Chapter 29: The Third Door

Chapter 29: The Third Door

After sleeping in the hospital for a whole day, Ruan Nanzhu finally regained consciousness the next day.

Concerned for Ruan Nanzhus well-being, Lin Qiushi stayed by his side this entire time and kept watch, out of fear that another accident might befall the other. Several members from the villa visited the ward where Ruan Nanzhu was resting, but they soon left after receiving news that nothing serious happened and that Ruan Nanzhu wasnt gravely injured.

When Ruan Nanzhu woke up, Lin Qiushi was still browsing the news on his mobile phone. He didnt know whether he was imagining things, or perhaps even overthinking, but he felt as though quite a lot of people had been met with morbidly tragic accidents within these past two days; in fact, these people had died oddly peculiar, abnormal deaths. In one of the news articles, three individuals, who had been trapped in an elevator that had suddenly malfunctioned, had died almost simultaneously; apparently, a fire broke out in the elevator as it was stuck midair, and the three, who were unable to escape, were burned alive in the end.

After reading the article, Lin Qiushi glanced up at Ruan Nanzhu, only to see that the others eyes were open. But although he was awake, he did not say a word or move a muscle; he merely gazed at the ceiling above his head, silent and unresponsive.

Lin Qiushi was very worried about Ruan Nanzhus current state. He softly exclaimed, Nanzhu!

Yet, Ruan Nanzhu didnt utter a sound. His gaze slowly drifted towards Lin Qiushi. The depths of his inky eyes swirled with a deep, mysterious emotion, a look so enigmatic that Lin Qiushi simply couldnt fathom it, no matter how long he stared into the others abyss-like eyes.

Are you thirsty? Seeing that the others lips were slightly dry and cracked, Lin Qiushi went over to his side and carefully supported his body so that he was sitting upright. He then reached for the glass of warm water and brought it up to the others mouth. The doctor said that there arent any major problems with your body. Youre just extremely exhausted, and if you continue to tire yourself out, it will result in burnout. Just rest for a few days, and it should be fine.

Ruan Nanzhu steadily gulped the water down. He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, before saying, I know.

Lin Qiushi asked, Are you hungry? Ill bring you some congee.

Its fine. Im not hungry. Ruan Nanzhu hoarsely responded. Youve been sitting by my side this entire time, which means you also know where my cell phone is, yes?

Immediately after Lin Qiushi handed him his phone, Ruan Nanzhu dialed a number. Lin Qiushi didnt know what the person on the other end of the line was saying, or what the two were even discussing, but after a few grunts and hums of understanding, Ruan Nanzhu hung up the phone.

The theme for Cheng Qianlis fifth door has appeared. Ruan Nanzhu declared. You will enter with him in a couple of days.

Alright. Without an ounce of hesitation or reluctance, Lin Qiushi dutifully accepted Ruan Nanzhus arrangements.

Ill check out whats going on here first, but Ill try to join you two if I can. Ruan Nanzhu slightly narrowed his eyes. Though, I am not entirely certain if I will be able to join; it all depends on the situation. However, I will try my best.

Dont push yourself too hard. Lin Qiushi insisted, I can go alone. Itll be fine.

Ruan Nanzhu simply shook his head without answering.

Soon after, Lin Qiushi learned that this was actually Ruan Nanzhus tenth door. The man who had entered with him was from another organization, and he was also on his tenth door. The relationship between the two was fairly good; in fact, they were somewhat close to one another. Unfortunately, the only one who managed to survive and escape from their shared tenth door was Ruan Nanzhu.

Only I, and some random woman Ive never met before, survived in the end. Once they returned to the villa, Ruan Nanzhu briefly described what happened to him in the door world. That woman definitely wasnt an ordinary person.

Someone who was capable of living through their tenth door was obviously someone who shouldnt be taken lightly or trifled with.

Cheng Qianli, have you received any hints on your door yet? Ruan Nanzhu seemed rather reluctant to continue speaking about his recent door experience, so he swiftly diverted the conversation.

Yup. Cheng Qianli pertly replied. I also gathered a bit of information about my next door the night you fainted. He fished out a slip of paper from his pocket. Here, big brother Ruan.

