Love On The Turquoise Land[ 枭起青壤_尾鱼 ]

Chapter 5

Late at night, in the quiet darkness, Nie Jiuluo was cleaning the statue of the demon woman in the dilapidated temple. Despite being alive, the clay form sensed her vitality and gradually came to life, making facial expressions, but she remained completely oblivious.

His car, for some reason, wouldn't start. Getting out to inspect, he found the car tires entangled with corn straw. Desperately tearing it off, the straw seemed to grow wildly, entwining around his body and poking into his nostrils.

Ignoring the woman being dragged into the straw field, he drove urgently onto the county road. Suddenly, cracking sounds echoed all around, and on the asphalt county road, straw grew abundantly. In the midst of the straw forest, ghostly figures floated, displaying the woman's face, sometimes in agony and sometimes with a sinister smile.

***

At 9 a.m., Sun Zhou, with dark circles under his eyes, drove Nie Jiuluo once again to Xingbazi Township. This time, they took the correct route, arriving at the broken temple's entrance shortly after 10 a.m.

As Nie Jiuluo entered the temple, everything fell eerily silent. Sun Zhou waited outside, scrolling through social media, watching short videos, sunbathing, and even climbed onto the car roof to gaze into the distance. Throughout the morning, only a motorcyclist passed by from a distance, the engine roaring. Three burly men, overloaded and sitting one behind the other, formed a moving human mountain.

Around noon, under the scorching sun, Sun Zhou's focus unintentionally stuck to the dense straw fields nearby. The woman who was dragged into the straw, was she abandoned nearby, or was she taken away and disposed of?

Perhaps he had overthought or imagined too much: there might not be a gruesome crime; it could be a simple domestic dispute, just a beating. Sun Zhou shifted his gaze away, resumed chewing his bread, but involuntarily, his eyes drifted back.

A voice in his head urged him: Go and see, take a look, you'll know.

***

Nie Jiuluo spent the entire morning cleaning out three clay sculptures, and the marks of time and era were evident on these sculptures: missing heads and limbs, numerous scorch marks, severe erosion in some areas revealing the inner straw framework.

Yet, they were still beautiful.

In the modern era with advanced technology and information sharing, talents, no matter how remote, wouldn't be buried as long as they could showcase themselves on a platform. However, in old China, geniuses in mountain valleys might spend their entire lives there. Even the most extraordinary works would only end up being displayed around the village, considered by villagers as worthless curiosities incapable of earning money for a living.

She felt that sculpting these clay figures required great skill.

When great hands encountered each other, it was inevitable to feel a sense of connection and admiration. Nie Jiuluo took many photos and carefully studied the techniques and lines until her hunger and urgent need to use the restroom became unbearable, prompting her to leave the dilapidated temple.

Sun Zhou was nowhere to be found. The surrounding straw fields acted as a natural barrier, but after some hesitation, Nie Jiuluo abandoned the idea of outdoor convenience.

Hurrying towards the east, as she emerged from the cornfield, she noticed an off-road vehicle parked by the side of the road. It was newer and larger than Sun Zhou's car, equipped with a crash protection frame at the front headlights. The pure white body was robustly simple with rigid lines and no decorative elements.

In such a remote place, it seemed unlikely for outsiders to visit. Nie Jiuluo's curiosity got the better of her, and she approached the car window.

No one was inside the car, but a safety charm was hanging in the front. It was a vehicle ornament with five emperor coins. Seeing it, Nie Jiuluo realized her mistake and was about to leave when she suddenly noticed a duck.

A yellow plush duck toy sat upright on the passenger seat, with a flat beak, neat webbed feet, looking straight ahead with a blank expression, and even wearing a seatbelt.

Oh my, a duck.

Nie Jiuluo burst into laughter, quickly covering her stomach to prevent laughter-induced accidents.

On the way to the public restroom, she still chuckled from time to time.

To be honest, both the interior and exterior decorations of the car were quite sophisticated. Only that obeying the rules of safe driving duck looked out of place. She guessed the person driving either had a child or a heart that refused to grow up.

Back at the broken temple, Sun Zhou was still absent. Perhaps he went out conveniently. Nie Jiuluo opened the car door to grab something to eat. At noon, the surroundings were quiet, occasionally interrupted by the chirping of birds. The sun had a circular halo in the sky. Nie Jiuluo squinted, extending her hand into the center of the halo.

The halo around the sun could indicate rain tonight.

After finishing a simple meal, Sun Zhou still hadn't returned.

Nie Jiuluo found it a bit strange. The security around this area wasn't great, and Sun Zhou, considering her safety, always stayed nearby. Even when in urgent need, he would quickly go and come back. Besides, it had been quite a while; even if he fell into a pit, he should have climbed out and cleaned up by now.

Sun Zhou's phone was left on the driver's seat, and calling him didn't seem like a viable option. Nie Jiuluo cupped her hands around her mouth and tentatively shouted, "Sun Zhou?"

Her voice dispersed, receiving no response. She tried walking a bit farther, calling, "Sun Zhou?"

She ventured into the straw field. These straws were indeed obstructive, not only blocking the line of sight but also occasionally snagging clothes. Many straws had been cut by villagers for firewood, leaving only short stubs. She wore sturdy low boots and made her way through, producing crackling sounds with each step.

After a while, she stopped and crouched down to examine the ground. In a certain patch of soil, there were several reddish-brown spots, resembling dried blood. When she touched it, it was already dry.

Nie Jiuluo laughed at herself for being overly suspicious. If it was left by Sun Zhou, it wouldn't dry this fast. Moreover, this was a rural area, and villagers often slaughtered chickens and geese in the fields. Most likely, this was chicken or goose blood.

She looked around and noticed another anomaly: not far away, the straws were leaning in one direction, as if something heavy had been dragged along a path.

Nie Jiuluo stood up, intending to investigate, when she heard hurried footsteps behind her. She turned to see someone stumbling towards her, their figure obscured by the dense straws. The steps were quick and heavy, mixed with the sound of straws breaking, rapidly approaching.

Judging by the sound, the direction was coming straight towards her. Nie Jiuluo instinctively took a couple of steps back, almost simultaneously, a disheveled man with blood stains on his face and clothes emerged from the straw thicket.