“Come here, I’ve found that abandoned well.”
Sun Ning who was leading the way, shouted lowly to bring everyone together.
Hidden in the dense thicket of weeds, there was an extremely concealed isolated well.
If one didn’t pay attention while walking, they might even step into it.
Because it had rained recently, the ground was damp and muddy.
Near the abandoned well, there were traces on the grassy ground as if something had been dragged. If it weren’t for these marks, Sun Ning might have accidentally fallen into the well.
When Li Cancan walked up to Sun Ning, she saw Sun Ning frowning and peering into the deep well.
As if afraid she couldn’t see clearly, Sun Ning even pushed her head inside.
Seeing this, Li Cancan took a deep breath and bravely followed Sun Ning’s posture to shine the flashlight inside.
She was mentally prepared already. Wasn’t it just a corpse? She had seen ghosts, so why be afraid of one or even two corpses?
She opened her squinted eyes wide, mustering the courage to look inside.
“Huh?” After seeing the situation inside the abandoned well, Li Cancan couldn’t help but exclaim in confusion, “Why is it different from what I imagined?”
At this moment, Bai Lixin and Beast Eared Dijia who were at the back also came over. Bai Lixin stood at the well’s edge and looked inside, only to find that the bottom of the well was buried under thick soil, and this soil seemed to have been there for a while, having solidified into a thick layer.
There were no corpses at the bottom, it was empty.
Li Cancan: “Where’s the body? Could it be buried under the soil at the bottom of the well?”
Sun Ning: “It’s impossible, the soil at the bottom of the well isn’t fresh.”
Li Cancan: “But where did the body go? Weren’t they here to dispose a corpse? If not in the well, could they be buried in some corner of this courtyard?”
Having said that, Li Cancan looked around at the pitch-black surroundings in confusion and couldn’t help but shiver.
Sun Ning and Bai Lixin exchanged glances, and Bai Lixin said, “Let’s split up and search again.”
Sun Ning: “Alright.”
The four of them split into two pairs and searched the courtyard once more, overturning every nook and cranny. However, they didn’t find any freshly disturbed soil. And this seemed to be an ordinary abandoned village school, with no secret rooms or secret passages that often appear.
It was a small school, and they could see from one end to the other at a glance.
After searching for an hour, the four of them found nothing and returned to the side of the isolated well.
Staring at the only place in the courtyard where the corpse might be hidden, Li Cancan kicked the edge of the well with her foot. “I mean, this well is also strange. Instead of sealing the wellhead when it’s abandoned, they filled the well bottom. If you fall down here, four or five meters deep, even if one doesn’t die, they would be seriously injured, right?”
Bai Lixin shone the flashlight at the bottom of the well for a few more seconds, then silently took out a hemp rope from his backpack. “I’ll go down and take a look. You guys will pull me up.”
After saying that, he handed the rope to Beast Eared Dijia and, with a slight jump, used the somewhat slippery well wall to nimbly jump into the well.
The well bottom was damp from the rain, and as soon as Bai Lixin landed, he shone his flashlight on the ground.
As he had thought, the soil was very compact.
Even with the moisture from the rain, there were no traces left when he stepped on it.
He examined the ground carefully, but it was clean, without a trace of blood.
The man had been stabbed twice and even the major arteries hit. If he had been left here, there should have been at least some bloodstains.
Bai Lixin pondered and then placed his hand on the ground, trying to find any clues.
Something beside him made a sound, and he turned to see the hemp rope hanging beside him.
Outside the well, the three of them nervously watched Bai Lixin busy in the well. Just shortly after Beast Eared Dijia had lowered the rope, Bai Lixin suddenly stood up. He quickly grabbed one end of the hemp rope and shouted up, “Pull me up quickly.”
Surprisingly, as he rose, his usually agile body seemed to stumble as if someone were pulling or tugging at him from behind.
The three of them immediately became tense.
Bai Lixin’s voice still echoed in the eerie well, and Beast Eared Dijia exerted all his strength, forcefully pulling the hemp rope to lift Bai Lixin up.
However, for some unknown reason, the hemp rope in his hands seemed to weigh several tons. Bai Lixin at the bottom of the well wasn’t faring any better. He held the flashlight with his mouth, gripping the hemp rope above and winding it around his hands twice. He frowned and every muscle in his body was strained.
Li Cancan and Sun Ning were shocked and quickly stood behind Beast Eared Dijia, helping him pull the rope.
The veins on Beast Eared Dijia’s forehead bulged, and he let out a furious roar. His human face had turned into the head of a beast, and even his limbs had become beastly claws.
Sun Ning and Li Cancan were too occupied with helping to pull the rope, and they didn’t have the time to be amazed by Beast Eared Dijia’s wolf transformation. They only knew they had to get God Xin up!
When Beast Eared Dijia transformed into a beast-man, his strength increased several times over. He used all his strength to give the rope a forceful tug, and the previously immobile rope finally moved.
In the next moment, a nimble figure flashed from the bottom of the well, and Bai Lixin landed safely in front of the three.
