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The rural path was difficult to walk on, especially the ridges between fields, and since hardly anyone came this way, the path was littered with gravels and weeds. When Zhao Mingyue came here during the holidays, she usually wore sportswear and sneakers, which was more convenient.

But this time was different. After paying respects, she still had to go out and have fun with Bai Yu, so of course she had to dress up a bit.

“This place used to be quite nice. There were still quite a few people living in the village I was in, and the fields here were planted with crops, not barren like they are now.”

Zhao Mingyue walked in front, pointing to the abandoned fields not far away, her eyes full of emotion.

“I remember when I was a child, this place was really beautiful. Unfortunately, I don’t know what happened later. There were fewer and fewer people in the village.”

“The young all left, and the elderly either moved away or passed away. Not just these fields, even the village became deserted.”

“Look, there’s a willow tree in front, the one that’s about to die. I used to play there a lot. There used to be a small pond by that tree.”

“I didn’t dare play with other kids, so I would go there by myself, sit under the willow tree, and in the summer, I would even catch crayfish in it.”

Zhao Mingyue’s eyes were complex, but mostly happy.

She finally didn’t have to come alone. At least she had a companion by her side and could chat on the way.

“Isn’t there no village here?” Bai Yu looked around. The nearest village was quite far.

“Yeah, the village I lived in as a child is over there. it’s a long walk, and we won’t go there today. There probably isn’t anyone living there anymore.”

“Do you know why I came to such a remote place? Because only here could other kids not find me, and I could play here by myself.”

“The children in the village were quite nice. They wouldn’t avoid me because I looked strange, so I was afraid to be with them.”

“Let me tell you something. That small pond by the willow tree I mentioned earlier, for a long time after a certain incident, I was traumatized and didn’t dare go there to play anymore.”

“What happened?” Bai Yu glanced over. From Zhao Mingyue’s tone, she could tell that she felt regret and pain about this memory.

“Um… Actually, it’s quite simple. It’s just that a very good friend of mine drowned in that small pond.”

“I still remember his name, Zhao Bin.”

“He was also a child from our village. Once, when he was working in the fields with his family, he met me. At that time, I was playing alone and very bored. I was also playful, so we got along quite well.”

“After that, as long as it didn’t rain or snow, I would go wait for him under that tree every day.”

“I was ten years old at the time, and he was twelve, a little older than me. I would follow behind him all day and call him big brother.”

“Then one day, I went very early in the morning. Before I even got there, I saw a lot of people gathered by the pond from afar, pointing and talking about something.”

“I was curious at the time, so I squeezed through to take a look. I saw Big Brother Zhao’s parents kneeling there, holding something and crying. I didn’t see what they were holding at first. It wasn’t until the village chief pulled them away that I saw Big Brother Zhao’s corpse.”

“His skin was very, very white, without any color of a living person. He was still wearing the brown short-sleeved shirt and black shorts he often wore. His body was soaked, with plants all over. There was a lot of mud in his mouth, and his stomach was even bloated with water. It was terrifying.”

“At that time, I also saw that his eyes were open, staring straight at me.”

“Then, I fainted. When I came to, I was already back at home, with my mother holding me.”

Zhao Mingyue kicked a small pebble, sending it flying. Holding the carnations, her eyes seemed distant.

“I know it must have been my fault again.”

“At that time, I was really sad and guilty. I really wanted to know why the jinx had to be me?”

Hearing this, Bai Yu frowned deeply. “How many times has this kind of situation happened?”

“A total of four times. I remember very clearly.”

“Four times…”

Once could be a coincidence, twice also a coincidence, but three or four times?

Bai Yu didn’t really believe in coincidences, especially when the four incidents all involved Zhao Mingyue’s friends.

“Until when did this situation last?”

“Hmm… I don’t know. The last of my friends died when I was thirteen. After that, my parents disappeared. It didn’t happen again, maybe because I didn’t play with other kids my age anymore.”

