When Hajime and U-ri started walking back to the cabin. U-ri was some distance away from Hajime from time to time. Hajime walked slowly but cautiously.
U-ri asked, "Why do you keep looking back?"
Hajime said, "I have a feeling that there is something or someone watching us from the other side of the woods."
U-ri stopped and looked around but found nothing. "I didn't see anything," he said.
Hajime said, "Don't use your eyes. You have to use your senses."
U-ri turned around and continued to walk a few steps in front of Hajime. "I don't have the magical sixth senses like you," he said, walking on.
Hajime quickly caught up with U-ri and asked, "Do you think something bad is going to happen? Yul's complex was abnormal yesterday. He told me that he felt that someone was watching us, and now I feel the same way."
"Ptui...ptui...ptui." U-ri spat on the ground a few times. "If you can't think of anything good to say, then don't say such ominous things."
Hajime said, " "You can't always think about the good, sometimes we also have to think about the bad, which can help us prepare for the next destination. This journey is not an easy stroll in the palace garden."
U-ri said, "I totally get it because we met those beats, but what I'm trying to say is that we have to think positively first."
Hajime asked, "Then why are you afraid of spirits and ghosts?"
U-ri asked, "Who said that?"
Hajime said, " Everyone else thinks so."
U-ri scoffed softly and said, " I'm not afraid of ghosts, but I really want to see them because I have a spell that forces them to do what I want."
Hajime asked, " Is this spell useful?"
U-ri said, " I don't know. I haven't encountered a ghost yet, but I definitely wanted to try."
Hajime asked, "What exactly do you need to catch ghosts for?"
U-ri said, " My late wife died suddenly without leaving a word, so I want to ask the ghost to bring her soul back to the world, maybe I can have a good talk with her."
Hajime asked, " Can your spell be used multiple times or only once?"
U-ri said, "It can only be used once." He stopped and looked at Hajime. " Did someone leave you without saying a word?"
Hajime said, "Not really.... just that I want to ask him a question." He smiled. "It's okay...I don't think he wants to talk to me because I haven't seen him in years."
U-ri asked, "Who?"
Hajime looked away, trying to avoid eye contact with U-ri. "Forget it...but let's catch a ghost tonight."
U-ri and Hajime started walking again. "How?"
Hajime said, "There is a grave not too far from the cabin."
U-ri's jaw dropped. "What? So, does everyone know about it?"
Hajime said, "Yes... Abrafo found it, but they thought you were afraid of ghosts." He glanced into the woods and saw the white deer lurking behind them and following them. Hajime grabbed U-ri's arm. "Stop, turn to your left..."
U-ri asked, "What am I supposed to see?"
Hajime said, " The deer has been following us since we left the mountain lake."
U-ri looked to the left and saw the white deer a few feet away from them. U-ri grabbed onto Hajime's arms and said, "Let's hurry up..."
Hajime asked, "What's wrong?"
" A white deer is a bad omen," U-ri said, quickening his pace. "I can't believe it... we can't even get a good rest..."
Hajime asked, "What bad omen are you talking about?"
U-ri said, " Seeing an all-white deer like that one is an ominous sign of impending danger."
Hajime asked, "You're not serious, are you?"
U-ri said, "I'm dead serious."
Hajime said, "We didn't hurt the deer, why would it do bad things to us? It's just superstition, you don't have to believe it too much."
Just as Hajime and U-ri looked back to see if the deer was still following them, the white deer seemed to have disappeared.
Hajime looked everywhere but found nothing. "Look, the white deer is gone," Hajime said. "I guess that's not a bad sign for us."
U-ri shook his head and looked straight ahead, seeing a man in white walking in front of them, U-ri grabbed onto Hajime's arm. "Hajime..." he murmured.
"What?" Hajime turned around and saw the man in white walking in front of them. Hajime was also surprised, but Hajime realized that the clothing of the person walking in front of them was the same as the man he saw standing by the mountain lake. "U-ri... the clothes on that man are very similar to the one I saw by the lake."
U-ri whispered, "Are we seeing spirits walking around in broad daylight?"
Hajime asked, "Do you want to use a spell?"
U-ri said, "Not really...I'm not sure if the spell works during the day."
Hajime and U-ri looked at each other, then looked back at the man walking in front of them, but the man was no longer visible, instead a big white deer walked in front of them.
Hajime and U-ri wiped their eyes, then looked up at the white deer walking in front of them again.
U-ri asked suspiciously, "Are you sure what we saw was a human and not a deer?"
