Paintings of Terror

Chapter 194: Ke Xun Questions and Mu Yiran Answers

In this endless darkness, between the entirety of the sky and the sea, it seemed that there was only himself and this silent, ancient ship left.

But Ke Xun knew that none of this was true. He knew that everyone was still there. They were just all separated by this abnormal darkness. They were both close and far away from each other. They could not see nor hear one another. There were twelve people to keep him company, but at this moment, everyone was in their own lonely and helpless situation.

Under these circumstances, the unhurried creaking sound from the deck seemed even more creepy.

Ke Xun backed away slowly, trying not to make any sounds. It would only take a few steps until his back was pressed to the wall of the cabin, and if he leaned against it, at least his back would be safe. But even after taking a dozen steps, that wall never came.

He stopped moving.

Yiran was right. It was useless to escape or hide.

He tried to relax his breathing as much as possible, so that he could better hear his surroundings.

Creaking, the sound of something walking along the deck, moving slowly and getting ever closer.

It came from the direction of the bow. As it moved along the deck, it would pass through the central dining hall in the middle of the hull, and Shao Ling and his team would meet it first.

Ke Xun listened intently. In the empty, dense darkness, the sound of the waves was heavy and sluggish. The hull suddenly seemed to undulate up and down, and a wind brushed past his ears, as if something had just walked by, barely just a hair-length away from making skin contact. A cold chill across his body.

But he remained motionless, only quietly holding the crossbow across his arm and tightly clutching the arrow with his other hand.

That breath, that sensation of something a mere hair-length away, stood behind Ke Xun, tightly pressing close to his back without touching his skin, like a shadow following the body.

A numbness swept from his lower back, ran up his spine across the back of his neck, and stopped at the back of his head.

This numb and itchy sensation made his entire back and head so tense, so contracted to the point of trembling.

Ke Xun stood stiffly, trying to remain calm, continuing to be ready to respond at any given moment. Sweat was trickling down behind his ears and across the length of his neck, sticky and cold.

“Huu…”

That sound came like the sea breeze or a puff of air, blowing past his ear. The thing on his back seemed to move, and Ke Xun could feel it sliding against him, slowly pressing ever closer against his skin.

Closer and closer.

The darkness was thick, and Ke Xun could see nothing.

But he knew that the thing could see him. It was staring at him, as if staring at a helpless blind man.

Humans without their light were as fragile as a fruit without its pulp, crumbling with a light touch.

Darkness was the source of fear and the root of vulnerability.

The thing cloaked in darkness moved closer toward the helpless Ke Xun, its tentacles of death outstretched.

“Ke Xun!”

Mu Yiran’s voice was like a light in the darkness, coming from the direction on Ke Xun’s right.

The mass behind him suddenly stopped, leaving Ke Xun with a cold breath.

“Yiran…How are you?” Ke Xun asked, his voice full of nervousness due to his recent experience.

“I’m fine. Ke Xun, can you tell where I am?” Mu Yiran’s voice was low and steady.

“Yes, on my right side, about ten steps away from me.” Ke Xun could always judge distance with great accuracy.

“Okay. Now, come to my side. Don’t care about anything else. Just walk over.” Mu Yiran’s calm voice could give people infinite courage and security.

Ke Xun did his best to make his voice sound calm, so as not to worry him. “Okay, I’m coming.”

With that, he took a step toward the direction of Mu Yiran’s voice.

One step, two step, three step.

Ke Xun stopped.

Mu Yiran waited for a while, but found that there were no sounds coming from Ke Xun’s side. He asked in a deep voice, “Ke Xun?”

“Yeah,” Ke Xun responded, but still didn’t move.

“What’s wrong?” Mu Yiran asked.

“‘What’s wrong?’” Ke Xun repeated. “Don’t be retarded.”

“Don’t fucking talk to me like him! If you want to kill me, then do it. If you don’t want to do it, then go die!” Ke Xun’s angry voice rang out in the deep darkness.

“Ke Xun, don’t be confused,” Mu Yiran said in a heavy voice. “If you can’t figure out the situation, you should avoid guessing out of thin air.”

“Guess your fucking uncle! Fuck off!” Ke Xun was extremely annoyed.

“Ke Xun!” Mu Yiran sounded both helpless and angry. “Have you probed enough? The last time you and I ate together, it was the coconut chicken soup that you stewed yourself. Remember, you said, that there is a step in making this soup that is very important. A lot of people often pour coconut milk into cold water and then boil them together. But in fact, it’s better to first boil the coconut milk first and then pour it into the chicken broth, so that the soup will have a clear fragrance. In that soup, you put in chicken, red dates, goji berries, and pork bones. Ke Xun, do you need more proof?”

Ke Xun was silent.

With a soft sigh, Mu Yiran continued to solemnly say, “If you have no doubt, come here. Ke Xun, come to me.”

In the darkness, Ke Xun didn’t make any movements. Mu Yiran stopped reminding him and simply waited for him quietly.

But after a long time, seeing that Ke Xun was still motionless, Mu Yiran had to ask, “Ke Xun?”

“Oh,” Ke Xun finally answered, his voice emotionless. “Then, Yiran, tell me, who was your first love, who was your first time, when did you plan to introduce me to your parents, relatives, and friends, and will you share your wealth with me? Do you think I like you more or you like me more?”

