Arc 3: Luodong Village
Chapter 35: Forest
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5039729
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
A hand slowly reached over and covered Qin Dongwan’s mouth. It stopped the scream that was about to burst from her throat. At the same time, panicked sounds rose not far away, and then came a sharp, terrible scream.
The tearing sound was like ripping cloth. It came with a thick, choking blood smell. Qin Dongwan didn't need to turn back to know what happened. Her whole body shook like a sieve, and she could barely stand.
It felt like only her mouth, covered by Luo Shu’s hand, still held one breath of warmth. The rest of her body was ice cold. It was like falling into an ice pit. Even her senses were slowly fading.
Tears slid down without warning. They fell silently onto that pale, warm hand.
The two of them were pressed close. Luo Shu used her small body to pin Qin Dongwan against the tree and kept her from acting on impulse.
The sound kept spreading bit by bit. It seemed it would ring through the whole woods. Leaves shook in the wind, shivering. Even a bird that flew past between thick branches could not bear to look at this tragedy.
That person was skinned alive. It copied an ancient cruel punishment. Sharp claws tore a slit straight across the top of the skull. Fresh red flesh, still full of life and twitching, was ripped open along the slit. Snow white brain matter swayed like tofu and spilled out.
Maybe Qin Dongwan’s sudden breakdown annoyed her. Luo Shu, who felt nothing at first, now felt anger rise when she saw this scene.
She tilted her head slightly. She saw Pingping calmly fixing her clothes. The tall, straight young man was now half kneeling on the ground. He held the brain and ate it, juice running everywhere.
Bastards*.
*term used was 狗男女 (gǒu nán nǚ/dog man and woman) -a couple engaged in an illicit love affair, a cheating couple
Luo Shu cursed in her heart. She then looked at Qin Dongwan’s still wrong expression and began to plan how to leave. Even ghosts must follow rules when attacking people. Her skills were good. From the speed of the young man earlier, escaping from him wouldn't be hard. But Qin Dongwan looked like she was badly shocked. She looked dazed and empty.
Really…
If it were someone else, Luo Shu would have lost patience long ago and left. She would even mock them as useless. But when she thought of the first time they met Zuo Chu, when Qin Dongwan stood in front of her, her heart, which should have been hard as stone, wavered a little.
It wasn't the most dangerous moment yet. Luo Shu loosened her hand a bit. Her grip wasn't as tight, but she could still feel the girl’s slight shaking. She could also see the clear fear in those eyes.
“So annoying.”
****
Luo Shu didn't rush out alone to fight ghosts and check who that body was. She would wait until daytime to know. The bonfire party only grew wilder. Players mixed among it, unable to distinguish fake from real. No one left. Most people moved around, looking for clues they didn't know the place of. After Qin Dongwan came back, her condition was very bad. She sat to the side, watched by Tang Zihang.
“If I come back and see you asleep, you can forget about keeping your eyes.”
After coldly leaving that line, Luo Shu turned and walked alone toward the edge of the woods.
The bonfire party lasted all night. It only ended when the morning light grew faint. Tang Erha, who usually talked the most, saw Qin Dongwan wasn't right, so he didn't talk nonsense. He remembered Luo Shu waving her small fists at him before leaving, and he almost didn't dare close his eyes all night.
Qin Dongwan didn't sleep much at night because of the loud singing. At dawn, she finally nodded off. She buried her head in her knees and rested in a daze for a short while.
Old memories rushed in her mind. Heavy darkness had no end. She floated up and down in it. The only thing she barely held onto was a pair of slender jade-like hands.
The cold-faced female devil she once liked and feared, Luo Shu, who could stir blood and chaos in the game by herself, could also comfort people in such a clumsy way. The cold wind in the woods was like ghost howls and wolf cries. It took away all her warmth. The only support left was that small hand, for some reason so strong.
Her movements could even be called rough. But an awkward gentleness flowed in those bright eyes.
“Achoo.”
Qin Dongwan wore thin clothes. Tang Zihang was always careless. He sat beside her, shaking his leg to ease his nerves, and wrapped his coat tightly around himself. He didn't think to cover the girl with it. When he saw her slowly wake up, he reached out and patted her shoulder.
“Dongwan, you don't know how scary last night was. When Luo Shu pulled you out, your face was white. Good thing Luo Shu gave you mouth to mouth resuscitation, or you might not have made it.”
Qin Dongwan’s mind, which was slowly coming back, turned blank at his words. It was like thunder striking straight down. She had just stood up and then froze. She didn't care about her numb legs or sore waist. She became like a clay statue.
