I shook my head and said, "There are no ghosts, at least none that I've ever seen. Those will-o'-the-wisps are just foxfire from human bones. Sometimes when graves are washed open by rain, the bones are exposed to the air and ignite."

Daxiong looked at me in disbelief, pointing at the glowing orbs down the mountain. "Then explain to me why those things are moving. Did the water wash the bones away?"

Faced with his question, I had no answer. In truth, I had pondered this myself, but had never found a solution.

After a moment of silence, Xie Tingfeng slapped his thigh and declared, "Who cares if they're ghosts or foxfire? Let's go take a look and find out."

"What if it's really a night parade of a hundred demons? I'm not going!" Daxiong chickened out upon hearing the word 'ghost.'

"Alright, stop arguing. When we get close, I'll send the drone up first to scout it out. If it really is ghosts, we'll wait for their illegal gathering to finish before we pass through," Xie Yuting said with some impatience.

With him saying that, we had nothing more to add.

Seeing we had no objections, Xie Yuting took the lead down the mountain.

We followed him down the slope, remaining extremely cautious all the way.

Conversation dwindled further along the path; perhaps what I had said on the summit had cast a psychological shadow over everyone.

We passed through a maple grove and found ourselves in a mountain ravine.

According to the map, our destination lay to the northeast. The fastest route required crossing the mountain ahead, but to evade surveillance, we had to proceed east through this ravine, then enter another one before we could cross.

And so, after checking our gear and taking a drink of water, we set off again.

Hoping to ease the tense atmosphere, I asked Xie Yuting, "Aren't you going to call Laosan back? Is it really alright to leave him so far behind?"

Before Xie Yuting could answer, a voice from beside me replied, "I’m back. Did you need me?"

I turned to see Laosan, who had been disguised as Yu Wenle.

Nie Chuan crowded closer, asking curiously, "Hey, what were you up to back there?"

Laosan dusted the dirt off his clothes and chuckled, "Nothing much, just fighting fire with fire."

His mysterious answer piqued my curiosity, but I figured I'd have to wait a while longer to get the real story.

Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking, Laosan’s phone buzzed.

He picked it up, glanced at the screen, and announced, "They've taken the bait!"

In contrast to Laosan's excitement, Xie Yuting frowned deeply. "Someone really was following us, and they moved that fast?"

Laosan shrugged. "It doesn't matter. What's coming will come. But having fallen into my trap, they definitely won't catch up anytime soon."

Daxiong finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Hey, what kind of trap did you set? Tell us about it."

Laosan simply shrugged again. "It's nothing. I just spent half an hour digging an underground labyrinth. The kind where once you fall in, you can never find the exit."

"A labyrinth in half an hour?" I stared, momentarily stunned. "How is that possible?"

Laosan didn't seem bothered and smiled. "I don't dig holes with a shovel. I have this."

He patted his backpack, from which a faint croaking sound emerged, like some kind of animal.

Hearing the noise, Daxiong insisted on seeing what was inside, but Xie Yuting stopped him, insisting they focus on moving forward.

We resumed our journey, heading due east through the ravine.

Fearing surveillance, we only used one flashlight, dimmed to its lowest setting.

Fortunately, I had already cultivated my night vision, allowing me to see clearly within a twenty to thirty-meter radius without any light source. Any slight disturbance would not escape my notice.

Walking east, the valley floor was covered in loose stones. Although there were tiny trickles of water, they were insufficient to wet our shoes.

Listening to the faint sound of running water and the chirping of insects, we had unconsciously covered about a li when we stopped.

No one spoke, so the surroundings were remarkably quiet.

Yet, the deeper the silence settled, the more restless I became.

Because I constantly felt that something in the forest on the mountainside was following us.

My vision extended further than theirs, allowing me to see the moving shadows on the slopes.

At first, I assumed they were just mountain monkeys.

But then I realized that monkeys that late would surely be asleep. Even if they were awake, seeing us outsiders, they would have fled, not trailed us like this.

Normally, if someone were following us persistently, I would immediately inform Xie Yuting.

This time, however, the things on the mountain couldn't possibly be human. Their height was less than thirty centimeters, and they moved in jerky hops, a gait totally unlike a normal person's.

They say Japan is full of yōkai, especially the mountain forests at night, which are said to be their playground.

I never used to believe it, but legends seldom arise from thin air. I suppose this country, Japan, must harbor things that defy rational understanding.

If I told everyone now that I saw things less than thirty centimeters tall bouncing along behind us, it would instantly cause widespread panic and make everyone even more uneasy.

Besides, they might just be woodland spirits curious about us. If they showed no malice, it would be best not to provoke them yet.

Lost in thought, we arrived at the junction where the two ravines met.

Right at that intersection, we spotted five black silhouettes, about half a person's height, standing on the gravel bank of the stream ahead.

These figures immediately aroused our suspicion, so Xie Yuting ordered the entire team to halt.

He then called me and Brother Guanxi to advance and investigate.

With the others watching our backs, our courage grew significantly.

We hopped across the stones on the riverbank, and the beam of our flashlight quickly illuminated one of the dark figures.

Then the three of us exchanged startled glances, because this time, it was another Jizo statue.

But after shining the light around, Xie Yuting said, "No, I don't think it's Jizo. Look at this thing's mouth."

We all turned our gaze to the statue's mouth. Although the overall form was very similar to Jizo, this statue's mouth was sharply pointed, like a bird's beak.

Furthermore, looking from the side, the thing appeared to have a tail like a bird.

Xie Yuting studied it, then pulled a piece of paper from his backpack—a simple sketch drawn in pencil.

Brother Guanxi and I leaned in to look. The paper held a crude pencil drawing of this bird-like figure.

Next to it were a few small characters: "Thunder Cloud Monk" (Raiun-sō).

Xie Yuting compared the drawing to the statue and stated, "That's right. This is the principal deity enshrined at the shrine we're heading to, called the Thunder Cloud Monk, or the Thunder God of Evil. Supposedly a deity that actually existed in Japanese history, descending with lightning, his true form something neither fully human nor avian."

Daxiong chimed in from the rear, "Are you sure this thing isn't Raisenji from the Fengshen Yanyi?"

Xie Yuting glared at him, signaling him to stop speaking nonsense, then turned back to us. "The shrine is still over ten li away, and we already have a statue of the Thunder Cloud Monk here. There must be danger ahead. We will camp here for the night and set off tomorrow."

We surveyed the surroundings. The terrain here was open, and the trees on both mountainsides were tall, ensuring surveillance equipment wouldn't capture our images—it was a perfect spot to set up camp.

However, setting up camp presented two concerns for me: the pursuers behind us, and those hopping things in the mountainside woods.

Xie Yuting seemed to read my anxiety. "Don't worry about the pursuers. Have Laosan dig a few more traps nearby, and we’ll catch them like turtles in a jar. It’ll be satisfying."

I nodded, giving him a look that suggested a sleepless night ahead, which made Xie Yuting speechless.

But since the decision to camp was made, and it was so late, no one else objected.

As everyone busied themselves setting up tents, I looked toward the mountain again and noticed that once we stopped moving, the activity in the woods also ceased.