Fox in the Forest
Dihua Flow is a very interesting form of novel.
In such novels, the supporting characters will frantically imagine the protagonist's various behaviors, giving them all kinds of lofty and profound meanings, and brainwash themselves.
for example--
TA laughed? Why did TA laugh at this time?
Ah, that guy actually fell down, so everything is under his control? !
He frowned? Why did he frown?
It turns out that person is a traitor, so that subtle expression on his face is actually an ultimatum? !
Why doesn't he do anything? Why doesn't he intervene in this matter?
The result was that both sides suffered losses, so he had anticipated this and remained unmoved? !
But in fact, the protagonist's corresponding idea may just be——
Hahaha, I remembered something funny... Hey, everyone is gone? I won't laugh anymore.
Tsk, I'm starving, why isn't it over yet... Oh? Is he a traitor?
I don't want to work... Oh, nothing? Just say don't roll.
The protagonist often doesn't say much, but the tacit understanding of the supporting characters will allow the whole story to proceed very smoothly. In the end, the protagonist inexplicably becomes a hidden boss in everyone's eyes.
The comedic effect created by such cross-channel communication not only allows the audience, who are in a bird's eye view, to feel satisfied with having everything under control, but also allows them to point fingers at the supporting characters' bizarre imaginations that deviate from the protagonist's original intentions.
"Help! Please stop thinking about it!!"
"The protagonist is still on the first level, but the supporting characters have already been imagined to the fifth level."
"After knowing what the protagonist was thinking, it was really hilarious to see other people fighting wits and courage with the air and losing."
"Hahahaha what a coincidence, the dramatic effect is maxed out!"
This kind of pure and refreshing literary world is also very popular with the audience when it is manifested as a small world. Compared with other small worlds, they are very tolerant of some necessary bugs in the Dihua flow small world.
For example, all the supporting characters are like the protagonist, and the protagonist is an ordinary person but has the temperament of a big boss. For example, the protagonist always happens to run into important scenes by coincidence...
It doesn’t matter!
The plot requires it!
Just have fun!
On this day, a live broadcast room labeled Dihua Flow appeared, and the audience was very much looking forward to clicking in.
[Yay! New spiritual food! ]
[I hope the protagonist this time at least looks a bit more bossy. The protagonist in the previous live broadcast room was really mediocre. When I imagined the supporting role, I wanted to shake his collar to wake him up.]
[Indeed, the only requirement for this type of subject is that the protagonist cannot be too ordinary. Although eating is indeed a pleasant experience, it still needs to be a bit easier on the eyes when actually watching.]
[The supporting characters are responsible for pushing the plot, so the main character only needs to be good-looking and have a good temperament. Isn't that too much? ]
The picture gradually unfolds during the audience's discussion.
"call--"
The first thing that comes into view is a desolate and cold scene.
The cold, white waning moon hung high in the sky, and everything around was dim and hazy.
Wild grass is overgrown, dead branches are curled up, there is a small grave mound on the hillside in the distance, and the whistling sound of the wind seems like the wailing of unwilling souls.
In the dilapidated temple that was closer, there was a faint light that flickered on and off, like a ghost fire.
The audience was stunned by this opening.
【Wow, the atmosphere is here. 】
[I feel like something is bound to happen soon, and then the protagonist is filled in by imagination... So we are playing the role of the mastermind here? ]
[Uhhhh what is flashing inside that temple? ! So scary! ! ]
[Maybe it's the eyes of some small animal? There's no ghost label in the live broadcast room, so it shouldn't be anything scary. ]
[Hey, look, there are outsiders in the dilapidated temple. ]
For some reason, the camera was fixed near the ruined temple, and the audience didn't care. After all, the Dihua School focuses on depicting other people's imaginations, so using an event to introduce the protagonist at the beginning is a very common shooting technique.
So, the protagonist is one of that group of people?
The audience focused their attention on the scholars who were walking together. Only a few who were bored turned the camera casually. As they were turning, suddenly a red shadow passed quickly across the screen, but when they looked again, there was nothing there.
