Lin Xinghe thought it was strange.
The missing people were all outsiders, but the dead man in Little Xue Ji's illusion was somebody from this town.
Unable to determine the reason for this, she used her phone to photograph the files of the sixteen people in case she missed anything important. When she finished, she left the file room.
Tang Xin who was keeping watch outside was relieved to see Lin Xinghe come out. She immediately glued herself to Lin Xinghe's arm like she found her saviour.
Lin Xinghe asked her, "Did Little Xue Ji come?"
Tang Xin shook her head.
Lin Xinghe said, "This town is really strange. Sixteen people have disappeared and all of them were male. The staff at the rescue center is also really suspicious. She tried to hide the fact that people go missing often. She also didn't want to reveal that someone died in this town..."
Tang Xin said, "Maybe she's worried that tourists would stop coming here if they knew?"
Lin Xinghe said, "That's possible. But she didn't tell me that the deceased was murdered despite knowing that I was his lover. That changes things. On top of that, I haven't seen any men in this town."
Tang Xin was a little confused as she listened.
... Lin Xinghe has only been in town for five to six hours longer than them. Just what did she do during that time? How did she become the deceased's lover? And what's this about the deceased?
Lin Xinghe said, "These are important clues. We also don't know if Little Xue Ji was the one who killed the man in her illusion."
Tang Xin asked, "What man?"
Lin Xinghe said, "Oh if you're interested, I have a picture."
Lin Xinghe pulled up the photo. Tang Xin's legs almost gave out when she looked at it.
On the screen, a male corpse dressed in red was hanging upside down from the ceiling in a bloody and sinister room.
Lin Xinghe was looking at the photo like it was just a still from a horror movie. If she were alone, Tang Xin would have been scared, but seeing Lin Xinghe's fearless expression, her fear instantly lessened and she asked, "Is he from this town?"
"Yes, and I don't think it was Little Xue Ji who killed him."
"Why not?"
"She's a little weak and silly. She was so angry that she couldn't scare me that she slammed the door and left. Would someone who acts like that hang a man upside down from the ceiling?"
Internally, Tang Xin was thinking: No, the monster is obviously really scary! Not weak at all! Not silly at all! European Emperor, it's you who is abnormal!
At this time, Lin Xinghe said, "I need to find a way to learn about what happened in this town."
Tang Xin was determined to contribute her share. She racked her brain and said, "How about we wait until morning to try out different interrogation methods on the staff? Maybe intimidation and bribery?"
"That's a good idea."
Tang Xin was a little happy with herself and said, "We can win people over using money, or we can start by torturing the subjects with their weaknesses. I'm... I'm very skilled at gathering information. Tomorrow, I..."
Lin Xinghe said, "No, there's no guarantee the staff will speak the truth. We don't know what they're hiding yet and asking them out of the blue might end up alerting them."
"There's someone else we can ask. Someone who isn't from town."
"Wh-Who else?"
Half an hour later, Tang Xin was laying in her room.
The hair she lost earlier was still scattered across the pillow and yellowing bed. The feeling of having Little Xue Ji's five mouths pressed against her face was still vivid in her mind.
She couldn't help shivering at the thought of it.
Lin Xinghe told her, "You might be able to attract Little Xue Ji with your fear. Stall her when she comes. I'll capture her. Instead of interrogating the people in the town, it's better to interrogate Little Xue Ji."
Tang Xin understood an old saying at that moment—The greater the courage, the greater the yield (1). Lin Xinghe's courage is made of diamonds!
Since Tang Xin made up her mind to board Lin Xinghe's boat, there was no way she would reject Lin Xinghe's proposal.
But Lin Xinghe left her with some final words which gave her a boost of confidence: "Ideally, I would have done it myself, but there's no way she can scare me. Little Xue Ji even seems a bit afraid of me. She definitely wouldn't fall for it if I was the bait, so I can only ask you to go into battle..."
... Little Xue Ji is afraid of Lin Xinghe. That means that Little Xue Ji has a weakness, so she is still somewhat safe.
Tang Xin kept imagining things that made her scared, but she quickly realized something—thinking was unnecessary. Just the act of laying down here was enough to make her terrified.
She squeezed her eyes shut and could feel her eyelashes trembling. Her breathing gradually quickened.
Suddenly, she noticed a cool breeze. It was exactly the same as before.
