Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 1: The Ones Breathing Poison
The three of them walked down the path beside the slope. The path was wide enough for one person, and both sides were barren, devoid of any weeds. The slope was a bit shaky, and the road was a dirt path mixed with gravel to prevent slipping.
A-Jiao reached the center of the path and said, "There have been many instances in the past where Corner Lodge delayed food deliveries for several days. Back then, it was brought from outside the mountain. First, it was because of the long distance, and second, once night fell, the delivery teams wouldn’t dare to come. Eventually, the village chief sent people to fetch it. Near that road we encountered, many villagers, driven by hunger, came up to snatch food. When people are starving, they can do anything."
"Once, I was out with the village chief and his group when we encountered this situation. Even though we knew those snatching food were villagers, shouting at them was useless. Everyone wore masks and with the heavy fog, it was hard to tell who was who. At that moment, I could only stand by as a cold observer watching villagers fight for food. Some villagers suggested punishing those who stole food. You know how it is; since we are all from the same village, it would be easy to find out who they were."
"But at that time, the village chief helplessly explained to us that we were all deprived of our right to breathe. They were already starving; how could he bear to punish them? I learned a lesson then: to survive in this village, one must be ruthless. Only by being ruthless can one live on. However, things changed later when the Cornerstone City Lord heard about our situation."
"He used the passageway to send us food directly, which saved a lot of time compared to bringing it from outside the mountain. In recent years, there have been no delays in food deliveries, but now the passageway has collapsed."
Ji Zichen finally understood why A-Jiao cared so much about the passageway; it was a lifeline that had now been destroyed. The collapse of the passageway had something to do with him, and Kiko felt a pang of guilt in his heart, even though he wasn’t the one responsible for its destruction.
Ji Zichen and Yu Ren had just entered Jinsi Village when he felt the rhythm of the wind. A three-zhang wide dirt road stretched straight ahead, flanked by houses made of mud bricks on either side. The holes in their paper windows trembled in the wind, while Ji Zichen's clothes fluttered like ripples on water. Although the wind blew fiercely, the thick fog remained undispersed.
The wind rushed past but could not shake Ji Zichen; he stood firm like a flag facing the wind. The chilling breeze carried an odor reminiscent of decay as it swept through the entire village in an eerie silence; the only sound was that of Gale whistling through.
A-Jiao also felt the wind and remarked in surprise, "Is it windy? Ever since this thick fog settled in, there hasn’t been any wind in the village for many years."
Ji Zichen sensed something strange about this wind but couldn’t pinpoint what was odd about it.
The wind came quickly and left just as fast; soon Gale faded away.
Lin Chuyu exclaimed in astonishment, "It hasn’t blown for many years? How can that be?"
A-Jiao shook her head. "I don’t know either."
At that moment, a light flickered from a house on their left. The light was unusually bright; Ji Zichen could feel its source even from outside. The wooden door creaked open to reveal a woman in her seventies holding a lamp as she stepped out. This elderly woman did not use a cane; although she walked somewhat unsteadily, her body still appeared strong.
The old woman held up her lamp without wearing a mask. Lin Chuyu then noticed that this lamp looked quite peculiar—not because of its design but because instead of oil inside the lamp holder, there was a glowing beetle.
The light was bright enough to illuminate everything within ten feet clearly; despite its intensity, the old woman wore an anxious expression as she squinted toward them from three zhang away and asked, "Who’s there?"
A-Jiao saw that the Old Woman was not wearing her veil and hurriedly called out softly, "Grandma, it's me, A-Jiao. Why didn't you wear your veil again?"
Hearing A-Jiao's voice, Grandma smiled, her wrinkled face obscuring her eyes. "I forgot again. Old people can't remember things. A-Jiao, where have you been? Why did you just come back now?"
A-Jiao supported her grandmother as they walked toward the door. "I'm back now, aren't I? Come on in. Oh, by the way, I brought two guests."
Grandma looked very hospitable and smiled broadly. "Guests? It's been a long time since we've had any! Hurry, come inside!"
Yu Ren entered the house and closed the door behind them.
A-Jiao took Grandma's lamp and hung it in the center of the room. The entire hall suddenly brightened. Only then did A-Jiao remove her veil, revealing an oval face with a rosy complexion and distinct features. She looked charmingly beautiful. Ji Zichen had never imagined that A-Jiao, who had been wearing a veil, would look so lovely.
Ji Zichen's gaze fell on A-Jiao, unable to look away for a moment. Noticing Ji Zichen staring at her with a dazed expression, A-Jiao's cheeks flushed lightly as she asked, "What's wrong?"
Ji Zichen blinked in surprise and embarrassment. "I didn't expect you to be this pretty."
A-Jiao's face turned even redder, leaving her momentarily unsure of how to respond.
Grandma heard Ji Zichen praise her granddaughter's beauty and was not angry at all. She chuckled and said, "My granddaughter is naturally beautiful; she's even prettier than her mother."
A-Jiao blushed as she helped her grandmother back into the house. "Why aren't you asleep at this late hour? Go to bed; it's very late. I'll take care of them."
Grandma nodded and yawned. "I couldn't sleep until you came back. Now that you're here, I'm feeling sleepy."
A-Jiao assisted her grandmother into the room to rest.
Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu removed their veils and sat down at the guest table under the lamp. Lin Chuyu squinted at the lamp above and asked, "What is this?"
At that moment, A-Jiao came out from inside to explain, "This is a white firefly; it's unique to our area. It's hard for us to buy lamp oil from outside, and making our own oil is quite troublesome, so we catch white fireflies to use as lamps."
Lin Chuyu found it fascinating. "This is brighter than an oil lamp! Why haven't I seen anyone use this in Corner Lodge?"
"A-Jiao said, 'It cannot leave this Mountain Valley; if it does, it will die.'
Lin Chuyu asked in surprise, 'Why?'
A-Jiao replied, 'I don't know. The Cornerstone City Lord had people try to capture it before, but as soon as they left the Mountain Valley, they all died. The Cornerstone City Lord had someone investigate, but no one could find out why. In the end, it was left unresolved. We also don't know why this happens. You must be hungry; I'll go make dinner.'
A-Jiao headed to the kitchen.
Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu sat at the guest table chatting when Kiko suddenly heard footsteps outside. Curious, he moved to the window and opened a small gap to look out. Lin Chuyu leaned in beside him. They saw a thin man dressed in coarse clothing standing outside, stretching his neck and taking deep breaths.
Lin Chuyu whispered, 'Look, that person isn't wearing a mask. What is he doing?'
Ji Zichen found it strange as well. 'He looks like he’s from this village; he can't possibly not know that there's poison in the mist. Yet here he is, desperately inhaling the toxic air.'
Kiko closed the window and gestured for Lin Chuyu to sit back at the guest table. 'Don't worry about that man; he looks like he wants to commit suicide. We're outsiders, and if he dies, we don’t want to be involved in any way.'
Lin Chuyu exclaimed, 'Suicide! We should help him!'
Kiko shook his head. 'Don't meddle in other people's business. Have you forgotten how I helped a slave? Look how that turned out for me. This place is very strange; let’s just rest here for one night and leave tomorrow.'
Just then, they heard footsteps fading away outside, indicating that the man had walked far off."
Comment 0 Comment Count