Kaleidoscope of Death

Chapter 33: A Diary

After briefly recounting the scene he had witnessed just moments before, Lin Qiushi fell quiet.

Having listened to the others strange encounter, Ruan Nanzhu also became lost in his thoughts. Minutes passed by before his low voice finally broke the tense silence, Lets head on over to the top of the tower and look around.

With that, he set forth and advanced onwards to the next floor of the pagoda.

In a trance, Lin Qiushi followed him closely from behind. He simply couldnt clear his mind of that foreboding illusion. He kept getting a feeling that what he had just seen wasnt as simple as they thought it to be, that there was actually a much deeper meaning behind it.

The highest floor of the pagoda was utterly bereft; there was absolutely nothing.

The top of the pagoda only held a simple skylight. As soon as one looked up, they would catch view of the skies as well as that mysteriously eye-catching spherical monument positioned at the spire.

Ruan Nanzhu wordlessly gazed at the sculpture. Cheng Qianli and Lin Qiushi kept hushed, trying not to disturb him.

Lin Qiushi slowly circled around the top floor, scouring every inch of the area, only to find nothing. Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak to Cheng Qianli, a faint scritch echoed from the wall near him.

It sounded as if someone was digging their fingers into the wall, relentlessly clawing and scratching; such a disturbing sound only made peoples hair stand on end.

By now, Lin Qiushi was vaguely aware of how unnaturally acute his hearing was. However slight a noise was, he was still able to hear it loud and clear; he was easily able to capture sounds inaudible to most ears. And judging from Cheng Qianlis foolish and oblivious appearance, with his goggling eyes and gaping mouth, the young boy evidently didnt hear it.

This time, Lin Qiushi did not ask Cheng Qianli whether he heard anything. He walked directly to the wall in question and softly knocked on it. Immediately after, the scratching sounds coming from within ceased, and with that, Lin Qiushi figured something out. Out of all the walls on the top floor, only this particular wall was hollow.

It looks like theres something inside. Lin Qiushi suddenly pointed out.

What? Somethings inside? Cheng Qianli wondered curiously. Right here? He also knocked on the wall, and sure enough, it reverberated with a hollow echo.

Ruan Nanzhu withdrew his gaze from the spire of the pagoda, Is that so?

This wall is hollow. Lin Qiushi added, I want to try to pry it open and take a look inside.

Making his way over, Ruan Nanzhu stretched out his hand and perceptively felt around the surface. Without a change in expression, he fished out a long, sharp object from his pocket and slowly started tearing the wall apart.

Lin Qiushi was dumbstruck, He had something like this up his sleeves?

A proud-looking Cheng Qianli: Of course, this is nothing to him! Big brother Ruan is too awesome, too powerful! Nothing can stand in his way!

The wall chipped away under the others strength, and soon enough, the entire wall had been pried apart, exposing a secret dark compartment. And inside the compartment was a small red box with no locks.

Ruan Nanzhu reached inside to take the box out.

All of their attention was on the box before them. Ruan Nanzhus fingers twitched, his hand cautiously inching closer to the object. He then opened the lid of the box, revealing a hardcover leather journal.

It cant possibly be a diary, right? Cheng Qianli straight away became interested. Smiling impishly, he picked up the notebook and flipped to the first page, I wonder if therell be a clue to the key inside.

Now that the journal was open, the three were able to see the contents within.

The same sentence was scribbled over and over again: Shes gone.

Shes gone. Shes gone. Shes gone. Shes gone. Shes gone. The same exact phrase, just scrawled differently each time. The next page, and the next, and the nextthis phrase occupied all pages, and with each passing second, the writing became messier, more chaotic and restless. Shivers ran down their spines at the sight of this.

Ruan Nanzhu quickly flipped through the pages, skimming to the end. Just when he was about to shut the book, something caught his eyes. On the final page was a distinct sentence, different from the rest. Four simple words were written: I couldnt find her.

Huh? What is this? Cheng Qianli instantly recalled the hint they got before entering this door, Did the younger sister write this?

