The Whispers in the Streets and Alleys

After the martial arts hall expanded its enrollment, life suddenly became much livelier.

As soon as he arrived at the training ground in the morning, Chen Mo found that the spaces beside several wooden posts that had once stood empty were already packed with people.

Some rushed to seize a spot after finishing a round of practice, some simply hugged the wooden posts and refused to let go, while several new apprentices stood nearby arguing over who should go first.

"Make way, make way!"

Zhao Chuan squeezed out of the crowd, sweat already beading on his forehead.

"You finally made it. If you'd come any later, you wouldn't even get to touch a wooden post."

Chen Mo glanced at him.

"Didn't you used to complain that the posts hurt your hands?"

"There were fewer people back then."

Zhao Chuan said it as if it were only right.

"Now that I can't get one, of course I have to cherish it."

Chen Mo chuckled and found a slightly less crowded spot.

Just as he was about to practice his punches, someone beside him suddenly said:

"Have you heard? Something happened out west again."

"In the mountains again?"

"Yeah."

Those people lowered their voices.

"Two days ago, a hunter went into the mountains. When he came back, he could barely lift one of his arms."

"Bitten by a wolf?"

"No idea. They said he saw something, and after he came back, he didn't say a single word."

Another person curled his lip.

"Don't scare yourselves. Didn't the authorities put up notices? There have just been more wild beasts in the mountains lately."

Chen Mo's movements paused.

Zhao Chuan had heard it too.

"Something happened again?"

Seeing him lean over, those people became even more animated.

Some said it was wolves.

Some said it was wild boars.

Others claimed an old tiger that had become a spirit had appeared in the mountains.

The more they spoke, the more outrageous it became.

After listening for a while, Chen Mo could not help saying:

"If you keep going, the mountains will be packed full of monsters."

Everyone immediately burst out laughing.

Zhao Chuan laughed as well.

"Exactly."

But after laughing, Chen Mo still glanced westward.

Nothing could be seen there.

It was just that there seemed to be more and more of these reports lately.

He did not dwell on it and continued practicing his punches.

Morning training proceeded as usual.

It was just that with so many people, many things had become troublesome.

Before, after finishing practice, one only had to step aside to find somewhere to rest.

Now, even sitting down required finding a spot.

By lunchtime, a line had even formed outside the dining hall.

Zhao Chuan carried his bowl and squeezed over beside Chen Mo.

"There are way too many people."

"Didn't you say yesterday that the martial arts hall was flourishing?"

"Flourishing is flourishing."

Zhao Chuan lowered his head to look at the food in his bowl.

"But I never said it would flourish to the point where we'd have to fight for a mouthful of food."

Chen Mo laughed.

After eating, the two returned to the training ground.

By the end of the day, Chen Mo felt that the martial arts hall had become much noisier than before.

But what truly stayed with him were the reports coming from town.

When the hall closed for the day, he slung his things over his back and prepared to go home.

Not long after leaving the martial arts hall, the commotion on the streets told him that something was wrong.

At this hour, Qinghe Town's streets were usually lively, but there were never this many people gathered together talking.

Today was different.

Several tables at the tea stall ahead were occupied.

Every table was discussing the same thing.

Chen Mo stepped closer and heard someone say:

"That cow died in a really strange way."

"Whose was it?"

"The Wang Family's, on the east side."

"Didn't they say it ate something unclean?"

"What kind of coincidence is that? It was a perfectly healthy cow. It was still eating grass in the morning, then collapsed in the afternoon."

Another person lowered his voice.

"Its belly was covered in wounds."

"Not a wild beast?"

"Don't know."

An old man nearby interjected.

"Something from the mountains must have come out."

Someone immediately picked up the thread.

"Then people had better keep a close eye on their livestock lately."

As Chen Mo passed the tea stall, his steps slowed upon hearing this.

The cow was dead.

And it had been wounded.

Further ahead was the town entrance.

Several people stood there talking.

"Have you heard about Old Zhou, the herbalist?"

"What happened?"

"He went into the mountains to gather herbs and still hasn't come back."

"They haven't found him?"

"No."

Someone sighed.

