One couldn’t lie down forever, nor could one crouch forever. Finally, they got up to clean the battlefield.

That basin of water with the human skin submerged in it was like a time bomb. No one dared guarantee that everything was fine now. Luo Ren couldn’t leave, so Uncle Zheng had to stay at the hospital, keeping them updated on Pin Ting’s condition by phone.

Mu Dai was washing her hands in the bathroom, applying layer after layer of soap, creating countless bubbles, and even after washing, she held her hands up to the light, examining them again and again.

Luo Ren came over to talk to her: “Mu Dai, why don’t you all stay here tonight? Tomorrow we can call Shen Gun again.”

She acted as if she hadn’t heard, looking at the back of her hands after inspecting her palms.

Luo Ren thought she was worried about side effects from grabbing the human skin earlier: “You should be fine, you…”

Mu Dai walked past him with her chin up, looking straight ahead as if she hadn’t seen him.

As they brushed shoulders, Luo Ren realized: she wasn’t ignoring him, nor was she worried about her hands. She was… angry?

Indeed, Mu Dai instructed Cao Yanhua and Yi Wansan with a stern face: “Go back and pack your luggage. If there’s transportation tonight, we’ll leave tonight. If tomorrow, then tomorrow. I want to return to Lijiang.”

Yi Wansan was shocked: “What?”

How could this be? It wasn’t right. They had only been out for a few days and hadn’t even enjoyed themselves yet. Besides, although they hadn’t figured out exactly what had happened, he and Cao Yanhua had clearly “contributed.” In such a dangerous situation, the host should at least treat them to a meal. What was with this “leaving as soon as the matter is settled” attitude? He hadn’t come all this way just to help others like Lei Feng.

Cao Yanhua remained silent. Just earlier, Yi Wansan had secretly told him that Uncle Zheng’s roasted lamb leg tasted excellent, and that they would at least be treated to a whole lamb feast on this trip.

Luo Ren came over with a bitter smile, waving at Cao Yanhua and Yi Wansan, signaling them to leave first.

Yi Wansan understood and pulled Cao Yanhua away, “considerately” closing the door behind them.

Outside, Cao Yanhua was dejected: “Leaving so soon… we spent the money but got nothing out of it. I wish I hadn’t come.”

Initially, it was Yi Wansan who had urged him to come, talking about how the journey would strengthen their relationship, how it would create opportunities for him to impress and win the chance to become Mu Dai’s disciple… all for nothing.

Yi Wansan was quite optimistic: “It’s fine. She’s just a bit angry. Luo Ren will smooth things over.”

Cao Yanhua was puzzled: “Angry? About what?”

Yi Wansan looked at him like he was an alien: “Damn, it’s so obvious. Can’t you tell?”

He vividly described: “Didn’t you see the little boss lady pounding on the door like Meng Jiangnu crying at the Great Wall? Considering the context, it must be that Luo Ren was about to do something without consulting her. The situation was urgent, so they had to present a united front. Now that the danger is over, it’s time for the post-autumn reckoning.”

After finishing, he suddenly realized his last two sentences flowed well, almost like a couplet. With a “very talented” banner across, it would be perfect.

There was a lot to process. Cao Yanhua took a while to digest: “So Luo Ren needs to apologize?”

“Apologize my ass,” Yi Wansan snorted. “One word!”

He expected Cao Yanhua to continue, but looking up, he only saw a confused face.

Yi Wansan’s heart sank: “Fatty Cao, don’t tell me you’ve never been in a relationship?”

“Who says that!” Cao Yanhua rose to defend his dignity. “I have!”

If confessing and being rejected counted as “being in a relationship,” then yes, he had.

Yi Wansan chuckled dryly, waving his index finger before Cao Yanhua’s eyes: “One word—coax!”

With the door closed, the room grew much quieter. Luo Ren walked to the cabinet, pulled out the knife, and handed it to Mu Dai.

Mu Dai didn’t take it: “I don’t want it anymore!”

Luo Ren asked her: “Are you angry?”

“Not angry, just tired, homesick, want to go back.”

She refused to look at Luo Ren, expressionless, speaking with righteous indignation, words clipped like a typewriter, with pauses after every few words.

Luo Ren smiled slightly. With no outsiders present, it felt quite good. The basin of water sat quietly on the table, without a single ripple.

He lowered his voice: “Mu Dai, if you feel wronged, just say it. I don’t want you to feel that way.”

Mu Dai said: “I have nothing to feel wronged about…”

As she spoke, she couldn’t control herself, and tears suddenly fell, looking utterly wronged.