With his head still lowered, Ruan Nanzhu continued examining the contents of the journal. After a while, he pointed to one of the pages and remarked, Theres still a page missing; one of the pages in the middle has been torn off.

At a closer look, Lin Qiushi noticed that there was indeed a page missing. The tear was extremely neat; if one didnt pay closer attention to it, one honestly wouldnt have been able to spot this minor difference. Fortunately, Ruan Nanzhu was even warier than a watchman, so nothing could slip from under his nose.

How did you find out that there was something wrong with this wall? Ruan Nanzhu questioned.

Lin Qiushi: I heard someone scratching the wall.

At this, Cheng Qianli abruptly reached out with his hands and fiercely clawed at the wall with his nails, Oho, like this?

Lin Qiushis eardrums nearly exploded at the loud, unexpected screech.

Ruan Nanzhu reprimanded the young boy, It seems that you havent been taught well. Do that one more time, and see how Ill set you straight. Perhaps I should tell your dear brother to fix you up when we get back?

Cheng Qianli hurriedly took back his hands. Acting as though hed been wronged greatly, he sniveled and pouted, saying it was only a demonstration.

Ruan Nanzhu didnt blink, The last person to show such a demonstration is already six feet under.¹

As he shoved the journal into the bag he was carrying, Ruan Nanzhu said, I have a feeling that were going to have go back to the temple.

Lin Qiushi couldnt make sense of his words, so he inquired, What do you mean?

Ruan Nanzhu dismissed it with the wave of his hand, Its merely a speculation for now. Ill let you know once Im certain of it.

While they were talking things over, an ear-splitting shriek sounded from one of the lower floors. Following the shrill screams were frantic footsteps of someone scrambling around in an attempt to run upstairs, repeatedly tripping over their legs in a panic.

Ahhhhh! Ghosts! Ghosts!!! The owner of the voice was still howling at the top of their lungs, hysterically crying for help.

Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhus made eye contact, and they both saw the same expression marking their faces. Realizing they were thinking the same thing, Lin Qiushi uttered, Lets go.

Ruan Nanzhu readily nodded. They all planned to go downstairs to assess the situation.

By the time they reached the fourth floor, where the accident had seemingly occurred, the commotion had already died down.

The woman who had screamed earlier was huddled into a ball, shivering in the arms of her male companion. Her face was drained of all blood, and pure terror pervaded her wide eyes. Trembling violently, she lifted her finger and shakily pointed to the opposite wall, T-t-theretheres a ghost right there!

Because of the ruckus she caused, almost everyone gathered on the fourth floor. Lin Qiushi glanced at the direction the woman pointed at, but all he saw was a black wall.

What kind of ghost? The man holding the woman asked somewhat impatiently. What exactly did you see?

It was a ghost. The womans body shook in fear, and she dragged her knees closer to her body. I-I cant say

Honestly, look at her causing such a fuss. Looking down on her with judgmental eyes, everyone began mumbling to themselves. Someone spitefully grumbled under his breath, but it was loud enough for the entire crowd to hear, Its almost like this is the first time shes entered the door world. Giving everyone a heart attack with all her screaming and crying just because she saw a ghost. For fucks sake, grow up already. How much more shameless can you get?

Momentarily forgetting her fears, the woman grew incensed at the mans words. Fueled by anger, she snapped back, So what if I scream and cry, huh?! Its better than dying quietly without a fight!

Alright, alright. Everyone just calm down, okay? At least it wasnt a big deal this time. Meng Yu stepped forward to mediate the situation and ease the tension in the air. So many people shouldnt be gathered on one floor like this. If something goes wrong, none of us might be able to escape

Seeing that nothing serious happened, everyone decided to disperse from the area.

The woman who had caused the disturbance was also prepared to head off, but just as she got up to leave, her clothes seemed to have been caught by something. Thinking it was the person behind her, she aggressively pulled her sleeve back several times and indignantly hissed, Whats wrong with you? What are you doing, let go of my clothes!

I said to stop pulling on my clothes!!! Having tried tugging her clothes back to no avail, she finally blew up. Glaring furiously, she whipped her head behind her to shout curses at the other, but this one look back made her blood freeze instantly.

