The Haunted Chapter 102
Chapter 101◀︎Table Of Contents►Chapter 103
Chapter 102 Contract
Translated by Nessie Lee
Chi Yan was stunned. After hesitating, he looked at the black and gold mask. Under the swaying candlelights, the smiling lines on the mask looked a bit evil.
He opened his mouth but said nothing.
The voice asked again. It sounded hoarse and dark, as if it crawled out of hell to ask for the kiss, “Why? Not willing?”
Chi Yan lowered his eyes and looked at the incense candles on the altar, “There is already someone I liked.”
He didn’t know why the god in the Nuo Shen Temple made such a strange request. Was there any deep meaning and mystery hidden in it?
He also didn’t know how much anger and agitation his words roused the owner of that voice. That thing almost wanted to lift this small and dilapidated temple and turn it upside down in this instant.
This baby that he had been guarding for more than ten years, this baby whom he had been pampering on the cusp of his heart for so many years, actually confessed to him that he already had someone he liked? A trace of his soul was always attached to Chi Yan, and he didn’t even have the slightest knowledge? He always thought his Ah Yan was stupid and not matured enough to understand romantic love. He even secretly thought that it was a good thing as he could be the one to teach him to understand human feelings and romantic love, so that Chi Yan’s tenderness and affection would all belong to him alone.
He didn’t even know who that person was. Was it that sweet-looking girl in their school whom many people like? Ah Yan didn’t look at her too often. Was it because he didn’t have that feeling for her, or was it because he was shy? Or was it that silly big man next to him who already had a wife and a family but was protected by Ah Yan all these while? Didn’t Ah Yan treat him as a brother?
Translated by The Red Oak Tree
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It was impossible to be himself. He was only fourteen years old when he met Ah Yan. He was barely a teenager and Ah Yan was only nine years old at that time and was still a baby. He left Ah Yan when he was only sixteen and a half years old. Although it was said that middle school children were usually precocious at the age of 14 or 15, they already knew how to hide their puppy loves from their teachers and their parents. But his Ayan was slightly more dull than other children. He was so dull until he felt his heart ache. He just wanted to quickly keep him in his arms. He was afraid that until he died, Ah Yan still treated him as his brother.
And during Chi Yan’s most youthful two years of adolescence, he failed to be present and be part of his life. Until later when he stayed with him, he held him all night, coaxed him to sleep and kissed him secretly. He did all these and yet his silly Ah Yan didn’t know about it.
So even if Ah Yan wanted to break up for a while and liked other people, he wouldn’t blame him. He just had to bring Ah Yan back to him slowly.
Thinking of this, he gradually calmed his emotions, but he was still a bit unsettled, “Is that person whom you like so important? You won’t even kiss me nor save your and your friend’s lives just because of him?”
Chi Yan looked at Song Jin who was still unconscious and leaning on the wall on the right. There was a trace of hesitation on his face. If it was really just a kiss in exchange for a chance for the two of them to survive, he would be willing. He was not a conservative and stubborn person, and he knew which one was more important. Besides, he had already kissed that person secretly before. He would only regret if he lost his life here without even seeing that person again.
Exchanging their lives for just a kiss was really too simple and weird that Chi Yan couldn’t believe it. He was only afraid that there were other traps so he didn’t dare agree to it so readily.
Translated by The Red Oak Tree
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“If you don’t agree, then get out from here now.”
The more Chi Yan valued that person, the more he couldn’t restrain the jealousy and anger in his heart. “By the way, I should show you what it looks like outside.”
Chi Yan felt cold in his eyes. He closed his eyes subconsciously and when he opened them again, he could see the scene outside through the two black doors of the temple.
Those “people” were all around the door. A few Nuo dancers who wore Nuo masks, held paper lanterns in their hands and stood in the front. The rest of the villagers surrounded from behind. But this time, the scene Chi Yan saw was very different from before—the candle flames burning inside the paper lanterns were not warm orange flames but blue ghost fire. Under the reflection of the ghost fire, everyone’s faces were pale and their expressions were stiff and dull. There was no trace of kindness and warmth that he had seen during the day.
At a glance, no one there was alive.
A few of them had terrifying faces, looking like evil ghosts. This indicated that they had already killed and taken the lives of other people. Ying Ying, the little girl from the guest house and the few lead Nuo dancers were among them.
No wonder he and Song Jin had no shadows under the candle lights. They were living human beings, so naturally they had no shadows under the ghost fire.
