Suddenly, a refreshing chill crept up my neck, prompting me to hurriedly look down.Upon seeing this, I was instantly frightened out of my wits, and every hair on my body stood on end.There, on my shoulder, coiled a jade-green snake, its crimson tongue flickering, mere inches away from me.I could clearly see that this jade snake was none other than the one I had saved from the chubby boy last time, right?Terrified, I snapped back to reality and quickly shook off the jade snake, while sensing an eerie silence around me.Looking up at the stage, I realized that the colorful performers were now all pale-faced, moving stiffly and mechanically, and most oddly, their mouths were opening and closing but producing no sound.As for my fellow villagers, they all stared blankly at the stage, as if their souls had fled their bodies.

Turning to the spectators beside me, they too stood motionless, their faces drained of color, chests unmoving, devoid of any signs of life.This was bad!Cold sweat trickled down my spine as I recalled my grandfather's tales of "ghost performances."These were shows staged in remote places specifically for ghosts, and if living souls stumbled upon them, they would be entrapped.Never did I expect that we would inadvertently stumble into such a perilous place.Snapping out of my daze, my only thought was to run, to run as fast as I could!Seizing the moment before those "things" around me could notice, I crouched low and stealthily slipped out of the crowd.Just as I was about to bolt, hesitancy crept in as I heard the eerie strains of the play behind me.After all, these were my fellow villagers; could I really abandon them and flee? If I did, by dawn, their souls would surely be ensnared.

Could I bear to watch them perish like that?With a firm resolve, I suppressed my fear and gritted my teeth as I turned back.Recalling the old folks' words that "unclean things" followed the scent of the living, I covered my mouth and nose, trying to hold my breath, and ventured back into the crowd beneath the stage.Reaching the front row, my companions, including Zheng Jun, remained transfixed on the stage.I reached out and gave Zheng Jun a firm pat on the back, hoping to rouse him.Strangely enough, at my touch, they all jolted back to life, gasping for air, their dull eyes seemingly regaining a hint of vitality.As they came to, they beheld the bizarre scene before them, nearly paralyzed with fear. Two of the more timid ones were on the verge of tears, but I quickly covered their mouths to silence them."Shh!" I gestured, signaling for everyone to cover their mouths like me, then quietly turned around and began to slip away.Being small-framed kids, and with the excitement of the play still ongoing on stage, the spectators paid us no attention. We, seven or eight kids, merged into a single line and slipped out, one after another.Just as we were about to make our escape, I suddenly heard a thud behind me, as if someone had fallen to the ground.Turning back, I was nearly petrified.There, at the end of the line, chubby boy was seated on the ground, scrambling to get up, with an elderly man in funeral attire standing before him.Damn it, we've been discovered!A chill shot straight to my brain, and I cursed chubby boy for being such a fool.The old man cast a cold glance at chubby boy but surprisingly stooped down to help him up.It was then that I recognized the familiar, pallid face of the old man—it resembled that of Mr. Li, who had passed away in the village two years ago.The old man surveyed us silently, then whispered, "You kids, do you not value your lives? Hurry, go! Go!"With that, he pushed chubby boy forcefully outward.At that moment, the sounds from the stage abruptly ceased, and Mu Guiying, with her long spear in hand, pointed straight at us.The crowd beneath the stage slowly turned around, their pallid faces resembling flour-coated masks, their lifeless eyes fixed on us.I was petrified, my blood seemingly turned to ice.Suddenly, someone shouted, "Run!"Panicked, we turned and fled, desperately sprinting forward. With a glimpse from the corner of my eye, I saw the audience swarming towards us.Terrified, we ran for our lives, our minds blank, not even aware when our shoes were lost.Gasping for breath, we dashed into a small grove, but there were several forks in the path, and we didn't know which one led back to the village. There used to be only one path here, but now there were several, which one was the way back to the village?Shivering all over, knowing that one wrong turn could mean never finding our way home again.At that moment, I heard a faint hissing sound from the path ahead.Looking closely, it was that slender jade snake again.Coiled at the crossroads, it kept shaking its head at me, as if urging me to follow.Without much thought, I shouted to the others, "This way!", and then ran towards the fork where the jade snake was."Yang Cheng, are you sure this is the way back to the village?" Zheng Jun asked from behind.I didn't answer his question, because I wasn't sure either.As I ran past the jade snake, I glanced back at it. It seemed as if I could understand its gaze, and suddenly, I felt more confident.I ran fast, and as I ran, I saw the familiar old locust tree ahead.That old locust tree now seemed like a kind old man, patiently waiting for us at the village entrance.T

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

he sky was already turning pale, a night of terror and a series of adventures, everyone was exhausted, lying under the old locust tree panting for breath, two of the more timid ones couldn't help but burst into tears.Chubby boy came over and asked me quietly if we had seen that snake just now and why it looked so familiar.I raised my hand and gave him a thump on the head, saying, "Have you forgotten about the incident on Hook Mountain?"Chubby boy suddenly remembered, his face trembling with fat, and said thankfully, "Thank goodness we didn't kill it back then, otherwise we would have been done for last night!"I nodded. Snakes are spiritual beings. I saved its life on Hook Mountain last time, so last night it saved mine. If it wasn't for the jade snake guiding us last night, we would never have found our way out of that haunted forest.Zheng Jun's face darkened as he reminded us not to mention last night's events, or else we would all be in trouble.It was Zheng Jun who suggested the adventure last night, so if anything happened, he would be held responsible, hence he imposed a gag order on us all.