Chapter 26 The Banquet of Death
He Huaian held the bowl and felt the temperature of the chicken soup flowing along the thin wall of the bowl to the palm of his hand. His eyes gradually wandered away, he scooped up the first spoonful of chicken soup and slowly put it into his mouth. As long as you drink it, you will feel warm, He Huaian thought.
However, the moment the thin spoon touched his lips, an icy chill ran up his ankles. It seemed as if it penetrated along his spine and into his soul, giving a heavy blow to his soul. He Huaian shivered violently and woke up from the illusory warmth. He looked at the smiling village chief blankly, then looked at the chicken soup in his hand, and suddenly realized that he was about to do something. Something which couldn’t be undone.
“You…won’t you drink some too?” He Huaian stopped and asked the question again, but this time, there was no longer any desire in his tone.
The village chief’s smile faded and he looked at He Huaian coldly without saying a word.
He Huaian felt uneasy. He stood up from his position and wanted to take a step back. Unexpectedly, he felt something grabbing his ankle. He lowered his head and looked, only to find that Mou Xinsi’s hand was actually a reality. She held weakly onto his foot, and the cold touch brought by her skin was the heavy hammer that suddenly woke him up just now.
Wasn’t Mou Xinsi dead? Why was she still moving? A layer of cold sweat formed on He Huaian’s back. He glanced at Mou Xinsi, who was still silent, and then at the expressionless village chief. His body suddenly trembled. At this moment, he suddenly understood what the strange feeling he had felt when he put Mou Xinsi into the coffin just now was.
Mou Xinsi’s body was too soft. Under normal circumstances, a dead person would gradually stiffen 9-12 hours after death. This is commonly known as rigor mortis. It would take a while before the body softened completely. Then there was decay and deterioration, but Mou Xinsi did not have any of this. From the moment she was pronounced dead, her body was soft and never stiffened for a moment.
A strange thought exploded like fireworks in He Huaian’s mind. He squatted down, put his hand on Mou Xinsi’s pulse again, and immediately froze on the spot.
Although it was weak, his fingers could indeed feel the pulsation, and there was some inconspicuous temperature on her skin. All of this showed that Mou Xinsi was not dead.
“What a pity.” The village chief standing nearby said.
He Huaian raised his head and looked at him, and he said: “Did you know Mou Xinsi was not dead??? Were you deliberately asking me to put her in the coffin?” All the clues were connected, and he remembered where he stopped. The coffins in the yard and the scratch marks on the coffin lids, “Were you responsible for those people? You knew they were not dead, but you locked them up??”
The village chief said lightly: “I actually didn’t know at first.” He looked at He Huaian, slowly pulled out a sharp sickle from behind his back, and gently fiddled with the blade with his fingers, “I discovered it after several times.”
He Huaian took a step back with some fear.
The village chief said calmly: “But it’s too late. They have been in the cemetery for several days. No one can survive.”
He Huaian said tremblingly: “You… what are you going to do?”
“Didn’t you notice?” the village chief said, “Why are there so many people dying around me, but I’m fine?”
He Huaian said: “You…”
The village chief grinned, revealing a row of teeth that were yellowed by smoking. His face was wrinkled and his smile was ferocious and crazy. “Because I have been killing people, so the mountain god kept me.” He said. Holding the sickle, he fiercely rushed toward He Huaian.
He Huaian was shocked and dodged to the side. The village chief slashed his knife and cut a huge gap in the chair next to him. When He Huaian saw that he was really going to take action, he reacted very quickly. He was indeed afraid of the unknown things, but when it came to fighting with others, he was not at all lacking.
He Huaian cursed, picked up the chicken soup on the table, and threw it in the village chief’s face. This chicken soup has just been simmered, with a thick layer of oil floating on it. Although it didn’t smoke, it was extremely hot.
“Ah!!!” The distance between the two was very close, so the village chief was splashed with boiling chicken soup and let out a shrill scream. He closed his eyes and waved the sickle in his hand randomly. He Huaian seized the opportunity, grabbed the chair behind him and waved it at the village chief. In just two or three strikes, he knocked the sickle out of the village chief’s hand.
As soon as the knife fell, He Huaian lost all scruples, jumped in front of the village chief, waved the chair and hit the village chief on the head.
The village chief was stunned and his head was cut. He fell to the ground and screamed, blood dripping all over the ground.