They were already a little frightened by the atmosphere in the live broadcast room and were confused. After sending a few comments, they were drowned out by other viewers' discussions about "who is the protagonist". They could only quickly move the camera to join the main group to feel at ease.
No one noticed that there was a fiery red fox hiding behind the Buddha statue in the dilapidated temple.
The ends of its eyes are long and upturned, with a dark halo, a charming smile, and a pointed, upturned muzzle. It looks just like the fox spirit in the storybooks that could transform into a monster and plunder people's hearts at any time.
In the middle of the night, there was a faint light flickering in the fox's eyes.
It hid quietly in an empty place, staring intently at several scholars approaching from a distance, as if it had locked onto its target.
Um.
When the few people walked into the dilapidated temple, it licked its paws and smiled with squinted eyes.
It tastes like chicken.
“There’s actually a temple here?”
The scholars walked into the dilapidated temple together.
They were all scholars who came to the city to purchase things, but they did not want to waste their time in the city on entertainment, so they could only rest for a night in the suburbs.
There are few people here, and everything is desolate.
On this journey alone, they had passed by seven or eight lonely graves. In order not to disturb the dead, they had to bow to show respect every time, and their waists were sore from bowing.
But fortunately, I didn’t encounter any ghost lanterns.
If they met, they might not be able to return home safely.
Now they finally found a place to rest. Although it looked shabby and gloomy, it could at least shelter them from the wind and rain. It would be much safer for them to rest here for one night and then set off again during the day.
After they relaxed, they were not in a hurry to sleep. Instead, they sat together in a corner where the moonlight could shine in, chatting about what they had seen and heard in the city today:
"That bookstore is really impressive! I spent a long time looking around and couldn't put down any of the books, but unfortunately I don't have much money..."
"The city is really interesting, even the restaurants are gorgeous! Just smelling the food there makes me feel that this trip is worthwhile..."
"The women in this city are truly extraordinary, completely different from those I have seen before..."
"My dear brother, I am sorry to hear that from the little sister of the Yang family. She often comes to see you."
"...Brother Meng really cares about everything. Could it be that you have taken a fancy to her?"
In the live broadcast room, the audience was trying hard to summarize the characteristics of each scholar in order to lock on the protagonist.
[I feel that there is an obvious conflict between the surname Li and the surname Meng. They must be supporting roles to set off the protagonist, so they are ruled out first! ]
[This boy named Wu is a sunny and cheerful guy who only wants to watch the show. He might become the protagonist.]
[Maybe it's the guy in the corner who's been reading? He has no sense of existence at all. How fitting it is for people to say "so scary" afterwards.]
[Eh, I feel like the conflict is escalating. Are we going to fight? ]
In the scene, the atmosphere among the five people who were originally just chatting gradually became tense.
The cause was probably that someone complained about the unreliability of the leader, a scholar named Meng, which forced them to rest in a dilapidated temple late at night. Then the scholar named Meng retorted that it was the others who were indulging in pleasure and started to criticize other people's entertainment.
Things got out of control after that.
They were already extremely tired after walking for half the night, and were in a tense mood as they passed by the lonely grave. Now, after being scolded, they were like firecrackers, ready to explode, and started to be sarcastic to each other.
You don't indulge in pleasure, you are noble, but why do you fail the exams several times?
He looks like a senior, but actually he has no advantage over others except his age, the only difference is that he was born a few years earlier.
If he had such "talent", he would have given up the path of obtaining official title and helped his old mother sell vegetables.
Ha ha ha ha……
The audience clearly saw that the scholar named Meng's fists gradually clenched and his eyes became darker.
[Oh no, something might happen. ]
[If you don't understand, why would the protagonist look like the mastermind in this kind of incident? Doesn't this already have the motive? ]
[Curious, wait and see what happens next. ]
Several people did not notice anything unusual about the scholar named Meng.
They were used to such inappropriate discussions. After all, they were the most prominent scholars in the village, and even if they spoke without restraint, they were often forgiven.
