Transtor: der Transtions
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The vilge head, helpless, not daring to offend Jiang g, gave a signal to the dark-skinned man who had been holding the umbrel for him. The maantly moved to hold the umbrel over Jiang g. Once Jiang g was shaded, he revealed a satisfied expression.
"Miss Yu!" Jiang g warmly invited Yu Man to e uhe umbrel, and the two of them walked side by side.
Perhaps because their professions were simir, the two seemed to have eopics to discuss. Jiang g occasionally whispered something in Yu Man’s ear, causio blush and smile, c her mouth.
Then, both of them turheir heads in unison, casting teasing looks at Xiaomeng, followed by a round of wordless yet meaningful eye tact.
Xiaomeng found Jiang g’s face irritating, so she simply turned her head and acted as though she hadn’t seen anything.
The mountain path was even harder to navigate than expected. What was supposed to be a few hours’ walk turned into a longer journey as the group stopped and started along the way. It wasn’t until the evening that they finally caught sight of a vilge in the distance.
The vilge head, leaning on his e, stood beside a rocky outcrop, gazing at the vilge with deep emotion.
The group stopped in pce.
The mountain vilge uhe setting sun had a unique charm. The afterglow cast a holy light, bathing the white houses and bck roofs, which stood in sharp trast.
From the rooftops, smoke from cooking fires rose like long, winding snakes, vanishing into the dense forest.
It looked like a traditional ese painting spreading across a piece of rice paper.
Even though they were on a mission, Pei Qian, who ainter by profession, couldn’t help but admire the sery of the vilge. His words were sincere, and it was evident from his tone.
They crossed a clear stream that barely reached their ankles, stepping onto a path of blue stone. Ahead, a winding stone road led straight into the vilge.
The vilge wasn’t rge—only about a hundred households.
After dismissing the apanying vilgers, only Jiang g, his group, and the dark-skinned man who had been holding the umbrel remained.
They first arrived at a courtyard, which was actually just a few low brick houses surrounded by a fence, giving the appearance of a yard.
As night approached, the vilge head went inside, seemingly te aodations for the night.
The group didn’t rush in but waited outside. Jiang g curiously looked around, his gaze eventually nding on several rge baskets pced ihe courtyard.
The baskets, stacked he fence, were filled with rge sweet potatoes.
The sweet potatoes looked fresh, with dirt still ging to them, as if they had just been dug up from the earth.
After a short while, a loud argument in a local dialect could be heard. Moments ter, the vilge head came out, his face grim, and with a sigh, he said, “The man of this house isn’t here, it’s not ve. We… we’ll go to the one.”
The house was no different, although the excuse was slightly ged.
In the end, the vilge head had t them to a more remote courtyard. This one roper courtyard, far better structed than the previous two.
However, it was a bit dipidated. When the wooden door ushed open, the rusty hinges creaked loudly.
The courtyard had three rooms. A rge, spacious room stood alone on the west side, its dhtly shut and locked with an old bck copper tch.
The vilge head led them into one of the smaller rooms on the east side.
This room was retively . Upoering, there was a small hall about 20 square meters, with a stove made of some unknown material in the middle.
Looking ihe stove, they saw remnants of coal ash that had long siinguished.
The vilge head seemed familiar with the pce. He quickly rummaged through a bamboo basket by the wall arieved some charcoal. The dark-skinned maered, carrying a bundle of firewood from outside.
With their cooperation, the fire quickly crackled to life.
The group sat around the stove, stretg their hands out to warm themselves. The heat gradually chased away the chill, and their fatigue from the jourarted to dissipate.
The dark-skinned man said little, his eyes expressionless. Ohe fire was steady, he took the firewood and charcoal to the room and lit the stove there as well.
The vilge head, seeming apologetic, said, “You’ll have to make do for the night.” He poio either side of the room, “Both sides are sleeping areas. You have four people sleep in this room, two on one side and two oher. The other room will also hold four people.”
“There’s no need for trouble,” Pei Qian, sitting with an air of authority, replied. Looking at the vilge head, he said, “We all sleep in this room.”
The vilge head seemed surprised at this response. He paused for a few seds before awkwardly smiling, “It’s fine, as long as it’s what the esteemed ones prefer.”
At this point, the vilge head seemed to remember something. He suddenly ged his expression and said, “I mean, as you all wish.”
Jiang g shot him a g didn’t ent.
The vilge head nervously licked his lips, as though he had narrowly escaped some danger.
Yu Man, sitting by the stove, spoke up. Her long, delicate fiwirled in the warmth, and the firelight made her face look even more captivating. With a teasing smile, she said, “Sing us all the way here wasn’t just fhtseeing, was it?”
The group exged looks, all agreeing not to share the story the shopkeeper had told them. In the nightmare, no one could be trusted, not the NPor eveeammates.
Upon hearing Yu Man’s words, the vilge head swallowed nervously. When the dark-skinned maurned, he stood up, closed the door, and locked it with a wooden rod.
After doing all this, the vilge head sat back down. It was then that everyoiced his expression had ged—it was a mix of fear, helplessness, a.
He looked up at them with a straone, asking, “Do you believe in ghosts?”
Everyo frustrated, wanting to skip over the typical opening lines of a cheap horror hey were here for the real story! Real is that had happened!
But they couldn’t rush the plot, afraid they might miss something important. So, Zh, in a perfunanner, nodded and said, “I believe, there are deities above us.”
“But I’m talking about ghosts! Not deities,” the vilge head said, swallowing hard. His voice dropped to a whisper as he described, “A terrifying ghost, ohat kill.”
At that moment, whether it was due to the sudden drop in temperature or something else, everyone suddenly felt a chill.
The ess came so abruptly and eerily that even the coal fire seemed to be affected, dimming siderably uheir watch.
(End of the Chapter)
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