Chapter 37: Xu Jins Older Sister

Chapter 37: Xu Jins Older Sister

If this were the real world, the full moon would only appear once every month. However, this was the world beyond the door, a mysterious place where reason and rationality didnt exist. According to the what theyve experienced these past few days, they were practically reliving the same moments. Every day, they ate the same meals, visited the same places, and listened to the tour guide speak the same lines.

The next morning, the floor of their room wasnt covered with bloody handprints, and Lin Qiushis suspicions were confirmedonly on the night of the day they went to visit the pagodas would Xu Jin quietly sneak out in the middle of the night and tear off her skin.

Today, they were going to visit the area surrounded by towers again.

Ruan Nanzhu decided that he would bring out the drum from the pagoda this time. Although this was rather risky on his part, he was left with no other choice since there were no other leads as of this moment. With that being said, he could only take action and hope for the best.

After hours of journeying on foot, they finally reached the group of towers.

Sure enough, the tower that had previously transformed into a bone pagoda, once again, returned to its original appearance. The spire of the pagoda extended far into the sky, reaching past the clouds; almost half of it was shrouded by the heavy mist atop this mountain wilderness.

Before Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhus group headed straight for the top of the pagoda, they handed Xu Jin over to Li Dongyuan, with the excuse that the tower was too dangerous for a girl like her. Since Xu Jin was often afraid, they said it was best for her to remain below for now, under someone elses protection.

Xu Jin opened her mouth in response, seemingly wanting to go with them, but Li Dongyuan interrupted her. Smiling gently, he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her, Dont worry. Just wait for them patiently down here with me. Theyll be just fine.

Xu Jin nodded hesitantly.

After the matter with Xu Jin was settled, Lin Qiushi and the others proceeded to advance towards the roof. During their climb, Ruan Nanzhu started, Remember the mural we saw before that incident yesterday?

Youre referring to the one in the room, right? Lin Qiushi couldnt forget even if he wanted to.

Yes, replied Ruan Nanzhu, I thought a lot about the message behind the mural last night, and I think I finally understand it now.

Lin Qiushi wondered, So what does it mean?

As they discussed amongst themselves, they eventually reached the top of the pagoda. Just when they rounded the corner, Cheng Qianli, who was walking up ahead, suddenly halted. Although he didnt utter a sound, Lin Qiushi could clearly see the overwhelming terror filling his wide eyes.

Startled, Lin Qiushis heart began to beat wildly, and he asked in a whisper, Whats wrong?

There someones there Cheng Qianli stiffly turned his head, immense fear leaking from his voice. On the drumsomeones sitting

Lin Qiushi stepped forward to get a better view, and was soon met with the same sight that paralyzed Cheng Qianli to the spot. It was a woman sitting atop the small red drum. Although the womans back was facing them, they knew exactly who it was just from the others clothes.

It was Xu Jin, who was supposed to be downstairs with Li Dongyuan!

Xu Jin was currently half-kneeling on the drum, and her posture seemed disturbingly deformed, abnormally crooked. She slowly raised her hand.

Seeing that she was just about to knock on the drum underneath her, Ruan Nanzhu shouted, Xu Jin, your older sister is searching for you

Suddenly, Xu Jin paused, her hand suspended mid-air.

Ruan Nanzhu continued, Shes wondering when you plan to return her skin back to her.

Xu Jin slowly twisted her head around. And the moment she faced them, everyones breath hitched in their throatswhat was before them wasnt the Xu Jin they were familiar with, but a gory, hollowed mask of human skin.

The freshly peeled skin retained the shape of a human, as if supported by a skeleton, allowing it to stand on the drums surface without sinking to the floor. From the front, they could even see the bloody tissues and organs underneath that flimsy strip of flesh. Cheng Qianli nearly screamed bloody murder in that very instant; fortunately, he tightly covered his mouth with his hands in time, muffling his yelps of terror.

XuJin? Lin Qiushis breathing was slightly chaotic, and cold sweat dripped down his spine. Presently, he was doubting himself; he didnt know whether the living human skin before him was Xu Jin or her older sister.

Ruan Nanzhu was the most composed among the three. Despite being confronted by such a grisly sight, his expression didnt fluctuate in the slightest. He took out the bone flute and calmly placed it to his lips, playing a mellow tune.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! An ear-splitting shriek erupted from the human skin; its mouth split wide open, and shrill cries spilled endlessly from that gaping hole on its face.

