Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

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Chapter 2

Dong Zhi suddenly turned his head.

Nothing. There was no one there.

In this instance, he had to mobilize all his willpower to resist the urge to scream. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the ground again. His shadow was still a shadow. At most, it only trembled slightly as the train moved forward. The scene he’d just witnessed was like a blur.

Dong Zhi calmed down. His palms were sweaty, leaving behind slippery wet traces on areas that he touched. He hurriedly quickened his steps and dared not look at the ground again.

The dining car was brightly lit, and there were small groups of people sitting inside. He subconsciously felt relieved to see this.

He ordered a bowl of braised beef noodles and bought instant noodles and some snacks for He Yu. As he was about to walk to an empty seat, a child suddenly fell out of the seat next to him, startling him. He quickly put down his things and rushed to help the child.

“Little girl, are you okay?”

The little girl looked no more than six or seven. Her hair was in a pair of braids, and she had an apple face underneath her neat looking bangs. Hearing Dong Zhi’s words, she slowly shook her head. Dong Zhi looked down at her knee. There didn’t seem to be any scrapes.

A young woman hastily ran over. “Tongtong!”

The little girl turned around and opened her arms, letting the young woman pick her up. From this action, it was obvious what kind of relationship they had. Dong Zhi was afraid that the other party would misunderstand, so he promptly explained, “The little girl fell down just now, so I rushed over to help her.”

The young woman wasn’t angry but instead thanked him repeatedly. She chided the child for being naughty in her absence. She had wanted to order food, but shortly after leaving this happened.

Dong Shi: “It just so happens that I’m here waiting for my order. I can help you watch her for a while.”

The young woman gave him a grateful look and repeatedly thanked him. She put her daughter on the seat opposite of him and instructed her to listen to the big brother while she went to order food.

The little girl was very quiet, not “naughty” at all, like what her mother said. She and Dong Zhi stared wide-eyed at each other without a single word being said. Dong Zhi felt the atmosphere was getting awkward. Thankfully, at this moment, a train attendant brought over his braised beef noodles, and the young woman had also returned.

“Thank you so much. I came with Tongtong alone. Sometimes I get negligent and can’t take care of her. Thankfully, there are always kind-hearted people like you along the way!”

The young woman gave him a bottle of mineral water without saying a word.

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “It’s okay. Tongtong was very good.”

“Aren’t you being too obedient?” The young woman smiled bitterly. “The truth is, Tongtong has autism. Her father divorced me because of it. I’m usually busy with work and finally had time for a vacation. I wanted to take Tongtong out so we could have fun, hoping she could see the landscape and perhaps her condition would improve.”

The little girl was very well-behaved. She took the noodle soup from her mother and ate it spoonful by spoonful. Her movements were a bit slow, but she wasn’t spoiled like other children who were picky and would refuse to eat this or that.

Dong Zhi couldn’t help but sympathize.

“Where are you heading?” Dong Zhi asked.

“Changchun,” The young woman said. “It has a nice name. I always wanted to go, but I never had the time since I got married. Then I had Tongtong… If I have more opportunities, I want to take her to many more places.”

“I’m going to Changchun too. If Xu Jie* needs anything, feel free to contact me.”

*Older sister. Term could be used to address women who are older than you, usually signify closeness.

After finishing his bowl of noodles, he exchanged contact information with the young woman. Her name was Xu Wan*, and she certainly lived up to it. She was gentle and beautiful. Unfortunately, her fate was unlucky.

*Xu (宛) means gentle. I’m not sure if Wan (宛) has any significance. By itself, it means winding/similar.

Xu Wan repeatedly thanked him, her face full of gratitude. When he got up to leave, she asked her daughter to say goodbye to the big brother. Tongtong seemed to understand as she obediently slowly raised her hand and waved to him.

Seeing this made Dong Zhi recall the shadow that he’d witnessed earlier. His heart was inexplicably covered by a weird haze.

He bid farewell to the mother-daughter duo and walked back with the items He Yu requested. After passing through a carriage, he suddenly felt something was amiss. The surroundings were dimmer than the previous carriage, and there was not even a single night light on. He saw a few people around.

……Few?

