On the shore, the villagers in the stilt houses stared wide-eyed, completely clueless about what had happened or what was going on now. All they knew was that there had been a tremendous splash in the river, and a huge shadow had burst out of the water, nearly eating Luo Er.
One after another, villagers shouted and ran toward Luo Er, who lay on the shore. They checked his breathing. He was still alive, but unable to move.
A moment later, someone finally let out a scream.
"There's a river monster!"
Like a rooster crowing at dawn or a dog barking in the dead of night, that cry immediately drew a chorus of agreement.
"There's a river monster!"
"There's a monster in the river!"
"What a huge monster!"
The villagers shouted in alarm and hurried away from the shore, but they stopped at a distance to watch, seemingly both terrified and curious about the thing in the water.
More and more villagers from the ancient village heard the commotion and hurried over from their homes. Some checked on the young man lying on the ground, while others stared at the river, frightened and confused.
"The river's been peaceful for so many years. How could a river monster suddenly appear?" an old man asked.
"We don't know either. We only know that Luo Er was almost eaten! We don't know why, but he suddenly flew out of the water..." a horrified eyewitness replied, vividly recounting the crucial details. "You should've seen it! That monster was enormous! It burst out of the water right behind Luo Er, sending spray three stories high. It nearly bit him!"
"That's right, that's right! It happened right outside my house. I was inside with my wife... The spray almost came through the window. It scared me