Chapter 184 - The Isolated Island (28)

The sun was bright in the sky overhead, the blue sky is cloudless, and there is a cool breeze from time to time. The small clearing is full of green grass, and a fresh spring vigor permeated everywhere.

Before long, the familiar lively shouts of the villagers came. The children who just woke up didn't know where they found a kite, pulling the kite string as they ran fast.

The red-faced Phoenix flew into the air and suspended over the village interspersed with the sound of wanton laughing and shouting, occasionally the children would bump into each other without paying attention, pushing and laughing.

A strange happy smile appeared on the stiff and pale faces.

After they held the kite, they took turns running on the field, and sang children's songs cheerfully, 

"Pick up your hooks, pick up your nets,

Brave boys and girls, 

Go up and down, down to the sea,

"Happy, happy, we are all happy..."

The children circled past their feet, bringing with them, the fishy sweetness of rotten meat.

After the director ran away, the assistant came over, comforted the two lead actors, and gave them the morning off. Everyone had suffered a fright and the expressions of several of the crew members were grin and pale, some more so than others.

The two leisurely walked back to the old house, observing the villagers calmly. They were the same from the beginning, contented and happy only the bellies that grew heavier and heavier distorted the gratifying scene.

They didn't follow the path directly back to the old house but instead slowly circled the village. From the corner of his eyes, Chu Yi caught sight of a group of villagers smoking hazily in the morning light, he noticed them because amongst them was the tour guide that brought them the island.

Chatting heartily with tar-stained teeth, they resembled ordinary idle old men.

One villager seemed to say something, stood up and separated from his other friends, shook the cigarette out, and hooked the neck of a middle-aged man, walking away familiarly. He watched as the two walked further and further away until they hit a remote grove on the edge of the village.

Chu Yi looked beside him and in tacit understanding, they followed behind stealthily.

On the edge of the grove, there is an abandoned toilet, and the two's destination is there.

The wind in the morning brought vague chatter, Chu Yi listened for a while and found that the old man called the middle-aged man with glasses "Old Ming", looking at the relationship between the two, they were familiar.

They leaned shoulders back and went into the abandoned toilet.

There are many weeds around the toilet, tall and uncut, suitable for hiding.

This kind of old outdoor toilet is usually only half covered at the top for ventilation, that is to say, jumping in from the top would likely lead to falling into the cesspit.

He contemplated going around the side but a small noise quickly prompted Ruan Quixi to immediately press Chu Yi's back, and the two of them squatted down together.

Chu Yi raised his eyes.

Ruan Quixi opened his palm and wrote two words: "Someone."

The itch in Chu Yi's palm hadn't disappeared, he followed Ruan Quixi's line of sight and saw a tall and thin figure appearing in the weeds ahead.

The hunched figure is getting closer.

Looking at the opponent's movements and subconscious habits, Chu Yi quickly determined that this was a player.

The man's actions are very neat, but some subtle noises will inevitably be made. He couldn't see them but they could see him.

The old toilet was dirty, the corners were overgrown with weeds, and there was some excrement that had dried up, and flies buzzed noisily around the two of them.

The roof half-covered them from the sun, and the other half of the sun fell on the bodies of the two.

From Chu Yi's angle, the old man was saying something, he pulled out a satchel and held it out.

He lowered his head slightly, his mouth shape was stiff, and Chu Yi could barely understand from the movement of his lips, that he wanted the middle-aged man to take it.

But Old Ming shook his head, pushed the satchel back, and refused.

The old man glanced at the middle-aged man helplessly, said something again, and pushed the satchel over again.

This time, Old Ming did not resist but said a long paragraph. From his richer body language, Chu Yi could read a feeling of repentance.

Then he took the satchel and opened it.

Chu Yi could vaguely make out a bloody lump and a rusty kitchen knife in the satchel.

He couldn't see the expression of Old Ming with his back turned to him, but the old man's back was obviously stiff, and then he relaxed again as if he had released a great burden.

He looked around vigilantly, shook his head, and scurried away like a rat in a gutter. Old Ming looked down at the satchel with a grim face, then entered the abandoned toilet, there was a faint digging noise; when he came out again after a few minutes, the satchel was gone he too hurried away.

Chu Yi waited for a while and sure enough, the man came back around the corner, seeing that wasn't anyone, he glanced once more at the abandoned pit and left.

There was a slight rustle and the weds were pushed back, the man weasel-like figure emerged from the bushes, and hastily ran to the old pit to begin digging.