Taking advantage of the victory, He Huaian pursued him and hit him a few more times. However, he was afraid of killing someone, so he didn’t hit any fatal areas, but that was enough to make the village chief lose his fighting ability. When he stopped, he was panting and covered in sweat, and the village chief, who had just planned to attack him, had already lost consciousness under him.
He Huaian spat on the ground, turned around and went out. When he came back, he had a rope in his hand. In order to prevent accidents, he used this to tie up the village chief tightly. However, when he finished these things, the rain that had been falling outside suddenly stopped.
In an instant, the whole world turned into bright and cheerful colors, and half of the sun’s face peeked out from behind the clouds, which instantly refreshed the gloomy mood.
He Huaian sat on the chair and breathed for a while, looking at the unconscious village chief next to him and the sunny weather outside, he was muttering a little bit. He wondered whether this village chief was the big boss and had some ulterior secret hidden. Otherwise, why was it that once he was knocked unconscious, it became sunny outside?
He Huaian rested for a while, recovered, and quickly checked on Mou Xinsi, who had been lying on the ground, and found that her body had returned to a normal temperature. Not only was she breathing, but her heart was also beating. She didn’t look like she was dead, but she seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. .
What happened? He Huaian really couldn’t figure it out, so he simply sat there and smoked, planning to wait until Song Qingluo and Lin Banxia came back to discuss it carefully.
***
Song Qingluo and Lin Banxia finally came down from the mountain.
At this time, both of them were covered in mud and water, and looked very embarrassed. Song Qingluo was in extremely bad condition, and his face was extremely pale, with no trace of blood at all. He was hit hard by a fish before, and it was unknown whether he was injured or not. Lin Banxia was a little worried about him, and originally wanted to carry him on his back, but he refused.
“That thing hasn’t been completely sealed yet, you’d better not get close to me.” Song Qingluo said.
Lin Banxia said: “Won’t that thing affect you?”
Song Qingluo said: “There will be some influence.”
Lin Banxia said: “Then you…”
“It’s okay for now.” Song Qingluo said softly, “Don’t worry.”
The two of them arrived at the foot of the mountain and were about to walk to the village chief’s house. Their road had to pass by the stream. As they were walking back, they happened to run into Jiang Ruonan, who had provided them with information yesterday. She came out to fetch water again, still wearing the same clothes, still carrying the same two jugs, humming a little tune, and filling the jugs with water seriously.
When she heard the footsteps of someone coming, she raised her head and saw Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo covered in mud.
“Ah, what’s wrong with you?” Jiang Ruonan asked in surprise, “Why are you covered in mud and water?” After she said this, she immediately remembered something, and her bright smile faded a little for some reason, “You came down from the mountain. ?”
Lin Banxia said: “Well, I just came down.”
“You actually went up the mountain?” Jiang Ruonan tilted her head with an innocent expression, “You still came down alive.”
This was a bit strange. Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo looked at each other.
“Didn’t you fetch water yesterday?” Lin Banxia asked strangely, “How can you use so much water by yourself?”
“Of course it comes in handy.” Jiang Ruonan laughed again, and there was an expression on her pretty face that Lin Banxia couldn’t understand. She said, “There are several people in my family who all need water, and the neighbors. My aunt also wants water, and I have to fill their water tank too.”
Song Qingluo and Lin Banxia both tasted something different from this bright smile. They didn’t speak at the same time, watching her humming a song, filling the water jug, and picking it up swaying. Planning to leave.
It wasn’t until she was almost gone that Song Qingluo spoke again. He asked a question. His voice was not loud, but Jiang Ruonan could definitely hear it. He said, “How many people are left in your family?”
Jiang Ruonan’s voice was a little distant, but Lin Banxia still heard her answer clearly. She said something incomprehensible, she said: “Don’t you think my name is ugly? I actually think so too[1.].”
Lin Banxia watched Jiang Ruonan walk away from a distance. He remembered the first time he met Jiang Ruonan. This seemingly soft little girl picked up the human head that fell on the ground in front of him and calmly put it back in the coffin. At that time, he just felt that this little girl was very courageous, but now it seemed that she had other secrets.
Song Qingluo sighed and then the two of them continued to walk back slowly.
