Chapter 35 Inside the Bone Tower

Ruan Nanzhu noticed the dazed look on Lin Qiushi's face and asked, "Why, you won't even kiss me?"

Lin Qiushi looked helpless: "Zhu Meng, stop messing around..."

Ruan Nanzhu came over and said, "I'm not kidding. I'm serious about this."

Lin Qiushi looked him in the eyes, and after confirming that he was indeed not joking, he lowered his head, lifted his hair, and placed a serious kiss on his forehead. This kiss was not filled with lust, but rather like he was facing his unreasonable sister.

"Are you done?" Lin Qiushi asked after the kiss.

Ruan Nanzhu was silent for a moment after being kissed, then he sighed softly, but he didn't say anything else. Instead, he waved at Lin Qiushi, motioning him to come closer.

Lin Qiushi thought he was going to tell him the answer, so he lowered his head obediently. But Ruan Nanzhu pressed the back of his head, and their lips touched.

Lin Qiushi: “???”

Ruan Nanzhu tasted what he wanted and smiled contentedly, "That's right."

Lin Qiushi: "You—"

Ruan Nanzhu: "What's wrong with me?" His eyes curved. "You want to try again?"

Lin Qiushi: "Never mind, it's nothing." He finally realized that Ruan Nanzhu was deliberately teasing him. He seemed perfectly normal in the outside world, but why did he seem so different once he got inside? Lin Qiushi gave up searching for answers and sadly stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth.

What Ruan Nanzhu and Meng Yu had actually said remained a mystery, and he had no intention of deciphering it. After witnessing Lin Qiushi's fate, Cheng Qianli shamelessly asked about it. Ruan Nanzhu glared at him and said, "Why, you want to kiss me too? I'm not interested in children."

Cheng Qianli: "If you want..."

Ruan Nanzhu: "I think you are Pikachu's brother and your skin is itchy."

Cheng Qianli instantly wilted.

While they were talking, the tour guide arrived. She stood in an open area not far away and waved the small flag in her hand, calling out to everyone, "Gather, gather."

The group gradually approached the guide, who counted them and said, "We're all here, twelve of us. We can set off!"

As the number twelve came out, whispers broke out in the crowd, and those who had misunderstood the sentence finally understood its meaning.

"How can there be twelve?" someone asked in a trembling voice, "Could it be that some of us are not human?"

"That's probably it. NPCs generally don't lie, so who's the ghost hiding among us..." The clamor grew louder, suspicion spreading through the crowd like a plague. The already tense atmosphere was further strained by the guide's brief words, almost suffocating.

The thirteen of them were usually divided into teams of two or three. Now the teams that were previously teams of two began to look for new partners, wanting to ensure that they had at least two people around them.

Lin Qiushi and his group always walked together as a group of four, so it didn't have much of an impact.

"Is there really a ghost among us?" Xu Jin trembled, her face as pale as a rabbit. She swallowed her saliva and carefully shifted her gaze to Ruan Nanzhu, lingering her gaze...

"What?" Ruan Nanzhu noticed Xu Jin's gaze. He walked over to Xu Jin and said with a half-smile, "Do you think I look more like a ghost?"

Xu Jin: "No, nothing!"

Ruan Nanzhu turned to look at Lin Qiushi: "Linlin, she said I looked like a ghost."

Lin Qiushi: “…” Boss, you’re acting again, right?

Xu Jin quickly explained, "Zhu Meng, don't misunderstand me. I didn't say anything about you. It's just that you are the most beautiful among all these people..."

Ruan Nanzhu: "Oh, I see."

Xu Jin nodded quickly.

Ruan Nanzhu: "Linlin, who do you think is the most beautiful?"

Lin Qiushi was in great pain. As a normal male, he really didn't want to admit that Ruan Nanzhu, the cute girl with a big dick, was the cutest among the dozen or so people. But that was the fact. Ruan Nanzhu's pitiful and glaring look really made it difficult to control himself, so Lin Qiushi nodded in a cowardly manner.