There was nothing behind her. Not a single soul in sight.

Ah A chilling shiver came over the womans body, and her now-panicked eyes frightfully darted around.  She hastily dashed for the stairs to get out of this place as fast as possible, but just when she took one step, a pair of bloody hands reached out from nowhere and grabbed her legs.

Arghumph! The woman desperately wanted to scream for help but her mouth was covered by another pair of hands. Straining to turn her head, she looked behind her once again, only to see countless writhing, scarlet arms sticking out of the plain black wall from earlier, winding tightly around her body and forcefully dragging her into the wall.

By now, hot tears were streaming down her cheeks. She did everything in her power to cry for help, she dreadfully begged for anyone to hear her, but alas, her mouth was covered so tightly, completely smothering her voice; not even the faintest of muffled whimpers were able to slip from between her lips.

The man who accompanied her detected that something was amiss, but when he turned around, the woman had long been dragged into the wallin just a few blinks of an eye, a fully-grown, healthy female vanished into thin air.

The man was at a loss. He bewilderedly asked around, Has anyone seen Xiao You?

It appeared that the womans name was Xiao You.

Xiao You? Wasnt she here just a moment ago? Puzzled by this question, the people walking up front began to hold some doubts. After looking behind them, only to see there wasnt a single trace of the other woman, their uncertainties grew deeper, Could it be that she already went upstairs?

Ill go check. The man quickly climbed to the top of the pagoda. Yet, despite looking through every floor, he didnt see a shadow of the person he was searching for. When he returned to the group, his face was wan, dripping in cold sweat, SheShes gone.

Gone? As soon as these words fell from his lips, an overbearing silence flooded the room. If this was the real world, a person suddenly disappearing without leaving a trace behind was inconceivable. If someone investigated carefully, they would surely be able to find them. But sadly, this wasnt reality, and inside the door world, a persons disappearance was as good as a death sentence.

Didnt a person also disappear in the main hall of the temple yesterday? Someone from the crown remembered the incident from before. Is it possible that they

Theres no point in trying to find her. Meng Yu suddenly voiced. No doubt shes dead.

His words somewhat riled up the womans male companion, and he angrily yelled at the other, Why the hell would you say that?!

You dont seem to remember what the tour guide told us when she brought us here, so allow me to refresh your memories. In the face of the mans hostility, Meng Yu was awfully calm and unperturbed. She said once we arrive here, we cannot cause a ruckus or speak too loudly. And isnt that exactly what Xiao You did? Did she not scream and create a disturbance just moments ago?

At the others reasoning, the man shut his mouth, refusing to speak any more.

Sometimes its necessary to listen to others and take their advice. Meng Yu coolly stated, before directing his attention elsewhere, You two over there. Did you see anything when you went up just now?

While asking this question, he faced Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu.

We saw a drum Ruan Nanzhu softly answered. We didnt dare touch it, and immediately came down instead.

Meng Yu quirked a brow, A drum? Ill see it for myself. With that, he and a few others who teamed up with him turned on their heels and headed to the top of the pagoda.

With slightly pursed lips, Ruan Nanzhu thoughtfully watched the others retreating back.

The three tacitly understood that it was best to keep the diary a secret for the time being. Although they didnt know the exact reason, they had a gnawing feeling that they shouldnt jump the gun and impulsively mention what they found.

The disappearance of Xiao You was never brought up again.

Some of those who were hiding within the pagoda were trembling in fear and trepidation, while others were sitting silently. In any case, no one dared to carelessly walk around and explore the floors again, for fear that their unintentional screams from encountering monsters and ghosts would lead them to their deaths.

Lin Qiushi and the others no longer wandered around. Ruan Nanzhu rested his head against Lin Qiushi shoulder and closed his eyes, relaxing peacefully.

Cheng Qianli perched himself near the open window and gazed outside. God knows what he was looking at though.

The skies above gradually darkened, and the howls of the bitter winds grew louder and louder, sounding ever so mournful.

