Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 122

At 11 p.m. sharp, all 32 watchmen were present.

They lined up in an orderly manner, waiting for the next instructions from the village chief.

Many had traces of tears on their faces; from the end of the handkerchief game, leaving the square to return home, to regathering at the square, was their time to say goodbye to their families.

But clearly, not everyone was prepared to die nobly. Many were clenching their fists tightly, showing a reluctant demeanor.

They were unwilling to die, simply lacking the courage and means to resist authority.

Bai Zhou stood quietly at the end of the line, almost silent throughout. His noticeable height made him stand out in the crowd, easily spotted by anyone.

He hardly glanced sideways, as if indifferent to the reactions of those around him.

A moment later, the village chief arrived. He had just started speaking, about to lead everyone to the place where they would play the game with the Red God this year, when suddenly a few barks were heard.

A small white dog entered the crowd, ran around the village chief once, then circled everyone, continuously barking.

Then, from the outskirts of the square, a villager came looking and shouted a few times. “Qiqi, come here! Why did you run over there! Come back! Don’t disturb the village chief’s work!”

Hearing this, the small white dog barked a few more times, then ran back to the person’s side.

The person sighed. The tense expression on his face finally faded, and he quickly took the dog home.

It seemed that “Qiqi” was the name of this white dog.

At first glance, this all looked like a family’s dog had gotten lost, and the owner anxiously came out to search, finally finding it in the square and taking it back home before midnight.

The small white dog came and went, as if nothing had happened.

But if one looked closely at the people in the square, they would notice a subtle change in their expressions—they became calmer, and a few who could not hide it even showed joy in their eyes.

From reluctantly being watchmen to appearing ready to die nobly, their mindset changed silently.

However, Bai Zhou, at the end of the crowd, seemed to have seen nothing.

He appeared to be indifferent to the others and the situation, thus noticing no signs, just following the village chief’s arrangements.

After waiting a while, Village Chief Ab explained a few precautions again and then led the group towards the mountain.

About 15 minutes later, they arrived at an altar.

The altar was circular, with various runes made of stones.

In the center of the altar was an ancient stone tablet, faintly stained with dark blood, as if a tragedy had occurred here.

Village Chief Ab asked everyone to stop here and then addressed the crowd. “This year, I will accompany you to the place where the Red God demands we play the game—”

He was interrupted before he could finish.

“Lord Abu, you cannot go. You are the strongest warrior here. Not everyone can learn the techniques of all four branches. For years, you have been the only one. You must stay alive to protect everyone. Let us handle the game.”

“Yes. Leave it to us.”

“We are willing to sacrifice everything for the village, even our lives!”

At this point, the selected night watchmen showed a righteous determination, and the night atmosphere unknowingly became more tragic.

Not long ago, they were competing desperately in the game to avoid being night watchmen.

But at this moment, they abruptly became heroes willing to die nobly, without regrets.

Hearing their words, Village Chief Ab looked both saddened and moved. Through the torch he held, one could see his eyes were slightly reddened.

Facing everyone, he said, “Don’t worry. To solve this dilemma we face every year, I’ve thought of many ways… As you’ve seen in the past days, I’ve been in contact with a medium from a neighboring village. Now, she has found us a good solution!”

“She has cast a spell on this altar. As long as you drip your blood on the stone in the middle, the spell will protect everyone! If the Red God tries to harm you, it will instead be harmed by the spell!”

“That’s great!”

“Thank you, Lord Ab!”

“You are the hero of our village!”

Ab waved his hands to quiet the crowd, then said, “But let’s not be careless. This is just an attempt. Such an attempt has never been tried before, so I can’t guarantee that we can kill the Red God this way…”

“Please forgive me. For being cautious, I still decided to hold a competition and chose you. If anything happens… I hope you won’t blame me. You are all heroes of Nameless Village. Your names will be recorded and forever praised by future generations!”

