Before I knew it, I had already arrived in the village. Soon, I drew the attention of the villagers. Fortunately, I had some money in my pocket—given to me by Past Ethan Justice. I lied, claiming I was searching for medicine in the mountains for a sick family member and got lost, and had finally found a place where someone lived.
The villagers didn't question me, and in the end, I ended up staying at Lee Hsing's home. Their food was truly delicious.
After eating, I felt like I'd come back to life. Lying alone on the relatively soft bed in my room, the sensation was simply wonderful. If only I could take a hot bath, it would be perfect. I giggled—now I felt completely myself, with no trace of Past Ethan Justice's influence.
"Rachel Lan, things may change. After all, the power that existed in your timeline for this cycle has completely faded, and I can only speak to you because you came with us. So we still exist, but you can't see us, and our power can't reach you anymore."
I hummed, rubbing my round belly. It didn't matter anymore. All I wanted now was to sleep until morning, then head up the mountain and wait for nightfall again.
When I woke up, daylight had already broken. On the small low table in the room sat a bowl of porridge and a small dish of pickled vegetables. There was no one else in Lee Hsing's house—his two children were already out playing.
After enjoying a delightful breakfast, I planned to head up the mountain. I didn't intend to stay here long—if something bigger happened, it wouldn't be worth it. My only thought now was to hang on. Next cycle, I'll stay at a different house, because I smelled meat cooking at the home across from Lee Hsing's.
Besides eating, in this unchanging cycle, I've already remembered nearly all the details of what happens—including what Lee Hsing's family will say.
"Little girl, it's best not to go into the mountains during this season."
Around noon, I was about to head into the mountains, but Lee Hsing stopped me.
"Didn't I just see someone go into the mountains?"
I mumbled a reply. Lee Hsing looked at me, puzzled, then shook his head.
"No one would willingly climb that mountain."
I stared in shock, turning to look toward the mountainside. I could still see the villagers—three people were steadily climbing toward the summit.
"This is bad—something terrible has happened."
At that moment, accompanied by a villager's shout, many others who were still working in the fields and some of the older children all swarmed toward the edge of the mountain. I hurried after them. Soon, nearly a hundred villagers had gathered, everyone staring in horror at the collapsed bamboo fence.
"Who was the reckless ghost this time, or was it just some kid?"
I swallowed nervously. When I first entered this cycle, I slept a while, then after driving away the ghosts, I rushed down the mountain in a haze. On the way, I took a shortcut and accidentally bumped into one of the bamboo fences, which collapsed under my weight. I fell into the mud, so I went straight to the village. Seeing me in such a sorry state, the villagers never suspected me.
But now, the villagers were agitated, blaming each other for which family's child had broken a section of the bamboo fence. Yet it was only a fence—just fix it and things would be fine.
"There's no need for everyone to get so worked up. If we all pitch in, it'll be fixed in no time."
As I spoke, I realized the blame had already escalated into a full-blown argument. The villagers ignored me, and their faces grew grim. No one went to repair the fence—instead, they began tearing it apart.
To call it 'tearing apart' might not be quite right—they started fighting each other, all to snatch the red and yellow cloth strips tied to the bamboo. Those who grabbed one dashed off in a hurry, while others chased after them, desperate to get a strip for themselves.
The whole scene unfolded so suddenly. I kept shouting, but no one listened. They just kept fighting—soon, women joined the fray too. No one explained to me what was really happening.
By dusk, the fight over the cloth strips finally ended. Many villagers were injured, and those who didn't get a strip returned home in shock, some even in tears.
I hurried back to Lee Hsing's house. Although the cycle would likely restart around ten o'clock at night, seeing what had happened in the village, I decided to wait and see.
Thinking back, this village is truly strange. The first time I entered, I noticed every door had a long object hanging on it. Now, the cloth strips were tied to those objects. I once asked Lee Hsing about them—he said they were just something the villagers always had, nothing special.
And inside each house, the dishes they used were all different. I don't just mean the size—every household had their own bowls, some of which could be called plates.
