Chapter 134: The Alter Ego Says He Loves Me (23)
Blood mixed with other cranial substances splattered all over the face of a girl sitting nearest to the man.
The extreme visual shock and the warm, sticky sensation almost made the girl scream out loud.
He Lei acted quickly and covered the girl’s mouth, making a soft, soothing “hush” in her ear.
Unfortunately, not everyone could remain calm when faced with such a scene.
Ling-zi, on the stage, was still looking at the audience with a smile.
The dense forest of blades and swords on the ceiling still hung above everyone’s heads.
In this oppressive atmosphere, driving one or two people insane was clearly not a difficult task.
Ling-zi’s roommate, who had just witnessed her death this morning, broke down. With staggering steps, he scrambled to the closed doors of the opera house and began to pound on them frantically, trying to escape.
Unfortunately, it was all in vain.
The doors were tightly locked, remaining motionless no matter how he pounded or pulled.
The man suddenly turned to look at Ling-zi on the stage and pointed at her. “You…”
Before the rest of his words could leave his lips, the beam above the man’s head collapsed, bringing countless blades with it, instantly crushing the man into a pile of mangled flesh.
Xiao Ji raised his hand to cover Xiao Yinnian’s eyes, pulling him into his embrace to protect him.
The candlelight began to flicker, brightening and dimming.
Every time it went out and lit up again, Ling-zi in her wedding dress would appear in front of a different person.
Even with eyes closed, one could clearly smell the pungent stench of blood that rushed into the nostrils.
No one dared to make another sound.
Xiao Ji held Xiao Yinnian in his arms, and when the candles went out and lit up once more, he looked directly into Ling-zi’s eyes.
They were two hollow wooden eyeballs.
And at the corners of Ling-zi’s upturned mouth, two transparent silk threads were attached.
It was indeed a shadow play.
A shadow play made of human skin stripped and turned into string-controlled marionettes.
After a long time, the candles in the opera house went out completely and did not light up again. The previously closed doors groaned and opened a crack.
Xiao Ji was the first to react. Holding Xiao Yinnian’s hand, he patted the numbed Lin Chuan, pushed open the doors, and walked out.
By this time, the sky outside had already darkened.
The three quickly returned to the courtyard. After checking that the dead rat on the bed was still there, they shut the main doors.
After watching the play, very few people still had an appetite for food.
A moment later, the sound of footsteps and doors opening echoed repeatedly; clearly, everyone had returned to their respective rooms.
Xiao Yinnian had completely lost his appetite, but Xiao Ji was fine. He went out to get some hot water, wiped the face and washed the hands of the weary-looking Xiao Yinnian, then helped him take off his shoes and socks, tucking his two ice-cold feet into the hot water.
The hot water relieved Xiao Yinnian’s anxiety and fatigue. He looked down at Xiao Ji, who was squatting on the floor washing his feet, and suddenly called his name:
“Xiao Ji.”
Xiao Ji looked up. “What is it?”
Xiao Yinnian stepped on the tip of Xiao Ji’s finger with his toes. “You’re a gift sent to me by the heavens, aren’t you?”
Xiao Ji pinched his round toe. “I’m honored you think so.”
Lin Chuan leaned against the window, watching them. He suddenly felt a bit redundant and scratched his head. “I’m going downstairs to find something to eat.”
After speaking, he hurriedly pushed open the door and left.
Xiao Ji looked at the door that had been shut again and asked Xiao Yinnian, “Don’t you think Lin Chuan’s psychological resilience seems exceptionally good?”
Whether it was previously in the sanatorium or now in this ancient village, Lin Chuan seemed to have no major use, but he had also never done anything to drag them down.
Moreover, every time a visually shocking scene occurred, it seemed to have no substantive impact on Lin Chuan.
Xiao Yinnian said bluntly, “He has done seven missions, after all. He must have gotten used to it long ago. If you weren’t here, I might think he’s very calm and powerful, but compared to you, I think he’s quite ordinary.”
Xiao Ji said nothing more. He only helped Xiao Yinnian dry his feet and then went out to pour away the water.
After Lin Chuan left the room, he first stood in the hallway, staring blankly at the two pagoda trees in the courtyard for a while, then shook his head and went downstairs to the room where they ate.
At this time, several oil lamps were lit in the room. Around the vast round table, only one person sat, eating with her head down.
It was that crazy woman.
Lin Chuan acted as if he didn’t see her. He first counted the cutlery on the table.
Two more people had died in the afternoon, so there were fifteen people left in the team. As expected, only fourteen sets of cutlery were laid out on the table.
He sat down opposite the woman, grabbed a steamed bun, and started stuffing it into his mouth along with the dishes in front of him.
Initially, the two did not interfere with each other, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
But once the woman finished her meal first, she suddenly began to stare at Lin Chuan.
Lin Chuan felt a chill down his spine from her gaze and couldn’t help saying, “Big Sister, can you not always stare at others like that?”
The woman looked at Lin Chuan with a playful expression. “Do you know what’s going on with this cutlery that is always one set short?”
Lin Chuan shook his head. “I don’t know.”
The woman then said bluntly, “Is that so? But the problem… seems to lie with the three of you. Do you really not know?”
Lin Chuan put on a blank expression and said firmly, “I really don’t know.”
After speaking, he looked at the woman and asked tentatively, “You say that… have you discovered something? Do you know what’s going on?”
The woman started laughing again.
After laughing to herself for a long time, she suddenly stopped, raised a hand to cover her mouth, and said to Lin Chuan:
“Among the three of you, there is one who is not human.”
Hearing this, and then looking at the woman’s pupils, a chill ran down Lin Chuan’s spine.
Then, he looked at the woman with some anger. “Stop talking nonsense. In a place like this, just look after yourself. The three of us won’t harm you, and you’d better not harm us either.”
Just as he finished speaking, someone suddenly patted his shoulder from behind.
Lin Chuan was startled and almost threw away the bun in his hand.
He turned around and was about to curse when he saw Xiao Ji standing behind him.
“Bro, you scared the life out of me.”
Xiao Ji glanced at the woman, then picked up a bun and took a bite. He said to Lin Chuan, “Don’t talk to strangers so much. There are plenty of people here who sow discord.”
Lin Chuan nodded and went silent.
The woman, however, was not one to take a loss silently. Hearing this, she shouted at Xiao Ji:
“Whether I’m sowing discord or not, you should know best in your heart, shouldn’t you?”
Xiao Ji looked at her and said calmly, “There’s something wrong with your eyes. Do you have some special ability? Is it something you were born with, something from a card draw, or something you exchanged in the mall?”
Seeing that Xiao Ji had exposed her like that, the woman’s expression instantly became serious. She narrowed her eyes. “What’s it to you?”
Xiao Ji sneered. “Exactly. And what is our business to you?”
Translator’s Note: “Red Plum Opera House” (Hóngméi Xìyuàn) sounds like a classic name for a traditional theater. The “pagoda trees” mentioned earlier are Huái Shù, which are often associated with ghosts in Chinese folklore.
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