Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Sheng Ya timidly led a group of people to do their nature sketches. There was no other way for them to justify their lies and keep up with appearances without her as the art student. Niu Si warned them not to head to Qinglong Mountain, the temple, or the well.
In the end, they went to the mayor’s house, for that was the only place that was of significant height. Besides, the mayor ought to know the ins-and-outs of the incident. “Even if the whole truth could not be coaxed out,” Xu Lan said, “a few sentences would surely be of help.”
Sheng Ya looked at the sketch that each person made of Darkwater Town. Oh, how artful! Not many people understood the art world anyway; faking it was enough to make it believable.
“Isn’t this a Taichi diagram?” Zhang Fei gesticulated on the drawing board and remarked while looking at the village.
“Hey! It looks so f*cking similar that you didn’t even need to point it out!” The crew-cut man looked down at Darkwater Town and subtly laughed. It seems the place really was haunted!
Standing atop the roof, Sheng Ya gazed at Darkwater Town’s winding brook as well as the river that circled the village. She felt a chill from head to toe and a cold sweat on her backbone as she remembered what happened the night before.
“Ay, say, what do think of Bai Wu and Xu Lan’s situation? He’s still calling him ‘Papa’? I think it’d be better if he called me ‘Papa’. Haha!” The crew-cut man burst out in laughter.
“Would it kill you to have some decency when you speak? Bai Wu is Xu Lan’s adopted son. So, what of it? Was it necessary for you to mention that? Aren’t you afraid of being rendered infertile because of your despicable mouth?” Sheng Ya rarely showed her displeasure with others in public. The crew-cut man was left red-faced and speechless.
Sheng Ya felt no necessity to embarrass him. Who knows if he would one day be her downfall? Like him, she did not have a favorable impression of Xu Lan, but despite knowing that Bai Wu would never reciprocate her feelings, she could not bear to see others slandering him. On top of that, she found Xu Lan not as detestable as she once thought.
Bai Wu and Xu Lan brought a group of people to look for Niu Si: he was still at the restaurant that served home-cooked dishes.
Wiping off mucus and tears, Xu Lan complained to Niu Si tearfully and said that he should not have listened to the freakish story because everyone was unable to sleep as a result of it. He remarked that he had a bad dream where he was drowned to death, and everyone was so scared that they ran outside and stayed the night outdoors.
“Oh, Niu Si, my brother! Tell me! Don’t you think it’s weird? All twenty of us had the same dream! This morning, we went back to the house because someone left their things there, but we didn’t see water anywhere! Tell me, did we run into a ghost?” He pretended to be scared.
“Is there such a thing? I wondered why I was able to see the sun today! Seems like you guys helped me to resist it!” Niu Si seemed worried and glad at the same time as he said, “It’s not right. I think all of you should leave this place as soon as possible, in case something unclean has targeted you.”
He made a V-sign with his index and forefinger, then pointed first at his own eyes before pointing them again at Xu Lan, as if to signify ‘I’m watching you!’. The action startled Xu Lan, causing him to back off and threw his head back; he subsequently fell on the ground.
Bai Wu used one hand to lift Xu Lan up and into a protective embrace. He asked sulkily, “What are you trying to do?!”
“Eh, I was only demonstrating. Never thought that Brother Xu was a scaredy-cat. I stand by my advice to Brother Xu: leave this place as soon as possible. That ‘thing’ just loves scaredy-cats!” Niu Si acted as though he took it very seriously.
“What ‘thing’?” Xu Lan wiggled uncomfortably out of Bai Wu’s embrace, then asked inquisitively.
“Do you really wanna know?”
Once he got the affirmative answer, Niu Si gestured for the shop owner to pour some of Shaojiu 1 , then gestured for Xu Lan to come nearer. Xu Lan leaned in, and Niu Si secretively moved closer to Xu Lan’s ear and whispered.
“It’s Xiu He’s ghost of course! It’s not enough that she died. She wants to pull the whole town into the grave with her!”
“How long ago did she die? Doesn’t anyone have any idea why she killed herself?” Xu Lan asked.
