We were in the middle of interrogating the "Immortal Maiden" late at night when we heard someone knocking. I quickly got up to open the door, but the area outside the small wooden house was deserted. A mournful wind howled, like Vengeful Spirits cast into the Underworld weeping and sobbing, their cries drifting intermittently in the air, lingering and refusing to dissipate when blown by the gale. Yet, I could clearly sense that it wasn't just the Wind Sound playing tricks; the sky was transmitting an ominous signal—a cry coming from the vicinity of the Yellow Weasel Grave upwind. In the deep darkness, there were indeed things like Yellow Weasels crying.
I inwardly hardened my resolve. It seemed this "Immortal Maiden" was truly not simple. Perhaps this night would not be peaceful, and the Yellow Weasels were determined to cause trouble. It saved Master Hu the trouble of setting traps on the mountain tomorrow; I might as well catch them all in one net right here at the Forest Farm, skin them all, and trade their hides for some damn good tobacco and wine.
Yanzi also came out behind me to look. As she lowered her head, she noticed something on the snow. I turned to look and saw that a broken porcelain bowl had appeared in front of the door sometime earlier. The bowl contained a few yellow beans, which shone unusually brightly. We were greatly surprised and carried the broken bowl back inside. When the light from the Oil Lamp shone upon the few "yellow beans" in the bowl, they glittered brilliantly, dazzling the eyes. Only then did we realize they weren't yellow beans—they were five Gold Beans.
The three of us looked at each other, unable to come back to our senses for a long time. Could it be that the Yellow Weasels wanted to use Gold Beans to ransom their "Immortal Maiden" back? Fatty’s eyes lit up at the sight of money. He quickly shut the door, picked up the Gold Beans, and tried to bite them. At that time, he had no idea how to appraise gold; it was just that the dazzling, real gold placed before him made him somewhat flustered, unsure of what to do.
I quickly stopped his hand. The quality of these Gold Beans was wrong; we might have been poisoned by the Yellow Weasels. I took a closer look: there were six Gold Beans in the bowl, almost the same size, but irregular in shape. They might have been forcibly pried off from somewhere. As for the broken porcelain bowl holding the Gold Beans, it looked like an Antique of some age. The broken edges had faint blue Patterns resembling half a ghost head. I brought the bowl close to my nose and took a gentle sniff; a Corpse Odor made me feel nauseous.
The gold and the broken porcelain bowl were likely Burial Objects from an Ancient Tomb. Although we didn't see any sign of the Yellow Weasels after opening the door, the situation was obvious enough. Those little creatures wanted to exchange Gold Beans for the "Immortal Maiden" we had captured. Thinking about it sent a chill down my spine. Have the Yellow Weasels in the deep mountains truly become spirits? They even understand trading Gold Beans for a life.
Yanzi became a little scared. "Why don't we just take the gold and release the 'Immortal Maiden'? Otherwise, if the Yellow Weasels cling to us, none of us will have a moment's peace." Fatty, however, was completely unconcerned: "In this day and age, even Yellow Weasels have learned these tricks, trying to use sugar-coated bullets to corrupt our iron will. They're dreaming in the clear autumn sky! They wish! I say we confiscate the gold, and we still won't release the female Weasel. I was planning to go up the mountain tomorrow to raid the Yellow Weasel Grave's lair anyway, and while I'm at it, wipe out their whole clan to eliminate future trouble. Maybe we can even find more gold."
I nodded in agreement. Catching one Yellow Weasel wasn't enough; we needed to continue tomorrow. As the three of us were discussing, a rapid sound of pounding on the door came from outside again. Our scalps tingled a bit, but at that moment, we refused to believe it. We each grabbed our weapons, ready to fight the Yellow Weasels. But when we opened the door, it wasn't strangers who had arrived; it was the other three Educated Youth who had been sent to the countryside to work and live with me—two men and one woman: Feng Jianshe, Chen Kangmei, and Wang Juan.
These three Educated Youth were originally left behind in the Village to stand Guard. Arriving at the Forest Farm in the middle of the night must mean something happened. I quickly pulled them inside and told them to warm up on the heated brick bed. Fatty, being a bit sly, reached out to touch Wang Juan's backside, startling her so much that she jumped straight off the bed onto the ground. I quickly explained for Fatty: "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! He was worried you might be Yellow Weasels in disguise, so he was checking if you grew tails."
Feng Jianshe, Wang Juan, and the other two didn't understand what I meant. I didn't have time to explain further and urgently asked why they rushed to the Forest Farm overnight. Had something happened in the Village? Or had the Hunters who went into the mountains to hunt encountered danger? Feng Jianshe didn't delay and immediately explained the reason. It turned out the Old man who stood Guard at the Forest Farm had a granddaughter who had suffered from epileptic seizures since childhood, and her condition had recently worsened. To cure her, the Old man wanted to hunt a Human Bear in the mountains to get its fresh Bear Gall, which was said to be miraculous for treating seizures. This Old man was usually stubborn and very set in his ways. He secretly prepared everything without telling anyone and took his granddaughter to catch a Human Bear. However, he was too old and couldn't compare to his younger days. Before he could find a Human Bear, he fell into a snowdrift himself. When his granddaughter went back to find help and brought everyone to him, the Old man was gone.
The Old Branch Secretary feared that the people coming to the Forest Farm for shift change wouldn't find the Old man and might wander into the mountains looking for him, thus encountering danger. There were no young, strong men left in the Village who could travel at night. Fortunately, the road from the Village to the Forest Farm was relatively safe and familiar. So, he sent the three Educated Youth to bring a hunting dog to the Forest Farm overnight to report the situation, while also instructing us never to enter the mountains. The Old man died an untimely death, and the main group of Hunters was still in the deep mountains dealing with the Winter Famine. The Village was chaotic enough already; nothing must happen here at the Forest Farm.
The Old man was a veteran figure in the Village; he had been hunting in the deep mountains since he was young. I had been sent to the countryside to work and live in the mountains for several months and often received his care. Hearing the terrible news made me feel awful. I chatted briefly with Feng Jianshe and the others. Seeing the weather changing, predicting another heavy snow soon, they didn't stay long. After exchanging the message, the three immediately returned to the Village.
After seeing off the three Companion Educated Youth, I began to Scheme in my mind. The Bear Gall of the Northeast Human Bear is known as "Eastern Gallbladder," considered equal to "Cloud Gall" as the twin treasures. Moreover, only the "Eastern Gallbladder" from a Human Bear could cure seizures; the gall from a "Black Bear" was inferior and useless. The Old man lost his life trying to find the Eastern Gallbladder. Without the "Eastern Gallbladder," his granddaughter Huamei's seizures might be incurable. I am currently penniless and cannot offer them any other help. The only thing I can do for them is to go to Tuan Shanzi to catch a Human Bear and take its gall. It wasn't just me who had this Thought; Fatty and Yanzi were also moved. The three of us immediately agreed. At eighteen or nineteen, we feared nothing and had few reservations. We immediately started planning our actions.
（I apologize; the previous volume uploaded was incorrect. This is the correct Volume One. I ask for your understanding and kindly request you support Chang Ba's new book by casting more votes. Thank you, everyone! ）