“Ke Xun, this is not the time for these discussions.” Mu Yiran seemed a bit angry, and his tone increased in force. “Stop making trouble and come here!”

“If you don’t answer, then you’re not Mu Yiran.” Ke Xun was still heartless, stubbornly standing still. “I’m sorry. But in this case, if I’m not cautious, then the result could likely be death. Yiran, if it really is you, then you should understand my feelings.”

“…Okay.” Mu Yiran seemed rather helpless, but in the end, he indulged him. “My first love wasn’t anyone around me, but the movie star, Marlon Brando. I liked him very much when I was a kid. It was probably due to my excessive obsession with him that helped me realized my sexual orientation.”

“Since you’re part of my ‘first time’, this question is really superfluous, but maybe I can also consider it as you complimenting my techniques.”

“If we can leave this painting, and if you want, I can take you to see my parents at any time and introduce you to everyone I know.”

“Regarding my wealth, you can have it if you want it; but if you don’t want it, then you don’t have to take it. I’m willing to share all my things with you, which naturally includes wealth.”

“As for the last question, Ke Xun, in the past, you liked me more, but in the future, I will like you more.”

Ke Xun didn’t say anything for a long time, and it wasn’t until Mu Yiran called him again did he laugh and softly said, “I’m very happy. Yiran, it seems that we have many similarities.”

“You liked Marlon Brando, while I liked Alain Delon. I remembered watching him play Zorro when I was very young. He was wearing a black poet shirt, a cape, and a top hat, and he looked so handsome as he wielded a sword.”

“Later, I liked Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levett. I don’t know why, but I always feel that they are both very similar. Maybe it’s the shape of their faces? Or maybe their mouths? Or their temperament?”

“Oh, there’s also that guy who played a stripper, Channing Tatum. He was tall and handsome, and looked bad and sexy. By the way, have you seen Supernatural? The brother Dean is a pretty handsome guy. Thinking about it now, I haven’t watched that drama in a long time…”

Ke Xun continued to babble and talk for a long time, until Mu Yiran suddenly interrupted him,“Are you delaying time?”

Ke Xun stopped his endless prattling and smiled. “Yes, look, the sky is brightening.”

But the surroundings were still darker than ink, without any light.

“Ke Xun, you really—” Even if he could indulge in Ke Xun infinitely, Mu Yiran couldn’t hold back his temper at this moment. “This is a dangerous situation! Stop talking now and come here!”

“You really don’t want to see the light and don’t want to give up,” Ke Xun sneered, without any repentance or any intentions of walking over. “Although you can read Yiran’s memory, monsters are monsters, and dirty things are dirty things. You will never understand the emotions of ‘humans’.”

“The questions I asked Yi Ran just now, you answered them very well, and they are in line with his personality and ideas. But you will never understand that liking someone doesn’t mean invading all aspects of his life and thoughts.”

“Who was his first love? Who was his first time? I would never ask him questions like this. This is his privacy, his freedom, and his own life.”

“Yiran knows me and trusts me. He knows that I would never ask him these kinds of questions, so once I asked these questions, Yiran would become suspicious. He would definitely think that I’m not the real Ke Xun. So he wouldn’t answer my questions in such a satisfactory manner, and he would no longer tell me to go over to him.”

“As for when to introduce me to his parents, relatives, and friends, I wouldn’t ask that of him either. I don’t want to put any pressure on him. He’s different from me. He has a family, a career, and a friends circle and social status. He has too many things to consider and too many problems to face. I wouldn’t put him in a situation that would embarrass him or make him work harder than necessary. He, too, understood and knew I would never ask such a question.”

“What about sharing wealth? First of all, I don’t lack money, nor do I have much desire and need for money. I’ve used barely more than half of my money to help my poor buddies. So I won’t be thirsty for the money of the person I love. Secondly, I’m not a fool who will use money to test his emotional depth.”

“And the last question, who likes whom more? If I really asked such a question, I would be insulting myself. If I have to calculate my feelings without suffering, then this person may only love myself. Yiran would not answer my question, because he also knows that if he answers it, he would be belittling our mutual feelings.”

“By the way, I’lll also remind you that my patient explanations above are also for the purpose of delaying time, you’re welcome.”

This time, Mu Yiran in the darkness was silent for a while, and when he finally spoke, he said, “How can you be so sure? I didn’t try to ask you questions to determine whether you’re real or fake, and just now, have even answered your questions so painstakingly.”

“Not giving up?” Ke Xun’s voice changed from cold to light, and then from light to a warm smile. “In fact, all the answers above are unnecessary. At the very beginning, when you asked me to come to you, I already knew that you’re not Mu Yiran, so no matter how clever you are afterward, I won’t be fooled.”

“How?” Mu Yiran’s question was devoid of any emotions.

“Because,” Ke Xun said with a light laugh, “in such a situation where we could see nothing, none of us knows where the danger lies. If it is Mu Yiran, he will never tell me to walk over and look for him. Instead, he will take the risk himself and come to find me.”

A gleam of dawn suddenly lit up the sky, tearing through the eerie and enchantingly deep darkness.

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