She was like a little tearbox. The room had been emptied of tissues, and Luo Ren couldn’t help reaching out to wipe her tears: “How will you manage if you cry so easily?”

Mu Dai pushed his hand away: “I have a reason to cry.”

Luo Ren listened: “Hmm.”

“As a friend, I want to tell you,” Mu Dai reasoned while wiping her tears, “your behavior today, this self-abandonment, this casual attitude toward life, is very, very…”

How to put it? At first, she was just angry. How could someone be so immature? If there’s a problem, solve it! Is there any hurdle in the world that can’t be overcome? Had he read too many romance novels? Always wanting to sacrifice himself—did he think it was tragic and touching?

She was so angry she didn’t even want to look at him anymore, just wanted to leave.

But now that he was pursuing the reason, she couldn’t articulate it.

Luo Ren must have carefully considered it too. He did it for Pin Ting. She was just an outsider—what right did she have to criticize his sacrifice for Pin Ting?

Mu Dai felt quite deflated.

Luo Ren pressed: “Hmm?”

She could only say: “Very, very wrong. Anyway, I want to go back.”

Her eyelids were slightly swollen and red. She looked spiritless yet unreasonable in her speech. Strangely, Luo Ren felt moved. He couldn’t explain why, but he suddenly reached out to brush the top of her head, running his hand down the left side of her hair, and very naturally dusting off her shoulder when he reached it.

Some say a girl’s hair is as smooth as silk. That’s not true. It’s not like silk at all. Each strand of hair is soft like folded eyelashes. The softness between his fingers connected straight to his heartbeat—an indescribable feeling.

Luo Ren said, “If you must go back, I’ll drive you in a couple of days. For now, follow my arrangements.”

Mu Dai stood still.

She heard the door. Luo Ren had left, but she still didn’t move.

After a while, she cautiously reached out to touch the left side of her hair.

It was all still there, but why couldn’t she feel it?

After another moment, she said softly: “Don’t touch my head.”

Without beginning or end, without explanation, the matter seemed to have passed.

It was already very late. The basin with the submerged human skin had been placed in the center of the living room. There was no movement, deathly still, but no one dared to lower their guard. Though they appeared to be sitting on the sofa doing their things, almost every few seconds, someone would glance at the basin.

Uncle Zheng called, presumably about Pin Ting’s condition. Luo Ren went outside to take the call. Mu Dai coughed twice and said to Cao Yanhua and Yi Wansan, “Let me ask you something.”

Cao Yanhua and Yi Wansan both looked up at her.

Mu Dai laughed awkwardly: “I have a friend, a college friend. After graduation, she went back to her hometown to work. Just now, she asked me…”

“She said she met a guy, though they’re not that close, just ordinary friends. One day, while talking to this guy, he suddenly touched her hair… She asked me what that meant…”

At this point, Mu Dai laughed, trying too hard to hide the obvious: “I’m not a guy, how would I know? Haha, what do you think it means?”

Cao Yanhua thought seriously: “Had this girl washed her hair? If not, wouldn’t it feel greasy and uncomfortable to touch?”

Mu Dai gave up on Cao Yanhua and looked at Yi Wansan.

Yi Wansan said: “You’re talking about yourself, aren’t you?”

Mu Dai laughed heartily: “No, no, no! I know you’d think it’s me, but really, it’s my friend!”

Yi Wansan smiled irritably: “Little boss lady, give it up. Even a fool knows you’re talking about yourself…”

Mu Dai’s face flushed red, and her eyes began to emit a murderous aura.

Yi Wansan sensed trouble and cautiously began to shift his bottom backward…

“Cao Yanhua, beat him up!”

Cao Yanhua was probably still puzzling over the hair-washing question. Hearing this, he was bewildered, looking from Mu Dai to Yi Wansan: “Huh?”

“Beat him up, and I’ll take you as my disciple.”

Cao Yanhua could hardly believe his ears: “Huh?”

Five seconds later, Cao Yanhua turned to look at Yi Wansan.

Yi Wansan laughed nervously: “Brother Cao… Fatty Cao, I was just joking with the little boss lady… Brother Cao, don’t come over… Brother Cao, you should take someone of high moral character as your master. One who asks you to assault civilians from the start will surely be despised by the people, Brother Cao!”

With a shrill scream, Yi Wansan leaped over the sofa and rushed toward the door with lightning speed. Cao Yanhua followed closely, his movement as swift as a ball of lightning.