After seeing the prosperous town today, they became inexplicably more anxious, as if they had to belittle others so that they could stand out from the crowd and have a better chance of entering that world.
As they chatted, they began to get a little impatient.
One moment you say you stole my pen, the next moment you say you stole my sweetheart, the next moment you say you plagiarized my manuscript when you wrote the lyrics...
The audience was stunned and didn't understand how they could still travel together after all the circumstances.
[Hmm... I guess the place we are in is too small, so even if there is friction outside, we will just stay together.]
[It's so funny. I thought that the scholar surnamed Meng would be the first to get angry, but now it seems that it wouldn't be surprising whoever gets angry first.]
[I have good judgment, so the only one left is the sunny and cheerful boy, who never made any sarcastic remarks during the whole process.]
Yes, the scholar named Wu did not participate in such discussions.
He was the youngest and his words carried little weight. He was used to being quiet and no one would take the initiative to get him to speak, so he avoided disputes.
only……
He touched his chest and looked around in confusion, feeling an inexplicable tingling on his back.
No one should know that he had a chicken in his pocket.
No? Why do I always feel weird?
It seems like someone is watching me...
"Alright, alright, it's getting late, let's take a rest."
The slightly tense chat ended quickly and everyone felt sleepy.
They found a corner with some shelter over their heads and planned to sleep there.
Wu Shusheng even found a corner to sleep in, for fear that he would fall out of his pocket if he fell into a trance.
“Click.”
When he was half asleep, he suddenly heard some noise.
Struggling to open his eyes, he saw a red shadow flash by in the distance.
Wu Shusheng: ! !
He suddenly became sober.
After watching nervously for a long time, the ghostly figure did not appear again, but the red color that looked particularly strange in the dark night was deeply imprinted in his mind, making him very panicked.
He was so scared that he couldn't help but wake up the other scholars: "Did you hear any strange noises?"
Some people say yes, some people say no.
In order to sleep peacefully, Wu Shusheng suggested that everyone go out and check whether there is any danger around.
The moonlight seemed much dimmer at this time.
It was desolate outside the temple, with only mosquitoes disturbing people and making them feel upset.
Some people couldn't help it and scolded Mr. Wu who suggested going out, saying that he was too delicate and couldn't even stand such a small noise.
"this……"
Scholar Wu didn't dare to refute, so he could only use other scholars as shields: "Brother Li, don't you think it's noisy too?"
The man was furious and merciless: "He has problems too. He pretends to be so good at everything but he is just a show-off. Why is he pretending to be a playboy?"
Li Shusheng also became anxious.
The five people only walked a few steps before they dispersed on the spot and went their separate ways.
The scholar named Wu was terrified that his casual words would cause such a result. During the time he was hesitating, his colleagues walked in different directions and disappeared.
He was confused for a moment, and doubted what had happened before, so he could only return to the ruined temple alone.
After waiting anxiously for a long time and no one coming back, he suddenly panicked.
When they left, they went together under the watchful eyes of their fellow villagers. If he had gone back alone, he would have been scolded.
So he had no choice but to go out and look for it again.
The camera in the live broadcast room was a step slow and did not catch up with him immediately. Instead, it stayed at the entrance of the ruined temple until it recorded a fox following him.
In a desolate and dilapidated place, people got separated unexpectedly.
And behind the last member, a fox followed quietly.
This scene is so realistic.
The audience suddenly felt a little scared.
[Damn, this is a bit scary.]
[Where did this fox come from? Is it following that scholar named Wu? What does it want to do? ! ]
[Ah! I saw this fox just now. It was inside the ruined temple before the scholars entered. At that time, I thought it was an illusion because I was shaking the camera. It turned out to be it! ]
[So why is it following people...Are you sure there are no ghost elements in this live broadcast room? ? ]
"This is……"
Wu Shusheng's breathing stagnated as he saw bloodstains on the ground.
It meandered forward as if it was being violently dragged by someone.
Following the blood trail cautiously, he saw a colleague lying on the ground.