Casting his gaze, he saw that there were people sitting sparsely on both sides of the aisle. Oddly, though, no one was sleeping, or playing games on their phones, or even talking and laughing. They all sat upright; their poses stiff, indescribably eerie.

Using the light from his phone, Dong Zhi shone it to take a closer look. The people had blank expressions and their eyes were wide open, just like… wax figures or the living dead.

His imagination made him shudder and quickly turn around, wanting to return to the dining car. Before he had a chance to move, he found that the original dining carriage behind him had completely disappeared, replaced by an equally deep and dark train passage.

What the hell?!

Dong Zhi’s heartbeat intensified as he accelerated his steps. He kept moving forward, but the carriage seemed to be unending. The light from the passengers’ phones illuminated their expressionless and lifeless features, and their faces started to glow a weird cyan color.

He dared not make a single sound and stopped breathing entirely for fear that a hand would suddenly reach out and grab him. After walking for what seemed like hours, he finally saw a faint light in front of him. Dong Zhi was overcome with joy as he quickly scampered towards it.

Sure enough, there was someone standing there. The figure looked familiar. Dong Zhi recognized it instantly and was jubilant.

“He Yu!”

He Yu was squatting on the ground with his back to him. He was holding a lantern, looking forward. When he saw Dong Zhi running over, he turned his head and raised his finger to shush, motioning him to keep quiet. Encountering an acquaintance slightly eased Dong Zhi’s fear.

“Why are you here? Are you also trapped here? This place is so strange. We need to find a way out!” Dong Zhi said, while pulling on him.

“Wait, look at this lantern!” He Yu said.

“What about it?” Dong Zhi looked at the small, grayish-yellow lantern in his hand. The candlelight inside was faintly quivering, as if it was about to be extinguished.

“This human skin lantern is about to break.” He Yu said, with a mysterious expression.

“A what lantern?” Dong Zhi thought there was something wrong with his ears.

He Yu said, “After a person dies, if you chisel a small hole in his skull and pour mercury in, guess what happens?”

Dong Zhi felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet. He couldn’t help but back away slowly, muttering, “What happens?”

He Yu got up and looked at him, showing a contented smile. “Bury a person in the ground, and in seven, seven, forty-nine days*, you can peel off their skin completely.”

*Originated from Buddhism. It’s the traditional Chinese funeral ritual, which is held every seven days after a person’s death. Seven days is one period, with a maximum of seven periods totaling up to forty-nine days. The belief is that the person goes through the 7 halls of the undead world to be judged by the 7 kings of the underworld and, based on their karma, would either be reincarnated or be immediately cast to hell after the 49^th day.

Dong Zhi smiled dryly. “Nonsense, how is this possible?”

“Why is it impossible? I have done it before!” He Yu seemed unhappy with his retort. His face sank and his eyes widened. The faint light from the lantern reflected on his face, which looked peculiarly treacherous.

“But a pair of human skins can only make one lantern at most. My lantern is about to break, so I’ll just use you for my next one!” After he finished speaking, he let out a hehe.

The hairs all over Dong Zhi’s body stood straight up. He couldn’t bear it any longer. He threw the mineral water bottle that he had taken just a few sips of at his opponent fiercely, then turned around and ran!

He Yu reached out and grabbed the top of his head, seemingly unhappy. Dong Zhi couldn’t dodge his grasp and was caught by him. He became wide-eyed, his mouth slightly ajar, and fear clenched in his heart tightly. He suddenly discovered that once a person’s fear reached the extreme, they couldn’t even scream for help. In the next moment, his head was pulled by He Yu.

‘It’s over. I’m going to be made into a human skin lantern!’  Dong Zhi thought as he felt a sudden chill on his forehead. It was like ice water was dripping on his glabella, penetrating the skin and going straight to the center of his heart, causing him to shiver violently.

His eyes lit up as the surrounding scenery changed. There was no dark and gloomy carriage, or wax-like figures of the living dead, or encounters with He Yu carrying a human-skin lantern. There stood only one mysterious man.

Dong Zhi was panting and sweating profusely. His face was pale. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. He felt like a dehydrated frog.

