Xishuangbanna Valley of Horrors

Chapter 19

However, I'm not sure about her mental state.

The thought of Horse Face's actions and his menacing expression when he brandished his military knife sent chills down my spine. Half-dragging, half-carrying, I moved Su Yan to a large pillar next to Ye Min, helping her lean against it. Alright, three alive, three dead, it's complete again, isn't it?

Now, can we finally close our eyes properly?

Chapter Twenty: Continuing Forward

I scratched the back of my head, trying to figure out what to do, but as soon as I scratched, a piercing pain shot through me. I looked down and saw my hand was covered in blood, the blood even a little sticky. Ye Min and Su Yan were both startled by my bloody hand and quickly asked me what happened. My heart skipped a beat—was I already dead?

1 lie

2. After the Temple

Chapter Twenty: Continuing Forward

1 lie

This time I slept soundly, and the dream that had plagued me for years didn't reappear. When I woke up again, it was already afternoon; I was the last to wake up. Ye Min and Su Yan had been awake for quite some time. Opening my eyes, I saw Su Yan taking care of Ye Min. Soft sunlight streamed down through the broken beams and tiles overhead, making my skin feel ticklish—a feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time.

My whole body was still sore, and as soon as I got up, I felt nauseous. After adjusting myself a little, I blurted out, "What time is it?" I regretted it as soon as the words left my mouth.

I find that I always do this.

No one answered me. Su Yan and Ye Min just stared at me silently, their eyes filled with a sense of disappointment and frustration. Also, it was easy to see that Su Yan had been crying; could it be that she had seen the two corpses outside? Thinking about last night, my brow furrowed involuntarily, but I quickly relented, thinking frankly, "Her lover's death has nothing to do with me. I didn't cause it, so what does it have to do with me? Besides, I avenged Lü Fang. Even if she doesn't thank me, she shouldn't be ganging up on me like this!"

Section 161: Onward (2)

Although I am open and honest, I still felt quite uncomfortable being stared at like that by two girls.

As I pondered, those unpleasant expressions vanished from their faces in an instant. They remained silent, their faces bare, seemingly starting to feel a little shy around me again. Ye Min had recovered quite well; aside from the alarming color of her calves, everything else was fine, and her speaking strength had returned considerably. When I asked what time it was, she told me it was already past five in the afternoon, her voice still weak.

I noticed that Su Yan was wearing a watch, so I gave a perfunctory "oh" and got up to sit between the two of them. Now that everyone was there, I had to explain the current situation to them.

It was all the same old stuff, something Ye Min already knew. I was just repeating it to Su Yan. Su Yan listened quite attentively, but for the parts that even Ye Min didn't know, I had to use my imagination.

During our conversation, I glanced at her without makeup and noticed that her occasional glances at me didn't show any wariness. It seemed she hadn't seen anything outside the temple gate. Thankfully, I didn't want to cause unnecessary panic or speculation. There's a strange phenomenon I don't know if you've noticed: I don't understand whether people are simply unable to accept reality or are just irrational. Sometimes, the truth is hard to define; they're more willing to believe what they see with their own eyes. Can you be sure that what you see is real? The ancient saying "seeing is believing" has unknowingly harmed countless innocent people.

My observation of his words and expressions was not without purpose, for I soon brought up the other three companions who had already passed away.

Lying is actually an extremely difficult thing; those who can weave monstrous lies are certainly not ordinary people. Because since it's a lie, it must be self-consistent. To make others believe it without being exposed requires considerable effort; it must sound as if it's the truth. The birth of one lie inevitably leads to more lies to embellish and cover it up. This chain of lies must be tightly linked to each other, each link mutually reinforcing and corresponding. If one link goes wrong, the whole chain collapses.

Of course, in addition to strong logical thinking and a quick mind, eloquence is also a crucial factor for liars.

I suspect Su Yan has already gotten a lot of information from Ye Min; at the very least, she should know about Lin Yong by now. So…

"Hey, what did Lü Fang and Horse Face tell me?" I pretended to be confused and forgot, subtly probing Ye Min. I was 100% sure Su Yan had asked about their whereabouts, but I didn't know how Ye Min had told her. A small lie is fine on its own, but a big lie requires someone else to cooperate, whether actively or passively.