"Thank you, Sister Xu Jin." Ruan Nanzhu smiled with satisfaction.

Xu Jin's face was filled with pain. Clearly, in her eyes, there was a high possibility that Ruan Nanzhu was a ghost. Otherwise, who would enter such a world and still have the mind to talk about love and two-timing?

Of course, she didn't dare say these words, she could only think about them silently.

The place we went to today was a group of towers.

After a long journey, everyone arrived at their destination. Because of the experience of the previous two days, everyone was in a much better state after arriving at the destination today. No one hid in the tower, but began to search for more clues.

Although he knew that there was a non-existent person in the team, Ruan Nanzhu seemed very relaxed. He walked around the tallest tower, then suddenly took out a sharp tool and started working on the bricks on the tower.

Lin Qiushi was startled by his action and asked, "What are you doing?"

Ruan Nanzhu: "I want to see if there is anything inside the tower."

Lin Qiushi: "Things?"

Ruan Nanzhu turned his head and asked, "Didn't you say you heard someone scratching the wall inside?"

Lin Qiushi: "What if it's just my illusion..."

Ruan Nanzhu said calmly, "It's okay. I trust your ears more than you do."

Lin Qiushi: “…”

Ruan Nanzhu was knocking on the wall with his head down, while Xu Jin beside him carefully tugged at Lin Qiushi's clothes: "I want to go to the bathroom, can you come with me?"

Lin Qiushi was stunned: "Me?"

Xu Jin nodded.

Lin Qiushi: "I... don't think it's appropriate. How about I let Zhu Meng accompany you..."

He had only said half of his words when he saw Xu Jin shaking her head frantically. She glanced at Zhu Meng cautiously and deliberately lowered her voice: "Brother Lin Lin, I have something to tell you."

Seeing her expression, Lin Qiushi hesitated for a moment: "Is there something you can't say here?"

Xu Jin's voice was barely audible: "Don't you think... Zhu Meng is particularly... unlike a human?"

Lin Qiushi: “…”

Xu Jin: "No matter her looks or personality, there's no girl as brave as her..."

Lin Qiushi agreed with this. There was no girl like Zhu Meng. So she was not actually her, but him.

Xu Jin: "Don't you think so?"

Lin Qiushi looked embarrassed. In fact, he could understand Xu Jin to some extent, because Ruan Nanzhu was indeed very suspicious, but they had known each other for so long. Ruan Nanzhu and Cheng Qianli were the only two people in the team whose identities he could confirm.

"I... don't think so." Lin Qiushi could only give Xu Jin this answer. "Although he's suspicious, he's indeed trying to keep us alive. If he's a ghost, what's his purpose?"

Xu Jin looked a bit embarrassed upon hearing this. Her lips moved, but she didn't say anything. However, judging by her unwilling expression, she was clearly still insisting on her answer. Lin Qiushi had no choice but to whisper a few more words to comfort her.

While they were talking, Ruan Nanzhu had also achieved some results. He actually knocked off a brick on the side of the tower, revealing the core inside.

Cheng Qianli had been watching from the side. When Ruan Nanzhu knocked down the wall tiles, he took a breath and cursed.

"What's wrong?" Lin Qiushi heard the voice and took a few steps towards Cheng Qianli. He also saw what Ruan Nanzhu took out from the wall.

I saw that in the cement behind the wall tiles, there were densely packed human skeletons. These skeletons were piled up one on top of the other, and at least three or four people's bones could be seen in a small space.

"Hmm..." Ruan Nanzhu was not surprised by this scene. "I said there must be something in the wall."

Lin Qiushi remembered the scratching sound he heard in the wall and his face turned pale.

Xu Jin hid behind the scenes trembling and crying out of fear.

"Okay, now we know what's inside the tower." Ruan Nanzhu stood up and dusted off his hands. "What were you two talking about just now?"

"Nothing." Lin Qiushi glanced at Xu Jin. "It's just a small matter."

