Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 68: Family Traces

For the entire morning, Bai Shuangying followed Fang Xiu without leaving his side.

What Fang Xiu was doing was less of an investigation and more of a leisurely visit and sightseeing. After he got bored of drawing in the dirt, he began observing the bark of the persimmon tree.

“These marks were used to record children’s heights.”

“There are so many lines at the same level… there must have been quite a few children here. But judging from how sparse the lines are, they probably didn’t come here often.” Fang Xiu ran his fingers over the faint scratches on the tree trunk, quietly explaining to Bai Shuangying.

“We used to go back to our hometown for Chinese New Years too. I guess this family was the same.”

Bai Shuangying nodded.

He did remember this tradition. Even through the vicissitudes of time and changing dynasties, humans always liked to gather during festivals. It was rare for Fang Xiu to mention his past, so Bai Shuangying listened very attentively.

After observing the persimmon tree, Fang Xiu methodically continued inspecting along the base of the wall. He went first to the unused side wing, but didn’t pay any attention to the corpse inside the empty room. Instead, he checked the old exterior wall.

As expected, after only a few steps, they found more traces of the past.

A child had carved a “family portrait” into a brick wall. The lines of the stick figures that were waving wildly were now blurred by time.

Besides the stick figures, there were also a few four-legged creatures lying on the ground. It was unclear if they were meant to be cats or dogs.

Higher up, someone had carved slanted lines of ancient poetry. The more complicated characters were substituted with pinyin, but most of it had already flaked off. Only the beginning phrase “Alone in a foreign land” and the following “Every wind” remained.

As for the remaining marks, they looked like little turtles made with tic-tac-toe patterns, or unintelligible human faces.

Fang Xiu crouched down, his fingertips lightly brushing over the uneven carvings.

“I used to do this kind of thing too.” He smiled and said, “I even made a box, buried my New Year’s money in my grandma’s yard, and drew a treasure map for it.”

“My dad accidentally lost the map, and I cried at him for a long time. Later, my parents buried another money box themselves and gave me a new map to make up for it.”

Bai Shuangying listened silently.

“…But my grandma secretly dug up the whole yard, found my ‘treasure chest’, and quietly gave it back to me. She said I could buy more snacks with it, but it had to be our secret from my parents. When she handed me the box, her hands were still covered in dirt. She hadn’t even had time to wash them.”

“And of course, my cousin happened to see it, so I bought candy to keep his mouth shut.”

A faint smile appeared on Fang Xiu’s face.

“So you have a cousin,” Bai Shuangying said.

He remembered that Fang Xiu had specifically mentioned before that his “parents and grandparents were all gone”, so he thought Fang Xiu was completely alone.

Fang Xiu: “Yeah, he was a smart kid. His whole family was wonderful… but they ran into an earthquake while traveling. The whole family was lost. My grandpa couldn’t take the blow and passed away soon after.”

He sighed, stood up, and dusted the dirt off his clothes.

“After that, we never really celebrated New Years properly again.”

Looking at the beautiful courtyard before him, Fang Xiu could clearly recall his grandma’s yard.

Back then, New Year celebrations always came with a sense of grandeur.

During the day, the courtyard would be filled with firecrackers, and the snow would be littered with red paper scraps. Distant relatives would come and go, while the kids ran wild, teasing cats and dogs.

At night, some adults would go outside with him and his cousin to set off fireworks, while others stayed inside preparing a lavish dinner. Children screamed, adults chatted, the TV played in the background, and laughter filled the air. Everything was bright and lively.

After his cousin’s family and grandfather passed away, the number of people celebrating was cut in half.

No one prepared firecrackers or Spring Festival couplets anymore. At most, people would make an effort with the food. He was the only child left in the courtyard, and that made Fang Xiu sad for a long time.

Looking back now, that was the beginning of his long journey of loss.

Fang Xiu couldn’t help but glance at Bai Shuangying again, only to find him still staring at him intently, wearing an expression of serious contemplation.

