第44章

林魈？ No, these sounds were different. More stony, more brittle.

Jian’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with alarm. He grabbed his machete, his body tense.

“什么声音？”我问，我的声音颤抖。

Jian didn’t answer. He was listening intently to the darkness.

The sounds grew louder, closer. And then, from the periphery of the campfire’s light, I saw movement.

Figures emerging from the shadows. Not the fluid, twisting forms of the Lin Xiao, but something harder, more angular.

They looked like creatures made of rock and stone, their bodies rough and jagged. Some had multiple limbs, others had strange, distorted heads. Their eyes, if they had any, were dark hollows.

Mountain spirits. Non-benevolent ones.

They moved with a slow, deliberate, yet powerful gait, making their way towards our campsite.

“他们来了,” Jian whispered, his voice tight with fear.

There were fewer of them than the Lin Xiao back in the rain forest, but they looked solid and formidable. And their presence felt heavy, ancient, and unforgiving.

I gripped the fused sculpture. Its warmth intensified, and a faint light began to emanate from it. The light felt different from the one it emitted in the rain forest – cooler, sharper.