Cruel Heart

“Why not? Last semester, for a while, every time I had PE class, you would buy me a drink, and even wipe my sweat with your towel a few times. Humph, that towel smelled of your sweat because you didn’t wash it properly, it was disgusting.” Liu Wenying immediately retorted sharply. “I must have been blind back then, now I have no interest in you at all.” Liu Wenying, angry, was about to retort back, but Liang Yingwu waved his hand, “Stop it, it couldn’t be He Yunkai.” He Yunkai didn’t look like someone capable of learning illusion techniques, no matter how you looked at him. Watching the students in front of me, accusing and suspecting each other, and then revealing each other’s secrets, I was secretly anxious. The atmosphere was now filled with tension; when distrust reached its peak, the accumulated dissatisfaction would erupt instantly. Once someone made the first move, the chain reaction it would cause could lead to consequences as severe as those from a hundred years ago. I glanced at Liang Yingwu, who also looked troubled, unable to think of a solution. Suddenly, a thought struck me: if a fight broke out, leading to a melee, it would be a situation where everyone could perish. If the culprit was among us, how could he ensure his own safety in such chaos? I whispered my concern to Liang Yingwu, who was also puzzled. “Really, if that person is among us, given how things are progressing now, I can’t control it. Once the fight starts, no one can guarantee their safety. Could it be that his illusion techniques allow him to remain unscathed in a brawl? Or perhaps, that person isn’t actually among us?” When Liang Yingwu said “isn’t actually among us,” he suddenly shuddered and looked towards the corridor. I instantly understood Liang Yingwu’s thought, and a chill ran down my spine. Indeed, the only two not among us, ensuring they wouldn’t be caught in the melee, were Lu Yun and Yuan Qiuhong. And in all the previous accusations, no one had pointed fingers at these two, who were swallowed by the corridor and not present. We had overlooked them. “Sss.” I heard Liang Yingwu gasp. “What’s wrong? What are you thinking?” I asked Liang Yingwu in a low voice. He looked towards the entrance of the corridor for a moment before replying, “I think I know who it is.” “Who?” I asked back immediately without thinking. Liang Yingwu shook his head, not answering, seemingly lost in thought. My mind was racing. Could it be Yuan Qiuhong or Lu Yun? Yuan Qiuhong was from Shanghai, from a wealthy family, with every move exuding an air of nobility. It was hard to imagine someone like her being an heir to mysterious illusion techniques. And Lu Yun, usually quiet and reserved, she is, she is… oh, she’s from Hubei, and in Sanlitun Village, she had even served as a translator due to her local dialect. Could it really be her? Just as I was about to ask Liang Yingwu again, he suddenly shouted out loud, leaving me stunned. Liang Yingwu was shouting, “Lu Yun, Lu Yun, I like you, come out.” All the students stopped their quarreling and turned to look at their teacher, Liang Yingwu. Liang Yingwu continued, “I have no interest in Liu Wenying, I like you, come out.” It seemed that, as I had suspected, Liang Yingwu also suspected that Lu Yun was “the one.” There must have been some hidden emotional entanglements between these two that we were unaware of. Liang Yingwu, this guy, actually had a teacher-student romance, and he hadn’t given any hint of it before. Otherwise, why would it take until now to guess who it was? But what would be the result of Liang Yingwu’s confession now? From what I knew of him, he wasn’t the type to say such mushy things; there must be another motive. Over a hundred years ago, Bao Yong didn’t like Xiao Xiuyun but liked Bao Yue from the same village, which led to Xiao Xiuyun’s “life or death test.” Now, if Liang Yingwu confessed his love for Lu Yun, could it break the deadlock? After shouting a few times, a dark figure slowly emerged from the corridor. “Lu Yun!” Exclamations rose one after another. “Where’s Yuan Qiuhong?” I shouted. Lu Yun stopped not far from us and pointed to the side, “Isn’t she there?” Liang Yingwu quickly pulled out his flashlight to shine in the direction she pointed, and there lay Yuan Qiuhong amidst the bones near the living area. I didn’t have time to marvel at the power of illusion; I hurried over to check on her. She seemed only to have fainted, and I breathed a sigh of relief. At this point, everyone realized that the one who had put