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The dogs in the village had all tasted human flesh, and once a dog had eaten meat, it could never go back to a vegetarian diet. It was an age-old truth that moving from frugality to extravagance was easy, but the reverse was difficult. Yet sometimes, people would overlook this simple principle.
It wasn't until the first dog lunged at a person that the villagers realized what was happening.
One day, a child was walking down the road when a dog burst out from a yard, nearly as large as the child itself. The dog knocked the child to the ground, its sharp teeth piercing through the back of the child's neck.
All the dogs caught the bloody yet sweet scent in the air.
They barked and rushed out, converging on the child. The poor kid didn’t even have a chance to get up; seven or eight dogs surrounded him, while others pressed in from the sides.
The horrific cries and the cacophony of barking finally drew the villagers' attention.
From amidst the throng of dogs, they saw a mangled figure that had once been a child.
When they managed to disperse the dogs, they found what remained of the child—almost nothing but bones. Dogs had always been friends to humans; they were never supposed to eat people. But these villagers had driven their dogs to become wolves. This was the first time dogs had preyed upon villagers, but it would certainly not be the last.
The villagers looked at their guard dogs lying at their doorsteps as if they were demons cloaked in fur. No one dared to be certain that these dogs would never attack humans again. Since there was no way to guarantee their safety, they decided to eliminate all the dogs.
That was how it was in this world: either dogs ate humans or humans ate dogs.
However, dogs were not so foolish. After nearly two-thirds of the village's dogs were killed, the remaining ones sensed a change in their circumstances. They howled and fled into the woods, and from that day on, the villagers never saw those dogs again.
Eventually, no one in the village kept dogs anymore.
This was a story told by Luo Yu's grandfather, though everyone in the village knew it well. Even now, while every household could afford to eat meat, they maintained their habit of not keeping dogs.
As Jiang He listened to Luo Yu's tale, he pondered deeply.
Could the dog that attacked him be a descendant of those that had tasted human flesh? Had the genes for cannibalism been passed down through generations? After a moment's thought, Jiang He dismissed this conclusion as unreliable. He had come into close contact with that dog; it had indeed tasted human flesh.
Eating human flesh is not difficult to understand; what is perplexing is where this dog found the human meat.
"Isn't there anyone in the village who raises dogs?" Jiang He asked.
"No," Luo Yu shook his head.
"Then how did these dogs get here?" Jiang He continued walking forward while questioning, "Could they be descendants of those dogs? You can hunt wolves; surely these dogs can't be that hard to kill."
Facing Jiang He's inquiry, Luo Yu appeared somewhat impatient. "These dogs seem to have just arrived; I've never encountered them before."
Jiang He wanted to ask more questions, but he noticed Luo Yu pointing ahead and saying, "Do you see that house up ahead? That's High Taoist's home."
The flashlight illuminated a distant wooden house situated halfway up the mountain. Living in such a place made Jiang He doubt whether there was even electricity. From the outside, no light shone from within; the entire house was dark, giving the impression that no one lived there.
Luo Yu quickly approached the house and knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside.
"High Master! High Master!" Luo Yu called out while knocking. "The village is in chaos right now, and there are wild beasts in the forest. We’ve come to fetch you; it would be best if you stayed in the village for a while."
Yet, there was still no sound from within. It seemed that High Taoist was not home.
"High Master! High Master!" Luo Yu shouted again. "If you're inside, please respond; otherwise, we will enter. Are you there?"
After waiting for a moment with no reply, Luo Yu exchanged glances with Jiang He. He stepped back a few paces, then took a running start and kicked open High Taoist's door.
The flashlight shone inside as several people entered in succession.
This was a modest wooden cabin with only a single room inside. The furnishings were very simple. Against the wall stood a bed, neatly made with basic bedding and covers, showing no signs that anyone had lain on it recently. Next to the bed was a clearly homemade table, which held a cup and a lunchbox.
On the other side of the room was a large water tank, still half full, with a ladle floating inside.
Jiang He shone his flashlight around the room; there were no electric lights, indicating that this place had no power supply.
Wang Chao couldn't understand how someone could live in such an environment.
"What is this!" Jiang He's flashlight illuminated something that startled everyone.
