The old forest was lush and green, full of towering ancient trees that almost obscured the sunlight. Even in broad daylight, it felt gloomy inside.

Being just a kid, the deeper I went, the more scared I became. I couldn't help but ask Fatty, "Fatty, where's the pond you mentioned? Don't go too far, I might not be able to find my way back!"

Fatty didn't answer me. I found it strange, and when I turned around, Fatty, who had been following me, was nowhere to be seen.

Alone in the vast forest, fear started creeping in. "Fatty, where are you? Hey, Fatty, stop playing around, come out quickly, don't scare me!"

No matter how much I shouted, it was as if Fatty had evaporated into thin air, with no response whatsoever.

With bushes of different heights and tangled old tree roots around me, a child's imagination could turn even simple things into monsters.

Suddenly, something grabbed my ankle, causing me to scream in terror. I scrambled out, falling face-first into the mud, lips bleeding, knees covered in mud. I realized it was just a tree root that tripped me.

As I wiped the blood from my mouth and got up, I cursed Fatty half to death in my heart. How could he be so unreliable? He promised to take me out to play but ended up abandoning me?

A thought struck me—could Fatty have been taken away by Huang Xian'er?

Huang Xian'er, also known as Huang Pi Zi, is one of the Five Immortal Families, known for their ability to deceive people. Throughout the mountains and wilderness, there have always been eerie legends about Huang Pi Zi.

I remembered Grandpa often telling me that if you ever hear someone calling your name in the desolate mountains and forests, never turn back. Because the one calling your name could possibly be Huang Pi Zi. Huang Pi Zi can transform into human form, silently following behind you. If you turn around, you'll see a pair of furry claws resting on your shoulder, while a face covered in yellow fur leans in front of you, blowing gently on your face. You'll lose consciousness, enchanted by Huang Pi Zi. At that moment, whatever Huang Pi Zi tells you to do, you'll do it. If it tells you to follow, you'll follow. If it leads you into the depths of the old forest, you'll never return.

Grandpa liked to tell these absurd legends whenever he got drunk.

I used to not pay much attention to them, but now, at this moment, these terrifying folk tales vividly resurfaced in my mind.

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The more I thought about it, the more scared I became. I decided not to look for Fatty anymore and turned around to run back along the way I came.

As I ran, the bushes immediately rustled behind me, as if something was chasing me.

I dared not look back, running faster and faster. I feared that a white tiger with glaring eyes would emerge from the bushes and devour me, leaving nothing but bones.

As I was about to run out of the old forest, I could vaguely see the sunlight outside. But, unlucky me, I stumbled over a tree root again and fell to the ground. Since I was already in full flight, the fall sent me flying, and I landed hard on the ground. I felt stars dancing before my eyes and couldn't get up for a while.

A gust of wind swept past me, and instinctively, I wanted to turn around. Suddenly, I heard a loud thud as something hard hit the back of my head.

The scene in front of me seemed to fade like the end of a movie, and everything turned pitch black in an instant.

I collapsed on the ground, feeling blood trickling from the back of my head. As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I faintly heard someone saying, "Finally caught him. This matter can finally be resolved..."

I don't know how long I lay there, but when I groggily opened my eyes, the sun outside had already set, and the forest was enveloped in darkness.

The eerie silence around me was terrifying. Waves of intense pain shot through the back of my head. I touched the back of my head, feeling a lump the size of an egg. It hurt so much that I couldn't help but grit my teeth and inhale sharply.

Several wooden sticks lay scattered around me, along with a burlap sack. Strangely, my lower body was still trapped inside the sack.

What was going on?

Rubbing my temples, I tried hard to recall what had happened before I lost consciousness. All I could remember was being hit on the back of my head by something hard, and then everything went black.

"Are you awake?" a familiar voice came from behind me, gentle and ethereal, always comforting my soul on lonely nights.

I turned around and saw the little jade snake hanging upside down on a tree branch, its tail wrapped around the branch and its head lowered, looking at me while flicking its tongue.

"Qingqing? What are you doing here?" I patted the dirt off my pants and struggled to get up.

Qingqing's voice entered my ears, "You almost got killed, and you didn't even know!"

A cold wind blew, and I couldn't help but shiver. I almost got killed?!

Looking at the wooden sticks on the ground, a terrifying thought flashed through my mind: someone wanted to kill me!

I remembered that I was lured out by Fatty. Could it be that Fatty...?

As if reading my mind, Qingqing said, "Yes, it's Fatty. Your best friend betrayed you. He deliberately led you here so that the villagers could kill you!"

Although I had already suspected something was wrong with Fatty, hearing Qingqing say it out loud still twisted my heart like a sponge. I was very sad, truly sad. I had known Fatty since childhood, studied and played together. I regarded him as my best friend, but I never thought he would collude with others to harm me. Oh, how fickle human nature is! These people were willing to do anything to save their own lives!

To be honest, if it weren't for Fatty tempting me today, I wouldn't have gone out at all. They took advantage of my trust in Fatty, using him as bait to lure me into the old forest, hoping to quietly get rid of me and then offer me to Yin Hongyi.

Qingqing said, "Remember, until the matter with Yin Hongyi is resolved, don't trust anyone! I'm going out for a while these two days. Stay at home and be careful! If something like this happens again, I won't be able to save you!"

After saying this, the little jade snake slipped into the tree branches and disappeared.

"Qingqing! Qingqing!"

I called out several times, but Qingqing had already left. In the vast old forest, there was only me left.

The moon rose, casting my shadow long and lonely.

When I returned home, it was already midnight. The lights were still on in the house, and my parents were almost frantic, their eyes bloodshot.

Seeing me back, Grandpa came up to scold me. My head was pounding, so I apologized to my parents, promised never to sneak out again, then went into the bedroom and collapsed on the bed in a mess. I was so tired, I just wanted to sleep soundly for a while.