The mysterious man had a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes. They looked calm and unwavering, as if the wind and rain wouldn’t be able to make any waves*.

*Refers to the inability to withstand pressure or setbacks. In this context, not being able to make any waves refers to being calm or of smooth procession.

Looking at him, Dong Zhi felt the portrait he had painted previously, which was lauded as the golden ratio of facial features*, was instantly overshadowed.

*The gold standard to determine whether something is beautiful or not based on their face.

The solitary light illuminates itself, and the liver and gallbladder are full of ice and snow*. He had completely forgotten the dangerous situation he was in as this passage popped into his mind unconsciously.

*A passage from Zhang Xioxiang’s “Nian Nujio: Crossing of Donting”. Solitary light refers to the moonlight. Liver and gallbladder are full of ice and snow, which is a metaphor for a heart as pure as ice and snow. The whole work expresses the author’s noble, loyal, and heroic spirit, which Dong Zhi uses to describe this person.

Is this a living person?

Dong Zhi stared at the man in a daze but felt no fear.

Seeing the other party dumbfounded, the man frowned slightly. He stretched out with his slender finger and pinched Dong Zhi’s chin steadily as he tilted it up. His warm breath wafted over, giving a fragrant smell of ice and snow, pulling back Dong Zhi’s sanity.

His face was hot, and he subconsciously wanted to retreat, but he couldn’t break away from the man’s hold. The man had squeezed his chin tightly, causing it to ache. At this time, the man took the initiative to let go and bent over to pick up the mineral water bottle that Dong Zhi had just thrown away.

Looking around, Dong Zhi noticed that there were passengers scattered around, looking at them strangely. They didn’t have stiff expressions like the wax figures that looked like zombies. He breathed a sigh of relief but didn’t dare completely relax.

“Is this water bottle yours?” The man asked. His voice was neither high nor deep, unlike the mellow tone that was commonly used to describe a nice voice. 

Being so close, Dong Zhi recalled the cologne he had smelled. The scent was like a mixture of fresh moss after the rain and the magnificence of a pond full of lotuses. It was unforgettable. Everything about this man, from his smell to his sudden appearance, was full of mysterious charm.

Dong Zhi nodded. “I just bought it in the dining car… Oh, wait. I helped a passenger watch her child, and she bought me it as thanks.”

What happened just now was too bizarre. He vaguely realized that if it weren’t for this man just now, he probably wouldn’t have woken up from that awful nightmare. He hurriedly thanked the other party and asked, “What happened just now? Is there any issue with the water bottle?”

The man snorted but didn’t answer.

Dong Zhi couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed. He noticed that the man was heavily focused on the water bottle in his hand, as if he was watching a ticking time bomb. He couldn’t refrain and asked again, “Who are you? Just now, on my forehead…” Before he had the chance to finish, He Yu came running over.

“Boss!” A smiling face accompanied He Yu as he called out in a flattering voice.

The man glanced at him. “I told you to stay on No. 6. Where did you go?”

He Yu scratched his head. “Just to the bathroom. When I heard movement here, I came as soon as possible.”

The man sneered. “By the time you arrive, the day lily will be cold*! Do you know what to do when we go back?”

*(黄花菜都凉) Original saying is cucumbers will be cold, but now has become day lily will be cold. It’s a ridiculed criticism of people who are late or get things done late.

He Yu looked dejected. “Got it, I’ll write it in my review.”

He looked at the Dong Zhi again. “Why are you here? Are you okay?”

Dong Zhi had flashbacks from what he had just experienced, so he remained alert. He forced a smile and said nothing.

The man said to He Yu, “You stay and solve this matter.”

Solve what? Are they going to kill people?

Dong Zhi was startled. Seeing the man leave, he was about to turn around and slip away when He Yu grabbed him by the collar.

He Yu stepped forward and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, giving him a silly grin. “Big brother, let’s talk!”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” Dong Zhi tried to keep calm.

He Yu asked suspiciously, “What did you see just now? Why are you suddenly afraid of me?”

The current He Yu was bright and cheerful, with a righteous face, which was a stark contrast to the treacherous and dark demeanor of his counterpart in the illusion. Dong Zhi asked cautiously, “Do you use human skin lanterns?”

