Uncanny Valley - Chapter 34
"What is that?"
"The saint's 'eternal suffering'."
"A lifelong suffering?" This wasn't the first time Luo Fei had heard this term. He frowned. "What exactly is it?"
Xu Xiaowen shook her head: "I don't know, not even Shuiyidi knows. Yakuma asked Anmi and Dierga to leave temporarily, and then handed Shuiyidi an ancient letter. The so-called 'legacy of suffering' is recorded in this letter. Yakuma told Shuiyidi to protect this letter well until she returned safely; but if she didn't return, Shuiyidi had to guarantee that the letter would be handed over to the next Holy Maiden. Apart from that, no one, including the chief and the high priest, was allowed to read the contents of the letter, as it concerned the fate of the entire tribe and was not a trivial matter."
"Is it that important?"
“Yes, it’s extremely important.” Xu Xiaowen gave a wry smile and pointed to Shui Yidi beside her. “Now you should understand why he knew I was a fake ‘Yakuma’ yesterday.”
Yes, Yakuma entrusted such an important item to Shuiyi Di, and it hasn't been retrieved yet, so why would he execute the other party?
"Is this letter with you now?" Luo Fei asked, looking at Xu Xiaowen.
Xu Xiaowen nodded: "Shuiyiyi was handed over to me this morning."
Did you see it?
“Not yet.” After a moment of silence, Xu Xiaowen said softly, “My sister left a message: the saint who reads the letter will bear the weight of the entire tribe’s suffering alone. I don’t know if I have the ability to handle it.”
Luo Fei's heart skipped a beat: Yes, not long ago, she was a college student in modern society, a beautiful, lively girl with a bright future. To ask her to suddenly face such a change and bear some unpredictable things is indeed asking too much of a person.
Having thought of this, Luo Fei took the initiative to change the subject: "What happened after Yakuma and the others went to the Valley of Terror?"
"After they left, Shui Yidi found a secluded place to hide the letter and anxiously awaited his master. He waited all night, but at dawn, instead of him, Anmi, Sotulan, and Dierga arrived. Anmi, looking grief-stricken, ordered his followers to bind Shui Yidi tightly and throw him into the water dungeon without saying a word. You know what happened after that: mysterious demonic figures appeared in the 'Valley of Terror,' scaring many of his people to death or driving them insane. The sacred object disappeared, and the Holy Maiden—my sister Yakuma—was also killed by that 'demon,' though the people didn't know this. They only heard that the Holy Maiden was seriously ill. Of course, this is just what Anmi and Sotulan said about my sister's death."
"What are you doubting?" Luo Fei keenly caught the subtext in the other party's last sentence and asked tentatively.
Xu Xiaowen countered with, "What do you think?"
Their eyes met, and in that instant, though neither of them said anything, they understood each other's thoughts.
After a brief silence, Luo Fei spoke first: "No matter what, you must remain calm and not act rashly. It seems the situation is more complicated than I originally anticipated. Although you have Shui Yidi protecting you..."
Luo Fei didn't finish his sentence, but his gaze said it all—a gaze full of concern and worry.
Xu Xiaowen bit her lip: "I understand, I'll wait for you to come out... I need your help." Her eyes flickered, and her tone became somewhat mysterious, "You'll definitely come out. Shui Yidi told me to tell you that there's a kind of fish on this tree that tastes delicious..."
"Fish?" Luo Fei was taken aback. He looked up, glanced around, and then smiled knowingly. "Yes, fish, I understand..."
Xu Xiaowen nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave with Shui Yidi.
The two guards, who had been closely watching Xu Xiaowen and the others, could finally relax for a moment. In their view, Xu Xiaowen had only brought some food and had not done anything that would endanger the safety of the water prison.
...
Chapter Thirty-One: The Startling Flood
Later that afternoon, one of the guards of the water dungeon went to the village to fetch food, leaving only the injured attendant to watch over Luo Fei. Throughout the day, apart from the Holy Maiden and Shui Yi Di visiting the prisoner, nothing alarming had occurred, causing the guards to relax somewhat. At this moment, Luo Fei stood up and slowly moved to the cell door, looking at the attendant outside, his lips moving incessantly as if he were saying something. This unusual behavior immediately caught the attendant's attention; the latter frowned, suspiciously approached, and looked at Luo Fei through the bars.
Luo Fei stared, looking as if he was eager to express something. But his voice was very low, making it difficult to hear clearly; only a few words could be faintly uttered.
“Yakuma…Dirga…”
Undoubtedly, these are some of the most sensitive words right now. The attendant's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to the side, pressing his ear close to the cell door, wanting to hear more clearly.
