Translator: Yuzu
Ma Chenggong opened his mouth wide at the words, his expression all becoming frightened.
What was going on? He didn’t even know this before he was reborn!
Xiao Chen, who heard Hu Bing’s analysis, slowly raised his head. His expression was also slightly surprised, but there was not much change because he was more concerned about another matter than this one.
From the moment he entered the door, his heart was somewhat panicked, and this panic came from the pendant around his neck. He could feel the pendant becoming agitated.
‘On the bed.’ Tan Jun leaned into his ear and exhaled with a bit of teasing in his tone.
Xiao Chen swept a glance at the crowd and pretended to walk carelessly to the bed while the others were still lost in their thoughts.
Xiao Chen’s eyes were sharp, and he almost immediately saw what kind of thing was under the clothes.
He cautiously glanced at everyone, and with a quick look, he pulled the thing out from underneath the clothes.
It was a bit hard.
It was a human bone.
Xiao Chen’s heart pounded, and his hand trembled. The next second, the bone was immediately grasped tightly and secretly stuffed into the sleeve of the trench coat that he was wearing today.
Xiao Chen’s breathing became a little short, his other hand nervously pendant. In his heart, he anxiously asked, as if he was very concerned about the answer, “Is this yours?”
Tan Jun stared at the side of Xiao Chen’s face and smiled lightly. His right hand suddenly attached to the other’s waist, Xiao Chen shivered at the sudden touch.
And his other hand smoothly grabbed Xiao Chen’s hand that was clutching the pendant and held it tightly.
Tan Jun kissed the back of Xiao Chen’s head and then his left ear, “This is my thirteenth rib, did you know that?”
He was referring to the pendant around Xiao Chen’s neck.
In the Bible, it is written that God took the thirteenth rib from the body of the first human, Adam, and created a new human, Eve.
Eve eventually became Adam’s wife.
Xiao Chen’s gaze was slowly placed on the pendant around his neck, and his fingers couldn’t help but tighten even more.
Tan Jun seemed to feel the strength in his hand and let out a soft laugh in his ear.
Xiao Chen’s eyes dropped, and his throat moved.
Yes, this wasn’t an ordinary pendant.
It was a sickle pendant that he had carved using Tan Jun’s bones.
Xiao Chen closed his eyes.
It was carved out bit by bit according to the drawing he made!
‘So,’ Xiao Chen sucked in a breath as if he was relieved, ‘So you know.’
He only came back for one reason. The letter said he could get back the rest of Tan Jun’s bones!
Although he knew it was impossible, and the outcome would be even more unlikely, he still came back.
Even with the possibility of gaining absolutely nothing, he had returned to the place where he once vowed never to come back.
Tan Jun chuckled lightly without answering.
Of course, I know.
I’ve known everything since you came back here.
The world kisses me with pain and asks me to sing in return.
And the only one I repay with a song is you.
Hu Bing glanced at Xiao Chen, who was not looking well. He looked strangely at Xiao Chen’s abnormal reaction before turning to the crowd, “Now, let’s go look for any more clues in this village.”
Ma Hang nodded and saw Ma Chenggong, who looked out of sorts next to him. He walked over, frowned, and asked, “Brother, are you okay?”
Ma Chenggong seemed to be too engrossed in his thoughts and shivered when Ma Hang touched his arm.
“I’m fine.” Ma Chenggong glanced at him with sweaty palms.
He pursed his lips and began to remember his previous life.
He was the fourth to die out of the seven.
The first was Xiao Chen, the second was Zhang Xiaoxian, the third was Jin Hong, and the fourth was himself.
He survived until everyone was going crazy, with no food, the threat of death, and a bunch of strange old men in the village waiting for an opportunity to take their lives.
Thinking of this, he looked at Ma Hang.
What he found most unbearable was Ma Hang’s attitude.
When they were starving to madness, Ma Hang actually cut off his left hand with a kitchen knife while he was asleep! Ate his flesh! Drank his blood!
He clutched his hand in resentment at the thought of it.
But.
Ma Chenggong took a deep breath.
The younger brother in front of him had not done or known anything. There was no way he could hate or blame him.
There was no way for him to get back at someone who knew nothing.
Huang Ke walked at the end of the crowd, and when he reached the stairs, he couldn’t help but look back at the room where the bones were piled up.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression was somewhat cold, even revealing a bit of resentment. It was an expression that had an inexplicable sense of violation on his young face. Still, he quickly restrained this look and walked down the stairs as if nothing had happened.
The wind blew slightly, splashing the yellow dust on the ground.
Jin Hong hid behind Hu Bing, then said nervously, “Is it my illusion? Why do I feel like there are fewer people in the village?”
Hu Bing was silent. He looked around and said, “No.”
“The number of people in the village are really getting less.”
Xiao Chen put his hands in his pockets and lowered his eyes, still holding the bone in the palm of his right hand.
