The dark hut was dusty and without furniture. There was only a wooden bed with no bedding, and even the window was about the size of a basketball.
Strangely enough, although the room felt dirty underneath her hands, she couldn’t feel or hear any signs of insects or rats.
The system ordered her to check on the door after everything outside was quiet, and she groped in the darkness for a while, finding that the wooden door was bare.
“System, this door can only be locked from the outside!”
“I see.”
It is not surprising that there is a lock on the outside of the wooden door of a house like this, but at least there will be something like a latch to prevent outsiders from breaking in.
However, the wooden door of this thatched hut has no latch, let alone a door handle, as if it were deliberately made like this from the beginning.
Why?
Could it be that this hut was originally built to imprison something?
What is the purpose of a prison within a temple?
“System, have we been fooled? I feel like I’ve been kidnapped, and I’m about to be sold to be somebody’s wife!” Gu Qianqian said gloomily.
“Gu Qianqian, you are overthinking it. No human trafficker can abduct a girl to this kind of place.”
Plus, if they were to kidnap you, they might go broke after keeping you in for one day.
Soon, it began to rain, and the raindrops fell on the water tanks in the courtyard.
But the rainwater pouring into the water tank seemed to be swallowed up by something as if it could never be filled completely.
Bursts of sounds could be heard from the water tank as if there were countless hands patting the walls of the tank.
“System, I think I did something wrong.”
“What is it?”
“I should’ve asked the man about the situation in the village, but I didn’t! Now, I have no food… No scrumptious dinner to eat… and I’m so hungry.”
“Ah, Gu Qianqian…” the system hesitated to speak as if it felt bad for her. “You still have a chance of completing the mission.”
“You’re right! I can ask him tomorrow morning, and I’ll have a scrumptious breakfast tomorrow!”
“No, what I’m saying is, go out whenever you hear strange sounds and ignore his directions. Are you not the protagonist? You have powers greater than the beings that reside here!”
“Understood,” Gu Qianqian nodded in response.
She was so hungry that absolutely nothing could stop her.
The rain outside the window was getting heavier and heavier; the night wind was howling, and the branches and leaves of the trees were rustling as if something was approaching the dilapidated temple.
Gu Qianqian sat curled up on the bed, staring at the small window of the wooden house. Using the desire to eat to fight against the desire to sleep, she stayed in a daze for several hours and waited until a strange noise came from the courtyard.
Squeak!
It was the sound of the door to the temple outside being open, and the system reminded me, “Gu Qianqian! That’s your cue!”
The moment the system’s voice fell, the rain seemed to pour heavier, and lightning flashed, illuminating the courtyard in a terrifying white.
Then everything stopped, and everything was quiet. Not long after, there was a soft rustling sound outside the courtyard.
The sound sounded like something was moving, and the footsteps were chaotic as if several people were clustered together, dragging their feet forward.
Gu Qianqian got out of bed and tiptoed to the door, looking outside through the tiny window.
A sudden chill invaded the courtyard, and dozens of women in red shuffled into the courtyard.
Their figures were identical, with a red cloth hanging on their frozen faces, disguising their eyes and foreheads. All you could see were their sharp faces and dark red lips.
And the scarlet lanterns that dyed the entire courtyard red.
Strangely enough, the water in the tanks remained pitch black, as if it were devouring the light from the lanterns.
The women’s movements were stiff like puppets as they circled to the centre of the courtyard before stopping, and the water tanks began to tremble and slam against themselves, splashing water all over the courtyard.
Amidst the sound of splashing water, the man hurried into the courtyard and bowed to the women before running towards the water tank.
The man walked to the water tank, paused for a moment, then rolled up his sleeves and plunged his hand into the dark water, and his expression became painful and hideous.
As the man stretched his hand into the water tank, the water in the tank churned violently. After a while, accompanied by a painful groan, the man suddenly pulled his hand out of the water tank alongside something else.
It was a deformed baby with pale blue skin and a bulging abdomen with an umbilical cord attached. Its legs were limp, and strangely enough, it had seaweed for hair.
The baby opened its maw and swallowed the man’s arm up to his elbow, and two white fangs sunk into his flesh, his bright red blood flowing into its mouth.
‘That must be where his scars came from!’
Enduring the pain, he brought the baby over to the women and announced it to them in a loud voice as if he were trying to flatter them.
The women, however, were silent and shook their heads in unison like puppets.
The man gritted his teeth and returned to his own hut. Immediately afterwards, screams of a baby could be heard, and excited laughter came from the women’s mouths as he left the hut.
The man walked to the next water tank and repeated the process. If the women shook their heads, he would go back into his hut to dispose of the babies.
“System… the babies…”
Just as the man was walking towards a water tank again, the women stopped him suddenly and whispered something.
Immediately, the man’s eyes were filled with fear and uneasiness, and he knelt down in front of the women with a “plop,” shaking his head desperately and chattering in defence as if he were trying to deny something.
The women stared at the man motionlessly before turning their bodies in unison towards Gu Qianqian. All of them raised their hands, tilted their necks back at ninety degrees, and let out laughter that shredded one’s eardrums.
Amidst the bursts of screams, shadows continued to flash around the temple, and occasionally strange noises could be heard, as if someone was hiding outside the temple, scraping against the wall with sharp nails.
Something evil was awakened, and its evil aura flooded the village.
“System, we got caught!”
“You know what to do next.”
“I got it!” She slammed her fist on her chest and grabbed the metal club, kicking the door open and pointing at the women. “Let him go! Pick on someone your own size!”
