Chapter 5
Chapter 5
After that, the two of us walked together down the narrow country path, one in front and one behind.
Every so often, I untied my hemp rope and measured a stretch of the road. Seeing this, he asked in puzzlement, “What are you doing?”
“Measuring the road.”
I put the rope away and said frankly, “My parents once told me that some places can’t be escaped not because of a ghost maze, but because someone has arranged the paths in some strange formation to trap the people inside.”
Seeing how certain I sounded, he sighed.
In the dead of night, the village was utterly silent. The little path had been swallowed by wild grass. One behind the other, we made our way across several crisscrossing field ridges, until a red glow appeared faintly amid the wormwood ahead-
I pushed through the grass, and beyond it stood a tall, imposing residence!
Red lanterns burned high beneath the eaves, and a plaque hung above the central gate, inscribed with several bold, sweeping characters: Pei Residence.
I was surprised. “This is your home?”
“Yes.” He pushed open the front gate. “My surname is Pei, given name Yu. You may call me Scholar Pei.”
“…My surname is Su. My given name is Lingxue.”
After we exchanged names, he invited me in to sit for a while. I did not refuse.
After all, the sky outside had yet to brighten.
We passed through several covered corridors and entered a lofty pavilion, where the stars and moon seemed almost close enough to touch. Pei Yu had me sit at the table and treated me with almost excessive hospitality. Before me were jade bowls and golden cups, their light reflected across the table. His face, framed by dark hair and fair as jade, leaned in very close. “I will go bathe first. Please wait here a moment.”
“…All right.”
Though I did not understand why he had to go bathe, I agreed all the same. After he left, I ignored the delicate pastries on the table, opened my bundle, and began eating walnuts.
I looked around. The furnishings in the pavilion were proper and conventional in every way, except for one thing-the chests, tables, and chairs here were all red. Under the glow of the red candles, they looked even more strange and dreamlike.
My gaze swept the room a few times, and then I noticed that one of the long benches seemed to move.
Hm?
I turned halfway, pretending to crack walnuts, while secretly watching the bench out of the corner of my eye. The bench was the color of fresh meat, smooth and lustrous. Seeing that I was no longer looking at it, it bent its four legs and slowly crept toward the wall.
The moment I turned and stared straight at it, the bench jumped in fright and scuttled backward in terror!
Seeing it gradually sink into the wall, I hurried forward and grabbed one of its legs. It felt fine and slick to the touch, like two cold tentacles. Its strength was far too great. In the next instant, it dragged my entire body into the wall!
Brightness flared before my eyes. I was in yet another unfamiliar room!