“Uh… I didn’t discover some shocking clue. I just thought this place really resembles my old home.”

Bai Shuangying: “I don’t care about clues. I’m just curious about you.”

Fang Xiu’s background sounded unexpectedly normal, Bai Shuangying thought. The more he learned about Fang Xiu, the less he understood him.

Upon hearing this, Fang Xiu’s expression softened. “Curious about me, huh? Then I better keep some mystery alive.”

Bai Shuangying: “…!”

Why? Humans are really hard to understand.

Fang Xiu smiled even more and casually poked around the junk in the corner of the courtyard with a tree branch. This gray, dusty pile was right next to the west guest room where the newbies were staying. It looked quite suspicious.

But after clearing the weeds and dust, he only found half a bar of dry soap, a tattered slipper, and a deformed old plastic toy.

It was a bright green water gun without any supernatural element.

The hordes of evil spirits that had peeked around the courtyard the night before were now nowhere to be seen. Everything in the yard seemed completely ordinary. If there was anything unusual, it was the small breeze that rose again as he rummaged through the junk.

It was cool and gentle and quickly dissipated.

After checking out the whole yard, Fang Xiu, a little disappointed, dropped the branch and went to the hand pump to wash his hands.

Even though the corpses had been removed, there was still blood and brain matter clinging to the water outlet.

Harboring a small hope, Fang Xiu pumped water while cleaning the outlet. If he could somehow draw out yesterday’s ghost rations again, that would be fantastic.

But after scrubbing the outlet until it gleamed, there was still no sign of the hair-ghost reemerging. Whether it had been scared off or simply vanished was unclear.

Exhausted from pumping, Fang Xiu just used the clean water to wash his face.

“What should we eat for lunch?” he muttered.

…They had hazel mushroom braised chicken, roasted rabbit, and steamed wild greens with garlic.

Cheng Songyun had brought back a huge pile of hazel mushrooms, and Blondie had caught two fat rabbits. Guan He… Guan He was drenched in sweat, with a few suspicious wounds on his left arm, though they didn’t look serious.

Cheng Songyun quickly prepared a table full of hot dishes. They used crispy pastries as their staple food and exchanged information as they ate.

Mei Lan spoke first: “No abnormalities in the rooms during the day. I checked every corner.”

Guan He followed up casually. “There are some evil spirits in the woods, but not many. They hide in the dark, and only a few actively attack.”

Cheng Songyun had a different focus. “There’s a lot of edible stuff nearby, and a plot of land with sweet potatoes. Everything seems normal. I didn’t see any signs of destruction. ”

“Xiao Du killed a rabbit and saw blood. I tried some of the leftover seasonings and dried goods. Xiao Guan fought a ghost. No one triggered a taboo. But…”

Fang Xiu: “But?”

“One of the newbies was lighting firewood outside. The flames kept leaning toward him and almost set his hair on fire. I’m not sure if that counts as breaking a taboo, but it looked off.”

Cheng Songyun summarized everything carefully.

Blondie shoveled food into his mouth, mumbling, “I get it now. This place only kills you if you ask for it. There’s water, electricity, and you can grow crops. We could live here for ten years easy.”

He chuckled slyly. “Once the others outside are dead, we can reshuffle the rooms, get our privacy back, and then—heh, it’ll be great.”

Fang Xiu gave him a glance. “Don’t take the initiative and attack the other teams.”

Blondie: “Tsk.”

Guan He poked at a mushroom with his chopsticks. “Fang Ge, did you figure out what’s wrong with this place?”

“Hm? Tell me your thoughts.” Fang Xiu put down his soup bowl, encouraging him.

“It’s like the punishment for breaking taboos and the ghost activity are blended together, so it’s hard to distinguish. So we have to go slow. If we make a wrong judgment, our thinking gets derailed.”

