The Qing Miao lad who had re-emerged to give the report had been so carried away with elation that he was unable to react in time when he heard the warning. Suddenly, he felt both his Achilles’ tendons tighten as something grabbed his heels. He was both shocked and terrified until it felt like his brain was boiling. He shouted and twisted his body in a weird manner, intending to counter the attack. All he could feel at the moment was the sensation of his body being lifted off the ground before being put back down again.
A chubby little child, whose height was only slightly taller than his knees, was standing in front of him and gestured at him with complicated finger movements, all the while making an ‘aah, aah, aah’ sound in a young and childish voice.