Lin Qiushis hearing was as sensitive as always. The abrupt and deafening screams sent Lin Qiushi into a shock. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed to the ground, seconds away from fainting. Through his hazy view, he barely caught a glimpse of the bloody human skin frenziedly rushing towards them, before he fell into unconsciousness.

Someone was yelling. The quarreling voice grew louder and louder, more and more heated. The sharp noises rang in his ears, giving him a headache.

Struggling to move, he opened his eyes a slit, only to see Ruan Nanzhu and Li Dongyuan. The two seemed to be arguing about something. The atmosphere between them was far from good.

Li Dongyuan attempted to placate the other, Zhu Meng, I truly apologise. I honestly hadnt foreseen this; it was certainly beyond my expectations.

At Li Dongyuans mild apology, Ruan Nanzhu disdainfully hissed, If apologies were of any use, there would be no need for anyone to die.

Li Dongyuan: Theres always a way to fix this.

Ruan Nanzhu was just about to snap back, when he saw that Lin Qiushi had awakened. Almost immediately, his attitude did a complete 180; his eyes sparkled brightly, and he instantly got into his new role. He threw himself at Lin Qiushi and wept tragically, Oh, my dearest hubby, you finally woke up! It was so awful; I was being bullied terribly while you were gone, ah! Others scorned us and harassed us, calling us widow and orphan! They just wouldnt let us live in peace, wah

Lin Qiushi: Widow and orphan? Okay, lets say that you are playing the widow, but where the hell did this orphan come from?

Ruan Nanzhu reached out and harshly knocked against the head of Cheng Qianli, who was minding his own business, munching on some dry bread at the side. Stupid son, your father is calling you!

Cheng Qianli calmly put his bland food down and, a bit too invested in his role, exaggerated howled, Waaaah! Waaaah! Dad, dearest mother was being bullied! Waaaah!

Lin Qiushi: Cheng Qianli, snap out of it! Theres no need for you to put so much effort into your role! Please, stop going along with Ruan Nanzhus script, ah!

Trying his best to control his expression and prevent it from distorting any further, Li Dongyuan watched the twos performance with pursed lips. He took a long, deep breath, seemingly suppressing his emotions, and said, When we get out of this place, I promise to meet you again.

Ruan Nanzhu sneered, refusing to speak or pay him any more heed.

Shaking his head in pity, Lin Qiushi thought to himself, you really should give up while you have the chance; Im afraid that once you get out of here and see Ruan Nanzhu again, youll receive an even greater shock.

He heaved himself up off the ground and vigorously rubbed his ears; he could still feel that uncomfortable sensation of buzzing. Justwhat happened?

Ruan Nanzhu briefly stated, It rushed towards us.

Lin Qiushi: And then?This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

Ruan Nanzhu: Then I talked sense into it for about ten minutes.

Lin Qiushi:

Ruan Nanzhu: It seemed to have found reason in my convincing argument, so it left.

Lin Qiushi: Are you having fun?

Ruan Nanzhu: Tons.

Lin Qiushi: I see. Thats good. Well, as long as youre having fun, I suppose its fine.

After he had his fun messing with the other, Ruan Nanzhu properly explained to Lin Qiushi what had happened just now. When Lin Qiushi collapsed after hearing the skin monsters screams, Ruan Nanzhu grew furious. Taking advantage of the moment the skin monster pounced to attack them, Ruan Nanzhu promptly dived for the scarlet drum. He raised the bone flute high and aimed the drums surface, threatening to smash it if that thing continued to cause a ruckus and anger him one more time. The skin monster seemed to have retained some of its intelligence, for it actually stopped. It then made its way to a nearby wall and merged with it, eventually vanishing before their eyes.

Afterwards, Ruan Nanzhu and Cheng Qianli dragged the unconscious Lin Qiushi down the building with great difficulty, only to spot Li Dongyuan standing by himself on the first floor.

Ruan Nanzhu immediately inquired about Xu Jin. Li Dongyuan simply pointed outside, and said that he stepped out for a quick smoke; yet, when he turned around, Xu Jin had long disappeared from his sight, and he didnt know where she had run off to.