“Exactly. So there’s no rush… We’ve got plenty of time.” Fang Xiu smiled.

“Mm!”

……

Main Room.

Three newbies plus Jiang Xun—four people continued sharing the rabbit meat and persimmons. A’Qiao had brought back some chestnuts from outside, just enough to make a decent meal.

However, A’Qiao had a strange incident while roasting the chestnuts… His arm got badly burned. Terrified, he immediately put out the fire and only managed to roast a small portion.

“Master, did I break a taboo?” A’Qiao asked, lips pale.

“Taboo signs are mixed with evil spirits activity. There’s no need to panic.” Jiang Xun bandaged the burn as he replied casually.

Lu Wei spoke with a serious expression. “Master, what should we do next?”

“Rather than rushing to escape, it’s better to first understand our surroundings.”

Jiang Xun paused briefly, then continued in a mentor-like tone. “From what we’ve seen, the ghosts stay hidden during the day and only appear at night. They want to drive us out of the house to kill and eat us.”

Lu Yang recalled this seemed to be true.

The ghosts inside the house had only tried to scare them. They never truly harmed anyone. Except for the guy with the pierced lip, a special case of being a “man-made murder”, everyone else died outside.

“W-why do they want to drive us out? Is something in the house?” Lu Yang asked nervously. “Could it be that the ‘E’ is in the house, and they want us gone?”

Jiang Xun shook his head. “If the E was in the house, the ghosts here would be the most aggressive. But they seem more like they’re being suppressed and don’t dare act out.”

The three newbies held their breath and listened.

Jiang Xun calmly ate a persimmon and concluded, “That couple ran the farthest and were devoured to the bone. Three people died in the courtyard. Their souls are gone, but their bodies remain.”

“Those of you who hid indoors were only frightened. You weren’t harmed.”

Lu Wei had a realization. “There’s a protective charm in the house!”

“No. There’s a bigger evil spirit in the house.”

Jiang Xun sneered, “Aren’t you curious where the evil spirits go during the day? They’ve invaded the territory of a stronger evil spirit. If they get too close, it will eat them.”

The three fell completely silent, suddenly too afraid to even chew.

Lu Yang couldn’t help thinking of a nature documentary. The evil spirits were like small animals stealing meat from a predator. If they weren’t careful, they’d become its dinner instead.

Yet still, they fearlessly rushed in to fight over food, relying on their numbers, hoping others would die first so they could live.

“Usually, we call such evil spirits the ‘Master’. Big evil spirits all have their own quirks, but when it comes to protecting the E, they go all out,” Jiang Xun said blandly.

Lu Yang asked cautiously, “But it only eats evil spirits and doesn’t attack us. Isn’t that a good thing?”

Lu Wei scolded, “Are you stupid? As long as we stay here, those little evil spirits will keep coming and dying. If I were the Master, I’d be thrilled to leave humans here as bait.”

“And once we’re close to finding the E, it’ll just eat us too so nothing is wasted,” A’Qiao added.

Jiang Xun: “That’s why we need to resolve the E quickly, before the Master gets wary. The process may be dangerous, so prepare yourselves mentally.”

A’Qiao and Lu Wei nodded seriously. Lu Yang shrank back a little before reluctantly nodding.

Jiang Xun gave a faint smile. “Don’t worry. We’re even in number with the other team. I wouldn’t be stupid enough to sacrifice you just to let them reap the rewards.”

“This afternoon, we’ll capture someone from their side to test the taboos.”

“That girl, maybe. We saw her left behind at their base. Women are usually soft-hearted. I’ll go deal with her,” A’Qiao suggested excitedly.

Lu Wei: “Don’t push it. If they left her behind, they’re probably guarding her. I say we grab the kid. It’s easier to control him.”

Lu Yang: “But things haven’t turned hostile yet. Wouldn’t this completely tear things apart?”