The weather had cleared up, and the damp smell of rain had become much lighter. It had the fragrance of earth and vegetation, which made it less annoying, but there was still no one in the village, and everything was quiet. Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo returned to the village chief’s house along the path. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw He Huaian sitting in the main room.
He Huaian was smoking a cigarette and his expression was better than before. After seeing Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo, he waved to them excitedly: “You are finally back!!”
After Lin Banxia entered the house, he saw the village chief who was tightly tied up and the blood stains on the ground. He was stunned and said: “What happened? Didn’t you take Mou Xinsi’s body with you?”
“We can’t leave.” He Huaian said, “The car was smashed.” He took a long drag on his cigarette, “I guess it was him.” He kicked the village chief.
“Did he smash it? What happened?” Lin Banxia asked curiously.
He Huaian told the two of them what had happened before, including that the village chief tried to trick him into drinking poisonous chicken soup, that Mou Xinsi was alive, and that after he found out, the village chief tried to attack him with a sickle.
Lin Banxia was stunned for a moment after hearing this, thinking that the things everyone encountered were so exciting.
After He Huaian finished speaking, he saw that Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo were also in bad condition, and then he remembered to ask them what happened.
“Nothing happened.” Lin Banxia said, “We just had a fight with a fish.”
He Huaian: “…Huh?”
Lin Banxia: “I mean it literally.”
He Huaian: “???”
Lin Banxia gave up: “Forget it.”
Song Qingluo didn’t have much energy. He found a chair and sat on it and started to doze off. Seeing him like this, Lin Banxia hurriedly urged him to take a shower and change clothes. He raised his eyelids and muttered: “I still need to touch water…”
Lin Banxia coaxed him like a child: “Go and rest after washing. He Huaian and I will deal with the aftermath.”
Song Qingluo glanced at He Huaian and the village chief on the ground and said, “Okay.” Then he stood up and left neatly.
When Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo were talking, He Huaian watched eagerly and did not dare to interrupt. It was not until Song Qingluo left that he breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Mr. Song doesn’t look very good. “
“Well, we got caught in the rain.” Lin Banxia said, “Does your mobile phone have a signal now?”
He Huaian then remembered that he still had a mobile phone to use. He picked it up and looked at it and found that the signal was actually full. He said in surprise: “There is a signal! There is a signal!!”
Lin Banxia breathed a sigh of relief. It would be much better if there was a signal. Otherwise, although the matter had been solved, how to leave here would be a big problem.
He Huaian said immediately: “I will contact the outside right now and ask them to come in to pick us up. Do we need to bring weapons or something?”
Lin Banxia thought for a while and said it was better to bring it with just to be on the safe side. After all, the village chief’s problem needed to be solved. He Huaian laughed when he heard this and said that as long as human affairs are easy to handle, they should leave the village chief to the police. He picked up his cell phone and dialed a number. After some explanation, he told Lin Banxia that someone from outside would be here soon.
Lin Banxia nodded, glanced at Mou Xinsi and the village chief lying on the ground, and said, “Then you can guard them here while I go see Song Qingluo.”
He Huaian said yes.
Lin Banxia went to the room where he and Song Qingluo lived and saw that Song Qingluo had changed into clean clothes and was lying on the bed drowsily. He heard Lin Banxia’s footsteps and raised his eyelids, saying: “How is it?”
Lin Banxia said: “He Huaian notified someone who said they would come over immediately to help.”
Song Qingluo hummed softly.
Lin Banxia said: “What about you, how do you feel? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?”
Song Qingluo said: “No.”
Lin Banxia was still worried: “You’re really not injured?”
Song Qingluo didn’t answer. Lin Banxia took a closer look and found that he was already asleep. His long eyelashes undulated slightly with his breathing, and his brows were slightly furrowed, looking tired. Lin Banxia pulled the quilt for him worriedly and went out quietly.
He also went to the bathroom to take a shower and changed into clean clothes. Although the experience just now was very thrilling, he was not too tired, so after washing up, he went to the main room and waited with He Huaian for the person who was coming to meet them.
While waiting, the village chief, who was knocked unconscious by He Huaian with a stool, woke up and cursed. He Huaian felt upset and knocked him unconscious again with a stool. Lin Banxia looked on in a daze, thinking that he didn’t realize that He Huaian was also an irritable old man. He Huaian probably felt that Lin Banxia was looking at him in a strange way, so he quickly explained : “He is not a good person and has killed many people.”