"Oh, it's just a small matter." Ruan Nanzhu glanced at Xu Jin thoughtfully, then stood up and walked to her side, reaching out to press Xu Jin's back. "Xu Jin, what are you afraid of?"

Xu Jin was shaking like a sieve.

"Are you afraid of me?" Ruan Nanzhu had a subtle smile on his face. This smile was hard to describe in words. Although it was not ugly, it was really the kind of expression that would give children nightmares. "What's there to be afraid of about me?" Xu Jin just shook his head and didn't dare to speak at all.

Lin Qiushi didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Stop teasing her."

Ruan Nanzhu spread his hands, pretending to be helpless, "Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore." He stood up and went to the side of the tower to continue studying the bones.

Xu Jin finally calmed down. She glanced at Ruan Nanzhu quietly and wiped away her tears with a wronged look.

Lin Qiushi: "..." Is Ruan Nanzhu so scary that he scared the little girl like this?

"This tower uses the bones of at least a thousand people," Ruan Nanzhu said. "If that person's sister's remains are in here..."

"How can we create it?" Cheng Qianli stared at the densely packed corpses. "Even if we all die, we won't be able to find this person."

"Yes." Ruan Nanzhu, "So there is another way."

Cheng Qianli scratched his head: "What method?"

Ruan Nanzhu's eyes flickered, and Cheng Qianli's back tensed. As expected, he stretched out his hand to Cheng Qianli: "Where is the bone flute you secretly picked up yesterday?"

Cheng Qianli: "Fuck! You don't want to!"

Ruan Nanzhu: “Yeah.”

Cheng Qianli's expression was instantly filled with fear. He said, "Are you really going to do this? That's a human leg bone, and there's no certainty what effect it will have..."

"That's why we have to try it because it's not certain." Ruan Nanzhu said, "Give it to me."

Cheng Qianli silently took out the bone flute from his pocket and handed it to Ruan Nanzhu.

Ruan Nanzhu held the flute and observed it carefully, then naturally put the flute to his lips, opened his mouth and exhaled, and the sound of the flute came out of his mouth.

He was playing the tune of Ajie's drum, which was melodious and graceful, but inexplicably carried a strange sense of sadness.

"Crack..." A faint noise emanated from Lin Qiushi's side. He froze for a moment, realizing the source of the sound was the tower beside him. The sound of someone scratching at the wall grew increasingly noticeable. Initially, only he could hear it, but then Cheng Qianli and Xu Jin also picked up on it, their expressions changing.

"Zhu Meng, stop blowing, something seems to have happened." Lin Qiushi stopped Ruan Nanzhu.

Ruan Nanzhu stopped and looked towards the top of the tower, only to see that the circle hanging there suddenly began to tremble slightly...

"Let's move away, this tower looks like it's about to collapse!" Ruan Nanzhu said this and turned away.

Lin Qiushi and the others followed closely behind Ruan Nanzhu.

Others also noticed the abnormality here and began to disperse to the side. Not long after everyone dispersed, the tower made a loud noise and collapsed to the ground, revealing countless corpses inside.

However, what suffocated everyone was that the corpses began to slowly wriggle. At first the movements were very slow, and then the speed began to increase. The corpses groaned and climbed on each other, eventually forming a tall tower - but this tower was made of bones.

Everyone who saw this scene was stunned, not only in shock, but also in deep fear.

The drumbeats from somewhere began to sound again, and a young girl's voice followed the drumbeats and sang along: "Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum..."

This is more like chanting scriptures than singing.

"We're not going into that tower, are we?" Xu Jin choked.

"It seems so." Ruan Nanzhu put down the bone flute and gently stroked it with his fingers. His expression was a little complicated, as if he remembered the background of the ballad.

The younger sister, who loved her sister deeply, chased her sister's footsteps like crazy. It was not until she heard the scriptures that she realized that the person she was chasing had become the drum in her arms. When she learned the truth, how did the younger sister accept this cruel truth?

"Let's go." Lin Qiushi was unexpectedly calm.

