You Lied

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

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 seemed even more pitch-black. Traveling at night was difficult enough, yet the three of them still had to hurry onward through the darkness.

Several times, Qi Liang, who was walking in front, nearly stepped into thin air. If Zhao Ke had not caught 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 darkness, we'd have been in for it." After speaking, Qi Liang cautiously looked around. Only after confirming that the bear truly had not followed them did he feel more at ease.

"I wonder how the other two are doing."

The girl with glasses adjusted her frames. Her pale face looked exhausted, but she was still alert. She had not complained once along the way, which raised Zhao Ke's opinion of her considerably.

As for why the bear had not chased after them, Zhao Ke curled his lips. Half his face was concealed in darkness as he gave a cold smile. He did not tell them that someone else had been left behind to serve as the bear's dinner.

After resting for a while, the three continued onward. They had no idea how long they had walked when the flickering firelight before them drew closer and closer. Through the darkness, they could vaguely make out an old-fashioned house standing alone in the wilderness.

If they listened carefully, they could smell a rich fragrance in the air as well.

Gulp!

The scent filled his nostrils. After Qi Liang took several deep breaths, his 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, this was the middle of nowhere. An old house appearing out of nowhere in the wilderness 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 anyway, we might as well go in and try our luck." Recalling what the scar-faced man had said, 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 pulled 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 were both surprised. The girl with glasses looked like a college student, yet she was actually a psychologist.

Seemingly aware of 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 I talk to him. Dressing like this makes it easier."

"No wonder!"

Zhao Ke nodded inwardly. Ever since he had regained consciousness, 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, she also knew how to make use of every resource at her disposal. For example, she had hidden behind the white-collar woman and used her own plainness to make the other woman's beauty stand out.

If he had been the one choosing, he would have prioritized that white-collar woman too.

He had previously been puzzled by 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 huge cracks running across them. Moss covered the roof tiles, making it clear that the house had stood here for many years. In the real world, such a dilapidated building would be hard to find even in the countryside.

Bang, bang, bang...

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

"Who is it?"

Before long, the three heard a voice from inside. 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, and stepped forward. Through the crack, she said, "Grandma, we're students from the foot of 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 narrow crack. A pair of eyes examined her through the gap, then the door slowly opened.

The moment the door opened, a faint scent of blood drifted out, making Zhao Ke's brows knit together. 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 inside, their stomachs rumbling uncontrollably.

The one who opened the door was an old woman with snow-white hair. She looked kind and benevolent, except for her left eye, which seemed blind. The dull, lifeless eyeball made her otherwise kindly face look rather unsettling.

Using her remaining 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, taking her hand and saying, "Oh, you children, why do you always run around everywhere? Hurry inside."

As she spoke, the old woman tugged Chen Jing inside and called for Zhao Ke and Qi Liang to enter as well.

The room was brightly lit. Two candles stood on a square table. A bed sat to the right, making the room seem to be a bedroom. The kitchen was connected directly to it, separated only by a curtain.

Zhao Ke glanced through a gap in the curtain from the corner of his eye. He saw the Great Iron Pot, steam billowing from its opening. He could not tell what was cooking inside, but it gave off an intense 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 have some bedding, so I'll trouble you to sleep on the floor. When it gets light tomorrow and my sons return, I'll have them take you out of here," the old woman said kindly.

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

Grrrrrr...

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

At the mention of food, Chen Jing's face filled with anticipation as well. They had appeared here for no apparent reason. Before they could even figure out what had happened, they had been chased by a bear. Then they had stumbled through the darkness all the way here. After all that, their stomachs had long been growling with hunger.

From the moment they entered, the smell of meat in the room had nearly stolen half their souls away.

"Yes, yes, yes. There's some ready in the pot, and it's still hot." The old woman stood up as she spoke, drew aside the curtain, and went into the kitchen. Before long, she came out carrying two large bowls of meat and a small plate of pickled vegetables.