Little Xue Ji is here!
She instinctively tensed up, pursing her lips tightly until they formed a thin, pale line.
Remembering Lin Xinghe's words, she lunged forward the moment Little Xue Ji got close and shouted with her eyes closed: "Lin Xinghe!"+
There was a loud "BANG!" and the lights were turned on.
Tang Xin firmly held the ball against her chest with all her strength. She didn't dare to look at, or even think about, what was in her arms. She felt its temperature drop below zero. In the next instant, it turned into a long and slippery creature that felt like a reptile.
At this moment, Tang Xin heard Lin Xinghe make a surprised "Eek!" and say "Little Xue Ji, you're so skilled. You even know how to turn into a snake! Your future is really bright. If you don't form a five-man band in the future, you can still go to the zoo and eat free food..."
When Tang Xin heard the word "snake," she immediately let go in fear.
Snakes are the most disgusting!
She frantically escaped to the corner the moment she let go. When she calmed down, she stole a peek and saw Lin Xinghe, this girl with a delicate appearance, grasping a black snake while also restraining its seven-inch-long body.
The black snake whipped its tail around frantically and struggled to no avail. It finally hung its head and reverted to its original form. At this moment, a powdered, jade-carved mochi dumpling was being held down on the bed by Lin Xinghe very pitifully (2). The child raised her head and her black eyes burst with tears.
Tang Xin's heart instantly melted.
Lin Xinghe asked, "Where's the rope? Didn't you bring a rope into the exam room? Let's tie her up."
Tang Xin came back to her senses and quickly took out the rope and helped Lin Xinghe tie Little Xue Ji to the foot of the bed.
Tang Xin quietly asked, "She's not human. Will the rope work?"
"I'm not sure, but it's more reassuring to tie her up."
Tang Xin also asked, "Aren't you afraid of snakes?"
Lin Xinghe said, "I'm not afraid. I'm only disgusted by them. But I was feeling lucky and felt like I wouldn't get hurt, so I went to catch it."
Tang Xin: ... Forget it. She can't understand the European Emperor's world.
Lin Xinghe crouched down so she was at eye level with Little Xue Ji. She noticed that she was still wearing the two centipede braids she tied for her yesterday and said with a smile: "Do you like the little braids I tied for you? How about we make a deal? Tell me what I want to know and in exchange, I'll make another cute look for you."
Little Xueji flattened her mouth and pouted angrily, refusing to speak.
Lin Xinghe asked, "Why aren't you turning into a snake again? Or you could even turn into a mosquito right now and free yourself of this rope. Hmm, I know. Are you unable to transform?"
She stroked her head, "You can't change appearances as you please, correct? Is there a time limit? It's like the mana bars in games. Using your ability once will use up all your mana. You have to wait until your mana fills up again before you can transform."
Little Xue Ji huffed fiercely at Lin Xinghe!
Lin Xinghe said to Tang Xin, "See, I was right. She gets angry when she's embarrassed." With that, she patted Little Xue Ji on the head again and said, "Okay, let's not waste any more time. I know you understand what I'm saying. I will ask you questions and you will answer them. As you already know, you can't hurt me and I'm not afraid of any of your illusions. If you don't cooperate nicely, I'll catch you every day so you can't do anything else. In addition, I'll tell everyone about your weakness. You have no way of attacking people or causing harm as long as they aren't afraid of your illusions. Ah yes, I'll also post pictures of you and your five mouths all over town so that everyone can become familiar with your routine!"
Little Xue Ji's fierce expression wilted.
Lin Xinghe said, "I'll ask you questions. Nod your head if it's true. Shake your head if it's false. In the illusion that you showed me, did you kill the man in red?"
Little Xue Ji shook her head.
"The Snow Woman only kills men, correct?"
Little Xue Ji nodded.
"Was your illusion something you witnessed?"
Little Xue Ji nodded.
Lin Xinghe slapped her thigh and said with a flash of inspiration, "Hey, why didn't I think of this! Aren't you able to make illusions? Show me what happened—the scene where the man in red was killed."
Little Xue Ji didn't budge.
Lin Xinghe coaxed her, "Smart child, don't delay. Show Big Sister."
Tang Xin was dumbfounded.
... Why does Lin Xinghe seem more like the final boss of the exam room right now?
