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nTranslator: Yuzu

nMa Chenggong opened his mouth wide at the words, his expression all becoming frightened.

nWhat was going on? He didn’t even know this before he was reborn!

nXiao Chen, who heard Hu Bing’s analysis, slowly raised his head. His expression was also slightly surprised, but there was not much change because he was more concerned about another matter than this one.

nFrom the moment he entered the door, his heart was somewhat panicked, and this panic came from the pendant around his neck. He could feel the pendant becoming agitated.

n‘On the bed.’ Tan Jun leaned into his ear and exhaled with a bit of teasing in his tone.

nXiao Chen swept a glance at the crowd and pretended to walk carelessly to the bed while the others were still lost in their thoughts.

nXiao Chen’s eyes were sharp, and he almost immediately saw what kind of thing was under the clothes.

nHe cautiously glanced at everyone, and with a quick look, he pulled the thing out from underneath the clothes.

nIt was a bit hard.

nIt was a human bone.

nXiao Chen’s heart pounded, and his hand trembled. The next second, the bone was immediately grasped tightly and secretly stuffed into the sleeve of the trench coat that he was wearing today.

nXiao Chen’s breathing became a little short, his other hand nervously pendant. In his heart, he anxiously asked, as if he was very concerned about the answer, “Is this yours?”

nTan Jun stared at the side of Xiao Chen’s face and smiled lightly. His right hand suddenly attached to the other’s waist, Xiao Chen shivered at the sudden touch.

nAnd his other hand smoothly grabbed Xiao Chen’s hand that was clutching the pendant and held it tightly.

nTan Jun kissed the back of Xiao Chen’s head and then his left ear, “This is my thirteenth rib, did you know that?”

nHe was referring to the pendant around Xiao Chen’s neck.

nIn the Bible, it is written that God took the thirteenth rib from the body of the first human, Adam, and created a new human, Eve.

nEve eventually became Adam’s wife.

nXiao Chen’s gaze was slowly placed on the pendant around his neck, and his fingers couldn’t help but tighten even more.

nTan Jun seemed to feel the strength in his hand and let out a soft laugh in his ear.

nXiao Chen’s eyes dropped, and his throat moved.

nYes, this wasn’t an ordinary pendant.

nIt was a sickle pendant that he had carved using Tan Jun’s bones.

nXiao Chen closed his eyes.

nIt was carved out bit by bit according to the drawing he made!

n‘So,’ Xiao Chen sucked in a breath as if he was relieved, ‘So you know.’

nHe only came back for one reason. The letter said he could get back the rest of Tan Jun’s bones!

nAlthough he knew it was impossible, and the outcome would be even more unlikely, he still came back.

nEven with the possibility of gaining absolutely nothing, he had returned to the place where he once vowed never to come back.

nTan Jun chuckled lightly without answering.

nOf course, I know.

nI’ve known everything since you came back here.

nThe world kisses me with pain and asks me to sing in return.

nAnd the only one I repay with a song is you.

nHu Bing glanced at Xiao Chen, who was not looking well. He looked strangely at Xiao Chen’s abnormal reaction before turning to the crowd, “Now, let’s go look for any more clues in this village.”

nMa Hang nodded and saw Ma Chenggong, who looked out of sorts next to him. He walked over, frowned, and asked, “Brother, are you okay?”

nMa Chenggong seemed to be too engrossed in his thoughts and shivered when Ma Hang touched his arm.

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n“I’m fine.” Ma Chenggong glanced at him with sweaty palms.

nHe pursed his lips and began to remember his previous life.

nHe was the fourth to die out of the seven.

nThe first was Xiao Chen, the second was Zhang Xiaoxian, the third was Jin Hong, and the fourth was himself.

nHe survived until everyone was going crazy, with no food, the threat of death, and a bunch of strange old men in the village waiting for an opportunity to take their lives.

nThinking of this, he looked at Ma Hang.

nWhat he found most unbearable was Ma Hang’s attitude.

nWhen they were starving to madness, Ma Hang actually cut off his left hand with a kitchen knife while he was asleep! Ate his flesh! Drank his blood!

nHe clutched his hand in resentment at the thought of it.

nBut.

nMa Chenggong took a deep breath.

nThe younger brother in front of him had not done or known anything. There was no way he could hate or blame him.

nThere was no way for him to get back at someone who knew nothing.

nHuang Ke walked at the end of the crowd, and when he reached the stairs, he couldn’t help but look back at the room where the bones were piled up.

nHis eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression was somewhat cold, even revealing a bit of resentment. It was an expression that had an inexplicable sense of violation on his young face. Still, he quickly restrained this look and walked down the stairs as if nothing had happened.

nThe wind blew slightly, splashing the yellow dust on the ground.

nJin Hong hid behind Hu Bing, then said nervously, “Is it my illusion? Why do I feel like there are fewer people in the village?”

nHu Bing was silent. He looked around and said, “No.”

n“The number of people in the village are really getting less.”

nXiao Chen put his hands in his pockets and lowered his eyes, still holding the bone in the palm of his right hand.

n‘Tan Jun.’ Xiao Chen grasped the pendant with his left hand, calling for him in his heart.

