But when we arrived on the other side, all we saw was a massive silhouette, over two meters tall, pushing through the undergrowth and scrambling quickly up the mountain—we couldn't catch up.

Jie Yuting slid his blade back into its sheath, cursing, “Damn it, that monster’s strength is insane; we actually let it get away.”

We were all left speechless, watching the foliage churn near the summit, clearly indicating the thing had escaped over the peak.

After a moment of stunned silence, Gu Tianle called up from below, “Hurry and look! The monster’s hand is still here with me!”

Following that, our group crowded around the severed hand, chattering excitedly, though who knew what the creature thought upon seeing its loss.

First, we confirmed that the hand—flesh, skin, and bone—was indeed that of some kind of humanoid being.

Second, we discovered that its fingernails were directly connected to the bone, and the bone density was far greater than that of a normal animal, almost as hard as steel.

Examining the point where the arm was broken, we found a clear set of teeth marks. It was obvious the creature had bitten its own hand off, suggesting its teeth must be terrifyingly formidable.

The only surprise was that the monster’s blood was crimson red, just like human blood.

Our final conclusion, therefore, was that this was some form of humanoid animal.

As for whether it was the legendary Kuroda-dera entity, no one could say for certain; after all, people would rather believe it was an unknown animal than admit that actual yokai existed in this world.

We tossed the severed hand carelessly back into the woods and then set about forcing open the door of the building.

We then found that the interior was far from pristine, as it was covered in dust and draped with cobwebs.

We moved forward cautiously, sweeping our flashlights around the space.

We discovered the room was essentially empty, save for a statue of Monk Lei Yun standing precisely in the center, also heavily coated in dust.

Beside the statue of Monk Lei Yun, there was a wooden ladder leading up to the attic space in the roof.

Jie Yuting sent Old Third and Old Fourth up to check, and within moments, they let out gasps of surprise, tossing down numerous skulls of various animals and humans—some still retaining remnants of flesh—onto the floor below.

Every single skull had a clean hole drilled through the top of the cranium, the brain matter completely sucked dry, presenting a horrifying sight.

Daxiong, dodging the skulls that clattered near his feet, remarked, “Great! We’re really like Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West, having eliminated another great scourge for the common folk.”

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Nie Chuan and I spoke simultaneously, “Well done, Pigsy! Master will reward you when we get back.”

After saying it, we exchanged a look, feeling a touch embarrassed.

Daxiong snapped back irritably, “Damn it, don’t keep mimicking Nie Chuan! I feel like you’re turning into him.”

I was left speechless, unsure how to respond.

I had managed to keep up the act well at first, but a person’s true nature will always leak out over time; I wasn’t him, after all, and couldn’t pretend to be like him forever.

Thinking that, I suddenly felt that I might be exposed sooner than later.

As I was lost in thought, Jie Yuting beside me murmured, “I find this house deeply strange.”

Nie Chuan chimed in, “Agreed. The house is barren, containing only the statue of Monk Lei Yun. It doesn’t look like anyone ever lived here; it seems more like a place intentionally set up to raise monsters to kill people.”

Daxiong added, “You mean, this is another trap?”

Jie Yuting stroked his chin and asked, “How many types of yokai have we encountered so far?”

I quickly calculated, “If we count those moving Jizo statues, it should be three types.”

Jie Yuting nodded. “I think someone is trying to tell us that Japanese yokai are real.”

“What good does telling us that do? Are they trying to show off the profound depth of Japanese culture?” Old Fourth, Xie Tingfeng, asked.

Jie Yuting shook his head. “No, it’s a warning. A warning not to get close to…”

He didn't finish the sentence, instead turning his gaze toward the direction of the shrine.

We all followed his line of sight.

I suspected that everyone felt the same creeping anxiety that I did.

Seeing our silence, Jie Yuting shrugged. “Just kidding. Since we’re already here, what reason is there not to go in?”

Though he said that, we could all sense the apprehension lurking beneath his casual tone.

Because if the yokai of Japanese legend were truly real, then Kuroda-dera was just small fry; the figures in Japanese mythology like Susanoo or Yamata no Orochi were certainly not to be trifled with.

Thinking about it, I couldn't help but feel the story was veering unnervingly into Naruto territory, which made me want to groan.

The group walked silently toward the outer yard.

After only a few steps, Jie Yuting stopped again and pointed ahead. “Look, this small path doesn’t just lead to this one room.”

I looked and indeed, the path seemed to dead-end at the house. But when we rounded the yard to the area behind it, the path reappeared.

Jie Yuting glanced at me, then at Nie Chuan. “I highly doubt the monster from Kuroda-dera would bother visiting neighbors.”

I nodded in agreement. “This path must have been formed by long-term passage, either by people or animals.”

Daxiong’s face paled again. “Could this path be related to the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons? Did those spirits travel in droves here every night, carving out this trail?”

I glanced at him, then at Jie Yuting, and said nothing.

Jie Yuting checked his watch. “It’s eleven in the morning. We need to complete our task and leave this place before nightfall.”

I knew what Jie Yuting suggested was practically impossible; every time we entered a ruin, it took us three, five, sometimes even ten days.

Still, since he said it, we quietly quickened our pace.

A shrine is a temple-style structure, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is a temple.

When we reached the mountain where the shrine was located, we discovered that a complete, encircling moat had been constructed around the entire hill.

This moat was about five or six meters wide; the water inside had long dried up, but the depth was unfathomable.

Seeing this moat, I understood more clearly why shrines like this might have been shut down; this kind of structural design was on the scale of a royal citadel.

Only an organization possessing an army and weaponry would build fortifications like this for defense against external enemies.

Daxiong suggested we just climb down into the dry moat and scramble up the other side.

This was, admittedly, the most direct and simplest method, but it was fraught with unknown dangers.

No one knew what kind of monsters might have been kept in that bottomless moat, or whether they still lingered there.

Forget powerful yokai; even a few more creatures like the one from Kuroda-dera would be too much for us.

Jie Yuting’s plan was that every fortress must have a main gate. If we could find the gate, figure out how to lower the drawbridge, or locate the bridge itself, we could save ourselves a lot of trouble.

Naturally, we all found Jie Yuting’s approach more viable, meaning the usually assertive Daxiong once again found himself overruled.

Fortunately, the flat-topped mountain before us wasn't excessively large; even circling it would take less than three hours.

Moreover, there were numerous smaller paths connecting the area around the mountain, making the trek easier.

We moved forward, maintaining high alert. After every segment of distance covered, we left Old Third behind to set up simple traps—we proceeded cautiously, step by deliberate step.

Old Third refused to let us watch while he dug the traps, but under our persistent questioning, he finally revealed a secret.

Every trap he set was fitted with a rudimentary electronic sensor. If someone triggered it, the sensor would transmit a signal to his phone, allowing him to identify which trap had caught an enemy and its precise location.

I found this fascinating and was about to ask why he dug traps so quickly when his phone suddenly started beeping.

The group had been resting under a large tree, but at the sound, everyone immediately focused on him.

Old Third checked his phone, his face paling slightly. “It’s one of the traps I just buried. It’s less than a hundred meters from us.”

Jie Yuting immediately stood up upon hearing this. “Let’s go. Let’s see what we’ve caught.”