Chapter 43: Burial

Although the Huazi family had suffered a tragic massacre, the five of them were so hungry, exhausted, and sleep-deprived that they didn't care about the taboo. They gathered the mattresses and pillows from the room and laid them out in the living room to sleep. They blocked the doors and windows, preparing to stay the night.

Pang Jun, unconcerned about being as round as a ball, insisted on squeezing into the middle to sleep with everyone. Officer Huang took the outermost left position, while the bed on the far right was the wedding bed with a pair of mandarin duck quilts. Wang Zikai, dissatisfied with the "feminine" bedding, crawled into Officer Huang's blanket. From left to right, the order was Officer Huang, Wang Zikai, Pang Jun, Gao Yang, and Qingling.

Gao Yang originally intended to be a gentleman and sleep on the outside, but Qingling insisted on sleeping on the far right—her right hand still gripping a knife.

Lying on a red pillow and covered with a bright red mandarin duck quilt, Gao Yang turned his head and glanced at Qingling. Her breathing was even, but her brow remained slightly furrowed—she hadn't fallen asleep but was clearly prepared for a fight at any moment.

A strange feeling suddenly overcame Gao Yang, as if this were his wedding night and his bride, holding a long knife, was lying beside him, waiting to fight side by side after the dawn...

"Slap!" Pang Jun tossed and turned, his heavy hand slapping Gao Yang's face.

Gao Yang suppressed the urge to kick him and removed his hand.

In the early hours of the morning, the five of them gradually fell asleep. After an unknown amount of time, Gao Yang, in a hazy state, felt someone grasping his hand.

He was slightly startled and immediately woke up.

Pang Jun and Wang Zikai were snoring in the darkness, and Gao Yang's attention returned to his right hand, where it was tightly held by an icy, smooth hand. He shifted slightly to the side and looked at Qingling.

In the darkness, Qingling's body was stiff, her eyes wide open, glowing faintly.

"What's wrong?" Gao Yang whispered.

"It's nothing," Qingling replied calmly, though her voice trembled slightly.

Gao Yang quickly realized. "You're... Qingling?"

Qingling didn't respond but acknowledged it with silence.

Gao Yang wasn't sure what to say. Qingling, who had always disliked men, was now voluntarily holding his hand—she must have been truly scared.

"Why don't you... go back?" Gao Yang wasn't sure how to communicate with Qingling's second personality, "This isn't your place to be."

"I know," Qingling said, "Sister told me everything about what happened. Even though her eyes were closed, she didn't fall asleep. I hope she can rest for a while..."

Gao Yang was puzzled. "But even if your sister's personality is resting, isn't your body still awake?"

"Are you teaching me how to do things?"

"No, I wouldn't dare…"

"I know better than you, so now I must let my sister rest..." Qingling took a deep breath and tightened her grip on Gao Yang's hand. "Don't mind me, I'll fall asleep soon."

"Alright."

After a while, Gao Yang felt that Qingling still hadn't fallen asleep and found himself no longer tired. He turned toward her.

"What are you trying to do?" Qingling immediately opened her eyes, warning him, "I'm telling you, don't have any bad intentions, or I'll cripple you."

"You're overthinking it," Gao Yang was embarrassed—he wasn't a beast. Besides, in this situation, he had no such thoughts. "I don't even know if I'll survive to leave here. Just in case there's no chance later, I need to apologize for that matter first."

"The Li Weiwei thing?"

"Yes."

"She was killed by my sister. It has nothing to do with you," Qingling replied, not looking at him.

"I know, but if it wasn't for me…"

"Enough, stop adding drama to it."

Qingling moved, resting her head on Gao Yang's pillow and curling her long legs, pressing her back against his chest. Gao Yang could smell the fragrance of her hair. Qingling didn't feel secure enough, so she grabbed his arm and placed it on her body, finally feeling a little more at ease.

"Just stay like this, don't move," Qingling sighed and closed her eyes.

"Don't you hate men?"

"In my eyes, you're not a man."

"You might have a misunderstanding of me…"

"Shut up, I'm letting my sister rest for a while."

"Alright."

Gao Yang maintained an uncomfortable position at first and couldn't sleep, but soon he was too tired and unknowingly fell asleep.

Gao Yang didn't know how long he had slept, but when he woke up, light was coming through the cracks in the door and windows. He was still holding Qingling, his arm numb and stiff. Qingling, however, had somehow turned over during the night.

He was about to lift his arm when Qingling—no, Qingling's main personality—opened her eyes.

Their faces were only a fist's length apart, staring into each other's eyes, their breaths mingling, and Gao Yang's hand was still resting on her soft waist.

The air was eerily quiet.

"Don't chop me, I can explain…" Gao Yang's survival instincts kicked in.

"No need, I can guess what happened," Qingling moved Gao Yang's numb arm away, sat up, and skillfully tied her long black hair into a ponytail.

She stood up, stretched her body, seeming to have rested well last night. She glanced at Gao Yang still lying on the mattress. "Thanks for your hard work last night."

"It's nothing…"

"Damn!" Just as Wang Zikai woke up, he saw the scene and jumped up with a start. "You two, really? In this environment, with these conditions, you two still had the mood to make things difficult for each other? I think the real victims are us third wheels!"

Gao Yang sat up, intentionally mocking Wang Zikai, "Are you a virgin in a hurry?"

Hitting the sore spot, Wang Zikai panicked. "Huh? I'm a virgin? I had a girlfriend when I was three! When I was picking up girls, you were still playing with toy cars…"

Gao Yang breathed a sigh of relief: Good, successfully changed the topic.

...

Early the next morning, the five left Huazi's house. At the mountain head of Gujia Village, the mourning hall was lively, with gongs, drums, firecrackers, and exaggerated wailing sounds.

"Are they going to bury the body now?" Pang Jun asked.

"This is how it is in the countryside," Gao Yang nodded. "Funeral rites last for two days, and on the third morning, the body is buried."

While they were talking, eight or so strong men carried an old black wooden coffin from a shed. In front of the coffin, a Taoist priest, holding a peachwood sword and bell, led the procession while chanting something incomprehensible.

Behind the coffin bearers, a few women dressed in mourning clothes supported each other, pretending to cry exaggeratedly, while several men holding bundles of paper money scattered it along the way. Other villagers dressed in black followed in groups, sending off the deceased.

Soon, the coffin bearers reached the village entrance and passed in front of the five.

Yesterday's Old Master Gu followed at the end of the procession. Seeing Officer Huang, he walked up to greet him. "Officer Huang, you're here so early?"

Officer Huang nodded. "Yes, I couldn't sleep until the case is solved."

"Make sure to rest. You all look a bit worn out," Old Master Gu said.

Gao Yang silently complained: After not eating or drinking for nearly thirty hours, how could I look good? If I weren't an awakened one with significantly enhanced attributes, I'd probably have passed out from low blood sugar by now.

"Sir, are you using one coffin for a family of five?" Officer Huang asked.

"Yes," Old Master Gu sighed. "The Huazi family isn't well-off. They spent all their savings on getting a wife, only for the wife to die so soon... This coffin was raised by the villagers, and a coffin for five people isn't cheap. They couldn't afford it, and there's no need for five separate ones... As you know, the Huazi family doesn't have complete corpses, so it's better to just put them together..."

Old Master Gu stopped talking, shaking his head as he followed the procession.

"Shall we follow them?" Officer Huang asked the group.

"Sure," Gao Yang had already planned to do so.