Don’t Close Your Eyes At Me
Chapter 81: The Sick Courting Death
The medicine was very effective. Zhou Qi’s fever soon receded.
Miss Yang tied up her dress, lifted her chin and proudly returned to her room. Gao Qi and Zhao Jiatong also let out a sigh of relief. They muttered: “Maybe we thought too much. It was just a normal fever.”
You Huo however didn’t so.
He asked Qin Jiu the time and then looked at the sky outside.
Gao Qi had been an invigilator for many years, so he was a little unfamiliar with exams. Intuitively, he wasn’t as sensitive as the regular examinees. He asked curiously: “What’s wrong? Is there something?”
Just as You Huo was about to speak up, Qin Jiu answered: “Just thought the time is a little too coincidental.”
You Huo closed his mouth again: “Mhn.”
“What coincidence?” Gao Qi asked again.
“The time Miss Zhou’s fever receded.” Qin Jiu said.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you think that Miss Zhou’s fever receded just at the right moment?” Qin Jiu pointed out the balcony: “It’s dawn. All the restrictions at night have been lifted and her fever has receded.”
It was as if……..Her fever was there to ensure that she stays quietly in her room without going anywhere.
Gao Qi laughed: “That can’t be. What type of exam would be so nice? And to even have this ability? How is that possible?”
“Yeah, it’s a little strange.” Qin Jiu pointed at You Huo and said: “That’s why Mr. Invigilator is checking.”
You Huo: “………..”
Everything he wanted to say was already spoken. It saved him the effort of opening his mouth.
He stood behind the door listening to the sounds outside and glanced at Qin Jiu: “Are you surnamed Hui?” (KKnotes: Here he refers to roundworms (Hui Chong蛔虫). Basically, he’s commenting on Qin Jiu’s ability to read his mind.)
Qin Jiu said: “I can occasionally activate this ability.”
He sauntered over to the door and stood behind You Huo. With his hand already grasping the door handle, he suddenly added another sentence: “But there are some prerequisites.”
You Huo looked at him for a moment: “………For example?”
“For example………It depends on whom?”
Qin Jiu said this and opened the door slightly.
Outside, all the servants who had disappeared during the night had suddenly returned. They stood next to the doors like guards, one on each side.
They were expressionless and stiff, as if they had been standing there all night.
The morning sun rays filtered through several of the windows. It was as if nothing had happened overnight.
A servant heard the door open and turned his head. His eyes met with Qin Jiu’s.
Qin Jiu calmly greeted him: “Good morning.”
The male servant: “Good morning.”
The door then slammed shut.
Two seconds later, the male servant suddenly turned his head and stared at the door: “?????”
Another voice asked hoarsely, “What’s wrong?”
“The gentleman who stays in this room…….looks like that???”
“Doesn’t seem so.”
On the other side of the door, Qin Jiu who had one hand pressed on the door smiled at You Huo: “Run.”
You Huo: “………”
The next second, Gao Qi saw two figures flash past. They reached the balcony in an instant and jumped over, disappearing one after another.
When they passed him, they even pushed him to urge him to go over to the door.
The male servant ignored common etiquettes and directly opened the door. As soon as it opened, he saw Gao Qi leaning next to it.
The two looked at each other.
The servant asked: “You opened the door just now?”
Gao Qi: “Of course.”
Servant: “………..”
Although the mask only revealed the lower half of the face………
He went to the room next to the room next door in disbelief. As soon as the door opened, he saw Qin Jiu come out of the bedroom with his coat. He casually revealed a slight look of surprise: “What’s the matter?”
Yang Shu was sitting on the carpet in her large dress organising her bag. She turned to the male servant and reproached: “Who taught you to enter a lady’s room without knocking? Get out.”
Servant: “…………”
He closed the door and stood outside in silence for a few seconds. Was I blind??
***
Although Zhou Qi’s fever had receded, her overall condition wasn’t very good.
As Yang Shu said, it was probably from shock. She also didn’t eat breakfast today.
With her like this, You Huo who was in the same group had one more thing to worry about.
As such, he and Qin Jiu for once decided to hold back a little. In other words, they changed their plan and decided to follow Zhao Jiatong’s suggestion to follow the plot and go to town.
At 8 o’clock in the morning, black carriages were stopped outside the old castle. It waited there silently.
The guests boarded the carriages one after another before the carriages turned a corner around Carlton Mountain and disappeared in the distance.
In the west tower, the Duke stood behind the window looking out past the curtain.
“Master.” The butler Douglas stood behind him and asked respectfully, “What are you looking at?”
The Duke replied: “I don’t know. Suddenly wanted to take a look at the guests. I wonder how many will come back safely.”
After he finished saying that, he pursed his lips and the corners of his lips fell. He appeared to be in a very bad mood.
The entire room was filled with dangerous oppressiveness. Rotten atmosphere carrying the scent of death permeated through the silence.
Douglas didn’t speak.
A moment later, the Duke suddenly spoke: “This time it was unsuccessful.”
He turned and asked the butler: “Why…….is this?”
He touched his chest. This place had already been replaced. Zhang Pengyi’s heart was beating inside, slowly integrating with him.
“I can feel that he loves that woman.” The Duke lowered his head and said this: “Just like how I love my Alyssa. Although that woman’s face is far inferior to Alyssa’s…….Someone as gentle as Alyssa wouldn’t blame her. So why is it? Why didn’t Alyssa return to me, Douglas?”
The butler stood with his hands overlapped respectfully and said with his frail voice: “I don’t know. Perhaps the lady doesn’t love this gentleman enough.”
The Duke’s mood finally improved a little.
He thought about it: “That’s true. That’s probably it.”
“But I’m still not happy.” The Duke said softly, “I tried too many times and waited too long. My patience is almost gone.”