After Ab finished speaking, one by one, the villagers went to the stone tablet, took out a knife, cut their index fingers, and pressed their blood against the tablet, in a unified action.

Finally, it was Bai Zhou’s turn.

He approached the stone tablet like everyone else but hesitated to make a move.

The moon was high in the sky.

At this moment, everyone’s gaze was fixed on his back, waiting for him to cut his finger and let the blood drop. So focused were they that they almost held their breath, and the air was filled only with the sounds of the wind and the chirping of insects.

Suddenly, the sound of metal slicing through the air was heard—it was the sound of the Breaking Dawn being drawn.

This Tang sword had no sheath, for it was too sharp, almost guaranteed to draw blood whenever unsheathed. Except for being able to be stored in a space capable of holding it, there was almost no sheath in existence that could withstand its sharpness.

Raising the Tang sword with his right hand, Bai Zhou poised the blade over the tip of his left index finger.

Time seemed to stand still. Illuminated by the light of the torches, everyone behind him was intently watching his finger and the sword poised above it.

Their gazes gradually became greedy and bold, as if they had reached some sort of agreement in silence.

In the next instant, Bai Zhou turned around, facing them with eyes as deep as ancient wells, and finally said, “There’s no need for blood. I have a way to save all of you.”

The villagers were stunned.

Looking at Bai Zhou, Village Chief Ab swallowed hard, then managed a strained smile. “Come on, hurry up, and drip your blood. It’s almost midnight. Only by dripping blood can your safety be assured! Look, we’ve all done it!”

Bai Zhou ignored his words and slightly lifted his chin towards the people standing next to the altar. His gaze settled on a group of people. “You share the same roots and are closest to Alayne. Though you are disappointed in her actions tonight, her talent remains. With continued practice, she will surely help you win victory next year.”

“In such a case, sparing her life tonight is also a way of protecting your family. Do you agree?”

Bai Zhou was addressing the members of the Sun Family, who were part of the handkerchief game and had been positioned on the west circle.

Hearing this, the remaining 15 night watchmen from the Sun Family all looked at him. Then, one of them, who held a slightly higher status, stepped forward and said, “Ah, of course, we agree. We’re grateful to you.”

Another immediately echoed, “Right! We did blame Alayne… It was just because we lost the game and were emotional. But actually, we care about her a lot. Not just that. Essentially, all four major families are one family. We shouldn’t… shouldn’t let a momentary win or loss…”

“You see me as a benefactor, yet insist on me dripping blood?” Bai Zhou asked again.

The members of the Sun Family quickly began to persuade him, “We truly are grateful to you, that’s why we want you to drip blood. Only then can the medium’s spell protect you!”

“Yes! We’re doing this for your own good!”

“We’re considering your safety, benefactor!”

“There’s not much time left. Please hurry and drip your blood!”

Bai Zhou gave a slight nod. “It seems there’s no room for negotiation.”

The village chief sensed something and looked at him. “You, you…”

Bai Zhou didn’t look at him but recalled a message he had seen on the system panel from Zhou Qian not long ago. “The people here can understand animal language and can communicate with dogs.”

Looking up at the village chief, Bai Zhou said, “Why do the people of the Land of Silence dare not easily set foot here? Because there are curses everywhere to deal with them.”

“I am a deserter from the Land of Silence, with the blood of the Land of Silence running through my veins. So, it’s fine if your blood spills here. But if it were mine, I would die, right?”

He, he has seen through our plan?

But how did he see through it?

When everyone gathered in the square, my subordinate left the square, passed the message to a white dog named Qiqi, and then Qiqi relayed the message to everyone. But at that time, he didn’t react at all!

He shouldn’t be able to understand what that dog was saying!

How did he guess…

A myriad of doubts passed through Village Chief Ab’s mind, but at this moment, he no longer had the luxury to consider how Bai Zhou had guessed it. He could only go all out and forcibly take a drop of Bai Zhou’s blood first!