“What human skin lanterns?” He Yu was inexplicable. It didn’t seem like he was a fake.

Dong Zhi breathed a sigh of relief and briefly described what he encountered after leaving the dining carriage.

He Yu touched his chin. “There should be something wrong with that water bottle.”

Dong Zhi was taken aback. “What?”

He Yu nodded. “Do you want to hear the truth or lie?”

Dong Zhi asked, “What’s the lie?”

He Yu said, “The lie is that you were drugged and what you saw were just delusions and hallucinations.”

Dong Zhi: “What about the truth?”

He Yu: “The truth is that the bottle of water was filled with demonic energy, and you drank it. Drinking it will put you in a state of confusion and cause hallucinations.”

Dong Zhi: “…The lie seems to be more credible.”

He Yu shrugged. “People always like to deceive themselves. You can believe whatever you like!”

He pointed to himself and said aggrievedly, “Look at me carefully. Do I really look like a bad person?”

‘100% yes.’ Dong Zhi thought silently.

He watched Xu Jie buy that water bottle with his very own eyes. It took only a few minutes tops to go back and forth. When it arrived in his hand, it was still brand new and unopened. Besides, what would be the point of drugging him? Robbery? Theft? No matter how you look at him, he wasn’t a good target.

He was at a loss thinking about all the strange occurrences he had encountered since stepping onto this train. The passenger who disappeared out of thin air in the restroom, the dream he had in the middle of the night, and just now, the hallucinations. He was positive he was mentally stable and had no inherited psychological illness, so there was only one possible explanation.

What He Yu said was true.

Blinking his eyes, as if coming to this realization, Dong Zhi asked cautiously, “I drank that water filled with demonic energy… Will I be okay?”

He Yu: “Of course not. It will take root in your stomach and slowly grow inside it until it bursts out! You’ll be dead by then.”

Dong Zhi suddenly recalled the scene in the movie <Alien>*. His body suddenly became cold.

*This is the infamous scene he’s referring to. Warning: bloody and gory. Viewer discretion is advised.

He asked as he trembled, “Really?”

He Yu laughed. “Of course not! How funny that you can believe this kind of lies only children would fall for!”

Dong Zhi: …

“Alright, alright!” He Yu reached out and rubbed his hair, as if consoling a silly child. “But I didn’t lie to you. Even if you drink that whole bottle of water, you’ll be fine. There’s not much evil in there. The boss has already helped you resolve it just now, so there won’t be any sequela!”

Dong Zhi didn’t intend to pay any more attention to He Yu. Having his head rubbed had dissipated his anger. He gave in to his curiosity and asked, “What the hell is going on this train? Who are you guys?”

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<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

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Chapter 1

A train bound for spring.

Even the destination was fitting: Changchun*.

*The name of the city means “long spring”.

Sitting by the aisle, Dong Zhi felt that he must’ve been braindead for choosing a hard seat^* on the train for a trip that lasted 32 hours. As it was almost midnight, it was dark outside with no scenery to see. He didn’t know when he fell asleep, but he suddenly woke up feeling the urge to pee. He was about to go to the restroom when a man with a slightly hunched back and gray hair walked past him. The person entered the restroom, immediately locking the door.

*Type of seat installed on passenger trains on China’s railway lines. They have the lowest comfort but the cheapest fare. This is what they look like.

Being lazy, Dong Zhi didn’t bother walking any further towards the restroom. He sat still, waiting for the other party to come out, while he played on his phone, bored.

Before he left, he expected that the internet on the train would be overused, overloading the system, so he specifically bought an 8G data package. As he entered the game, someone on the world chat called out, wanting to form a team. He immediately joined, and when he finished the match, half an hour had already passed.

The restroom door was still closed.

During the gap between playing his game, he didn’t forget to look up a few times. The person who entered before him hasn’t left since he went in. Dong Zhi wasn’t sure what that person was doing inside, so he stayed to watch for half an hour.

He decided to knock on the door. Not only did he want to use the toilet, he was also afraid that something might have happened to the old man inside. Despite knocking a few times, no one answered.

‘Did he faint in there?’ Dong Zhi thought as if he had a bad premonition.

