Linbiangui Village-Infinite Streaming Chapter 39

The Wu Family Banquet

“Quite the lavish affair,” Chen Jin shrugged. “But isn’t there a saying in the village now that the deceased must be placed at the Mountain God Temple for a day before burial? I remember he didn’t pass away on the same day as Aunt San Rong…”

“I don’t know about that. I heard Wu Kai Ke’s temper has become very strange since he left. It’s surprising enough that he’s treating the whole village to a meal,” Uncle A Dong chattered, clearly bored from guarding the house alone. “But they’re setting up the traditional village ‘running water feast.’ If you can handle it, you can go. After all, he’s been gone for so many years, hardly anyone recognizes him.”

“Let’s go then. Might as well see what they’re hiding,” Wu Zeng scraped the dirt-covered soles of his shoes twice on the steps, then slung an arm over Chen Jin’s shoulder, intending to head back inside. “Let’s go back to the room.”

“Hey, wait, this fell by your door. Is it yours?” Uncle A Dong handed over a scroll of kraft paper. Chen Jin took it; it was the historical record of Changlin given by Aunt San Rong in the previous world.

Back in the room, Chen Jin sat on the bed, leaning against the mottled wall. His fingertips lightly and unconsciously traced his abdomen. Having just finished the IV drip at the Bai family’s place, his abdomen was now soft and unusually sensitive without the hardened callus, though it was faintly radiating heat.

Wu Zeng stood by the bed and, with a snap, unfurled the kraft paper. The inside of the paper was blank, but within seconds of exposure to the air, dark ink script emerged—the entire content of the kraft paper, except for the original illustrations of the Changlin people, had completely vanished. In its place was the shocking secret technique of Changlin: Blood Sacrifice for Heavenly Fortune.

This was a secret technique of a minority ethnic group: the sacrificer uses blood as a covenant, and by obtaining an object from the fortune-lender, they can borrow fortune for another person. However, the borrowed fortune must be fully repaid, and blood must be offered to the deity until the debt of the borrowed fortune is cleared, otherwise, eternal damnation awaits.

“By obtaining an object from the fortune-lender, they can borrow fortune for another person,” Chen Jin murmured. This term, “borrowed object,” was exactly consistent with the items found at Aunt San Rong’s house, despite the difference in wording.

“That explains it. The glazed prayer lamps in the temple are naturally the records of the repayment,” Wu Zeng reached out to help hold down the other end of the kraft paper.

“Since Aunt San Rong was the caster, the sacrificer must have been Old Man Wu. Those borrowed object IOUs must be the Wu family’s debts,” Chen Jin looked up at Wu Zeng and continued slowly, “Wu Kai Ke probably doesn’t know about this, otherwise he wouldn’t be so resistant to entering the temple.”

Wu Zeng neither confirmed nor denied. “But the iron chains behind that temple are still unexplained.”

“Maybe we really were hallucinating?”

Wu Zeng smiled and shook his head, saying nothing.

Chen Jin understood. It was possible for him to hallucinate, but Wu Zeng was different; he even possessed abilities stronger than the obsession entities from the previous two worlds. How could he be easily confused by a mountain temple? The backyard and the iron chains must exist.

However, this contradicted the account of the Bai family brothers. Recalling their conversation, they didn’t seem to be lying. So there was still more to uncover here. How could there be an area that even the temple guardians didn’t know about?

The sky was faintly bright. Chen Jin woke up very early. As his consciousness returned, he realized something was wrong: his waist was tightly encircled by an arm. Looking back, Wu Zeng was leaning on his side, his nose almost touching Chen Jin’s nape. The minty breath during his exhalations made Chen Jin’s spine tingle.

“Why are you here!” Chen Jin struggled violently as if electrocuted. The arm around his waist suddenly tightened. He managed to break free for a second only to be immediately pulled back. Chen Jin was forced deeper into the other man’s warm chest. Through his undershirt, he could clearly feel Wu Zeng’s heart pounding like a drum.

“Waking up so early…” Wu Zeng buried his entire face in Chen Jin’s neck. His trembling eyelashes brushed Chen Jin’s collarbone, and a lazy, airy sound rolled from his throat. Just as he finished speaking, Wu Zeng’s canine teeth gently nipped the side of Chen Jin’s neck.

Chen Jin groaned and began to struggle. In the movement, his shirt corner was lifted, and Wu Zeng’s dry, warm palm immediately covered the calloused area of Chen Jin’s abdomen. “You’re so hot here.”

“…Damn it,” Chen Jin kicked toward the other man’s calf. The rough sheets rustled with the friction.

Wu Zeng grabbed the leg Chen Jin kicked. This backward kick, done while facing away, was inherently awkward and lacked force. With just one move, Chen Jin was immediately controlled and unable to move. Chen Jin was only wearing shorts on his lower body. Wu Zeng’s fingers traced upward from the opening of the shorts along the back of his leg. The rough palm raised goosebumps, and it felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling out from where their skin met. Chen Jin gradually turned red, like a boiled shrimp.

Sensing Chen Jin’s stiffness and heat, Wu Zeng tightened his arm, hugging him closer, and rubbed his face against his neck. His laughter resonated in his chest: “How come when we first met, I didn’t think you were this easily embarrassed?”

The warm breath on the back of his ear made Chen Jin feel thoroughly cooked. “Get off me, my leg is numb!”

“Is that so?” Wu Zeng suddenly released the hand that had been rubbing up and down Chen Jin’s back leg, stopping just a few centimeters from his buttocks. Then, mischievously, he lightly squeezed Chen Jin’s butt a few times. “Then let me help you relax properly.”