While a frustrated Cheng Qianli wallowed in lamentation, Lin Qiushi, who was guiltily sitting on his bed, weakly raised his hand and admitted, It was me

Ruan Nanzhu turned around, glancing back at Lin Qiushi, Oh, so it was you.

Straightening his back, Cheng Qianli raised his chin up and puffed his chest, happy that justice came fast. He beamed from ear to ear, looking forward to see his big brother severely reprimand Lin Qiushi. He eagerly waited for punishment to fall upon the other, but disappointment soon came crashing down on him, hard.

In the end, the next words out of his big brothers mouth were, Its no big deal. Just be careful next time, okay?

Cheng Qianli: ??? Are you fucking kidding me? Be careful next time?! What kind of unfair bullshitwas he just some stepmothers hated child or some worthless fool who was picked out from a trash can?

Lin Qiushi was a tad ashamed, so he hurriedly went on to talk about the matter from last night. After hearing his account, Ruan Nanzhu asked him if he had been injured in the altercation. Lin Qiushi shook his head, before taking out the bronze key from his pocket. He then said, I found the key inside the drum

Ruan Nanzhu stared at the key in silence for three seconds, before spitting out a string of vulgarities.

Evidently, that chap, Li Dongyuan, wasnt as innocent or harmless as he appeared to be. He never told them what he witnessed when he entered that bone pagoda, but to think he actually handed them a counterfeit key as an offering for their cooperation. If it wasnt for Lin Qiushi encountering that monster last night, striking the drum to avoid being killed by that monster, accidentally breaking the drum in the process, and eventually finding the key inside, they wouldve still been left in the dark.

I shouldve known something was up when he handed the key over so easily. He said that in return he simply wanted a hint for the next door, huh? Ruan Nanzhus lips curving up in contempt, and he tightened his grip on the key. As it turned out, he had something like this up his sleeves.

Lin Qiushi couldnt help but admire this kind of man to a certain extent; it was quite incredible that he would actually come up with an idea like preparing a counterfeit key.

Ruan Nanzhu stuffed the key into his pocket and said, Xu Jin is afraid of this drum. Since the drum is now gone, we dont have much time. Im afraid itll be far more difficult for us to escape, the next time we run into her.

Lin Qiushi nodded, in complete agreement with Ruan Nanzhu. Although the reason was unknown, it was clear that Xu Jin was particularly fond of Lin Qiushi. The others always slept like the dead, so it was always up to him to wake up every night to ensure their safety.

Ill bring the drum to the temple today. Ruan Nanzhu mused, This world should be coming to an end very soon.

Naturally, it was best for the world to come to an end sooner than later. Lin Qiushi honestly did not want to meet Xu Jin again at night.

Li Dongyuan apparently didnt realize that his scheme had been exposed; he still had the nerve to casually stroll up to them and greet Ruan Nanzhu familiarly. Truthfully speaking, his attractive appearance and model behavior were really deceptive. Even though Lin Qiushi was well-aware that the man before him was a complete bastard, he would somehow falter every time he caught sight of the others gentle smile.

As usual, Ruan Nanzhus attitude towards him was far from kind. He didnt give him any face today either. With a few cold words directed at the other, Ruan Nanzhu drove him away.

Heh. As he watched Li Dongyuans retreating figure, Ruan Nanzhu sneered nastily. Wouldnt it be interesting to see such a grand request that White Deer undertook fall to ruins? I wonder how Li Dongyuan would take responsibility for the repercussions resulting from a failed task.

After breakfast, the crowd set off to the temple.

They still hadnt found a single trace of Xu Jin, but since she appeared in Lin Qiushis room last night, they could only assume that she most likely followed the guide to return. With that in mind, she was probably hiding somewhere within the surrounding wilderness right now.

Facing the temple once more, Lin Qiushis heart and mind were calm. Intending to climb to the top of the temple again, he and Ruan Nanzhu found the ladder they had previously used to go up.

This time, they were going to offer the drum to the creature on the roof.

The current task at hand was beyond risky. Lin Qiushi repeatedly emphasized how dangerous this would be, but Ruan Nanzhu still insisted on going with him, leaving behind an impatient Cheng Qianli, anxiously staring at the stepladder.