On the other side of the wrist that was pulled thin and straight was the back of Meng Shusheng.
They were even near the scattered graves!
The slightly raised earth mound combined with the current scene made it a most horrifying scene.
Wu Shusheng: ! !
He suddenly didn't dare to move and just wanted to run away quickly, but he stepped on a branch accurately.
Click.
Hearing this voice, Meng Shusheng, who was originally dragging his colleague, turned back suddenly and saw Wu Shusheng running away.
"Wait! Brother!"
Wu Shusheng couldn't listen at all and just ran away.
The faster you run, the better. It would be best if you could run straight home and hide.
Run, run, run, run--
Suddenly, a few clusters of blue appeared in the field of vision.
He was terrified and turned his head quickly to check.
——I saw clusters of dark blue suspended flames, which people called ghost lanterns, rising from the grave and moving towards him.
"ah!!"
He screamed, tripped over his feet, and rolled down the hill, fainting.
While his consciousness was hazy, he felt a heaviness in his chest, as if something was sniffing in his chest.
Trying hard to open his eyes, he saw a face that he would never forget in his life.
It's a fire fox.
It was very close to him, and its breath was warm.
The long and narrow deep eyebrows were curved, and there was a faint light flashing in the looming pupils, as if secretly happy, or as if mocking.
The faint blue will-o'-the-wisp appeared and disappeared, as if it had been summoned by the fox, leaning obediently against the fox's ear, setting off its fiery red fur.
"Well!"
Wu Shusheng was so frightened by this look that he screamed and fainted again.
When Meng Shusheng, who had finally run down the hillside and found Wu Shusheng, saw this scene, he suddenly stopped and his mind went blank.
In his eyes, this fox had ghostly lights flashing all over its body, slipping into people's clothes, and behaving boldly and presumptuously. It was nothing like an ordinary fox, but more like a fox demon in strange stories seeking to possess a human.
It’s…it’s a fox demon!
Meng Shusheng took a few steps back in shock. His originally intense emotions were secretly suppressed by the gods and ghosts in front of him. When he regained his senses, he suddenly felt that the stone in his hand weighed thousands of pounds. His body shook and he immediately threw it away.
Only then did he realize what he had just done.
He was completely out of control, as if he was being manipulated, and even wanted to kill his colleagues.
How could he dare... He wouldn't dare...
Yes…Yes…
He must have been bewitched by the fox demon to do such a wicked thing! !
“Woo——”
At this moment, the fox lying on Wu Shusheng's chest was startled by the sound of stones falling to the ground, and tilted its head slightly to look at him.
Meng Shusheng was shocked all over, and subconsciously lowered his head to avoid the fox's gaze, standing still with his breath held.
Time has become very torturous since then.
"Hahaha--"
Until one moment, when he heard a baby-like laughter and looked up subconsciously, he saw the fox jump off Wu Shusheng's chest without any reluctance and run straight into the forest and left.
With a feeling of relief, his legs went limp and he almost fell down on the spot.
He struggled forward and stayed by Wu Shusheng's side until he woke up.
"Hiss...what happened?"
When Wu Shusheng woke up, he seemed to have forgotten what he saw in his half-dream and half-wakefulness, and was only concerned with being afraid of Meng Shusheng. Seeing that the other party was actually guarding him, he shrank for a moment, but he was in pain all over and couldn't move, so he could only ask in a low voice with trepidation.
Meng Shusheng returned to his former simplicity and honesty.
He said:
It's a fox demon, a fox demon hiding in the ruined temple.
It was this that bewitched them and created the current situation.
He saw with his own eyes that when the fox demon left Wu Shusheng's chest, his mind became clear and he no longer had the intention to hurt anyone.
"ah?!"
Scholar Wu was terrified.
But as Meng Shusheng narrated, his memory gradually became clearer.
It was he who saw the red shadow before going to bed, it was he who suggested going out, and before he fell into coma, he also saw the red fox lying on his chest.
And he was indeed the only one who was not involved in the infighting among his companions.
Is it really so?
Is that really the case? ?