Lin Banxia whispered: “No, weren’t you scared at first? Why are you so brave now?”
He Huaian said: “The village chief is a human being.”
Lin Banxia: “…”
He Huaian: “What do people have for us to be afraid of?”
Lin Banxia found that he could not refute.
About four hours later, He Huaian’s cell phone rang. After he picked it up, he excitedly said that their people were coming and asked Lin Banxia to wait in the room for a while while he went out to respond. Lin Banxia yelled and ran out excitedly when he saw him, and soon five people were brought in. These five people were wearing black uniforms with a €€ symbol painted on the right side of the chest. This symbol, known to Lin Banxia, is pronounced as “ten thousand” and has the meaning of immortality in Buddhism[2.].
That group of people were familiar with He Huaian, but they didn’t know Lin Banxia. However, He Huaian had obviously introduced him in advance, so when they saw Lin Banxia, they just nodded respectfully and started without asking any questions. They cleaned up the scene. One person directly sent Mou Xinsi out of the mountain village to ensure that she was treated as quickly as possible. The remaining few people recorded every corner of the house very carefully, the cameras in their hands never stopped, and He Huaian’s notebook was also recorded. After taking it away, he was asked some more general questions, such as how many casualties there were, and whether there was any other damage. He Huaian answered one by one, as if he was used to it.
The village chief was also sent away, in the form of a criminal. He woke up once before getting in the car and vomited something. It seemed that he had a concussion from He Huaian. He originally planned to scold him again, but he saw He Huaian standing next to him with a sullen face, rubbing the back of the chair. He fell silent for a moment, and was then tied up and stuffed into the car.
After dealing with the people who should be dealt with, those people asked about Song Qingluo’s situation. Lin Banxia said that he was sleeping. These people were not surprised. They nodded and said that they were waiting outside. There was no rush. They had to wait for Mr. Song to sleep. An d when he woke up they would start again.
Lin Banxia watched them clean the house and go out in a very polite manner.
He Huaian was still sitting in the room, handed Lin Banxia a cigarette and said, “Are you tired? You can have a good rest when you go back.”
Lin Banxia thought for a while and told him the truth: “Actually, I have a job, and I asked for leave this time.”
He Huaian: “Huh??”
Lin Banxia said honestly: “Song Qingluo said he would take me on a trip.”
He Huaian: “…”
Lin Banxia said: “It’s been really interesting.”
He Huaian took a deep breath and smoked most of the cigarette in his hand. As the smoke filled the air, his tone was full of the vicissitudes of life and sadness: “Please let me call you Brother Lin.”
Lin Banxia: “…” But you seem to be older than me.
Song Qingluo slept for more than three hours before wandering out of the bedroom, pale, yawning, and asking if anyone was there.
“Everyone is here.” Lin Banxia said, “Are we leaving now?”
“Well.” Song Qingluo said, “You have to do something before you leave.”
Lin Banxia asked: “What’s the matter?”
Song Qingluo said: “Go and bring that little girl named Jiang Ruonan with you.”
Lin Banxia was stunned: “Why?”
“It’s useful.” Song Qingluo said, “The specific purpose of this thing on me is still a mystery. She may have something to do with this thing, so bring her with you to be safe.”
Lin Banxia said ‘oh’ and went out to look for Jiang Ruonan.
After struggling for a while, the sky had darkened. Lin Banxia remembered that Jiang Ruonan mentioned that her place of residence was next to Mr. He, so she walked in that direction.
The continuous heavy rain finally stopped, and the moon also appeared. When you looked up, you could see the stars, and know that tomorrow would be clear and good weather. Lights began to light up in the surrounding yards. Lin Banxia was not afraid as he walked on the path. He actually liked the atmosphere at this time. It was peaceful and quiet, just like the twinkling lights of a firefly trail that he had walked through when he was a child.
Although he knew the general direction, Lin Banxia still knocked on the door of a villager’s house and learned Jiang Ruonan’s specific address. What surprised him was that among the villagers who had been staying shut for the last few days, there was actually someone there. Opening the door for him, one even asked if they were done.
“It’s over, hasn’t it stopped raining? You can come out now.” He replied with a smile.
After walking a little further, Lin Banxia arrived at the place where the villagers said Jiang Ruonan lived. The lights were on in the house. He knocked on the door, and a young face appeared from behind the door.