The two advanced onwards, cautiously making their way up the ladder. Lin Qiushi was the first to step onto the wooden platform. When he arrived at the top, he discovered the pools of thick blood and chucks of raw flesh scattering the grounds had doubled since his last visit. The bloody remains seemed to be from the two individuals who had been skinned alive two days ago.

Ruan Nanzhu hoisted himself onto the platform after him. This was his first time stepping onto the roof. After observing his surroundings, his eyes strayed to the dense jungle nearby.

Whats the matter? Lin Qiushi noticed the subtle difference in his expression.

It appears something is following us, stated Ruan Nanzhu. Its been following us since we left.

Lin Qiushi: Could it possibly be Xu Jin?

Ruan Nanzhu: Possibly. Lets just give her the drum first.

Lin Qiushi nodded.

Following the edge of the platform, the two steadily made their way towards the center of the temples rooftop. With every footstep they took, the human skin drum underneath them issued the solid sound of a percussion.

The temple was awfully quiet. The thick fog that clouded Lin Qiushis vision previously had completely lifted. Everything was strangely tranquil, bizarrely eerie.

Ruan Nanzhu didnt venture too deep. He chose a suitable location and placed the drum in his hands onto the ground, before speaking aloud, Your younger sister refused to come, so we brought her drum over.

As soon as he said this, the whole world seemed to have fallen into a state of suspension, and a hushed silence blanketed the area. Everything seemed to be frozen in place, even the breeze seemed to have stopped.

The steady beat of a drum rang from afar, growing in intensity. Billows of thick haze suddenly poured into the area, surging towards their location and soon enveloping them.

Badump. Badump. Badump. Badump. Something within the depths of this obscuring fog was furiously striking the drums surface. Every powerful beat seemed to be overflowing with indignation and wrath; it was as though the drummer was finally venting all the overwhelming emotions that could no longer be suppressed in their heart.

Where is she? The girls voice echoed around them. Where is she?! Its so painful! Ahhh, its so painful

Lin Qiushi saw the girl emerge from the fog. Upon seeing the drum that Ruan Nanzhu brought up, she dragged her body towards it with her hands, then softly placed her palms on top of the drums shredded surface.

Not mine! Not mine The girl hysterically cried out. Bring her here! Bring her here!!!

She violently seized the surface of the drum and ferociously tore at it.

Lin Qiushi didnt know whether it was merely a figment of his imagination, but he couldve sworn that he heard plaintive cries coming from afar the moment she ripped the drum apart.

The girl seemed to have also heard the faint screams. Her bloody mouth instantly opened wide, the ends curving up in sheer ecstasy, You areYou are She fervidly slammed her hands against the surface underneath their feet. Almost immediately, the grotesque skinless monsters with the sharp blades leapt out of the temple and charged towards the nearby jungle.

Lin Qiushi was struck speechless by this scene. Ruan Nanzhu, on the other hand, was extremely relieved.

He chuckled wryly, Sure enough, these sisters relationship isnt as loving as we reckoned it to be. He then lifted his head and gazed at the wilderness in the distance.

Lin Qiushi wondered, Is it finally over?

Ruan Nanzhu lowered his twinkling eyes, Perhaps.

After all, who wouldnt want for this hellish world to come to its finale sooner.

Authors Comment:

Ruan Nanzhu is like a bear parent1.

Whenever Lin Qiushi does something wrong: Oh, my dear Qiushi, how could you be this cute. Youre the cutest in the world! Anything you do is cute! God, I love you so much! Muah! Muah! Muah!

Whenever Cheng Qianli does something wrong: Todays the day Im going to kill you. If I dont fix this brat up, itll be my loss.

Cheng Qianli: Wait, hold up! Wah! This isnt fair, isnt this just too much

Translators Comment:

Honestly, when I read the author has something to say section, I was suddenly reminded of that one Gordon Ramsay meme:

1The exact term bear parent doesnt exist in English, and I have no idea what an English equivalent would beit isnt tiger mom or helicopter parent, thats for sure. Its basically a parent who spoils their kid rotten, but may also be very neglectful. This type of parent turns a blind eye to all of their own childs misconducts, blames any misbehavior on other people (i.e. they refuse to admit their child is flawed and did anything wrong or that the reason their child constantly acts up is due to how they raised them), and always finds fault in other people, parents and kids alike, instead of their own child.