“During that time, did you encounter any strange things, like frequently having the same nightmare, dreaming about a certain person every time?”

Bai Yu suspected that when Zhao Mingyue was young, there might have been a ghost following her, killing her friends.

“As for dreams, there seemed to be, but it couldn’t be considered a nightmare, and it wasn’t a certain person, but a group of people.”

“A group of people!?”

“Yeah, I dreamed of many strange people jumping around in front of a small building. These people were roughly divided into three types. One type had their eyes covered with red cloth, one type had their ears blocked, and another type had their mouths covered.”

Zhao Mingyue pondered carefully and said this.

“When was the last time you had this dream?”

“About a week ago?”

“…”

Bai Yu slowed down a lot. Zhao Mingyue’s identity wasn’t simple, but it was within her expectations.

How could the female lead’s identity be a blank slate?

“Do you have this dream often?”

“No.” Zhao Mingyue shook her head. “I haven’t had it much in the past few years, especially since I moved away with my sister.”

At this point, Bai Yu could be sure that there was a problem with the village Zhao Mingyue used to live in. Her parents and sister most likely knew something but had been hiding it from her. Her parents probably did something before they died, and then her sister took her away, so those few years were relatively safe.

The problem was that her sister had also disappeared, and what was worse was that the things from that village had most likely come looking for her again during this time.

As for what exactly it was, Bai Yu didn’t know for now. She guessed it was some kind of evil god.

The reason it was an evil god and not an evil ghost was that such things were extremely sinister and terrifying, and their strength was often extremely powerful, not something ordinary ghosts could compare to.

At present, the biggest problem wasn’t that Zhao Mingyue was being targeted by an evil god. The problem was that she was being targeted, and she herself hadn’t even noticed.

There were only two possibilities for this situation. Either the other party’s methods were so covert that they were difficult to detect, or the other party’s strength crushed her current self.

·

·

One casual chat had brought up such a big problem. Bai Yu felt a bit of a headache. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to solve it, but she was troubled by Zhao Mingyue’s attitude. The girl might have pain and regret, but she didn’t seem to care.

“Mingyue, this matter of yours is not simple.” Bai Yu reminded helplessly.

“I know. I might not have believed it before, but now that I’ve come into contact with your world, I believe it. But what difference does it make even if I know? I can’t change anything, right? I’ve already left the village. As long as I don’t go back, nothing will happen.”

Zhao Mingyue seemed to take it easy, gazing far into the direction of the village. “I also don’t want to trouble you. I feel it might be difficult to handle.”

She wasn’t stupid. Her parents had disappeared and even died because of this. Her sister’s disappearance was definitely related to this as well. Wasn’t this enough to explain everything?

It was so dangerous, without any clues, not even knowing who the enemy was. She had only known before that this thing was very terrifying. She had seen it once, so naturally she didn’t want Bai Yu to go.

Bai Yu is very powerful, but everything about the enemy is also completely unknown.

The unknown is the most terrifying thing.

“Mingyue, I understand your thoughts.” Bai Yu stopped, and Zhao Mingyue, sensing something, turned around.

“This is a hidden danger, a very big one. You can’t avoid it just because you’re afraid. Avoidance is useless. One day, what you’re running from will find you and take away everything you have…” Bai Yu paused slightly. “I know this from experience.”

“But, Mingyue, you and I are different…”

Zhao Mingyue wanted to say something but stopped herself. She remained silent for a long time before suddenly smiling. It wasn’t a mocking or joking smile, but a very sweet one.

“I know. Back then, you had no one to rely on, but I… have you.”

Behind the sunglasses, Bai Yu’s eyes flickered.

Was that what she meant?

Probably.

This girl was right. She had someone to rely on, and that someone was Bai Yu herself.

“That’s also why I don’t want to take risks.” Zhao Mingyue’s smile faded, a touch of sorrow appearing, “Although we’ve only known each other for a short time, in my heart, you are my family, and now, you are my only family.”

