<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chapter Two: The Invigilator
\u201cYou don\u2019t\u2026 happen to know him, do you?\u201d
\u201cForgot.\u201d
You Huo kicked an aluminum basin of charcoal from the corner over to the stove. Old Yu carefully lit a fire, and soon the furnace glowed orange.
Yu Wen squatted beside it, gloomily tossing in sticks of wood.
The firelight flickered. He stared at it for a while, thinking that before dying, he ought to talk to someone about his feelings. But when he looked up, he saw his cousin standing nearby warming his hands, looking utterly indifferent and bored.
Yu Wen thought for two seconds and decided he would rather die quietly.
\u2026
\u201cHey, um\u2026\u201d Old Yu suddenly spoke up.
You Huo glanced over.
\u201cNot sure what to call you,\u201d Old Yu said, patting the pregnant woman\u2019s shoulder. \u201cYou\u2019re in your condition\u2014why sit there freezing? That\u2019s not good. Come over and warm yourself. Don\u2019t catch a chill and end up hurting both yourself and the baby.\u201d
The woman froze for a moment, then burst into tears.
Old Yu jumped. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong? What happened?\u201d
She cried softly, \u201cWe don\u2019t even know if we\u2019ll survive\u2026\u201d
Despite her words, she moved her chair closer to the stove.
After crying for a while, she finally stopped and said hoarsely, \u201cBy the way\u2026 you can call me Yu Yao.\u201d
Old Yu forced a laugh. \u201cDidn\u2019t expect we share the same surname. You look about the same age as my\u2014\u201d
He caught You Huo looking at him and quickly corrected himself, \u201c\u2026my son. Must be fate. Once we get out of this place, we\u2019ll give you a big red envelope to ward off bad luck. You and your child will be safe.\u201d
The tattooed man muttered darkly, \u201cStill chatting at a time like this\u2026 damn it.\u201d
Everyone stiffened and scattered, searching around the room.
Most were looking for clues. The tattooed man, however, was searching for weapons.
You Huo didn\u2019t leave. After warming his hands, he brushed lightly over the wall with the question written on it, then lowered his head and rummaged through the clutter on the stove.
There were bottles and jars, a pile of blackened coins, oddly shaped stones, scattered feathers\u2014even a moldy pacifier from who knew when.
Yu Wen didn\u2019t dare move.
He remembered what his teacher had said before the college entrance exam\u2014when you don\u2019t understand something, read the question repeatedly. So he stood in front of the wall, muttering to himself.
\u201cA group of travelers arrives at a snowy mountain\u2026\u201d
\u201cTravelers\u2026\u201d
\u201cSnowy mountain\u2026\u201d
\u201cHiss\u2026\u201d
When he finished and came back to himself, he realized the room had gone completely silent. Everyone was staring at him.
\u201c\u2026I was just reading it,\u201d Yu Wen said awkwardly.
Old Yu, like many parents, loved to show off his kid in front of others. \u201cThought of anything? Tell us.\u201d
Yu Wen rolled his eyes. \u201cNo.\u201d
Everyone looked disappointed and went back to searching.
Only the tattooed man kept pressing. He eyed Yu Wen suspiciously. \u201cNothing? You\u2019re not hiding something, are you?\u201d
\u201cWhy would I hide anything?\u201d
The man stared at him for a while, making him uncomfortable.
\u201cFine. Better not be.\u201d
Clearly used to threatening people, he turned away again.
Yu Wen silently raised a middle finger behind his back. Idiot.
At eighteen, he was at the peak of teenage arrogance\u2014everyone in the world seemed like an idiot, even his father. The only exception was You Huo.
Though they had only gotten familiar in the past two years, Yu Wen had managed to learn a few things.
For example, You Huo had memory issues. He couldn\u2019t remember certain years or people.
Also, several elders in the family were afraid of him.
Yu Wen couldn\u2019t understand why\u2014but even the tattooed thug seemed slightly wary of You Huo.
Encouraged by his cousin\u2019s presence, Yu Wen had planned to argue back at the thug\u2014but when he turned around, You Huo was gone.
\u201c\u2026Where\u2019d he go?\u201d
\u201cWho?\u201d Yu Yao asked.
\u201cMy cousin.\u201d
\u201cHe went that way,\u201d she said, gesturing.