"Uncle Lee Hsing, what exactly is going on here?"
I asked, but Lee Hsing just looked troubled and didn't want to tell me.
"Don't ask about things that don't concern you, little girl. You're an outsider—just stay quietly in the house, no matter what you see, don't go out."
There was a red cloth strip hanging at Lee Hsing's door. After dinner, I lay in the room he prepared for me. Through the paper window, I poked a small hole and watched the pitch-black outside. The insects' chirping tonight was particularly sharp—I felt restless.
But soon, fatigue overcame me. I got up, planning to go out and wash my face. As I stepped out and reached the main house, I saw Lee Hsing's family of four crouched by the door, peering at something. Curious, I tiptoed over. Just as I looked through the crack, I accidentally kicked the door open.
"What are you doing?"
As soon as I spoke, a shadow suddenly floated up, carrying someone. I drew my bow and nocked an arrow, letting it fly with a twang—hitting the ghost in midair. It wailed and quickly dissolved into ash. Cries of pain erupted all around. I was shocked—why had so many ghosts appeared all at once? There were hundreds, not just one or two. They came from the houses without cloth strips, tearing at the people inside.
I quickly took out my weapon and ran through the village, slaying ghost after ghost. People kept dying, but those in houses with cloth strips didn't move to help—they refused to open their doors.
These ghosts were weak, but there were too many—at most, fewer than ten were powerful. I could handle them easily, but when they broke into chaos, they'd always try to get into the houses without cloth strips.
The confusion and complexity of the village cost me dearly. I had to use my power, but soon I gave up, afraid that doing so would cause even bigger trouble.
The whole night passed amid the ghosts' constant wails. I watched the corpses of those who'd been devoured, the ghosts had already retreated. After my fierce attacks, another round of cries rang out. I rushed over—it was Future Ethan Zhang, his body was only half intact.
"You got lucky tonight, Rachel Lan."
"What do you mean?"
I swallowed hard. Future Ethan Zhang looked around.
"I'll keep this short—listen carefully. Whatever you do, don't let Li Er die."
As he spoke, I suddenly felt dizzy. A strong wind swept past my face, and in an instant I snapped awake. It was still the afternoon in the woods, and I was dressed the same as before, my clothes tattered.
"What on earth is going on in this village?"
Confused, I mumbled a question, not caring about the ghosts behind me, and ran to where I could see the original village on the mountainside. Exhausted, I sat down—I'd just fought a horde of ghosts, and now I was utterly spent.
I carefully recalled the last thing Future Ethan Zhang said to me. Then I noticed someone in a set of clothes flying toward me. Past Ethan Justice's shadow was nowhere to be seen. I quickly changed into clean clothes—couldn't even hear Past Ethan Justice's voice. After calling out a few times to confirm, I was sure: he was gone. Their power had completely vanished from my cycle.
"What's so important about not letting Li Er die? Isn't Li Er not even born yet? He only said half a sentence, and it's not like we're some feuding family."
I was tired, but sleep eluded me. Maybe what Future Ethan Zhang said last night was the last thing he could say. Suddenly, a chill ran up my spine. I snapped my eyes open and stood up.
"Even if Li Er hasn't been born yet, his ancestors must be here. If they die, it's the same as Li Er dying."
I shuddered, recalling everything from yesterday. The bamboo fence around the mountain must have been some kind of ghost-sealing array. When I jumped over and accidentally broke it, the array was disrupted. That's why the villagers fought so desperately over the red and yellow cloth strips, and why the chaos broke out yesterday—it was a matter of life and death, no time for family ties.
After thinking for a while, I still couldn't figure out how to deal with so many ghosts. Soon, I just laughed and turned away.
"The only way is to cut off the source."
My eyes widened. As soon as I thought of it, I gripped my weapon tightly. Now, before the ghosts attack the villagers, I need to find their gathering place. After experiencing the last cycle, I understood: I must deal with the source before anything happens. That's the safest way.