Chapter 250 - 249: Always Watching You

Chapter 250: Chapter 249: Always Watching You

In any case, the people outside the door had been dealt with.

They still had the food and water they found yesterday. Huo Yunjing and Gu Ziqian had no plans to go out, so Dongfang Lingjun simply gathered everyone to reinforce the Space-Time Array.

Gu Qingyin reluctantly participated, but her gaze kept drifting to Huo Xingchen and the paper person, who were drawing. It looked rather fun, and she wanted to join them.

Zhang Qiuyan was also distracted. She had promised the children yesterday that she would go back to mend their clothes today, and she was already late.

Dongfang Lingjun was an Array fanatic. Once he started talking about Arrays, he became completely engrossed and wouldn’t allow anyone to slack off.

He wouldn’t notice if you were spacing out while he was talking, but the key was that he also liked to ask questions. If you couldn’t answer, he would get very displeased.

And right on cue, after lecturing for a while, Dongfang Lingjun asked a question out of habit, "Dayan, you tell us."

Zhang Qiuyan snapped back to reality, her face flushing red. She hadn’t heard a single word her master was saying.

Dongfang Lingjun’s brow furrowed, his tone very stern. "What are you thinking about?"

Gu Qingyin jumped in surprise and quickly sat up straight.

Zhang Qiuyan didn’t dare to lie, so she recounted her promise to the children from yesterday with a look of shame.

Dongfang Lingjun was left speechless. ’What can I even say to that? There’s nothing to be said!’

Gu Qingyin’s eyes darted around. She cleared her throat and said, "Why don’t Qiu Yan and I go out and let the children know? We shouldn’t keep them waiting for nothing."

As she finished speaking, everyone’s gaze turned to her. Just when she thought her little scheme to skip class had been seen through, Dongfang Lingjun suddenly waved his hand. "Go on, go on. Be careful and come back soon."

An almost imperceptible glint appeared in Gu Qingyin’s eyes. She grabbed Zhang Qiuyan and left, as fast as a bird freed from its cage.

"We just... got out like that?" Zhang Qiuyan was in disbelief. ’Shouldn’t my master have lectured me for half an hour first? How could he let us go so easily?’

Gu Qingyin beamed. "Let’s go, let’s go. Take me to see those children. Who knows, maybe the Ghost King’s true body is there too."

"Huh?" Zhang Qiuyan was shocked again. "Isn’t this an illusion created by the Ghost King? How could his true body be here?"

"This place was pulled from his memories. Everything we see is what he saw as a child. But it’s not necessarily real. People’s memories self-correct, and the parts that are filled in all come from his imagination."

Gu Qingyin pointed to the Black Dog Blood and peach wood nails that the paper person had tossed aside. "These were probably things he imagined. They’re useless for breaking the Array, but they can be used to catch ghosts."

Zhang Qiuyan seemed to only half-understand. "So that Witch God was imagined too?"

Gu Qingyin nodded. "There might have really been such a person, but his identity probably wasn’t the Witch God. Their village clearly has its own deity." She pointed toward Ai Lao Mountain behind them. "It’s on the mountain."

The reason the Ghost King was abandoned—besides the fact that his parents couldn’t bring themselves to eat him—was likely for a sacrificial ritual. He was thrown onto the mountain as an offering, in the hopes that after receiving the sacrifice, the mountain god would help the village overcome its crisis.

But clearly, there was no so-called god on the mountain, or perhaps the mountain god didn’t accept this offering. Therefore, everyone in the village must have died in the end.

The two of them chatted as they walked and soon arrived at the large tree in the center of the village, where they saw the children squatting obediently by its roots.

The children’s eyes lit up slightly when they saw Zhang Qiuyan. They stood up as if to approach, but then hesitated, wary of the new face beside her.

Gu Qingyin gave a wry smile. "So I’m the bad guy here."

Zhang Qiuyan found it a little funny too, but she could understand. "In this kind of living environment, it’s good to be a little more vigilant."

Gu Qingyin nodded. "Go on. Explain things to them, and then we’ll head back."

Zhang Qiuyan walked over by herself and was instantly surrounded by a few of the children.

Gu Qingyin didn’t bother listening to what they were saying. She looked up at the somewhat dim sky, thinking, ’When can we finally get out of here? This game is getting more and more boring.’

"Qing Yin." Zhang Qiuyan returned a short while later and asked sheepishly, "Could you come with me to that child’s house? He said his mother’s clothes are so torn she can’t even go outside, and he wants me to help mend them."

A flicker of understanding crossed Gu Qingyin’s eyes as she suddenly noticed something very out of place.

She had rarely seen any women in this village. Even the few she had seen were just skin and bones, as if on the verge of starvation. Girls were even rarer; it seemed she hadn’t seen a single one in the two days she’d been here.

"Qing Yin?" Zhang Qiuyan said, troubled. "I know it’s not a good idea to be running around at a time like this. I told him to bring the clothes here, but he said his mom doesn’t have any other clothes. We can’t just let her be naked, so I..."

"It’s fine." A cold smile touched Gu Qingyin’s lips. "Let’s go together. This will be a good chance to test my theory."

Zhang Qiuyan was naturally confused, but since she was in a hurry to help, she didn’t ask any more questions. She went back to explain to the little boy, who glanced at Gu Qingyin a couple of times during their conversation.

Gu Qingyin did her best to appear friendly, offering him a gentle smile.

The little boy finally agreed to take them both home with him.

The other children looked a little disappointed at this, but they all dispersed, heading to the fields and the small woods to see if they could find something to fill their stomachs.

The little boy’s name was Changsheng. He was a seven-year-old boy, but he was so small he looked more like he was four or five, not much bigger than Huo Xingchen. His left leg was also slightly bowed, as if it had been broken and hadn’t been set properly before it healed.

Gu Qingyin sighed inwardly. ’Another child from an unhappy home.’

"We’re here."

After about a ten-minute walk, the boy led them to an old house on the edge of the village. Its walls were made of mud mixed with dry straw. Over time, the mud had fallen away, exposing the wood underneath.

"This is your house?" Gu Qingyin stopped at the courtyard gate without going in. She raised a hand and activated her Yin Yang Eye, then looked up and couldn’t help but let out a sharp "Heh." "Are you sure you live here every night? Then you must be very hard to kill."

Zhang Qiuyan had been about to enter, but hearing this, she also sensed something was wrong. She cautiously retreated to Gu Qingyin’s side and took out her Compass.

The needle of the Compass spun around like crazy. She couldn’t get a specific reading, but it confirmed that this place was definitely trouble.

"Changsheng?" Zhang Qiuyan looked at the little boy, her face full of disappointment. "I really wanted to help you."

Changsheng’s already pale little face grew even whiter. He retreated into the courtyard and shook his head, his expression wooden. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Gu Qingyin narrowed her eyes, then suddenly smiled. "Changsheng, does your mother look a lot like you? Especially her eyes. Round and bright, like fresh black grapes."

Changsheng stared at her in astonishment.

The smile on Gu Qingyin’s lips deepened. She said softly, "She’s standing right behind you... always watching you."