Chapter 133
Chapter 133
Outside the inn, the Faceless Woman lifted her head and sniffed delicately at the air.
The scent of prey!
Tonight was her hunting ground.
Those pitiful people still thought they had a chance to escape?
No. No one knew this forest better than she did.
They… would not escape. Not a single one of them.
The Faceless Woman was just about to move when a figure slowly emerged from the forest.
When she saw it was Meiya, the killing intent in the Faceless Woman’s eyes vanished in an instant. She turned, about to hide herself in the darkness.
“Innkeeper!” Meiya hurriedly called after her.
With her back to Meiya, the Faceless Woman raised a hand to her blood-soaked face.
She did not want Meiya to see her like this…
“Sister Shuhan,” Meiya choked out.
The Faceless Woman still did not turn around. Her voice was cold as she ordered, “This has nothing to do with you. Go back to where you belong!”
“I’m sorry!” Meiya suddenly dropped to her knees in the snow, tears blurring her eyes.
The Faceless Woman froze, falling into a deep silence.
In the woods, the bitter wind howled, and the snowstorm raged harder by the moment.
Meiya clenched both fists, her shoulders trembling with quiet sobs. Through her tears, she stared at the Faceless Woman’s back and said, “Twenty years ago, it was me… I was the one who deserved to die. I was the one who got you killed. Please don’t hate Brother Lei, and please, I’m begging you, spare this village. Spare each group of innocent travelers who come here.
If my death can erase your hatred, then please kill me.”
After a long while, the Faceless Woman let out a bleak laugh. Slowly, she turned and drifted toward Meiya.
“You’re not afraid of me?” The Faceless Woman was right in front of her.
Meiya looked straight at the Faceless Woman’s terrifying face. This face still looked exactly as it had back then, when Brother Lei had rescued her from the bottom of the cliff. How could she ever forget it?
She had never been afraid of this face. All she felt was endless guilt.
Every moment, this face proclaimed the sin she had once committed.
She was the one who deserved to be cast down to the eighteenth level of hell!
“I’m sorry. I’m the one who made you like this. Sister Shuhan, I’m truly sorry! I’m sorry!” Meiya’s tears fell in great drops as she slowly reached out and touched the sticky, ice-cold cheek before her.
All these years, she had never dared to face the mistake she had made back then.
She had always wanted to say those words of apology in person, but she had never known how to begin.
How could she explain why she had lost control and pushed her off the cliff? How could she say that she truly regretted it, that she truly knew she was wrong?
How could she earn the forgiveness of the person before her? How could she prove that she really understood her mistake…
Back then, Li Shuhan had taken Lili’s place and stayed at the inn, dismissing all the staff. Meiya had chosen to stay of her own accord.
Because she needed a chance to apologize face-to-face. She simply had never gathered the courage to speak.
Until today. Because Brother Lei’s life was at stake, and because she no longer wanted this nightmare to continue.
She had to wake up. With her death, she would wake everyone in the village from this nightmare!
The Faceless Woman looked at Meiya, who was crying like a child. The muscles of her face twitched slightly, and the corner of her mouth lifted into a faint smile.
“Good girl. Don’t cry.” The Faceless Woman reached out and stroked Meiya’s head.
Meiya looked into her gentle eyes, and for a moment, she remembered the first time they had met.
That day, she had been hiding in the forest, crying, because her father planned to marry her off to a man from the neighboring village. She did not want to be like the other girls in the village, marrying and having children once they came of age, spending her entire life trapped in the mountains.
Li Shuhan had only recently arrived in the village then. She had been conducting research in the mountains when she happened upon Meiya, who was all alone.
Their first meeting had been just like today.
From that day on, they became friends. Li Shuhan knew Meiya was not a girl willing to be trapped in the mountains, so she told her all about the big city, giving her encouragement and hope.
“Didn’t you already apologize long ago?” the Faceless Woman said, her tone still gentle.
“You left that letter in the staff dormitory on purpose so I would see it. So the moment I read it, I understood everything.
“Your apology was written in it long ago, and your actions proved your sincerity.
“All these years, you knew perfectly well that I was no longer the person I used to be, yet you still chose to stay at the inn and help me with the dirtiest, most exhausting work.
“So I forgave you a long time ago. Besides, if I hadn’t experienced ‘death,’ I never would have glimpsed the truth of this world. In fact, I even feel fortunate.”
The Faceless Woman helped Meiya to her feet. “You’ve lived in guilt and self-blame for so many years. That is enough to repay the mistake you made back then. So you can stop punishing yourself now.”
Meiya choked on her sobs.
So she had known all along. She had already… forgiven her. But…
“I can’t forgive myself…” Meiya wiped at her tears and said, “Brother Lei, he… he’s actually been in the village this whole time. He turned into… a monster…”
A trace of regret flashed through the Faceless Woman’s eyes. “Mm. I know. Who else could have been leaving roses and gifts every morning but him?”
Meiya’s pupils trembled. “Then why… did you…”
Meiya couldn’t understand. Since Sister Shuhan already knew the Skeleton Monster was Brother Lei, why did she still go to the West Slope every day to mourn him instead of finding him directly and bringing him back to the inn?
The Faceless Woman shook her head. “There are many things you don’t understand. I am still ‘alive,’ but he… is truly dead.”
Meiya went rigid. “Why? I don’t understand. Why…”
The Faceless Woman drew in a soft breath, and her voice grew heavy. “All you need to know is… what created everything today was never you. It was… the greed in people’s hearts that can never be filled.”
“Greed…” Meiya sucked in a cold breath, only half understanding.
The Faceless Woman continued, “Do you know what the Aurora in the village really is?
“At first, it was a Divine Gift. But later, it became Divine Retribution.
“Everyone who received the Divine Gift is now suffering its condemnation.”
“Is it what turned you and Brother Lei into what you are now?” Meiya asked tentatively.
The Faceless Woman shook her head. She did not answer, only said, “Go. You don’t need to stay at the inn anymore, and you don’t have to remain in the village. In three days, you can board the bus and leave. Although you won’t all end up in the same place, it will be enough for you to escape the mountains you’ve always wanted to leave.”
Seeing that the Faceless Woman was about to leave, Meiya quickly grabbed her hand.
“Sister Shuhan!”
“What is it? Do you still have questions?”
“Why do you…” Meiya’s lips trembled as she finally asked the question that had haunted her for so long. “Why do you hunt the travelers? The ones who did wrong were me and the people of the village.”
The Faceless Woman smiled faintly. “Because… this world needs more residents. Only by making them stay can this world become… a real world.”
With that, the Faceless Woman ignored Meiya’s attempts to stop her and swiftly headed into the forest.
Her hunt had officially begun.
Dear travelers, since you’ve come, none of you should leave!