It just so happened that a train attendant who was on night patrol passed by. He quickly stopped the other party and explained the situation. The attendant frowned and started knocking on the door, calling to the person.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Dong Zhi trotted all the way to the restroom on the other end of the train carriage. By the time he got back, the attendant was still knocking on the door. He realized that something was wrong.

Judging from the situation, if the person inside wasn’t unconscious or deaf, he should have been able to hear the ruckus. The attendant also had similar thoughts and immediately used her walkie-talkie to call another attendant over, who brought the key to open the door.

There weren’t many people in the carriage this late at night. Most were either asleep in their seats, while some played cards in groups of twos and threes. Some, who were extremely bored, came over to watch the commotion.

When the door finally opened, the onlookers were all stunned. There was no one there!

The attendant’s first thought was that Dong Zhi was lying, but she couldn’t help feeling that something was off. If no one had really entered, why was the door locked? The train was running at a high speed, and it was unlikely that anyone would jump from it. Even if someone did, it was impossible as the restroom window was locked!

Dong Zhi affirmed, “I saw that man go in with my own eyes!”

The attendant wondered, “Could it be that he came out and you didn’t catch it?”

But that still didn’t explain how the door was locked.

Everyone shared confused looks as the attendant muttered, trying to find a reasonable answer. “Maybe the lock was broken!”

Dong Zhi subconsciously looked behind his seat. There weren’t many people in this train section, and the lights were dim. Some were sleeping, some were playing cards, and some were watching movies with headphones on, but none of them looked like the old man they had seen.

Was it because the light was too dark that he couldn’t see clearly? Or perhaps the other person had gone to a different train section? This event was too strange.

Dong Zhi returned to his seat and kept looking in the direction of the restroom from time to time. As time passed, several passengers had gone in and out of it as usual.

There was no one in his neighboring seat, and the passenger on the opposite side had gotten off at the previous stop. There were a few scattered young people who wanted to play fight the landlord*. They happened to see that his area had many empty seats, so they came over and asked if they could use them and invited him to play with them.

*One of the most popular card games in China.

Dong Zhi was usually a lively person, but after witnessing the scene just now, he had a strange feeling in his heart. He wanted to contemplate by himself, so he politely declined. He picked up the school bag that was lying on the seat next to him and put it on the ground, generously vacating the space.

The group of young people came over, bringing cards and snacks. They all quickly became acquainted. Dong Zhi learned that they were students who gathered together on a pleasure trip as they were nearing graduation.

“I thought you were younger than us!” A tall and handsome boy showed a look of surprise when he heard that Dong Zhi had already been in the work force for several years.

The contours of Dong Zhi’s face were soft, and his hair was supple. This kind of appearance was very versatile. He would look small when he’s young and remain that way even when he gets older. The highlight was his skin, which was even fairer than that of a girl’s.

Dong Zhi was used to this, so he had long become numb to it. He simply smiled and didn’t refute any words. The scene of the old man walking past him subconsciously appeared in his mind.

How could someone just disappear out of thin air? Was there some kind of alternative-dimensional passage in the toilet that no one could see?

He kept thinking about it, little by little, until his head started nodding off unconsciously. The girl playing cards beside him saw this and hurriedly shushed, causing everyone’s laughter to suddenly become quieter.

The sleeper tilted his head, leaning it against the train’s window. His eyelashes cast shallow shadows on his eyes and his eyebrows curled even when his eyes were closed, as if he was laughing.

Unfortunately, this tranquility did not last long. The train passed an uneven track, and the slightly loud vibration caused the back of his head to hit the edge of the window. With a groan, he rubbed his head and woke up, still half-asleep, giving off a dazed and innocent look.

The girl who was sitting on the opposite side of him saw this and thought it was cute and funny. She couldn’t help but laugh. The cards in her hand fell to the ground, and one slipped under Dong Zhi’s foot.

He bent over to pick it up, and when he flipped the card over, he saw it was the “joker”.

Suddenly, struck by inspiration, he returned the card, took out a pen and paper from his backpack, and started to walk around with them in hand.

“What are you sketching?” The boy sitting near him asked when he looked at the paper.