Since she was standing on the same boat as the final boss, Tang Xin wasn't afraid anymore and stood in front of Little Xue Ji together with Lin Xinghe.1
It was only at this moment that Little Xue Ji moved reluctantly.
The room that Lin Xinghe was in instantly changed appearances. However, it wasn't Sister Meng's house which she saw in the illusion last time. Instead, it was a foggy and misty cave.
There was a steaming hot spring inside the cave.
In the hot spring, a man and a woman were doing unspeakable acts.
It was the dead man that was dressed in red. But at this moment, he was wearing nothing while holding the woman and thrusting vigorously.4
Lin Xinghe: ? ? ?
Tang Xin: ? ? ?
"... Can you fast forward a bit? 2x speed. I don't really want to watch a live-action movie..."
【Ooh, come on. I want to watch it! My tissues are ready!】
【Typing with both hands to show my innocence.】5
【No, isn't this a horror exam room? How did it become a porno exam room! If you want to watch porn, go next door and watch the livestream of the Ancient Era Department's new-age Pan An! He always hunts for sex and acts out live erotica in the exam rooms.】 (3)1
【Even though it's tasteless, the livestreamer next door always gets a lot of rewards. Those Plane creatures love eating it up. He bought a lot of life-saving equipment with those rewards.】
【Don't discuss things that aren't related to this livestreamer. Get lost if you want to advertise.】
【Oooooh I live for drama. Don't force me. Let me watch this new livestreamer's beautiful operation in peace and quiet.】
......
Little Xue Ji really fast-forwarded it by 2x speed.
After the couple finished their unspeakable acts, the woman, whose face couldn't be seen, asked the man, "Will you be with me for the rest of your life?"
"I will."
"Am I the only one in your heart?"
"You are."
"Do you love me?"
"I do."
The woman suddenly gave a low laugh: "Why didn't you tell me about your wife?"
The man: "I..."
"You tricked me so go to Hell."
The woman grabbed the man by the neck. She was extremely strong and lifted him up into the air.
The man's face rose to the colour of pig liver. He struggled to break free but he was powerless.
A strong breeze blew in the cave.
The naked woman put on a white dress (4).
She plucked a hairpin from her bun and stabbed the man in the chest with the sharp end.
Once, twice, thrice...
The man's blood spurted out and dyed her dress red.
"... You said you would buy me a red wedding dress. Just use your blood to make me a red wedding dress that's one-of-a-kind..."
The woman's voice grew shrill.
"I said I would wear a red wedding dress for you, but someone else has worn a red wedding dress for you already, so you wear it once for me too then... I'll dress you up beautifully and hang you in your house... Okay? "
Lin Xinghe said, "Let me see the Snow Woman's face."
Little Xue Ji shook her head violently.
Lin Xinghe said, "If you won't show me, I'll go take a look..." She stepped towards the hot spring and was just about to see the woman's face when the illusion suddenly disappeared. Little Xue Ji gasped for air. Her deathly pale face revealed traces of fear.
Lin Xinghe asked her directly, "Are you scared of the Snow Woman?"
Little Xue Ji didn't seem to hear her. She was shaking all over.
The next moment, she vanished into thin air.
Tang Xin asked, "Did Little Xue Ji run away?"
Lin Xinghe said, "Her mana was probably full again so she was able to use her transformation ability. She might have turned into a small creature that's hard for us to find. It's possible that she's still in this room."
"Then... Should we look for her?"
"No, don't look. We learned a lot tonight. It's alright."
Tang Xin thought for a moment and asked, "So the man in red was killed by the Snow Woman and his body was sent back?"
"Yes. Have you heard the stories about the Snow Woman? The Snow Woman usually only appears on snowy mountains. She is fair-skinned and beautiful. She seduces lost travelers and writes the most romantic story with them. However, a creature like the Snow Woman can't handle betrayal. If she's betrayed, she will kill her traitor with her own hands. We just witnessed the Snow Woman killing her traitor."
Lin Xinghe murmured again, "But what role did Little Xue Ji play in this?"
She couldn't figure it out and yawned. She looked at the time and realized it was late, but she didn't feel like going to bed.
Tang Xin didn't dare to sleep alone. She hugged her blanket and went to Lin Xinghe's room and slept with her.
The next morning, Lin Xinghe and Tang Xin went to get free breakfast. Midway through their meal, they happened to bump into the rescue center staff.