In his mind, Luo Fei in the water dungeon posed no threat to him. Indeed, what could a person with their hands firmly bound behind their back do?
However, Luo Fei's right fist suddenly shot out from the crack in the cell door, aiming for the man's temple. Because the man was leaning forward, the attacker easily struck his target. Caught off guard, the follower collapsed to the ground without even uttering a groan.
Luo Fei had received professional combat training at the police academy, and he knew his strike would render his opponent unconscious for at least ten minutes. Ten minutes was enough for him. Quickly but calmly, he retrieved the water prison key from his henchman, opened the cell door, and dragged the unconscious man into the water prison. The two exchanged clothes. Then, he bound the man's hands and feet with rope, gagged him, and positioned him face-inward on the floor. After all this was done, Luo Fei picked up the man's curved knife, left the water prison, and locked the cell door again.
In fact, since being imprisoned last night, Luo Fei has thought about a question many times: When Shui Yidi was imprisoned, his hands and feet were also bound, but he was able to suddenly break free of his restraints at the sacrificial site. How did he do that?
With Xu Xiaowen's hint, he finally found the answer to the question: fish, the "big-headed fish" that can climb trees.
The recent heavy rains have caused the water level of the mountain pond to rise, submerging many large trees that originally grew on the pond's banks. As a result, these fish, with their unique habits and body structure, have used their suckers on their heads to climb up the tree trunks, eventually hanging from the branches like chili peppers.
Several treetops grew towards the mountain pool, extending right above the water prison. Luo Fei patiently lay down on the floor, motionless, and waited quietly for two or three hours before finally a fish appeared on the treetop above his head.
This fish is timid and sensitive. Luo Fei only coughed loudly a few times, and the little guy was startled, leaping down from the branch. It originally wanted to plunge into the lake and escape, but unfortunately, this time it could only land on the floor of the water prison.
Luo Fei immediately flipped over, pinning the still-jumping and struggling fish to its knees, and then caught it in his hand. Although the fish wasn't large, it had a sharp and hard dorsal fin. Luo Fei used this knife-like fin to quietly cut the rope binding his hand, and then waited for a suitable opportunity to escape.
With the two attendants separated and the guard left alone, the opportunity finally arrived. Luo Fei successfully seized the chance and escaped the cage where he had been imprisoned for most of the day.
Because he was dressed in local clothing, Luo Fei walked briskly through the village with his head down, attracting no suspicion from the villagers. Even as he hurried along, his mind never paused.
The previously shrouded mystery became clear after the identity of the "descendant of the Li family" was revealed.
Like his ancestor more than 300 years ago, he is a young man with both wisdom and strength. But it seems that because of this, he also has many similarities with Li Dingguo in other aspects.
Powerful, dangerous, and mysterious.
For Luo Fei, although he was still unclear about why the other party had returned to this remote valley after half a year and carried out a series of terrible acts, there was no doubt that such behavior had to be stopped and the bloodshed had to end!
Therefore, he was eager to know what the other party was planning to do next, as this was of great importance to whether the situation could be brought under control.
Everyone has a reason for doing anything. Luo Fei doesn't tend to simply attribute the recent series of bloodshed to a grudge from over three hundred years ago. What happened six months ago might be more thought-provoking.
What kind of conversation took place between the young man and Yakuma?
Why did a young person become the first victim of "demonic power"? What is the connection between this and the arrival of the Blood Bottle in Longzhou, and the persecution of phobias in Longzhou?
What is the truth behind the death of Saint Yakuma?
...There are still too many questions that need to be answered. And some people are clearly concealing some facts that have already occurred.
Now, Luo Fei was about to seek the answer. He arrived at the house where Sotulan lived. The high priest was a wise man who enjoyed contemplation, so the house was located in a relatively secluded and quiet place in the village. This inadvertently made Luo Fei's actions easier.
The door was ajar. Luo Fei slipped inside and quickly closed it. Sotulan, who was standing by the window deep in thought, turned around in surprise at the noise. He was a man of high status in the clan; even the chief or the saintess wouldn't barge in so abruptly.
Luo Fei walked towards Sotulan, wiped his hand, removed the black square scarf from his head, and at the same time reached his right hand to his waist to draw his scimitar.
After recognizing Luo Fei, Sotulan's expression returned to calm. He looked at the other man, a faint smile even appearing on his lips: "Luo, please put away your knife. I believe you wouldn't use this on an old man."
Sotulan's reaction put Luo Fei at ease. He sheathed his scimitar and bowed apologetically: "High Priest, please forgive my rudeness. I was just unsure if you would harbor any hostility towards me. You see, I am someone who has just escaped from the water dungeon, and it may not be long before the warriors of my tribe are searching for me everywhere."
