"I am coming"

Suddenly pushed behind the man, Wen Dai's view was blocked. Listening to their back-and-forth exchange, she quickly gathered her words and pushed aside Yongza's arm that was blocking her. She moved to his side, calmly meeting the village chief's triangular eyes, and raised the corners of her mouth slightly: "What's all the fuss about? What's there to argue about?"

“Uncle Village Chief, your behavior of listening to slander is really unacceptable. I’ve never encountered this situation in my hometown. How can you not teach a lesson to someone who trespasses on your property, but instead question us, the victims who have been smeared? I just don’t like having the curtains open. I think keeping the curtains closed makes the emotions between people more genuine. I admit that I called them ‘Father’ and ‘Mother’ because they told me that their daughter had passed away. I said that I would be their daughter from now on. What’s wrong with that?” Wen Dai turned her gaze to the lackey who was sidling up to the village chief. She took two steps closer, her once amorous peach blossom eyes now sharp and piercing.

Her questioning was relentless: "Do you have a daughter? I guess not. But you must have a mother, right? Didn't you cry when your mother died? Did you cry when you mentioned your mother's death?"

Speechless after being bombarded with Wen Dai's barrage of questions, the man moved his lips, then sheepishly pulled his head back, muttering to himself, "How can you be so rude, girl..."

"Do you have any manners? If you have any manners, why did you sneak into someone's house without saying a word? Not only did you spy on what they were doing, but you also eavesdropped at the door. I can't believe you said that. If my dad found out about someone like you in Lizhou, you—" She suddenly fell silent, her raised hand pointing at the man hovering in mid-air before slowly retracting it; her pursed lips and the light in her eyes seemed to indicate that she regretted her momentary slip of the tongue.

The village chief rubbed the stick in his hand a couple of times, the ruthlessness in his triangular eyes gradually receding. Then he laughed loudly, handed the stick to the man beside him, clasped his hands and said, "Alright, alright, I misunderstood you this time, I'm really sorry. Wen Dai, I like your personality, just like our mountain girls, straightforward! Today, your uncle apologizes to you, let's just put this unpleasant matter behind us."

He then turned his gaze to Dolan and Zhagang, who were still in the cubicle. The woman was still unable to shake off her grief, ignoring the argument at the door; while Zhagang had his head down, the white light rushing in from outside shining on him as if it were shining on a straw doll.

The village chief frowned, the displeasure in his eyes fleeting. He raised his hoarse voice and said, "Dolan, Zhagang! You two are the same. Wen Dai came to our Kamu Village for a visit, why do you have to tell her unpleasant things? I've told you before, let bygones be bygones. If you keep dwelling on it, you'll not only make yourself sick." He should have said something more, but he didn't. His triangular eyes seemed to reflect a cold, sharp light.

Wen Dai wholeheartedly played the role of a spoiled and innocent young lady. She raised her arms and waved them nonchalantly a couple of times. "It's nothing. I actually hope they can tell me their worries. That's what makes us a family. Alright, alright, let's just put this behind us. Everyone, go home. It's tiring for us all to stand here like this. Anyway, I'm going to rest."

She grabbed Yongza's arm and squeezed through the gap with him, then turned a corner and headed towards the stairs. Thoughts slowly welled up in her eyes, which were clouded by drooping eyelids.

In this village of Kamu, it's true that walls have ears; although there are no surveillance cameras, eyes are everywhere.

-

The town's government office was just a low bungalow, with only its signboard standing out, shining brightly in the dark night.

“I am a lawyer, and I haven’t returned the contents of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law yet. My friend has been out of contact for almost a day; she had emphasized to me beforehand that if she didn’t reply to my messages for more than half a day, I should bring the case officers to look for her. It was the villagers of Kamu Village who first sought help from us online. Of course, they have their own reasons for not reporting the case. As for what those reasons are, I personally think it’s not worth wasting time explaining them, after all, I am not one of them.”

Upon arriving, Chen Sizhe found a small hotel in town and dropped off his luggage. He didn't delay until the next morning, and under the cover of night, he briefly explained the situation to the investigator. He provided his chat history with Wen Dai and talked until his throat was dry before finally persuading the investigator.