She was in excellent spirits and greeted them when she saw them from far away. With a smile, she asked them, "Did you sleep well last night?"
Lin Xinghe said, "Very well. I didn't have a single dream and slept until dawn."
The staff sniffed and her expression shifted slightly.
Lin Xinghe noticed this and asked, "Is the child's father here yet?"
The staff said, "Last night's snowstorm completely blocked off the road on the mountain so he couldn't drive out. Judging from past experience, he will have to wait for the snowstorm to end completely and for the mountain roads to open up again before he can come here. I'll have to trouble you with looking after her for a few more days."
Lin Xinghe smiled and said, "Okay."
The staff glanced at them a few more times and was about to leave when she saw Chai Yong and the others passing by.
Lin Xinghe saw the staff sniffing again. She revealed an obvious look of satisfaction after having smelled something. The smile in her eyes deepened as she greeted them, "Good morning."2
Chai Yong chatted with the staff for a few moments before walking over. When he saw Tang Xin sitting with Lin Xinghe, he sneered, "I didn't see you all night. Turns out you're hugging a new thigh. Don't forget you still owe me five points for taking you down the mountain."
Tang Xin said, "I'll give them to you now."
She calmly scanned over five points.
Chai Yong snickered and sat down on the other side.
Fang Ziyue and Li Chengyan came over after grabbing their free breakfasts and laughed mockingly at Tang Xin.
Tang Xin naturally heard them.
She might have wavered a bit if it was yesterday, but she decided to hold onto the European Emperor's thigh for dear life after seeing her supervillain ways.
She pretended to not hear them and continued eating her breakfast.
Fang Ziyue lost interest when she saw this. It was like punching cotton. But after thinking of something, she beamed with joy and said, "I don't know if I was too tired yesterday or if the bed here is too comfortable, but I slept so soundly that I had a dream. I dreamt of going to the spa. The person who gave me a massage was the most skilled person I've ever met and they gave me a massage for the whole night. I was so refreshed when I woke up and all the tiredness from yesterday's trip down the mountain disappeared."
Li Chengyan said, "I also slept well last night and had a dream."
Fang Ziyue blinked and asked, "What kind of dream?"
Li Chengyan was very embarrassed and with an evasive expression, he said ambiguously, "I don't remember anymore. Anyways, it was a happy dream."
Chai Yong said, "I had an erotic dream. There was a beautiful chick who fucked with me all night. It was awesome."
Lin Xinghe was sitting nearby and heard all three of them.
She asked Tang Xin in a low voice, "Did you have any dreams?"
Tang Xin shook her head and whispered back, "What's wrong?"
Lin Xinghe said, "Remember the painting in the room? It might play a role in creating dreams or illusions. Little Xue Ji accidentally saved you by messing with you yesterday. It looks like the painting can't act as a medium anymore when facial features are added to it."
... She was really lucky. Last night, she drew cute facial features on the painting simply because she thought it was creepy to not have any. She didn't expect to hit the mark by a fluke (5).
After Lin Xinghe finished her breakfast, she and Tang Xin deliberately walked past Chai Yong's group.
She followed the staff member's example and sniffed hard. She noticed a strange scent on all three of them. The scent on Fang Ziyue was a little fainter compared to Chai Yong and Li Chengyan.
The three were talking and laughing, but none of them noticed the scent on each other.
Lin Xinghe asked Tang Xin, "Do you smell that?"
Tang Xin nodded, "I can't tell what scent that is."
----------
Footnotes:
(1) The greater the courage, the greater the yield: it's a slogan from 1958 that was used to encourage farmers to work harder and increase agricultural output. It was controversial because it suggests hard work equals good payoff, but of course, reality is much harsher and complicated than that.
(2) Powdered, jade-carved (more literally, "decorated with white powder, carved from white jade"): describes the beauty of a woman's makeup or a child who looks fair. Also used to describe snowy scenery.
(3) Pan An: a prominent Chinese poet during the Western Jin Dynasty and "the first beautiful man in ancient times." People now use "Pan An" to refer to handsome men.
(4) Specifically a snow-white ruqun:
(5) Hit the mark by a fluke: one shoots at an object with his head aslant, but it turns out to hit the target unexpectedly.
Something was done in an improper way, but the result is unexpectedly satisfactory. One obtained success unexpectedly or by luck.
