deltrittennovels #567 - A desperate escape
#567 - A desperate escape
No—the thought struck Tang Yin like a bolt of lightning.
He keenly realized he had made a decisive mistake, that a key factor had been completely misjudged. At that moment, Xiao Mei's behavior immediately confirmed his premonition.
"--Seriously..." Gao Mei murmured softly, her voice carrying a strange sweetness. She slowly raised her head, a chilling smile playing on her lips, "So what if it is?"
The sunlight still shone gently on her, but Gao Mei now sent a chill down one's spine. A happy smile filled her face, her cheeks flushed with a bewitching red, as if intoxicated by some indescribable pleasure. Her once clear eyes now gleamed with madness.
"The Yellow Springs people must be executed," she said softly but firmly, "The filthy, the ugly, the disgusting us."
The air in the assembly hall seemed to freeze. Gao Mei continued, each word carrying a morbid piety: "Only the Wolf God's vortex and claws can redeem us. Everyone knows this."
She turned to look at Qin Ming, her eyes full of adoration: "That's why Brother Qin Ming killed Aunt Chen Xiang with his own hands. To bring happiness to his mother."
"Yes," Qin Ming replied calmly, his handsome face showing no emotion.
Granny Rong sat on the armchair beside them, a kind smile appearing on her aged face: "That's right."
"Hehehe." Gao Mei let out a chilling giggle, nestling close to Qin Ming like a spoiled little girl, "Brother, make Xiao Mei happy too--"
She leaned lightly against Qin Ming, who expressionlessly put his arm around her slender waist. Granny Rong watched this scene, a look of satisfaction in her cloudy eyes, as if admiring a couple about to be married.
What's going on? Tang Yin felt his mind go blank. What exactly is going on? What's wrong with them? Questions swirled in his mind, but he couldn't find any reasonable explanation.
"--Alright, Sister Lina, have you decided?" Qin Ming suddenly spoke, turning his gaze to Wang Lina, who had been silent all along, "Give up, I will redeem you."
Only then did Tang Yin realize that he had underestimated them, underestimated the madness of Hidden Mist Village. And now, it was too late. The essence of the Yellow Springs Feast was far more than just a system for two faithful camps to kill each other.
The sunlight outside the window was still bright, but it could not illuminate the darkness in the hearts of those present. Tang Yin couldn't understand what kind of madness could crush the humanity of the Hidden Mist villagers to such an extent. They could actually regard death as redemption in the name of the canon.
Why could they instantly accept and resonate with such an extremely unreasonable story from the bottom of their hearts, and even gain peace from it? Qin Ming's cold eyes, Gao Mei's intoxicated expression, Granny Rong's kind smile—everything seemed so absurd and yet so real.
This was the reality Tang Yin faced. The interplay of light and shadow in the assembly hall seemed to silently witness this mad feast. If that's the case, then he had to find a way to understand them—Tang Yin secretly resolved in his heart.
"..." Wang Lina opened her mouth, but couldn't make a sound.
After all, she was also a native of Hidden Mist Village. Those crazy doctrines, those distorted beliefs, had permeated her bones like air since she was a child. At this moment, she only felt cold all over, her legs weak, and she sat down on the ground in a daze.
Tang Yin looked at her distraught appearance, and a sudden realization flashed in his mind. He should have realized it sooner—Wang Lina's deep-rooted fear of the gods, and the villagers' fanatical acceptance of so-called redemption, were so similar in essence. They both stemmed from the same soil, both were products of the deformed environment of Hidden Mist Village.
Since the madness of the two had the same origin, then this madness would eventually converge. He had only realized this obvious truth now.
However, there was still time. Tang Yin's gaze swept across the assembly hall, and suddenly he noticed something.
Just as he was about to look away, Qin Ming's face, which was always calm, suddenly underwent a momentary change. It was a subtle expression—was it dissatisfaction? Or was it anxiety? In short, it was definitely not the expression a victor should have.
In that instant, Tang Yin suddenly understood his true plan. In other words, now was the last chance!
Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed Wang Lina's cold fingers, forcefully pulling her up from the ground. Using the momentum generated by this action, Tang Yin gripped the wooden stick in his hand and lunged forward.
