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墨書 Inktalez
Lao's response surprised me. I never imagined they would worship the Giant Bat and the Blood-Eyed Monster as totems, treating them like gods. However, I didn't want to, nor did I have the right to judge the traditions of this ancient people. Perhaps their ancestors had been ruthlessly killed by the underground Monsters, leaving a shadow in their hearts. As a result, they later revered these beings as invincible protectors.
But I had not only killed their protector but also eaten its flesh, which made me feel uneasy. The problem was that I had come out on my own; it would be hard to deny it. If they pursued the matter, I would be voluntarily confessing, which meant I might not have to face severe consequences.
As I pondered these thoughts, my eyes remained fixed on Lao's face. His expression showed no signs of change, which reassured me a little; it seemed this matter wasn't as serious as I had feared.
The oven-like temperature made my head feel muddled. I really wanted to ask him what "Awakened One" meant because I thought he might be more forthcoming than Wu Bo and perhaps reveal some information. Yet, there was a nagging feeling that it was inappropriate to bring up the topic, as if two conflicting opinions were battling in my mind, leaving me indecisive.
With my head in such a state, I realized I couldn't stay any longer; I stumbled out in a daze.
The air in Hakka Village was stiflingly hot; even wearing a short-sleeved shirt didn't provide any relief. For someone like me, who grew up in the north, this environment felt like being in a sauna. However, at that moment, when I stepped out of Lao's room, it felt like entering a chilly spring day. I sensed the coolness in the air and even felt a bit cold.
I breathed in the fresh, slightly chilly air with all my might, feeling an urge to shout out in delight. At that moment, I saw someone standing at the innermost door—Xiao Ting. When she saw me, she smiled as if relieved.
I felt a surge of excitement and nodded at her as I walked over.
"It's hot in there, isn't it?" Xiao Ting teased.
I tightly pinched the hem of my shirt, squeezing out a drop of sweat between my fingers.
"It feels like hell in here," Xiao Ting mouthed, adding, 'It's not a place for humans.'
I nodded and followed Xiao Ting into the room. Looking around at the few people inside, I canceled my plan to step out for a quick shower.
Except for Fatty and A San, who had gone out to map the area, everyone else was in this room. Now I could proudly say that I was the strongest combatant among them. This meant I couldn't leave at will.
As the strongest combatant, my first priority was to ensure the safety of the injured and Xiao Ting.
In Hakka Village, water was abundant. There were several clear mountain springs from which we sourced our drinking and utility water. I wiped my face and began my routine check on Jack and Fumi's injuries. Both of their conditions had improved, especially Jack, who could now sit up.
With his bare torso exposed, he waited for me to finish checking his back wounds and then asked, "Where's Fatty? Why haven't I seen him around?"
I gestured for him to be quiet and explained that Fatty had gone out to map the area. Then I started practicing English conversation with him.
Xiao Ting overheard us and curiously ran over to join our English dialogue, asking how I thought of practicing speaking. To my surprise, Xiao Ting spoke English quite well and could converse fluently with Jack.
I shared my thoughts with them. Fatty's and Xiao Ting's experiences had already been shared with Jack, so he naturally knew there were people with hearing impairments among the Hakka People. Regarding my plan to use English to avoid being overheard by the Hakka People, they both firmly believed it was unfeasible.
The reason is simple: if the other party speaks English, our conversation would be completely exposed. It’s better to rely on lip reading and written communication, even though it’s less efficient, it offers higher confidentiality. It seems that Fatty hasn’t shared my other speculation about Hakka People with visual abnormalities with them; perhaps Fatty thinks that guess is unreliable.
Fumi’s injuries left him unable to move, requiring Buasong to take care of all his needs. I helped Jack get out of bed, and we walked around the room a couple of times. Jack stood by the window for a while before reluctantly returning to bed, unsure if he was longing for the beautiful view or for the freedom of movement.
Fatty returned earlier than the first time and seemed excited. As soon as he came back, he called me into another room.
"I found Tang Yumo."
"Oh," I said in surprise, "it seems she wasn't hiding very deep."
"That's right. Not deep but far enough," Fatty gestured with his chin towards the window. "On the other side of the mountain."
I estimated the distance to that mountain. "It is quite far. Why did she run all the way there?"
"Guess," Fatty suddenly teased.
Guessing something trivial like this? I frowned at Fatty.
"Tch, boring," Fatty complained. "She lives over there."
"Is there another settlement on that side of the mountain? Or do they live separately based on clans?" I began to understand.
I looked across the hill we were on, separated by a stretch of paddy fields, to a row of five hills lined up horizontally. According to the Hakka people's custom of building bamboo houses on the mountains, it was quite normal for the five clans of Hakka people to each occupy one hill.
"There’s no settlement; she lives there alone. On one of those hilltops. From here, I should be able to see her bamboo house," I said.
Fatty pulled a monocular telescope from his waist and handed it to me. "The middle hill has the bamboo house facing the sun; we should be able to see part of it from here."
I hesitated with the telescope in hand. "Isn't it a bit inappropriate to spy on a young lady like this?"
"Stop pretending; you won't see her bathing. This isn't a telescope; it's good enough if you can make out the outline of the bamboo house."
"Oh." My tone carried a hint of disappointment.
The sun hung low in the west, illuminating the opposite hills brightly, turning them into a sea of emerald green. I didn't lean out the window to look through the monocular telescope; perhaps I felt guilty, so I just sat at the table, gazing outside through the window.
Sure enough, amidst the greenery on the hilltop, I spotted a patch of grayish-blue tiles and the silhouette of a dark bamboo house. From my initial assessment, this bamboo house was not large—smaller than the one we were currently staying in—perhaps only two rooms. The bamboo house stood slightly taller than the surrounding trees, though not by much; its azure-tiled roof was what stood out most prominently. The first floor of the bamboo house was already obscured by the green foliage.
"Did you see Tang Yumo?" Fatty asked.
He nodded.
"Then why does she live alone on the hilltop?"
" Fatty " shook his head.
"You didn't ask her? You could hold back from asking her? Who are you trying to fool?"
A look of embarrassment appeared on " Fatty's" face.
"I couldn't ask her."
"You saw her, yet you couldn't ask her. Explain that to me; I feel like my IQ has dropped because of you."
"She's living on the mountaintop."
"I know."
"I can't get up there."
(To Be Continued...)
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