Several flashlights pointed at the object as Jiang He approached and crouched down.
"Isn't this the machete you all use?" Jiang He asked Luo Yu, who was nearby.
Luo Yu nodded and also crouched down to examine the machete closely.
Jiang He noticed that it indeed resembled the machetes used by hunters, and there were bloodstains on the blade. The blood had already congealed, suggesting it had been there for quite some time. However, Jiang He couldn't determine whether the blood belonged to a human or some other animal.
"This machete," Luo Yu gently picked it up and swung it a few times in the air before saying, "It seems to be the one Gangzi lost."
"Gangzi's machete?" Jiang He looked at Luo Yu.
Luo Yu nodded but then shook his head. "I'm not too sure. We should go back and ask Gangzi."
Jiang He nodded in agreement.
However, the ownership of this machete raised suspicions about the High Taoist. From the first moment the High Taoist saw the project team members, he seemed displeased with them and had tried several times to drive them away. Now that he thought about it, could it be that their presence was hindering some plan of the High Taoist?
"Let's search thoroughly," Old Shao spoke up. "It's quite suspicious that they aren't in the house at this hour, especially under these circumstances."
Old Shao was right; several people began searching through the small room.
Soon, Wang Chao found a box under the bed, and inside it were some items that clearly did not belong to the High Taoist.
"Isn't this women's clothing?" Wang Chao exclaimed.
Everyone turned around to see that Wang Chao was holding a skirt, an item clearly meant for women. Then, he pulled out one piece of women's clothing after another from the box.
"Has the High Taoist gotten married?" Jiang He asked.
"No," Luo Yu shook his head and replied, "The High Taoist has been living here for some time, but I have never heard that he got married or that he has any woman in his life."
Wang Chao set the box down on the floor, resting his chin on his hand as he pondered aloud, "Could it be that all of this is the High Taoist's doing? Living alone here must make it very convenient for him. Is it possible that the so-called curse was created by him? He could be wearing women's skirts to play tricks. He had talked about playing tricks with me before."
"But why would he do that?" Luo Yu asked.
"Why would he do that?" Wang Chao scratched his jaw and after a moment continued, "Because he's a Taoist. Only by causing disturbances can he make money, so he must do this."
Jiang He shook his head, dismissing Wang Chao's theory. "That doesn't make sense. Money doesn't hold much value in this village. I am seventy percent sure that if it was the High Taoist who did this, it definitely wouldn't be for money. If it were for money, he could easily leave this village."
"By the way, Brother Luo, has the High Taoist always been in this village?" Jiang He asked.
"Not really," Luo Yu shook his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Let me think carefully. The High Taoist seems to have arrived here about five years ago. According to him, he's a wandering Taoist. Five years ago, he came to Desolate Village and built a wooden hut on the mountain. Since he's a Taoist and knows some healing skills, the villagers were happy to have him stay."
"Five years ago," Jiang He murmured. "If he's a wandering Taoist, why hasn't he left since coming?"
Luo Yu replied, "This question has been asked before. There’s a good feng shui spot in the mountains where he hopes to be buried after he dies. It seems that Taoists place great importance on the feng shui of their burial sites; if he doesn’t stay here, the villagers probably wouldn’t allow him to be buried there."
After hearing Luo Yu finish speaking, Old Shao firmly stated, "He's lying."
"Lying?" Luo Yu was somewhat puzzled.
Old Shao spoke up, "Choosing a good burial site is meant to bless future generations, but High Taoist doesn't even have a wife, let alone any descendants. What does he need a good burial site for? His purpose must lie elsewhere; he must have some other reason for coming to this village!"
"What could that other purpose be?" Luo Yu countered.
At that moment, a distant, ethereal sound floated through the air, a voice that seemed to weep and lament, melodious and haunting.
"Terrifying ballad!" Jiang He recognized it.
"I want to see who is trying to play tricks!" Luo Yu declared as he stepped out of the house, handing the machete he had found inside to Jiang He. "Let's go!"
Shao the Elder said, "Wang Chao and I will stay here and wait for High Taoist to return. You all go take a look. Turn off your flashlights and proceed quietly."
"Understood."
The source of the singing was not far away.
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