"I saw a man just a moment ago," Hajime said.
U-ri said, "Hajime, I suddenly have a creepy feeling. My old white hair is standing on the back of my neck."
Hajime asked "So, what do you want us to do? That thing is actually going in the same direction that we are going." Hajime took two steps forward, but U-ri's feet did not move. "U-ri..."
"I don't think I can move," U-ri said.
Hajime shook his head, reached into his robe, and threw the wolf-wood figure to the ground. With a quick chant, the wolf's body turned into a giant gray wolf that looked up to the sky and howled.
Hajime helped U-ri up onto the wolf's back and he also climbed onto the wolf's back. The grey wolf growls loudly at the white deer in front of them. In fright, the white deer suddenly jumped behind the bushed and hid behind the trees on the side of the road.
U-ri said, "It's scared of the wolf."
Hajime watched the deer standing where it was, watching them with dark blue eyes. "He's not afraid of my wolf...maybe he's just curious..."
Yul, Abrafo, and Michio were sitting outside the cabin waiting for Hajime and U-ri, when they suddenly heard a loud howl resounding through the mountains.
"That's Hajime's wolf," Yul said.
" How do you know?" Abrafo asked.
Yul said, "Since we're here, we don't see any animals. So, the only animals that will roam the place are Hajime's magical creatures."
Michio said, " I have to agree with that." Yul stands up slowly, grabbing his sword, but Michio quickly stops him. "Where are you going?"
Yul put the sword on his back and said, "Hajime and U-ri may be in trouble. Hajime won't let his wolf cry so loudly for no reason."
Michio said, "If Hajime or U-ri were really in danger, you were not in a position to help them, maybe U-ri was too tired to walk and Hajime might have just summoned his wolf for that sole purpose."
Abrafo got up and said, "Michio is right. Let's wait for a while to see if they are approaching. If not, we will go find them together." Abrafo sat back in his seat, looked at Yul's worried expression, He started giggling.
Michio looked at Abrafo and asked, "Abrafo, what's so funny?"
"I thought I'd never see Yul give anyone that look ... that worried look," Abrafo said.
Michio said, " I don't think it's funny. Yul is right to worry about them, and I worry about them too."
Yul said, "Hajime is the key to bringing us to No Man's Land. Even if we have to give up our lives, Hajime must live to the end."
Abrafo looked at Yul and asked Yul in a serious tone, " Is this the only reason you are worried about Hajime? If Hajime hears this, he will be very hurt."
Michio said, "That's right…um… I hate keeping secrets."
Yul sighed and said, "Since Hajime and U-ri are not here, I want to talk to you two. Hajime is the key to No Man's Land. Without Hajime, we cannot enter No Man's Land. Even if we enter No Man's Land, none of us can cross the River of sorrow. Therefore, no matter what happens, Hajime must bring back the white dragon tail, purify the land, and save our people." He untied the belt tied around him, put his sword beside him, and he sat back on the log.
Abrafo asked, "Are you kidding me when you say Hajime has to live even if we all die?"
Yul sighed and said, "No… let's just keep this between the three of us. U-ri and Hajime don't need to know. "
"I got it. Don't worry, no fourth person will know about this," Abrafo said with a heavy heart.
Michio looked forward and found that the grey wolf was approaching the cabin. "They're coming..." He rushed over. "You two worry us."
Hajime looked at Michio strangely, "Worried? This is the first time someone told me they are worried about me." He giggled when he heard Michio's words. "We're fine."
"Yul almost ran out to save you two," said Michio, helping U-ri off the wolf's back.
U-ri said, " We had some bad things happen to us on the way back."
Michio asked, "What kind of bad thing?"
Hajime jumped off the wolf's back and said, "We met a white deer. There is a mountain lake over there." He pointed to the left. "But there are no fish. The white deer were following us until I called my wolf.
Michio said, "Hajime... the white deer is an ominous omen that something dangerous is about to happen."
"You sound like U-ri," Hajime said, looking at Michio and U-ri. " Is this something that the people of Tangzang believe in?"
Yul said, "Tanzanie believes that seeing a white deer is a sign of bad things to happen, because the white deer symbolizes the spirit of our deceased ancestors."
"Guard the house," Hajime said, and tapped the grey wolf's buttocks. "You mean your ancestors came to warn you that something bad was going to happen?"
Yul nodded.
"Interesting." The man's laughter resounded throughout the mountain. "How interesting…" The voice continued to laugh.