I had often seen the power of "boyish urine" mentioned in various zombie films, but I never expected it to be this effective. Jiang Younian was struck with wonder at his own observations; truly, the world is vast and full of wonders.
Kong Que, who had narrowly escaped death, was wiping the grime off his face without a shred of dignity. Facing the inquisitive stares of the others, he said rather proudly, "I may be a playboy, but I know how to keep myself clean, all right?"
Zhao Ming, recalling how Kong Que had kept him at a distance earlier, retorted with a bitter sneer, "You? A playboy? I think you’re just a nouveau riche upstart!"
"Nouveau riche? Heh! Fine! Then let's see how you nouveau riches survive without any boyish urine!"
Kong Que was furious. He had heard Zhao Ming bragging about his romantic conquests earlier and knew for a fact that he didn't have any to offer. As if suddenly realizing this, Zhao Ming’s face turned deathly pale.
"It seems boyish urine can ward off this hair, so everyone... should prepare some. Those who don't have any, borrow a little from the others."
When Xie Nanzhou said this, his eyes subconsciously drifted toward Jiang Younian. Jiang Younian secretly rejoiced that he had kept himself chaste all these years. When he looked up, he found Xie Nanzhou staring straight at him.
"What is it?"
Xie Nanzhou hesitated, his mouth opening as if to speak, but he stopped. Jiang Younian noticed the tips of his ears turning bright red and seemed to understand.
"Oh... no... it’s fine, I can lend you some. Xiaoyou should have some too." Jiang Younian felt embarrassed; after all, he had never imagined he would be lending something like this out.
But he saw Xie Nanzhou’s bamboo-like knuckles covering a smile at the corner of his mouth. "It's fine, no need to lend it to me. I have some."
"Ah? Then why were you looking at me just now?" Jiang Younian didn't understand; if Xie Nanzhou had some, why ask him?
In the large group, the only ones without any were Zhao Ming, Brother Tai, and Uncle Zhang, who had long since had children. Everyone found bottles; Kong Que covered Brother Tai, and Xiaoyou provided some for Uncle Zhang. That left Zhao Ming, who stood there looking like he was about to cry. "You guys, please, give me some!" Eventually, Xiaoyou was generous enough to give Zhao Ming a small bottle.
With a weapon found to deal with the hair, the topic shifted back to Kong Que. After all, the hair wouldn't target someone for no reason. Chen Dan had been dragged into the water because she went near the lake, but what about Kong Que?
"What did you do? Why did that hair latch onto you?" Xie Nanzhou analyzed the sequence of events, and everyone agreed, except for a confused Kong Que.
"I... I didn't do anything! We were together the whole time, and after we separated into our rooms for the night, I just went to sleep."
"Did you do anything you were explicitly told not to?" Jiang Younian instinctively glanced at the new pants Kong Que was wearing.
Kong Que propped up his head and began to rack his brain. "Things I wasn't supposed to do... let me think..."
"I remember!" Zhao Ming clapped his hands on the table, startling everyone. He seemed to have caught onto a lead, standing up angrily and pointing at Kong Que. "You went out to use the bathroom at night!"
Everyone turned to look at Kong Que. Sure enough, he had a look of sudden realization; he clearly had gone out.
"That young man said we couldn't go out at night or go near the lake," Uncle Zhang stroked his grey beard, recalling the rules.
"I... I just couldn't hold it anymore!" Kong Que said, his face twisted in grievance. If he had known that a single urination could cost him his life, he would have held it until he died.
"You already went last night, and you still have enough to pee your pants?" Xiaoyou mocked him, looking disgusted by his earlier accident.
Kong Que’s face turned bright red, and he decided to give up on his dignity. "I... I have a frequent, urgent need to go, alright? Besides, if I hadn't made such a great sacrifice, would you even know about the power of boyish urine?"
Jiang Younian pressed his lips together and gave a silent, bitter smile. "Yes, we all owe you our thanks."
"Why didn't the village chief come out to check when there was such a commotion outside?" Brother Tai asked in a muffled voice. Everyone realized he was right; the roof had practically been torn off, yet the village chief had remained as steady as a mountain, not even asking a single question.
"Forget it. We'll talk about it when it's light out. Everyone, go back and rest. Don't break the rules again," Xie Nanzhou said, standing up. Jiang Younian followed him as they left.