He once heard that someone who was born with yin and yang eyes, could see things that ordinary people couldn’t, or they could see the yin and yang nature of things. But he didn’t have this ability. There were also some psychic techniques that could enable ordinary people to see ghosts and monsters. That idol in the temple should have casted this kind of magic on him.
Translated by The Red Oak Tree
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Chi Yan looked up at the sky.
The sky was dark and dull, but it was not a clear night. There was a black-grey mist circling back and forth, curling endlessly – it was an extremely thick layer of ghost air, and the whole village was enveloped by this layer of black energy. Both humans and ghosts couldn’t escape.
Chi Yan felt his heart twisted. When Song Jin called his colleague, his colleague didn’t mention any abnormalities about this village. Outsiders didn’t know what happened in this village, and the villagers themselves also didn’t know what happened around them.
Probably in the beginning, an evil ghost sneaked into the village. At first, it was possible that only one or two people were killed and turned into evil ghosts, and then they continued to harm the people around them. Due to the influence of the ghost air, those villagers who were still alive then, couldn’t tell whether the people around them were humans or ghosts. Even after being killed, they would forget their memories of being killed and continued to live as usual. A ghost which couldn’t even tell whether he was a human or a ghost.
Among the ghosts that Chi Yan encountered in the village, only the little girl, Ying Ying and Grandma knew that they were dead.
Grandma said that she was the only one who died of old age. Then other people might have been killed for unknown reasons.
Chi Yan stood there dazedly, looking at the living hell outside the door. Suddenly, the dark voice asked coldly, “Did you see it clearly? What is your answer now?”
“Why do you want a kiss?” Chi Yan asked.
The voice was silent for a moment, then he suddenly smiled, “It’s too cold here, I want you to warm me up. Can’t I?”
Translated by The Red Oak Tree
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Chi Yan turned his head and looked at the idol on the altar table which was illuminated by the candlelights. “I want to ask you to promise that other than the kiss, you will not do anything else. One kiss, to exchange for me, Chi Yan and Song Jin to leave this village safely. I want you to use your name to guarantee, then we can consider this contract has been agreed upon and cannot be reversed.”
Learned to negotiate terms. The voice laughed in a low voice, “I don’t have a name, but I can promise to send you away safely and well.”
“Don’t mind me saying this,” Chi Yan closed his eyes, “I can’t trust you like this.” The heavens and the earth, even the ghosts and gods have their names. Only agreements made using the real names of the parties could take effect as a contract signed under an oath, and there was no room for regrets. Breach of contract, insincerity, or the use of a pseudonym will all be backed by the oath. The stronger the oath, the heavier the penalties should the contract be breached. This thing refused to reveal his own name, which made Chi Yan feel even more suspicious.
“You don’t believe me?” The voice paused, “Well, I can fulfill part of my promise first. I will drive those things away, then you will kiss me, and I will send you both away.”
“I don’t care about your friend. But if you don’t fulfill your part of the promise, then you will pay yourself to me, stay by my side and never leave.”
“Okay.” Chi Yan nodded after thinking for a long time.
He had no other choice now. If this thing really drove them out of the temple, then they would surely die. And he still had no idea who was this god and how capable he was.
As he nodded, the two heavy black wooden doors of the temple suddenly opened outwards. The ghosts guarding outside the door and Chi Yan who was inside the door were all stunned for a while.
Translated by The Red Oak Tree
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At this moment, the clouds in the sky started moving and changing rapidly. The black energy that enveloped the entire sky began to twist and turn helplessly as if being torn apart by a giant hand.
A strong gust of wind blew, and the flames on the joss sticks and candles on the altar table of the temple were blown out. The splendid curtains used for decoration on the beams were blown up and down and then scattered all over the ground. Those “people” standing outside the door seemed to feel a great deal of pain. One by one, they hugged their heads and rolled on the ground..
The ghost air in the sky became thinner and thinner. The night sky gradually revealed its original appearance. Chi Yan looked at it intently, and the ghost air seemed to be strongly sucked into the temple… as if there was something in the temple dragging them and storing all of them inside.
In the chaotic cries of the ghosts, Chi Yan saw a small black figure standing under the eaves opposite the temple. She looked at Chi Yan, nodded, smiled and waved. Then the figure slowly faded and disappeared. It was that Grandma who had helped them before. Since the ghost air had been dispelled from the village, her soul was relieved and she could head for reincarnation.
He heard the voice say faintly, “Those ‘people’ on the ground remembered their fear and pain when they died. They will be reincarnated once they accept the fact that they are already dead.” Normal ghosts would enter the cycle of reincarnation while the evil ones would be turned into dust. This village would eventually become an empty, dead village with no people and return to what it should be.