The wooden stick cut through the air, heavily striking Qin Ming's shoulder. Before he could react, he swept the stick towards Gao Mei's waist. Granny Rong was about to shout, but was staggered back by two consecutive blows.
"Go!" Tang Yin grabbed Wang Lina's wrist, and with his other hand dragging Xiao Mei, stumbled out of the assembly hall. The cold wind of early spring rushed towards them, but they couldn't care less.
They had to escape! They had to escape immediately! He couldn't waste his good intentions—this thought echoed in Tang Yin's mind.
"--Tang, Tang Yin!? Wha-what exactly is--!?" Wang Lina was being dragged along, her voice fragmented by heavy panting.
"--Listen to me, Wang Lina!" Tang Yin shouted without turning his head.
"What is it!?"
"Qin Ming is too smart--!"
"What do you mean!?" Wang Lina's voice was full of confusion and fear.
"Mei, Mei!? My hand hurts! I'm going to fall!"
Xiao Mei was being dragged along by the two of them, and almost tripped.
Tang Yin's heart was pounding violently, not because of hunger, but because he had finally seen through the truth that he had not noticed all along—Qin Ming's true intention.
Qin Ming liked Wang Lina, Tang Yin was sure of that. Because of this, he didn't want Wang Lina to die at his own hands. Even under the erosion of crazy faith, Qin Ming still used his last rational thought, believing that although the possibility of salvation was slim, escape was still the only hope.
However, this decision hid an even greater crisis—if she was allowed to escape, others would be contaminated! This terrible consequence was what Qin Ming least wanted to see.
So, this was Qin Ming's real plan? Forcing Tang Yin to bet his life and forcibly take Wang Lina away—this thought pierced Tang Yin's chest like a sharp knife. Damn it! He gritted his teeth and ran in the cold wind.
If Qin Ming really wanted to stop them from escaping, there was no need to put down that rusty scythe at the time. That moment of weakness was clearly a signal to Tang Yin: the opportunity has come, attack me. That was Qin Ming's intention, wasn't it?
In the end, he was still one step ahead, and he had become his chess piece instead. Tang Yin smiled bitterly, the cold sweat on his forehead turning icy in the cold wind. But even so—no, precisely because of this, he had to take them to escape.
After all, he was an adult!
Recalling what Qin Ming had done, Tang Yin couldn't help but sigh. That boy not only didn't rely on adults, but instead, like a cunning adult, cleverly used everyone. As expected of Qin Ming, showing such a mature mind at this age.
At this moment, Qin Ming should be cleaning up the chaotic mess.
The three ran wildly along the muddy field path, crossing the wasteland filled with mottled stone tombstones. The moss on the tombstones glowed with a ghostly green light in the faint moonlight, as if countless ghostly eyes were watching them. Finally, they came to the edge of the cliff.
Thick fog enveloped the entire cliff, and the visibility was extremely low. Tang Yin frowned. Climbing the cliff in this bad weather was tantamount to seeking death.
Fortunately, there were no footsteps of pursuers behind them, which allowed them to slow down slightly and grope forward cautiously.
Wang Lina's face was full of despair, and her once bright eyes were now dull, as if she had lost all hope. Only at the last moment did she realize the truth, completely defeated by her opponent, and had to flee in such a disheveled manner without even having time to say goodbye. Anyone would probably not be able to laugh.
Tang Yin stared at Wang Lina's profile, and finally didn't tell her Qin Ming's true intentions. Since that boy chose such a farewell method, he definitely didn't want her to be shaken by the truth.
Perhaps, this was just his excuse for not wanting to admit defeat to Qin Ming in front of Wang Lina. Forget it, wasn't this level of cowardice the way adults behave?
"Be careful of your feet, the stones here are a bit loose." Tang Yin reminded Xiao Mei, who was walking behind, while holding Wang Lina's arm, "Grab my clothes, don't fall behind."
He kept talking, both to embolden the two girls and to dispel the unease in his heart. The surroundings were still an endless expanse of thick fog, as if it was about to swallow the entire world.
"Um, Wang Lina," Tang Yin suddenly said after walking for a long time.