"I won't go, I won't go." Xu Jin seemed to be extremely scared and kept crying, "I don't want to go..."

As she spoke, she staggered and ran out, falling awkwardly as she ran, and even the bag she was carrying fell to the ground without her picking it up.

"Xu Jin—" Lin Qiushi was about to step forward to chase after her, but was stopped by Ruan Nanzhu. He said, "If she doesn't want to go, forget it. There's no need to force her. As long as the door is open, anyone can come in."

Lin Qiushi sighed.

Cheng Qianli walked to the front and picked up the bag that Xu Jin had dropped. He said, "It's so light... Didn't she put two bottles of water in it? How could I not feel it?" When they came out, they would prepare lunch for outside. Cheng Qianli saw with his own eyes that Xu Jin stuffed both bottles of water into the bag. They had not been separated since they got here. Cheng Qianli remembered that he had not seen Xu Jin drink water.

"Open it and take a look." Ruan Nanzhu suddenly said.

"Is it okay to open it like this?" Cheng Qianli was a little embarrassed. "After all, it's her personal belongings."

Ruan Nanzhu: "You're almost dead, and you still talk about privacy?"

That was indeed the case. Cheng Qianli reached out and opened Xu Jin's bag. Xu Jin's bag was a milky white backpack that seemed to be made of sheepskin and was very ordinary. She had been carrying it since she arrived here, occasionally putting some food and daily necessities in it.

After Cheng Qianli opened Xu Jin's bag, he saw that it was empty. There was nothing inside. He was stunned for a moment: "Nothing..."

Ruan Nanzhu: "Let me see it." He took the bag, checked it carefully, and found an old piece of paper in the interlayer of the bag.

"What is this?" Cheng Qianli was stunned when he saw the paper, "This is..."

"Isn't this the diary we saw on the top of the tower?" Lin Qiushi immediately remembered. "Nanzhu, do you remember when you were flipping through that diary and found a page torn out?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Cheng Qianli also had a sudden inspiration, "I remember now, it's the notebook that Ruan Nanzhu took away!"

Ruan Nanzhu listened to the conversation between the two and unfolded the folded paper.

There was a painting printed on the paper. It showed a pair of twins holding hands. They were wearing long dresses, their tender faces adorned with contented smiles. The painting wasn't particularly remarkable, but after a closer look, Lin Qiushi realized that the two girls in the portrait looked exactly like Xu Jin.

Because of this, Lin Qiushi felt a chill running down his back and up his forehead. "When did she... tear down this portrait?"

"I don't know." Cheng Qianli's tone was also dry. He said, "She certainly didn't go to the top floor with us at that time."

At this moment, Lin Qiushi recalled a detail. When he was at the top floor, he saw an illusion in which Xu Jin walked up to the drum and struck the first blow.

Strange things he hadn't noticed before also flooded into his mind. Xu Jin, a newcomer to this world, was acting too well. Although he kept saying he was afraid, he never did anything wrong. Sometimes, Lin Qiushi even forgot he had such a person around him.

"So... she's not actually human?" Cheng Qianli swallowed.

Ruan Nanzhu: "It seems so."

"What if she finds out that we discovered she is not human?" Lin Qiushi looked at the paper.

Ruan Nanzhu folded the papers and put them back in his bag. "This matter is quite complicated and involves many different scenarios. I'll explain the details later." He looked up at the bone tower in front of him. "It's getting dark. Let's go in and take a look."

"Yeah." Lin Qiushi nodded.

As they walked inside, they saw Meng Yu standing at the door. He was alone, with a smile on his face. When he saw them coming, he greeted them: "You're here."

"Do you want to go in together?" Ruan Nanzhu asked.

Meng Yu: "Yes, the key should be inside. I'm always a little worried about letting others go." He said the words nonchalantly, which were almost contemptuous, but it did not seem abrupt because of the powerful aura on his body.

Ruan Nanzhu laughed when he heard this: "Then we won't go. Please ask Mr. Li Dongyuan to bring the key out."