Outside the window, a sudden blast of suona music erupted. Gongs and firecrackers startled a flock of birds.

Chen Jin took the opportunity to flip over and elbow strike. His elbow hit the iron bed frame with a loud clang. Unexpectedly, Wu Zeng seized the chance to grab his wrist and pin him into the pillow. The two wrestled on the rough bedding. Amidst their gasping breaths, Wu Zeng suddenly lowered his voice: “You—”

The rest of the words were swallowed by a wet kiss mashed into Chen Jin’s mouth. It felt like an eternity. Chen Jin felt his chest running out of oxygen and involuntarily tilted his head back, gasping for air. This only made it easier for Wu Zeng, who cupped Chen Jin’s head with one hand, delivering a longer, wetter kiss. Saliva ran down the corners of their mouths. “Mmm…”

The sudden blare of the suona outside the window tore through the morning mist. The preparation for Wu Kai Ke’s running water feast had begun.

Perhaps it was the instinct for survival. In his oxygen-deprived, softened state, Chen Jin suddenly erupted with immense energy. He shoved Wu Zeng off him, panting heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Wu Zeng lowered his gaze, staring at Chen Jin’s reddened eye corners, his expression gradually darkening.

“Get off!” Chen Jin scrutinized the other man’s face, wondering what madness he was about to exhibit now. Wu Zeng didn’t reply, only slowly raised his hand to cover Chen Jin’s cheek. In an instant, he abruptly lowered his head and bit Chen Jin’s tightly pressed lips with such force that blood appeared immediately. As the metallic taste of blood spread between their teeth, Chen Jin’s back instantly tensed.

Before Chen Jin could struggle, he was suddenly flipped over and pinned face-down into the rough pillow.

“Brother Jin! Are you there?” Uncle A Dong’s hoarse shout came from outside the door, accompanied by loud banging. “Brother Zeng’s room seems empty!”

Wu Zeng snapped his head toward the door, the surging emotions in his eyes freezing into shards of ice. The strength in his hands suddenly slackened. Chen Jin seized the opportunity to break free from the control, calmly got out of bed, and cursed, “Lunatic.”

Wu Zeng reached out a long arm and pulled him back, this time only pecking Chen Jin lightly on the mouth. “Let’s go.”

The moment the door opened, Uncle A Dong, who was squatting at the stairwell corner, jumped up in fright. He felt waves of cold air emanating from the room. Sweat unconsciously streamed down his shiny forehead.

“What are you howling about this early in the morning!” Wu Zeng walked behind Chen Jin, pulling the door shut with a bang. “I think you went to bed too early last night and have nothing to do!”

“I-I was looking for you to go eat breakfast at the Wu family’s place…” Uncle A Dong pointed outside the window, trembling, but before he could finish, Wu Zeng slapped him on the forehead. A bright red handprint instantly appeared.

Chen Jin looked slightly embarrassed. He glanced at Uncle A Dong and quickly headed downstairs.

“If you dare to wail like that again at this hour, I’ll throw you in the lake to feed the fish!” Wu Zeng threw down a harsh threat and followed Chen Jin downstairs.

“That’s strange… Didn’t you two say last night you wanted to go early to scout the area…” Uncle A Dong covered his forehead, suffering in silence.

“The stove is open!” The hired helpers, uncles and aunties, shouted by the iron woks. A long running water feast was set up on the road outside the Wu family courtyard. Scarlet plastic awnings bloomed like red umbrellas over the dining tables.

Beside the greasy wooden tables were the common long wooden benches. The tabletops were covered with gleaming aluminum basins holding local Mengle Village breakfast items. Tall incense sticks burned in the corner, and the air was thick with the rich smell of stewed meat and the acrid bitterness of the incense. The atmosphere felt heavy.

In the center of the Wu family’s main hall, Old Man Wu lay in a wooden coffin, dressed in black and gold longevity clothes. His expression was no different from someone sleeping. The coffin was surrounded by piles of flower wreaths of various sizes. Paper-mâché Golden Boy and Jade Girl figures grinned, their hollow eyes staring straight at the passing guests.

Wu Kai Ke stood by the door, expressionless. All communication was kept brief and simple. He dealt with the incoming villagers and guests politely but distantly. It was clear he didn’t care for this running water feast, but constrained by Old Man Wu’s final request, he had to grit his teeth and see it through.

“A Ke!” Granny Liu Feng suddenly rushed to the door, her hands, like withered branches, gripping the cuff of Wu Kai Ke’s crisp suit. Her fingernails almost dug into the fabric. “How can you bear to see your father’s last wish go unfulfilled? Just indulge him this once, let him take a turn at the Mountain God Temple!” Her cloudy eyes were bloodshot, and a few sparse white hairs behind her ear were clipped with a black pin.

Wu Kai Ke abruptly pulled his arm away, the movement knocking against the wooden door behind him. “If I believe in your feudal superstitions, how am I supposed to live in the city?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through all the surrounding noise.

The secretary sitting nearby, also in a suit, immediately stood up and physically separated Granny Liu Feng. “The leader has a meeting back in the provincial capital tomorrow. Please be considerate, everyone.”

Uncle A Dong huddled next to Chen Jin and Wu Zeng, using the serving chopsticks to pick out rice noodles from the aluminum basin. He muttered under his breath, “Four or five kinds of toppings… This braised pork has been stewing for hours. I absolutely have to try it.”