Ruan Nanzhu finished reading the what was written on the piece of paper, then handed it over to Lin Qiushi, who was sitting beside him. Take a look. This is going to be your next door, as well.

Oh. Lin Qiushi took the note, only to see two words written on the slip of paperSister Drum1.

What is this? Lin Qiushi simply could not understand what these words signified. Is this referring to a musical instrument?

Nope. Its the name of a song. Cheng Qianli had roughly investigated the context behind these words. The entire song basically focuses on a young girl looking everywhere for her older sister.

Thats all? Ruan Nanzhu stared at Cheng Qianli.

Under the others intense scrutiny, Cheng Qianli lowered his eyes. Theres probably more to it. He scratched his head in embarrassment and grinned, But, I mean, it was getting a bit late, and I didnt have much time to research a lot, eheh.

Sitting near him, Cheng Yixie languidly remarked, Yeah, just keep taking it easy like always. No doubt youll still be this carefree when Death comes for you.

Cheng Qianli: Oh wow, youre seriously going to be like that? How could you even say something like that to your little brother! I still have a few days left, alright?!

Upon seeing the two brothers start quarrelling again, Ruan Nanzhu held up his hand in a stop gesture. Go and find out the details of your door as soon as possible. As of this moment, the exact time youll be entering the door hasnt been confirmed just yet; theres still the possibility of you entering earlier than expected. Dont make any mistakes.

Okay. Cheng Qianli obediently answered.

Fortunately, it didnt take too long to find more information. But the moment they discovered the backstory behind these lyrics, a penetrating chill ran down Lin Qiushis spine, stimulating every little hair on his body.

The lyrics to Sister Drum were, as follow2:

Mute as she had been since a little girl,

My sister left home when I was young

Since then, Ive been thinking of her day after day

O my elder sister

Till I grew as old as she used to be

I suddenly understood her heart

Since then, Ive been looking for her day after day

O my elder sister

An old man was sitting at Mani Ruins

Reciting the same words over again

An Ma Ni Ba Mi Hong

An Ma Ni Ba Mi Hong

At first glance, this appeared to be a touching tale of a devoted younger sister looking for her mute elder sister. But after examining the context of this song, they came to realize that the song was far from the touching story they had initially believed it to be; in actuality, it was gruesome story about a human skin drum.

Long ago, there was a religious custom where people would skin a pure maiden alive and use her skin to create a drum. According to legends, by beating the top of these human skin drums, one could connect the string of life and death and transcended the cycle of reincarnation, ultimately breaking free from this karmic chain of birth and death.

In the song, the mute older sister was said to have willingly offered herself to be made into a drum, but whether her offering was truly voluntary was a subject of debate.

The person in charge of the ritual had to choose the skin of a young girl who never experienced love in her life. Such virginal skin was said to be the purest in form. And if she were mute, it would be better, for the mute could never lie, thus her soul could never have been tainted by blackened deceits. Cheng Qianli read the information he found about this aloud. Furthermore, the maidens skin had to be peeled as her uncorrupted heart still beat. A warm human skin drum made from a live, chaste maiden would produce a perfect timbre After he finished reading the passage, he shivered. Thank God todays society is ruled by law.

The actions of humans were sometimes far more terrifying and viler than any ghosts.

Lin Qiushi added on, The songs artist said that she came across the younger sister searching for her older sister as she was travelling. Apparently, the younger sister did not know why her older sister suddenly disappeared, until she heard the six-syllabled mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum3, and the steady beating of the drums echoing from the horizon.

Silently listening on as the others discussed what they found, Ruan Nanzhu remained noncommittal. As of this moment, his complexion was wan and the expression on his face was grave. Although the doctor said that his body hadnt sustained any critical injuries and that he was fine, that didnt mean that his mind hadnt suffered; after all, damage to ones mind and spirit was always hard to detect, even for doctors.

Sitting quietly beside him, Cheng Yixie suddenly announced, Ill accompany them inside this time. You still need to rest.

Ruan Nanzhu repeated, Youll accompany them inside?

