Chapter 13 Human-Faced Dog: Catching “Dogs”
It was as if the words were a silent mockery of those poor parents.
Tonight, the clouds hang low, almost swallowing all the starlight and moonlight. The dense forest is as black as ink, so oppressive that it's hard to breathe.
Suddenly, crows fluttered and took flight from the forest, their wings piercing the stagnant night, seemingly unable to bear the oppressive, suffocating silence. But in just a few breaths, the forest fell silent again, eerily quiet.
But this darkness also became the best cover, allowing the three people, who were holding their breath and lying in wait, to blend into the night and become invisible.
During the day, they returned to the spot where the human-faced dog had appeared the previous night to investigate. The woodland was damp and soft, and Tang Yu found several very shallow footprints there. This further convinced her that it wasn't an evil spirit, but rather the work of a human.
But after waiting for a long time, there was still no sound from the forest. The air was heavy and the silence was not the tranquility of an ordinary night, but rather as if it had been stripped of its worldly existence, lifeless, like an empty shell devoid of its soul.
The feeling was so strange that it blurred the lines between life and death, as if one were stepping onto the edge of the underworld.
Will a dog with a human face really appear?
The first to become suspicious was Wang Shanyue.
Although he was highly skilled in martial arts, he was not as intelligent as the two of them. He couldn't understand why Tang Yu and Xiao Fangliang were so certain that the human-faced dog would definitely appear again tonight.
Before I could think further, a very soft "ding-a-ling" sound entered my ears, seemingly far away yet not far away, like a summoning of a soul, eerie and desolate.
But you can only hear the sound, but you can't see the person.
He strained to discern the sound, but suddenly a series of crisp, bell-like sounds rang out from the forest, colliding among the branches and leaves to create a deep, eerie echo, like the simultaneous ringing of thousands of silver bells.
That wasn't the bell of the human-faced dog, but a trap they had set in the forest beforehand.
Unbeknownst to Wang Shanyue, the silk threads Tang Yu used to set the trap were the silk of the Thousand Silkworm Spider, worth a hundred gold pieces. This silk was almost transparent, making it extremely difficult to spot even in broad daylight without close inspection. Moreover, it possessed astonishing toughness. During the day, following Tang Yu's instructions, he wound these threads among the trees, intertwining them to form a net, tying bells to it, creating a dense and seamless network.
If anything travels through the forest and breaks one of the spiderwebs, it can unleash a chain reaction that affects the entire web.
There were only a dozen or so bells, but they rang out in the dark forest, creating a series of echoes that sounded like thousands of bells ringing at once, which was both terrifying and unsettling.
If the "human-faced dog" had remained still, the bell might have gradually died down. But this sudden, strange noise clearly disturbed the other party's concentration.
Once the thought of escaping takes hold, the remaining spiderwebs break, only making the bell ring louder and louder.
The three of them immediately got up and followed the sound.
Seeing the mountain's peak, fearing it would escape, he mustered his strength and charged forward. The sound of the bell startled the birds, causing the branches and leaves to rustle as they flapped their wings, adding a touch of eeriness to the scene.
Why is there no fog today?
The moment he thought of "fog," the fog actually appeared.
A thin layer of white mist rose beneath my feet. At first, it was as thin as water vapor, spreading naturally into the night, like the faint breath exhaled from the forest; but gradually, the mist grew thicker and thicker, almost to the point that visibility was reduced to zero.
Just then, the sound suddenly stopped, and the ringing of the bells eerily ceased.
Stopping at the mountain peaks and gazing intently, one sees several strange figures of varying heights and shapes, covered in white fur, standing amidst the swaying shadows of the trees—they are... human-faced dogs!
The man's face was strangely distorted, and his eyes were staring straight at him.
He was jolted, and before he could react, a red shadow flashed by, causing the bell to ring suddenly, breaking the suffocating silence.
As his thoughts returned to the mountains, he immediately drew his sword and gave chase, but unexpectedly his legs gave way, his mind went blank, and he almost fell to the ground.
In that instant of distraction, the red figure vanished into the night like a ghost. But not all the human-faced dogs escaped.