Back in his room, Jiang Younian had long lost any desire to sleep. He caught sight of his black backpack on the bed and pulled it over. He emptied it out, and apart from basic living supplies, there was a newspaper—the one Xie Nanzhou had shown him in his first dream on the train.
Following the spot Xie Nanzhou had pointed to in the dream, Jiang Younian held the paper up to the lamp to examine it. He could only vaguely make out the large characters in the headline; the smaller text below was illegible.
"Seek... seeking..."
"It’s a missing persons notice." Xie Nanzhou brought another lamp over to Jiang Younian’s bedside.
"How did you know?" Jiang Younian looked up at Xie Nanzhou in surprise.
"Didn't I read it on the train? I pointed it out to you." Xie Nanzhou took a sip of water and began taking off his coat, preparing to sleep.
Jiang Younian remembered; Xie Nanzhou had said he had entered the dream too.
"So the key information is the missing persons? Is the person they're looking for the Lake Lady? The owner of the Resentment Realm you mentioned?"
"Mm, very smart." Xie Nanzhou pulled back the covers and got into bed, giving Jiang Younian an approving look.
"Then... that hair... the girl in black, is that the Lake Lady?" Seeing Xie Nanzhou close his eyes, Jiang Younian leaned in closer, afraid he might fall asleep.
"Perhaps, yes." The reply was a sleepy murmur from Xie Nanzhou as he drifted off.
"Sigh!" Jiang Younian let out a long breath, stuffed everything back into his bag, and laid down fully clothed. However, he couldn't stop thinking, and he tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Suddenly, a voice devoid of sleepiness came from behind him: "Go to sleep, I'm here."
When Jiang Younian turned to look, the man had his eyes closed and didn't even bother to open them. Seeing Xie Nanzhou so confident, he figured things wouldn't be too bad. *Sleep, just sleep.* Jiang Younian told himself, the only way to avoid insomnia.
By the time the sky was bright, they were all woken up by the village chief knocking on their doors for breakfast. Breakfast was simple: white porridge, steamed buns, and a few small dishes of pickled vegetables. Even so, everyone ate with gusto.
"Village chief, did you hear any strange noises last night?" Xiaoyou took a bite of a bun, eyeing the village chief with an innocent look. Everyone remained calm, silently observing the chief's reaction.
"What noise? Did you little ones have a nightmare? I'm old, I sleep soundly; I didn't hear a thing." The village chief looked at Xiaoyou with grandfatherly affection and then finished his bowl of porridge.
Xie Nanzhou and Jiang Younian exchanged a knowing glance toward the spot where the roof tiles had fallen last night. It was perfectly clean, with not a single fragment left. The tiles on the roof that had been displaced were all back in order, and the missing section had been patched up.
Did the village chief really know nothing, or was he deliberately hiding something? Despite their suspicions, they had to drop it for now and continue eating.
In the middle of the meal, a wailing cry erupted from outside. They all stood up to check, only to find a disheveled woman curled up in a corner, crying and screaming. A drunk man, holding a stick as thick as an arm, was beating the woman mercilessly, spouting slurred, unpleasant things.
"Useless thing! A chicken that won't lay eggs!"
Just as the stick was about to strike the woman’s head, a hand grabbed it. The drunk man, with his stubble-covered face and a mouth reeking of alcohol, turned around and saw a fair-skinned young man. Driven by sudden lust, he reached out to grope him, regardless of his gender, but was sent sprawling by a violent, storm-like kick.
When he groaned and managed to pull himself up, he saw a young man in black standing beside the fair-skinned boy. He was cold as ice, and his appearance was no less stunning than the first.
Xie Nanzhou looked at the drunkard with disgust, particularly at the lewdness visible in his eyes. "Look at me again, and I'll dig your eyeballs out."
The man’s obscene gaze had made Jiang Younian uncomfortable, but he hadn't expected Xie Nanzhou to lose his temper like that. The threat was clear, and Jiang Younian felt he wasn't joking.
The murderous aura radiating from Xie Nanzhou was completely different from his usual self. The bamboo sprig on his chest shimmered in the light, but Jiang Younian didn't feel it made him look elegant at all. Instead, it seemed more like a sharp blade hidden beneath his gentle exterior.