Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"But I just heard that the village was still there, how could it be..." The old man interrupted me with a wave of his hand. "Buddy, don't ask. Just hurry and leave, don't come here anymore..."
"Sir, your response suggests you definitely know the whereabouts of the village. I really have something important to ask you..." Before I could finish my sentence, the old man started his motorcycle and drove away without looking back.
I watched as the old man's figure gradually faded into the distance, feeling increasingly suspicious about the situation. Beside me, Li Zhisheng shouted from the car, "What are you thinking? Get in the car!"
Hearing him, I knew Li Zhisheng must have a plan. Seeing him already seated in the driver's seat, I opened the back door without hesitation and got in, slamming the door shut with a thud.
Li Zhisheng heard the sound and immediately turned the key in the ignition. With a roar of the engine, he stepped on the gas and we sped off.
"What do you plan to do?" I asked from the back seat. Li Zhisheng replied, "I heard your conversation with that old man. Since he knows about the village, why don't we follow him and see if we can find something useful?"
After hearing this, Hu Fang questioned, "What if he isn't from that village or doesn't intend to go back?" Li Zhisheng pondered for a moment. "True, that's a possibility. But you know what they say about possibilities. What if he is from the village? What if he's heading back there right now?"
Hu Fang countered again, "That would be great, but if you're wrong, wouldn't that just be a waste of time?" "How would we know unless we try? Asking around aimlessly is also a waste of time..."
Seeing them bicker endlessly, I chuckled and said, "Hey, hey—why don't we make a bet since you both have your opinions?" Hu Fang scoffed, "Sure, what are we betting on?"
Li Zhisheng extended a hand and made a gesture as if counting money. "Let's bet on this: if you lose, you'll reimburse me for that meal I treated you to this morning." "Fine! But what happens if you lose?" Hu Fang asked.
"If I lose, I'll treat you to another meal!" After hearing this, Hu Fang slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Deal! It's settled."
In the meantime, our car had gradually caught up with the old man's motorcycle. I said to Li Zhisheng, "Slow down; otherwise, what if that old man notices we're following him?"
He nodded in agreement and began to reduce our speed. However, at that moment, the old man's motorcycle also slowed down until it came to a complete stop. I saw him step off his bike and wave back at me.
Li Zhisheng complained upon seeing this: "He really noticed us! Your mouth is too quick; what do we do now?" I thought for a moment and replied, "It's fine; just stop here. I'll go ask him." With that, Li Zhisheng parked the car not far from where the old man stood.
I got out and walked toward the old man with a smile. He looked at me without changing his expression and said as soon as I approached, "What do you need to find that village for?"
I quickly fabricated a reason: "A friend asked me to deliver something important to a family in that village. If you really know where it is, please tell me."
"Alright then," he said after considering my words. "Since you have something important to do, it wouldn't be right for me to stop you. Just follow me..." After finishing his sentence, he turned around and got back on his motorcycle. I thanked him before returning to the car and told Hu Fang, "You'd better get ready to pay up..."
Li Zhisheng heard my words and turned back to Hu Fang with an outstretched hand. "A deal's a deal; hand it over!" Hu Fang pouted reluctantly and placed several hundred dollars into Li Zhisheng's hand. "Take it then..."
Li Zhisheng accepted the money and asked me, "So what happened? Where's that village?" I pointed ahead. "He didn't tell me where it is but said we should follow him; he probably intends to take us there."
Li Zhisheng replied with a nod, "Got it," and hurried after the old man who had already set off.
The car drove down the highway, winding around two mountains before finally revealing a village ahead. I thought to myself, "Could it be that the information from the Death Apostle is wrong? How could it be so far away? Or is that old man deceiving us?"
With this in mind, I shared my doubts with Li Zhisheng. He said, "It's hard to tell whether the information is incorrect or if that old man is lying. But one thing is certain: this should be the village mentioned by the Death Apostle. Look..." He pointed towards a row of houses in front of us.
I leaned forward to get a better look, and what caught my eye first were the neatly arranged gray-tiled houses, which stood in stark contrast to the usual chaotic layout of village homes. More striking were the patches of fresh red blood on the walls; some appeared not yet fully dried, reflecting an eerie red glow under the sunlight.