The duty clerk stood up from his chair, picked up the phone, and seemed ready to call someone and Chen Sizhe to come over immediately.

A hand reached out to stop the investigator who was about to make a phone call. Chen Sizhe suppressed his worries and calmly said, "Wait a moment. The navigation system can't pinpoint the location of Kamu Village. My friend found someone to guide her beforehand, and it's mentioned in the chat history. It's too late now, and I estimate that the guide is probably not here. Let's set off tomorrow morning."

The investigator withdrew his hand from the phone, opened his eyes, looked at Chen Sizhe, and suddenly chuckled, saying, "You're from a big city, aren't you? You're quite shrewd. You and your friend work like detectives. Your friend is very meticulous and clever. But, in the future, if you encounter something like this, it's best to inform us investigators in advance. It's not safe to put yourself in danger. Especially this village you mentioned, Kamu Village, I've only heard of it—it's notoriously remote."

However, it was too late to say anything more now. Chen Sizhe had traveled from Lizhou to Puleti by plane and then taxi. His exhausted body could no longer afford to stay and chat with the investigator. He pinched the bridge of his nose, gave a perfunctory reply, and then made an appointment with the investigator to go to the market together early the next morning to find the guide. Only after making the arrangements did he leave.

Hotels in small towns are essentially guesthouses, consisting of several floors set aside in self-built houses.

There were still some stains on the pure white sheets that hadn't been cleaned off. Chen Sizhe, who was obsessed with cleanliness, finally slept fully clothed. His physical exhaustion made him fall asleep as soon as his eyelids closed, but his anxious heart made him switch between bizarre and fantastical dreams.

In a daze, the dream that had occurred to him when he was thirteen years old resurfaced once again.

The world was a scene of utter misery, filled with the smoke of war, dust everywhere, and defeat seemed inevitable. The fierce clash of swords and spears resounded, a crisp "ping-pong" sound.

The pain in his abdomen was unbearable. Holding his spear, his only thought in his dream was to fight to the death. He deflected the flying arrows, but some always slipped through and pierced his flesh.

He refused to fall, even as his consciousness waned. He fought the enemy with his sword, and in that moment of confusion, he heard that call in his ear—

"Chen Sizhe!"

She vaguely knew who the person was, only she could call her own name. But all she knew was a blurry figure.

Another arrow pierced his back. He gripped his spear, struggling to stay upright on the ground. A slender figure leaped to his side, a sword in her hand—he had no idea where she'd gotten it from. In his memory, she should be sitting in her tent, strategizing, but now she held a long sword.

She wounded the enemy soldier who was about to stab him with a long spear, then rushed over and hugged him tightly, their faces pressed together, her trembling voice murmuring, "In life and in death, we made a vow."

The rain of arrows finally fell, binding her and him together with each thin arrow. He quickly closed his eyes, and heard—

"I love you."

He used his last bit of strength in his throat and retaliated—

"Me too."

...

The gloomy sky was enough to make anyone feel uneasy.

The sky, which had been clear for seven days since the case was initiated, seemed to finally be about to bring rain. Some were happy, while others were sad. The Dolan family and Wen Dai were among those who were sad.

The edges of the rolling clouds were stained with ink. Wen Dai, who was standing in the courtyard looking up at the sky, sighed several times. She paced back and forth, hoping that Chen Sizhe would arrive with the investigators as soon as possible. Otherwise, the rain would wash away the evidence that she had been guarding for several days and ruin everything.

The immortal who had ignored her for several days casually tossed a comforting word into her mind: "Don't think about it anymore, your partner is already on his way, on the way to the village, with the investigator."

The only consolation was a lecture: "I really don't know when you'll change this bad habit of yours. After all these years, what's wrong with telling us if you have any difficulties? You only talk to us sometimes and not at all. If you call us and we don't respond, then just keep calling us."

Wen Dai, who had squatted down at the gate of the courtyard, picked up a stone from the ground and tapped it on the ground, muttering as she went out: "Why do you keep calling? It's rude to keep knocking on a door that doesn't answer. If you ignore me, it means you don't want to talk to me, right? And sometimes I feel bad about troubling you. For example, about my phone being smashed, I know I can ask you to go to Chen Sizhe to pass on a message; but Chen Sizhe still hasn't told me whether he's a Taoist priest or a civil official. What if you go to him and get hurt by his golden light?"