Section 162: Onward (3)

Although I've known for a long time how superficial and hateful lying is, but...

When I asked, Ye Min thought for a moment and then said to me, "How would I know... Didn't you say they went out to look for Xiao Su? They even arranged to meet up, and it's been almost a day... Xiao Su was worried that they got lost and had an accident, but it's broad daylight, I don't think that's likely, right?"

She still prefers to think positively.

I was delighted to hear Ye Min say that. All the steps had been successfully completed, and now it was up to me to carry it out. I deliberately feigned extreme worry, then, while Su Yan was observing my expression, I quickly reverted to my composed demeanor. After confirming that she had noticed all my changes, I lowered my head and pondered for a while before saying to the anxious Su Yan, "Don't worry, Ma Lian and Lü Fang went together. They'll look after each other. Now that we've found you, we just need to find them and reunite with them."

I sincerely hope that Lü Fang and Ma Lian can get along well at this time. Although, it's hard to say for sure.

After hearing my words, Ye Min began to blame herself: "It's all my fault... If I hadn't dragged everyone down, we would all be together now..." After saying that, she lowered her head. I quickly corrected her, saying, "How could that be? We have to thank you for finding Su Yan. If it weren't for you, we would have left here long ago, and Su Yan wouldn't have been able to find us."

I paused, then turned to look directly at Su Yan. "They were worried about your safety, so they left first. By the way, you weren't with Lü Fang. Where did you go? And how did you find your way here?"

I don't mind hearing the story of "many selves" again. Although the things we encountered along the way were incredibly absurd and bizarre, I still find it hard to accept Lu Fang's initial explanation.

I felt my question wasn't difficult to answer, but Su Yan seemed very reluctant to talk about it, which I found strange. Just as I was about to press her for an answer, Ye Min stopped me. It seems that while I was sound asleep, Su Yan must have already said something to her.

Ye Min told me, "Let's talk about Xiao Su's matter when we're walking on the road. It's quite bizarre."

Bizarre? Was it as bizarre as me carrying you through a lightning-prone area? Was it as bizarre as me killing a horse-faced man with a drastically changed personality with my bare hands? I wanted to ask her those questions, but I held back in the end. She kept talking for a while, but to be honest, I wasn't really that interested in everything Su Yan had gone through.

Section 163: Onward (4)

I'm actually quite glad she's here now.

We chattered on and on, mostly about mutual encouragement and theoretical discussions, until my stomach started growling loudly. Right...right, I hadn't eaten a single grain of rice all day. People say food is essential, and I've always been used to abusing my digestive system; I can manage a day without food. But these two young women beside me were different; the fear on their faces had long been replaced by hunger.

I was a bit stumped. Where could I find food in this desolate wilderness? Wait, no, if it were just the wilderness, it would be fine. If I was lucky, I could find plenty of food to fill my stomach, like wild fruits, wild vegetables, and game. Logically speaking, the things in the mountains of Yunnan are no less plentiful than those in the Greater Khingan Mountains or Changbai Mountains.

But... what could be in these ruins? Insects on a tree a kilometer away? I thought with lingering fear, probably they'd rather starve than see that thing...

Just as I was struggling with this, Su Yan pulled a round thing out of her bag and handed it to me, saying, "Here." At first, I thought it was some junk she had picked up on the street, but upon closer inspection, oh my! An apple!

"I have some fruit and snacks in my bag, but... it's still not enough..." Su Yan said softly.

I was flattered and quickly waved my hands, "No, no, how could that be! It's good enough to have food, it's good enough to have food."

I wanted to pretend to share the apple, like Kong Rong sharing pears, but Ye Min and Su Yan said they had already eaten, and that the apple was specially saved for me. I was truly touched… It seems that no matter what you do, it's always a good idea to have a few girls with you…

After eating for a while, I used the excuse of going out to observe the celestial phenomena to sneak out of the temple and swallow the rest of the apple core when they couldn't see me.

I'm a little hungry.

After a satisfying meal, all that remained was to deal with our important matter. The temple was safe, and there was no need to rush to find anyone, which eased my mind considerably. But we'd been inside for so long; I wondered if my X5, parked outside, had been stolen? If anything happened to the car, the old man would definitely be furious with me…

And then there's Ye Min's injury. I glanced at her worriedly. Her complexion had improved a lot, but the injury on her leg wasn't looking too good. There might be an incubation period or something; what could we do then? It's been over twelve hours, and the redness hasn't faded at all. And then there's Su Yan and Ye Min—why did I have to run into them both?