“Water ghost*.” He didn’t raise his head as he answered; the tip of his pen was still flying quickly.

*Clarity: The card that Dong Zhi picked up is the joker is also referred to as “ghost” so that’s why he suddenly got the inspiration.

A monster on all fours with a hideous face slowly appeared on the paper. He wasn’t just showing off his skills on a whim. Before he embarked on this journey, his job was as a game artist. This job was even more difficult than being a game programmer. After working for three years, the colleagues in his department slowly left, one by one, and eventually even the main artist deserted, resulting in the ambitious Dong Zhi being promoted to his position to replace him.

However, this promotion wasn’t because of luck or skills. It was all due to the project manager of their department being a particularly difficult person. They were working on a mobile game related to ancient Chinese mythology, and he wanted them to add cute elements to it. When the art prints came out, the project manager instantly disliked them, saying they weren’t classical enough.

After multiple iterations, the artists who had to work overtime for several months in a row wanted to pull out their hair. They were almost driven so crazy by him that they switched jobs. Now, even Dong Zhi couldn’t stand it anymore. When the other party asked him to change the manuscript for the n^th time, he threw the pen at the fat manager’s face and promptly resigned.

Despite resigning, he still had a few drafts that needed to be handed over. One was a “water ghost” that was a copy of the mini boss at the beginning of the game.

Recalling this, Dong Zhi’s mood improved, and he hummed a little song. The boy nearby became interested and asked: “Is this called a water ghost?”

“The official name is Water Monkey¹.” Dong Zhi explained. “It’s specially designed to pull people into the water while they are swimming and take their place. It is a bit like the kappa² in Japanese legend.”

¹(水猴子) Legendary creature that lives in a water and looks like an ape. In folklore, they’re commonly known as water ghosts/water lion ghost/water corpses. See the lore in my Kinky Thoughts.
²An amphibious demon (yokai) found in Japanese folklore. They are depicted as green, human-like beings with webbed hands and feet and a turtle-like carapace on their back.

He used his pen to carefully outline the eyes of the water monkey. With these gloomy eyes added, the overall appearance of the monster immediately appeared.The train shuttled quickly, and the changes in light and shadow brought from outside the window were reflected on his drawing. That added an extra eeriness to the drawing.

“This doesn’t seem right.” The boy said suddenly.

Dong Zhi doubted: ‘What could be wrong with it?’

The boy stretched out his hand, pointed to the monkey’s head, and said: “The top part of the head should be dug out. It should still be empty.”

Dong Zhi was perplexed. He asked casually, “Why is it empty?”

“Because it hasn’t sucked a brain yet. Only by sucking someone’s brain can he take on a more human-like look. Otherwise, how can he be a substitute for a human?”

Hearing the boy’s explanation gave Dong Zhi goosebumps. He turned his head to look up at the boy. The boy was grinning at him, showing off a row of pearly white teeth that gave him an indescribable weirdness.

“Don’t you think so?” Seeing that Dong Zhi didn’t answer, the boy leaned over and asked again.

Somehow, Dong Zhi suddenly noticed that there was a thin red line on the boy’s forehead that extended from one side to the other. It was as if his head had undergone suture surgery. His mouth suddenly became dry, and his hands and feet went numb.

When the boy was about to come closer, Dong Zhi pushed him away coldly and jumped away. He suddenly opened his eyes!

A dream?

Dong Zhi stared at the few young people who were still playing cards in front of him, speechless. The group was also taken aback by his suddenly jolting awake.

One of the boys who looked like the one he talked to in his dream asked: “Are you alright?”

Dong Zhi stared at his forehead. There were a few pimples but no red lines. He then looked at the water monkey he painted before he fell asleep. It was staring back at him with wide open eyes.

“It’s a bit stuffy here. I’ll go walk for a bit.” Dong Zhi was unsettled. He quickly stuffed the pen and paper into his backpack, made a casual excuse, picked up his backpack, and got up. The boy quickly made way for him as everyone looked at his hurried back, feeling confused.

Dong Zhi told himself not to think too much, but he couldn’t help feeling there was an evil feeling on this train. After passing through two train sections, he finally found a carriage that was more crowded. When he saw a vacant seat, he walked over.

