The voices Han Yu had heard at night suddenly made sense.
They were not wind.
They were echoes.
Echoes of what this thing carried within it.
"You can see me," a voice whispered.
It did not come from its mouth.
It came from everywhere.
And from inside his head.
Han Yu did not answer.
He tightened his grip on his halberd.
The thing tilted its head.
Its lips pulled back in a smile that showed too many teeth.
"Fresh," it said softly. "Warm. Whole."
Han Yu felt his skin crawl.
This was not a mindless undead.
This thing could speak.
It could think... and it could hunt.
"You are not like the others," it continued. "Your soul is loud."
Han Yu felt a sharp pressure in his chest.
He understood then.
It could sense soul qi.
It was drawn to it.
Just like it was drawn to blood.
"Evil Mountain Spirit," Han Yu said quietly.
The thing laughed. "Jie~ jie~ jie~ jie~"
The sound was broken and layered, as if many voices laughed together.