Section 164: Onward (5)

This is really frustrating.

Based on our analysis, staying here isn't a long-term solution, not even a plan. According to their logic, we should keep going and actively reunite with the two lost individuals. I thought to myself that continuing was the right thing to do. Staying here yields nothing, and waiting to die isn't an option. Besides, there are two corpses outside. I've already lied; if they find out, I'll be left wandering this godforsaken place alone, filled with regret. As for reuniting with Ma Lian and Lü Fang, that requires careful handling.

"What do we do now?" Su Yan asked for my opinion. Oh, it seems that "administrative sovereignty" is firmly in my hands.

“Now that you’ve recovered enough, let’s continue the search as we just discussed.” I said calmly, “This place isn’t small, and it’s quite dangerous. Fortunately, it’s broad daylight now. Even if we can’t find them, we can get out first if we have the chance, and wait for them in the car. I’ve already told them that.”

If we find an exit, it's perfectly reasonable to go out first. And once we're all safely in the car, I've already thought about what I should say to Su Yan.

At first, I thought that once we found Su Yan, I would definitely find a chance to give that brat Lü Fang a good dressing down. He worried about everything about saving her, and I did everything myself. I was even planning to openly take what he loved. Well, now it's really come to my wish.

Having women on both sides is something every man fervently desires, hahaha...

I guess I lost my composure again, because Su Yan and Ye Min were staring at me, who was deep in thought, with expressions of disbelief or rather, inexplicable confusion on their faces.

"Uh...I...I just thought about getting back to the car right away...I..." My face flushed red because there was also someone without makeup present. The steps, where are the steps...?

2. After the Temple

With everything arranged, Ye Min was able to stand up and walk with difficulty, but I still needed to support her. Su Yan also helped support her, and the three of us left the gate of Zhi Lei Temple. To avoid unnecessary trouble, I embellished many of the terrifying events that happened on the "path we came from" outside the temple gate, leaving Ye Min and Su Yan speechless.

"We can't go back; this is God's warning," I threatened them. After much discussion, we finally decided to walk around the temple.

Section 165: Onward (6)

It is currently 6:35 PM Beijing time.

Behind Zhilei Temple was also a desolate open space overgrown with weeds, which was somewhat dazzling under the scarlet sunset.

What's with those two grassy areas enclosed by such a high wall? And what's the purpose of this grassy area? I stared at the long road ahead, the experience of being caught in the lightning rod on the way here still vivid in my mind, unforgettable. And now this is what I'm facing again. My heart started pounding with anxiety.

Oh, right!

I turned to the woman beside me and asked, "Where did you come from to get into the temple?" Maybe she came from the other side of this meadow.

She hesitated for a moment, then stared at the meadow behind the temple and told me, "From...over there..." I guessed right, but I couldn't discern much emotion in her tone; I just sensed she was having some unspeakable difficulty. Is this meadow also turbulent?

My nerves were stretched taut all night, and now that I've finally recovered, I really don't want this immature heart in my chest to shift again. Normally, since they've already said that, it wouldn't be appropriate to press them further, but considering my own interests, I still have to swallow my pride and get to the bottom of it.

"What? Is it not safe in here?"

Perhaps my shamelessness crossed the line of her upbringing. She frowned, her thin eyebrows furrowed, and she pursed her lips, looking somewhat bewildered. I stared at her like that, and a strange stirring suddenly welled up inside me; an impulse to pity her arose.

For men, this is often the most fatal.

Her actions made me slightly regret my rash words and actions, and I was speechless for a moment, making the atmosphere awkward. At this moment, Ye Min, as if nothing had happened, helped Su Yan out of the awkward situation: "Xiao Su said there are snakes in here..."

I was startled. A snake? A snake king? "Is it something eight zhang long, with horns on its head and eyes, covered in white scales, with four legs on its belly, and that moves with a powerful, swift movement?!"

"What...what is that?" Su Yan was unfamiliar with the species I described.

"Snake King? Didn't you see it?" I was surprised that Su Yan hadn't seen it.