Cheng Yixie nodded. Although he was the same age as Cheng Qianli, he was undoubtedly more mature and composed than Cheng Qianli; he acted nothing like the seventeen-year-old boy he was. In a way, he and Ruan Nanzhu gave off a similar vibe, resembling each other to some extent.

Ill consider it. Ruan Nanzhu swept a glance at Lin Qiushi as he offhandedly responded to Cheng Yixie without directly agreeing to his proposal.

Cheng Yixies brows knitted slightly. He seemingly could not understand the reason for Ruan Nanzhus hesitation, but in the end, he did not object and simply grunted in acknowledgment.

Although Ruan Nanzhus current condition wasnt looking too good, he fortunately managed to escape from that dangerous door world with his life intact.

That evening, everyone planned to hold a celebration. Lu Yanxue went to the kitchen to prepare a grand feast, and Lin Qiushi accompanied her, intending to give her a hand whenever she needed help. Soon, he found that Lu Yanxues cooking skills were exceptionally impressive. When he enquired about her skills, he discovered that Lu Yanxue used to be a private chef and owned her own restaurant. But after she encountered the doors, she immediately closed down her shop and began living in the villa as a member of the team.

In all honesty, my cooking isnt even the best. Lu Yanxue admitted. Zhang Jiaos cooking is even better than mine. He isnt here right now, but wait until he comes back. Just one bite of his cooking, and you wont be able to forget that amazing taste in your entire life; youll be a slave to his delicious food forever. But, if I had to say so myself, youre also quite skilled at cooking. Do you cook often?

I lived alone. Lin Qiushi bowed his head and skillfully chopped up the vegetables on the cutting board. So, I would always busy myself with something.

Terrified by the others calm smile, Cheng Qianli instantly closed his mouth, as if hed eaten a sour lemon; he even looked as though he wished he could just sew his own mouth shut.

Lin Qiushi was amused watching them; he found the entire situation simply laughable. Hed initially thought that the atmosphere in the villa would be somewhat tense and serious, but upon arriving here and interacting with the others, he discovered that everyone acted more like a big group of friends and family. Apart from the days where he would enter the door world, every other day was stress-free and easygoing.

Time slowly trickled by, and the moment Lin Qiushi would have to enter the door was approaching.

The night before they entered the door, Ruan Nanzhu made a decision and announced that he would personally lead Lin Qiushi and Cheng Qianli inside the door world.

Cheng Yixie objected to his decision, stating that Ruan Nanzhu hadnt recovered completely and that he was fully capable of leading them instead of Ruan Nanzhu.

I will not feel at ease. Resolute, Ruan Nanzhu spoke very calmly. I know you also do not wish to see any harm come to your younger brother.

Cheng Yixie grew still. The younger brother, Cheng Qianli, was currently sitting in the living room downstairs, merrily hugging Toast and happily kneading its fluffy bottom. This young, happy-go-lucky kid was utterly oblivious to the sorrows of the world; such an innocent boy didnt even know the insufferable taste of agony or hopelessness. And Cheng Yixie wanted to keep it that way.

Cheng Yixie questioned, If Lin Qiushi wasnt here, would you still insist on leading?

Ruan Nanzhu: No.

Cheng Yixie: Whats so special about him?

Ruan Nanzhu let out a small chuckle, Being cute is something special, is it not?

Cheng Yixie raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing what Ruan Nanzhu said. Having been in contact with the other for so long, he knew very well that Ruan Nanzhu wasnt the type to easily be swayed by emotions. The other surely had his own reasons for treasuring Lin Qiushi to that extent; its just that, right now, he did not know nor could he come up with any plausible reasons for why Ruan Nanzhu valued Lin Qiushi so much.

But with the matter now settled, Cheng Yixie decided to withdraw and no longer continued to entangle himself with the issue.

Because they would be entering Cheng Qianlis door this time, the three individuals stuck together like glue for the next few days. They were always by each others side, nearly every second of the day; in fact, if one of them wanted to go to the bathroom, the other two would have no choice but to follow.

Luckily for them, this awkward, restrictive situation did not last too long. On the afternoon of the tenth day, Lin Qiushi was leaning on the sofa, playing a game with Cheng Qianli, while Ruan Nanzhu was seated beside them, reading a book with a cat snuggled in his arms.