Immediately, Ab raised his voice and instructed others. “Our ancestors have always been the elite of the Kingdom of Words, and our parents were guards of the king. We are skilled in martial arts. Dealing with him together won’t be a problem!

“Everyone, follow my lead! Even if we can’t kill him at once, it doesn’t matter. As long as he sheds a drop of blood here on the altar, he will die from the curse!”

“Charge!”

“Go—”

More than thirty people immediately surrounded the altar, drawing their weapons and aiming at Bai Zhou.

Bai Zhou was instantly surrounded by intense murderous intent, but he just looked at Village Chief Ab and said softly, “No need.”

“No need? No need for what? Stop being stubborn on the brink of death!”

Ab’s eyes were filled with murderous intent, and at his command, everyone raised their weapons and attacked Bai Zhou. In an instant, the altar was filled with the light of blades and swords, almost completely engulfing Bai Zhou’s figure!

But Bai Zhou took a half step back with one leg, slightly bent, and then held his sword in both hands, aiming the blade at Ab, and said, “No need to bother taking my blood—”

“Because to kill you all, I only need one strike.”

As soon as his voice fell, several blades clashed together because Bai Zhou’s figure suddenly disappeared from the spot, catching the villagers off guard and almost causing them to injure each other. In a critical moment, they hastily stopped their momentum, almost stumbling before barely stabilizing.

Sensing something, they all looked up into the sky, and in that instant, the moonlight, blade light, and the firelight around the altar illuminated their terrified eyes—

Bai Zhou rose into the air, wielding his sword to make a circular slash.

At that moment, the blade light was like snow, whiter than the moon in the sky.

Without leaving any room for maneuver, the circular blade light swept down with an unstoppable momentum, covering the entire altar!

“No, don’t…”

“Please spare us…”

“Who are you, really…”

A mix of panicked cries and wails erupted from the crowd, then abruptly stopped at the same moment—the circular blade light came down, and all their necks were sliced with a fine wound, and then they all fell to the ground, ceasing to breathe.

The figure in mid-air vanished into thin air, reappearing on the path to the mountain top.

There was no firelight to illuminate his way, but it didn’t hinder Bai Zhou’s progress as he quickly navigated the mountain paths, moving so fast it was almost impossible to catch him.

However, he hadn’t gone far when suddenly a round of applause came from behind him.

Bai Zhou stopped in his tracks, and in front of him, several strands of dark red firelight appeared. They floated in mid-air and among the grass, rising and falling continuously, like a young girl’s dancing red dress.

But in this world, no one who saw such firelight could still smile—red firelight, that was the symbol of the other world. Their appearance meant the Red God had already arrived!

Glancing at the system panel, it showed there were still three minutes until midnight.

Bai Zhou said, “As expected, even though Samhain has not officially arrived, you can still come to the human world from the other world.”

“Ah, ah, ah—”

A pleasing and somewhat enchanting female voice came from behind him.

But her next words seemed to come from behind a bush in front of him. “Killing so many people, you’re quite cruel.”

“This is exactly what you wanted to see, isn’t it? 1 or 32. These were your very words,” Bai Zhou replied.

“You have good ears. When Ab was discussing with the people, you were so far away…” the Red God said with a laugh. “Yet you heard everything? Hmm… But what you heard doesn’t matter. What matters is whether you understand the meaning. Ah—”

The Red God’s sigh seemed to come from the edge of the sky.

She continued, “The villagers kindly took in you deserters from the enemy country. Your actions now, have you betrayed them? Although I love watching betrayal unfold. However… ugh, you’re really quite cruel!”

“I killed them for self-defense and, secondly… to avenge you.”

“They got what they deserved, right, Red God?” Bai Zhou said, slightly turning to look in a certain direction. “Or should I call you—Amei?”

……

An hour ago.

