Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

As expected, Liu San Niang was behind her.

The woman looked at the young couple holding hands in the alley ahead, and anger and jealousy welled up in her heart.

"If you want to say sweet nothings, go home! You guys stay up so late every day anyway, a little more won't make a difference. Now you're blocking the way, what are other people supposed to do?"

Liu Xingmo and Su Mali leaned against the wall and turned sideways to make way for each other in the alley.

Liu San Niang quickened her pace and walked past angrily, but she didn't go far, slowly hanging about five steps ahead of the two.

We went uphill, passing through the steps between the stone houses, and climbing the vertical ladder made of bamboo tubes and grass stems.

The streets were left behind, and the homes on the top floor were in sight.

Liu Xingmo quickened his pace.

Just then, a group of teenagers rushed out. They ran and shouted:

"Everyone, follow me! There's a Nian monster living on this street!"

"It's so late, isn't it inappropriate to disturb the elderly?"

"Don't worry, the old woman just wants someone to keep her company!"

"Speaking of which, Grandma Huai's sesame cakes are so fragrant, I still haven't had enough this year."

"Everyone, get out there!"

……

Liu Xingmo couldn't help but chuckle.

The streets above the high-rises were deserted, with only a few old red lanterns, covered in a thick layer of dust, casting a dim red glow.

Several children huddled together in front of a house, discussing something.

Just then, a monster appeared in the darkness.

It was seven or eight meters tall, with ethereal black fur swirling around its body like a wisp of black smoke. Its body was somewhat round, and its hands and feet were not clearly visible; only a pair of large, blood-red eyes mixed with jet black shone brightly.

Liu Xingmo's body suddenly stiffened, and even Su Mali beside him stopped and held her breath.

That thing wasn't the Nian beast! There wasn't a single trace of blood energy in its body!

The children, oblivious to this, excitedly pulled out a box of matches, one for each of them, striking bright flames in the darkness and igniting sparks on the fuses of firecrackers.

The monster's eyes widened instantly, red circles encircling black circles, and black circles encircling red circles, layers upon layers of black and red, forming a vortex, as if to devour one's soul completely.

Liu Xingmo felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head. He didn't even dare to make a sound to stop it, for fear of attracting the monster's attention.

The children, beaming with joy, threw firecrackers. The red paper tubes containing the explosives seemed to enter the black mist, passing directly through the monster's body and sliding down the corner of the wall.

"Sizzle!" "Crack!"

The gunpowder exploded.

The monster opened its gaping maw, revealing a pure, dark red expanse. Its body became ethereal, then, like flowing water, seeped into the cracks of the brickwork and vanished.

Liu Xingmo, who felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, finally dared to breathe softly. He turned his head with the relief of surviving a disaster and saw Su Mali, who was equally surprised and uncertain.

"Mary, that's not the Nian monster, is it?"

"Xingmo, maybe that's the Nian beast."

Liu Xingmo understood.

The Nian beasts I encountered before were all fake; maybe this one was real. Luckily, it was afraid of firecrackers and was chased away.

Liu Xingmo's heart was still pounding; all he wanted to do was escape as quickly as possible.

But the victorious children started shouting and yelling:

"What's going on? This guy's breaking the rules; he didn't even leave a red envelope!"

"This Nian beast is so strange, isn't it Grandma Huai?"

"Playing tricks and scaring kids!"

"Look, it's lost a tuft of fur!"

……

Liu Xingmo stared intently and saw a wisp of black smoke-like hair stuck in the crack of the rock.

You youngsters! How would you know the true use of this? Why not hand it over to me, and you'll even get half a hamburger in return!

Liu Xingmo snatched the handbag from his wife's hand and then rushed forward.

"Everyone come quick! I have some delicious food here, let's share it!"

Two hamburgers, broken into four pieces, one for each child.

They put the bread and vegetable leaves into their mouths, savoring the sweet and sour sauce, and then took a bite of the fried meat patty.

The little children all smiled innocently.

Liu Xingmo smiled and casually picked up the tuft of black hair.

This thing is so light that it's impossible to tell whether it's a solid, a gas, or a liquid.

Liu Xingmo waved to the children and then quickly left.

Just then, another large, dark figure emerged from the shadows, speaking in a kind, grandmotherly voice: "You little devils are here again? Here are some freshly made sesame cakes..."

A boy protested loudly, "Grandma, the order is wrong!"

The dark figure twitched slightly. "Oh, I see, I see. Let me scare you first, then I'll give you sesame cakes. Oh, and there's one more thing to make clear. You can't throw firecrackers at people. They're only for the Nian beast, understand?"

"Got it! Give me the cake!" the boy said, reaching out his hand.

……

Liu Xingmo supported his wife, his heart still pounding.

There's another figure blocking the way in the alley ahead.

Liu San Niang's face was pale, her teeth were chattering, and even her legs were trembling uncontrollably.

She lunged forward instantly, grabbing Liu Xingmo and Su Mali with both arms, one on each side.

She buried her face in their shoulders, her voice trembling with tears, and cried out, "A monster! A monster! A real monster! Did you see it? It just appeared!"

Unable to push him away, Liu Xingmo could only feign composure and say, "I saw it, but it was scared away by the firecrackers."

Liu San Niang suddenly looked up and quickly asked, "Do you have any more firecrackers on you? I didn't bring any today!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xingmo, whose mind was somewhat confused, stiffened and looked at his wife.

Su Mali's pale face remained expressionless, but she pulled out a handful of bullets from her bosom and distributed them to Liu Xingmo and Liu Sanniang.

Liu Xingmo clutched the bullet in his palm, barely finding a sense of security: "Let's hurry home! Let's not wander around outside!"

Without dawdling, the three of them ran and jumped quickly to the top floor of the street.

Liu Xingmo quickly took out his key, inserted it into the lock, turned it to open, and then pushed the door open and went inside.

He rushed to the cabinet, found the lighter and a row of firecrackers, and only then did he feel completely at ease.

"Hey you guys, don't leave me behind!" Liu San Niang went into the house, then turned around and locked the door.

Sumari asked bluntly, "What? You want to spend the night here? Let me tell you, absolutely not."

Liu San Niang's face was almost contorted as she replied, "Ah? With a third-tier expert like me, you're much safer! Even if it's just setting off firecrackers, I'll be faster than you!"

Liu Xingmo realized another problem: "Oh no! Bao Hei is still outside! We can't just leave it there!"

Liu San Niang grew anxious: "What are you planning to do? I remember you left a wisp of monster hair behind, right? Aren't you afraid of attracting that thing back?"

"Stop talking nonsense. I don't know what kind of strength that thing has, and judging from how scared you are, you probably don't know either. Anyway, let's take turns keeping watch."

Liu Xingmo moved the bed from the bedroom to the living room so he could rest there and also protect Bao Hei, who was dozing at the door.

Two people were left behind with firecrackers, ready to deal with any threats at any time.