Lin Qiushi had originally propped his body up against the wall, but after a while, he began to feel uneasy. And so, despite how much easier and comfortable it was leaning against the wall, he sat his body straight up. Although maintaining such a posture was exhausting and rather strenuous, when he thought back on that illusion, he thought the pain and fatigue his body was going through didnt matter; after all, anything was better than leaning against a surface of raw human skin.

How much longer? Cheng Qianli mumbled.

Lin Qiushi glanced at the time on his phone and saw that there were still twenty minutes left before tour guide came to fetch them.

Cheng Qianli groaned, Ughhh, twenty minutesthats too long His despairing voice alone expressed the agonizing boredom and listlessness he was currently experiencing. As of this moment, the young boy was limply lying on his stomach, still numbly gazing out the window and slowly growing mushrooms. I miss the oil tea my big brother makes, the extra spicy kind

Lin Qiushi reached out and gently stroked the top of the young boys head.

Time ticked by excruciatingly slowly. It was only twenty minutes, but it felt like ages. A simple chat wouldve made the wait slightly bearable, but no one bothered to start any conversation.

Dusk fell, and the tour guide, clad in red, finally arrived, appearing before everyone.

Hello, everyone! Did you have fun today? The tour guide directed a bright smile at the crowd and enthusiastically waved the flag in her hand. Everyone here surely had a satisfying experience during their visit; you all mustve gained quite a lot of knowledge. Ive no doubts that everyone has learned to appreciate the local customs and traditions even more!

No one uttered a word. Everyones expressions were bleak and their eyes, spiritless; they all looked as if theyd lived through a great catastrophe that had shaved ten years off their life.

Well then, shall we head back? The tour guide beamed, her eyes curving into crescents, then she led everyone through the dense jungle.

Climbing down a pitch-black mountain with no lights wasnt exactly the easiest feat. They all took turns lending each other a hand and supporting those struggling down the mountain, and after a long, one-hour journey, they finally made it back to their residences, safe and sound.

After eating a simple dinner, everyone was ready to get a good nights rest. Dead on their feet, everyone wearily went back to their respective rooms.

Cheng Qianli followed Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Qiushi to their room. He was originally rooming with two other people, but because so much happened today, he wanted to squeeze in with Lin Qiushi for the night.

Do you really want to sleep next to me? Lin Qiushi asked.

Mhm, I want to sleep with you. Cheng Qianli peered up at Lin Qiushi with eyes brimming with unfallen tears, causing the others heart to clench. Acting pitiful, the boy softly pleaded, Im closer to you anyways, so cant I?

Having already turned mellow under the boys genuine request, Lin Qiushi shot a glance at Ruan Nanzhu. Ruan Nanzhu responded with a brisk nod, indicating it was fine for the boy to squeeze into Lin Qiushis bed.

And so, with a soft sigh, Lin Qiushi accepted. But a certain person in the room was a little more than dissatisfied.

A resentful Xu Jin didnt dare follow them up the tower today; while they were exploring together, she was sitting all alone for a whole day. And now she had to bear witness to this absurd scene. Having heard that Cheng Qianli would be sticking closely to Lin Qiushi throughout the night as well, she spitefully commented, You dont think hes fat, huh?

Cheng Qianli let out an incredulous gasp at her words. He simply couldnt understand why she would call him fat, Hah?! Fat?! Im not fat!

Lin Qiushi: Thats right. He isnt fat.

Xu Jin: Then why did you call me fat yesterday? You cant possibly be thinking this fool is better than me; hes clearly not superior to or skinnier than me in any way!

It was obvious that Lin Qiushi had completely forgotten the excuse he used yesterday to refuse Xu Jins advances. Not paying her any more heed, he and Cheng Qianli began discussing who would sleep on the outer side of the bed and who would sleep on the inside.

Xu Jin began to sulk on her bed; the mood around her turned melancholic. Ruan Nanzhu went over to her side and comforted her, telling her she wasnt fat at all, and that the problem was with big brother Linlins eyes and his taste in women. He fanned the flames by calmly adding, Men are such pigs, wouldnt you say?²

Filled with grievances, Xu Jin wholeheartedly agreed.

