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墨書 Inktalez
I swallowed hard, trying to suppress my hunger, and looked around. There was only a kitchen and a single room in the house.
On the bed in the room lay a blanket, indicating that someone must have lived here.
It seemed that the owner had gone out, so I decided to return to the living room and wait for him to come back to discuss the matter of food.
Once I reached the living room, I couldn't resist any longer; the aroma of the food was simply too enticing.
I thought to myself that it should be fine to sneak a bite—there were so many dishes that it wouldn't be noticeable.
As I stepped forward and reached for a piece of meat on the plate, preparing to bring it to my mouth, the door creaked open.
"Yah-zh!" The sound echoed as the door swung wide.
I barely had time to put the meat in my mouth before it fell to the floor.
A tall man stood in the doorway, his face covered in a thick beard. Although his clothes were clean, they looked worn and faded, suggesting they had seen better days.
I could see his surprise mirrored in my own. He seemed equally shocked to find me there and quickly grabbed an iron shovel that was resting nearby, eyeing me warily.
"Who are you?"
His voice was deep and commanding. He seemed quite strong.
In front of a powerful figure, a weaker person is often protected; after all, he was a man and I was a woman.
I quickly squeezed out a couple of tears and cried out, "Big brother! After I fell into the sea, I drifted onto this island. I've been starving for three days!"
Seeing that I was genuinely crying, the man's demeanor shifted immediately; he dropped the iron shovel in alarm.
He looked at me awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed.
Seeing that the moment was right, I quickly seized the opportunity and said to the big guy, "Hey, can I have something to eat? I'm really hungry."
"Uh..."
He paused for a moment before nodding vigorously.
Not bothering with anything else, I grabbed the chopsticks and started eating.
With a speed reminiscent of a whirlwind, I devoured half of the dishes on the table and leaned back in my chair, satisfied, rubbing my belly.
I felt a burning gaze fixed on me. When I looked up, I found the man staring at me as if his eyes were about to pop out.
Recalling how I had just eaten, I smiled awkwardly and said, "Sorry about that, big guy. I was just really starving."
"It's fine. Just eat. If it's not enough, I'll make more."
His response was somewhat rough around the edges; he seemed like a straightforward person. It was just a matter of not knowing how to communicate.
I surveyed my surroundings and noticed that everything in the room was in pairs, suggesting that it wasn't a place for just one person.
Could there be someone else here? I looked up and asked the big guy, "Hey, do you live here alone?"
He shook his head and replied, "My master hasn't returned yet."
I was surprised to learn that he had a master. I wanted to ask him more questions, but he lowered his head and stopped responding. I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
I had an uneasy feeling that he was wary of me for some reason, but it didn't seem like he intended to harm me.
If he wanted to harm me, I probably wouldn't even have the strength to fight back right now.
It seemed my question had made him anxious; the man stepped outside, leaving me alone in the room.
I walked out and carefully surveyed my surroundings.
The house was situated on a high point in the center of the island, with trees around it cut down neatly, and even the grass had been cleared away. Behind it was a yard with bamboo stools arranged.
Such meticulousness made me doubt that this rough man could have come up with it.
I couldn't help but wonder who the master he spoke of was, someone capable of finding this secluded island.
As dusk began to settle, the man returned.
He came back holding two large fish but didn’t say a word to me. He simply went into the kitchen.
Before long, the fragrant fish was laid out on the table, and he invited me to join him for dinner.
Without much thought, I sat down. As I continued eating, I asked, "Is your master a man or a woman?"
"A man."
His brief response dismissed me. I was about to ask again when he reached for the fish as if he were going to leave.
I hadn't expected this seemingly simple man to be threatening; I understood his meaning. If I asked again, he might not let me eat.
I shot him a glare and pouted, "No more questions, I'm eating."
Silence hung over the table for a long time. As he focused on his meal, I kept my eyes fixed on him for just as long.
Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer. He looked up at me and sighed, "Master, I can't tell you."
I was stunned.
From his expression, it seemed that his master knew I was here but was deliberately avoiding me.
After dinner, I went to sleep in the room arranged by the man.
I had a dreamless night, and by the time morning came, I was already awake.
As for the memories of yesterday, they only extended to before dinner.
I had always been a light sleeper with many dreams, but perhaps I was too tired yesterday. So I slept particularly well last night.
Today followed the same routine as before: the man went out fishing and returned to cook for me, not mentioning anything about how he would take me out.
When I woke up again, I had another dreamless night and slept until dawn.
If yesterday was due to exhaustion, then what about today?
After dinner, I started to be cautious. The man took a bite of the food first before I took my own bite.
He asked me why I was eating so delicately today. I replied deliberately, "After eating two fish, my mouth is too tired, so I've lost the enthusiasm from before."
The man chuckled and said to me, "Then I'll catch you a wild rabbit. Although there aren't many wild rabbits around here, they're quite large. One will be enough for us to eat for three or five days."
I smiled at him, thanking him for his kindness.
After finishing my meal, I took advantage of the man's distraction and secretly vomited the food out of my stomach.
Mu Xuanche's abilities were indeed formidable. Despite all the trouble I had gone through, my baby, Zhao An'an, still lay quietly in my belly. It was truly comforting.
On the third morning, I woke up feeling frustrated.
What on earth could be causing me to sleep so soundly? It felt like I had taken sleeping pills.
As I recalled the man's actions over the past few days, I realized I had overlooked a detail.
Every night, as I prepared for bed, he would bring in several pots of flowers from outside.
He was worried that if it rained at night, it would ruin his beloved plants.
At first, I didn’t pay much attention. I just thought the flowers smelled nice in the room.
Could it be those pots of flowers that were causing this?
That evening, after dinner, he once again went to tend to his plants.
I had already prepared a piece of cloth soaked in strong liquor.
Once he left, I covered my mouth and nose with the cloth.
The liquor was quite potent, with an alcohol content of at least fifty percent. I used it to filter out any toxic gases from the flower's fragrance.
Sure enough, after at least half an hour, I still hadn’t fallen asleep.
It seemed those flowers were indeed problematic. I wondered what his intention was in putting me to sleep like this.
Could it be another scheme from his mysterious master?
I perked up my ears, listening intently to the sounds outside the window, but in this quiet night, there was nothing but the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects.
I continued to wait patiently.
Finally, I heard footsteps approaching.
The footsteps were heavy and powerful; it was clear they belonged to a man.
But why was there only one set of footsteps? Where were the others?
"Master, you have arrived."
It was the man's voice, deep and resonant.
"Mm." The other person responded with a single syllable, making it impossible to discern anything further.
I focused my attention, straining to listen to their conversation.
Damn, the man was actually reporting my daily activities to that person, even detailing how much I ate.
How many hours I slept as well—was he out of his mind?
Why were they monitoring me? Did this master have some connection to me?
Or perhaps they were also members of the Cult of Spirits, and their purpose in trapping me here was merely to set up a scenario for me to enter?
The mysteries piled up; I hadn’t even figured out one side when another fog of confusion enveloped me.
Suddenly, the door swung open.
I quickly removed the cloth, wiped my mouth, and covered my head with the blanket, pretending to be asleep.
He walked slowly towards me, finally stopping at the side of my bed. I felt an unprecedented sense of pressure.
My heart raced as he sat down, his hand slowly resting on my face.
His hand was calloused like Mu Xuanche's, which felt a bit off-putting, but when I held it, it felt very solid.
Seizing the moment while he was still taken aback, I grabbed his hand, opened my eyes, and rolled over to get up.
"Ah!"
A piercing scream escaped my lips, echoing throughout the room.
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