Chapter 3: The Beast from the Shadows
The night fell heavy over Tianmu Village, shrouding the small community in a blanket of mist and silence. The usual warmth of the village’s lanterns felt dimmer, their glow struggling to pierce the thick fog that crept in from the forest. Wei Lin stood outside Auntie Hua’s hut, clutching a small bundle of herbs he had gathered that afternoon. The morning's events still weighed on him—the glowing talisman in his pouch seemed to hum faintly, even now, as if it were alive.
Auntie Hua’s voice broke through his thoughts, soft yet laced with concern. "Wei Lin, don’t stay out too long. The forest’s been restless lately."
"I’ll be in soon," he replied, though his gaze lingered on the tree line in the distance. Something about the night felt... wrong. The fog had grown thicker, swirling unnaturally, and the air felt heavy, as though the land itself was holding its breath.
As he turned to go inside, a low, guttural growl rippled through the air, freezing him in his tracks. It wasn’t the sound of a wolf or a stray dog—it was deeper, more menacing. The kind of growl that crawled beneath the skin, sending a ripple of cold dread through his veins. His hand instinctively went to the dagger at his side, his heartbeat accelerating.
"Did you hear that?" Auntie Hua stepped out, her brow furrowing. Behind her, Grandpa Lu shuffled to the doorway, his cane tapping softly against the wooden floor.
"Stay inside," Wei Lin said, his voice sharper than he intended. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself. His heart pounded in his chest as he gripped the dagger, the only weapon he had.
"Wei Lin—"
Another growl interrupted her, louder this time, and much closer. The fog seemed to thicken, curling around the village like a living thing, and the air grew colder, as though the forest itself were closing in. A sharp scream split the air from somewhere near the market square, followed by the deafening sound of crashing wood.
Wei Lin didn’t wait. He bolted toward the noise, his legs carrying him faster than his mind could process. As he reached the square, he skidded to a halt, his breath catching in his throat.
A creature unlike anything he’d ever seen stood in the midst of the broken stalls. It was massive, towering over the wreckage, its form shadowy and translucent, as though it wasn’t fully of this world. The air around it shimmered with an unnatural distortion. Its eyes glowed an eerie crimson, reflecting the dim lantern light as it prowled, the fog swirling around it like a cloak.
The creature snarled, its fangs gleaming in the light as it lunged at a fleeing villager. The man tripped, scrambling to get away, but the beast swiped him aside with a single, brutal motion, sending him flying into the stalls.
"No!" Wei Lin shouted, adrenaline surging through him. He rushed forward without thinking, throwing his dagger with all his might. The blade barely grazed the creature’s thick hide, bouncing off with little effect. It turned, its eyes locking onto Wei Lin, and let out a deafening roar that shook the ground beneath his feet.
His heart raced. This was no ordinary beast. This was something different, ancient, and wrong.
"Run, boy!" Grandpa Lu’s voice cut through the chaos as he appeared at the edge of the square, leaning heavily on his cane. The old man’s steps were slow but deliberate, a grim determination in his eyes.
"Grandpa! Get back!" Wei Lin shouted, panic rising in his chest. But Grandpa Lu didn’t falter. He moved forward, raising his cane as if it were a weapon, his eyes focused on the beast with unwavering resolve.
The creature snarled, advancing on them. Wei Lin’s heart pounded. It was too strong—too much for them to fight. The air around them seemed to thrum with tension, the world holding its breath.
"Listen to me, Wei Lin," Grandpa Lu said, his voice firm despite the fear in the air. "You have to protect the others. Take Auntie Hua and leave."
"I’m not leaving you!" Wei Lin cried, his fists trembling as the reality of the situation crashed over him.
Grandpa Lu’s expression softened for a moment, his gaze steady. "Boy, there are times to fight, and there are times to run. This isn’t your fight yet."
The beast lunged again, its claws slashing through the air. Grandpa Lu stepped forward, swinging his cane. The wooden staff shattered against the creature’s side, sending splinters flying. It gave him just enough time to shove Wei Lin back. "Go!" he yelled.
Wei Lin stumbled, his heart pounding in his chest as the world slowed down around him. This couldn’t be happening. The talisman in his pouch flared to life, its warmth spreading through his chest.
Time seemed to stretch as he saw the beast’s claws slash through Grandpa Lu’s body, sending the old man crumpling to the ground with a horrible, sickening thud.
"No! Grandpa!" Wei Lin’s scream tore through the air as he rushed to his grandfather’s side, his legs faltering with every step.
The beast lunged again, but a burst of golden light erupted from the talisman, striking it and forcing it back. The creature snarled. It seemed to hesitate for a moment, before slowly retreating back into the fog, its crimson eyes lingering menacingly on Wei Lin.