Cheng Qianli, who was gleefully playing with Lin Qiushi, seemed to have sensed something at that moment. He suddenly froze, ceasing all actions, and said, Its here.

Ruan Nanzhu asked, Where?

Cheng Qianli automatically replied, The second floor.

Lets go. Ruan Nanzhu gently set Chestnut down on the ground. Thereafter, all three stood up and headed directly for the second floor.

Upon rounding the corner at the top of the stairs, Lin Qiushi saw that the ordinary corridor had vanished, and in its place were twelve, neatly organized iron doors, four of which were sealed.

Go ahead. Ruan Nanzhu nodded at Cheng Qianli.

Cheng Qianlis face was pale and his hand was quivering, but he still forced a smile. He then stepped forward and tugged hard on the door.

With a heavy groan, the bulky iron door before their eyes was easily pulled open. Lin Qiushi felt an irresistible force dragging him inside the door. A bout of dizziness struck him, his vision blurred, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Within mere seconds, the scenery before him had changed dramatically.

Lin Qiushi promptly took out his mobile phone and glanced at it. It was as hed expected, there was no signal. He followed along the sole trail. With the ground beneath him crunching with every step he took, he marched onwards. He didnt need to walk for long, before he spotted a lone young woman, squatting at the side of the road, sobbing sporadically.

The girl was curled up into a ball, and she wept until she was gasping for air, practically hyperventilating. Seeing her reaction, Lin Qiushi was struck with an odd sense of familiarity; he knew this scene from somewhere. As he pondered on it, he suddenly recalled that his first encounter with Ruan Nanzhu was just like so; in fact, these two scenarios might as well have been mirror images of each other

Could this person possibly be Ruan Nanzhu? Lin Qiushi halted in his step. With a complicated expression marking his face, he gazed at the pitiful girl who had been bawling excessively for quite some time.

The girl continued crying for ages, and when she finally looked up, she saw Lin Qiushi looking down at her with knitted brows. Frightened by the others unexpected appearance, she anxiously scrambled backwards. Sheer terror and panic was written all of her face. Who are you? What are you planning to do to me? WhyThisWhere am I?

Hearing her incoherent blubbers, Lin Qiushi breathed a sigh of relief. He was now certain that this girl was not Ruan Nanzhu. He asked, Have you just arrived here?

The young woman nodded her head pitifully. Her appearance was quite lovely. She wasnt that tall and she possessed delicate features; all in all, she was like a feeble little animal whose endearing looks stirred affection and the desire to protect within other peoples hearts.

Lin Qiushi offered her a comforting smile, Come, lets go. Its getting dark. We must hurry to our destination before night falls.

Bewildered, the girl stammered, D-destination? Where are we going? Who are you? Where is this place? Im not at my house? Whats going on?

Lin Qiushis head was swimming after having been hit by a series of questions. At long last, he realized why the people in the villa tended to treat rookies with contempt. It was because every rookie would pretty much resemble that infuriating book series, I Wonder Whyor practically any other godforsaken book that people simply wanted to tear up and burn to ashes.

How about we walk and talk. Lin Qiushi could only explain so much in a short amount of time. Seeing that Lin Qiushi gave off a gentle, kind aura and didnt immediately attack her, the girls confidence and courage grew slightly. Although she still harbored some suspicions, the girl eventually followed after the friendly-looking Lin Qiushi.

The two plodded all the way down the trail. As they trudged along the path, Lin Qiushi briefly described the circumstances of the world beyond the doors. He naturally did not go into further specifics, because he reckoned that it would take more than a full day to explain every little detail. The girl also introduced herself as Xu Jin. She was originally on her way outside, so she headed downstairs to leave her house, but as soon as she walked to the staircase, she saw twelve iron doors in front of her

Half an hour later, the two reached the end of the trail and stumbled upon the entrance to remote village located in the midst of a lush jungle.