When Beast Eared Dijia saw Bai Lixin come up, he finally heaved a sigh of relief. He let go of the rope, and it dropped back into the well.
His sharp gray furry head turned back into a human face, and he looked at Bai Lixin nervously. “You scared me to death, Xin Xin.”
His voice trembled slightly, indicating that he had indeed been frightened.
Bai Lixin extended his hand, intending to comfort Beast Eared Dijia, but then he heard the man’s next words, “I haven’t mated with you yet, we haven’t given birth to a bunch of little wolf cubs. You can’t leave me, wuuuu.”
Sun Ning: “…”
Li Cancan: “…”
‘Isn’t it redundant for us to be here?’
The hand that was about to comfort Beast Eared Dijia was slapped on the back of his head, and Bai Lixin stood up expressionlessly.
Beast Eared Dijia rubbed the back of his head with an aggrieved look on his s face.
‘My wife hit me, wuuu.’
Li Cancan: “God Xin, what happened down there in the well just now?”
Bai Lixin looked at the well with a complex expression. “This well, it devours things.”
He was searching for clues on the ground when he noticed that his feet were firmly stuck to the ground, and he couldn’t pull them out. There were even signs of sinking.
The four people returned to the well head and looked down. They saw that the hemp rope that had fallen inside earlier was slowly merging into the soil, eventually disappearing completely.
Everyone: “…”
This seemingly ordinary isolated well turned out to be a creature that devoured people without leaving a trace.
Sun Ning looked at Bai Lixin. “What did it feel like when you jumped in?”
Bai Lixin: “At first, I didn’t feel much, but the gravitational force was intense. I believe this well is the reason for the disappearance of man’s body.”
Sun Ning: “Is it possible that the children from the village who disappeared for no reason might also have vanished into this well?”
Bai Lixin: “It’s possible.”
Sun Ning paused, and said uncertainly, “What happens when they are sucked in?”
After she finished speaking, she looked at Bai Lixin and then at Li Cancan: “How about we go back first?”
Li Cancan had been eager to leave and quickly raised both hands in agreement. “Yes, yes, it’s only the third day today. How about we wait and observe a bit more?”
As they left, Sun Ning began to consolidate the information they had gathered so far.
“First, this village is called Gentle Village. At the moment, it appears that there are problems on multiple fronts. Women in this village have the ability to gradually bewitch male players. Food or something we don’t know about reduces the players’ vigilance.”
“There are many children in the village, but except for Pan Pan, all of them are boys, and these children often disappear.”
“Another thing, some of the men in the village are also missing. For example, the family where Li Cancan and I stayed, although their younger son has returned, their older son is still missing. Only his son has been left behind.”
“Do these men who leave the village to work actually go out to work? Or are they like Sister Song’s husband, already dead?”
A gust of cold wind blew by, and Li Cancan shivered at Sun Ning’s calm and asked, “Pan Pan’s father was reported dead, right? Back then, Pan Pan’s mother said he died while working outside. Are you suggesting that it’s possible he didn’t die while working outside but died here in this village?”
Sun Ning: “It’s possible.”
Li Cancan: “… But where did the people who disappeared in the well go? Could this well be some kind of portal, like those inner worlds we have seen before?”
Sun Ning: “It’s also possible they were directly consumed by this village. Maybe this village itself is alive, like the grandma in ‘Nie Xiaoqian,’ specializing in eating people.”
Li Cancan: “…”
‘Wuuuu, Sun Ning, can you stop saying such terrifying things so seriously?!’
*“The Legend Of Nie Xiaoqian” is part of short story collection “Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio”. She was a ghost and because her bones were abandoned in the wilderness, she was controlled by the tree demon grandma. Every night, she had to look for a strong man for her grandmother to eat in order to absorb yang essence and increase her longevity.
….
At around noon the next day, the people in the village discovered that Sister Song’s husband was missing.
Sister Song didn’t seem too panicked. Just as she had said before, she claimed her man had gone out to work. Perhaps this wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, and the villagers didn’t have many doubts. They quickly accepted it.
Moreover, this matter didn’t bother them for long because the village had another happy occasion.
When someone leaves, someone returns.
Granny Lin’s youngest son had returned, and he was about to get married soon!
This matter quickly overshadowed the news of Sister Song’s husband leaving.
Gentle Village had quite an efficient way of doing things. Granny Lin’s son, Xiao Lin, had just returned yesterday afternoon, and this morning, the matchmaker had already brought over a prospective bride. When the two met, they hit it off instantly, and they got engaged on the spot, with the wedding set for two days later.
During the matchmaking process, many people from the village came to watch, allegedly to bask in the joy. As outsiders, Bai Lixin and his group couldn’t squeeze in, so they could only stand at the entrance of the alley and peer inside.
After waiting for a while, they finally caught a glimpse of the woman’s fleeting face during the matchmaking.
She was a beautiful woman, appearing to be only around twenty-two or twenty-three years old. Walking together with Xiao Lin, the term “perfect match” would describe them.
Today was just the engagement ceremony, and the actual wedding would take place in two days. After a brief stay, the woman left.