We parked at the village entrance. I got out to confirm with the old man whether this was indeed the village we were looking for. As I approached him, before I could speak, he said, "You've arrived. If you're looking for someone, you'll have to find them yourself." With that, he turned and walked away.
Hu Fang and Li Zhisheng followed me out of the car. Hu Fang exclaimed, "What's going on with this village? Why is there not a single person around?" I felt puzzled as well; despite the odd atmosphere of the village, there was not a soul in sight except for the old man we had just encountered.
Li Zhisheng asked, "Isn't it said that strange things only happen here at night? Why don't we wait until then to come back?"
"Some things are better done during the day than at night..." I replied, glancing around. The houses were arranged in four rows, each containing about nine or ten identical structures. It hardly resembled a village; it looked more like a concentration camp.
Behind the village loomed a tall mountain. I said, "This time I don't want to end up like we did in Fengmen Village. We should investigate the terrain first to avoid being caught off guard." With that, I led them into the village to explore.
As we walked between two rows of houses, I frequently glanced to either side. I couldn't shake off the feeling that countless eyes were watching us through those dark windows.
At that moment, Li Zhisheng crossed his arms and rubbed them together. I looked at him warily and asked, "What’s wrong? Do you feel it too?" He replied, "I don't know what you're sensing, but standing here under the sun is giving me goosebumps. I'm not sure if it's just my imagination or..."
Hu Fang chimed in, "Hearing you two talk like this makes me feel something's off too. Look at these bloodstains—there's one house with them, then another without, and then they reappear after a house or two. It seems like someone has arranged this deliberately, and their positions are all similar..."
Hu Fang's words struck me; these systematic blood markings on the houses and their neat arrangement suggested someone had orchestrated this setup. It didn't match what the Death Apostle had described about the century-old village I'd encountered before; these houses lacked any sense of antiquity. Who was deceiving whom—the old man or was there an error in the information provided by the Death Apostle?
Lost in thought, Hu Fang suddenly tugged at my sleeve and whispered, "Shen Xu, Shen Xu—look ahead..." I quickly snapped back to reality and saw a woman in red approaching us.
I wanted to ask her if there were any ghostly happenings in this village but hesitated; anyone would think I was crazy for asking such a thing. Instead, I opted for a different approach: "Hello there! Is there anything fun to do in your village? Perhaps some rural activities or something?"
Hu Fang and Li Zhisheng exchanged glances upon hearing my question, their faces showing signs of embarrassment. The Red-Clad Woman smiled brightly and said, "Oh! You must be outsiders! My home is just nearby; if you don't mind, come over and play!"
I thought to myself how fortunate it was that my question had led to this invitation. Since she offered it so readily, why not check it out? If it truly was some kind of rural activity, I could gather information about this village as well. And if there was something amiss, I'd be prepared... With that thought in mind, I patted my waist pouch and adjusted my backpack before replying cheerfully, "Why would we mind? As long as there's something fun to do!"
"Alright, then follow me," the Red-Clad Woman said, lightly flicking her sleeve as she walked ahead of us. I noticed that the girl had fair skin and delicate fingers, her demeanor gentle and graceful. She hardly resembled a village girl; she was clearly a refined lady from a scholarly family.
It wasn't just me who found it strange; even Hu Fang and Li Zhisheng exchanged odd glances. As we walked, Hu Fang leaned closer to my ear and whispered, "I'm telling you, there's something off about this woman. Don't talk to her too much, and don't ask me why—it's a woman's intuition!"
After she finished speaking, I turned to her with a puzzled expression, thinking, "Are we even on the same page?!"
At that moment, Li Zhisheng lowered his voice from the side. "Forget her behavior for now; her clothing is quite peculiar. I've heard from several nearby villages that there are only two occasions when women wear such bright red dresses. The first is during weddings, which everyone knows, and the second is... well, during funerals..."
I nodded slightly in acknowledgment, signaling that I understood while urging them to keep quiet to avoid being overheard.
We passed by two rows of houses, and when we reached the last row, the girl suddenly stopped. She turned around and extended her hand in a gesture of invitation, saying, "This is my home—please come in."
Following the direction of her hand, I looked toward the house she indicated. Although it was still just like the other houses with its tiled roof, there were unmistakable patches of fresh red blood smeared on the corner of the wall…
Comment 0 Comment Count