them in such a dire situation was this usually introverted, gentle, and seemingly harmless Lu Yun. He Yunkai roared and charged at her, but Lu Yun just snorted, and He Yunkai’s body veered off course, missing Lu Yun by three feet. He continued his roar, his eyes fixed forward as if Lu Yun was still in front of him, charging straight into the cave wall without stopping, and collapsed, seemingly knocked unconscious. Those who had wanted to follow He Yunkai immediately stopped; under such illusions, rushing in would likely end like He Yunkai. Liang Yingwu approached Lu Yun slowly, saying, “I never told you because our positions were inappropriate, but I’ve always liked you. When I rejected you last time, it was hard for me too.” Lu Yun asked dreamily, “Really?” Liang Yingwu, standing in front of her, looked into her eyes and said, “Really.” Then he slightly bent down to kiss her lips. Everyone watched as Liang Yingwu kissed her, not knowing what to say. I stared at Liang Yingwu; in the dark, I could vaguely see him and Lu Yun kissing passionately. His right hand, which was holding her, slowly rose, suddenly forming a knife with his palm, and he struck her carotid artery with force. Lu Yun, her mouth sealed by Liang Yingwu, didn’t even make a sound before she collapsed softly to the ground. Just as I had guessed, this guy Liang Yingwu… “That Duo, scout the way, quickly.” Liang Yingwu handed me a spare flashlight. I took it without a word and entered the corridor. With the culprit unconscious, would this formation be broken? One turn, two turns, and I was out. In less than ten minutes, I returned to the cave of bones. It seems Xiao Xiuyun’s record was correct; even without someone to control it, this formation could still operate at its most basic level.
Therefore, after Lu Yun passed out, the tunnel would no longer trap people for a very long time, but after two turns, it was still the same as before, leading back to the Cave of White Bones. There’s no need for me to elaborate; returning so quickly itself indicated the problem. At this moment, Lu Yun was bound like a zongzi with ropes, lying on the ground, still unconscious. It seemed that Liang Yingwu’s blow was indeed harsh. Liang Yingwu told us that early last year, Lu Yun had secretly approached him once, expressing her affection, but he had directly rejected her on the grounds that a student-teacher relationship was inappropriate. Lu Yun was an extremely introverted girl; it was not easy for her to muster the courage to confess once, and after being rejected, she never brought it up again. Liu Wenying also harbored deep admiration for Liang Yingwu. Although Liang Yingwu remained impassive, Liu Wenying, being naturally outgoing, didn’t mind being rejected several times and continued to cling to him. Upon my reminder, Liang Yingwu suddenly realized that if Lu Yun hadn’t given up on her feelings for him and mistakenly thought that Liu Wenying’s persistent behavior was an acknowledgment from him, then the excuse he used about the inappropriateness of a student-teacher relationship might have seemed like a deceitful pretext to Lu Yun. This scenario eerily matched the motives of Xiao Xiuyun from over a hundred years ago. Reflecting on Lu Yun’s background and her actions in recent days, he became nearly certain of his theory, which led him to shamelessly employ the “beauty trap” to lure Lu Yun out and knock her down in the same manner as this mysterious illusion expert. Although we still couldn’t find a way out, being trapped amidst numerous bones, the culprit was now known, and it wasn’t as hopeless as before when we were clueless and could only await death. Everyone felt much more at ease. “Hey, you could have made your move when you were right in front of her, face to face, right? Why wait until after the hot and heavy kissing session to strike?” “What nonsense are you talking about? Didn’t you see He Yun Kai’s condition? How was I supposed to know she was really there? I had to confirm further.” Liang Yingwu loudly defended himself. However, many had already burst into laughter, probably the first time in days. “That’s true, to mimic such rich sensory details isn’t easy.” “Besides, being able to kiss Liang Laoshi, Lu Yun wouldn’t have settled for an illusion, she definitely wanted the real deal.” Liu Wenying, as a rival in love, chimed in, though her tone was somewhat sour. “Alright, alright, we’re not out yet, instead of mocking me, why not think about how to make Lu Yun willingly let us go?” Liang Yingwu changed