He Yuan could no longer remember how many times he had repeated it.
Before anyone knew it, the area beneath Longzhao Village was littered with corpses.
He Yuan also learned little by little how to approach Jiang Chuyan and how to please Jiang Chuyan... Perhaps even Jiang Chuyan herself didn't know that what she really liked was a man with dark skin and an athletic look, not a weakling like Xu Yuanzhou who didn't even have any abdominal muscles.
He Yuan also knew that Jiang Chuyan didn't really like caring for others, preferring instead to be cared for. It was a bit of a spoiled nature, and due to the hardships of his youth, Jiang Chuyan always hid it well. Although he loved being pampered, if he was too attentive, Jiang Chuyan would become wary and cautious. If he approached him, he had to be extremely careful and tactful...
He Yuan spent a long time and reincarnations, learning everything about Jiang Chuyan bit by bit.
This time, he was closest to success.
Jiang Chuyan agreed to his pursuit, and the two began a brief relationship.
Unfortunately, before the wedding, Jiang Chuyan started to escape again.
He Yuan originally thought that this was another failure. However, he heard Jiang Chuyan's soft crying voice.
After seeing his true form, for the first time, the young man did not scream, did not collapse, and did not go completely crazy.
He Yuan met Jiang Chuyan's tearful eyes in disbelief.
"We already agreed that you would stay with me forever..."
The Dragon God, whose heart had been broken countless times, had the opportunity to tell his beloved bride about their past for the first time in countless reincarnations.
"You wanted to live, so I shared my life with you—"
The cold fingers slid to Jiang Chuyan's chest. Through the thin skin and flesh, the heart that had been declared hopeless by countless doctors was still beating strongly.
"You said you didn't want to stay in the dark cave, so I let you return to the village to live with that woman..."
More hands, cold and gray, reached out from all directions to the slightly trembling human youth, caressing his damp skin.
"You said...you wanted to be my bride."
"Bride? What's a bride..."
"If I become Ayuan's bride, can I go back to live with my mother? It's so dark here, I don't like it..."
"Alright, alright, I love Yuan the most. I want to be with Yuan forever!"
…
A tear suddenly slid down Jiang Chuyan's face, and the next second, the tip of his slender tongue rolled up the warm water drop and took it into his mouth.
Jiang Chuyan trembled.
As he spoke, He Yuan, who had completely collapsed into his original form, gradually returned to an appearance that Jiang Chuyan could accept: the tall, handsome boy with slightly dark skin who she spent every day with.
He stared at Jiang Chuyan without blinking, and his voice became very gentle.
"I have fulfilled every wish you have made."
"Now is the time for you to fulfill your promise."
He said hoarsely.
Jiang Chuyan looked back at He Yuan, her lips moving slightly: "What will happen to me if... the wedding is completed?"
He asked.
He Yuan gazed at the bride in his arms and smiled sweetly.
"You will never be separated from me again."
Jiang Chuyan's heart suddenly began to beat fast.
In a flash, memories from who knows how many reincarnations suddenly flashed back -
He saw himself.
He also turned into a form exactly the same as He Yuan in front of him. His slender and deformed body was directly embedded in He Yuan's huge body, completely connected by flesh and blood.
It was exactly as he said to He Yuan, he could no longer be separated from the other person.
They are together forever in a physical sense.
His stomach churned, and the smell of blood rose in Jiang Chuyan's throat.
He forced himself to suppress the overwhelming feeling of nausea in his body.
"sorry."
He murmured to He Yuan.
"I'm sorry, I haven't been able to remember this..."
Jiang Chuyan leaned in He Yuan's arms, her voice muffled.
"You've tried so many times and reincarnated so many times. It must be very hard, right?"
The Dragon God, who possessed a long lifespan, was stunned for a moment, his entire body trembling slightly because of Jiang Chuyan's embrace.
"No."
After a long time, He Yuan muttered in a hoarse voice.
"It won't be hard if I can make you like me—"
…
He Yuan's voice came to an abrupt halt, interrupted by the stabbing pain spreading across his chest.
He lowered his head.
