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Capítulo 27

"Yes! When this old photo turns yellow and curly in the future, our children's children can show it off. It's a romantic memory from our grandparents' youth."

"How wonderful! Looking back on those golden years, so many emotions well up in my heart..."

"Are you reciting poetry?" the boy asked.

"Poetry can soften your heart."

"If you soften me up, I'll be happy to serve you; I'll do all the hard work..."

"What?"

"You were building a snowman! You were probably watching from the sidelines."

"Oh dear, I'm not very strong!" the girl said coquettishly. "Your hands are so cold, let me warm them up for you."

"Attack first with sugar-coated bullets?"

"It's because I feel sorry for you."

"Hehe, you feel sorry for me and let me freeze?"

The two voices gradually faded into the distance...

I feel like I've fallen into a bottomless black hole.

Then there was no sound at all, an eerie silence. I looked up and felt like a frog at the bottom of a well. It seemed like snowflakes were really falling on my face, melting away, leaving a cool, damp feeling.

I removed the black blindfold and found a pair of sorrowful, desperate eyes staring at me. She was right above me, hovering over my head like a giant spider.

"You?" I exclaimed in surprise. It was her again?! The girl who swung on the swings in the open space of the school's east playground.

"Yes, I am Xiao Yuan." Her lonely eyes were filled with sorrow.

"Was that dream I just had given me by you?" Her spiritual power is so strong, she can even control my brainwaves?!

Section 67: The Dust Settles Down (4)

"You yourself have spied on my dreams; my dreams are full of memories."

"Am I dreaming or awake?" I asked her.

She avoided answering. Suddenly, she swooped down, forcing me to within centimeters of her. Seeing a person this close is eerie enough, let alone a ghost. It was chilling.

Her eyes widened in confusion and despair: "I need your help!"

"What?" I asked in surprise. What was she planning to do?

"Kill him for me, Ouyang!"

I clenched my fists in terror, my nails digging into my flesh: "Isn't Ouyang your boyfriend?"

"He's the one who deceived me and betrayed me!" she said bitterly, her voice shrill and high-pitched. "Kill him! Kill—him!!"

"I will not kill anyone!" Nor will I obey the orders of a ghost.

“If you don’t kill him, you will die.” She leaned closer, a menacing aura pressing into my eyes. “Every year, pairs of lives are lost at the school,” she continued in her shrill voice. “You and he are closest to death’s invitation. If you don’t die, he will. Otherwise, you will perish.”

"You're crazy!" I didn't want to pay any more attention to this nonsense.

“Then, the one who died was you!” she repeated, over and over again, until the voice became an amplifier, spreading, echoing, covering, and burying me in the cave.

I reached up and grabbed at it with all my might, but missed. I struggled and woke up.

Was it another dream?

My clothes were soaked with sweat.

Da Senlin, firmly gripping the control stick, said to me, "We need to stop for a bit; we need to refuel." Then I felt the helicopter slowly descend...

The refueling station was also very secluded, a large open space, like the wilderness. Weeds grew rampant, and trees were scattered about.

Da Senlin handed the gas station attendant a wad of cash: "Jet fuel No. 3."

"Hmm?" The person in the blue uniform seemed to be half asleep.

"Aviation kerosene".

"Okay, I'll be right there to serve you."

I stood at the edge of the open space and looked around; the view was vast and unobstructed.

He walked up behind me, his footsteps becoming quiet. "Let's go to the river mouth first."

I didn't say anything, and he continued, "That's the Sino-Vietnamese border, it's crowded and chaotic, you need to stick close to me."

"Where there are many people, there are few ghosts." I said something nonsensical, which he naturally wouldn't understand.

"Hekou has a border trade history of over a hundred years. It used to be a place where caravans traded, but now it's lined with shops and bustling with activity. I haven't been there for several years, so I don't know what changes have occurred..." He turned to look at me, his expression desolate. "Let's not get separated."

I was thinking, if it weren't for the search for Mingyang, you might have wanted us to get separated, right?

Is Mingyang really there?

"It's still uncertain. If he's not in Hekou, we'll turn to Mengla. If we still can't find him in Mengla, we'll go to Dongxing in Guangxi. We must find him!"

I turned my head and stared at his half-masked face, which was expressionless: "Big Forest, have you lived your whole life only for Mingyang?"

He took a deep breath and sighed softly, "For Mingyang, and for you."

I looked up sharply, searching for that burning light in his eyes, but the light vanished in an instant, and his pupils immediately froze, chilling me to the bone.

silence.

The wind rustled through the creeping grass.

I stared blankly into the dark distance. He stood there too, still silent.

Suddenly, he yelled, "Watch out!" and dragged me aside, startling me into a cold sweat.

Suddenly, a long, thin snake emerged from the grass at my feet. I watched in astonishment as it slithered past us, its curves barely concealed.

"Thank goodness, it's just an ordinary grass snake." He breathed a sigh of relief and pushed me toward the center of the gas station.