He bit his tongue to steady himself, flipped over, drew his sword, and chased after the nearest one. He channeled his inner strength into the sword, and its momentum surged like a rainbow, piercing straight through the thick fog.
But just as the sword's edge was about to strike, he finally saw the true face of the "human-faced dog".
Wang Shanyue's expression changed drastically. He abruptly withdrew his sword and instead used his left hand to tap the "human-faced dog" with two fingers. The "human-faced dog" immediately fainted.
When Tang Yu and Xiao Fangliang arrived, the fog had already dissipated, and they could see clearly by the faint moonlight.
The one lying on the ground was not a demon, but a thin little girl!
It turns out that the so-called human-faced dog was nothing more than a pale-faced, peacefully sleeping child draped in coarse white cloth.
The three of them froze, speechless for a moment.
Tang Yu stepped forward, gently picked up the child, and looked down to examine her closely. The girl slept peacefully in her arms, breathing softly, her expression serene, as if immersed in a beautiful dream.
Silence fell over the forest. But beneath that silence, anger surged within the three men's hearts.
Who would have thought that the demonic dog that haunted the night and carried away the child was actually the child himself?
How absurd!
The child that the parents desperately wanted to find turned out to be the "human-faced dog" they feared and hated!
Traffickers exploit people's fears, using the image of "monsters" to conceal their crimes, turning innocent children into nightmares that roam the night.
It was as if the words were a silent mockery of those poor parents.
Tang Yu's gaze was icy as she stared intently into the depths of the forest, into the all-consuming darkness.
*
The child was then held by Wang Shanyue, while Tang Yu took out a silver needle to probe.
No signs of poisoning were found. She frowned slightly. "...Perhaps, it's a Gu poison?"
"You mean, someone has used a curse on these children?" Xiao Fangliang's eyes turned cold, and a sense of vigilance rose in his heart.
"If it's a Gu technique, then it explains why they spontaneously follow the sound of the bell at night without making a sound."
Tang Yu paused for a moment, then continued her analysis: "Bing'er once said that she suddenly lost consciousness after going out. Perhaps it wasn't fainting, but rather losing her sense of self-control after being controlled."
She looked up at Wang Shanyue and said, "Brother Wang, you've encountered a human-faced dog twice. At first glance, it didn't seem human either. I suspect there's something wrong with the fog."
"Is that fog also a form of poison?" Wang Shanyue asked hastily.
Tang Yu shook her head. "Although the fog has dissipated, I can still smell some lingering scents. The fog must have hallucinogenic effects. People subconsciously have preconceived notions and think it's a 'human-faced dog,' which is why they actually see that strange thing."
"No wonder when that red figure flashed by, I gathered my strength to chase after it, but suddenly I felt dizzy and weak. It turns out I was drugged!" Wang Shanyue realized, and immediately asked worriedly, "How can we find the rest of the children now?"
"Don't worry," Tang Yu said, taking out a box no bigger than the palm of her hand from her bosom.
"What is this?" Xiao Fangliang's eyes flickered slightly.
Tang Yu smiled and said, "The spider silk we use to hang the bell is produced by the spider mother in this box. The person who controls the bell will be found by the spider silk."
"So amazing? Speaking of that silk thread, I initially thought the bell would break if it were hung on it," Wang Shanyue exclaimed in amazement.
Then, out of curiosity, he asked, "Was this also bought on the black market?"
Tang Yu nodded with a smile, marveling at the mountains, and simply believed it.
Xiao Fangliang remained silent, only glancing at the box indifferently, shaking his head and sighing inwardly: Some people are just so easy to fool.
Tang Yu opened the box, inside was a very small spider, its entire body crystal clear, with a faint metallic luster flowing through it, making it easy to spot even in the dark forest.
She dipped her fingertip into the box, and the little spider crawled onto her hand. Tang Yu wasn't afraid at all; with a gentle flick, the spider fell to the ground. Sensing the spider silk, it quickly scurried away.
"Follow Little Spider," Tang Yu said softly.
