The Unexplained White Mist

Ma Tian felt a bit uncomfortable. In that split second, he had looked into those snake eyes and felt something was strange, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong.

Yang Cheng was dismissive. "What's so strange about that? It's normal to see a few snakes in the deep mountains and old forests. They aren't pythons or anything, so why make such a fuss?"

No one else paid much mind to encountering the snake, except for Hu Xiaocao, who was standing nearby. The dim light in her eyes flickered back to life.

It's Grandpa Mountain God!

Grandpa Mountain God really heard my call and came to save me!

Seeing that they had rested enough, everyone prepared to set off again. They didn't plan to stay there for long.

Yang Cheng threatened fiercely, "If you dare to make a sound, I'll break your legs and cut out your tongue, then leave you on the street to beg."

They hadn't brought much anesthetic, so they wanted to save what they could.

Whether it was his threat that worked, Hu Xiaocao really quieted down and didn't scream at the top of her lungs.

Or perhaps she was just tired and resigned to her fate.

Seeing Hu Xiaocao's compliance, Yang Cheng nodded in satisfaction. "That's good. Cooperate with us, and you'll suffer less yourself. Otherwise, you'll be the one to blame in the end."

The four of them walked up the mountain path together, with Hu Xiaocao in tow. They tied her up with a rope, like leading livestock.

Now that the anesthetic had worn off, Hu Xiaocao could walk on her own, which saved them some effort.

As the sun began to set, the crescent moon overhead seemed to shine a little brighter. The last rays of the setting sun cast a golden glow over the lush mountain forest.

Half of the mountain was shrouded in darkness, while the other half struggled in the light. Light and shadow intertwined, but nightfall was inevitable.

At some point, a faint mist began to rise, spreading through the mountains. It wasn't obvious, so Yang Cheng and the others didn't notice anything.

It wasn't until the mist shallowly covered their feet that it became visible to the naked eye.

Yang Cheng frowned, looking at the faint white mist around them. He found it strange. "Why is there fog out of nowhere? We need to pick up the pace."

The mountain path was already difficult to navigate. If the fog got thicker, they wouldn't be able to see anything, and that would be troublesome. They hadn't brought any equipment and didn't want to spend the night in the mountains.

Ma Tian immediately pushed Hu Xiaocao. "Are you starving? Why are you walking so slowly! Hurry up, or I'll hit you."

Hu Xiaocao, caught off guard, stumbled and fell to the ground. Her hands and knees were scraped, and bright red blood welled up.

She bit her lip, enduring the pain, and refused to cry. Hu Xiaocao scrambled to her feet.

Xiaocao is the strongest. Xiaocao won't cry. Besides, Grandpa Mountain God is right here. He'll come to save Xiaocao soon.

Hearing this, Ma Tian felt a surge of inexplicable anger. For some reason, a pair of cold snake eyes flashed in his mind. He spat to the side.

"Screw your damn Mountain God. You think this white mist was made by the Mountain God?"

"Let me tell you! We uncles don't believe in that. Don't think you can scare us like this!"

Ma Tian even deliberately tugged hard on the rope in his hand. If Hu Xiaocao hadn't been prepared this time, she would have fallen hard again.

By now, the sunset had dipped significantly, and the light filtering through the mountains had become weaker.

Ink-black colors began to spread across the sky, encroaching on the remaining light. The crescent moon seemed to become more prominent.

The white mist diffused, making the surrounding scenery appear blurry, as if veiled in white gauze. Yang Cheng and Ma Tian grew anxious and quickened their pace through the forest.

However, what they feared most was precisely what happened.

In just a moment, the white mist thickened, swallowing all surrounding scenery, making it impossible to see anything in the distance.

Tree shadows were enveloped by the white mist, leaving only their rough outlines. From afar, they looked like black giants, menacingly watching them.

Everything in sight was a vast expanse of white. It was only upon approaching that things became clear, causing even more panic and confusion.

What's more, they still hadn't found their way out.

Yang Cheng's heart sank to the bottom. "Judging by this situation, we might have lost our way."

Although they had scouted the area, this was their first time here, and the fog obstructing their vision made it easy to get lost.

The others were taken aback and grew anxious. "What do we do now? Are we really going to spend the night here?"

"We can't spend the night. It's too dangerous."

Yang Cheng took out his flashlight. This powerful flashlight could normally illuminate a long distance, but due to the dense fog, it could only emit a faint glow.

The flashlight's beam slightly dispelled the panic in their hearts.

The sky had completely plunged into darkness. As the last trace of light was swallowed by the darkness, the night unfurled its black wings and made its grand entrance.

Looking at the darkening surroundings, Yang Cheng looked up at the sky. The bright moon offered him a sliver of comfort.

If the weather had been overcast, their mood would have been even worse.

He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt the moon tonight was brighter than usual.

Hu Xiaocao also looked at the moon overhead, her eyes growing brighter, as if she could ignore the pain from her fall.

The first time I saw Grandpa Mountain God, it seemed to be a moon like this.

Hearing her nonsensical words, Ma Tian felt even more uncomfortable. He took a closer look and noticed a hint of imperceptible panic. He rolled up his sleeves and walked towards her menacingly.

"Did you just ignore everything I said? You're spouting nonsense, and it's really depressing."

Just as a fist the size of a sandpot was about to fall, it was stopped by Liu Siming, the skinny guy in the group.

"She's just an ignorant little brat. Why get angry with her? If you have this much free time, you might as well focus on finding a way out. If you knock her out, we'll have to carry her."

There was some sense to what he said. Ma Tian lowered his fist and said unhappily, "You little brat, you better watch yourself. Once I get out of this mountain forest, I'll deal with you!"

Yang Cheng, standing nearby, waved to them. "Come here for a second."

He looked at the compass in his hand and carefully double-checked it. "If we head southeast, we should be able to reach the foot of the mountain."

He put the compass back into his pocket.

No one noticed that the compass needle, which had been still, began to tremble wildly, as if disturbed by some unknown magnetic field.

Finally, unable to withstand the force, it stopped completely in one position.

Yang Cheng and Ma Tian, oblivious to this, slowly walked deeper into the mist.

The vast white mist, like a giant beast from the void, opened its bloody maw, waiting for them to step in, and then slowly swallowed Ma Tian and his group.