"It smells amazing!"

Qi Liang sniffed 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 before.

"I'll try some first."

Qi Liang did not stand on ceremony. He was truly starving. He picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of meat, and stuffed it into his mouth. The instant it touched his tongue, it melted like jelly. The fatty parts were rich without being greasy, while the lean parts were tender rather than dry.

Paired with the crisp, delicious shredded pickled vegetables on the small plate, it was utterly irresistible.

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

Watching Qi Liang dig in with large mouthfuls of meat, Chen Jing swallowed. Still mindful of her image as a girl, she merely picked up her chopsticks and placed a small piece into her mouth.

But once that small piece of meat entered her mouth, Chen Jing could no longer care about looking ladylike. She began stuffing meat into her mouth in huge bites.

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

Seeing Chen Jing and Qi Liang eating until their mouths glistened with grease, the old woman's single eye narrowed into a line. When she turned and saw that Zhao Ke had not touched his chopsticks from beginning to end, she could not help asking.

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

Qi Liang nodded repeatedly as he pushed the bowl toward Zhao Ke, signaling for him to have some too.

Zhao Ke looked at the clearly marbled piece 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 hold back. He pulled the bowl back and continued eating.

"Here, have some water. Don't just focus on eating. Young man, you should have some too." Carrying a kettle, the old woman poured Zhao Ke a cup of water and placed it before him.

Zhao Ke looked at the water in the cup and sniffed lightly, one brow rising. He did not reach out to take it.

Instead, he lifted his head and stared directly at the old woman's face. "We had a companion earlier. He arrived before us. Why haven't we seen him?"

Zhao Ke was referring to Li Hongbing. The man looked big, rough, and bold, but he had run faster than anyone else. Judging by the time, he should have arrived here long ago.

"Yes, Grandma, did you see that big guy? He was tall, had a bit of a bad temper, and there was a woman with him. Have you seen them?" With his mouth stuffed full, Qi Liang turned and asked indistinctly. However, he did not know that the white-collar woman he mentioned had already become their substitute victim.

Chen Jing, on the other hand, glanced suspiciously at Zhao Ke after hearing their questions.

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

The old woman started to rise, but Zhao Ke suddenly grabbed her wrist. His slender fingers clamped down like iron pincers, and his cold eyes narrowed. "You're lying!"

"Y-You... what did you say?"

The old woman's expression changed. She tried to shake free of Zhao Ke's grip, but Zhao Ke twisted her wrist and pressed her head down with his other hand.

Bang!

Qi Liang and Chen Jing had not even recovered from their shock when the muffled impact startled them. Neither had expected Zhao Ke, who had seemed 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 held it to the old woman's throat. The blade pressed tightly against her wrinkled skin, and drops of crimson blood ran down its edge.

Qi Liang froze and did not dare step forward again. Looking at Zhao Ke in confusion, he said, "Are you crazy? Why are you doing this? Put the knife down!"

Zhao Ke ignored Qi Liang. With one hand gripping the old woman's hair, he tore open the curtain with the other. Behind it was a simple stove. Aside from the boiling Great Iron Pot, there were only two large jars used for pickling vegetables.

"You're crazy!"

The moment Zhao Ke reached out to tear open the curtain, a glint flashed through Qi Liang's eyes. He rushed toward Zhao Ke, intending 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 around and kicked Qi Liang squarely in the chest.

Bang!

Caught off guard by Zhao Ke's kick to the chest, the six-foot-tall Qi Liang staggered sideways. One hand landed on the lid of a large water jar. His hand slipped, and his entire arm plunged into the jar.

Before he could even stand up, Qi Liang suddenly felt his hand grab onto something. He turned to look inside the jar, and when he saw what was in it, he froze.

Gasp!!

Then a chill rushed through his teeth. Inside the pitch-black pickle jar lay a corpse, its eyes staring straight at him.