The Night-Mare Beast, though called a beast, is actually a type of humanoid ghost.

In legends, the Night-Mare Beast will lie beside a person's bed in the dead of night, gently blowing air on their face. When the person feels a cool breeze on their face in their sleep, they become paralyzed.

The Qi of the Night-Mare Beast is similar to sleep paralysis, but unlike sleep paralysis, it can kill.

People tormented by the Night-Mare Beast can clearly feel themselves being disemboweled, their heart and liver being removed, and even watch the Night-Mare Beast slowly devour their own heart before their very eyes.

The entire process of the Night-Mare Beast killing someone is witnessed by the victim. No one killed by a Night-Mare Beast can close their eyes, because the Night-Mare Beast forces them to watch their own death.

Even more terrifying, the victim's bed partner is completely unaware when the Night-Mare Beast is killing. Only when they wake up the next day and see a corpse with wide-open eyes beside them do they realize their companion is dead.

The terror of waking up to find oneself lying in blood, staring at the corpse beside them, is not something ordinary people can endure.

Therefore, the scene of a Night-Mare Beast killing usually consists of two corpses: one killed, and one scared to death.

I had heard of the Night-Mare Beast and knew of its terrors.

I separated the two sections of the staff again: "Are you sure the Night-Mare Beast is extinct?"

Wang the Butcher said, "At least, I haven't heard of one. According to legend, in a certain dynasty, the emperor had frequent nightmares. Later, a Daoist entered the palace and said it was the work of a Night-Mare Beast. The emperor ordered the extermination of the Night-Mare Beast."

"The Night-Mare Beasts were hunted to extinction by sects and sorcerers working together in a short period of time. Since then, there has been no news of Night-Mare Beasts."

Wang the Butcher said, "I only saw fragments of these things in the Wang family's records. The details are impossible to verify."

"Night-Mare Beast, Night-Mare Beast!" I tapped the wooden staff lightly and said, "Does the Bai family have Night-Mare Beasts?"

"No, that's not right!" I shook my head and said to myself, "If the Bai family had Night-Mare Beasts, they wouldn't need to waste time circling around us. They could attack directly and leave at least half of our people dead."

I looked at Wei Junyong, "Xiao Wei, tell me, is there anything strange about your father or your grandfather?"

"I know you might not believe me. I don't need you to believe anything I say. I can only tell you one thing: opportunities are for gambling. It just depends on whether you dare to gamble."

Wei Junyong understood what I meant: I was telling him that he had lost all power of decision and could only listen to my arrangements and those of the Bai family. Now I was giving him a chance to get close to me and help him solve his problems. He was betting on whether I was worth his trust.

Wei Junyong hesitated for a long time before saying, "I have nothing, and I don't dare to help you."

I nodded slightly, "I don't need you to give me anything, and I don't need you to do anything. All I want is the truth."

Wei Junyong pursed his lips and said, "Actually, there are some strange things about my grandfather and them..."

"My grandfather has to go out once a year, every year, and it's always when it's snowing heavily. He has to walk in the snow, and it lasts about half a year. He only comes back when it rains.

When my grandfather comes back, he stands in the yard and doesn't go into the house. He waits for it to rain, and only when 'the thunder roars three times and the rain falls' does he enter the house. If the thunder doesn't roar enough times, or the rain doesn't fall heavily enough, he stays in the yard, never getting close to the door, and he doesn't let me go near him.

Several times, I had my dad call him into the house, but my dad said, 'Your grandfather is just like that, you don't need to worry about him.'

One year, when it was time for my grandfather to go out, he didn't leave because my grandmother was seriously ill. He asked me to tell my dad to go to 'Shili Mountain'..."

Before Wei Junyong could finish speaking, Wang the Butcher stood up, "Are you sure it's Shili Mountain? Are you sure you didn't mishear?"

Wei Junyong was startled by Wang the Butcher. After a long while, he nodded timidly, "I didn't mishear, I'm sure."

Wang the Butcher sat back down, "Continue!"

Wei Junyong said, "That time, my dad went out, and when he came back, he stood in the yard waiting for the rain, just like my grandfather... They seem to have this strange habit."

After Wei Junyong finished speaking, Wang the Butcher gave me a look, meaning: he wanted me to go out with him.

Ye Yang and I followed Wang the Butcher to the next room. Wang the Butcher then said, "Shili Mountain is where Bai Hongzhen, the grandmaster of the Bai family, disappeared back then."

Ye Yang and I exchanged glances, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure!" Wang the Butcher said, "I was also very shocked when Wei Junyong mentioned Shili Mountain. The Wang family has explored Shili Mountain several times, and there are no traces of other sorcerers' activities there."

"Wei Junyong has overturned all the deductions of the Wang family's descendants, and I can't be sure if what he said is true or false."

Wang the Butcher glanced at the doorway, "Little brother, do you think this Wei Junyong might be a mole deliberately planted by the Bai family?"

When I followed Wang the Butcher's gaze and looked at the next room, Wei Junyong was sitting on the kang with his head lowered, seemingly without any particular reaction.

The lack of reaction is what makes it truly difficult to judge.