The three followed the spider, moving through the trees and forest in the night wind. After a short while, the little spider stopped at the belly of a cliff and scurried into a crevice in the rock.
Wang Shanyue also stopped and whispered, "There are people ahead, and their aura is not weak."
The three searched around the cliff and soon discovered a deep natural cave behind a crevice in the rocks, hidden by vines.
The cave entrance was chilling, and the faint sound of dripping water could be heard echoing in the silent forest, like the tolling of bells and the sound of mourning drums.
The three exchanged a glance, realizing this was likely where the abducted children were being held. They didn't dare rush in, but instead found a high vantage point to hide and peer inside.
At this moment, the strange bell rang again, and mist gradually rose from the cave entrance. Tang Yu immediately covered her mouth and nose, signaling the two to hold their breath.
A fire lit up inside the cave, its flickering light casting shadows among the stalagmites and stalactites. There stood several guards at the cave entrance, wearing eerie masks with their features outlined in red ink, their smiles ambiguous, appearing ferocious and terrifying in the darkness.
The sound of chains being dragged rang out, and a person emerged from the forest, dragging three chains made of fine iron, each chain ending in a "human-faced dog".
Those were three poor children.
Their steps were stiff, and they slowly entered the cave under the guidance of the bell, like wandering souls.
Upon seeing this, Wang Shanyue clenched his fists, his eyes surging with anger, but he ultimately suppressed the urge to rush to save the child.
Given the current unclear situation, taking rash action would only alert the enemy.
Xiao Fangliang made a hand gesture, his eyes calm, and silently signaled: Step back first.
The three quietly retreated back to the inn. It was nearly dawn, but the room was eerily quiet.
Tang Yu looked at the sleeping child on the bed, her expression complex, and a rare hint of worry appeared in her eyes.
Overnight, three children were brought into that dark cave.
"Damn it!" Wang Shanyue slapped his leg hard and roared, his face full of shame and anger.
He was angry at himself for knowing the truth and even turning a blind eye to the children being harmed, yet failing to save them and only being able to stand by and do nothing.
"Calm down." Xiao Fangliang knew he was frustrated. Although he also had his worries, he understood that calmness was even more important at this moment. "The situation in that cave is complicated, and the number of people is unknown. It is definitely not something we can take down in one fell swoop tonight. If we expose ourselves prematurely without certainty, we will not only fail to rescue the child, but also alert the enemy."
He closed his fan slightly, saying, "This matter is meticulously planned and the methods are ingenious, unlike those of ordinary people. I'm afraid it's not that simple."
"You suspect... that someone in the government is secretly helping you?" Wang Shanyue frowned.
Xiao Fangliang nodded slightly, but did not voice his deeper doubts.
The Xia Nan Blood Well case could be attributed to geographical factors, such as its proximity to the southern border and the rampant use of Gu magic. However, now that they were near the outskirts of Zhongjing, they encountered a similar tactic. To say this was merely a coincidence was hard to believe; he had a strong feeling that there must be a connection.
I fear that there's more to this than just human trafficking.
Tang Yu remained silent for a long time, staring intently at the child on the bed, and then, as if in sync with him, let out a long sigh.
Suddenly, he asked, "If ordinary government officials can't believe it, what about your senior brother?"
"Xie Xingzheng?" Xiao Fangliang was slightly taken aback, and his eyes looked at Tang Yu with a hint of inquiry.
Wang Shanyue thought the suggestion was good. "Yes, we can go find Senior Brother Xie. He is in charge of the Imperial Guards of Zhongjing. He can lead the troops and level the cave in one fell swoop, making it easy to rescue the child."
“But Zhongjing is so far from here…” Xiao Fangliang frowned slightly, before he could finish speaking.
Tang Yu coughed lightly, looked away, and asked tentatively, feeling a little guilty, "Do you think it's possible that he... is nearby?"
"The soldiers in the town are wearing iron armor; from what I can see, they seem to be from Zhongjing..."
"Oh?" Xiao Fangliang smiled faintly. "That really is quite a coincidence."
But he didn't press further. He simply uttered the word "skillful" lightly, though his voice was soft, a meaningful glint appeared in his eyes.
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