Kaleidoscope of Death

Chapter 95: Back to Reality

Under the oil-paper umbrella, all rainwater was perfectly partitioned. Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu, walking in the rain, were as if wrapped within a ward. Not a single drop could drift onto them.

The path to the shrine was long. The two strolled along, unhurried.

This was Lin Qiushi's first time leaving the courtyard on a rainy day. The entire town was enveloped in the shower. Townsfolk who could sometimes be glimpsed were without a trace, and the whole street was empty, devoid of even people with umbrellas. Lin Qiushi guessed that perhaps in the entire town, there was only the single umbrella in his hand. After all, other umbrellas could not guarantee protection from every single raindrop.

They arrived at the bamboo grove, and began winding up the small path. Leaves around them rattled with the pummel of rain. When a gust of wind blew by, the leaves would rustle brightly.

Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Qiushi traded a couple of words here and there, but neither spoke much. They were both contemplating the matter of the shrine. There was also he who'd gone with Lin Xingping to the shrine yesterday, but did not return today—Cue Xueyi.

Lin Qiushi was actually a bit curious about what happened to Cue Xueyi in the shrine. Judging from Lin Xingping's reaction, it was bound to be nothing good.

The rain continued on, as if it was never going to stop.

Lin Qiushi thought they'd walk until noon before reaching the shrine, but under the oil-paper, they saw the shrine at the end of the road just a couple of hours later.

In the rain, the shrine seemed even more shrouded in mystery than before.

What had once been a dilapidated building had taken on an obvious change—it was no longer broken down.

"We're here." Ruan Nanzhu's steps stopped. He did not rush over, but observed first from the side.

"Mh," Lin Qiushi said. "It's changed a lot, it seems."

"Yes," Ruan Nanzhu said. "All the broken bits have been fixed up." This was likely how the shrine looked in its heyday: the incense altar before it was brimming with burning light, the tables beside it filled with all sorts of offerings. Clearly, a lot of people came to pray here.

Lin Qiushi's gaze fell on that well. He carefully approached, but didn't get too close, just observing from a distance.

He saw that what had been a dried-up ancient well was now teeming with translucent water, the crystalline surface struck into ripples by raindrops. Lin Qiushi stared at this well, thinking of the skeletons that had once been inside. He wondered if they were still in the water.

Just as he thought this, the well water, which had only been rippling, suddenly began to violently froth. As if it was boiling over, the water glugged and glugged, like something was surging out of it.

The sight of this sent Lin Qiushi unconsciously stepping back. The next moment, he saw reaching out of the water countless pairs of white skeletal hands. They looked like they wanted to grab the edge of the well and haul themselves out.

This well was not deep; climbing out ought to be easy. But those skeletons, when they grabbed onto the mouth, all had their fingers pried loose one at a time by some invisible power, forcing them to slip back into the water once more.

So the water kept churning, looking like the proverbial frying pan of hell.

"Let's go in first." Ruan Nanzhu pointed inside the shrine.

"Okay." Lin Qiushi pulled his gaze from the mouth of the well, and went with Ruan Nanzhu to the door.

They closed the umbrella, once again wiping it dry with a towel they'd brought. With it in hand, they pushed open the shrine doors, and walked on inside.