The square was silent except for Wei Lin’s anguished sobs.
Grandpa Lu’s hand reached out, trembling, grasping Wei Lin’s. His blood pooled beneath him, soaking into the cobblestones.
"Wei Lin," Grandpa Lu whispered, his voice weak but resolute. “You’re different from the others. Protect them. Protect the village. Promise me... you’ll grow stronger. Promise me…."
Tears blurred Wei Lin’s vision, and his breath hitched in his chest. "I promise," he choked out, his voice raw with grief.
Grandpa Lu’s hand went limp in his, and the light slowly faded from his eyes. The weight of the old man’s death crushed Wei Lin’s heart, a grief so deep it felt like it might swallow him whole.
The talisman in his pouch pulsed again, and Wei Lin’s mind was filled with a voice—ancient and resonant:
"The awakening draws them. Your power is untrained, unstable. You must leave, or this will happen again."
The villagers began to emerge from their hiding places, their faces pale and stricken.
Auntie Hua rushed forward, her face streaked with tears. “Oh, Wei Lin. Thank the heavens you’re safe.”
Wei Lin felt only numbness throughout his body. “Grandpa Lu…” he whispered.
Auntie Hua pulled him in for an embrace. “It’s okay, Wei Lin… it’s okay… there’s nothing any of us could have done…”
As silence descended once more on the market square, no one moved for many long minutes. They could only stare wordlessly at the horrific scene, as if unable to comprehend that their neighbors and friends lying on the cold ground were truly gone from this world.
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Below is a translation of the chapter into Chinese (via ChatGPT).
以下是通过ChatGPT将本章翻译成中文。
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封天遗志
第三章：暗影中的凶兽
夜幕低垂，沉沉笼罩天木村，雾气如鬼魅般盘踞于街巷之间，吞噬了光亮与声息。往日温暖的灯火此刻显得微弱无力，幽幽浮动于雾色之中，难以驱散弥漫的阴寒。魏林静立于花姨的小屋外，手中紧攥着傍晚采集的药草，心中却翻涌不安。晨间所遇之异象仍萦绕脑海，而那枚静躺于药囊中的玉符，似仍微微震颤，仿若生灵，发出若有若无的嗡鸣。
花姨的声音打破了沉寂，带着一丝担忧：“魏林，夜色已深，莫要久留，近日林中不甚安稳。”
“我待会儿便进屋。”他随口答道，目光却未曾移开，依旧凝望着远处的林缘。夜色中，雾气翻涌，不似往常静谧，反倒带着某种不详的气息。空气沉闷而凝滞，仿佛天地间所有生灵皆屏息不语，只待风暴降临。
他正欲转身归屋，忽然——