A glint flashed in Sotulan's eyes, and he suddenly asked, "Was it the Holy Maiden, or Shui Yidi, who helped you escape from the water prison?"
Luo Fei was unwilling to reveal his relationship with Xu Xiaowen. He shook his head and said, "No, I don't need anyone else's help. I just used the dorsal fin of the bighead fish to cut the rope and then caught the guard making a small mistake."
After a moment's thought, Sotulan roughly understood what had happened. He sighed deeply, "Alas, a cage can never truly contain a dragon. But, Luo, you shouldn't have come out, even though I know you weren't the one who killed Dilga."
"Oh?" Luo Fei raised an eyebrow. "You believe I'm innocent?"
“You’re not a stupid person. There’s no need to leave your knife stuck in the victim’s body after killing him. Besides, Dilga knows the jungle paths much better than you do. He was following you the whole time. How could you possibly have slit his throat from behind?” Sotulan said calmly.
“That makes a lot of sense.” Luo Fei nodded in agreement. “Why didn’t you say any of this when Anmi locked me up in the water dungeon?”
“Because I don’t want you to keep showing up in the mountain stronghold,” Sotulan said seriously and frankly. “Luo, you’re too curious. There are some things you shouldn’t be meddling in.”
"You mean... the thing about me bringing Shui Yidi back?"
“Shuiyi’e is a loyal and brave young man. I don’t quite agree with Chief Anmi’s decision to execute him. His escape into the mountains that day was the best outcome. But you brought him back to the Holy Maiden’s side.” Sotulan’s expression was somewhat helpless. “You should already know that the Holy Maiden now is not the Yakuma of the past. When the enemy came, Chief Anmi and I finally managed to reunite the tribesmen’s increasingly scattered beliefs. Now, Shuiyi’e’e’s return has sown the seeds of a potential crisis. You must know that when he and the Holy Maiden protect each other, there is no force in the tribe that can restrain them. If something is leaked because of this, I can’t even imagine what terrible consequences will occur!”
"Something?" Luo Fei narrowed his eyes. "Is it about the truth behind Saintess Yakuma's death?"
Sotulan frowned warily: "What do you mean?"
“Yakuma went into the ‘Valley of Terror’ with Anmi and Dirga and never returned. Her body was buried in that cave. Perhaps her cause of death is not as simple as you described to the new saintess.” Luo Fei stopped beating around the bush and went straight to the heart of the matter.
Sotulan understood the hidden meaning in Luo Fei's words, and he looked at Luo Fei in astonishment: "You suspect that Lord Anmi killed Yakuma?"
Luo Fei remained silent.
"This is a terrible idea!" Sotulan exclaimed. "The Holy Maiden and Shui Yidi, do they think the same way?"
"It's hard to guarantee they won't."
Luo Fei's calm words struck Sotulan like a bombshell. His eyes widened, and he shook his head in disbelief: "Such suspicion will cause terrible divisions within the tribe!"
"Then please tell me the truth, what exactly happened after Yakuma and the others arrived at the 'Valley of Terror'?" Luo Fei looked at the other party with piercing eyes. "Many times, concealing the truth will have the opposite effect."
“No, I can’t tell you…” Sotulan tried to control his emotions, his face turning slightly pale. “If this secret gets out, the entire tribe, all its people, their fighting spirit, their faith will all collapse in an instant.”
Judging from the current situation, simple persuasion won't work to get the other party to talk. A complete trust and honesty must be established between them. After a brief moment of thought, Luo Fei suddenly changed the subject, asking, "That young man who stole the blood vial, the one you call 'Zhou,' do you know his true identity?"
Sotulan looked at Luo Fei and shook his head in confusion.
"The surname 'Zhou' in the Hundred Family Surnames implies 'a descendant of the Li family,' meaning he is a descendant of Li Dingguo!"
"What?" Sotulan was shocked, his mind a jumble of thoughts, numerous mysteries colliding and dissolving. After a long while, he said blankly, "It was him... Yes, it really was him!"
“Now, he’s back!” Luo Fei stared intently into the other man’s eyes. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a resounding force. “He’s hiding in that jungle, watching us from some dark corner. Remember what happened at the cemetery? His shout, and that hateful look down at us afterwards. I have a strong feeling that he’s plotting something, that something terrible is about to happen!”
“Yes.” Recalling that moment, Sotulan’s chest heaved. “He was filled with rage; he wanted revenge…”
"Please believe me, I am your friend," Luo Fei said sincerely. "I will not interfere in your tribe's internal affairs... I only want to stop him, so please tell me what happened. I am here to help you."
