The eerie drumbeat continued to echo, its source indiscernible. The fog grew thicker, shrouding almost everything in darkness and mist, except for the large light on the crane.
In their extreme fear and shock, Tong Xiaosong and Wu Mabo failed to notice how grotesque Gu Xuan’s expression had become. It wasn’t just pure terror; it was a kind of anger and restlessness, the feeling of losing everything and having to start over.
Gu Xuan stared at the ghostly horde, then shifted his gaze onto Tong Xiaosong and Wu Mabo. His eyes narrowed purposefully, suggesting he was brewing some plan.
At that moment, Tong Xiaosong shouted, “Look! It’s Wen Dong and Ke Lin!”
“I see it!” Wu Mabo took a couple of steps forward, stomping anxiously with no way to intervene.
Wen Dong and Ke Lin were being carried along like the previous worker, tightly holding onto each other to avoid being separated. They looked panicked, stumbling within the crowd, lacking any sense of direction and carried along with the current.
Wu Mabo shouted loudly, “Dong zi! Da Lin!”
He raised his hands, jumping and waving, “Da Lin! Look at me! Dong zi!”
The two entrapped individuals seemed to notice Wu Mabo. They turned to look at him, their eyes filled with hope.
In the next moment, the drumbeat abruptly ceased. All the peculiar phenomena in front of them vanished in an instant with the thick fog.
Tong Xiaosong belatedly realized that the warmth had returned to the surroundings. Wu Mabo stood frozen in place, shouting in disbelief at the vanished figures, “Dong zi? Da Lin?”
The workers stirred; they closed their eyes and, as if sleepwalking, dispersed, heading straight for the construction site dormitory. Aside from the worker who was taken away, the others had disappeared just like Wen Dong and Ke Lin.
“Don’t bother calling; your friends are not here. They have been hidden away by ghosts,” said Gu Xuan.
Wu Mabo and Tong Xiaosong looked at Gu Xuan in confusion.
Tong Xiaosong asked, puzzled, “Hidden where?”
Gu Xuan chuckled ominously, “Of course, in a place that doesn’t exist in the mortal realm.”
Wu Mabo frowned, “Are you suggesting they’re in the underworld?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“I didn’t say that,” sneered Gu Xuan. “The things we saw just now might not necessarily be from the underworld. If you want to save your two friends, come here to meet me tomorrow night before midnight, bring a black cat and your friends personal belongings.”
Qe Zjyb mbivis rcbgafv, “Qtja’r sbeg wbalnf?”
Xe Wejc rtgeuufv, “P tjnf cb wbalnf.”
Qe Zjyb kjr rxfqalmji, “Cgf sbe ublcu ab tfiq er obg cb gfjrbc?”
“Dfilfnf la bg cba, la’r eq ab sbe,” Xe Wejc rcffgfv jcv kjixfv jkjs.
***
Djmx lc atf vbgwlabgs, joafg ajxlcu j rtbkfg, atf akb milwyfv lcab atflg gfrqfmalnf yfvr jcv aegcfv boo atf ilutar.
In the darkness, Wu Mabo asked, “Do you think we can trust what Gu Xuan said?”
Tong Xiaosong hesitated, “I don’t know.”
Wu Mabo, with a hint of hope, asked, “Did he really help with farm work at your house?”
“He did, but…” Tong Xiaosong still found it strange, “Do you think Gu Xuan might have split personality disorder? The Gu Xuan who helped me with farm work and the one now seem very different, like two different people.”
“…You have quite an imagination,” Wu Mabo didn’t take it seriously and said, “Maybe his mood was different back then? He might have been in a better mood. Today, he seems to be going through something. Look at how haggard he looks, and his clothes haven’t been changed for days. He used to change them more frequently.”
Tong Xiaosong felt that it wasn’t just about the mood, but there didn’t seem to be any other reason.
After a moment of silence, he asked, “So, are we going to listen to him tomorrow?”
“Fuck,” Wu Mabo cursed, “Seems like we can only listen to him. Oh, wait! How could I forget?”
Wu Mabo suddenly sat up, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the copper basin on the table.
“We still have an ace in the hole!”
Tong Xiaosong noticed Wu Mabo’s gaze and hesitated, “But didn’t Tang Yuxin say it’s better not to ask for any favors?”
Wu Mabo got off the bed, went to the table, and said, “In a critical moment, we’ll make an exception.”
