Peach trees grow on the well, plum trees grow next to the peaches, insects come to eat the peach roots, and plum trees replace the peach branches. - "The Fragrance of Immortality"

*

2008, early autumn

Mao'er Village

"According to observations from the Meteorological Observatory, our city will be affected by Typhoon Hagas for two cloudy days today, causing heavy rain and strong winds. Please try to avoid going out as much as possible and take precautions." The evening weather news was being broadcast on the TV.

It was pattering outside, and water droplets as big as beans hit the glass on the window. Wave after wave, the sound of rain and the rushing wind were closely connected, making people's ears numb.

…

"Huh...huh..." The man gasped and swung his arms. The long ax blade he held in both hands fell heavily, and he struck the man who fell in a pool of blood one by one.

The people on the ground had long since lost their vitality, but the man seemed to be unconscious and continued to slash hard, venting all his emotions.

The blood of the deceased seeped into the floor tiles, and even extended outward along the gaps in the floor tiles. When the ax was pulled out of the corpse, it carried some minced meat and bones, and together with the dark red blood, it splashed onto the white wall next to it.

Under the swaying lights, the shadows were stretched very long on the red wall.

Suddenly there was movement from the back room. The man stopped his movements forcibly, but the inertia still caused the ax blade to hit the ground with a clang.

The man stared at the door of the back room, stepped over the corpse that had been cut to pieces by him, and dragged the ax step by step towards the back room. With every step he took, there were bright red bloody footprints under his feet. The ax blade was on the floor tiles.

It moves upward, making a harsh sound, and each sound hits the weakest point at the top of the heart.

Opening the door, you are greeted by the cool night breeze in the mountains and forests.

The windows of the back room were wide open, and the cellar door in the house was opened at some point. It was the place where grains and pickled meats were stored in the farmer's house.

It seems... something has escaped...

The man glanced at the cellar. It was empty, with only dry weeds on the floor and a thin quilt. There were also flickering candles in the cellar, which were all traces of someone's presence.

Then turn around.

The man covered in blood had moved to stand at the window, looking out the window distractedly. When he saw the people running in the rain, stumbling down the mountain, he was stunned for some reason.

The wind carried the cool rain and hit the man's face, trying to make him find some sense from his madness.

He did not chase immediately, but turned around to dispose of the body.

He rummaged through the house and found a huge red, white and blue snakeskin bag, and stuffed the body and ax into it using the most violent means. Then he washed the floor with water, restored all the objects in the house, and took advantage of the night.

, dragging the snakeskin bag from the back door of the house to the mountain behind the village.

The bottom of the snakeskin bag was stained with a lot of wet soil due to friction on the ground. A big hole was scraped out halfway, exposing his head. He stuffed it randomly again, dragged the bag and continued walking up the mountain.

Notice that the blood flowing from the holes in the bag is dyeing the ground red little by little.

He stepped over the barbed wire fence through which he had drilled a hole before, and arrived at a shady patch of mud. He took out his digging tools from a hidden corner nearby, found an empty space where no plants were planted, and dug a hole with a shovelful of shovelfuls.

Lao Liao, the caretaker of the herbal plantation, felt a little uneasy after listening to the weather broadcast. He picked up a flashlight and a raincoat and planned to go out for a inspection. He thought that this is someone else's garden after all, and since they have entrusted you to guard the gate, you must do your duty faithfully.

Ah, I need to take more care of it.

After going around a circle, Lao Liao put up the plastic greenhouse and locked the door.

Just as he was about to turn back, he heard a movement, raised his flashlight and pointed toward the distance, shouting: "Who's there?"

The light shone on the person's face. Lao Liao was shocked when he saw the person's face clearly. Then the flashlight fell on the ground, and he could see clearly both the body and the axe.

He realized what was going on, and subconsciously ran away. He threw the flashlight back, and after a short time, he fell into darkness again. The man held the shovel tightly in one hand, picked up the ax in the other, and chased out.

When escaping, you always have to choose a way. Even though Lao Liao was familiar with the road conditions, he still panicked and ran the wrong way and stepped on the mud. The mud was soaked by rain and was inherently unstable. He staggered and tripped when he stepped on it.

After a moment, the man had already caught up with him, but within a few steps, he threw his hand away and hit him on the back of the head with a shovel.

Lao Liao fell heavily to the ground, and the pain like cracking bones left him with no strength to stand up. Finally he turned his head, and the last scene he saw alive was - in the dark night, the people he was familiar with were waving in their hands in the color of rain.

The farm tool, and finally the ax blade that hit him straight in the face...

The rain is getting heavier.

In the early hours of that night, a large amount of rainwater hit the weak soil on the hillside. In less than half an hour, it was overwhelmed. A large amount of muddy water rolled down the slope, entangled the trees and rolled rocks, and rushed towards the village at the foot of the mountain. In an instant, it turned into

A ruin.

*

2009, Ningcheng

Jianglou Inn

In the bathroom, the faucet was pouring hot water into the tub. Mo Yuer was wearing a bathrobe and had just taken off her makeup, when someone knocked on the door.

She walked out of the bathroom, looked at the peephole in front of the door, and after asking, she found out that it was the inn staff who came to deliver soothing incense. After saying hello through the door, the inn staff put the things at the door and left.

After a while, after making sure no one was outside, Mo Yuer opened the door and took the things into the house.

There are two kinds on the tray, one is a cone incense and a small copper cauldron in a wooden box, which is a traditional incense; the other is a modern scented candle wrapped in white tissue paper, both are given

, presumably for guests to choose freely.

Mo Yuer put the tray in the room and walked into the bathroom with matches and scented candles.

After unwrapping the sleeping paper, there seemed to be writing on the bottom of the candle. I placed the candle on the sink and smiled after seeing the content on it.

She struck a match, lit the thin and semi-translucent white paper, and used the fire to light the candle. She watched as the three words "Night Wandering God" faintly written in pencil on the paper gradually turned into ashes and burned to the end.

Sometimes I throw it into the sink.

When the faucet was turned on, the cold water was stained gray and swept into the sewer.

"I'm not interested in your affairs." Mo Yuer said.

Seeing that the hot water in the bathtub was almost full, she was too lazy to pay attention to it anymore, untied her bathrobe and soaked in the hot water.

But she still glanced at the scented candle.

"You really understand me~"

Sure enough, offending some people once is enough.


Chapter completed!