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墨書 Inktalez
"Hey, you two big guys can't make it up there."
The words almost slipped out. However, at the last moment, I held back. It was a miracle that Fatty could show an embarrassed expression; it clearly indicated that this task was quite challenging for them.
"What’s going on? Is the mountain steep?"
"The top of the mountain is steep," Fatty sighed. "You know what a 'gu' is, right? It's that flat-topped rock formation."
I looked at Fatty in surprise. "There are such formations here? Of course, I know they are common in Shandong, but I've never heard of them being here."
"Hmph," Fatty seemed quite frustrated. "I'm more surprised than you. I circled around that wall-like mountain, and it was like facing a hedgehog as a wolf—there was no way to approach it. I was observing from another hill and discovered Tang Yumo hiding in the Bamboo House on the Summit. With a rope in hand, I just couldn't believe she couldn't get up there. I'm really curious about what she's doing all alone on that mountain."
I placed my Monocular Telescope on the table and pondered with my right index finger on my chin. This situation felt strange.
A young lady living alone in the Village, especially in such an inaccessible place—what was wrong with her?
Wait, this reminded me of something. What if she had some contagious disease and was isolated by the people in the Village? They might need her to rescue someone from the Underground Cavern, which is why they brought her down from the gu and then sent her back up. I couldn't think of any other explanation.
I shared my thoughts, and Fatty hesitated for a moment but quickly countered, "If she had a contagious disease, she would have already infected us down there, and the other two Hakka People would also be at risk. So even if it were a contagious disease, it wouldn't be deadly or highly infectious. In that case, would the Hakka People really need to isolate her? Moreover, from our last encounter, I noticed she holds a significantly high status among the Hakka People; they wouldn't isolate her over something like this. I don't agree with your view."
I shrugged. "Alright then, that's your perspective. I'm curious to know what explanation you have for this situation."
"Are you going to talk about Cultivation or Alchemy or something?"
"Ugh." I spat across the table. "Can you speak properly?"
"Fine. I admit I can't figure it out. That's why I want to go up and take a look."
The Fat Man nearly exploded with frustration. He had no answers of his own, yet he was quick to dismiss others. He even made up terms like Cultivation and Alchemy. It was clear he had been poisoned by those web novels; the influence was deep. Why didn't he just say she had crossed over!?
However, he did have one point worth acknowledging: digging deeper was essential, and seeing things for ourselves was the only way to uncover the truth. His earlier analysis had shaken my confidence in my own guesses; it seemed that only by witnessing it firsthand would we know what was really going on.
"Did you visit the landlord today?"
I nodded helplessly, an inexplicable sweat breaking out on my skin. I glanced at the wall separating us from Lao's room. The memory of that morning's visit still haunted me, but then I suddenly realized that the intense heat from that room hadn't seeped into ours, despite only a thin wall between us.
"That old freak. Not even a sauna could kill him," I cursed under my breath.
"So you agree with my assessment of him?"
I shrugged. "Your evaluation is just as unreliable, you know. Don't you think it's suspicious to have someone like him as our neighbor?"
"That's true, but we can't figure out their purpose for doing this. I think it's best to limit our contact with him; we don't want to get tangled up with him—who knows, he might just kick the bucket."
"Come on. Didn't you say he could outlive us? How did you suddenly decide he could die at any moment? Your opinions change way too fast."
"Don't take my words out of context; I never said it definitively. I think it's strange if nothing happens to that old guy—anything could happen. I can't see through him at all; he's definitely something else."
"Forget that old man. I've been to his room once, and that's enough. I wouldn't go back even if you paid me. Just thinking about it gives me the chills. You can't climb that high cliff, so how did Tang Yumo get up there? Stop making stuff up and speak plainly."
Fatty shot me a glare. "There’s a cage."
I pondered for a moment. "Then there must be someone up there. Did you see anyone?"
Fatty shook his head. "I observed her for quite a while and didn’t see anyone above. You're the one talking nonsense here."
"You're just too thick-headed to see it. If there's a cage, then someone must have lifted her up. Do you think there's some remote control device here?"
"Someone up there could have lifted her, and then Tang Yumo could let them down. If she wants to come down, she just has to lift that person up and lower herself. As long as there's someone up there, it works."
Although Fatty was trying to argue, his voice grew weaker, indicating he also thought this plan was unlikely.
"Lifting someone is hard work. Do you think she has endless strength like you? Is she some kind of superwoman?"
Fatty's eyes darted around, and I could tell he was scrambling for words to counter me. I knew his stubborn nature all too well, so I quickly changed the subject.
"If it's just about climbing that cliff to find Tang Yumo and clarify this matter, I'm in."
"We can't both leave at the same time. I don't trust leaving both of us unguarded; American Guy can't handle A San like that, and we have a ticking time bomb next to us," Fatty said, pointing at the neighboring room where Lao was.
"I know."
Fatty stared at me for a moment before suddenly shouting, "Damn it! That makes it even worse."
He pushed his chubby face closer, almost pressing it against mine. "You can't act alone. That's the bottom line. You know you're in trouble right now. Keeping you here is less about protecting them and more about giving you a few shields; they have to think twice before making a move on you."
I was immediately displeased. Was I really that useless? It felt like I was the one holding everyone back.
Just as we were glaring at each other like two roosters, the door swung open, and Xiao Ting rushed in, looking anxious.
"What’s going on? Why are you two arguing at a time like this? Can't we handle things calmly?"
It seemed that Fatty's voice had startled her, and I knew that this commotion would reach Lao's ears as well. I certainly didn’t want our disagreement to be overheard by the Hakka People, so I shot Fatty a fierce glare and made a shushing gesture to Xiao Ting, beckoning her to sit down.
Xiao Ting would probably be more persuasive with Fatty than I was. I quickly summarized Fatty's findings for her and explained my decision: let Fatty stay behind while I went to find Tang Yumo.
Without a moment's hesitation, Xiao Ting said, "You two should go together." (To Be Continued...)
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