This exotic village was brimming with an air of strange fascination and intriguing bizarreness. The buildings were almost entirely constructed out of wood. Supported by durable sticks below, the quaint houses were suspended in the air, like slightly elevated tree houses. Decorations that bore an uncanny resemblance to bones hung outside these primitive houses. The specific material that was used to create such realistic bone-like ornaments was unknown.

Youve finally arrived, welcome. Not long after arriving at the entrance of the village, they were enthusiastically welcomed by someone. The one to greet them was a woman. She continued, The others have already entered the house. They are waiting inside for you. As she said this, she pointed towards the large wooden building at the side.

Excuse me, but where exactly is this place? Xu Jin raised the same question she had been asking since she got here.

The woman did not answer; she merely watched them with a smiling expression on her face. At first, Lin Qiushi thought the ladys smile was very cordial and warm, but the more he stared at her, the more he felt that her broad smile was particularly eerie. No matter what they asked her, the woman did not respond; it was as if she was mute. She simply kept looking at them with that same creepy, wide smile pasted on her face.

Lin Qiushi suspected that this woman was not someone from outside the door, but an NPC inside the door world.

Xu Jin was also feeling unsettled by her disturbing smile; she shuffled a bit to the side to avoid the others line of sight. Lin Qiushi then said, Lets go ahead and check the situation out first.

Xu Jin gave a slight nod.

The two climbed the stairs to enter the wooden building, but before they could even open the door and step foot inside, they heard the sounds of what seemed to be a fierce argument.

Fuck you all! Where the hell is this place? And dont you fucking try to lie to me! Ill have you know I already called the police!!! Everything about this line was awfully familiar to a certain somebody. It certainly didnt take Lin Qiushi long to figure out what was going on inside.

Authors Comment:

Hahahaha, I read a comment yesterday and learned something new:

Lin Qiushi: Stop crying already.

Ruan Nanzhu: Would you rather I cry, or would you rather I make you cry instead?

Lin Qiushi: Ah, actually, now that I think about it, your crying isnt so bad

Translators Comment:

Welp, here comes Zeng Ruguo Ver 2.0. How long do you think this guy will last?

Anywho, the authors comment is pretty lost in translation. I tried my best to translate this into English and preserve as much of the meaning as possible, but wellword plays cant translate perfectly

First, is just a funnier, more slang-like variation of which just means the hero saves the beauty/damsel in distress. This version apparently expresses an emoji and is normally used online and in gameskind of like herosmugface.jpg.

Now, for the short skit/mini theatre: There are two ying characters the author uses. (yngyngyng) which is cute weeping/sobbing/crying noises and (yngyngyng) which means hard/swollen/bulging/erected. Basically, Ruan Nanzhu makes a play on these characters since they sound exactly the same. The literal translation of the dialogue is more so:

LQS: Stop crying ().

RNZ: If I cant cry () [like this] then I guess the only other option left for me is to get hard () [and make you cry instead].

LQS: Crying () [like that] actually isnt so bad.

1The original is three characters, but it would technically be two words when translated. Sister Drum is the title of a famous song that is based on now-prohibited, cruel cultural practices in ancient Tibetthat is, skinning a pure maiden alive and creating a drum out of her skin. Some say this ancient tradition is merely a myth, while others say that it was real; in any case, this is the only known backstory for the song.

2The author only included the first couple of verses, meaning these arent the full lyrics. You can find the full lyrics in the two links I provided. The first one is the only English link that I could find that somewhat discussed both the song and the context, and the second one is in Chinese, but it goes into a lot more detail: LINK to Wiki || LINKto Baidu Baike

3A variation of An Ma Ni Ba Mi Hong. This famous Buddhist mantra has several different pronunciations, but they all hold the same meaning and chanting it aloud is said to bring one blessing, help purify ones soul, and allow one to attain enlightenment. Heres a LINKin Chinese explaining this. And here is one in English explaining this: LINK

4 (gngti zh nn)Literal: Steel straight man. Internet slang that refers to a guy who is very frank, nonchalant, indelicate and oblivious, but still endearing in other peoples eyes. Apparently, this word could also refer to a man who is straight (in regard to his sexuality); however, the meaning of this word has changed so much that there isnt just one strict definition to it now. Feel free to share a better word for this. Heres a LINKto the Chinese explanation.