Jiang Xun’s “big evil spirit suppressing little evil spirits” theory hadn’t shown any holes. Resolving the E quickly made sense too, but using a living person, especially a woman or a child, as a test subject still made Lu Yang uncomfortable.

And the fact that his two teammates accepted the idea instantly and started enthusiastically discussing it made his back go cold.

Jiang Xun glanced at him twice and said in a voice that was soft but cold, “Are you saying controlling your teammates to test the death taboo doesn’t count as ‘turning hostile’? Or do you not believe me?”

“Don’t mind him, Master. This guy always whines and doesn’t get what’s important,” A’Qiao quickly covered, glaring at Lu Yang. “He won’t do this, he won’t do that. Useless. Are you even a man?”

Lu Yang: “I just think attacking women and children is a bit…”

Jiang Xun interrupted, “Enough. No need for conflict. Since you can’t stomach it, we’ll go after the strongest one.”

“That blonde kid. He likes to act alone. Grab him.”

Lu Wei’s expression twitched. He shot Lu Yang a fierce glare. “Now it’s complicated. Happy now?”

“Someone’s such a saint that they’d trade five teammates just to feel righteous,” A’Qiao rolled his eyes.

Lu Yang shut his mouth in frustration. Jiang Xun’s concession left him no room to protest.

Actually, when Jiang Xun wasn’t around, the three of them had secretly discussed this.

Calling it caution was putting it mildly… Lu Yang simply didn’t trust Jiang Xun enough.

Lu Wei had used his support skill “Danger Appraisal” to assess the charms Jiang Xun gave them. Though it couldn’t offer full analysis, it could detect danger.

The results showed no malice in the charms. They truly repelled ghosts and protected the wearer.

From that moment on, A’Qiao and Lu Wei fully trusted Jiang Xun.

“I told you, their team takes care of their own. Why would they rely on an outsider like you? Why wouldn’t they use you?”

“Even if we joined them, who do you think they’d send to test the taboos? Their own people? Or trick us into doing it?”

“You think they’re so noble? If it was really Master Jiang who tricked that couple into testing a taboo, would they let you hang around him, a supposed ‘murderer’? Why didn’t they save them?”

Their words buzzed in Lu Yang’s ears.

Just like last year… After abandoning a sick teammate and cannibalizing another, the group gave themselves all sorts of “reasonable explanations” for what they had to do.

Lu Yang didn’t know whether he was truly questioning reality, or if he just couldn’t stand the constant buzzing voices.

He looked down at the half-eaten rabbit meat in his hand.

From the depths of memory, the image of roasted human limbs surfaced. Lu Yang felt nauseous and completely lost his appetite.

Jiang Xun finished eating calmly. Seeing the three newbies silent, he smiled faintly.

“Alright then. Let’s talk strategy.”

……

Afternoon.

It was exploration time again. The five discussed and decided to proceed with the original plan.

Fang Xiu: “So, I’ll stay in the courtyard with Mei Lan. You three head out. But let me make two things absolutely clear…”

“First, everyone must be back in the house before sunset.”

“Second, do not split up. Especially you, Du Zhichao. We have enough rabbits. Stop wandering off on your own.”

Blondie rolled his eyes, then chuckled after a pause. “Of course.”

“I’m not joking.” Fang Xiu frowned slightly.

Blondie waved dismissively. “Got it, got it. I won’t act alone.”

…Yeah right, Blondie thought to himself.

Fang Xiu’s reluctance to resolve the E quickly suited him just fine. Unfortunately, Fang Xiu was too soft. He only played it reactively. Blondie had no intention of letting the other teams solve things peacefully. He was determined to stir up trouble.

If he killed a few outsiders outside the courtyard, Fang Xiu couldn’t stop him.

Even if he was caught, he could always say he was helping the team earn the reward for the E.

He whistled a few notes and gazed at the brilliant autumn scenery outside.

He hadn’t gotten to relax properly during the Huanxi E incident. This time, he was definitely taking an extended vacation here!

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