Chapter 22: I Never Want to Run Into You Again!

The villagers froze, and the chaotic, jarring chorus of curses came to an abrupt halt. They all turned their eyes toward Zhang Hao, their expressions a mix of confusion, astonishment, and surprise.

They had been fully prepared to keep on cursing. After all, they hadn't felt like they were finished yet; it hadn't been satisfying enough.

Gao Hai stood stunned for a moment before stepping forward. "Haozi," he asked in bewilderment, "is that really it? Is it over?"

Zhang Hao paused, then nodded. "That's right, we've walked out." With that, he pointed toward the path leading down the mountain, a faint smile on his face.

Gao Hai and the villagers followed his finger, some rubbing their eyes, others looking on in disbelief or sheer bewilderment.

"It... it really is the path down the mountain! Look, that's our village!" Gao Hai raised his hand in excitement, pointing toward Zhao Village at the foot of the mountain. The gloom and grimace on his face vanished, replaced by pure joy.

A glimmer of hope ignited among the villagers.

"It really is our Zhao Village! We're out, we finally made it out..."
"We can finally go home... it wasn't easy, not easy at all."
"I wanted to keep cursing! That son of a turtle, trapping us for so long, and it ends with just a few insults?"
"Why don't you go back and walk it again yourself?"
"...Never mind, then."

A relaxed atmosphere immediately enveloped the group. Many of the villagers looked at Zhang Hao with eyes full of admiration and praise.

"Haozi really has some skills after all, to think he actually got us out."
"More than just 'some' skills. If it weren't for Haozi, we might still be trapped up there."
"Haozi, thank you so much. If not for you, who knows what would have happened to us."
"Haozi, come on, come back with me. I'll make you my best braised pork, and you can have all the wine you want!"

Gao Hai shouted, "Auntie Li, you're stealing my business! Tell you what, Haozi, you come to my shop for wine anytime, take whatever you want. If I charge you even a penny, I'm a son of a turtle!"

Zhang Hao laughed. "Brother Hai, if you're a son of a turtle, then what does that make me?"

The villagers burst into laughter. The hearty sound replaced the foul language, echoing through the mountain forest.

Gao Hai blinked, scratching his head sheepishly. "Spoke too soon. Don't take it to heart, Haozi."

Zhang Hao waved his hand. "It's fine. I'll leave you all here. It's almost 3:00 PM, you should head back quickly; I imagine your families are worried sick."

It had been 1:00 PM when he first encountered the funeral procession. Just walking out of this path had taken nearly two hours. If the villagers didn't return now, the people in the village would surely be driven mad with worry. After all, if something happened on the day of a funeral, it was considered a grave omen.

Hearing this, Gao Hai hesitated, his smile fading. "Aren't you coming back with us?"

Zhang Hao shook his head. "It's still early, and I have nothing to do back there. I might as well keep walking in the mountains."

Gao Hai looked at him strangely and whispered, "Haozi, let me give you a piece of advice: this mountain... it's strange. You, you need to be careful."

At these words, the villagers couldn't sit still, stretching their necks to ask:
"Little Hao, what exactly happened that we couldn't get out?"
"Yeah, Haozi, did we... did we really run into something strange?"
"Don't talk nonsense, maybe it was just some ordinary thing."
"Ordinary? If it weren't for Little Hao, we wouldn't have made it out today!"

Zhang Hao looked at the villagers and, after a moment of hesitation, decided to be blunt. "Let me put it this way: the thing we encountered is called a 'Phantom Mountain Spirit.' It's a type of creature that dwells in these mountains."

"Because of the funeral today, your bodies were heavy with yin energy, and it used that to create an illusion, making you walk in circles, unable to find your way out."

The villagers nodded blankly, their faces tinged with fear. Growing up on folklore and stories of mountain spirits, the realization that these tales were real was a terror hard to shake. However, this fear would fade over time, and as long as they didn't wander deep into the mountains, they would be fine.

"So that's it... good heavens, so there really are unclean things in this mountain..."

"Little Hao, if we go home like this, will it bring bad luck to our families?"

Zhang Hao paused, then nodded. "Folks, when you get home, before you step over the threshold, you must bow three times toward the mountain. Not to the Mountain God, but to the Earth Master. After bowing, stomp your feet three times and spit three times. Once you're inside, place three sticks of incense on the altar: one for the Mountain Guardian, one for your ancestors, and one for the Village Protector, and pray for their blessing."

"Also, for the next few days, don't eat anything from the mountain, not even mushrooms. Stay away from it for three days, and you'll be fine."

Zhang Hao then explained the reasoning behind these rituals in detail. The villagers nodded solemnly, whispering among themselves.

He then added, "If you or any other villagers run into this again, just start cursing. Curse as you walk. If that doesn't work, cover your eyes and walk based on your memory. Those two methods are usually enough."

It wasn't that Zhang Hao didn't want to tell them other ways, but most other methods only worked for mountain walkers; ordinary people couldn't use them and might end up getting trapped even deeper.

"Alright, next time I run into that thing, I'll curse its ancestors for eighteen generations! That son of a turtle, daring to trap me! Next time, I'll show it what I'm made of!"

"Oh, give it a rest. You were the one running faster than anyone else just now."

"Pah, bad luck. There won't be a next time. I never want to see that thing again in my life."

"Exactly. I'd rather never see it again than have to deal with it a second time."

"Little Hao, we really have to thank you. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have known what to do."

Zhang Hao waved it off. "Ah, we're all neighbors; it's nothing."

He turned to the villagers and smiled. "Folks, hurry home now. I'm going to head back into the mountains."

"Alright, but watch your step, and stay safe. I'll be waiting for you to come back and drink with me," Gao Hai said.

"Sure," Zhang Hao promised.

Without looking back, Zhang Hao turned away. He didn't choose the forest path, but instead walked toward the dense, overgrown brush. The villagers watched his figure disappear into the trees, lingering looks of gratitude still etched on their faces.

Gao Hai saw that it was getting late and called out, "Alright, everyone, let's go. No point in lingering here any longer."