Chi Yan walked towards the five masks, their expressions also returned to calm, beaming and smiling with the corners of their mouths curving upwards like normal masks.
Translated by The Red Oak Tree
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The voice sounded again, hoarse and low, with a trace of gentleness, “It’s time for you to fulfill the agreement.”
Chi Yan turned his head and looked at the idol on the altar. With this ability to change the world, and to eliminate such a heavy and resentful ghost air in a moment, he somewhat believed that this thing was really a god.
But…
His throat trembled as he walked towards the altar step by step. He raised his face and looked at the black and gold mask, as if waiting to be sacrificed to the gods, “Since you have this ability, why…why in the past you just sat back and did nothing?”
He still couldn’t resist asking. Since this thing was the god enshrined in the temple, shouldn’t it protect the living creatures here? Why did it sit and watch the villagers struggle with life, become ghosts, continue living a lifeless life and unable to reincarnate?
The voice chuckled and did not respond.
Because I am not taking care of the people here, I am only taking care of you. Silly Ah Yan. I came here with you.
Behind the mask, the eyebrows and eyes of the fake god were gentle, but the human below the altar could not see them.
The two black doors of the temple closed silently again, and the incense and red candles on the altar reignited faintly, emitting a dim and blurred warm light.
The idol was much taller and Chi Yan couldn’t reach it. He hesitated for a while before climbing up the altar slowly and moving slowly towards it.
That voice didn’t make another sound.
Translated by The Red Oak Tree
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The closer he got, the more clearly he saw the black and gold mask and the beautiful red robe covering the idol. Chi Yan suddenly had a false impression that there might be a real person under this mask and robe – a living person, rather than a wooden clay statue.
His face got closer and closer to the mask, and then he heard the voice whispering in a low voice, “Close your eyes.”
Chi Yan subconsciously closed his eyes obediently, and kissed the inanimate mask.
The touch was cold.
Something cold and wet pried open his lips, entered his mouth and stirred gently.
Chi Yan didn’t respond initially, he sat on top of the altar obediently, tilted his head and opened his lips to let the other party kiss him. When he realized what that thing was doing, he was shocked and was about to open his eyes. However, before he could open them, he felt a gust of cold wind pressing on his chest and pushed him flat down onto the altar.
The burning candle sticks fell to the ground, and the flames flickered and went out. The temple became dark again.
Chi Yan opened his eyes and whimpered. He stretched out his hands to struggle and push back, like a little beast that was squeezed by the hunter’s hands and had nowhere to escape.
His eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness. He could see the outlines of the beams on the roof and the smiling faces of the Nuo masks on the right wall, but he couldn’t see what was in front of him.
He knew that everything that happened was not an illusion. He could still feel the cold tongue of that thing stirring in his mouth and sucking, and the cold hand reaching into his shirt and caressing his body. He could also feel the cold and heavy weight on his body which was not different from an average adult man.
Translated by The Red Oak Tree
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The small porcelain bottle on his chest slid from his chest to the side of his neck due to gravity. He didn’t know why, but this porcelain vase that always saved him when he was in distress didn’t work this time. Perhaps the thing in front of him was too powerful and tyrannical, so even his own little porcelain vase couldn’t help him.
Chi Yan felt the smooth and round surface of the porcelain bottle. His limbs that had become weak suddenly gave out a burst of energy. He pushed hard, pushing the thing away from him.
Chi Yan hurriedly pushed the table of the altar and sat up. He looked at the void and said, “…You said that after the kiss, you will send us away safely. Now it is time for you to fulfill your promise.”
His big round eyes opened widely and his pupils shimmered in the darkness, like a helpless lion cub that was irritated.
The voice said coldly, “You can stay here until tomorrow morning. Your friend will wake up and then you can leave by yourself.”
That thing had said that it would send them away to safety, so now it got angry because he pushed it away forcibly? Chi Yan muttered in his heart, but didn’t raise any objections. The village had returned to normal, calm and dead silence. There wouldn’t be any problem for them to leave on their own after dawn.
Anyway, dawn was just three hours away.
Chi Yan did not hear the restraint and depression behind that voice.
He couldn’t help it anymore. Looking at Chi Yan day by day, holding him and kissing him while he was sleeping could no longer satisfy him. He couldn’t resist and wanted more.
But it’s okay. They should meet soon.
Translated by The Red Oak Tree
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