Chapter Two: The Ghost Arrives

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Hearing these words, Shao Qiu dared not do anything. He simply sat in the pitch-dark room, watching the relentless rain pouring outside. Shao Qiu, of course, had parents, but at this moment, they had abandoned him in anger, deeming him useless, and had gone somewhere unknown, leaving behind only this dilapidated house.

By the flickering kerosene lamp, Shao Qiu sat propping his cheek on his palm, deep in thought. Would the sky clear tomorrow? If it did, should he go up the mountain to gather some firewood?

On this night of torrential rain, suddenly a voice of scolding and crying pierced the air. Who was scolding a child at this hour? Why punish a child on such a stormy night? Shao Qiu didn’t understand, nor did he want to; he was only concerned with his own affairs—why bother with others’ troubles?

“I’ll beat you to death. Let’s see if you dare do bad things with others again!” came a voice from outside, cold and lonely amidst the storm, sending chills down one’s spine.

“It’s not because I wanted to, it was that old cripple who wanted to do it with me. I didn’t want to, but he insisted!” replied a young girl, known as Xiaohua.

“You damned wretch, ruining the family’s honor, how will you face others? If I don’t beat you to death today, I’ll never be a mother again!” an old woman screamed fiercely. Her voice echoed unpleasantly through the deserted village, so unbearable that Shao Qiu could barely bear it. He wanted to go out and intervene, but he knew well that living peacefully in this barren village meant never involving oneself in such matters.

Fortunately, it was late at night, and aside from Shao Qiu, no one else heard these words. People generally believed that speaking of such misfortune would only bring more, so they rarely voiced such things aloud.

The sounds of the scolding and crying gradually faded away. In the broken house, Shao Qiu sat on a worn-out chair, listening to the little river in front of the door rushing eastward, almost as if nothing was left behind on this earth.

“Stop watching. I have to go to the mountain tomorrow to gather firewood. If it rains again, what will I use to make fire?” Shao Qiu said to himself.

Days passed endlessly. In this timeless existence, life scarcely resembled life at all.

One day, rumors spread that a ghost had come from beyond the desert, and at night it roared deafeningly, terrifying the villagers who didn’t know how to face such a dreadful presence.

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This damned ghost roamed ceaselessly through the deserted village. Wherever it went, many perished, and no one dared to retaliate, for the ghost was said to hold grudges. So the people endured in silence — what else could they do?

“You all fear this ghost, but I don’t. Let it come and cause me trouble. I’ll make it lose its teeth!” declared a dark-skinned man, known as Hei Xiong, or Black Bear, a name reflective of his ebony complexion. After speaking, he hoisted a round stone, seemingly weighing over a thousand pounds, yet he carriedI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.