You Lied

"Phew... I can't go on. Let's rest for a bit." Qi Liang, who had been leading the way, waved a hand. He was clearly running out of strength.

Not just Qi Liang—even Zhao Ke and the girl with glasses were struggling.

The sky grew darker and darker. The mountain forest, already shrouded in haze, now looked even more pitch-black. Traveling at night was difficult enough, yet the three of them had to hurry onward through the darkness.

Several times, Qi Liang, walking in front, nearly stepped into empty air. If Zhao Ke had not grabbed him from behind, he would probably have been half-dead from a fall by now.

"Good thing that bear didn't catch up. In this pitch-black darkness, the three of us would've been done for." After speaking, Qi Liang cautiously looked around. Only after confirming that the bear truly had not followed did he finally feel somewhat relieved.

"I wonder how the other two are doing."

The girl with glasses adjusted her frames. Her pale face showed some fatigue, but she remained alert, and she had not complained once along the way. That improved Zhao Ke's opinion of her considerably.

As for why the bear had not pursued them, Zhao Ke curled his lips into a cold smile, half his face hidden in the darkness. He did not tell them that someone else had been left behind as the bear's dinner.

After resting for a while, the three continued onward. They did not know how long they had walked when the flickering firelight before them drew nearer and nearer. Vaguely, they could make out an old-fashioned house standing alone in the wilderness.

If they listened carefully, they could also smell a rich, heavy fragrance in the air.

Gulp!

The scent wafted into his nose. After taking several deep breaths, Qi Liang's stomach began to rumble uncontrollably. He swallowed and turned to look at Zhao Ke and the girl with glasses, seemingly asking whether they should go in.

After all, an old house appearing out of nowhere in such a desolate mountain wilderness, with no village ahead and no inn behind, was enough to make anyone uneasy.

"Didn't that scar-faced man say that if we wanted to leave, we had to find clues leading out? Since we can't get out, we might as well go in and try our luck." Recalling the scar-faced man's words, the girl with glasses analyzed the situation for Zhao Ke and Qi Liang.

"You believe him? That scar-faced man?"

"I do." The girl with glasses nodded. Although what he had said was exaggerated and bizarre, she was certain the scar-faced man had not lied.

The girl with glasses rummaged through her pocket and took out a business card, handing it to Zhao Ke and Qi Liang.

Chen Jing, psychologist. Seeing the information on it, Zhao Ke and Qi Liang could not help feeling surprised. The girl with glasses looked like a college student, yet she was actually a psychologist.

Seeming to understand what Zhao Ke and Qi Liang were thinking, Chen Jing said somewhat awkwardly, "One of my patients is a student, so I need to close the distance between us when communicating with him. Dressing like this makes it easier."

"No wonder!"

Zhao Ke nodded to himself. Since waking up, the first thing he had done was observe everyone's behavior.

Chen Jing's actions had surprised Zhao Ke the most. Not only had she remained calm, but she also knew how to make use of every resource at her disposal. For example, she had hidden behind the white-collar woman, using her own plainness to highlight the other woman's beauty.

If he had been the one making the choice, he would have considered that white-collar woman first as well.

He had previously wondered how a student could think so far ahead. Now that Chen Jing had revealed her identity, Zhao Ke understood.

"Let's go in and take a look."

Zhao Ke nodded. In fact, had they not come here precisely to find a way out? If there really were clues inside, then of course they had to enter.

The mud walls were built from gray earth, with large patches of cracked plaster. Moss covered the roof tiles, making it obvious that the house had stood there for many years. In the real world, even rural areas might not have had such a dilapidated building.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

Qi Liang stepped forward and pounded on the door. The deep, heavy sound of the lock made their hearts tighten.

"Who is it?"

Before long, the three heard someone calling from inside. From the voice, it sounded like an old woman. Before Qi Liang could speak, Chen Jing pulled him away from the door, where he had pressed his face against it, then stepped forward and said through the crack, "Grandma, we're students from down the mountain. We got lost and would like to stay here for the night. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Not long after Chen Jing spoke, the door opened a small crack. A pair of eyes studied Chen Jing through the gap, then the door slowly opened.

The moment the door opened, a faint smell of blood drifted out, making Zhao Ke frown. He looked up at Qi Liang and Chen Jing.

However, neither of them seemed to notice anything unusual. Instead, they were drawn in by the smell of meat coming from inside, their stomachs rumbling uncontrollably.

The one who opened the door was an old woman with snowy white hair. She looked kindly enough, except her left eye seemed blind. The dim, lifeless eyeball made that benevolent face seem somewhat eerie.

Using her one good eye, the old woman looked at Zhao Ke and Qi Liang behind Chen Jing. A simple smile appeared on her aged face. She was especially warm toward Chen Jing, grabbing her hand as she said, "Oh, you children, why do you always like running around everywhere? Hurry inside."

As she spoke, the old woman pulled Chen Jing along and ushered Zhao Ke and Qi Liang into the room.

The room was brightly lit. Two candles sat on a square table. On the right was a bed, making it seem like this was a bedroom. The kitchen and bedroom were connected, separated only by a curtain.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhao Ke peered through a gap in the curtain and saw the Great Iron Pot. Steam billowed from it, and whatever was cooking inside gave off a powerful aroma.

"Grandma, do you live here alone?" Chen Jing looked around and asked the old woman.

"I have two useless sons too. They should be back soon. You'll have to make do tonight. I still have some bedding, so I'll trouble you to sleep on the floor. Once it's light tomorrow and my sons return, I'll have them take you out of here." The old woman spoke with a benevolent smile.

Hearing that they could leave tomorrow, Qi Liang and Chen Jing could not help showing a hint of delight.