"He probably ran into a wild beast."

After those words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

Chen Mo did not linger for long.

He continued toward home.

Along the way, he heard more and more similar reports.

Someone's sheep had gone missing.

Someone had found torn animal hides at the foot of the mountain.

And hunters had fled from the mountains covered in wounds.

Everyone told a different version.

But one thing grew increasingly consistent.

The mountains had indeed become more dangerous lately than before.

When Chen Mo reached the street corner, he saw a constable posting a notice on the wall.

Several people had gathered beside him.

Chen Mo stopped as well.

The constable clapped his hands.

"Read this carefully."

"Wild beasts have multiplied in the mountains recently, and there have been frequent incidents of people being injured."

"The authorities warn all households: unless absolutely necessary, do not venture deep into the mountains, and do not enter the mountains alone."

Someone asked:

"What about those missing people?"

The constable frowned.

"The wild beasts in the mountains have gone mad. No one can say what happened if something went wrong."

"Anyway, be careful."

After saying that, he left with another constable.

Someone in the crowd nodded.

"If the authorities say so, then it should just be wild beasts."

"Right."

"As long as we don't go into the mountains, we should be fine."

Others merely frowned and said nothing.

Chen Mo stood before the notice for a while.

Wild beasts gone mad.

Those four words did sound quite reasonable.

But for some reason, he felt that something was off.

He could not put it into words.

As for evidence, he had none at all.

If he truly had to give a reason, he could only think of that wolf from over a month ago.

That wolf, so thin it barely looked like a wolf.

And the old wounds on its body.

Chen Mo stood there for a moment before finally turning away.

Forget it. Maybe he really was overthinking it.

At least for now, these matters were still far from his own family.

By the time he returned home, the sky had already darkened somewhat.

The moment Chen Huan heard the door, she immediately ran out of the house.

"Brother, you're back?"

"Yeah."

Chen Mo set down his things.

"How has your schoolwork been lately?"

"I haven't been slacking off."

Chen Huan snorted.

"Mother even praised me."

"That's good."

Chen Mo smiled and rubbed her head.

At the dinner table, their father brought up the recent events in the mountains.

"For the time being, don't go too deep into the mountains."

Chen Mo looked up.

"What happened?"

His father picked up some food.

"Things haven't been peaceful lately."

"The few wild beasts I've encountered have all had very strange temperaments."

Chen Mo frowned.

"How strange?"

His father thought for a moment.

"Wolves used to avoid fire more often than not when they saw it. Now, some things don't avoid it."

"Sometimes, even when you clearly see someone, you still have to charge forward."

Chen Mo fell quiet.

His mother chimed in from the side:

"Your father has only dared to move around the shallow mountains lately."

"If you don't have to go, then don't go."

Chen Mo nodded.

"Then you shouldn't run too far inside either."

His father glanced at him.

"Got it."

Chen Mo lowered his head and ate.

Chen Huan was still asking beside him:

"Big brother, are there really tigers in the mountains?"

She had clearly heard some of the jumbled things Zhao Chuan had said during the day as well.

Chen Mo thought for a moment.

"If there really were tigers, you'd be the first one to run faster than anyone else."

"I'm not scared."

"Then should I take you into the mountains tomorrow?"

"No."

The table burst into laughter.

Chen Mo laughed along with them.

But after the laughter faded, he recalled all the news he had heard along the way today.

Cattle and sheep had died.

Herb gatherers had gone missing.

Hunters had been injured.

And there were the strange things his father had personally mentioned.

That night, Chen Mo lay in bed and turned over.

Outside the window, it was very quiet.

He closed his eyes, but the image of that wolf still lingered in his mind.

The way it had looked at him then was completely different from an ordinary wild beast.

Chen Mo thought for a long while.

In the end, he only muttered softly:

"Could there really be something else...?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he chuckled first.

"What am I thinking?"

He turned over and pulled the blanket higher.

Still, that night, he did not sleep as soundly as usual.

And the mountains west of Qinghe Town remained quietly crouched beneath the night.

No one knew whether those scattered, strange incidents were merely wild beasts gone mad.

Or something else.