“Hello, is anyone sitting here?”

The bearded man who was playing a game quickly raised his head and glanced at him, and said: “No, feel free!”

The man was five big and three rough*. His masculinity was overflowing and his sense of security for Dong Zhi arose spontaneously.

*(五大三粗) Idiom describing a person who is tall and stout with a burly body.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Dong Zhi saw that the man was playing the exact same game he was working on before his resignation. The game was called <The Great Wasteland> and the setting was in the <Classic of Mountains and Seas*> where it integrated gods, Buddhas, and demons into the world. The game quickly became popular after it launched, occupying the top of the game leaderboard.

*Compilation of mythic geography and beasts. It’s largely a famous geographical and cultural account of pre-Qin China as well as a collection of Chinese mythology.

The game revenue determined the bonuses of the department’s employees. Therefore, for the past three years, despite the exhausting work, his salary and benefits weren’t bad. He made enough to feed an entire family and even had enough left over to put away. If it wasn’t for this, he wouldn’t have been able to put up with the aberration of the project manager. Let alone surviving for three years, he would have abandoned ship in less than one.

“This lineup can’t beat Zhurong*. You have to replace the summoner!” Dong Zhi couldn’t help but suggested.

*Sometimes referred to as Madam Zhurong, is a fictional character from the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. She claims descent from the Chinese fire deity Zhurong, from whom she acquired her name. Zhurong is the only woman in the novel who participates in fighting and battles against Shu forces alongside her husband.

The man was scolded severely by the people in his team because they lost the team battle. He was angered hearing Dong Zhi’s words, so he sniped, “You do it then!”

Dong Zhi gladly welcomed his challenge. He took the man’s phone and started to change the equipment and summoning beasts. He then formed a team and entered the dungeon. His movements were proficient and fluent, making him look like an otaku* with no social life.

*A person who is obsessed with computers or particular aspects of popular culture to the detriment of their social skills.

The man was in awe. “Big bro, which district are you in? Can you let me hug your thigh*?”

*(抱大腿) Means someone is trying to curry favor with someone else.

Dong Zhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “We’re in the same district, so you can add me as a friend.”

After some idle talk, Dong Zhi learned that the other man’s name was He Yu, and that he too was heading to Changchun, but for a business trip.

He Yu complained, “They’re making me travel thousands of miles and didn’t even bother getting a plane ticket. The least they could do was get something better than a train ticket for a hard seat!”

Dong Zhi was speechless: ‘What kind of company could be so cheap?!’

“Your leader should be in this carriage, right? Be careful or he might overhear you.”

He Yu rolled his eyes. “It’s fine. He’s on the soft sleeper*!”

*Main class of the Z-series express trains that are more expensive than hard sleepers but are generally more comfortable and have more room.

Dong Zhi couldn’t help but sympathize with him. This company seemed to be even worse than his department.

“Dong Zhi is a very interesting name.” He Yu said, “Is your surname really Dong? Is there really such a surname like that?”

Dong Zhi smiled and said: “Of course. I’m named Dong Zhi¹ because of my surname. It’s easy to remember. I also happened to be born on the day of the winter solstice². Isn’t that a coincidence?”

¹His name, translated, is Winter [Dong] (冬) Solstice [Zhi] (至).
²Shortest day of the year.

He Yu raised his head and gave him a meaningful look, then nodded. “How coincidental.”

After chatting and playing games for a while, the lingering fear he had gradually disappeared. Dong Zhi remembered that he hadn’t finished his sketch yet and took it out of his backpack.

When He Yu saw the painting, he let out a sigh. “Your artwork is similar to the style of <The Great Wasteland>!”

Dong Zhi continued drawing as he painted the nails on the water monkey and replied without raising his head. “Yes, I’m the artist for it. My public screen name is Dong Dong Qiang.”

He Yu’s mouth dropped, looking quite incredulous. Only after Dong Zhi showed him all the drawings with his signature on them that he had stored on his phone did He Yu finally believe him.

“Great God, please let me worship you!” He hugged Dong Zhi abruptly. “Oh my god, I’m touching a living god!