n‘What.’ Xiao Chen felt someone put both hands on his shoulders, then hooked his neck. It was like holding a large doll as the person enveloped him in his arms, placing his chin in Xiao Chen’s hair and replied softly in his ear.

nXiao Chen choked, burying half his face in his collar. He gripped the object on his right hand, ‘Where are the rest of your bones?’

nTan Jun paused, sounding like he didn’t really care, ‘I don’t know.’

nXiao Chen fiercely raised his head, and because of his speed, the top of his head directly hit the other party’s chin. Tan Jun didn’t hide, and it was as if he was afraid that Xiao Chen’s bump hurt, so he gently touched his head.

nIt was also fortunate that no one was placing their eyes on Xiao Chen at this time.

nXiao Chen felt a little difficult and muffled his voice, ‘It’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have left.”

nHe was too scared to crawl out and hid under the bed all day and night, starving until his stomach began to convulse and his body was near fainting.

nHe only picked up one of Tan Jun’s bones, which he always wore around his neck. He didn’t dare to forget it, nor did he want to.

nWhenever he couldn’t hold on any longer, he only needed to think of Tan Jun so that he could hold on.

nTan Jun looked at him with some heartache in his eyes and softly said, “Don’t blame yourself. You’ve done a good job!”

nHu Bing’s expression slowly became a little anxious. He knew that time waited for no one, and spending it, again and again, was simply not an option.

nMa Chenggong gritted his teeth, and his expression was a bit grim like he was having some mental struggle. Finally, he raised his head and said, “Don’t you ever feel that everything we’ve experienced is like a supernatural event?”

nHu Bing looked back at him.

nMa Hang opened his mouth wide and called out in surprise, “Brother?”

nMa Chenggong calmly said, “The village chief suddenly died in front of us, and we can’t get out of this town no matter how much we walk. Don’t you suspect that there are so many unexplained phenomena in the village?”

nHu Bing remained silent and locked eyes with Ma Chenggong. What Ma Chenggong was saying were things that he found simply unreasonable to explain.

nBut before Hu Bing could reply, a sound immediately drew the attention of the crowd.

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nHu Bing made a hush gesture, put his index finger to the people, and whispered, “I’m going to check it out first, don’t move.”

nJin Hong and Ma Hang both nodded their heads.

nHu Bing approached the source of the sound, trying to discern what the words from afar were saying.

n“Although the skin is a bit loose, it’s still meat, not bad.”

nThe old man squatted on the ground, holding a sharp kitchen knife in his hand and rubbing it repeatedly on the whetstone.

nNext to him was a frying pan placed on the earthen floor, with a wood fire burning underneath and sparks sputtering out.

nHu Bing hid in the corner, with half his head sticking out, observing the scene.

nNext to the oil pan was a long wooden chair, the kind of chair that could only be seen in the countryside. The seat panels were grey, and the size of it was one and three meters long.

nIt couldn’t be more ordinary.

nProvided, of course, that there wasn’t a dead man lying in the chair.

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nThis man had his arms and legs spread out, his entire body undressed, and was lying naked on the chair. From chest to waist, his whole body had been stabbed and gutted with a knife.

nOn the ground, there was blood all over, as well as many piles of internal organs, all slimy and sticky. What was even more disgusting was that the intestines carried thin pieces of feces next to them.

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nWhen Hu Bing saw this scene, he immediately turned around. He held onto the wall next to him, and his stomach began to pound acid and make him vomit.

nHis body began to tremble as well.

nHe recognized the man lying on the bench almost immediately!

nIt was the old man that knocked on the door last time and brought Zhang Xiaoxian’s meat!

nThere’s no way he could be wrong!

nHu Bing intended to retreat, but he was so nervous that he stomped on a dead tree branch directly beside him, creating a loud clattering sound.

nThe sound of sharpening knives came to an abrupt halt.

nHu Bing stiffened, his lips turned white and quivered. He could feel his heartbeat thumping loudly and felt that his throat was about to jump out!

nThe man seemed to stand up on his feet as footsteps sounded.

nHu Bing’s cold sweat ran down, and his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

nThe sound was getting closer!

nIt’s coming over!!!

n“Puff!” The old man grabbed the knife and smashed it into the wall. He turned around the corner, laughed hideously, and whispered, “Is it a cute little kitten?”

nHu Bing gawked. The old man’s face was leaning towards his face! The distance between them was only around twenty centimeters!

nIt’s over!

nHu Bing’s heart pounded.

nThe old man’s smile stiffened, and he took his hand off the wall, his eyes burning with anger, “What’s going on! Why is there no one!!!”

nThe old man spoke and spat air that directly smashed into Hu Bing’s neck. Hu Bing felt cold, his legs trembled, and he almost fell on his knees.

nThe old man narrowed his eyes, snorted, put the knife away, and turned back around again.

nHu Bing’s eyes were a little dizzy, and his eyelids were covered in cold sweat.

nWhat was going on?

nBefore he could think about it, a voice came directly from his mind.

n“Want to live?”

nThis voice was very deep, even a little cold. It had a flat tone, like the Lord of Hell who would judge people to death and kill without blinking an eye.

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nyuzu: my translations are being stolen oof. anyway, the next chapter is quite long so maybe i’ll divide into 2(?) parts.

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