"Mm?" Wang Lina replied weakly.
"Would you say we've left Hidden Mist Village now?" Tang Yin's voice carried a hint of anticipation.
"Probably," Wang Lina replied mechanically, her eyes still staring straight ahead, as if looking at some distant place.
In the thick fog, three embarrassed figures continued to walk forward, behind them was their hometown that they could never return to. Tang Yin knew that this night was destined to leave an indelible mark on their memories.
"Great, you see, nothing happened, right?" Tang Yin feigned composure, but his voice could not hide a trace of trembling. He clenched his fists tightly, trying to calm the unease in his heart.
Xiao Mei asked timidly, "Really?" Her voice was like a light feather, easily blown away by this strange atmosphere.
"Yeah, yeah, okay, let's walk back to the city along the stream." Tang Yin tried his best to comfort them in a relaxed tone, but his eyes kept searching the surroundings for possible threats.
"...Where's the stream?" Xiao Mei's confused voice came.
The surroundings were white, and nothing could be seen. The thick fog oppressed their nerves like a substance, and even the faces of Wang Lina and Xiao Mei, who were close at hand and holding Tang Yin's hand, were blurred, as if covered with a layer of frosted glass.
They had successfully climbed down the cliff, their feet stepping on smooth pebbles, and the sound of rushing water could be heard in their ears. Judging from these details, this should be a shallow beach. But which way should they go? Everything in the fog had lost its sense of direction.
"Should we rest for a while?" Tang Yin tentatively suggested.
"It's useless," Wang Lina's voice was full of despair.
"Wang Lina," Tang Yin called her name softly, thinking that this girl was starting to be pessimistic again.
"No, no," Wang Lina suddenly raised her voice, as if trying to speak before something else could.
"...Did you hear it? Besides the sound of water, there's also..." Her voice stopped abruptly.
Tang Yin held his breath: "...Is there any sound?"
"Woof woof..." Xiao Mei imitated the sound of a dog barking, her voice trembling.
"The pursuers are here," Wang Lina concluded simply.
Tang Yin noticed that their expressions were very wrong, as if they had seen something terrible. He pricked up his ears again and listened carefully to the surrounding movements.
...Above?
Sure enough, there was a faint rustling sound from the top of the cliff--
"Run--" Wang Lina suddenly shouted, her voice full of urgency.
"I can't walk anymore!" Xiao Mei cried with a sob.
"Tang Yin, carry Xiao Mei on your back!" Wang Lina's tone was unusually serious.
"!" Tang Yin reacted immediately, quickly squatting down and carrying Xiao Mei on his back.
Although he comforted himself that it was just the sound of the wind and there was no need to be so neurotic, a trace of unease did rise in Tang Yin's heart. After all, they still didn't know where that monster called "Wolf" was. And according to legend, this was its base.
Wait, weren't they good people?
Tang Yin shook his head and shook off the distracting thoughts. In any case, this was definitely not a good place, and they had to leave as soon as possible.
However, the reality was more bizarre than imagined. They still couldn't find the location of the stream. It was clear that this should be a narrow shallow beach, and they could reach the end in a few meters, but they had been walking around in circles for several minutes.
This reminded Tang Yin of the word "circular wandering"—a phenomenon that mainly occurs in snowy mountains, where mountaineering teams that have lost their sense of direction walk around in circles and eventually die. But even if they could barely see anything now, it was impossible to get lost on such a narrow shallow beach, right?
The sound of the water became clearer and clearer, but it gave people a strong sense of disharmony. In this strange fog, they could only rely on their hearing to act. But Tang Yin suddenly had a terrible thought: was his hearing really reliable?
The fog seemed to be silently mocking their futility, and the faint footsteps in the distance made this foggy day even more chilling.
Tang Yin didn't know.
Did the rustling of the wind and grass in the distance, and the sound of claws slowly approaching and rubbing against the rocks, really exist?
He slowed down, and although he didn't say anything, Tang Yin knew that their physical strength was severely depleted.
They hadn't eaten for several days, and the clothes that were soaked by the fog were causing their body temperature to drop continuously.
Silently, they continued to walk on the shallow beach, trying to find a way out.