The copper basin was already filled with various fruits. Wu Mabo clasped his hands together and whispered, “Please help us. Whatever you want, you can communicate with me in dreams, and I’ll try my best to fulfill your wishes. Help us save Wen Dong and Ke Lin. They are also your roommates, and we’re all friends. Please lend us a hand.”
Tong Xiaosong:….
He wondered if this would really work. Could those sinister entities communicate like living beings? Or would they fulfill Wu Mabo’s wishes first and then demand a terrible price?
Tong Xiaosong furrowed his brows, “I think it’s better not to ask for random favors. Trusting Gu Xuan is better than this. At least Gu Xuan is still human.”
Wu Mabo returned to his upper bunk and lay down, full of hope, “I hope it can communicate with me in my dreams tonight.”
In the darkness, Tong Xiaosong didn’t notice that the shadow that had always embraced him had now let go, silently staring at him from behind.
Motionless, it seemed a bit angry.
Tong Xiaosong sensed a sudden chill around him. He wrapped himself tighter in the blanket and reminded Wu Mabo, “It seems to have gotten colder. Make sure to cover yourself well and don’t catch a cold.”
“Where did it get colder…” Wu Mabo couldn’t help but laugh, “You just have a weak constitution.”
Tong Xiaosong was unable to refute.
***
In the early morning, Wu Mabo suddenly woke up from a dream.
He jumped down from the upper bunk, nudged the sleeping Tong Xiaosong, and shouted, “Tong Xiaosong! Wake up quickly, it communicated with me in a dream!”
Tong Xiaosong opened his eyes, somewhat drowsy, and asked, “What dream?”
Wu Mabo pointed to the copper basin on the table, “It’s that thing, it communicated with me in a dream! I couldn’t see its face clearly, but I remember what it said.”
At these words, Tong Xiaosong instantly became alert. He got up and asked, “What did it say?”
However, at this moment, Wu Mabo hesitated. After scrutinizing Tong Xiaosong with difficulty, he finally said, “It said… it doesn’t want anything else, just you. It said that as long as I offer you to it, it will fulfill any of my wishes.”
“Me?” Tong Xiaosong confirmed.
Wu Mabo nodded, “Yes, it specifically mentioned Tong Xiaosong.”
Tong Xiaosong: …
What did it say!
Couldn’t it have asked for something less ominous!
Tong Xiaosong got up from the bed, somewhat gritting his teeth, “I’m going to throw it away.”
“No, no, no.” Wu Mabo quickly grabbed Tong Xiaosong and whispered, “I didn’t sense any malicious intent in my dream, but I felt it was a bit angry. I have two speculations, listen to me.”
Tong Xiaosong, puzzled, asked, “What speculations?”
Wu Mabo glanced at the copper basin on the table, “It’s angry. Do you think it could be because of that sentence you said earlier, ‘Believe it or not, believe in Gu Xuan,’ which offended it? Besides, the statement that sacrificing you can fulfill any of my wishes doesn’t sound true. It feels like a test, like it’s testing whether I would harm you to achieve some goal.”
Tong Xiaosong: “…Why do you think it’s testing you? What if what it said is true?”
Wu Mabo shook his head, falling into contemplation, “Doesn’t seem like it. Although dreams can be influenced by the other party, I don’t think it’s malicious. I can sense its anger, a very cold feeling, but it doesn’t seem to have any intention of blaming. I feel that the impression it gives is better than Gu Xuan.”
Tong Xiaosong: …
He looked at the copper basin uncertainly.
After some thought, he lifted the blanket, got up, and came to the table. Folding his hands together, he bowed slightly and said, “I’m sorry. I spoke without thinking. If I said something wrong, forgive me. Don’t lower yourself to my level. As for this favor, you don’t need to help. The price to be paid is too high, and we refuse.”
Lying back on the bed, Wu Mabo still couldn’t let it go, “I really think it’s a good thing.”
Tong Xiaosong said indifferently, “Then keep it for yourself?”
Wu Mabo: “…Forget it, let’s go to sleep.”
Wifey is too cold-hearted 😂
Hey looks who is angry ^0^. Thx for the translation!
ˁ•ᴗ•ˀつ～ 💞
Love tong xiaosong personality now, what a growth from earlier chapters
xiaosongs hubby is angry and jealous that he chose gu xuan over him 🥹