Lin Xinghe thought it was strange.
The missing people were all outsiders, but the dead man in Little Xue Ji's illusion was somebody from this town.
Unable to determine the reason for this, she used her phone to photograph the files of the sixteen people in case she missed anything important. When she finished, she left the file room.
Tang Xin who was keeping watch outside was relieved to see Lin Xinghe come out. She immediately glued herself to Lin Xinghe's arm like she found her saviour.
Lin Xinghe asked her, "Did Little Xue Ji come?"
Tang Xin shook her head.
Lin Xinghe said, "This town is really strange. Sixteen people have disappeared and all of them were male. The staff at the rescue center is also really suspicious. She tried to hide the fact that people go missing often. She also didn't want to reveal that someone died in this town..."
Tang Xin said, "Maybe she's worried that tourists would stop coming here if they knew?"
Lin Xinghe said, "That's possible. But she didn't tell me that the deceased was murdered despite knowing that I was his lover. That changes things. On top of that, I haven't seen any men in this town."
Tang Xin was a little confused as she listened.
... Lin Xinghe has only been in town for five to six hours longer than them. Just what did she do during that time? How did she become the deceased's lover? And what's this about the deceased?
Lin Xinghe said, "These are important clues. We also don't know if Little Xue Ji was the one who killed the man in her illusion."
Tang Xin asked, "What man?"
Lin Xinghe said, "Oh if you're interested, I have a picture."
Lin Xinghe pulled up the photo. Tang Xin's legs almost gave out when she looked at it.
On the screen, a male corpse dressed in red was hanging upside down from the ceiling in a bloody and sinister room.
Lin Xinghe was looking at the photo like it was just a still from a horror movie. If she were alone, Tang Xin would have been scared, but seeing Lin Xinghe's fearless expression, her fear instantly lessened and she asked, "Is he from this town?"
"Yes, and I don't think it was Little Xue Ji who killed him."
"Why not?"
"She's a little weak and silly. She was so angry that she couldn't scare me that she slammed the door and left. Would someone who acts like that hang a man upside down from the ceiling?"
Internally, Tang Xin was thinking: No, the monster is obviously really scary! Not weak at all! Not silly at all! European Emperor, it's you who is abnormal!
At this time, Lin Xinghe said, "I need to find a way to learn about what happened in this town."
Tang Xin was determined to contribute her share. She racked her brain and said, "How about we wait until morning to try out different interrogation methods on the staff? Maybe intimidation and bribery?"
"That's a good idea."
Tang Xin was a little happy with herself and said, "We can win people over using money, or we can start by torturing the subjects with their weaknesses. I'm... I'm very skilled at gathering information. Tomorrow, I..."
Lin Xinghe said, "No, there's no guarantee the staff will speak the truth. We don't know what they're hiding yet and asking them out of the blue might end up alerting them."
"There's someone else we can ask. Someone who isn't from town."
"Wh-Who else?"
Half an hour later, Tang Xin was laying in her room.
The hair she lost earlier was still scattered across the pillow and yellowing bed. The feeling of having Little Xue Ji's five mouths pressed against her face was still vivid in her mind.
She couldn't help shivering at the thought of it.
Lin Xinghe told her, "You might be able to attract Little Xue Ji with your fear. Stall her when she comes. I'll capture her. Instead of interrogating the people in the town, it's better to interrogate Little Xue Ji."
Tang Xin understood an old saying at that moment—The greater the courage, the greater the yield (1). Lin Xinghe's courage is made of diamonds!
Since Tang Xin made up her mind to board Lin Xinghe's boat, there was no way she would reject Lin Xinghe's proposal.
But Lin Xinghe left her with some final words which gave her a boost of confidence: "Ideally, I would have done it myself, but there's no way she can scare me. Little Xue Ji even seems a bit afraid of me. She definitely wouldn't fall for it if I was the bait, so I can only ask you to go into battle..."
... Little Xue Ji is afraid of Lin Xinghe. That means that Little Xue Ji has a weakness, so she is still somewhat safe.
Tang Xin kept imagining things that made her scared, but she quickly realized something—thinking was unnecessary. Just the act of laying down here was enough to make her terrified.
She squeezed her eyes shut and could feel her eyelashes trembling. Her breathing gradually quickened.
Suddenly, she noticed a cool breeze. It was exactly the same as before.