\u2026
The house wasn\u2019t small\u2014three rooms on the ground floor, plus a wooden ladder leading to a loft.
But it was packed with junk and people, making it feel cramped and dim.
The bedroom doors were all locked, with strange, rusted locks.
Even stranger\u2014one door had a rooster hanging on it, another a hen.
Both had been drained of blood, feathers neatly arranged, heads twisted to face the same direction. It was unsettling.
When Yu Wen approached, You Huo was standing in the shadows beside the door.
More frightening than the chickens.
\u201cBro\u2026 what are you holding?\u201d Yu Wen asked, goosebumps rising.
\u201cNever seen an axe?\u201d You Huo said lazily.
\u201cI have\u2026\u201d
Which was exactly why it was terrifying.
You Huo loosely held a small hand axe, casually running his thumb along the blade.
\u201cDid you find any clues?\u201d he asked.
\u201c\u2026What clues?\u201d
You Huo looked at him.
His pale brown eyes were clear but cold, giving him a distant, almost emotionless air.
Yu Wen shrank. \u201cGive me an example.\u201d
\u201cWhat kind of questions relate to snowy mountains?\u201d
\u201c\u2026No idea.\u201d
\u201cYou didn\u2019t go to school?\u201d
\u201cI did\u2026\u201d
\u201cFor nothing?\u201d
\u201cI learned test-taking techniques\u2026\u201d Yu Wen said defensively. \u201cIf there\u2019s three long answers and one short, pick the short. Three short, one long\u2014pick the long. Two long, two short\u2014pick B. Mixed\u2014pick C. That\u2019s how I passed physics.\u201d
You Huo: \u201c\u2026\u201d
\u201cAnd most importantly\u2014know when to give up.\u201d
\u201cGet lost.\u201d
Yu Wen shut up immediately.
After a moment, he asked, \u201cWhy are you holding that?\u201d
\u201cTo find a pen.\u201d
\u201c\u2026What???\u201d
You Huo tossed the axe into a bin. \u201cA pen.\u201d
Yu Wen decided one of them had to be insane.
Without another word, You Huo climbed up to the loft.
\u2026
Time passed quickly.
The red numbers on the wall changed from 6 to 5, then 4.
The first collection time drew near, and everyone grew anxious.
Under pressure, someone made a desperate move.
When You Huo came down, Yu Yao was dipping her finger into a small black bottle, preparing to write on the wall.
A foul, sour smell filled the air.
\u201cWill this really work?\u201d she asked nervously.
\u201cNo one knows!\u201d a balding man snapped. \u201cThere might not even be a correct answer! If we leave it blank, someone dies anyway!\u201d
He glared at her. \u201cIf you don\u2019t dare, I will!\u201d
Yu Yao trembled but wrote anyway.
Nothing appeared.
The marks vanished instantly\u2014as if swallowed.
\u201cI can\u2019t write\u2026\u201d
The bald man rushed forward and tried.
Same result.
He panicked. \u201cIt\u2019s not enough\u2026 not enough\u2026\u201d
Just as he was about to pour the entire bottle\u2014
A hand grabbed him.
\u201cStop. The wall isn\u2019t normal,\u201d You Huo said coldly.
\u201cYu Wen. Rope.\u201d
Yu Wen handed it over.
Within seconds, the man was tied up.
\u201c\u2026Bro, what did you used to do? You\u2019re way too good at this.\u201d
You Huo shot him a look.
Right. He probably didn\u2019t even know himself.
As the bottle was sealed, a faint sigh echoed through the room.
Everyone froze.
New words appeared on the wall:
Violation Warning: Improper writing tools detected. Proctors notified.
Proctors: 001, 154, 922
A rooster crowed suddenly.
The dead rooster twisted its neck and stared at the door.
Then\u2014
Three figures emerged outside in the snow.
The one in front was tall, wearing a fitted coat.
As he reached the door, he lifted his head.
His dark eyes met You Huo\u2019s.
You Huo unconsciously touched his ear stud.
Yu Wen whispered, \u201cYou know him?\u201d
You Huo frowned.
\u201cForgot.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"novel":[],"class_list":["post-2975","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/2975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2975"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/2975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3015,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/2975\/revisions\/3015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=2975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}