‘Tan Jun.’ Xiao Chen grasped the pendant with his left hand, calling for him in his heart.
‘What.’ Xiao Chen felt someone put both hands on his shoulders, then hooked his neck. It was like holding a large doll as the person enveloped him in his arms, placing his chin in Xiao Chen’s hair and replied softly in his ear.
Xiao Chen choked, burying half his face in his collar. He gripped the object on his right hand, ‘Where are the rest of your bones?’
Tan Jun paused, sounding like he didn’t really care, ‘I don’t know.’
Xiao Chen fiercely raised his head, and because of his speed, the top of his head directly hit the other party’s chin. Tan Jun didn’t hide, and it was as if he was afraid that Xiao Chen’s bump hurt, so he gently touched his head.
It was also fortunate that no one was placing their eyes on Xiao Chen at this time.
Xiao Chen felt a little difficult and muffled his voice, ‘It’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have left.”
He was too scared to crawl out and hid under the bed all day and night, starving until his stomach began to convulse and his body was near fainting.
He only picked up one of Tan Jun’s bones, which he always wore around his neck. He didn’t dare to forget it, nor did he want to.
Whenever he couldn’t hold on any longer, he only needed to think of Tan Jun so that he could hold on.
Tan Jun looked at him with some heartache in his eyes and softly said, “Don’t blame yourself. You’ve done a good job!”
Hu Bing’s expression slowly became a little anxious. He knew that time waited for no one, and spending it, again and again, was simply not an option.
Ma Chenggong gritted his teeth, and his expression was a bit grim like he was having some mental struggle. Finally, he raised his head and said, “Don’t you ever feel that everything we’ve experienced is like a supernatural event?”
Hu Bing looked back at him.
Ma Hang opened his mouth wide and called out in surprise, “Brother?”
Ma Chenggong calmly said, “The village chief suddenly died in front of us, and we can’t get out of this town no matter how much we walk. Don’t you suspect that there are so many unexplained phenomena in the village?”
Hu Bing remained silent and locked eyes with Ma Chenggong. What Ma Chenggong was saying were things that he found simply unreasonable to explain.
But before Hu Bing could reply, a sound immediately drew the attention of the crowd.
Hu Bing made a hush gesture, put his index finger to the people, and whispered, “I’m going to check it out first, don’t move.”
Jin Hong and Ma Hang both nodded their heads.
Hu Bing approached the source of the sound, trying to discern what the words from afar were saying.
“Although the skin is a bit loose, it’s still meat, not bad.”
The old man squatted on the ground, holding a sharp kitchen knife in his hand and rubbing it repeatedly on the whetstone.
Next to him was a frying pan placed on the earthen floor, with a wood fire burning underneath and sparks sputtering out.
Hu Bing hid in the corner, with half his head sticking out, observing the scene.
Next to the oil pan was a long wooden chair, the kind of chair that could only be seen in the countryside. The seat panels were grey, and the size of it was one and three meters long.
It couldn’t be more ordinary.
Provided, of course, that there wasn’t a dead man lying in the chair.
When Hu Bing saw this scene, he immediately turned around. He held onto the wall next to him, and his stomach began to pound acid and make him vomit.
His body began to tremble as well.
He recognized the man lying on the bench almost immediately!
It was the old man that knocked on the door last time and brought Zhang Xiaoxian’s meat!
There’s no way he could be wrong!
Hu Bing intended to retreat, but he was so nervous that he stomped on a dead tree branch directly beside him, creating a loud clattering sound.
The sound of sharpening knives came to an abrupt halt.
Hu Bing stiffened, his lips turned white and quivered. He could feel his heartbeat thumping loudly and felt that his throat was about to jump out!
The man seemed to stand up on his feet as footsteps sounded.
Hu Bing’s cold sweat ran down, and his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
The sound was getting closer!
It’s coming over!!!
“Puff!” The old man grabbed the knife and smashed it into the wall. He turned around the corner, laughed hideously, and whispered, “Is it a cute little kitten?”
Hu Bing gawked. The old man’s face was leaning towards his face! The distance between them was only around twenty centimeters!
It’s over!
Hu Bing’s heart pounded.
The old man’s smile stiffened, and he took his hand off the wall, his eyes burning with anger, “What’s going on! Why is there no one!!!”
The old man spoke and spat air that directly smashed into Hu Bing’s neck. Hu Bing felt cold, his legs trembled, and he almost fell on his knees.
The old man narrowed his eyes, snorted, put the knife away, and turned back around again.
Hu Bing’s eyes were a little dizzy, and his eyelids were covered in cold sweat.
What was going on?
Before he could think about it, a voice came directly from his mind.
“Want to live?”
This voice was very deep, even a little cold. It had a flat tone, like the Lord of Hell who would judge people to death and kill without blinking an eye.
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yuzu: my translations are being stolen oof. anyway, the next chapter is quite long so maybe i’ll divide into 2(?) parts.