Lin Qiushi and Cheng Qianli were baffled by their unfathomable girls conversation. They werent exactly certain of the contents of the twos tte--tte, nor did they truly wish to understand what they were talking about. The only aspects of their chat Lin Qiushi was concerned with was how the gullible Xu Jin was getting a bit too intimate with the person she was talking to, and how he and Cheng Qianli suddenly became pigs. And truthfully speaking, Xu Jin, the trashiest pig of us all is sitting right next to you, feeding you sweetened lies ah

Considering how much energy they all exerted throughout the entire day, it wasnt strange for everyone knock out the moment their heads touched their pillows. Even Lin Qiushi, who normally couldnt fall asleep easily, was no exception.

As he kept falling in and out of consciousness, Lin Qiushi perceived someone walking around the room. Figuring it was just Cheng Qianli, he decided to ignore it and continued sleeping peacefully. It was only until the next morning that hed realized he was completely wrong.

Lin Qiushi woke up to a grumpy Cheng Qianli complaining nonstop about how Lin Qiushi kept him up all night because he was constantly walking and moving around.

Walking? Moving around? I didnt get out of bed though. Lin Qiushi denied. I was in such a deep sleep yesterday that I didnt even get up once to use the bathroom.

Youre lying. Cheng Qianli huffed. You definitely did get up

Lin Qiushi insisted on his innocence, I swear I did not get up. But I also felt that someone was walking around while I was sleeping

The twos line of sight moved towards the others in the room. Like a deer caught in headlights, Xu Jin shook her head in a panic, expressing that she didnt get out of bed either. And there was no need to ask Ruan Nanzhu. After all, he always slept so soundly that nothing could disturb his rest. He was always the first to fall asleep, and his kidneys were strong enough that he wouldnt be inconvenienced with the urge to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. In other words, he basically slept through the entire night until morning, without waking up once.

Thenwho was that walking around? gulped Cheng Qianli. His complexion turned pale, and his eyes grew as wide as saucers.

While they were trying to come up with a plausible answer, Ruan Nanzhu swiftly stood up. He walked over to them, then crouched down, checking under their bed.

Startled by his sudden actions, Lin Qiushi flinched, Whats the matter?

Ruan Nanzhu didnt reply. He simply extended a finger and pointed underneath their bed, Take a look for yourselves.

Not knowing what to expect and trembling with fear, Lin Qiushi and Cheng Qianli both bent down and followed Ruan Nanzhus finger, eventually laying eyes on what Ruan Nanzhu was referring to. The wooden floorboards under their bed were smeared with bloody handprints. The gory handprints extended from the ground all the way to the wall, making ones flesh creep.

Oh fucking hell!! Cheng Qianli could no longer stand it; the last string keeping him from losing his mind to the fear had finally snapped. He started screeching like a miserable chicken, hysterically waving his arms about. Lin Qiushis head began to ache from the clamorous racket the small boy was causing. Compared to that disaster of a boy, he felt that this gruesome scene wasnt as horrifying.

Would you please stop yelling like that? Lin Qiushi grimaced.

Ahhhh! This is the worst! The absolute worst, I tell you! How scary waaaaahhh!!! Cheng Qianli threw himself onto Lin Qiushis half-kneeling body and grabbed fistfuls of the others hair, passionately tugging and pulling, all the while wretchedly screaming his head off. Lin Qiushis mood plummeted by the second.

Let go of my hair! Let go of my hair! Before long, Lin Qiushi had also snapped. Fuming, he roared, LET GO OF MY HAIR THIS INSTANT!!!

Cheng Qianli: Im so scared!!! Waaaahhh!!!

Lin Qiushi: Mu Yu Do you have any idea what a designer cherishes the most? Its his hair! His hair and hairline, goddammit! That little rascal, Cheng Qianli, was clutching tightly onto his hair, vehemently pulling on them, as if he was weeding a garden! Only the devil knew whether this incident would affect the roots of his hair; God forbid he came out of this one-sided fight out with bald patches ah!