Hearing our conversation, Ye Min, who was sandwiched between us, couldn't help but giggle. Perhaps the laughter caused her chest to vibrate, which triggered an adverse reaction. After only a few laughs, she started coughing violently. I quickly patted her back and said, "What are you laughing about for no reason when you're injured?"

Section 166: Onward (7)

She coughed for a while and then laughed until she was out of breath before teasing me, "What are you talking about... you're calling a snake a dragon! Cough cough cough, the snake Xiao Su is talking about is... it's just an ordinary snake."

It turns out I had complicated things. Seeing that she was nodding repeatedly even without makeup, I felt a little embarrassed. But it's good, the atmosphere is much better now. The fear and worry about the unknown area seemed to have disappeared at this moment.

It's just a regular snake... Girls are generally afraid of these things, no wonder she looked so upset when I asked her about her natural face. Having a small snake isn't a big deal, though. Back in high school, one summer I went back to my classmate's hometown in the countryside with him. We swam in a lake full of water snakes (in Xiangyun, Yunnan, large lakes are often called "haizi"). They were so slippery, we caught quite a few. Water snakes don't taste very good, but after my friend's grandma cooked them, hey, the snake soup was incredibly delicious! Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

However, the water snakes there all have flat heads; I have no idea what they are like here.

I scratched the back of my head, trying to figure out what to do, but as soon as I scratched, a piercing pain shot through me. I looked down and saw my hand was covered in blood, the blood even a little sticky. Ye Min and Su Yan were both startled by my bloody hand and quickly asked me what happened. My heart skipped a beat—was I already dead?

"I think I died last night, but I don't remember how I died..."

The lyrics that suddenly came to mind unsettled me. I then realized that there was a bloody hole on the back of my head, and blood was gushing out. I hadn't even noticed it. Was I already dead? That would be so tragic... I wanted to cry but couldn't. It turned out that I had long since severed my ties with this world and was now separated from these two beautiful girls by death. What was even more absurd and ridiculous was that I hadn't even noticed it all along.

Seeing my bitter expression, my bare face and even my rapid breathing, panting heavily with a look of terror on my face, she must have realized what was troubling me... Ye Min, on the other hand, mustered up her courage and turned around to look directly at the back of my head.

"What happened to you? You fell and scraped yourself, but thankfully the wound isn't big." She patted the back of my head and asked me with concern as I stood there dumbfounded.

"No...it's not a hole...?" I asked again, my voice trembling, somewhat incredulous.

Section 167: Onward (8)

If I'm already dead, please tell me; if I can't win you over, please tell me; if I wasn't hired, please tell me; if you no longer love me, please tell me that too. Whatever it is, please tell me, tell me the so-called truth.

Ye Min rolled her eyes at me, annoyed. "If it were a hole, would you still be able to help me walk?" She also said that the bloodstains were still sticky because I had been rained on all night. Under normal circumstances, the bloodstains from such a small wound should have already congealed into a scab and dried out.

I timidly reached out to touch it again. Oh... it seems I was overthinking it. It really wasn't a hole. Where my fingers touched, there was only a small wound. I must have accidentally broken it during the fierce fight with Horse Face last night. I can't quite remember when I got it, but thankfully it was just a cut.

Damn it, what a waste of my time.

The back of the head and the heart are among the most vulnerable parts of the human body; even a slight mishap can have serious consequences. With the heart, it's relatively easy to simply die. But the back of the head is far more dangerous. With good luck, you might just pass away peacefully, but with bad luck, the consequences can range from a vegetative state, dementia, permanent intellectual disability, inability to care for oneself, to personality disorders, and so on. Good heavens, throughout history, who could possibly endure such a fate?

After confirming that I was still alive, I smiled brightly at the two girls and said, "It's okay, it's okay. I don't know when I bumped into something, it's nothing, it's nothing."

As I said this, I glanced at the knife wound on my leg. Luckily, my pants concealed it well. Otherwise, it would have been hard to explain if they hadn't seen it. Who would fall and get such a clean cut? It's clearly a knife wound; anyone could see it.

It turned out to be a false alarm. I moved to a different spot and continued scratching my head. Right, although it was open space, we should still be within the embrace of high walls. I had a good idea, snapped my fingers, and then turned my face towards my bare face.

"Tell me more about the situation on the other side."

Chapter 168: The Terrifying Suspension Bridge (1)