In this obscuring darkness, the scene before their eyes wasn't quite visible. However, because this hazy sight was still utterly terrifying, everyone had fixed all of their attention on it; they were completely engrossed with what they were seeing.
They watched on as the relief sculpture on the column began to contort and twist disturbingly, as if something was struggling to break free from it. This state of distortion lasted for a brief moment. Everyone continued to gape as crooked, pale hands dug their way out of the relief sculpture. The two hands were incomparably huge. With curling fingernails painted a brilliant scarlet, the hands aimlessly groped around the empty space and eventually seized the wooden fence nearby.
The instant they grasped the wooden fence, these hands seemed to have found a point of focus. The creature began to exert more strength; it tugged on the wooden fence harder and sluggishly dragged its body and its head out of the pillar.
This entire scene was beyond grotesque and traumatic. Everyone stopped breathing on the spot.
"What are you gawking at! Run!" Ruan Baijie's holler woke everyone up from the petrifying nightmare they were currently experiencing. Lin Qiushi suddenly shook himself out of his daze. He paused and peeked up at the scene again, only to find that the monstrous thing had already squeezed most of its body out of the pillar.
"Run!" Ruan Baijie bellowed. "Run!!"
At her deafening orders, the stunned crowd wildly took off in all directions. Lin Qiushi also didn't dare waste any time; he gathered all his strength and immediately darted for the house.
The noises behind him were getting louder and louder. It seemed as though that thing had successfully freed itself from the pillar and began to pursue them relentlessly.
Lin Qiushi heard the sound of something slithering through the snow. He knew that he absolutely shouldn't turn his head around at this moment, but his curiosity won him over and he couldn't resist; he cast a glance over his shoulder and looked behind him.
He staggered in fright at the horrifying sight. Sure enough, that ghastly creature had pulled itself out of the pillar. It looked like a woman. She was naked from head to toe, and her long black hair was draped over her shoulders. If not all, her body was several times larger than that of the average person. Her limbs were freakishly long, similarly to a spider, and she crawled on the ground in a strange, crooked manner. Her face couldn't be seen clearly, but that didn't matter, for the most striking aspect about her was that thing in her hand, specifically, that long-handled axe caked with thick crimson liquid.
"Fuck!!!" Lin Qiushi couldn't help but spit out a vulgar curse. Before, he held a couple of doubts and suspected that all of this was merely a figment of his imagination, but this time, this abnormal thing was in full view of everyone. Witnessing this with his very own eyes finally made him understand just how real this unnatural space he had entered was.
Some of the others in the group had also turned their heads around, and, to put it simply, all who laid eyes on this thing were nearly frightened to death.
Everyone's desperation to survive led them to hasten their pace, but the snow on the grounds caused the narrow path to the village to be slippery. No matter how fast one ran, if they couldn't get anywhere, they'd be caught in a blink of an eye.
"Save me" Xiao Ke seemed to have ran too fast, her foot slipped and she fell to the snow-covered grounds. She frantically tried climbing back up, but the dreadful fear that overcame her caused her legs to soften and collapse beneath her. She just couldn't stand up no matter how much she forced herself to. "Brother Xiong-save me, ah!"
Everyone thought she was as good as dead. After all, at this life-threatening moment, they couldn't even guarantee their own lives, so how could they possibly consider saving another person's life? But who would've imagined that, at Xiao Ke's miserable cries for help, Xiong Qi actually gritted his teeth and screeched to a halt. He twisted around and dashed over, lifting her from the snow and hauling her to her feet. "Fast! Let's go!"
"Brother Xiong." Xiao Ke hiccupped through her heavy sobs. Her tears ran down her face and dripped to the ground. She was just about to thank Xiong Qi, when an ominous shadow suddenly hung above their heads.
The woman with the axe arrived. She condescendingly looked down at the two petrified individuals who had become stiffer than stone. Her face split into a wicked grin, and she cackled sinisterly. The woman's massive mouth widened even more, revealing numerous thick, sharp teeth. Those elongated, twisted hands held up that rusty, blood-stained axe. She raised her arms and brusquely struck down, hacking at the two people before her presence.