At long last, Cheng Qianli loosened his grip on the others hair. Im sorry. I let my emotions get the best of me.

Xu Jin watched this disgraceful scene with a blank expression on her face. She then turned around to face Ruan Nanzhu and numbly said, Zhu Meng, lets go eat.

Ruan Nanzhu happily hummed, Okay.

And so, hand-in-hand, the two ladies merrily went out to eat breakfast, while the two pigs were left staring at the bloody handprints in a daze.

Lets go. Lin Qiushi heaved out an exasperated sigh. Since were alive, it means it didnt want our lives.

Cheng Qianli put a hand to his heart and inhaled deeply, before exhaling, Holy shit, this door world is way too dangerous and scary. Fortunately, he didnt get up yesterday to see what was going on. If he did, who knows what he would see crawling on the ground.

After sitting through another depressing breakfast, the guide promptly appeared before them, as always.

She resembled a puppet, with that creepily-wide smile fixed onto her face and that mechanical wave of the red flag in her hand. Every day they had to look at that same expression and that same movement.

She enthusiastically announced, Today, I will be taking everyone to sightsee a temple. This temple is considered one of the most magnificent buildings in this area, and I am positive that everyone here will be so entranced by this temples elegance and glory once everyone lays their eyes on it

Lin Qiushi knit his brows together in a frown, Why do these words sound so familiar?

Of course, they would sound familiar. Meng Yu, who was beside him, happened to overhear this, and impassively stated, She said the same exact words on the first day.

Lin Qiushi:

Sure enough, after the crowd set off with her, the tour guide began to introduce the culture and tradition of this place. Naturally, everyone here had already heard this on the very first day. From her tone of voice to the order of words she spoke, there was almost no discrepancy between then and now; it was like she was record stuck on repeat.

No one knew how to react to this; everyone could only reveal an uncomfortably awkward expression at this bizarre situation.

This isnt a repeat of the first day, right? Xu Jin whispered in distress. We dont have to go to that place again, do we?

Its hard to say. Lin Qiushi shook his head, I reckon we have to see how things play out the next two days.

Xu Jin remained quiet. They were now headed towards that cursed place of death. Aside from herself, there were only twelve other individuals left; just how many more would die when they stayed there? It couldnt be that everyone was going to be killed off one-by-one until there was only one survivor remaining?

Obviously, Xu Jin wasnt the only one having the same dreadful thoughts. Everyones dreary expression revealed the grim suspicions haunting their minds.

This was the second time they arrived at this temple, but the four didnt impulsively rush inside.

This was all due to Ruan Nanzhus suggestion. Since they had already had examined the inside of the temple, he proposed that they examine the outside. And so, with him leading the three, they began to explore the area around the building.

The temple was surrounded by masses of thick trees from every side. Rays of sunlight spilled through the dense layers of scattered leaves, leaving behind a dim shine on the ground.

Small vines and ferns were strewn across the path laid with flagstones, issuing a soft rustling sound every time someone stepped on them. The temple was imposingly tall, to the point they could hardly see the top from where they were standing. And as before, that ghostly music echoed from afar, showing no signs of stopping.

This temples construction is quite odd and unconventional After inspecting the area for a while, Lin Qiushi, who was familiar with architectural designs, felt that something was incredibly off. The more he observed, the stronger this sense of wrongness became. The temple is round.

Round? At his mention of this, Cheng Qianli also scrutinized the temple, only to come to the same realization, Oh, youre right, the temple is round.

Round temples werent usually built, so there werent many in the world; in fact, the sight of a round temple could even be said to be rare.

What comes to mind when you think of a circle? asked Ruan Nanzhu.

After a long moment of silence, Lin Qiushi and Cheng Qianli both answered simultaneously, A drum.

Ruan Nanzhu rubbed his chin in rumination, I think

Lin Qiushi: Huh?

Ruan Nanzhu: We should check out the top of the temple.

Cheng Qianlis eyes nearly popped out of his skull at Ruan Nanzhus suggestion, Are we seriously going up there? The top of the templeBut didnt the person who went missing the day before yesterday disappear because he looked up at the ceiling?