Chu Yi watched him go, instead of following, he pulled Ruan Quixi to stand up and left the area of the abandoned pit.

The blood that dripped from the satchel before, was a rusty red with a moist and sticky feeling, unlike human blood.

The old house stood out like a sore thumb on the raised hill, a kerosene lamp hung from the eaves of the entrance when Chu Yi took it down, the red oil had already been burnt out, there was no residual heat, that is to say, no one returned to the house last night.

Chu Yi put down the empty kerosene lamp on the table beside his bed, raised his legs, turned over, and climbed onto the narrow bed. A pair of dazzling white feet slipped into Ruan Quixi's clothes and stuffed them into his abdomen.

The ice jade-like soles were warmed by the strong abdominal muscles.

Ruan naturally held his ankles, lazily leaning back against the wall.

He was a little suspicious that he was being used by the little vixen, and his eyes narrowed slightly but allowed the young man to use his stomach as a heater.

"Little fox."

There was a mania in Ruan's hoarse voice.

As if Chu Yi didn't hear his words at all, he half-closed his peach blossom eyes comfortably and tiredly, the shimmering light from under his eyelids fell on Ruan Quixi's tall figure, and said to himself,

"So far, a lot of clues have been interspersed around the island. On the voyage here, the strangely irresistible fish was served to the passengers in varying degrees, but when we came here, the fish was replaced by the suspicious rotten meat. That is to say that the food on the island was made up of these two lumps of meat." 

"There are no fishing nets or boats here, unlike a regular fishing village and the villagers walk around with strangely bulging bellies as if they were nine months pregnant, and yet none of them seems to find this strange and this strangeness can be directly linked back to food served."

"If we connect it with the account told by Granny Li, it can be concluded that the island experienced a horrible event that killed off the animals on the island and caused the sea to lose its fervor, turning this once abundant island into a barren hell."

"There is no sign of trauma on the island and no clear signs point to cannibalism or famine, instead the only tragic case seemed to be of a pregnant woman. From beginning to end, there have been strange signs pointing to pregnancy."

"Judging from the diary, the woman's accident happened while amid the happenings, so her death wasn't the cause, therefore it's not a single case of revenge."

"Corpses buried under the ancestral hall which is uncanny of in an isolated place like this, and a forest that is avoided. Strange activities at night and an abandoned and broken statue. The only anomaly is the ship that brings in outsiders once a month, so tell me what can cause a prosperous island to turn into the way it is now."

"There is still a breath of life on the villagers. These villagers are not monsters, but human beings, therefore, it's not a ghost village, all of these people are alive and therefore all actions are voluntary. They know that something is wrong but no one speaks up, as if tacitly avoiding something..."

Chu Yi's jet-black hair swept his eyebrows, and the light from the window cast shadows on the sharp facial features, " The truth is really hard to guess."

Ruan Quixi rubbed his feet, speaking up casually,

"Since it's hard to guess, then don't, when they've been beaten hard enough, won't the truth come out naturally."

Chu Yi's restless movements paused and a hint of clarity appeared in his eyes, and he laughed softly, non-committal.

He closed his eyes, and breathed out silently, quickly falling into a light sleep.

He could feel the breath of Ruan Quixi surround him. The man grabbed his hand, pinched his fingers gently one by one, and stroked the already fading bruises on his hand.

The slight itching with a burst of numbness prevented him from opening his eyes immediately and withdrawing his hands.

He had to admit that he kind of enjoyed the touch, even strangely familiar.

The slightly throbbing nerves slowly stretched and relaxed in such a calming massage.

His sleep deepened.

In the haze, the rough hand slowly moved up and rubbed his arm.

The satiated feeling is getting heavier.

Chu Yi thought vaguely in his heart that this sassy surname Ruan is not so annoying when he acted like a meticulous wife...

Before this thought process could be completed, Chu Yi's hand was suddenly placed between two hot and soft places.

Something slightly hard rubbed against the muscles of his forearm.

Chu Yi paused...

The cold white hands were immediately pulled back and the misty red opened into a short glare, meeting the dissatisfied gaze, 

He immediately wanted to beat this restless thing to death.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, except the knock wasn't coming from his bedroom door but from outside. With lazy footsteps, he walked to the door and slowly opened it,

A petite and cute black umbrella as tall as his chin abruptly snapped shut, revealing the owner's two large dark eyes, a sweet voice blew softly into his ears, "Hello, big brother, have you ever heard of Pandora's Box?"