一道低沉的咆哮自雾色深处传来，震颤空气，激起一股森然寒意，令魏林的步伐倏然顿住。
这绝非野狼或流浪犬的嘶吼，而是更为深沉、阴冷的嘶吼，仿若有东西潜伏在暗处，窥伺猎物，令人汗毛倒竖。魏林的手缓缓摸向腰侧，指尖轻触短匕的冰冷刀柄，心跳骤然加快。
“你听见了吗？”花姨踏出屋外，眉心紧蹙。她身后，陆爷爷缓步而出，拄杖而立，苍老的目光在夜色中深沉如渊。
“进屋去。”魏林低声道，话语不自觉地带上了一丝锐利。他不知这句话是说给花姨，还是说给自己。心跳在耳中回响，如战鼓擂动。
“魏林——”
又是一道咆哮，骤然炸裂夜幕！
这一次，声势更甚，凶戾之意逼人，仿佛雾气本身都在颤动。紧接着，远处的集市方向猛然传来一声凄厉的尖叫，随之而来的，是木架倾塌的巨响。
魏林的脑海瞬间一片空白，脚下已然动了！
他未作丝毫犹豫，疾奔向集市。夜风在耳边呼啸，街巷在眼前迅速后退，而胸口的玉符越发炽热，仿佛在警示着某种即将降临的恐怖存在。
当他冲入集市，双足猛然一顿，瞳孔剧烈收缩——
摊位残破，灯火摇曳，一只前所未见的怪物赫然立于废墟之中！
它庞大无匹，幽暗的身影似虚似实，仿佛不属凡尘，身周弥漫着扭曲的气息，令周围空间隐隐泛起波澜。双眸猩红，如烈焰燃烧，死死盯着四散奔逃的村民，雾气翻腾间，宛若鬼魅盘旋。
此刻，一名男子踉跄后退，脚下猛然一绊，重重摔倒在地。尚未来得及爬起，那怪物已然一跃而至，锋利的爪刃横扫而出，将他轻易抛飞，重重撞向木架之上。
“住手！” 魏林怒吼，热血沸腾，身形如电，猛然向前掷出短匕！寒光破空而去，直取那妖兽心口，然而——
铛！
短匕竟仅仅在兽皮之上溅起一丝火星，旋即弹飞，未能留下半分伤痕！
那怪物缓缓转头，猩红的瞳孔宛如幽渊之火，死死锁定魏林，狰狞的獠牙微微张开，紧接着——
轰——！
一声震耳欲聋的咆哮轰然炸裂！空气震颤，地面随之颤抖，魏林只觉胸口猛然一震，耳鼓嗡鸣，险些被震得跪倒在地。
此兽……绝非凡物！
“快走！魏林！”
混乱之中，一道苍老而坚毅的声音划破夜色。
魏林骇然回头，只见陆爷爷已然踏入广场，拄杖而立，苍老的身影在火光与雾色交错间，宛如山岳般沉稳不动。
“爷爷！快退后！”魏林失声高喊，心中恐惧骤然攀升。
可陆爷爷却未曾退却，反而缓缓上前，抬起手中拐杖，如执兵刃，目光沉稳如渊，直视着那咆哮中的怪物。
那凶兽狞笑，低伏身躯，步步逼近，杀意浓郁如墨。魏林心头剧震，浑身寒意透骨，这妖兽之力，远非他所能抗衡！
天地间一片死寂，仿佛连空气都因这压迫之势而凝滞。
“听着，魏林。”陆爷爷低声道，声音沉稳如磐石，“你必须保护其他人，带着花姨离开。”
“我不会走的！”魏林双拳紧握，浑身颤抖，怒吼道。
陆爷爷的眼神微微柔和，语气却不容置疑：“孩子，战斗之道，不仅在于勇气，还在于时机……而今，尚未到你出手之时。”
话音未落，妖兽骤然扑击！
陆爷爷猛然挥杖，拐杖破空而出，狠狠砸向怪物，木屑四溅！然此击仅阻其片刻，陆爷爷已然借力，将魏林狠狠推开——
“走——！”
魏林踉跄跌倒，抬头望去，正见那妖兽的利爪撕裂夜幕，径直斩向陆爷爷！
鲜血飞溅，衣袍翻飞，老人身形剧震，轰然倒地！
“爷爷——！”魏林嘶声裂肺，双目充血，疯狂冲向陆爷爷，双膝跪倒，手指颤抖，试图扶起那道倒下的身影。
“魏林……”陆爷爷的声音微弱而沉稳，他的手颤颤巍巍地抬起，握住魏林的手腕，指尖冰冷如霜，鲜血从嘴角缓缓溢出。
“你，与众不同……”他低声呢喃，眼神浑浊却依旧坚定，“答应我......你要……守护他们……守护村子……答应我......”
魏林的心仿佛被烈火焚烧，泪水滚落，他嗓音颤抖，哽咽道：“我……我答应你……！”
陆爷爷闻言，嘴角微微扬起，指尖微微颤动，似要再说些什么，然而——
他的手，终于无力地垂落。
生命的光辉，缓缓自双眸之中黯然褪去。
魏林的世界，仿佛在这一刻彻底崩塌。
轰——！
怀中玉符骤然大放光明！
金色神辉冲天而起，撕裂黑暗，耀眼如烈日临世！
妖兽发出痛苦的嘶吼，猩红双眸之中首次浮现出一丝惧意，它猛然后退，雾气翻滚间，身影缓缓隐入黑暗，唯余那双幽幽血瞳，久久凝视着魏林，方才彻底消失。
广场之上，唯余魏林一人跪伏在地，双拳死死握紧，泪水无声滑落。
他伸手触及陆爷爷的胸口，却只觉那熟悉的心跳，已然静止。
玉符微微震颤，一道苍茫深邃的声音自他意识深处浮现——
“觉醒……已然引来它们……你的力量尚未成形，若不离开，此祸终将重演……”
夜风呼啸，村落陷入死一般的寂静。
不知过了多久，惊恐的村民们终于缓步走出藏身之地，他们的脸色苍白，眼神中满是震惊与惶惧。
花姨跌跌撞撞地冲上前来，一把将魏林抱入怀中，泪流满面：“魏林……谢天谢地，你还活着……”
魏林怔然，仿佛听不见她的声音，唯有喉间哽咽：“爷爷……”
花姨轻轻抚着他的背，声音哽咽：“没事了，魏林……没事了……这不是你的错……”
可魏林心中，唯余冰冷与沉重。
广场上，无人言语，唯有夜色笼罩，静寂无声。
此夜之后，天木村，再无人不知恐惧为何物。