“Sometimes I really feel like we’re very similar. You’re a homeless ghost drifting about, while I’m a pitiful creature with nowhere to go even during the New Year.”

“After getting to know you and understanding you, I thought that we were probably each other’s only ones, so I cherish every second we spend together. It turns out to be very useful. I feel like we are partners who have lived together for many years.”

“Just like you said, ignoring the hidden danger carries great risk.”

“But this has also bought us time, hasn’t it? During this time, we will have a very beautiful time together.”

Zhao Mingyue often only looked silly, but in reality, she was very clear-headed and had her own thoughts, just like what she was saying now.

She would usually go along with Bai Yu’s wishes, but at certain special times, she would refuse.

“Stolen things are cherished more because they were never supposed to be possessed or were once lost for various reasons, and thus their value is known.”

“I’ve always been an excellent thief, able to even steal time.”

“So, in this stolen time, I will cherish it doubly.”

Bai Yu fell silent after Zhao Mingyue’s words. Today’s Zhao Mingyue was somewhat different from the one she knew, but this was the real her, something she had never fully understood.

She had always been thinking about keeping a distance while maintaining intimacy.

Keeping a distance was to prevent herself from truly developing feelings, while maintaining intimacy was for the sake of the mission.

With such a mindset, how could she possibly understand the real Zhao Mingyue?

Bai Yu had never considered herself to be a person who understood feelings very well. She only knew how to kill.

For some reason, at this moment, she didn’t dare to look directly into Zhao Mingyue’s eyes.

Her words were sincere. Eyes don’t lie, but what about herself?

It’s not that because Zhao Mingyue values her, she must value her in return, and not valuing her would be a betrayal. That’s not the case at all.

She was just thinking that she should be more considerate of her thoughts.

So…

“Mingyue, you’re afraid.” Bai Yu took a few steps forward and came in front of Zhao Mingyue. “I think you should know the terror of that thing, so you’ve developed some feelings of despair.”

“You feel that the time before that thing finds you is stolen time, don’t you?”

Zhao Mingyue was stunned. Bai Yu had hit the nail on the head about her inner thoughts.

Raising her hand to take off the sunglasses, Bai Yu looked up slightly, gazing into her eyes. “Why not try?”

“You can try giving me more confidence.”

“After all, I did have some strength before.”

If Shen Shuyun were standing here and understood the whole story, she would definitely remain silent, then give Zhao Mingyue an inexplicable look, nod lightly, and not say a word.

If she remembered correctly, she had bought a severed head from Doctor’s stall before. The expression on that head was clearly one of crying and regret.

·

·

In front of the grave, Zhao Mingyue carefully wiped the dust off the tombstone with a handkerchief, then placed the light-colored carnations from Bai Yu’s arms in front of the tombstone. She also took out a stack of joss paper she had bought at a discount on a certain app a year ago but hadn’t used up, along with the Soul Lighter she had won from the draw.

As the joss paper burned, Zhao Mingyue knelt down and kowtowed.

She stood up, brushed the dirt off her knees, and said softly, “Little Sister Yu, do you think there will be souls lingering here? Can they receive the joss paper I burned?”

Carnations plus joss paper bought at a 50% discount a year ago. Zhao Mingyue was probably the only one who could do this when visiting graves.

“What souls? Only decaying corpses remain.”

“Mm, that’s a good thing.” Zhao Mingyue nodded. “At least they don’t have to suffer as ghosts.”

“Um, sorry.”

“Hm?” Bai Yu turned her head.

“I mean about what happened earlier. It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just want you to be well. I don’t want to lose you.”

No one is perfect. Zhao Mingyue is a living person, so naturally she has her own thoughts. Besides, Bai Yu didn’t mind this. It was a very normal thing. In the face of terrifying unknowns, fear is the most common emotion, and Zhao Mingyue had even suffered psychological trauma because of it. It was impossible for her not to worry.

“It’s fine. I will make this time you stole become time you truly own.”

“Mm, I believe you. I’ll tell you more when I have time.”