The people of Gentle Village were very hospitable. They escorted the woman to the village entrance, chatting and laughing before returning to the village.
“That’s great; we have another happy event in Gentle Village.”
“Yeah, getting married is a major event.”
“Let’s hope that we continue to have good things happening in the village.”
The village chief looked at Bai Lixin and his group of outsiders and said, “Getting married is a significant event in our village, and everyone in the village must participate. Although you are outsiders, you should adapt to local customs and be present.”
Bai Lixin politely agreed, and then the village chief continued, “However, the Song family’s husband has gone out to work, so we’re short one laborer.”
“ Xiao Lin could have helped now that he’s back, but since he’s the groom, it would be better if someone else could temporarily assist for these two days.”
Sun Ning and Bai Lixin exchanged a glance.
Does this mean they should volunteer?
Bai Lixin understood the implied meaning and was about to speak when someone shouted, “Village Chief, how about I help with the work for a couple of days?”
They turned to see Small Braid, who walked over with a limp, supporting himself on a cane.
The village chief scrutinized Small Braid and focused on his injured leg. “But your injury…”
“It’s alright, my injury won’t be a problem,” Small Braid said firmly. In order to prove that he was fully capable of the work, he even raised his arm vigorously.
“Please, I really want to do something for our village. We came here to help from the city, but until now, we haven’t been able to contribute anything. I feel quite uncomfortable about it.”
The village chief was still somewhat uncertain. “Are you really sure about this? You are guests, you don’t have to work.”
Small Braid’s tone was very assertive. “No, I really want to work. I’m sincerely asking for this!”
The village chief finally gave in after Small Braid’s repeated volunteering. “Alright, we’ll give it a try tomorrow for a day. If you find it too strenuous, you can rest.”
Small Braid grinned, “Okay, thank you, Village Chief!”
Once the village chief left, Sun Ning looked at Small Braid with confusion, “You’re so eager to work in the pigsty?”
Small Braid blushed, “Because I activated the third task.”
The others were puzzled.
Small Braid continued, “It seems like you didn’t notice. My third task is to work in the pigsty, and once I complete it, I’ll receive a special reward.”
He added with a smile, “Honestly, I’m quite curious about what this ‘special reward’ will be.”
The three of them exchanged glances. When the people around them gradually moved away, Bai Lixin lowered his voice and asked, “Did you throw the body into the school’s well last night? When did the third task unlock? Was it after that?”
Small Braid was stunned for a moment and then there was an abnormal blush on his cheeks, “Um, I did take care of it. But that task should have nothing to do with that incident; it was unlocked before that.”
Bai Lixin looked at Small Braid’s flushed cheeks and suddenly understood. “Oh, I see. Good luck then.”
They walked a few steps away and Bai Lixin turned back to Small Braid and said, “Don’t let those pigs escape, otherwise, you’ll be the unlucky one.”
After that, the three left.
Small Braid: “…”
‘I didn’t even say anything yet, and you’ve already figured it out! Do you know what happiness is? Do you know what joy is?’
After going quite far away, Li Cancan asked, “What did you understand, God Xin?”
Sun Ning: “I understand that Small Braid has completely fallen into Gentle Village.”
Li Cancan looked bewildered, “Huh?”
Bai Lixin added, “It’s an adult matter, children don’t need to inquire.”
Sun Ning: “That’s right, go play somewhere else.”
Li Cancan: “…”
‘I’ve also completed nine years of compulsory education and took sex education, don’t look down on me!’
In the next two days, the village bustled with preparations. At this point, the village chief finally remembered their group of “helpers” and gathered them to assist with the work.
For two consecutive days, the men went to work in the pigsty as usual, while the women and players were busy with other tasks.
During this busy period, Bai Lixin and his group were also assigned a full workload, leaving them with no time to search for additional clues.
However, during this gathering, Bai Lixin noticed that it wasn’t just Small Braid who had fallen under Gentle Village’s influence. Five or six other male players were also behaving strangely.
Over the course of two days, three more men from the village supposedly “went out to work.”
Their vacant positions were quickly filled by several male players.
On the day before the wedding, as Bai Lixin wandered through the village in the evening, he unintentionally found himself near Small Braid’s alley.
More precisely, it was Pan Pan’s alley.
He stood at the entrance of the alley, debating whether or not to chat with Pan Pan again.
He had a hunch that the red-clothed ghost he had seen at the school might be Pan Pan’s aunt that she had mentioned before.
Just as he was about to make a decision, the wooden door made a creaking sound, and two people walked out.
One was limping, supported by a crutch, and the other was walking unsteadily.
They were holding hands and wore expressions of pure happiness.
Bai Lixin quickly hid himself in a corner.
Once they left the courtyard gate, instead of heading outward, they sat together on the high doorstep.
The woman nestled against the man’s shoulder, her face radiating happiness.
In the dim twilight, Bai Lixin’s gaze slowly dropped from their faces to the woman’s belly.
Sister Song, who had a flat abdomen before, now had a prominent bump, appearing to be four or five months pregnant…
“Is this child really mine?”
