Chapter 64: A Tap on the Shoulder

Chapter 64 – A Tap on the Shoulder

"Fan-ge, slow down a bit!"

"Yeah, Fan-ge, you trained when you were a kid, but we didn’t!"

Song Zichen and Wang Yitao were even weaker than Cai Yifan.

At first, they could barely keep up.

Later, they fell behind—even lagging behind Chen Huai’an and the two female guests.

But they didn’t want to miss screen time, so they forced themselves to run until they were completely out of breath.

Meanwhile, Cai Yifan was struggling too.

His face was pale, his forehead dripping with sweat.

He was exhausted—but for the sake of exposing Chen Huai’an, he pushed on.

Seeing that the moment was ripe, he finally stopped to catch his breath.

Then, pointing at Song Zichen and Wang Yitao, he mocked them.

"You two grown men—can you even keep up?!"

"Look at Chen Huai’an. He’s disabled, yet he’s climbing better than both of you."

"And he’s not even sweating."

At first glance, this sounded like praise.

But in reality, he was calling attention to something unnatural.

And everyone noticed.

Song Zichen and Wang Yitao stared at Chen Huai’an.

…It was true.

They had been climbing for over half an hour.

Everyone was panting and sweating.

Even the professional mountaineer guide was perspiring.

But Chen Huai’an?

Not a single drop of sweat.

His breathing was steady.

He was completely unaffected.

The realization spread through the group.

They exchanged glances.

Something wasn’t right.

Only Su Xingchen remained clueless, instead smiling brightly.

"Huai’an-ge, your endurance is amazing! Such willpower!"

Director Zhang, meanwhile, had seen Chen Huai’an’s medical reports.

He knew Chen Huai’an’s cancer was real.

His condition had even worsened to late stage.

As for whether there was any hope of a cure—he didn’t know.

He only knew that Chen Huai’an’s illness was severe.

But even he was surprised at how effortlessly Chen Huai’an was keeping up.

As a director, his job wasn’t to investigate the truth.

It was to keep the show running.

So, with expert timing, he suddenly interrupted.

"Shh—"

He put on his most serious face and whispered,

"Do you hear that?"

The cameraman zoomed in.

Everyone’s attention immediately shifted.

Director Zhang deepened his voice.

"It’s… a wolf howl."

Wolf howl?!

The two female guests immediately tensed.

It made sense—this was the mountains.

Wolves were a real possibility.

Even though Tianmen Mountain had been developed into a tourist attraction, its wild nature still existed beneath the surface.

If they had taken the main tourist route, encountering a wolf would be extremely unlikely.

But they were on a side path.

And it was nighttime.

The staff knew Director Zhang was just diverting attention.

They held back their laughter.

Truly, a seasoned director—quick on his feet.

Besides, even if a wolf showed up, they had nothing to fear.

They had so many people.

And if things really went south—

They could just pile into the backup van and drive away.

A wolf couldn’t outrun a van.

"I didn’t hear any wolves."

Cai Yifan wasn’t letting go of this.

He smirked and said,

"But hey, even if there’s a wolf, what’s there to fear?"

"I’m here, after all! I’ve trained before! And worst case, we have Huai’an-ge—he’s probably some hidden expert!"

Director Zhang laughed.

"You?"

He chuckled darkly, then added in a low, chilling voice:

"I’m not talking about normal wolves."

His voice grew ominous.

"I’m talking about Tianmen Mountain’s 'Shoulder-Tapping Wolf.'"

The Shoulder-Tapping Wolf.

An infamous legend.

According to myth, these wolves were exceptionally cunning.

They only hunted at night.

They would silently sneak behind their prey…

Then, they would rise on two legs…

And gently press down on the victim’s shoulder.

The moment the prey turned around—

Their head would be bitten off.

The group exhaled in relief.

"Oh, it’s just a story," someone muttered.

Wang Lulu rolled her eyes.

"Director, you really love messing with people," she scolded, patting her ample chest.

Su Xingchen also relaxed.

She hated wolves.

Not just wolves—she was scared of dogs and cats too.

Oddly enough, she wasn’t that afraid of bugs or snakes.

Cai Yifan laughed mockingly.

"Director, I’m 1.9 meters tall. What kind of wolf can reach my shoulders?"

Height had always been his pride.

He would brag about it every chance he got.

"If a wolf can tap my shoulder, it’d have to be 2.5 meters tall."

"The biggest wolf in the world is only 2 meters max."

"And that’s not even in our country."

Just then—

A long, eerie howl echoed through the mountains.

Awoooooo—!

The night fell silent.

Even the insects and birds stopped making noise.

The group froze in fear.

Director Zhang was stunned.

He had been making it up—

But now, a real wolf had answered.

Cai Yifan’s neck stiffened.

A chill ran down his spine.

He slowly turned—

But there was nothing there.

The howl had come from far away.

It wasn’t a direct threat.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and laughed nervously.

"Heh… I scared myself."

The moment he said that—

His shoulders suddenly felt heavy.

Something had just pressed down on him.

Two large, heavy 'hands' settled firmly on his shoulders.

…

Meanwhile, deep in the forest…

A small figure darted through the trees like lightning.

The thick underbrush didn’t slow her down at all.

She moved like a martial arts master.

…Even though she was wearing a middle school uniform.

"AAAAAHHHH!!"

A piercing scream shattered the stillness of the night.

The girl's expression darkened.

Her steady steps faltered slightly.

"Damn it! Who the hell is hiking the side path at night?!"

She had no choice.

She had to intervene.

This was her duty.

Ever since the Spiritual Qi Revival began ten years ago—

As a civilian demon slayer—

This was her responsibility.

The hunt had begun.

…