“It’s you, what’s the matter?” Jiang Ruonan looked at Lin Banxia warily.
Lin Banxia said: “Are you at home alone?”
Jiang Ruonan’s eyes became more wary.
Lin Banxia suddenly realized that the way he asked the question seemed a bit wrong, and said awkwardly: “Ah… I’m not a bad person, I just have something I want to talk to you about.”
Jiang Ruonan was very disrespectful: “That’s what bad people say.”
Lin Banxia: “…”
“But bad guys shouldn’t be as good-looking as you.” Just when Lin Banxia didn’t know what to do, Jiang Ruonan added, and she opened the door.
Lin Banxia showed a moved expression.
“If that more beautiful little brother came to see me,” Jiang Ruonan said, “I would definitely go with him without asking anything.”
Lin Banxia thought to himself, little girl, you are so pretty, you will be abducted.
“What do you want to talk to me about?” Jiang Ruonan asked.
Lin Banxia was smarter this time and said, “That pretty little brother wants to meet you.”
Jiang Ruonan hesitated for a moment, but actually agreed, turned around, locked the door, and was about to leave with Lin Banxia. Lin Banxia said helplessly: “Why did you agree? Aren’t you afraid that your pretty little brother will do bad things to you?”
Jiang Ruonan was quiet for a moment and said something Lin Banxia didn’t expect. She said, “Have you found that thing?”
Lin Banxia: “…”
Jiang Ruonan said seriously: “Wherever it is, I will be there.”
Lin Banxia looked at her and thought that this little girl was really different.
On the way back, Lin Banxia chatted with Jiang Ruonan for a while and learned that she was the fifth girl in the family. There were four sisters in front of her, but those sisters were not as lucky as she was. They died before they were even one year old. On the other hand, she was lucky. She was already thirteen this year and would be able to get married in a few years. Her name was Jiang Ruonan. She was given this name because the family wanted a boy. She also had a younger brother, but the younger brother had been taken to live with her parents, so she lived here with her grandparents.
Lin Banxia felt that Jiang Ruonan was actually a lively girl. Although she was slender, she had a tenacity that reminded him of his sister.
The two of them talked and soon arrived at the door of the village chief’s house and saw Song Qingluo waiting at the door.
“You’re back?” Song Qingluo said.
“Hm.” Lin Banxia replied.
When Jiang Ruonan saw Song Qingluo, she lost her cheerfulness and seemed a little nervous. She stood behind Lin Banxia without saying a word, and her cheeks began to turn red.
“Get in the car.” Song Qingluo looked at Jiang Ruonan.
Jiang Ruonan glanced at the several off-road vehicles behind him and whispered, “Where are you taking me?”
Song Qingluo looked at her calmly, his eyes did not look like he was looking at a little girl: “Is there any place worse than here?”
Jiang Ruonan was silent. The shy blush on her cheeks gradually faded away, leaving only thinness and paleness. She licked her dry lips, and finally turned around and entered the car without asking anything.
Lin Banxia said inexplicably: “What’s going on?”
Song Qingluo sighed: “Get in the car first.”
The two got into the car driven by He Huaian and sat in the back seat together. The car slowly drove away from this remote mountain village, followed the muddy mountain road, and headed towards the outside world.
The author has something to say:
Lin Banxia: After the tour, would you like to bring some gifts to Ji Leshui?
Song Qingluo: What do you want to bring?
Lin Banxia: That crocodile gar looks expensive, but I don’t know if it tastes good or not…
Song Qingluo: My refusal to eat wild animals starts with me.
Lin Banxia: Ok! Then bring him something else.
A week later, Ji Leshui, who received a ball of rotten meat, transformed into a screaming chicken again.
Translator’s comments:
- Her name Ruonan is written like this (若男) in the raws and means ‘like a man’.
- It was literally that(€€) symbol in the raws. I’m not sure which symbol it was actually supposed to be.
Hey guys, I’m the translator for this novel. If you have any questions or thoughts feel free to comment and I’ll do my best to answer everything. If you notice any inconsistencies or errors, drop a comment and I will fix it. Thanks so much for reading Phantom Skeleton Painting, I hope that everyone enjoys the novel. If you are interested in fluffy BL novels, consider giving the other novels that I am translating a try. They are ‘I’m Really a Dragon’ and ‘The Leader’s Warpet Hamster’. New chapters released everyday.
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