Chapter 69: Early Departure

“I don’t believe that just because people in different provinces of China speak different dialects, they’ll be ostracized. And then somehow, if you go abroad, people of different races and skin colors won’t ostracize you, but instead offer you a free platform to grow.”

“That doesn’t make sense. It’s too inhuman.”

“Bravo!” “Well said!” “Good!”

The cheers from the nearby villagers grew louder. Even Li Weihan and the four uncles joined in, clapping along. They might not have understood many of the words, but something raw and heartfelt in the student’s speech struck a chord with them.

Zhao Hequan flushed with embarrassment and anger. “You don’t understand. You just don’t. You don’t know America. You don’t know what freedom truly means.”

A student beside him chimed in, “Xue Liangliang, since you sound so sure, you must know what’ll make big money in the future. Go on, tell us.”

“Yeah, tell us.”

“Let us in on the secret to seeing the future and making money.”

Xue Liangliang paused, thinking seriously before replying, “According to the development patterns of early-developing economies, when an economy enters a period of rapid growth, its real estate sector is bound to experience major expansion.

“So, if you want a relatively stable investment with good appreciation potential, go buy property in the core districts of big cities—even if you have to take out a loan.”

Everyone was stunned for a second, then burst into louder laughter. Some even laughed until tears rolled down their cheeks.

Xue Liangliang sat down as the next student took the stage. Still, many classmates whispered and exchanged mocking glances.

But Xue Liangliang didn’t mind. He remained in his seat, clapping for the speaker.

Li Zhuiyuan hadn’t used the Theory of Fate Structure and Projection this time—just silently observed Xue Liangliang’s face.

[Fortunate in love, long life and peace.]

Li Zhuiyuan blinked. If this reading had turned out wrong again, he really would’ve been pissed.

Night fell, and the tea gathering had long ended.

The villagers sleeping on the dam were snoring in chorus, creating a strange symphony. The university students had also gone to rest. Due to limited indoor space and out of respect for the girls, a few of the male students were left to sleep outdoors.

Xue Liangliang and Zhao Hequan were among them.

Li Zhuiyuan lay beside Li Weihan, his head resting on a book as a pillow.

As he slept, he suddenly felt cold. Strange—this time of year, even sleeping outside shouldn’t leave someone shivering. He was lying on a straw mat his uncles had laid down, and covered with a quilt his grandfather had brought from home.

But soon enough, Li Zhuiyuan realized what was happening.

Ever since his great-grandfather had been injured, they hadn’t performed another Luck-Shifting Ritual together, so it had been a long time since he’d had one of those dreams.

Now that familiar sensation was back—he knew he’d fallen into a dream.

This time, though, with experience and knowledge, he didn’t panic. He stayed still, cracked one eye open just slightly.

He saw himself still lying there, surrounded by his grandfather’s breathing and, diagonally ahead, the presence of his uncles and Pan’er and Lei’er.

But he knew this wasn’t reality.

That eerie cold kept growing.

He fought the urge to curl up and shiver.

Then, he saw a woman climbing the stone steps up to the dam.

She wore white. Her long skirt trailed the ground, and iron chains twisted around her body.

Her exposed skin was charred black and raw red. With every step, chunks of flesh peeled off, making a sickening, wet sound.

She stopped at the center of the dam, head swiveling as though searching for someone.

The others were still sound asleep—they couldn’t see her.

Just as her gaze was about to fall in his direction, Li Zhuiyuan quickly shut his eyes.

He waited. After what felt like the right amount of time, he dared to open them slightly again.

But to his horror, the woman was staring straight at him.

Their eyes locked.

In that instant, his blood felt frozen. His heart pounded wildly.

Her face was a horror—a mix of burned and gouged flesh, like muddy ground torn open in spring. Her mouth was the only thing clearly visible: rows of white teeth, stark against the carnage of her face.

She kept staring.

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t dare move. He even forced his breathing to stay steady.

The woman stepped closer, step by step.

Oh no.

She knows I can see her?

Even as waves of panic surged inside him, he stayed utterly still, even regulating his breaths to mimic sleep.

As she came nearer, the burnt stench of roasted flesh mixed with mildew and sourness filled his nose—enough to turn one’s stomach.

Still, he kept his breathing even, like someone sound asleep.

The woman knelt beside him.

Her grotesque face hovered mere inches from his.

He couldn’t close his eyes now. He had to keep looking.

Rotting flesh slid from her face, landing on his and slowly oozing down his cheek—wet, sticky, revolting.

Time felt frozen.

After what felt like an eternity, the woman rose and turned, walking toward the dam’s center again.

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t wipe his face. Didn’t move. Kept his eyes just barely open.

Suddenly, though her body kept walking forward, the woman’s head rotated a full 180 degrees on her neck—looking back at him.

The sight chilled Li Zhuiyuan to his core. Icy dread raced down his spine and back up again.

Thankfully, he hadn’t shut his eyes.

The woman seemed to conclude that he just had the habit of sleeping with his eyes partly open.

Her head rotated another 180 degrees, back to its original position.

“Phew… phew…”

In his heart, Li Zhuiyuan kept exhaling.

His head buzzed.

The woman moved toward the students sleeping just outside the threshold.

Finally, she stood between Xue Liangliang and Zhao Hequan.

Both were asleep, unaware of the horror looming over them.

The woman raised her arms. From beneath her sleeves emerged bone-white arms riddled with rotting flesh and crawling with maggots.

Still keeping his position, Li Zhuiyuan thought:

Could it be—were the two students who smashed the Bodhisattva statue’s chains earlier today really Xue Liangliang and Zhao Hequan?

The woman slowly knelt.

She reached toward the neck of the student on the right—Xue Liangliang.

But just as she was about to strangle him, the light bulbs strung up over the dam flickered due to poor contact.

The woman’s head whipped around to stare at the flickering bulbs.

After a few blinks, the lights steadied.

Her head rotated again.

But this time, the angle of her turn fell just short—so instead of facing Xue Liangliang, she turned toward Zhao Hequan.

Her hands followed her gaze.

And then,

her hands clamped down

on Zhao Hequan’s throat.

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