Sotulan remained silent for a long time, clearly struggling with his thoughts. During this time, Luo Fei also remained silent, communicating only with his eyes. This magical gaze ultimately broke through the barrier of Sotulan's defenses.
The high priest sighed deeply, then he forced out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Yakuma... she, she betrayed the saintess's mission, she betrayed the entire tribe..."
Tears welled in the old man's eyes, and he closed them in anguish.
"Betrayal?" Some of Luo Fei's previous guesses were confirmed. "So, the sacred object wasn't stolen, but given to Li Dingguo's descendants by Yakuma?"
"Not only that, she also led them to that cursed tomb, letting the young man dig up Li Dingguo's remains. For hundreds of years, the saintess who had been responsible for guarding the blood vial actually handed over the sacred object containing the sinful soul to the enemy's descendants, causing the achievements and honors of the Holy War to be destroyed in an instant." At this point, Sotulan showed a heartbroken and incomprehensible expression. "The saintess for generations has been the most noble woman in the tribe. I really don't understand how she could do such a thing? Is the interest and safety of the entire tribe so insignificant in her eyes?"
Luo Fei also found it very strange: "Then why would she do that?"
“No one can say for sure.” Sotulan shook his head, paused for a moment, and then said, “The only possible explanation is, as Lord Anmi said, that Yakuma and that young man had an affair.”
"A romantic relationship?" Luo Fei had considered this idea, but upon closer examination, it seemed somewhat far-fetched.
But then Sotulan analyzed, "Although that young man surnamed Li is wicked, during his time in the Hamo village, he pretended to be upright, brave, and full of wisdom. As I mentioned before, many tribesmen became his friends. Under such circumstances, it's not impossible that Yakuma, as a young woman, was bewitched by him. According to Dirga's secret report, Yakuma and this man were alone together, spending an entire night in the saint's wooden house, and the same thing happened the next day at Li Dingguo's tomb. If these things are true, then... it could be considered the biggest scandal in the Hamo tribe in hundreds of years..."
Luo Fei sighed inwardly: Yes. All the signs made it impossible not to think in that direction. If the news of the Holy Maiden's affair with the enemy's descendant got out, it would undoubtedly be a devastating blow to the racial honor that the people had built up over thousands of years! No wonder Anmi and Sotulan went to great lengths to fabricate falsehoods and lies to cover up the truth.
But Luo Fei was still somewhat unwilling to give up and asked, "So how does Yakuma himself explain this matter?"
Sotulan gave a bitter smile: "If only she could have offered any explanation. After she and Lord Anmi arrived at the cave that day, she stood silently at the entrance, refusing to answer no matter how the chief pressed her or speculated. She seemed to be waiting for that young man, but a whole night passed without any result. When the morning light shone on the earth again, she finally gave up, and only then did she utter a single sentence, which was also her last words in this world."
What did she say?
“She said, ‘This was all my own doing, and has nothing to do with the Shuiyi tribe. I have done something wrong to my people, and only death can bring me relief.’ After saying this, she suddenly drew Lord Anmi’s scimitar and slit her own throat,” Sotulan said helplessly.
"She just died like that?" Luo Fei narrowed his eyes. "She committed suicide?"
“Yes.” As if to avoid some kind of pain, Sotulan shifted his gaze to the window, looking into the distance and speaking in a low voice, “Yakuma was someone I watched grow up. I taught her Chinese, taught her all sorts of knowledge, and told her about the glorious history of the Holy War… She was a smart and sensible girl. After she became a saint, she also won the love and respect of her people through her character. If it weren’t for the irrefutable facts, I really couldn’t believe that she could commit such a serious crime against the tribe… She was deceived by that descendant of a demon, who shamelessly left after achieving his goals. One can imagine how heartbroken and desperate the poor girl must have been before she died…”
Although Luo Fei had never met Yakuma, he could vaguely recall her features through Xu Xiaowen. Thinking of this stunningly beautiful saintess whose remains were now nowhere to be found, he couldn't help but be moved by Sotulan's sorrow.
After a brief silence, Sotulan turned to Luo Fei: "The person most furious about this matter is Chief Anmi. Although he doesn't yet know that the young man is a descendant of Li Dingguo, Yakuma's affair with a foreign man and his betrayal of his race is a great disgrace to him. Yesterday, your secret meeting with the Holy Maiden violated the chief's cardinal sin. Even without Dilga's unexpected death, you wouldn't have escaped imprisonment."
Luo Fei was taken aback, then gave an awkward wry smile. He was about to offer an explanation when suddenly, a loud bang echoed from the distant mountains. The sound wasn't very loud, but it was clearly audible; everyone in the village could hear it. This unusual phenomenon immediately alerted Luo Fei. He rushed to the window and looked towards the source of the sound.