The dark hut was dusty and without furniture. There was only a wooden bed with no bedding, and even the window was about the size of a basketball.
Strangely enough, although the room felt dirty underneath her hands, she couldn’t feel or hear any signs of insects or rats.
The system ordered her to check on the door after everything outside was quiet, and she groped in the darkness for a while, finding that the wooden door was bare.
“System, this door can only be locked from the outside!”
“I see.”
It is not surprising that there is a lock on the outside of the wooden door of a house like this, but at least there will be something like a latch to prevent outsiders from breaking in.
However, the wooden door of this thatched hut has no latch, let alone a door handle, as if it were deliberately made like this from the beginning.
Why?
Could it be that this hut was originally built to imprison something?
What is the purpose of a prison within a temple?
“System, have we been fooled? I feel like I’ve been kidnapped, and I’m about to be sold to be somebody’s wife!” Gu Qianqian said gloomily.
“Gu Qianqian, you are overthinking it. No human trafficker can abduct a girl to this kind of place.”
Plus, if they were to kidnap you, they might go broke after keeping you in for one day.
Soon, it began to rain, and the raindrops fell on the water tanks in the courtyard.
But the rainwater pouring into the water tank seemed to be swallowed up by something as if it could never be filled completely.
Bursts of sounds could be heard from the water tank as if there were countless hands patting the walls of the tank.
“System, I think I did something wrong.”
“What is it?”
“I should’ve asked the man about the situation in the village, but I didn’t! Now, I have no food… No scrumptious dinner to eat… and I’m so hungry.”
“Ah, Gu Qianqian…” the system hesitated to speak as if it felt bad for her. “You still have a chance of completing the mission.”
“You’re right! I can ask him tomorrow morning, and I’ll have a scrumptious breakfast tomorrow!”
“No, what I’m saying is, go out whenever you hear strange sounds and ignore his directions. Are you not the protagonist? You have powers greater than the beings that reside here!”
“Understood,” Gu Qianqian nodded in response.
She was so hungry that absolutely nothing could stop her.
The rain outside the window was getting heavier and heavier; the night wind was howling, and the branches and leaves of the trees were rustling as if something was approaching the dilapidated temple.
Gu Qianqian sat curled up on the bed, staring at the small window of the wooden house. Using the desire to eat to fight against the desire to sleep, she stayed in a daze for several hours and waited until a strange noise came from the courtyard.
Squeak!
It was the sound of the door to the temple outside being open, and the system reminded me, “Gu Qianqian! That’s your cue!”
The moment the system’s voice fell, the rain seemed to pour heavier, and lightning flashed, illuminating the courtyard in a terrifying white.
Then everything stopped, and everything was quiet. Not long after, there was a soft rustling sound outside the courtyard.
The sound sounded like something was moving, and the footsteps were chaotic as if several people were clustered together, dragging their feet forward.
Gu Qianqian got out of bed and tiptoed to the door, looking outside through the tiny window.
A sudden chill invaded the courtyard, and dozens of women in red shuffled into the courtyard.
Their figures were identical, with a red cloth hanging on their frozen faces, disguising their eyes and foreheads. All you could see were their sharp faces and dark red lips.
And the scarlet lanterns that dyed the entire courtyard red.
Strangely enough, the water in the tanks remained pitch black, as if it were devouring the light from the lanterns.
The women’s movements were stiff like puppets as they circled to the centre of the courtyard before stopping, and the water tanks began to tremble and slam against themselves, splashing water all over the courtyard.
Amidst the sound of splashing water, the man hurried into the courtyard and bowed to the women before running towards the water tank.
The man walked to the water tank, paused for a moment, then rolled up his sleeves and plunged his hand into the dark water, and his expression became painful and hideous.
As the man stretched his hand into the water tank, the water in the tank churned violently. After a while, accompanied by a painful groan, the man suddenly pulled his hand out of the water tank alongside something else.
It was a deformed baby with pale blue skin and a bulging abdomen with an umbilical cord attached. Its legs were limp, and strangely enough, it had seaweed for hair.
The baby opened its maw and swallowed the man’s arm up to his elbow, and two white fangs sunk into his flesh, his bright red blood flowing into its mouth.
‘That must be where his scars came from!’
Enduring the pain, he brought the baby over to the women and announced it to them in a loud voice as if he were trying to flatter them.
The women, however, were silent and shook their heads in unison like puppets.
The man gritted his teeth and returned to his own hut. Immediately afterwards, screams of a baby could be heard, and excited laughter came from the women’s mouths as he left the hut.
The man walked to the next water tank and repeated the process. If the women shook their heads, he would go back into his hut to dispose of the babies.
“System… the babies…”
Just as the man was walking towards a water tank again, the women stopped him suddenly and whispered something.
Immediately, the man’s eyes were filled with fear and uneasiness, and he knelt down in front of the women with a “plop,” shaking his head desperately and chattering in defence as if he were trying to deny something.
The women stared at the man motionlessly before turning their bodies in unison towards Gu Qianqian. All of them raised their hands, tilted their necks back at ninety degrees, and let out laughter that shredded one’s eardrums.
Amidst the bursts of screams, shadows continued to flash around the temple, and occasionally strange noises could be heard, as if someone was hiding outside the temple, scraping against the wall with sharp nails.
Something evil was awakened, and its evil aura flooded the village.
“System, we got caught!”
“You know what to do next.”
“I got it!” She slammed her fist on her chest and grabbed the metal club, kicking the door open and pointing at the women. “Let him go! Pick on someone your own size!”