Little Xue Ji is here!
She instinctively tensed up, pursing her lips tightly until they formed a thin, pale line.
Remembering Lin Xinghe's words, she lunged forward the moment Little Xue Ji got close and shouted with her eyes closed: "Lin Xinghe!"+
There was a loud "BANG!" and the lights were turned on.
Tang Xin firmly held the ball against her chest with all her strength. She didn't dare to look at, or even think about, what was in her arms. She felt its temperature drop below zero. In the next instant, it turned into a long and slippery creature that felt like a reptile.
At this moment, Tang Xin heard Lin Xinghe make a surprised "Eek!" and say "Little Xue Ji, you're so skilled. You even know how to turn into a snake! Your future is really bright. If you don't form a five-man band in the future, you can still go to the zoo and eat free food..."
When Tang Xin heard the word "snake," she immediately let go in fear.
Snakes are the most disgusting!
She frantically escaped to the corner the moment she let go. When she calmed down, she stole a peek and saw Lin Xinghe, this girl with a delicate appearance, grasping a black snake while also restraining its seven-inch-long body.
The black snake whipped its tail around frantically and struggled to no avail. It finally hung its head and reverted to its original form. At this moment, a powdered, jade-carved mochi dumpling was being held down on the bed by Lin Xinghe very pitifully (2). The child raised her head and her black eyes burst with tears.
Tang Xin's heart instantly melted.
Lin Xinghe asked, "Where's the rope? Didn't you bring a rope into the exam room? Let's tie her up."
Tang Xin came back to her senses and quickly took out the rope and helped Lin Xinghe tie Little Xue Ji to the foot of the bed.
Tang Xin quietly asked, "She's not human. Will the rope work?"
"I'm not sure, but it's more reassuring to tie her up."
Tang Xin also asked, "Aren't you afraid of snakes?"
Lin Xinghe said, "I'm not afraid. I'm only disgusted by them. But I was feeling lucky and felt like I wouldn't get hurt, so I went to catch it."
Tang Xin: ... Forget it. She can't understand the European Emperor's world.
Lin Xinghe crouched down so she was at eye level with Little Xue Ji. She noticed that she was still wearing the two centipede braids she tied for her yesterday and said with a smile: "Do you like the little braids I tied for you? How about we make a deal? Tell me what I want to know and in exchange, I'll make another cute look for you."
Little Xueji flattened her mouth and pouted angrily, refusing to speak.
Lin Xinghe asked, "Why aren't you turning into a snake again? Or you could even turn into a mosquito right now and free yourself of this rope. Hmm, I know. Are you unable to transform?"
She stroked her head, "You can't change appearances as you please, correct? Is there a time limit? It's like the mana bars in games. Using your ability once will use up all your mana. You have to wait until your mana fills up again before you can transform."
Little Xue Ji huffed fiercely at Lin Xinghe!
Lin Xinghe said to Tang Xin, "See, I was right. She gets angry when she's embarrassed." With that, she patted Little Xue Ji on the head again and said, "Okay, let's not waste any more time. I know you understand what I'm saying. I will ask you questions and you will answer them. As you already know, you can't hurt me and I'm not afraid of any of your illusions. If you don't cooperate nicely, I'll catch you every day so you can't do anything else. In addition, I'll tell everyone about your weakness. You have no way of attacking people or causing harm as long as they aren't afraid of your illusions. Ah yes, I'll also post pictures of you and your five mouths all over town so that everyone can become familiar with your routine!"
Little Xue Ji's fierce expression wilted.
Lin Xinghe said, "I'll ask you questions. Nod your head if it's true. Shake your head if it's false. In the illusion that you showed me, did you kill the man in red?"
Little Xue Ji shook her head.
"The Snow Woman only kills men, correct?"
Little Xue Ji nodded.
"Was your illusion something you witnessed?"
Little Xue Ji nodded.
Lin Xinghe slapped her thigh and said with a flash of inspiration, "Hey, why didn't I think of this! Aren't you able to make illusions? Show me what happened—the scene where the man in red was killed."
Little Xue Ji didn't budge.
Lin Xinghe coaxed her, "Smart child, don't delay. Show Big Sister."
Tang Xin was dumbfounded.
... Why does Lin Xinghe seem more like the final boss of the exam room right now?