The fear left in her memory was fully cleared. Only empty numbness remained. She could only remember the chewing sounds that made the scalp crawl, the huge shadow cast down, and Luo Shu’s hand pressing her against the rough tree. As for her own pale face or other actions, she knew nothing.
It was like something stuck in her throat. She could not swallow it, and she could not spit it out. Heat spread from inside out. It dyed that gentle, pretty face red at once. The feelings were not just shyness. Her tongue and gums were numb. Even her voice shook.
“You said Luo Shu gave me mouth to mouth resuscitation… is it true?”
“I was joking.” Tang Zihang saw her face and felt a jolt in his heart. He knew his nonsense caused trouble. “Your face was really very white last night. I, I was joking to lighten the mood. don't mind it.”
“If your brain is sick, go treat it before you talk.”
Good tempered Qin Dongwan snapped at him for the first time. She shot him a hard glare. Before this, no matter how stupid Tang Zihang was, she only sighed inside. Even if he was thick skinned, they had been together a long time. Seeing Qin Dongwan walk off fast, Tang Zihang followed at once to apologize.
“Hey hey hey, I was wrong. I'm an idiot. I should not talk nonsense. Dongwan, talk to me. Dongwan, Dong…”
He ran straight into Luo Shu, whose face was clearly dark.
She always showed her feelings on her face. Her emotions were clear. She had heard who knew how much of their talk. Her fist was already clenched. To save his eyes, Tang Zihang ran off toward Lin Fengque and Hua Qingjiu, who were about to go back to Pingping’s home. But he found Luo Shu had no plan to chase him.
Her tight fist slowly loosened. For the first time, she felt like she had strength with nowhere to use it.
Pingping had gone home at some point. Maybe because she didn't see Qin Dongwan and Luo Shu before, her smile was still sweet and cute. She kept the pure look a teenage girl should have.
After last night’s shocks, and since they had clues to share, Lin Fengque went up to talk with the family. He politely said they wanted a change of taste. After asking where the village restaurant was, they hurried off.
“Last night, a man died. No one knows his name.”
They walked on the soft muddy path. Hua Qingjiu spoke first. He also almost didn't sleep all night. He stayed near the bonfire party to get more talk. In the end, he found the dead one was a man.
The guide came back late last night. He was in a good mood and joined the singing and dancing. He even tried to invite Luo Shu to dance once. The girl firmly refused.
They were split into two groups from the start, so they didn't talk much. They only knew there were the couple Fan Lin and Bai Wanwan, and a smooth talking Zhao Huaqiong. That woman stayed far away after seeing the guide. She looked very afraid.
“Three are dead. On that side, only Zhao Huaqiong, Buzz Cut, and one man with an unknown name are left. Among these three, Buzz Cut is the most suspicious. After all, he stayed with the guide and still lived.”
Lin Fengque yawned and pinched his face to stay awake. Qin Dongwan had fully come out of the strange fear by now. After simply telling what happened last night, she moved close to Luo Shu and saw she wasn't in a good mood.
Luo Shu often wore a blank face, but her feelings were easy to read. When she saw Qin Dongwan come over, she awkwardly stepped forward a bit. Annoyance was written clearly on her face. She was like a cat waiting to be petted and comforted. But this cat was hard to coax and pushed people away.
“A’Shu, what do you want to eat?”
The group walked for quite awhile. In the green view ahead, a small tile house finally appeared. This restaurant was the only tile house in the village. After years of sun and rain, the white paint peeled off and showed brick and stone. Qin Dongwan’s stomach growled. Seeing Luo Shu not answer, she walked up first, planning to fill her stomach and recover some energy.
“Grandpa, do you have breakfast?”
The tall girl smiled gently. She gave a warm, spring breeze feeling. But the old man sunk in the rattan chair wasn't moved at all. He lowered his head and puffed on his dry pipe. Qin Dongwan didn't get angry. She looked up at the menu and picked a safe looking dish.
“I want a bowl of egg noodles. Add a little scallion if possible.”
“One bowl of pumpkin noodles.”
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5039729
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
“Oil tea.”
People behind ordered dishes one after another. The old man in the rattan chair didn't react. He lowered his head even more and softly held back a cough.
Seeing this, Tang Zihang kindly went to pat his back. The moment his hand touched the back, it felt like Mount Tai pressing down. The old man couldn't bear such force.
His skeleton, supported by something unknown, collapsed and shattered with a crash. Leaving only loose human skin and clothes, swaying on the rattan chair.
Author's Note:
Tang Zihang: I'm always the one whose good heart does bad things [trembling lights cigarette.gif]