"Ahhhhh!!" Xiao Ke let out a blood-curdling shriek. Waiting for her impending doom, she reached out and hugged Xiong Qi tightly in her arms, never releasing her hold. She didn't dare watch the scene that would unfold before her eyes.
Xiong Qi bit down on his lip, drawing beads of blood, and closed his eyes. He seemed to have given up on this futile struggle and simply accepted his lamentable fate.
However, the very instant the axe fell, a soft, golden light gently enveloped the two's bodies. The axe clashed against that golden light, and an ear-splitting echo of two weapons striking against each other rang out.
Upon seeing this, the towering woman emitted a resentful screech, but she no longer paid heed to Xiong Qi and Xiao Ke and, instead, whirled around to continue pursuing the others up ahead.
Xiong Qi and Xiao Ke had barely managed to escape with their lives intact. Still clinging to each other, the two sat limply in the snow.
Quivering, Xiao Ke dumbly asked, "Brother Xiong, what just happened?"
Xiong Qi was silent for a long while before hoarsely responding, "Do you still remember the Buddha statue we prayed to after we entered the temple?"
Xiao Ke shakily nodded.
"Perhaps, he protected us." Xiong Qi lifted his head and stared in the direction the woman rushed off to.
"So the ones who entered the temple alone..." Xiao Ke didn't need to finish her sentence, for she clearly understood Xiong Qi's meaning. She recalled how when one person entered the temple, he didn't see the benevolent Bodhisattva that they saw; rather, he saw that evil, axe-wielding woman.
"They're doomed." Xiong Qi chuckled bitterly.
Running like hell in the same direction, Lin Qiushi and Ruan Baijie bolted for their lives. It wasn't long before they also went through the same near-death experience that Xiao Ke and Xiong Qi had went through. But this time, it was Ruan Baijie who firmly embraced the exhausted Lin Qiushi in her arms. In the face of this malevolent entity, she didn't show any fear. She even turned her back to it and focused her attention on Lin Qiushi, tenderly kissing the top of Lin Qiushi's head and assuring that everything would be fine, that there was no need to be afraid.
Of course, Lin Qiushi had truly wanted to guard Ruan Baijie in his own arms, but the outcome was that he was the one who ended up being held protectively in Ruan Baijie's arms. There was enough space for him to wriggle around, and yet he couldn't move at all. Their deaths were approaching fast, but all he could do was stare helplessly as that giant axe headed straight for them. But moments before it could reach them, it was blocked by a radiant golden light that shielded their bodies.
"Oh." The corners of Ruan Baijie's lips curved upwards.
Lin Qiushi was left in a daze. Gob smacked, he quietly watched as that women swiftly turned around and rushed towards the others near them. The man also witnessed what happened to Lin Qiushi and Ruan Baijie. However, he was only allowed to be in awe for a few seconds because he soon found that the woman had appeared in front of him.
"A-A-Are we saved?" The man asked Lin Qiushi. "That light on our bodies..."
"Whoosh!" The sound of the glinting weapon slicing through his body resonated throughout the area.
He hadn't even finished stating half of what he wanted to say before his entire body was split into two by that razor-sharp axe. Until his death, his face remained a picture of utter shock and incredulity. It seemed as though he couldn't comprehend why a different fate befell him in spite of the same light that shined on his body.
Sitting weakly in the snow, Lin Qiushi watched with wide eyes as the blood splattered all over and dyed the white grounds crimson. The woman tittered in sheer delight. With the axe in hand, she proceeded to search for new victims, leaving behind a bloody wreckage.
Lin Qiushi pursed his lips in an attempt to suppress his desire to vomit.
"We're safe now." Ruan Baijie softly patted him on the back. "It's all over."
Lin Qiushi whispered, "Was it because there was something wrong with the number of people entering the temple?"
Ruan Baijie didn't reply.
Lin Qiushi: "There were only two people who went inside the temple alone. Are they...they're dead, aren't they?"
Ruan Baijie uttered, "I don't know."
That's right, ah, who in this world knew the answer to this question.
Lin Qiushi heaved himself up from the snow. Standing upright, he extended his hand for Ruan Baijie to take. "Come, let's return home."
Ruan Baijie smiled gently and chuckled before grasping Lin Qiushi's hand in hers.