Bai Zhou had escorted the young girl, Alayne, back to the residence of the Sun Family. When they approached the ancestral hall, they were immediately surrounded.

The other 15 who were supposed to participate in the night vigil weren’t present, having gone back to their homes to say their final goodbyes to their families. Now, surrounding Alayne at the ancestral hall were all the elders of the clan.

The leading elder stepped forward, holding a whip in his hand, and addressed the young girl. “Alayne! You have failed the hopes of the entire clan! Do you admit your punishment? I want you to kneel in front of our ancestors inside the ancestral hall and accept your punishment!”

Alayne instinctively wanted to kneel and beg for mercy, but as she began to bend her knees, she vaguely thought of something and looked at Bai Zhou for help.

Bai Zhou nodded at her and then stepped forward.

Sensing something, the elder said to Bai Zhou, “Young man… We appreciate your help for Alayne, but this is an internal matter of the clan, and we hope you won’t interfere!”

Another person said, “Why appreciate him? If it weren’t for these deserters helping the Cloud Family, we might not have lost.”

The third elder looked at Alayne. His beard was white with age, giving him an imposing demeanor. “Alayne, it’s the people around you who caused your loss. How can you hide behind him! Come out and accept your punishment!”

Bai Zhou, pretending not to hear, took a stick from his bag and held it in his hand, though he didn’t draw his Tang sword.

Pointing the stick at the people, he calmly said, “No one is allowed to punish her.”

His words obviously angered the crowd. The elders immediately took a stance, each drawing a sword, showing they possessed high martial skills, not merely villagers.

“Our clan respects martial prowess,” the leading elder said. “If you want to stand up for Alayne, that’s not impossible. Choose an elder to challenge.”

Bai Zhou lifted the stick in his hand and said calmly, “All of you come at me together.”

“What an arrogant tone!”

“Boss, let’s all go at him! See how powerful he can be!”

“Exactly! Let’s do it!”

All seven elders, who were once guards of the king, indeed all attacked at once. Engaging Bai Zhou, they launched one attack after another, their killing intent growing.

Bai Zhou faced seven opponents, retreating and fighting with ease.

After a quarter of an hour, Bai Zhou was surrounded by the seven, who mercilessly thrust their swords at him.

But not only did they all miss, but before they could react, they were each hit hard on the neck with the stick, subsequently all falling to the ground.

Alayne watched in astonishment.

Bai Zhou didn’t look at her again, simply holding a wooden stick and moving among the people.

He tapped one person on the leg with the stick and said, “You, your right leg’s movement is very slow and clumsy. Have you been seriously injured? Broken a leg before?”

Without waiting for an answer, he continued to the next person, this time tapping on the shoulder. “You broke your shoulder.”

These words were shocking enough.

But Bai Zhou continued. As he walked forward, he mentioned each person’s old injuries. “Were you shot near the heart?”

“Your lungs have issues. You’ve inhaled some kind of poisonous substance.”

“Both of your legs have been broken.”

……

After completing a round, Bai Zhou said, “You are certainly not ordinary villagers. When you joined forces against me earlier, not only was your coordination seamless, but you also knew how to deploy troops and strategize. You must have a military background.”

“Clearly being soldiers, yet you hide your identities and farm in such a place, it seems you have committed crimes.”

“Therefore, it’s best if you tell me your story. Otherwise, even if I don’t kill you, spreading the story of you hiding here will leave you no way out.”

“I am a deserter from the Land of Silence. What about you? Deserters from the Kingdom of Words?”

“Fuck you! We, we are not deserters!” An elder, his face turning red with anger, couldn’t help but retort.

“Then tell me the story,” Bai Zhou said. At this point, he noticed a new message from Zhou Qian on the system panel, his lips curving slightly into a smile. However, when he looked back at the villagers, the smile quickly disappeared.

He continued, “For instance, who is Amei?”

After about ten minutes, Bai Zhou had listened to their story.

The version he first heard was naturally identical to the one Zhou Qian heard.