"There are people stationed here, and snakes too?"

"This snake is not venomous and should be unrelated to humans."

How did you know?

"To distinguish them, look at the head first. Venomous snakes usually have triangular heads, colorful patterns on their bodies, and short, thin tails. If the head is oval, the snake's body is monochromatic, and the tail is thin and long, it is a non-venomous or mildly venomous snake. Later, I will teach you some basic knowledge of wilderness survival. Mingyang is a child who likes mountain climbing and exploration. You may follow him wherever he goes in the future."

He taught me all this, also for Mingyang's sake? I felt really uneasy.

"This place is really remote, let's get out of here!" He patted my shoulder, gesturing for me to board the plane.

My throat tightened with tension again.

Blue pupils gleaming with an eerie blue light, an unsettling expression that seemed to be both a smile and a frown...

She's on the plane!

Xiao Yuan was sitting on the machine base.

Section 68: The Dust Settles (5)

My throat constricted violently, my brows furrowed, and sweat poured from my temples.

"Why aren't you going up?" the big forest urged me.

“I…” I took a step back, pulled my feet back, and turned to him, “Can I go up later?”

"What's wrong?" He reached out a large hand and touched my forehead. "Are you feeling unwell? You look terrible."

I bit my lip, wondering what to say to him. He quickly removed his hand, his face expressionless.

Those large hands, the hands that once shielded my ears from the roar of thunder, are now devoid of warmth and emotion. A cold stream is raging within me, like frost in the twelfth lunar month.

"No, I'm not feeling unwell. I..."

I froze, my pupils suddenly widening—she stood behind the Great Forest's shoulder, her head turning stiffly like a machine, making a "clucking" sound. The sound was faint, yet it sent chills down my spine. A pair of resentful eyes stared intently at me no matter how her head turned; the oppressive atmosphere was suffocating. I felt a chill rush from my head, my legs went weak like cotton, and I collapsed powerlessly to the ground…

When I woke up, what appeared before me was a sky full of brilliant stars against a pure black backdrop, just like the stars I saw when I was a child lying on a haystack. They felt so distant and so beautifully lonely.

"You're awake?"

A warm, magnetic baritone voice.

As I looked up, a familiar face appeared in the forest. At that moment, there was no stubbornness or indifference; instead, there was gentleness and care in his eyes.

"Are you anemic?" He handed me a bottle. "Drink this."

"What is that?" There was a golden, translucent liquid inside.

"Glucose. Drink it! It will help boost your energy. It will be difficult if you get dehydrated."

This was a rare moment of harmony; there was no awkwardness or distance between us. He seemed to have returned to his former self, like a vast forest, and his thoughtful and meticulous care made the girl's heart flutter.

But I felt, unseen, that a pair of eyes were fixed on me. I moved, and she moved too. No matter what I did, I couldn't shake her off…

Hekou, Yunnan.

This place faces Lao Cai and Coc Liu cities across the river. It is far more prosperous than I imagined. Small commodities are gathered here, and wholesale merchants huddle together, creating a lively atmosphere.

"Why are there women wearing straw hats and carrying shoulder poles everywhere?" I stood on the street corner and looked around at dusk.

Da Senlin wore a low-brimmed baseball cap, and large sunglasses almost covered half his face. He also avoided letting others see his face: "It's the custom here that women have to work much harder than men. Haven't you seen it? The ones doing the manual labor, carrying loads, running businesses and shops are all women. The men just sit in the shade with their legs crossed, drinking tea, playing mahjong, or playing cards." He added meaningfully, "If Mingyang were really here, he wouldn't suffer much. All the work would be done by the women."

We were sitting in a teahouse, one of the many teahouses in the south. The Great Forest's eyes remained fixed on the passersby.

"What are we waiting for here? Will we even be able to find him?"

“I asked around and someone said they saw him here, but I’m not sure if it’s really Mingyang.”

"So, does bringing me here guarantee anything?" I said defiantly. "You might as well find the person and just take them back for a DNA test."

“Have you forgotten? Mingyang has the same supernatural ability to see ghosts, just like you. In an unfamiliar environment, someone will always notice his uniqueness.” He said, pointing to my eyes.

That's true! The best way to tell is by a pair of ghost eyes.

I took a sip of tea and stared at the intersection with him. People were coming and going, a bustling scene. But a boy as sunny and handsome as Mingyang should stand out from the crowd. If he really appeared among these dark-skinned working people, I would definitely recognize him at a glance.

My attention was focused outside when I suddenly felt something stronger than the wind tugged at my trouser leg. I looked down and was so startled that I spilled my tea all over the floor.

"What's wrong?" Big Forest turned around and asked me.

A boy, about seven or eight years old, dressed in tattered clothes, with frighteningly large, bulging eyes, the whites of his eyes outweighing the blacks, said pitifully with snot running down his face, "Sister, I'm hungry!"

“Great forest, there’s a begging child here, he’s so pitiful!” I pointed to the ground.