the subject, which was indeed a pressing issue that could make everyone serious again. “Want to leave? Wait another hundred days.” I was shocked; Lu Yun had already woken up. The force of Liang Yingwu’s earlier palm strike would have knocked out an average man for hours, indicating Lu Yun’s physical resilience was far from what it appeared. He Yun Kai hadn’t woken up yet; otherwise, hearing this, he’d have rushed over to attack again. “What, what’s wrong with you, Lu Yun?” Guo Yonghua stammered. Lu Yun snorted, her voice sharp and terrifying. By the light of the phosphorescent fire, her face looked strange, indescribably odd and eerie, something was definitely off. Although her features were the same as before, she seemed very different from the Lu Yun we knew. To be honest, I had been vaguely feeling this for the past two days, but I thought it was just the tension from being trapped in the Cave of White Bones that made everyone act differently. However, now this difference was magnified a hundredfold, making my heart skip a beat. “Who, who are you, really?” I asked a question that seemed nonsensical even to myself. However, this simple, almost foolish question received no answer. Lu Yun was standing by the heap of phosphorescent bones, the brightest spot in the cave, so even her expressions were visible to those standing close. Upon hearing my question, Lu Yun actually furrowed her brows as if trying hard to remember something: “I am, I am…” She slowly turned her head, looking around the cave, her features twisting as if in excruciating pain: “I am… Xiao… Xiu… Yun!” Everyone gasped. Xiao Xiuyun, the chronicler of the White Bone Diary, a genius of illusion over a hundred years ago, the mastermind behind the ancestral cave cannibalism case, how could this be possible? “Impossible, you are Lu Yun, you’re 21 years old. Even if you are the current heir to the lineage of illusion, you can’t be Xiao Xiuyun from over a hundred years ago.” Liang Yingwu said. Lu Yun’s eyes narrowed, staring fixedly at Liang Yingwu: “You, you unfaithful man, just like A Yong.” Zhu Zili rushed in front of Lu Yun and shouted, “Stop playing tricks and let us out, or you’ll starve to death too.” Lu Yun glanced at Zhu Zili with an expression of utmost disdain and arrogance, and what happened next left us all dumbfounded and at a loss. “You wouldn’t be foolish enough to think you’ve really caught me, right?” Lu Yun sneered, standing up. The ropes that had been tightly wrapped around her countless times seemed to have merely been draped over her; as she stood, they fell to the ground effortlessly. Liang Yingwu and I instinctively stepped back, while Zhu Zili was so frightened he retreated six or seven steps. However, Lu Yun just stood there without further action. To her, we probably posed no real threat, easily dealt with as long as she didn’t make the same mistake again, giving Liang Yingwu an opportunity to strike. “Even though you’ve found me, the experiment will continue. Who will be the first to make a move?” Lu Yun’s gaze swept around, passing over the still-unconscious He Yun Kai, and finally resting on Liang Yingwu: “Originally, I thought it would be this brainless muscle man, but now it seems, the first to make a decision might be you, Teacher Liang.” Liang Yingwu remained silent. “He wouldn’t do such a thing,” I answered for Liang Yingwu. “Really, the legendary reporter, you two are quite close, huh? Probably you’ll be the last to go. With him around, you’d feel safe, right? So perhaps, in your sleep, he’ll just slice your throat, and blood will spurt three feet away, just like Bao Yue.” Lu Yun’s eerie tone sent chills down my spine.
Lu Yun’s gaze circled around my neck twice before returning to Liang Yingwu’s face. “However, because of your relationship with her, I’ll tell you a bit more before continuing my experiment. Hmm, the feel of a young body is really nice. Yes, this body, of course, belongs to that girl named Lu Yun. Speaking of which, she should be my fourth-generation disciple. And here…” Lu Yun raised her right index finger to point at her head, “now, more than half of it should be Xiao Xiuyun.” “Isn’t it strange? This is a secret that even my disciples, grand-disciples, Lu Yun’s master, and Lu Yun herself are unaware of. When I took her as my disciple, I left something in her mind. If she could find her beloved and live happily ever after, she would never know what I left for her, and what I left would automatically be passed to her disciple when she turned fifty.”