The familiar knife had completely penetrated his body, and the sticky dark red blood slowly spread across his chest, staining Jiang Chuyan's fair fingers red.
The pale and handsome young man held the hilt of the knife with both hands and looked up to meet He Yuan's gaze.
Because of extreme nervousness, he bit his lips unconsciously too hard, so he bled.
That was the brightest color on Jiang Chuyan's pale face.
"It's still so beautiful."
Jiang Chuyan heard He Yuan say.
He gasped for breath and looked up at He Yuan in disbelief, only to find that the monster so close to him had a calm face.
"careful."
Then, he heard He Yuan's instructions again -
Almost at the same time that Long Shenhua finished speaking, Jiang Chuyan's fingers began to cramp due to excessive force.
The palm of the hand touched the blade near the handle, leaving a long and narrow cut.
His blood also gushed out and merged with the blood flowing from He Yuan's wound.
"No."
Jiang Chuyan couldn't help but murmur, his eyes wide open, like a frightened child, he cried hard.
He staggered backwards, stumbled, and fell to the ground.
"Click——"
Not long ago, the knife that He Yuan handed to him personally fell from the monster's chest.
It was clearly just a delicate little knife, and when Jiang Chuyan stabbed it into He Yuan's body, he didn't even think that he could really hurt him. However, He Yuan's wound opened up at an alarming speed.
The blood that was originally just oozing out began to gush out continuously, as if Jiang Chuyan had directly injured He Yuan's artery with that casual stab just now.
His blood began to gush out.
"it hurts."
But until this moment, He Yuan still seemed to have no reaction at all. The tall boy touched his chest lightly, then raised his hand to look at his palm which was stained with blood.
Something seemed to flicker in his eyes.
It's just like... it's like tears.
"Chu Yan," the boy's hoarse voice sounded, with grievance revealed in every word, "I'm in so much pain."
He said softly.
"It hurts so much…"
Jiang Chuyan did not respond to He Yuan.
After a brief moment of shock, Jiang Chuyan climbed up using his hands and feet.
Then he picked up the knife and rushed towards He Yuan again.
"Puff—"
The blade pierced straight into He Yuan's eye socket.
"Puff—"
The next cut was to the neck.
…
The tall boy was pushed to the ground by the thin Jiang Chuyan.
He is clearly a monster, but he looks so weak at this moment.
He just stared at Jiang Chuyan who was lying on top of him, his eyes looking particularly empty.
"Hiss... Chu Yan... I..."
A whimper mixed with blood and water escaped from his mouth vaguely.
However, the young man, who was surrounded by his affectionate gaze, just kept thrusting the blade into his body.
"You like me so much."
Jiang Chuyan heard a strange and unfamiliar sharp tone coming from his throat.
"So you don't mind, right..."
"If I kill you, I can escape... I just need to kill you... I just need to kill you..."
Jiang Chuyan stabbed the monster under him like crazy.
After an unknown amount of time, He Yuan's voice disappeared.
Jiang Chuyan lowered his head and knelt on the monster's soft and smelly corpse.
There was dead silence all around, with only the sound of his rapid breathing.
He stared at He Yuan blankly, feeling a strong sense of unreality. Such a terrifying, powerful monster, could it be that it fell like this?
Isn't this just my fantasy?
He couldn't help but think.
However, under his gaze, He Yuan's face actually began to turn blue-gray, and even the scarlet pupils around it gradually became turbid.
Jiang Chuyan looked at He Yuan for a long time before he raised his hand tremblingly and reached out to He Yuan. His hand had already gone numb from using too much force.
It was covered in blood.
"…"
"sorry."
After a long time, Jiang Chuyan sobbed weakly.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
He repeated in confusion, then leaned over slightly and closed He Yuan's eyes with his fingers that had no feeling at all.
He Yuan's face was wet, but it wasn't blood.
After realizing this, Jiang Chuyan climbed down from the corpse tremblingly. He rushed down the stairs and ran towards the direction of the village entrance in his memory as if his life depended on it.
When Liu Tianyu and the others closed their eyes, Jiang Chuyan found something unexpected on the fresh corpse.