Meng Yu's expression changed slightly when he heard this: "How do you know my name——"

Ruan Nanzhu: "What's there to not know?" He raised his chin slightly, his expression cold and full of sarcasm. "Everyone knows that Bai Lu has taken on a big order. I'm afraid the only one who can take charge of it is you, Mr. Dongyuan."

Li Dongyuan listened to Ruan Nanzhu's words, his eyes filled with intense interest. He looked Ruan Nanzhu up and down and said, "I've never heard of a girl like you before. You're really interesting. When I get out, I'll definitely have a good chat with you." He smiled and said, "After all, such an interesting girl is really rare."

After hearing this, Lin Qiushi thought to himself, yes, it is indeed very interesting... Who has ever seen a girl with a thicker penis than mine?

After Li Dongyuan finished speaking, he actually turned around and went into the tower alone.

Seeing this, Lin Qiushi was surprised and asked, "Is he okay alone?"

Ruan Nanzhu seemed quite indifferent. He said, "It would be best if he could come out. If he can't, we won't lose anything. Let's just wait."

So the three of them waited outside the tower and discussed Xu Jin's matter.

Unsure whether Xu Jin would return, and what expressions should be used towards her when she did, Lin Qiushi subtly reminded Ruan Nanzhu not to tease her. Ruan Nanzhu righteously refused, stating that if he didn't tease her now, he would have to wait until Xu Jin revealed her true identity. Wouldn't that mean he couldn't tease her even more? It was a bad deal.

Lin Qiushi: "...Is it really that fun to tease a little girl?"

Ruan Nanzhu: "Actually, teasing you makes me happier."

Lin Qiushi: “…”

It was getting dark, but Li Dongyuan still hadn't come out.

Lin Qiushi should have been worried, but seeing Ruan Nanzhu's calm demeanor, he strangely calmed down.

Just five minutes before the agreed time between them and the tour guide, strange noises were finally heard from inside the bone tower.

Crunch... Like the sound of bones breaking, the entire tall bone tower began to fall apart, and bones scattered from the side.

A black figure appeared at the entrance. Lin Qiushi looked closely and found that it was Li Dongyuan.

But the most attractive thing was not Li Dongyuan, but the beautiful bronze key in Li Dongyuan's hand.

The key appeared, and Lin Qiushi felt relieved.

Li Dongyuan walked up to them with the key and handed it to them: "The rest is up to you, Miss Zhu."

Ruan Nanzhu smiled brightly and took the key in his hand: "Happy cooperation."

"It's a pleasure to work with you," said Li Dongyuan.

Lin Qiushi didn't expect him to hand over the key so easily and was a little surprised. Cheng Qianli seemed very calm, as if this kind of thing was very common.

When the appointed time came, the tour guide appeared in front of everyone on time, waving a small flag and urging everyone to leave. At the same time, the sky began to darken.

Lin Qiushi saw Xu Jin who had just run away crying. Cheng Qianli handed the bag to her, and she took it naturally, as if she had no idea what was in the bag.

"Did you really enter the tower?" Xu Jin asked quietly, "Did you find your sister's body?"

"No." Ruan Nanzhu replied, "We didn't find anything."

"Oh." Xu Jin responded with a sense of loss. She seemed to have something to say, but when the words came to her lips, she swallowed them back.

Under normal circumstances, Cheng Qianli would definitely ask her what she wanted to say, but after knowing that Xu Jin was not human, he always felt a sense of distance from her and was afraid of asking questions that he shouldn't ask.

So everyone was silent all the way until they arrived at their residence.

The tour guide explained the next day's schedule and left as usual. Everyone gathered for a simple dinner, during which Lin Qiushi noticed Xu Jin's eyes constantly glancing towards Ruan Nanzhu's pocket.

There was only one special thing in Ruan Nanzhu's pocket, which was a bone flute made from his sister's leg bones.

Xu Jin seemed to have developed a strong interest in this thing.