Since she was standing on the same boat as the final boss, Tang Xin wasn't afraid anymore and stood in front of Little Xue Ji together with Lin Xinghe.1
It was only at this moment that Little Xue Ji moved reluctantly.
The room that Lin Xinghe was in instantly changed appearances. However, it wasn't Sister Meng's house which she saw in the illusion last time. Instead, it was a foggy and misty cave.
There was a steaming hot spring inside the cave.
In the hot spring, a man and a woman were doing unspeakable acts.
It was the dead man that was dressed in red. But at this moment, he was wearing nothing while holding the woman and thrusting vigorously.4
Lin Xinghe: ? ? ?
Tang Xin: ? ? ?
"... Can you fast forward a bit? 2x speed. I don't really want to watch a live-action movie..."
【Ooh, come on. I want to watch it! My tissues are ready!】
【Typing with both hands to show my innocence.】5
【No, isn't this a horror exam room? How did it become a porno exam room! If you want to watch porn, go next door and watch the livestream of the Ancient Era Department's new-age Pan An! He always hunts for sex and acts out live erotica in the exam rooms.】 (3)1
【Even though it's tasteless, the livestreamer next door always gets a lot of rewards. Those Plane creatures love eating it up. He bought a lot of life-saving equipment with those rewards.】
【Don't discuss things that aren't related to this livestreamer. Get lost if you want to advertise.】
【Oooooh I live for drama. Don't force me. Let me watch this new livestreamer's beautiful operation in peace and quiet.】
......
Little Xue Ji really fast-forwarded it by 2x speed.
After the couple finished their unspeakable acts, the woman, whose face couldn't be seen, asked the man, "Will you be with me for the rest of your life?"
"I will."
"Am I the only one in your heart?"
"You are."
"Do you love me?"
"I do."
The woman suddenly gave a low laugh: "Why didn't you tell me about your wife?"
The man: "I..."
"You tricked me so go to Hell."
The woman grabbed the man by the neck. She was extremely strong and lifted him up into the air.
The man's face rose to the colour of pig liver. He struggled to break free but he was powerless.
A strong breeze blew in the cave.
The naked woman put on a white dress (4).
She plucked a hairpin from her bun and stabbed the man in the chest with the sharp end.
Once, twice, thrice...
The man's blood spurted out and dyed her dress red.
"... You said you would buy me a red wedding dress. Just use your blood to make me a red wedding dress that's one-of-a-kind..."
The woman's voice grew shrill.
"I said I would wear a red wedding dress for you, but someone else has worn a red wedding dress for you already, so you wear it once for me too then... I'll dress you up beautifully and hang you in your house... Okay? "
Lin Xinghe said, "Let me see the Snow Woman's face."
Little Xue Ji shook her head violently.
Lin Xinghe said, "If you won't show me, I'll go take a look..." She stepped towards the hot spring and was just about to see the woman's face when the illusion suddenly disappeared. Little Xue Ji gasped for air. Her deathly pale face revealed traces of fear.
Lin Xinghe asked her directly, "Are you scared of the Snow Woman?"
Little Xue Ji didn't seem to hear her. She was shaking all over.
The next moment, she vanished into thin air.
Tang Xin asked, "Did Little Xue Ji run away?"
Lin Xinghe said, "Her mana was probably full again so she was able to use her transformation ability. She might have turned into a small creature that's hard for us to find. It's possible that she's still in this room."
"Then... Should we look for her?"
"No, don't look. We learned a lot tonight. It's alright."
Tang Xin thought for a moment and asked, "So the man in red was killed by the Snow Woman and his body was sent back?"
"Yes. Have you heard the stories about the Snow Woman? The Snow Woman usually only appears on snowy mountains. She is fair-skinned and beautiful. She seduces lost travelers and writes the most romantic story with them. However, a creature like the Snow Woman can't handle betrayal. If she's betrayed, she will kill her traitor with her own hands. We just witnessed the Snow Woman killing her traitor."
Lin Xinghe murmured again, "But what role did Little Xue Ji play in this?"
She couldn't figure it out and yawned. She looked at the time and realized it was late, but she didn't feel like going to bed.
Tang Xin didn't dare to sleep alone. She hugged her blanket and went to Lin Xinghe's room and slept with her.
The next morning, Lin Xinghe and Tang Xin went to get free breakfast. Midway through their meal, they happened to bump into the rescue center staff.