Those are "He Yuan's" car keys.
*
Under the huge stimulation, the constantly circulating memories gradually began to revive in Jiang Chuyan's mind.
However, because it had been repeated too many times, and the specific circumstances were different each time, Jiang Chuyan could no longer remember what had happened to him and the other three people in the past.
However, even in such a confused and vague memory, one thing kept repeating itself.
Every time, every time, every time...
Regardless of whether it was He Yuan, Xu Yuanzhou, or himself who drove the others back to Long Marsh in the memory, the final plot remained largely the same. Under the instigation of Budacuocuo, the other three would have forced or deceived Jiang Chuyan into becoming the Dragon God's bride.
Then, Xu Yuanzhou, Liu Tianyu and Bai Ke would find a way to leave him behind and drive away from Longzhao.
Even this time, the three people still escaped at the last moment before the wedding.
And if each time is a new reincarnation, if each time the three people will become new corpses, then it means that at this moment, the off-road vehicle must still be parked at the entrance of Longzhao Village.
Before I knew it, the rain was getting heavier.
It seemed as if the whole world was engulfed by the heavy rain.
Jiang Chuyan held the car keys tightly in his palm. He kept pressing the start button, then held his breath and concentrated carefully to catch the "beep" electronic sound of the car buzzing under the remote control amid the chaotic sound of the heavy rain.
During this process, he didn't even dare to look back.
…
Jiang Chuyan actually seldom runs.
His frail body in childhood left a lasting mark on him, and he rarely ran, either while his mother was alive or when he grew up.
He thought he would be terrible at this.
But obviously, he underestimated himself.
Jiang Chuyan never knew he could run so fast. Every muscle was tensed. He curled his toes when landing, landed on his heels, and then used the strength of his feet to push off.
The cold rain washed over his skin, and his vision began to blur. The ever-changing road made him feel as if he was deep in a maze, and deep in the rain, he always felt that something was hissing.
Could that be He Yuan? Would He Yuan, who he had killed, stagger to his feet with his body covered in knife wounds?
Or, could it be a water monkey?
Without the monster's control, will the water monkeys return to their human form?
…
Countless chaotic thoughts flashed through his mind. Jiang Chuyan felt his lungs burning, and his heart was also in an overloaded state.
For a few more moments, Jiang Chuyan even felt as if he had run around the earth, but everything around him was still the scene of Long Marsh.
He kept wandering around the intricate buildings and dirt roads in Longzhao Village.
Will I be trapped here forever?
As this thought flashed through his mind, Jiang Chuyan suddenly saw a familiar figure——
Hanging on the tree, the dried-up corpse was swaying in the wind and rain, but one hand was raised high, pointing in a certain direction.
Jiang Chuyan ran towards that direction.
As he passed by a big tree, he saw the familiar face again.
That's him.
In the afterimage left by the reincarnation, the young man had empty eyes and a pale face.
He also raised his hands high.
Behind him, there were three blurry shadows following him.
Jiang Chuyan continued to run wildly.
…
"Ding Di——"
Then he heard the beep.
Jiang Chuyan raised his head and looked straight ahead. His fingers were so cold that they were numb. He pressed the car key again.
The lights of the off-road vehicle flashed in the dim rain.
*
The roar of the car sounded.
Jiang Chuyan's whole body was soaked. He gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands and stepped on the accelerator.
The off-road vehicle shook, and the tires spun twice in the mud. At the moment when Jiang Chuyan's heart tightened, the whole car rushed out of Longzhao Village like an arrow.
As the car rushed out, Jiang Chuyan instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror——
In the endless rain, countless blurry figures slowly emerged.
However, they did not catch up.
Jiang Chuyan shuddered and suddenly turned his gaze back to the road.
The car drove forward at an astonishing speed.
Jiang Chuyan didn't see any water monkeys on either side of the road.
He didn't know whether he would continue to be trapped in the maze and return to Longzhao... However, the last time he was trapped in the maze, the person driving was He Yuan.
What if I were to start my own business? If I were to leave, would I be able to do so?