"Indeed!"
Meng Shusheng held his hand tightly, with such force that it made people feel a little uneasy.
He was also telling himself this over and over again.
Even if he did find his colleagues' words harsh and was indeed angry, how could he possibly harm them for that?
It was just some quarrels, he was used to it, so why would he seek revenge?
He has always been good at being patient, so how could he not be able to resist hurting others at this moment?
After convincing himself and becoming more determined, he looked at Wu Shusheng and pleaded word by word.
I hope you can testify for me. Although the forest is dangerous, at least we both survived.
Wang and Yang returned home alone last night. We should take care of each other.
Go tell all the villagers that there is a fox demon here, don't be bewitched...
"Uh-huh……"
Wu Shusheng responded mumblingly. His severely injured brain made it difficult for him to think for a while, and he could only think vaguely.
A fox demon, it turned out to be a fox demon...
But why didn't the fox demon hurt him?
Why is it possessed by him?
It was not until he had collected the bodies of his companions in the daytime, packed his bags and left that he remembered something. He touched his chest and found that it was flat.
Wu Shusheng was somewhat dazed.
turn out to be--
Fox demon, do you like to eat chicken too?
And deep in the woods, unknown to anyone, a well-fed red fox crouched lazily under a tree, licking its paws and resting. Its bright fur shone in the light like a large burning flame.
The narrator then began to speak:
"It was just another normal day, and he went out to look for food and take a walk as usual."
"But I accidentally ran into the crime scene."
"He didn't feel much and continued to eat as usual, but seeing those men looked ferocious, he still smiled to show his politeness."
"But for some reason, that person looked terrified... It's strange. He didn't do anything. He didn't kill the person."
Audience: …
After listening to the conversation between the two scholars, the audience, who knew the real protagonist, fell into a long silence until the narrator spoke and brought them back to their senses.
[So, the protagonist is a fox... How could it be a fox? Ugh! ! ]
[Damn, I thought I saw a ghost! ! Why did the camera always follow the supporting character's perspective? It really scared me! ! ]
[Although, the fox was actually there from the beginning. It was in that dilapidated temple from the beginning...]
[Ahh, the fox is really suitable here! You see, we are all fooled, so the ancient people must be even more confused! ]
[Yes. Midnight, foxes, will-o'-the-wisp, plus people who suddenly lose control of their emotions and kill each other, it really makes sense...]
[Isn’t this a standard element of weird rumors? ! But it’s also true that foxes are animals that people have made up a lot of things about. ]
[This is the first time I think the supporting characters are so reasonable... Help me, if the camera hadn't been cut, I would have thought they were possessed by a fox demon. ]
The red fox in the camera curled its eyes, as if it had thought of something interesting, and a faint laugh escaped from its throat.
The fox's laughter is very special. Although it sounds soft and cute at first, like a baby acting coquettishly, if you listen carefully, it sounds like both joy and sadness, with a slightly sharp tone. Especially when this fox laughs alone when there is no one around, it sounds even more terrifying.
The audience was completely impressed.
[Stop, stop, stop laughing. Why are you laughing for no reason? It's so scary! ! ]
[This is the first time I feel sympathy for the supporting character in this genre. What are you (the protagonist) laughing at? Do you have any conspiracy?]
[The fox is really suitable, help me! ! It is mysterious and elegant, a spirit in the forest, a traveler's nightmare, and its random actions can make people imagine for a long time, such as us in the live broadcast room ()]
Audience: …
Damn it, I’ve been watching the supporting characters make fun of themselves from a bird’s eye view all day long, but today the situation has changed.
I am the one with the Diligent Thoughts?!
Red Fox: Hmm~ delicious, love it.
——Reason for laughter
It just made a plain appearance ~ let the scholar spread the news, and then some more interesting characters joined after the reputation was established.
Everyone knows the principle of will-o'-the-wisp, right? If you pass by too fast, they might follow you... For those who don't know the principle, it might be a heart attack ()
The image of foxes that will be imagined is not limited to the scary monsters in this chapter ww
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