Chapter Ten: The Forest of Enigmatic Mists

Even though I knew Lin Weiyan was a demon, I still chose to trust her. Perhaps this was fate, predetermined by forces beyond my comprehension.

With Mr. Jiang leading the way, we left the police station unhindered. Before we departed, he whispered something to Su Wanyi, and then borrowed a police car from her.

It was my first time riding in a police car, and I must admit, it felt exhilarating. We barely had to stop for red lights, and the sensation of moving with such impunity was indescribably thrilling.

As for Lin Weiyan—being a fox spirit, she could control whether people saw her or not. But when she chose to appear, her beauty was so dazzling that every man's gaze would inevitably be drawn to her.

Now, she was seated right beside me. The delicate fragrance she exuded drifted into my mind from time to time, stirring my imagination and making my heart pound uncontrollably. Before long, I felt as if I’d been thrown into a furnace, the heat within me almost unbearable.

She seemed to sense my discomfort and couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Are you alright? Try to calm down.”

Mr. Jiang glanced at me in the rearview mirror, then turned to Lin Weiyan and said, “Weiyan, that’s enough. Stop using your charm.”

Lin Weiyan pouted, sounding a little aggrieved, “I was just bored and wanted to tease Brother Chu Yun a little.”

Hearing this, I finally realized why I felt so unsettled—it was her fox magic at work.

We sped along until dusk, when we arrived at a dense forest. Mr. Jiang slammed on the brakes and said with some annoyance, “Out of the car, we’re out of fuel.”

“What? Didn’t you bring any spare fuel? How much farther do we have to go?” I asked, my dissatisfaction evident.

He thought for a moment before replying, “Once we cross this forest, we’ll be close.”

I stared at the pitch-black woods. “You don’t mean for us to walk through that on foot, do you?”

Mr. Jiang shot me a glare. “What, am I supposed to carry you?”

Lin Weiyan didn’t seem to care either way. She was always unbothered. I glanced nervously at the dark forest, worried about what might be lurking within. My greatest concern was venomous snakes. In such a vast forest, it was impossible that there weren’t any, and even though it was already November—when they should have been hibernating—there could still be a few about.

Knowing my fear, Lin Weiyan leaned over and whispered reassuringly in my ear, “Don’t worry, Brother Chu Yun. I’m here.”

We opened the trunk and took out two flashlights and an electric baton. I tossed one flashlight to Mr. Jiang, and we carefully ventured into the thicket.

We hadn’t gone far before a thick fog rolled in. At first, we could still see the path ahead, but as darkness deepened, visibility dropped to nothing. Even with our flashlights, we could only see a meter ahead.

If we kept going like this, we’d soon lose our way. We slowed our pace, and Mr. Jiang said, “Be careful. Weiyan, wait here with him. I’ll go ahead and check things out.”

“Alright, Mr. Jiang. Be careful,” Lin Weiyan replied.

With that, his figure disappeared into the mist. Lin Weiyan moved closer to me. “Are you afraid?”

I didn’t answer; instead, I focused on scanning our surroundings, an ominous feeling growing in my heart. There was something odd about this fog. It was as if countless eyes were watching us from the darkness.

Seeing my silence, Lin Weiyan seemed to think I was paralyzed with fear. She patted my shoulder to comfort me. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream pierced the silence. The voice was familiar, and Lin Weiyan immediately tensed. “Something’s wrong—Mr. Jiang’s in trouble.”

She stepped protectively in front of me, her guard up. I wondered what could have happened to Mr. Jiang, who was so skilled, to make him scream like that.

At that moment, hurried footsteps approached. Lin Weiyan and I braced ourselves for a fight, but to our surprise, it was Mr. Jiang who stumbled into view, a large bump swelling on his forehead.

We both exhaled in relief. Lin Weiyan, puzzled, asked, “What happened just now?”

“It’s a long story. Let’s keep moving,” he deflected.

“It’s obvious—he ran into a tree,” I observed.

Mr. Jiang glared at me, wanting to lash out but restraining himself. He grumbled, “Let’s just keep going.”

Seeing him so frustrated, I felt a bit vindicated. That’s what you get for being so harsh with me before.

We followed behind Mr. Jiang. Lin Weiyan, suppressing her laughter, whispered, “How did you know he hit a tree?”

“Just a guess,” I replied.

She gave me a thumbs-up. “Impressive.”

After another ten minutes or so, I felt something strange beneath my feet—a crunching sound. I instinctively looked down, and a chill ran through me.

The ground was littered with white bones. The sound I’d heard was bones breaking beneath our steps.

I tugged at Lin Weiyan’s sleeve, signaling her to look down. She glanced at the bones and remained unphased, as if she’d seen worse.

But I quickly realized these weren’t animal bones—they were all human.

How could so many people have died here? I stopped and asked Mr. Jiang, “Why are there so many human bones here?”

He didn’t turn around, but his voice was oddly changed. “Children shouldn’t ask so many questions. We need to keep moving.”

Suddenly, Lin Weiyan yanked me behind her, her tone turning icy. “Where exactly are you taking us?”

I was momentarily stunned by her reaction. Had she lost her memory? But then I understood.

Mr. Jiang turned slowly, revealing a wolf’s face—this wasn’t him at all.

Lin Weiyan faced the wolf-headed monster without fear. “I knew something was wrong with you. Tell us—why did you lure us here?”

The wolf bared his fangs and replied, word by word, “To…eat…you…of course.”

Lin Weiyan sneered, “You talk big. Let’s see if you have what it takes.”

A chorus of howls echoed around us, and countless pairs of green eyes began to shine in the darkness.

“Not good—it’s a wolf pack,” I said.

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine,” Lin Weiyan assured me.

I wasn’t so sure. She might be fine, but as for myself—I wasn’t so certain. If things went badly, I might end up joining the bones beneath our feet.