About an hour later, everyone gathered at the house. The number of people on the team had decreased once again.
Sure enough, it was as Lin Qiushi had expected. None of the people who entered the temple alone survived. Their lives were taken by that creepy woman with the axe.
"She brought their corpses back with her." Someone described what he saw. "Their bodies were cut in half, and she just laughed like crazy, snatched their dead bodies, then dragged them into the temple."
"So, the carpenter actually deceived us?" Xiao Ke unintelligibly croaked. "If we really entered the temple according to the method he told us, wouldn't we all have died?"
"All of us wouldn't have died." Xiong Qi was worn out and he huffed in exasperation. "At least half of us would remain. They generally wouldn't eliminate the entire group at once, they'd surely leave at least half of us behind."
"It's still useless even if half of us survived. Who knows whether she'll come back." Unexpectedly, Ruan Baijie was the very first to recover her cool. As of this moment, she leaned back against the chair and casually began to gnaw on some melon seeds. Her appearance as she cracked the melon seeds between her teeth was still as beautiful as ever; in fact, one could even say that she was inherently elegant. "Even if she kills one person a day, it's still enough."
The group fell silent.
"Since we've paid our respects in the temple, can we start building the coffin?" Someone finally inquired.
Xiong Qi nodded. "We'll go and speak to the carpenter tomorrow. Yet, I can't help but get the feeling that things aren't as simple as this."
Naturally, things weren't that simple. The well still hadn't been filled. Filling a well might've been a straightforward and trouble-free chore in the real world; however, in a world like this, such a task was more than enough to bring an end to one's life.
None of them could even imagine what would pop out when they went to fill the well.
Of course, such matters were to be dealt with tomorrow. Today, everyone ran around like lunatics trying to escape from that grotesque monster that was spitefully chasing them all night; furthermore, they even witnessed the tragic deaths of their comrades. Needless to say, all of them were exhausted, both physically and mentally.
Thereupon, the crowd dispersed, retiring to their rooms early. They were all more than ready for a good night's rest.
At least they didn't have to worry about dying tonight.
Lin Qiushi was lying on the bed, and he saw Ruan Baijie lay herself down next to him.
"Thank you for today." Lin Qiushi expressed his gratitude. "You were seriously awesome. I'm not as strong or great as you are."
Today, as they fled for their lives, the first one to become tired while running was actually Lin Qiushi. At the time, he had observed Ruan Baijie's own condition and even suspected that she still possessed enough energy to bounce all the way home.
"Men just aren't as strong when it comes to physical strength and stamina." Ruan Baijie deeply remarked.
Lin Qiushi: "..."
Ruan Baijie: "Wouldn't you agree?"
Lin Qiushi: "..." Agree, my ass!
Ruan Baijie tilted her head to one side and directed a bright smile at Lin Qiushi. "Do you reckon we can escape from this place alive?"
Lin Qiushi shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.
Ruan Baijie continued, "What's the first thing you'll do when you get out of here?"
Lin Qiushi pondered for a moment, then replied, "If I get out of this place alive...I guess I'll immediately go back to my hometown and get married?"
Ruan Baijie: "You have a girlfriend?"
Lin Qiushi laughed heartily. "A designer who works overtime, just where in the world would a single dog like him find a girlfriend?"
Ruan Baijie: "One can always dream big and hope for that dream to come true. Don't worry, though. Just wait for me to get out, and I'll buy you the perfect girlfriend on Taobao1."
Lin Qiushi: "...You're such a good person."
Ruan Baijie: "Oh, but it's common courtesy, my dear brother."
The two chatted for a while before gradually sinking into deep sleep. That night,
Lin Qiushi didn't have any dreams. It seemed as though he had already become accustomed to this cruel and merciless world.
The dazzling sunshine and clear skies signaled the start of the next day.
++
Ruan Baijie: Since you have no girlfriend, how about a boyfriend instead?
Lin Qiushi: Hold on a second, that's going a bit too far.
Ruan Baijie: Would you rather save your life or would you rather save that ass of yours? Choose wisely.
Lin Qiushi: ...
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Comments
Subhasree Tarai
Baijie is iconic
2024-11-20
2