In extreme panic, one hour passed, two hours passed, three hours passed...
The nightmare-like scene did not appear before Jiang Chuyan's eyes.
The road looked normal, just like the one they had taken when they came.
Finally, after a few hours, a light flashed before Jiang Chuyan's eyes.
Those are the bright lights that only cities have.
Jiang Chuyan looked at the lights in disbelief, and before he knew it, tears had soaked his face.
He is back.
He is finally back.
Jiang Chuyan slammed on the brakes, and the muddy SUV came to a screeching halt. Then, the shrill horns of other vehicles blared. The young man in the passenger seat showed no anger. He looked at the driver cursing at him in the rearview mirror with a moved look, then slowly moved the car to the side of the road.
He hadn't realized how nervous he was until this moment.
The moment he stopped the car, he hunched over the steering wheel, trembling.
"Woo…"
"Wuwuwu…"
Jiang Chuyan leaned over the steering wheel and cried uncontrollably.
And his extremely tense nerves finally relaxed at this moment.
As I cried, fatigue slowly surged up like a tide.
*
"First words?"
"Chu Yan, are you okay?"
…
A distant sound, as if coming from under the water, was heard.
Jiang Chuyan shuddered suddenly, then jumped up. He bumped into the car window and felt a dull pain in his forehead.
"hiss."
The young man groaned.
"Pfft, Brother Chuyan, are you okay? Did you fall asleep?"
A slightly contrived voice came from behind.
Jiang Chuyan covered his forehead with his hands, a dazed look in his eyes.
He slowly turned his head and saw Bai Ke squeezed together with Xu Yuanzhou and Liu Tianyu.
"…"
"Um, Brother Chuyan?"
When Bai Ke met Jiang Chuyan's gaze, she was stunned for a moment despite originally smiling.
"Is there something on my face?"
He asked hesitantly.
"No, nothing."
Jiang Chuyan said somewhat bewilderedly.
The young man unconsciously raised his arms and hugged himself. Although he was in a warm carriage, he inexplicably felt an inexplicable chill permeating his whole body.
He felt a little dizzy.
"Chu Yan, wow, why do you look so bad? Are you carsick?"
At this time, Xu Yuanzhou finally looked at Jiang Chuyan and asked belatedly.
"I..."
Just as Jiang Chuyan was about to deny it, a deep and hoarse male voice came from the driver's seat.
"He never gets carsick."
After saying that, the driver raised his hand and placed a piece of tangerine peel candy in Jiang Chuyan's palm.
…
Jiang Chuyan turned around in surprise and looked at the boy beside him.
He Yuan had slightly dark skin and a handsome face as deep as if it was carved by a knife. He was holding the steering wheel and seemed to have noticed Jiang Chuyan's gaze. He turned his head slightly and glanced at the person beside him.
"What's wrong?"
He asked.
Jiang Chuyan didn't say anything.
He Yuan misunderstood and smiled at Jiang Chuyan as if he was very helpless.
"Just bear with it for a while, we'll be there soon."
Jiang Chuyan shuddered.
"What's arrived?"
He murmured, and the chill began to spread uncontrollably through his limbs.
"Long Numa Village. We're almost there."
The next second, he heard He Yuan answer him with great tenderness.
end--
"Hey, you, yes, it's you, what are you wandering around for?"
"What? You want to go into the mountains?"
"…"
"Tsk tsk, you look like a pure young man, how come your mind is not clear? Going into the mountains at this time, aren't you looking for death? Didn't you watch the news? Several people disappeared not long ago, and you still want to break in alone? Do you know what kind of place Xishan is? Really..."
"Get out of here, get away from here, don't try to get yourself killed."
"...ah?"
"You said you came here to look for your students? Those college students are your students? How is that possible? You don't look that old."
"Wow, there are still such young professors these days."
"You didn't submit your proposal? What do you mean? Wait, wait, wait, I don't care if your teacher is dishonest, don't go in—"
"Uh, where are the people? Hello, where are the people?"
"Damn, I must have seen a ghost..."
The author has something to say:
Longzhao Village
——the end——