Butler: “There will be a day.”
Duke: “That’s right, have you dealt with these kind-hearted guests?”
He said softly: “Although my Alyssa didn’t come back, they helped me a little and made a small contribution after all. We can’t have them exhibited out here.”
The butler lowered his eyes and bowed his head: “It’s done. As directed, I let them rest just like the others.”
“That’s good. That’s good………..” The Duke added: “It won’t bring me any trouble, right?”
The butler’s frail voice said: “It won’t, Master.”
The Duke patted his shoulder: “I feel reassured with you dealing it it……..How old were you when you came here?”
“Four years old, Master. You saved my life and I have always been here since.”
Duke: “In this world, aside from Alyssa, you treat me the best.”
“As I should, Master.”
“You will never betray me?” The Duke stared into his eyes.
“I won’t.”
“You will always listen to me?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Then hurry and change into a young body. I think that guest……that guest is good.”
The Duke thought it over: “The body of those two guests are too perfect. Their height, their muscles, the lines, their strength…….You take one and I take one, we’ll divide it?”
Douglas hesitated for a moment before nodding: “Okay.”
“Unfortunately, the guests are very shy and timid. I observed those two during breakfast for a long time and I think they’re too gentlemanly. Can you think of ways to make the two perfect gentlemen make a mistake? The kind that would make me unhappy. That way I can have a reason to give them a small punishment.”
Douglas thought for a while and said: “I will try.”
The violent head butler pondered over this for a moment and decided to follow the guests to town —– There, he would have a whole day to lure the guests into making a mistake.
There was no need for a big mistake.
They had seen plenty of visiting guests. These cowards wouldn’t dare do anything too outrageous.
A small mistake would be enough to make them tremble.
***
The weather in the middle of summer was sultry and humid. The town was as usual very lifeless.
It wasn’t until a large number of horse-drawn carriages stopped in town and circled the fountain that several townspeople looked out from their doors and windows.
“Are you here to treat us?” They asked.
One of the examinees answered: “Yes, that’s right!”
Not far away, the door to a small church opened. A nun in a black habit ran over to the carriages: “You’re finally here. Come with me.”
The examinees glanced at each other before following after the nun.
The nun reached out and counted: “A total of 24?”
Many subconsciously nodded.
After a while, someone suddenly whispered: “That’s not right. Weren’t there 26 examinees?”
For a moment, everyone was silent. Then it was the sound of discussions.
“Zhang Pengyi and his girlfriend……..”
“Yeah, it’s the two who were late last night. Where are they? They didn’t come?”
“Maybe……Maybe they overslept? Or they gave up getting points from the town?”
………
Many of them had a terrifying thought but no one wanted that thought to come true, so they only tried to make more positive guesses.
After a moment, they fell silent again.
“Which room did those two examinees stay in?” You Huo asked suddenly.
Zhao Jiatong: “I didn’t pay attention. Seems to be downstairs?”
“Directly below your room.” Qin Jiu said.
“How did you know?” Zhao Jiatong asked with surprise.
“Paid a bit more attention last night.”
You Huo looked at Qin Jiu. He hadn’t said anything yet.
Qin Jiu nodded: “Okay, we’ll take a look tonight.”
Zhao Jiatong: “…………..” Am I deaf?
***
The church was dark and gloomy.
As soon as they entered, everyone couldn’t help but hold their breaths.
The smell was terrible.
The smell of sweat, rotting flesh and blood were mixed together. It made breathing extremely difficult.
The church’s pews had been removed and replaced with numerous worn-out beds. Roughly counting, there were about twenty or so of them. On every one of the beds was a curled up mass………
“Oh my god………”
“Is that a human???”
Exclamations and gasps sounded one after another.
Those with weaker tolerances started to gag.
The nun lowered her eyes: “These are the sick. They have been sick for a long time. The Duke has been very kind and would always invite some guests here to help. It is said that they are all very skilled in medicine, just like you.”
Gao Qi muttered: “That’s just pure lies………”
You Huo looked over at a bed nearby.
He saw sores of various sizes on that person’s face, and one side of his jaw was bloody.
He hid inside the discoloured bedsheets clawing at his face in agony. The top of his fingers was completely stained red.
The nun sighed: “Unfortunately there aren’t many doctors who can really help these sick ones. Some doctors weren’t able to help treat this disease and was conversely infected.”
As she said this, she led the examinees over to their positions.
After she was done, they realised that there was a total of 26 beds. If Zhang Pengyi and his girlfriend was here, the number of sick corresponded exactly to the number of examinees.
It could be deduced from this that helping the sick was probably the way to score their first point.
Of course, it could also be a death question.
The nun walked over to the last bed and gently let out an “ah”.
There was only a filthy sheet on the bed. No one was there.
“Haa, twisted thoughts again.” The nun’s mutterings entered You Huo’s ear.
She hurried to the door and said to everyone: “A disobedient one slipped away. I have to go find him. As for the remaining ones here, I’ll leave it to you.”
“By the way, just a quick reminder. They have been sick for a long time, so their tempers are a little bad. Please…….be careful. Also, don’t touch their sores. Once you touch it, you can be infected.”
She pulled open the door and turned her head back: “Getting infected is a very terrible thing. You can die from it.”
“I wish you good luck.”
When she was done, she closed the door.
The sound of the door handle clanging could be heard from outside.
The moment the sound was heard, a hand suddenly reached over and grabbed You Huo’s arm. It carried a smelly and sticky sensation.
You Huo looked down. The patient he was in charge of, with bloody sores all over his hands, was grabbing his arm………..
And he even had the nerve to look at him and cry.
KK has something to say:
No need to try and make them make a mistake. I’m sure those two troublemakers will willingly do it anyway ?
