CH 70

(You take off the eyepatch.)

(Your left eye is bloodshot and swollen, and you notice a small black flash not far away.)

(You approach it and reach out to touch it.)

(The burning sensation in your eyes immediately dissipates.)

(You find yourself standing in front of the convenience store.)

(Shopkeeper: What can I do for you?)

(You: I thought I saw something here just now, but it might have been my imagination.)

(The shopkeeper remains silent, only nodding.)

(You attempt to leave, but you realize that whenever you move away from the convenience store, your eyes start burning again.)

(You understand that the eyepatch is giving you a clue.)

(You return to the convenience store.)

(Shopkeeper: What do you want to buy? Almond water?)

(You ponder for a moment.)

(You: Shopkeeper, do you know where I can buy "lamb meat"?)

(Shopkeeper: For lamb meat, you should go to the market. This is just a convenience store.)

(You: I'm talking about that kind of "lamb meat".)

(The shopkeeper shakes his head.)

(Shopkeeper: I don't know what you're talking about. Leave quickly.)

(You: What exactly is "lamb meat"?)

(Shopkeeper: If you don't leave, I'll call the police! Why would someone so young want to buy something like that? Get out, or I'll call the police on you!)

(The shopkeeper waves his fist.)

(You curl your lips, cover your left eye, and leave.)

(You rest by the roadside for a while until the swelling in your eye gradually subsides.)

(You speculate that "lamb meat" is a code word, and the shopkeeper is likely involved in illicit activities.)

(In some places, "lamb meat" and "beef" represent different types of illegal goods.)

(If that's the case, then your parents' involvement in the "lamb meat" business means they are engaged in unlawful activities, which confirms your grandmother's claim that they have betrayed their conscience.)

(You wait for a while, and the sound of the suona plays again.)

(You quickly find a place to hide.)

(The wedding procession appears again, but this time, your parents' car is not among them.)

(The Mouse Groom looks around while riding on a horse, then walks towards the convenience store.)

(The Mouse Groom dismounts, buys a bottle of almond water from the shopkeeper, and then the entire wedding procession disappears.)

(You pause for a moment and take a sip of the almond water.)

(You can see the Mouse Groom and the wedding procession again.)

(The Mouse Groom didn't leave; instead, he buried his head under a poplar tree near the convenience store, digging a hole. Surprisingly, there is a wooden board beneath the tree. He lifts the board and jumps in.)

(After a while, the Mouse Groom emerges with a small suitcase, and he quickly covers the wooden board with soil.)

(The wedding procession sets off again and leaves the town.)

(You quickly run to the poplar tree and uncover the wooden board.)

(The board becomes blurry in your eyes, and you take another sip of the almond water.)

(You lift the board, revealing a deep, seemingly bottomless tunnel.)

(Gritting your teeth, you jump down.)

(In front of you, it's pitch black, and you fumble around until you find a light switch within reach.)

(You find yourself in a massive cellar, roughly the size of a classroom.)

(The cellar is filled with rows and rows of shelves, stacked with bloody chunks of meat.)

(The pungent smell of decay and blood fills the air, furrowing your brow.)

(These are supposed to be the so-called "lamb meat".)

(You examine the patterns on the meat closely, but they appear no different from regular lamb meat.)

(You can't determine if there is any symbolic meaning to this "lamb meat".)

(You walk to the end of the cellar and discover a desk. On the desk, you find a document covered in thick fog, making it difficult to read.)

(*** Contract)

(*** Price: ***)

(Contractor: Gu **)

(This seems to be a contract, and the fog covering it suggests it is controlled by the "Unspeakable". The Cat Bride and Mouse Groom may be manifestations of this dungeon's Unspeakable.)

(The content of the contract is not discernible at the moment, but you speculate that the contractor is your own father.)

(You open the desk drawer and find another eyepatch.)

(Suddenly, you feel a moist sensation above your head.)

(You look up and see a large, wriggling piece of lamb meat on the ceiling, with blood dripping down from it.)

(The lamb meat on the shelves falls to the ground and begins crawling toward you.)

(The lamb meat descends from above, covering your mouth and nose.)

(You feel suffocated.)

(Your vision turns pitch black.)

(You are dead.)

(Deduction ends!)

Gu Yi opened his eyes and made eye contact with the neighbor.

"Isn't this little Gu?" the neighbor said.

"Uh... hello," Gu Yi awkwardly waved at the neighbor. "I'm just hiding here for a while. Can you not tell my parents?"

"Sure."

The neighbor blinked and pretended not to see Gu Yi.

Gu Yi squatted behind the door, listening to the fading sound of the suona. Only then did he run out of the neighbor's yard.

There was a cellar under the poplar tree behind the convenience store, and that's where the other half of the eyepatch was. That's why the eyepatch heated up when he approached the convenience store.

The eyepatch couldn't fulfill its intended purpose temporarily, probably because it was incomplete.

Inside the cellar, there was strange lamb meat, and before entering, Gu Yi had to find a way to deal with those peculiar pieces of meat.

"So... what does 'lamb meat' actually mean?"

Gu Yi muttered to himself, touching his nose.

The neighbor tilted his head and smiled, "Little Gu, do you want to eat lamb meat?"

"Huh?"

"We happen to be cooking lamb meat for lunch. Would you like to try it?"

"No, no, it's fine."

Gu Yi waved his hand. Only then did he catch a whiff of the strong smell of blood and flesh coming from the house.

He had been engrossed in thinking about the deductions, so he hadn't noticed it before.

"What a pity," the neighbor shook his head. "It's rare for our town to have a market day. It's not easy to buy lamb meat."

"A market? Where is it?"

"Don't you know? It's at the market square to the north. The vendors will be gone by tomorrow."

Gu Yi nodded.

There didn't seem to be any clues in the village for now, so it would be worth checking out the market.

Gu Yi hopped on his bicycle and quickly arrived at the market square to the north.

There were numerous vendors at the market square, and the crowd was so dense that Gu Yi could hardly move.

There was a strong smell of blood and flesh coming from the stalls.

There weren't many stalls selling local specialties, but there were an overwhelming number of vendors selling lamb meat. Almost every few steps, Gu Yi could see someone selling lamb meat.

"Baa, baa!"

One vendor even had two live lambs on display, attracting a long line of people inquiring about the price.

"This is strange..."

"Baa, baa!"

One lamb managed to break free, rushing out from the crowd.

The townspeople hurriedly chased after it, finally cornering the lamb on the ground. The vendor approached, cursing, and whipped the lamb twice.

"Baa, baa!"

"Keep crying! You've been disobedient all the way here. I'll punish you by not letting you eat for three days!"

"Baa..."

The lamb was tightly bound, desperately squirming.

Gu Yi made eye contact with the lamb, and he felt a pang of sympathy. It was as if, at that moment, he had formed a spiritual connection with the lamb.

"How much is this lamb?" he asked.