoring. Normally, I wouldn't be able to sleep with such noise, but today, after walking such a long distance, my body was genuinely fatigued. I dozed off, even with his snoring.

I slept vaguely, but it was comfortable. When I woke up, the surroundings were still pitch black. Glancing at the digital watch, I'd slept for about four hours. There were approximately two more hours until daybreak. Just as I was about to close my eyes, I suddenly sensed something amiss. Our two tents faced the campfire, and there was light above, so why was it dark now? Could Liangzi and the others have let the fire go out while sleeping? I thought, and then remembered Xiao He; he wouldn't be sleeping.

I was a bit more alert now, got up, put on my outerwear, and opened the tent to go outside. The campfire had extinguished, and it was the darkest moment before dawn. Coupled with towering ancient trees, their lush branches almost shrouded all the light. It was pitch black all around. Just as I was about to shout for the two of them, a sudden shadow appeared next to me, directly knocking me down. Every hair on my body stood on end instantly. I was about to scream for help when the shadow next to me spoke, "It's me, don't move."

In the midst of my punches and kicks, I suddenly quieted down because I recognized Liangzi's voice. He lay still in the grass, and I asked him what was going on. He made a hushing gesture and pointed not far away.

I followed Liangzi's direction and instantly felt my scalp tingling, my heart pounding. What was that?!

Our campsite was just in front of the building complex, and this area had almost no tall vegetation. It should have been cleared during the past years. So, the view outside was exceptionally clear. At this moment, in the middle of the outer vegetation surrounding us, a person stood straight there. It seemed like he was still wearing some tattered clothes. I could affirm there was absolutely no one in that direction before. In other words, that person had stealthily stood there while we were sleeping. Was he observing us?

Not far away, I saw Xiao He lying there. He was quite bold, obviously aware that the figure was suspicious, yet dared to approach alone. If it were me, I'd probably have wet my pants.

Xiao He slowly approached, and I estimated that the distance between them was probably less than ten meters. With his skill, a quick acceleration could have brought him right in front of the person. However, I noticed he slowly retreated. During this time, the figure remained standing, staring at our tents. Xiao He came back, glanced at me, his face looking somewhat strange, and whispered, "Everything's fine."

I noticed something was off with his complexion, but since he didn't say anything, I didn't ask. When I looked up again, the figure had disappeared, as if it had never been there. My chest thumped violently, as if it wanted to burst out. What on earth was that unclean thing!

The three of us returned to the front of the tent without reigniting the campfire. Xiao He took out a lantern from his backpack to keep us warm. I noticed he kept glancing towards the direction where the figure had been, feeling uneasy. At the same time, I observed that the backpack containing our rations seemed a bit deflated. Since I was the one who organized it before sleeping, I had some impression. There was less dry food inside.

I couldn't hold it back and wanted to ask what was going on when I saw Xiao He suddenly stiffen. He lowered his head, looking at the lantern, and whispered, "Don't turn around."