She was in excellent spirits and greeted them when she saw them from far away. With a smile, she asked them, "Did you sleep well last night?"
Lin Xinghe said, "Very well. I didn't have a single dream and slept until dawn."
The staff sniffed and her expression shifted slightly.
Lin Xinghe noticed this and asked, "Is the child's father here yet?"
The staff said, "Last night's snowstorm completely blocked off the road on the mountain so he couldn't drive out. Judging from past experience, he will have to wait for the snowstorm to end completely and for the mountain roads to open up again before he can come here. I'll have to trouble you with looking after her for a few more days."
Lin Xinghe smiled and said, "Okay."
The staff glanced at them a few more times and was about to leave when she saw Chai Yong and the others passing by.
Lin Xinghe saw the staff sniffing again. She revealed an obvious look of satisfaction after having smelled something. The smile in her eyes deepened as she greeted them, "Good morning."2
Chai Yong chatted with the staff for a few moments before walking over. When he saw Tang Xin sitting with Lin Xinghe, he sneered, "I didn't see you all night. Turns out you're hugging a new thigh. Don't forget you still owe me five points for taking you down the mountain."
Tang Xin said, "I'll give them to you now."
She calmly scanned over five points.
Chai Yong snickered and sat down on the other side.
Fang Ziyue and Li Chengyan came over after grabbing their free breakfasts and laughed mockingly at Tang Xin.
Tang Xin naturally heard them.
She might have wavered a bit if it was yesterday, but she decided to hold onto the European Emperor's thigh for dear life after seeing her supervillain ways.
She pretended to not hear them and continued eating her breakfast.
Fang Ziyue lost interest when she saw this. It was like punching cotton. But after thinking of something, she beamed with joy and said, "I don't know if I was too tired yesterday or if the bed here is too comfortable, but I slept so soundly that I had a dream. I dreamt of going to the spa. The person who gave me a massage was the most skilled person I've ever met and they gave me a massage for the whole night. I was so refreshed when I woke up and all the tiredness from yesterday's trip down the mountain disappeared."
Li Chengyan said, "I also slept well last night and had a dream."
Fang Ziyue blinked and asked, "What kind of dream?"
Li Chengyan was very embarrassed and with an evasive expression, he said ambiguously, "I don't remember anymore. Anyways, it was a happy dream."
Chai Yong said, "I had an erotic dream. There was a beautiful chick who fucked with me all night. It was awesome."
Lin Xinghe was sitting nearby and heard all three of them.
She asked Tang Xin in a low voice, "Did you have any dreams?"
Tang Xin shook her head and whispered back, "What's wrong?"
Lin Xinghe said, "Remember the painting in the room? It might play a role in creating dreams or illusions. Little Xue Ji accidentally saved you by messing with you yesterday. It looks like the painting can't act as a medium anymore when facial features are added to it."
... She was really lucky. Last night, she drew cute facial features on the painting simply because she thought it was creepy to not have any. She didn't expect to hit the mark by a fluke (5).
After Lin Xinghe finished her breakfast, she and Tang Xin deliberately walked past Chai Yong's group.
She followed the staff member's example and sniffed hard. She noticed a strange scent on all three of them. The scent on Fang Ziyue was a little fainter compared to Chai Yong and Li Chengyan.
The three were talking and laughing, but none of them noticed the scent on each other.
Lin Xinghe asked Tang Xin, "Do you smell that?"
Tang Xin nodded, "I can't tell what scent that is."
----------
Footnotes:
(1) The greater the courage, the greater the yield: it's a slogan from 1958 that was used to encourage farmers to work harder and increase agricultural output. It was controversial because it suggests hard work equals good payoff, but of course, reality is much harsher and complicated than that.
(2) Powdered, jade-carved (more literally, "decorated with white powder, carved from white jade"): describes the beauty of a woman's makeup or a child who looks fair. Also used to describe snowy scenery.
(3) Pan An: a prominent Chinese poet during the Western Jin Dynasty and "the first beautiful man in ancient times." People now use "Pan An" to refer to handsome men.
(4) Specifically a snow-white ruqun:
(5) Hit the mark by a fluke: one shoots at an object with his head aslant, but it turns out to hit the target unexpectedly.
Something was done in an improper way, but the result is unexpectedly satisfactory. One obtained success unexpectedly or by luck.