Grrr...

Qi Liang's stomach chose that moment to rumble uncooperatively. Embarrassed, he scratched his head and asked the old woman, "Grandma, could you give us something to eat? We're starving..."

The moment Qi Liang mentioned hunger, Chen Jing's face also filled with anticipation. They had appeared here for no apparent reason. Before they had even figured out what was happening, a bear had chased them down. Then they had stumbled and scrambled through the darkness to get here. Their stomachs had long since been growling from hunger.

Ever since entering, the smell of meat in the room had nearly stolen half their souls away.

"Yes, yes, there's some ready in the pot. It's still hot." The old woman stood up as she spoke, pulled back the curtain, and entered the kitchen. Before long, she brought out two large bowls of meat chunks and a small dish of pickled vegetables.

"Smells amazing!"

Qi Liang sniffed deeply and gave her a thumbs-up. The chunks of meat in the bowl were bright red and translucent. They looked like pork, but Qi Liang had never smelled anything so fragrant.

"I'll try some first."

Qi Liang did not stand on ceremony. He truly was starving. He picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of meat, and stuffed it into his mouth. The instant it entered his mouth, it melted like jelly—fatty but not greasy, lean but not tough.

Paired with the crisp, tasty shredded pickled vegetables in the small dish, it was simply impossible to stop eating.

"Delicious!" After swallowing a mouthful, Qi Liang could not help praising the old woman.

Seeing Qi Liang eating meat in huge mouthfuls, Chen Jing swallowed. Still mindful of her image as a girl, she merely picked up her chopsticks, took a small piece, and put it into her mouth.

But after that small piece of meat entered her mouth, Chen Jing no longer cared about maintaining a ladylike image. She began stuffing mouthful after mouthful into her mouth.

"Young man, why aren't you eating?"

Watching Chen Jing and Qi Liang eat until their mouths glistened with oil, the old woman's remaining eye narrowed into a slit. Then she turned and saw that Zhao Ke had not touched his chopsticks from beginning to end, prompting her to ask.

"Yeah, it's really good! Try some..."

Qi Liang nodded repeatedly and pushed the bowl toward Zhao Ke, urging him to have a taste as well.

Zhao Ke glanced at the distinct red-and-white chunk of meat in the bowl but still did not move his chopsticks. He shook his head. "I'm not hungry."

Seeing Zhao Ke refuse, Qi Liang did not stand on ceremony. He pulled the bowl back and continued eating.

"Come, have some water. Don't just focus on eating. Young man, you should have some too." The old woman lifted a kettle, poured Zhao Ke a cup of water, and held it out before him.

Zhao Ke looked at the water in the cup and sniffed lightly, raising a brow without reaching for it.

Instead, he looked directly into the old woman's face and asked, "We had a companion earlier. He got here before us. Why haven't we seen him?"

Zhao Ke meant Li Hongbing. That man looked big and rough, like he had plenty of courage, but he ran faster than anyone else. Judging by the time, he should have arrived long ago.

"Yeah, Grandma, did you see that big guy? He's tall, has a bit of a temper, and there was a woman following him too. Have you seen them?" With his mouth stuffed full, Qi Liang turned around and asked unclearly. But he did not know that the white-collar woman he mentioned had already become their scapegoat.

Chen Jing, however, cast Zhao Ke a suspicious glance after hearing his and Qi Liang's questions.

But when the old woman heard Zhao Ke's question, her expression stiffened. She casually set the cup on the table, shook her head, and said, "I haven't seen them. Hurry and eat. Afterward, go to sleep early."

The old woman began to rise, but Zhao Ke suddenly grabbed her wrist. His slender fingers clamped around it like iron pincers. His cold eyes narrowed. "You lied!"

"You... what did you say?"

The old woman's expression changed. She waved her arm, trying to shake free of Zhao Ke's grip. Zhao Ke twisted her wrist, then pressed her head down with his other hand.

Bang!

Qi Liang and Chen Jing had not even recovered from their shock before the muffled impact startled them badly. Neither had expected Zhao Ke, who had been perfectly fine moments ago, to suddenly attack an old woman who looked to be around eighty.

"What are you doing?"

Qi Liang's expression changed as he moved to stop Zhao Ke.

"Get lost!"

At some point, Zhao Ke had produced a gleaming fruit knife and pressed it against the old woman's throat. The blade lay tight against her shriveled skin, and drops of scarlet blood slid down its edge.

Qi Liang froze, not daring to step forward again. He looked at Zhao Ke in confusion. "Are you crazy? Why are you doing this? Put the knife down!"

Zhao Ke ignored Qi Liang. He grabbed the old woman by the hair with one hand and tore down the curtain with the other. Behind it was a simple stove. Apart from the boiling pot, there were only two large vats used for pickling vegetables.

"You're crazy!"

The instant Zhao Ke reached out to tear aside the curtain, a glint flashed through Qi Liang's eyes. He rushed at Zhao Ke, trying to seize the knife. But before he could extend his hand, Zhao Ke reacted with lightning speed, as though he had been on guard against Qi Liang all along. He spun and kicked Qi Liang squarely in the chest.

Bang!

Qi Liang, standing nearly six feet tall, was caught off guard by the kick to his chest. His body lurched sideways, and one hand struck the lid of a large vat. His hand slipped, plunging his entire arm into it.

Before he could even get back on his feet, Qi Liang suddenly felt that his hand had grabbed something. He looked into the vat, and when he saw what was inside, he froze.

Hiss!!

Then a chill shot through his teeth. Inside the pitch-black pickling vat lay a corpse, its eyes staring straight at him.