The good news was that none of the Strangers or the anomalies approached the pavilion besides the knocker and the red lanterns.

The bad news was that no one got a wink of sleep since the anomalies began.

When the night ended, and light chased away the darkness once more, all of the anomalies and inauspicious phenomena taking place in the snowy mountains disappeared, and the world returned to deathly silence and tranquility once more. It was almost as if what happened last night was just a dream; a bizarre and supernatural nightmare.

“It’s finally daybreak.” Yi Pin let out an audible sigh of relief before exiting the pavilion with Ye Qing.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

As soon as they left the pavilion, the trio immediately saw that the other side of the door was covered in bloody handprints. Some of them were several inches deep and bleeding profusely. The resentment rising from the handprints were incredibly thick as well.

“Bloody handprints? Could it be a Soulstealer[1]?” Yi Pin paled slightly at the sight of this. “Yes, it must be a Soulstealer!”

“What is a Soulstealer, Reverend?” Old Man of Snowy Mountain asked.

“A Soulstealer is a Disaster-class Stranger. Legend has it that it is a Stranger transformed from a traveler who lost their way and died. It cannot be seen because it is shapeless and invisible, and it usually knocks on a person’s door at midnight.”

Yi Pin explained, “If the person responds to the knocking or opens the door, then the Soulstealer would steal their soul.”

“If no one answers a Soulstealer, then it will leave behind bloody handprints on their door instead. This allows the Soulstealer to locate the victim no matter where they hide and knock on their door every midnight. This would continue until the Soulstealer steals their soul, or the Stranger is killed.”

Ye Qing lifted an eyebrow. “So, you’re saying that the Soulstealer has chosen us as its victims.”

“That’s right.”

Yi Pin said gravely, “Not only that, a Soulstealer usually leaves behind just two or three bloody handprints on the door. This one left behind at least several

hundred

. I don’t need to tell you how vicious it is.”

“What are the ways to break free from a Soulstealer?” Ye Qing asked. Unlike Yi Pin, he wasn’t too worried. If worse came to worst, he could just kill the Soulstealer.

Yi Pin answered after thinking for a moment, “There are three ways. One, you never answer the door. The Soulstealer cannot steal your soul unless you open the door or respond to its knocks. Two, you never live in a house with a door again. The Soulstealer’s power only works if there is a door it can knock on, so if you never live in a house with a door, then it wouldn’t be able to do anything. Finally, you can kill the Soulstealer.”

“We kill it then,” Ye Qing replied indifferently. Neither the first method nor the second method were realistically achievable, not unless he wanted to live under the shadow of a Soulstealer for the rest of his life, so the third method it was.

“It’s easier said than done.”

Yi Pin did not seem particularly happy about their chances though. “I already told you how formidable last night’s Soulstealer is, but even a normal Soulstealer is extremely hard to kill. To begin with, they are formless and invisible to the human eye. Before you can even think of killing it, you must first reveal it using old pot soot.”

“We’re in the middle of nowhere. Where on earth are we going to collect some old pot soot?”

Old pot soot was something that only ordinary households would possess. After all, warriors like them generally did not need to cook. When they did cook, they always used a Strange Artifact. Naturally, they did not have any pot soot.

Old Man of Snowy Mountain frowned. “Does that mean we’re in big trouble?”

“Not really. In fact, I think this is a good thing,” Ye Qing said smilingly.

“What do you mean?” Yi Pin asked.

“As we saw last night, the nights of Raya Mountain Range are extraordinarily dangerous. It’ll be days before we can get out of this place as well. What if a particularly difficult Stranger decides to attack us during this time?”

“However, the Soulstealer is currently haunting us. We have all been marked as its victims. This should be enough to keep most Strangers at bay and dissuade even the dangerous ones from harassing us.”

Ye Qing explained, “You mentioned that the Soulstealer could not harm us so long as we don’t leave the pavilion, right? So long as it has to obey this rule, it’s more of an annoyance than an actual issue.”

“That is a good plan!”

Yi Pin’s eyes lit up. “We’ll use it to keep the other Strangers at bay. Once we’ve reached safety, we’ll reveal it using old pot soot and kill it dead! Yes, I like this idea! You’re as tricky as usual, Joyless!”

Ye Qing: “...”

If you don’t know how to flatter someone, then don’t. I’d rather not hear your insult-like compliments.

“Look. There are footprints over here.”

The bloody handprints weren’t the only “gift” the trio had received from the Strangers. There was a ring of footprints outside the pavilion as well.

The footprints were tiny and delicate. They looked like the footprints of a seven or eight years old child.

It was pretty stormy last night, so these footprints should have been buried by the snow a long time ago. In reality, they were as clear as day.

It was almost as if the snow storm had intentionally avoided the footprints.

Upon closer inspection, the storm wasn’t just shying away from the footprints. It avoided the entire zone the footprints had surrounded, the pavilion, as well.

Not only that, the pavilion’s surroundings felt warm and cozy. This was unusual as they were in the middle of a frigid wasteland.

“These footprints were probably left behind by the red lanterns.”

Yi Pin exclaimed in astonishment, “Could their true form be a bunch of child Strangers?”

“Maybe.” Ye Qing couldn’t be sure either. It was worth mentioning that he felt nothing evil or dangerous from the footprints just like the red lanterns though.

Suddenly, Old Man of Snowy Mountain exclaimed in excitement as if realization struck him. “I know what this is! It’s the Snowy Mountain Children of Fortune!”

“Snowy Mountain Children of Fortune?” Ye Qing raised his eyebrows at Old Man of Snowy Mountain.

The Great Trueman launched into an explanation, “I’ve never seen one myself until last night, but I heard that the Snowy Mountain Children of Fortune is a Stranger created from the fate of snowy mountains. Shaped like children, they carried a lantern and appeared only during the night. They were also invisible during the night.”

“Although the Snowy Mountain Children of Fortune are Strangers, they are more akin to a spiritual entity as they are born from the fate of snowy mountains. Not only are they harmless, they actively assist travelers who are trapped in snowy mountains. If they encountered a traveler who is trapped in the snowy mountains, they would walk circles around them and create a zone they created that is as warm as spring and protected from wind and snow.”

“Not only that, those who sing, dance, and play with the Snowy Mountain Children of Fortune would receive their blessing. They would experience a chain of good luck and become immune to all evils for a short period.”

“That is why the people call them the Snowy Mountain Children of Fortune. Everyone who is traversing a snowy mountain or lives in one wishes that they could encounter them and receive their blessing.”

“Snowy Mountain Children of Fortune, huh?”

Ye Qing looked thoughtful. No wonder he didn’t feel any danger or evil from the red lanterns last night. No other Stranger harassed them after the red lanterns left as well. It was most likely thanks to the Snowy Mountain Children of Fortune.

“Damn. Does that mean we missed a great opportunity last night?” Yi Pin instinctively shot Ye Qing a regretful look.

“Don’t look at me. I didn’t know they were the Snowy Mountain Children of Fortune.”

Ye Qing shrugged.

To be honest, he was feeling a bit of regret as well. If he had known about the Snowy Mountain Children of Fortune sooner, he could have received their blessing and enjoyed a much smoother journey back to civilization.

1. Ayy, it’s the class we haven’t seen for too long and may never see again!] ☜