Luo Ren was making a phone call under the porch when someone rushed past him. He had barely looked up when another gust, several levels stronger, blew by.

Was that… Yi Wansan and Cao Yanhua?

Before Luo Ren could come to his senses, he saw Cao Yanhua let out a great shout in the distance and lunged forward, like the white-browed tiger from “The Water Margin,” forcefully tackling poor Yi Wansan to the ground.

Had the human skin possessed someone again? Luo Ren broke into a cold sweat.

Yi Wansan sat on the sofa, his neck twisted in an unnatural position, with a white towel draped over it.

Cao Yanhua spoke humbly: “I was just playing around…”

“You’re a person with weight. Can you casually ‘play around’?”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”

Mu Dai had only intended for Cao Yanhua to give Yi Wansan a couple of punches on his thicker parts, not expecting this outcome. She felt both guilty and amused.

For the first time in her life, she showed exceptional care for Yi Wansan: “Then we’ll keep watch tonight, and you should sleep.”

With that basin of water sitting in the middle, no one felt like sleeping anyway. Now it made sense—who could sleep after being schemed against by this poisonous woman and her murderous disciple?

Cao Yanhua ran to the bedroom to fetch him a down pillow.

Unfortunately, it was of no use for his neck. Yi Wansan twisted his neck, shifting around, finally placing the pillow behind his shoulder. He lay down in a bizarre posture, his face hanging outward, looking utterly unrestful.

Mu Dai sat opposite, lowering her head to suppress her laughter. Luo Ren came over and said softly, “You should sleep too. I’ll keep watch tonight.”

Mu Dai suddenly remembered Pin Ting: “What did the doctor say?”

Luo Ren’s expression darkened slightly: “No major issues, but she needs a skin graft.”

A skin graft? But wasn’t it just a thin, cicada-wing-like piece?

Luo Ren seemed to know what she was thinking: “No, the wound isn’t that simple. There was a lot of bleeding…”

“Little boss lady.”

Huh? Was Yi Wansan calling her?

Looking over, he was still in that awkward posture, but his expression was strangely serious, his eyes fixed on the basin of water in the center.

“Little boss lady, there was just a line of light on the water’s surface.”

The room instantly fell silent, all eyes turning to the basin.

The water’s surface was as still as death.

“You can’t see it from where you are. It might only be visible from my angle—just a line of light, gone in an instant. Or maybe, turn off the lights.”

Keeping the lights on was something everyone had agreed upon earlier. If it was dark, and that piece of human skin crawled out of the basin… just the thought made one’s scalp tingle.

Mu Dai and Luo Ren exchanged a glance. Luo Ren nodded: “Let’s turn them off for a bit.”

Darkness suddenly filled the entire room. Mu Dai was so nervous she hardly dared to breathe. After a few seconds, she saw that indeed, at some position on the water’s surface, a flash of light passed by.

What did it resemble? A lake’s surface with ripples under moonlight? Yes, it was like a bright ripple, but when the lights came back on, there wasn’t the slightest movement on the water’s surface.

Just a pure light. A water shadow?

Yi Wansan shook his head, wincing in pain as he moved: “No, the positions of the light I saw were all different. Little boss lady, turn off the lights again so I can take another look.”

The lights went off again.

The appearance of the light was irregular, sometimes a few seconds apart, sometimes more than ten seconds. Each strand was extremely thin, either long or short, with variable positions and directions.

Mu Dai couldn’t discern any pattern. It was like chaotic reflections on water.

Just as they were puzzling over it, Yi Wansan suddenly asked Luo Ren: “Do you have an automatic high-speed camera with a timer?”

Before Luo Ren could answer, he sighed: “No, it’s too dark, there’s not enough exposure, it won’t capture anything. If we had good equipment that could take a photo every few seconds, recording each light streak, and then overlay them on a computer, we might be able to see something.”

Luo Ren asked him solemnly: “Why?”

“It’s like a drawing, one stroke here, one stroke there. They’re not continuous, but if you have enough patience to record each stroke, it must be a picture…” He suddenly became excited. “Luo Ren, help me find paper and a pen. I can see it very clearly from this angle. I’ll draw it.”

Well, Yi Wansan could indeed draw, and he was the only one who could do it. But… drawing in the dark, could he manage?

In the darkness, occasionally, they could hear the faint sound of a pen scratching against paper.

Mu Dai sat on the sofa, hugging her knees, gazing absent-mindedly at the lustrous water surface in the darkness.

She had thought it was all over, but she seemed to be wrong. It seemed like… it had just begun.