The voice in her heart vanished without a trace, and Wen Dai sighed helplessly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a string of ants moving house, and her heart sank. Anxiety spread, and she suddenly stood up.

Unable to bear the feeling of placing her hopes on others, Wen Dai went to the small kitchen and found Duo Lan and the others who were absentmindedly busy. Her eyes were firm. "It looks like it's going to rain. Let's not hide anything anymore. My partner is already on his way with the investigators. Do you have any of those small boxes? Yongzha and I will go over there and guard them. I'll use the boxes to cover the evidence and keep it from the rain. It's better than nothing."

The family immediately sprang into action. Dolan rummaged through a shoebox, while Yongzha and Wendai, carrying umbrellas, headed towards the rice paddies.

Because they had to leave the village to get to the rice fields, they were bound to be subjected to both overt and covert stares and inquiries on the way to the village entrance, but Wen Dai still chose to take the overt route.

The villagers, who were standing outside their own yards, cracking sunflower seeds and chatting with passersby, all stared at Wen Dai and Yong Zha at the same time. "Where are you going with your girlfriend, Yong?"

“I asked him to take me to see the rice paddies. I’ve never been to the countryside before, and I’ve never seen rice in its natural state. I’ve only ever seen cooked rice, so I was curious. Then I wanted to break off some to make specimens, so I specifically asked for a box.” Wen Dai held up the shoebox in her hand and waved it around. Her unpretentious manner lowered the group’s guard, and coupled with her innocent and naive expression, it solidified her image in their minds.

"Oh!" Several villagers exchanged glances and whispered in their dialect, "She really is a young lady, doesn't she know how important food is? Yongzha has been bewitched, following her around like this."

"Why do you care about others? Yongzha might just fly out of our mountains."

"..."

Wen Dai and Yong Zha paid no attention to the speculations and gossip of the people behind them. They strode out of the village, and when they reached the bend, they heard the sound of a motorcycle approaching from afar.

Subconsciously turning her head, she saw a group of motorcycles, with the woman at the head of the group exuding an air of sophistication. Sitting on the back of her was the fruit seller whom Wen Dai had entrusted with guiding her at the small market at the foot of the mountain three days ago. Her foot, which was about to turn into the rice paddy on the other side, suddenly stopped.

The woman clearly recognized her as well, waving her arm and beckoning to her. The woman carrying the woman stopped her motorcycle to the side, and the group of people following behind did the same.

Wen Dai turned her gaze and her eyes locked onto one of the men.

Her former vibrancy was gone; Chen Sizhe's clothes, trousers, and shoes were completely ruined, just like the day she first arrived in Kamu Village, when they were covered in mud.

The first to run over was the fruit-selling woman. She excitedly trotted up to Wen Dai, looked her up and down, and patted her chest, saying, "You scared me to death! You have no idea how worried I was when I told my sister-in-law what happened. I only realized then that this village of Kamu was a place where people would eat you. I even considered coming directly to find you with my sister-in-law; but then I remembered what you said. Luckily, you're alright!"

Wen Dai: "Oh, thank you for your trouble. I'm fine, thank you so much this time."

Chen Sizhe strode forward, glanced at Yongzha standing beside Wen Dai, and then fixed his gaze on Wen Dai's face. He must have exerted a lot of effort, as he was still panting slightly, and his deep voice calmed Wen Dai's heart, which had just settled down: "I'm here."

There were only three words. Wen Dai looked up and met his gaze.

In the dim light, she inexplicably found stars in his eyes.

Her eyes inexplicably welled up with tears, and she exhaled the pent-up frustration in her throat. She looked away and said, "Luckily you came quickly enough, otherwise I would have been too far away to help, and all our efforts would have been in vain. It's going to rain, and I was just about to go to the rice paddy to protect the evidence that Nado left behind." She used a tone that was disguised as lighthearted.

Not wanting her most mischievous emotions to crumble in front of him, Wen Dai leaned to the side, looked at the group of investigators surrounding her, pointed to a spot, and raised her voice, "Thank you all, the incident happened over there, let's go check it out together."