Chapter 119: Ghost Fog Forest

  Just as everyone was busy roasting and having meals, the little squirrel also went out to find food by itself. This little guy didn't let Chu Jiaqiang worry at all, it solved its own problems by itself.

  "Tsk, tsk! You're really raising this animal in a thrifty way! Apart from throwing some food to the chickens, ducks and geese at home every day, I haven't seen you take care of anything else." Liu Yang said while eating a roasted fish.

  This roasted fish was done by himself, everyone can roast fish, no need for others to do it personally. Wu Shu didn't complain, he would also feel embarrassed, after all, they are all grown-ups. I don't know if the fish itself tastes good or my BBQ skills have improved, but it feels very delicious, if the seasoning is better, I believe the flavor will be even more amazing.

  Ye Xiaoshuang's little rabbit seems to be not as annoying as everyone thought, very quiet, after eating it quietly stays by Ye Xiaoshuang's side, and is not afraid of people.

  The little squirrel came back full and also brought some wild fruits for Chu Jiaqiang.

  "We'll be arriving at Ghost Fog Forest soon, the miasma is a bit thicker inside. I've prepared some medicinal water, each of you drink a little, it can help resist it a bit. Although that place has a heavy yin energy feeling, there's no need to worry too much, on the contrary, it's not as dangerous as Soul Shattering Slope." Old Man Li said.

  Everyone drank some of the medicinal soup he had prepared, which was very bitter. Ye Xiaoshuang scrunched up her face and took small sips. Chu Jiaqiang found it amusing that when drinking Chinese medicine, taking smaller sips would make it feel even more bitter, clearly this little girl hadn't drunk much Chinese medicine before.

  People in the countryside often drink it. As long as they have a cold, fever, wind and cold, waist and back pain, leg cramps, etc., they will dig some medicinal herbs back and boil a bowl of soup to drink. Rural people tend to believe more in traditional Chinese medicine than city people, and if there is no serious illness, they will not go to the hospital. Moreover, their ancestors have indeed left behind some effective folk remedies. Even if they are not sick, they may still drink some medicinal liquor that they usually soak from time to time.

  The Ghost Fog Forest was almost windless because the Windy Slope in front of it blocked the wind. Seeing this, Professor Wen immediately understood why the Ghost Fog Forest had formed. Looking inside, the forest seemed to be shrouded in a thin mist, and the dense forest above blocked out the sunlight, giving everyone a somewhat eerie and ghostly feeling.

  "Big brother, you don't think there are really ghosts here, do you?" The Ghost Fog Forest is said to have ghosts, and children often hear about it. Chu Jiaxiong was no exception. People in the countryside, regardless of age or sex, still have a certain level of reverence for ghosts and spirits.

  Chu Jiaqiang chuckled: "Hehe! What ghost? This miasma has a scientific basis, it's not a ghostly aura. What are you afraid of?"

  The old professor smiled slightly. Having traveled the world for most of his life, he had seen many eerie places and no longer felt that sense of mystery. However, the miasma in this Ghost Fog Forest was particularly heavy, and it was the thickest he had ever seen.

  "Miasma is a toxic gas generated from the rotting of plants and animals in the primitive forest. The main reason is that no one effectively disposes of animal carcasses, coupled with high tropical temperatures and little wind, creating favorable conditions for the production of miasma. Therefore, when entering such places, generally speaking, there's no need to worry about being attacked by ferocious beasts. The most important thing is to overcome the natural factors here, that is, these miasmas." Professor Wen explained.

  Miasma is a toxic gas, but it's not highly toxic, rather a chronic poison. In the past when people didn't know about it, they would be surrounded by miasma and their bodies would weaken day by day, and those who believed in ghosts and gods thought this was the work of evil spirits, passing off miasma as "ghost air".

  The professor's words also make sense, it is possible that fierce beasts may pass through here, but they will not stay for long, let alone live here for a long time. Of course, this is the general situation. Some animals have adapted to the environment here and are immune to the miasma, so it's hard to say.

  Ye Xiaoshuang didn't dare walk in front, nor did she dare fall behind, so she squeezed into the middle.

  Everyone had not gone far before discovering a dead animal lying in front of them. The animal's body was less than one meter long, like a small deer, but without a tail, and its fur was olive-colored, looking like it had been dead for some time.

  Xu Hao saw this animal and immediately said: "This is a forest musk deer. Who would still run to such a place to shoot and kill the forest musk deer?"

  The professor's face looked bad, and the forest musk deer is also a national key protected animal. However, because the forest musk deer has musk in its body that is worth more than gold, humans are tempted by their interests and specially kill the forest musk deer to take their musk.

  Lynx is also called musk deer, forest musk deer, etc. Chu Jiaqiang saw it when he was very young. Although it's not often seen in the mountains, it can still be seen. They are naturally timid and like to hide in dark places.

  Lao Li shook his head, not quite agreeing: "This kind of place is rarely visited by people, and it's unlikely that the lynx was killed by a human. Last time I saw several animal corpses, all bitten to death, with their bodies left behind, but the blood seemed to have been sucked dry."

  Upon hearing this strange phenomenon, some timid people shrank their necks, and little girl Ye Xiaoshuang asked cautiously: "Do you think it might be a vampire?" This girl had watched many Western fantasy movies before, and the most common thing in them was vampires.

  The professor didn't say a word, and walked forward to examine Lin Mei's body. He found that there was indeed a wound on Lin Mei's neck, but there was no bloodstain on the ground. After examining the front of her abdomen, he found that the musk pouch was still there.

  "Hmm! Indeed, it's not humanly possible. It seems that there is a kind of dangerous killer in this forest that drinks blood. What could it be?" Professor Wen thought to himself.

  After hearing what the expert said, Miao Huo and others felt a chill run down their spines. Drinking blood was too evil.

  "The serow likes cool and refreshing places, fears exposure to the sun, and avoids hot summer weather; it is agile in movement, good at climbing steep cliffs; it likes to eat moss, grass, bamboo leaves, ferns, and fragrant tree leaves and tender shoots. But generally, it won't hide deep in the mountains or old forests, this serow's living environment is a bit strange," said Xu Hao.

  "How come it doesn't have a tail?" Ye Xiaoshuang found it somewhat strange, as in her understanding, animals generally had tails, even rabbits just had shorter ones.

  The professor explained: "This is a degenerative phenomenon in the animal kingdom, just like frogs. The tail of a young musk deer is normal when it's young, but becomes 'bald' and hairless when it grows up. This is because the musk gland is rich in glands that secrete a milky white substance, which the musk deer rubs on tree trunks and other places to mark its territory."

  Chu Jiaqiang reached out and took out Lin Mei's musk pouch, anyway it would be a waste to leave it behind. At this time, Professor Wen didn't stop him either, Lin Mei was already dead, even if Chu Jiaqiang carried it back to eat the meat, he wouldn't blame him.

  "Teacher, what do you think the murderer is?" asked Xu Hao. In fact, there are many animals in this world that can suck blood.