That is correct. Ruan Nanzhu continued, But there should also be a clue up there. He touched his bag and said, Remember what we saw in the tower yesterday?

Of course he remembered; it was impossible to forget something as horrifying as that. Lin Qiushi could still vividly recall the sensation of his palm pressing down on the surface of that human skin drum. However, what Ruan Nanzhu was referring to wasnt the drum, but the diary they found inside the wall, the diary that was currently in his bag.

We may not have much time left. Ruan Nanzhu cautioned. Right now, we have no choice but to use any means or methods.

To anyone else, Ruan Nanzhus declaration that their time was running out would seem rather baseless. But for Lin Qiushi, who recalled the bloody handprints under his bed, this statement couldnt hold any truer. He wasnt sure if those handprints were a warning or an unexpected accident; but, whatever the case, they clearly werent a good omen.

The temple was so high, and there were no stairs or ladders leading them to the top floor.

But as the saying went, if there was a will, there was a way. No matter how difficult the task at hand seemed, so long as they desired to go up, they would certainly find a way to achieve this goal.

After circling the temple, Ruan Nanzhu suddenly came up with an idea.

When the other three heard of his so-called brilliant plan, they were all rendered speechless.

Still rather taken aback by this unanticipated idea, Lin Qiushi stammered, Y-you mean to use the wooden platform from that day?

Ruan Nanzhu: Mhm.

Lin Qiushi: But isnt that platform meant to be used as a sky burial?

Ruan Nanzhu nodded.

Lin Qiushi worriedly added, What if those things from last time are there too? If theyre there, and we rashly go up

Ruan Nanzhu glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, If you want to survive, you have to take some risks.

That was true. Lin Qiushi internally sighed, before taking a deep breath to calm himself, ridding himself of the hesitation and fears buried deep within his heart.

Determined, he looked straight at Ruan Nanzhu and said, Your bodys too weak right now. Ill go and do it.

Authors Comment:

Ruan Nanzhu: All men are pigs. But lucky for me, I like eating pigs.

Lin Qiushi: ..

Also, to clear up readers confusion, when Lin Qiushi shouted at Xu Jin, he was already in an illusion. In order to avoid any further misunderstandings, Ive already edited the previous chapter, modifying any confusing adjectives and deleting some parts.

Translators Comment:

The authors note in this chapter is just another example of how she edited the novel. As the novel progresses further, she has even more notes on confusing subjects, door rules, and any revisions that she made in previous chapters. If some things still confuse you, just wait a bitthere will be a rather lengthy authors note clarifying the situation of the doors and summarizing everything read thus far; remember guys, were still only on door 3 and there are over 10 doors left.

Continuing on, a television drama of KoD has, in fact, been confirmed and said to be launched sometime in 2020 (Im apparently months late with this news); however, more details have yet to be released, and considering the current situation, it seems rather unlikely that itll happen anytime soon. There have been many talks of the drama turning into BG and about who the cast is, but the author of KoD, the director, and the rumored cast have refuted these rumors, so well just have to wait to hear any more official news on this. And Im also super late on this too, but the KoD radio drama has reached Season 3, the last season, a while ago. Im unsure as to how far Xixi is with the radio drama, but please dont forget to thank her for her hard work.

Also, unrelated, but I apologise for being slow at replying to emails and comments. I do admit that I dont actively check my WordPress or WordPress email, unless Im translating/posting a chapter But I promise that whenever I have free time, I read through all of them and try my best to comment/reply, and Im truly appreciative of you guys!

Anyways, stay safe you all!

¹The actual phrase is : . More literally it means the grass on the burial has grown over 5 meters. This refers to how the grass grows long on grave when the person is dead for a long time and when no one has come to take care of their grave (i.e. no one really cares for them). This phrase is mostly used to talk about people who have/are sure to accidentally kill themselves because of their idiotic, reckless or dishonest decisions. Its also another way of saying Youre seeking death. The closest English expression I could think of was under six feet, but obviously, the implications arent really the same. Chinese explanation: LINK 1 || LINK 2

²This is another way of saying men are trash. LINK