[XX Year, June 3rd, Clear]
After so many years, I never thought I would one day return to this village.
Of course, I know very well that this place is not Xianjing Village—it is only Fengjing Village.
The people have changed, and even the village’s location is different.
But the moment I stepped inside, I knew.
It was still here.
This was still the village that ate people.
I could smell it.
That scent that only insects have.
Chen Qiao must think I’m being paranoid. But back then, she was lucky—when everything happened, she wasn’t in Xianjing Village. She didn’t see it with her own eyes. She didn’t witness what happened when Lao Li, Wang Ping, and Wu Xiaoqian left.
She doesn’t understand. She doesn’t understand anything.
She even smiled at me and said she thought Fengjing Village was beautiful, peaceful, a great place to raise children.
We had a huge fight.
Of course, this place seems nice—it’s a breeding ground for the bugs. Wasn’t Xianjing Village the same?
A village deep in the mountains, yet strangely prosperous and tranquil.
It even had the reputation of being a “longevity village.” All the livestock and people were unusually strong and healthy, and the crops yielded far more than elsewhere.
But this was never some kind of blessing.
It was just the monster underground feeding its livestock.
Unfortunately, Chen Qiao doesn’t understand.
She wasn’t there. She has no idea how dangerous this place is.
[XX Year, June 13th, Overcast]
I found Chen Qiao near Dragon King Pond.
She looked a bit shaken. At first, I thought it was because of our earlier argument, that she was just feeling out of it. But when I asked, she told me there was something in the pond.
She actually believed the villagers’ nonsense.
I felt a wave of frustration.
How many times have I said it? The villagers’ words are unreliable.
After nearly the entire Xianjing Village disappeared, most of Fengjing Village’s residents moved in from elsewhere. Though they are still of the Zhang family line, they know nothing about what truly happened here.
Even when faced with the horrifying rumors about Xianjing Village, they remain indifferent and ignorant, only remembering the legend of the “Flesh-Borrowing Well” that can bring the dead back to life.
I was furious.
But whenever I tried to warn them, they would only look at me strangely, as if I were a complete madman.
I was furious. So very furious.
[June 29th, Clear]
Chen Qiao took Xiao Huai to the pond again.
This habit of hers annoys me.
But sometimes, I am relieved that she only takes the child to the water instead of following me up the mountain.
The “Flesh-Borrowing Well” on the mountain is still the same. It remains one of Its main entry points. I have no idea how many other fissures like this exist within the vast Xi mountain range—how many passages It can use to come and go.
I can only hope there aren’t too many.
I hope they stay far away from human settlements.
The thing in the well is far too dangerous. After all these years, when I press my ear against the sealing stone at the well’s mouth, I can still hear them wailing.
They are always groaning, crying, calling out, “Captain, save me! Captain, why is my whole body full of bugs?”
Such terrifying cries.
Even though I know with absolute clarity that these voices are just Its bait—Its imitation of human pleas, designed to lure in more food—whenever I hear them, the pain still cuts deep into my heart.
It was all my fault. If I hadn’t been so fascinated by the so-called “resurrection case,” if I hadn’t led them to Xianjing Village…
They might still be alive today.
Even after all this time, even with the ink slightly blurred by dampness, Gan Tang could still feel that by the end, the writer’s mind had been on the verge of collapse.
The once neat and orderly handwriting had grown increasingly chaotic, slanting wildly in different directions. Many strokes had even torn through the paper, bleeding onto the next page.
Rather than an investigative report, this felt more like a purely personal diary, filled with trivial emotions and insignificant details.
Unconsciously, Gan Tang had flipped to the last few pages.
He had hoped that Yu Huai’s father’s research would help answer some of his questions, but after reading it all, not only were his doubts not resolved—they had only multiplied.
More than that, an overwhelming fear crept over him, sending chills through his entire body.
Had Cen Zibai done this before?
Had it wiped out entire villages before?
How long had that thing been alive? How many people had it killed?
And that so-called “breeding season”…
The blood drained from Gan Tang’s face.
Unconsciously, he pressed a hand to his abdomen. It was still lean and flat, characteristic of a young man’s build.
But—was it just paranoia, or had something really twitched beneath his palm?
Like he had just been burned, Gan Tang yanked his hand away.
Cold sweat drenched his entire body.
This crude and deranged notebook couldn’t possibly explain all the questions swirling in his mind.
But unfortunately, the information it did reveal was already enough to wake him up to the truth—
Now was not the time to investigate.
Now was the time to run.
Immediately.
Because for all he knew, somewhere in this house, hidden in a dark corner, there might already be a headless corpse crawling under the pull of threadworms—waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Gan Tang steeled himself.
Then he abruptly stood up, looking grimly at the dazed Yu Huai.
“I’m going to wake Grandma up. We need to pack our things right now. Then we’ll find the village chief and see how many people are still alive. Anyone who can run, needs to run.
“We can’t stay here any longer. And you—bring your dad, we—”
Mid-sentence, Gan Tang suddenly realized something was wrong with Yu Huai’s expression.
A shiver ran down his spine as he turned around—
And saw his grandmother.
She had already gotten up at some point.
She stood behind him, and he had no idea how long she had been there.
She looked utterly haggard, unrecognizable from before.
Despite having slept for so long, she somehow appeared even more frail, even more aged.
“Grandma?!”
Gan Tang jumped in shock.
As he regained his senses, he opened his mouth to explain the situation—
But before he could say a word, his grandmother’s hoarse whisper cut him off.
“It’s all right, Tang Tang. Grandma understands now. I know what’s happening.”
“I warned them before… I told them this would happen. But they never listen… they never listen…”
As she spoke, she reached a trembling hand toward Gan Tang.
“You’re right, Tang Tang. The most important thing now is to run… run as fast as we can.
“Otherwise, we’re all going to die here.
“We’ll all be dragged into that well…”