After hearing the story, Bai Zhou asked, “According to you, all of you elders were guards serving alongside the king of the Kingdom of Words. Then, since there was never a war between the two countries, how did you get such serious injuries? You must have clashed with people from the Land of Silence.”

Hearing this, everyone’s expression changed instantly.

It was a while before the eldest elder spoke up. “We didn’t clash with the Land of Silence, but we did clash with others! There are more countries surrounding the Kingdom of Words. The king has more than one enemy!”

“Why stay silent for so long then?” Bai Zhou asked.

“Because Amei is a criminal! We are truly ashamed to discuss everything she has done! She was unfaithful and unfilial—”

“Enough.”

Bai Zhou suddenly interrupted them, seemingly unwilling to listen any further.

Having been in this game for seven years, he had already heard far too many similar lies.

Glancing towards where the families lived, he noticed that some of the 15 people keeping watch had left, apparently preparing to head to the square. Bai Zhou didn’t want to waste any more time. He grabbed the eldest elder by the shoulder, forcing him to stand up, then pulled out a dagger and pressed it against his throat, speaking in a calm but undeniable tone. “Everyone, follow me to the ancestral hall.”

With the respected elder in Bai Zhou’s grip, the people had no choice but to follow his command and enter the ancestral hall.

Bai Zhou had Alayne close the door behind them, then pressed the dagger closer to the elder’s throat until blood was drawn.

The sight of blood made Bai Zhou appear extremely cold and ruthless.

With eyes that seemed to be tinged with blood, he indifferently looked at the remaining six elders.

“Explain the story of that year within three minutes. Otherwise, he dies after three minutes.”

……

Time returned to the present.

Under the moonlight, a girl in a full red dress appeared on the mountain path in front of Bai Zhou.

The ink-colored grass brushed past her bare, smooth ankles as she stepped forward, bathed in moonlight. Her beauty was otherworldly, more like a heavenly maiden than a spirit from another world.

“They got what they deserved… Ah, you are right about that,” Amei said with a pleasant voice.

As she walked, she lifted her dress with her hands. Her steps were light and graceful, with a hint of absent-minded cuteness in her reminiscence.

“They forced me to part from my lover and forced me to marry far away in the Kingdom of Silence. They made me seduce its king, to steal the golden feathers. All because… the king of the Kingdom of Words was gravely ill, and because the people from the four great families had previously fought against the Land of Silence and lost, suffering heavy injuries.”

“To save this country, I did as they requested. I stole the golden feathers back, healed the king, healed them all.”

“But when the king of the Kingdom of Silence came to settle the score, what did they do? They handed me over.”

Looking at Bai Zhou, Amei said with a smile, “Such heartless scoundrels, handing me over wasn’t enough. They felt guilty inside, afraid of being exposed… and so they concocted a lie for the whole world, making everyone believe I was born malicious, so vain that I would harm even my parents.”

“Of course. I guess there was also some jealousy from women envious of my looks, adding fuel to the fire, making my reputation even more vile…”

“But luckily. I had talent in life, and after death, I could become a Red God. So, how about it? Do you find the game we’re playing amusing?”

“They once betrayed me. Now, of course, I must let them taste the bitterness of betrayal,” Amei said. “I was treated like a horse for ten years. They thought I wasn’t fast enough, whipping me daily while chanting—’Run faster, horse, run faster.’ Now, it’s only natural for me to let them experience the consequences of not being able to run fast.”

Clapping her hands a few times, the Red God Amei said, “Ah, drop the handkerchief. This game is so much fun, isn’t it?”

Her gaze flickered, and she tilted her head to look at Bai Zhou. “But you’ve somewhat spoiled the fun of my game. What do you think should be done about that?”

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The author has something to say:

Zhou Qian: My Zhou Ge is so cool~

Although the young couple isn’t together, they’re still coordinating well~ Ah heh.

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