A man who was dozing on the opposite side of them woke up and gave them a look as if saying “It turns out to be a pair of gays.”

Dong Zhi thought it was hilarious and wanted to push He Yu away, but he had hugged him so tightly that the push barely made him budge.

He Yu looked happy. “God treats me well. Although there is a stingy and mean leader, he has given me the opportunity to meet a great God!”

He hurriedly took out a pen and paper from the schoolbag next to him and said with starry eyes, “Great God, can I get you sign a few times for me?”

Dong Zhi: “How many times?”

He Yu: “Can I have one signature per page?”

Dong Zhi: …

He looked at the blank notebook that had at least a thousand pages, quietly signed five times, then closed it and handed it back.

He Yu began to elaborate on his admiration for the Dong Zhi. “I like the heroines you draw, especially the immortal*. That little lolita is so cute. Fans of the game even made a fan video. Have you seen it? The background music they used…”

*(仙) Xian is used to describe an immortal but can also be referred to as a fairy or other mythical being (see Wikipedia).

Dong Zhi was happy. It wasn’t like he didn’t know <The Great Wasteland> was popular. He just didn’t expect he would be sought after by its fans. In addition to feeling embarrassed, he also felt relieved that the overtime he had put in the past few years had not been in vain.

After finishing up the draft for the water monkey and instructing He Yu on a few game strategies, Dong Zhi said, “I’m a little hungry. I think I’ll go to the dining car. Do you also want something to eat?”

He Yu was very attentive to his idol: “I’ll go buy it!”

Seeing that he hadn’t finished his PvP* match, Dong Zhi refused: “It’s okay. I also want to go for a walk. Just finish this team battle, or you’ll be scolded by your teammates again.”

*Player vs player.

He Yu thought about it and replied, “Please God, help me out and buy me some instant noodles. I’ll transfer money to you through mobile later.”

Dong Zhi laughed and said, “Alright, let me add you*.”

*Clarity: I think he means like adding him as a friend on WeChat or QQ or whatever app that’s popular in China nowadays.

He Yu’s eyes lit up. “Then can you also sign the instant noodle packaging?”

Dong Zhi: …

After getting away from the autograph fanatic, he walked towards the dining car. Along the way, he saw a few passengers who, like him, couldn’t sleep in the middle of the night and were strolling around. There were others who were dozing off in their seats or watching movies. Most of the lights in the carriage were turned off as the remaining ones cast dim shadows as he moved forward. They disappeared and reappeared from time to time under the looming lights.

The train shook slightly, causing Dong Zhi to slow down and support himself on the wall. Suddenly, he saw his shadow raise its left hand and waved at him as if to say hello.

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Kinky Thoughts:

The start of a new project! I am a big fan of this author’s work. This is a supernatural modern danmei that deals with ghost/demon busting (I think). It involves a lot of Chinese mythological things, so there’s a lore glossary as a reference that I’ll add to as I translate. I’m not fully sure what it’s all about yet as I’m reading it as I translate, but you can read the summary on the project page to get an idea.

Note: <Bu Tian Gang> is also known as <The Incident Book of the Relevant Department for Subduing and Eliminating Demons>. This is also the name of the department that Dong Zhi eventually joins. I have decided to translate it as The Department of Exorcism to make it more succinct.

I strongly recommend you read the author’s other works. My favorites are: The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua and Peerless. I also heard good things about Thousand Autumns and Estranged, but I haven’t had the chance to read them yet.

As this project is a lot harder to translate, and my main focus is still on Your Rival in Love Gets Prettier Every Day, releases will probably be once or twice a week, at least until I finish with YRILGPED.

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Water Monkey Lore:

[Water Monkeys usually live in the water, and sometimes go ashore, and are more common in wild water sources such as mountain ponds and reservoirs. Water monkeys are dependent on water and lose their limbs within ten minutes of being out of water. In the water, the water monkey’s strength is several times stronger than that of humans, so once they pull you in, it becomes life-threatening. According to legend, water monkeys have a huge and mysterious power in the water. They can dig through different ponds and rivers underwater. They catch drowning people and drag them to the bottom. Some say they like to drink human blood and eat human fingernails and eyeballs.]

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