I grabbed Fang Yanmeng with both hands simultaneously. "Yanmeng, wake up! Look, both my hands are perfectly fine. You must be too tired, and your mind is playing tricks on you."

Fang Yanmeng tentatively touched my arm and then my thigh with her trembling hands. Only then did she collapse into my embrace, sighing with relief. "Zhao Qian, I truly thought you had lost your legs and arms just now. I must have seen things clearly. You scared me half to death."

I gently stroked Fang Yanmeng's back. "It's true. The moonlight tonight is awfully dim, and nothing but strange things has happened these past few days. It’s not impossible for you to hallucinate. How about we call off the surveillance tonight and get some rest?"

Fang Yanmeng rested her head on my shoulder while her body remained in my arms, gazing up at the sky behind us. She looked puzzled. "There’s no moon tonight, so what do you mean by 'the moonlight is awfully dim'?"

I looked up at the night sky. Damn it! The moonlight was a bit faint, perhaps, but it was a massive object hanging in the sky; I wouldn't mistake it for a shaobing (baked flatbread). "What do you mean there's no moon? Look up properly. Besides, if there were no moonlight just now, how could you see my body so clearly?"

Fang Yanmeng suddenly realized. "Oh, that's right! I could see you clearly just now, as if it were daytime. Wait, Zhao Qian, look closely! There truly is no moon in the sky. But what is that floating up there? Is that peach blossom? But it’s not the right season for peach blossoms! It’s so beautiful! We should have Sister Chuchu bring her camera to capture it."

My head exploded, and every pore on my body went numb. Bad. Very bad. This cursed place really was strange. Was that not the moon in the sky? What was it then? Was it a shaobing made by Wu Dalang? Damn it, when did Wu Dalang start selling flatbread in the sky? Peach blossoms floating in the sky? And leek flowers for that matter! There was nothing there! Fang Yanmeng must be possessed!

I couldn't bear to stay in this damned place for another second. I scooped Fang Yanmeng into my arms and bolted down the path leading into the village on the right. We ran wildly and soon arrived at Zhao Fen’s doorstep.

Fang Yanmeng yelled in my arms, "Let me go, Zhao Qian! You’re bouncing me to death! I already threw up badly, and now I’m going to vomit again."

I set Fang Yanmeng down. "How is it now? Is there still no moon in the sky here? Are there still peach blossoms floating everywhere?"

Fang Yanmeng looked up. "Huh? Why is the moon out again? It really is dim, though. Zhao Qian, why are we back here? Weren't we going to follow the village head?"

Follow him? There were too many bizarre things here. Why was Li Tieniu going to the Zhang family's territory in the South Village in the middle of the night? It couldn't be for anything good. What was the deal with that peach tree? Peach trees are supposed to ward off evil spirits; why did Fang Yanmeng hallucinate after being near it? But the other girls seemed fine during the day. Even if there were hallucinations, why didn't I see peach blossoms filling the sky?

"Zhao Qian, come with me to the latrine. I've been holding it in for so long, I can't last any longer. It’s all your fault for dragging me out in the middle of the night to look at people’s legs..."

I dragged her? She was the one who dragged me!

"Ah!" A scream suddenly pierced the air from inside the room. Based on the sound, it had to be Xiao Chuchu!

Fang Yanmeng and I rushed to push open the door and enter Zhao Fen’s house. Fortunately, there was still one flashlight inside—the one Xiao Chuchu had brought. The one I brought was still lost at Li Tieniu's place...

We quickly lit the lamp. Xiao Chuchu was curled up in a corner of the earthen kang (heated brick bed), clutching her blanket and shivering violently. Zhao Fen and Zhao Fang were also awakened and rushed over to check on her.

I asked Xiao Chuchu, "What happened? Did you see something?"

Xiao Chuchu's gaze was unfocused, and she clutched her blanket, unable to speak. Seeing this, Fang Yanmeng jumped onto the bed and hugged her tightly. "Sister Chuchu, don't be afraid. Zhao Qian is here. If we weren't afraid of eating human flesh, why would we be afraid of a nightmare?"

Zhao Fen and Zhao Fang looked bewildered. "What eating human flesh? Sister Mengmeng must be talking in her sleep too."

This wasn't something that could be explained in a minute or two. It was better to ask Xiao Chuchu what happened first. "Chuchu, be brave. How can a reporter lack this much courage? Hurry up and tell everyone what happened."

Xiao Chuchu finally calmed herself down and began to recount, "I just had a dream..."

Just a dream scared her this much? That wasn't like her from last night, even when she was telling horror stories.

"This dream was so strange, so terrifying, and so real. At the start of the dream, I was supposedly still sleeping on this earthen kang, but suddenly my body felt weightless, and then I floated up, flying and flying until I reached the peach tree at the entrance of the village."

I interjected, "You investigated the photos during the day and formed a deep impression of the peach tree. It’s a case of 'what you think about by day, you dream of by night.' It’s nothing."

Xiao Chuchu insisted, "Listen to me finish. When I flew under that peach tree, it felt like I transformed into the tree itself, just standing there. I felt like I could see others, but they couldn't see me. Then, I saw the village head walk over. He inexplicably bowed to me, kowtowing. After bowing, he walked down the southern path into the village. Next, I saw Zhao Qian walking over furtively, carrying Mengmeng on his back..."

My entire body broke out in a cold sweat. Our actions—mine and Fang Yanmeng's—had appeared in Xiao Chuchu’s dream! And she just woke up, which meant these two events were happening simultaneously!

Fang Yanmeng started crying, hugging Xiao Chuchu when she heard this. "Sister Chuchu, stop! Stop talking! I’m even more scared than you are. Your dream is exactly what Zhao Qian and I just did! No wonder I kept feeling like a pair of eyes were watching us—could it have been your eyes?! It’s too terrifying here! We have to go, pack up right now, and never come back."

Zhao Fen and Zhao Fang couldn't understand what was happening and paced anxiously nearby. Though my hands were shaking violently, my inherent male nature forced me to stand firm.

"Don't panic, you two. Fenfen, Fangfang, don't worry either. We will explain everything step by step. Oh, right, lock the door first. Do we have any stones or wooden sticks to prop it up?" Honestly, I was terrified too.

Zhao Fen and Zhao Fang quickly locked the door as instructed. The five of us crowded onto the earthen kang. I said to Xiao Chuchu, "Keep talking."

Fang Yanmeng jumped into my embrace, apologizing to Zhao Fen on the way. "Sorry, Sister Fenfen, I need to borrow your husband for a moment. I am terribly scared."

Zhao Fen smiled and showed understanding, while Zhao Fang squeezed in beside her. Xiao Chuchu clearly wanted to stay closer to me too. Zhao Fen was already clinging to my arm. Ha! It turned out horror had its advantages. With four beauties in my arms, even if a real ghost showed up, I would fight it tooth and nail to demonstrate my manly strength.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Xiao Chuchu continued, "I dreamt that Zhao Qian was carrying Mengmeng. I heard Mengmeng saying on Zhao Qian's back, 'Zhao Qian, do you think this peach tree might be strange? I mean regarding the photos. I have a feeling something is hidden in this tree, like a pair of eyes is secretly watching us.' When I heard that, I was shocked. How did Mengmeng know I was secretly watching you? Because I was that peach tree at the time! Next, Zhao Qian walked around me in a circle, and then the terrifying thing happened: one of Zhao Qian’s legs and one arm suddenly vanished! At that moment, Mengmeng also saw this dreadful sight. She stammered in fright, thinking she had encountered a ghost. Then, the sky, which had a moon just moments before, suddenly darkened, and strange peach blossoms began to float everywhere..."

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