Chapter 44: The Village of Martyred Women
The tiny blade of grass trapped in darkness, upon catching even the faintest glimmer of light, would desperately absorb it and grow.
To Zhenzhen, Li Zhi was like a stubborn beam of light, tearing open a crack in her bleak, gray world.
She heard that firm yet gentle voice: “Then go study. Go to school, read books, see the world with your own eyes, and seek the answers you’re looking for.”
Zhenzhen stared at her blankly. “Do I still have a chance?”
“As long as you’re still alive,” Li Zhi said, “you still have a chance.”
“Alive…” Zhenzhen repeated the word several times. Her gaze gradually grew resolute, as if speaking to her, or perhaps to herself: “I want to live. I don’t want to die in mourning for a husband I was married to for only three days.”
Li Zhi had shown her a different way for women to live. The doubts in her heart seemed to have finally found an answer. Though she still didn’t know the exact answer, before she found it, she didn’t want to die.
“Li Zhi!” Suddenly, she threw herself forward, her rough but healthy hands gripping the window bars, her eyes urgent and bright. “I don’t want to die like this. What should I do?”
Li Zhi visibly relaxed, though the change was subtle. She comforted her, “As long as you firmly want to live, my companions and I will help you.”
Zhenzhen was a little emotional, but then she frowned again. “But the sacrificial platform ceremony is coming up soon. The patrols at the village entrance are getting stricter as the festival approaches. Even if I escape this courtyard, I won’t be able to leave the village. I heard that in the past, people tried to run away, but they were caught and brought back the very next day.”
Li Zhi promised earnestly, “I’ll figure something out. As long as you want to live, no one can force you to die.”
“I believe you, Li Zhi!” Zhenzhen’s eyes sparkled. “You’re the smartest and most knowledgeable person I’ve ever met!”
Li Zhi smiled. She glanced at the sky—by this time, the villagers who had attended the feast should be returning one after another. She slipped the paper and pen she had brought into the room and asked, “Zhenzhen, when we went to the Martyred Women Shrine today, we saw the spirit tablet at the very top was dedicated to a woman named Zhen Niang. Have you heard of her?”
“Of course I have. Zhen Niang was the first martyr in our village,” Zhenzhen replied. She had grown up hearing stories about Zhen Niang. “After Zhen Niang married her husband, Zhou Shaoyuan, they were very much in love. But at the time, there was war, and the court was conscripting soldiers from all over. Her husband was drafted into the army. More than a year later, news came that he had died in battle. Because Zhou Shaoyuan had performed exceptionally well in the military, the court posthumously promoted him, and the news of his death and the imperial decree of his promotion arrived in the village together.”
Posthumous honors were supposed to be a source of pride, but Zhen Niang was devastated by the loss of her husband. So she decided to take her own life in mourning, to follow her husband into death.
On that day, Zhen Niang ascended the sacrificial platform and hanged herself. The entire village was shaken by her actions. After her death, the local county office reported her story to the court, and in recognition of her devotion, the court bestowed upon her a chastity plaque and built the Martyred Women Shrine. From then on, the village became known as the Village of Martyred Women.
On the surface, it sounded like nothing more than a tragic love story—nothing unusual about it.
Li Zhi faintly heard the sound of voices approaching. She lowered her voice and instructed, “Stay here and take care of yourself. Eat well, sleep well, and regain your strength. I’ll come back to see you again.”
Zhenzhen nodded vigorously.
She watched Li Zhi leave, craning her neck to see for as long as she could, until she heard the sound of the courtyard gate being unlocked. Only then did she extinguish the oil lamp, clutching the paper, pen, and picture book Li Zhi had given her, and burrowed under the covers.
The funeral feast was over, and after one more night of vigil, Fang Lin would be buried in the Martyr’s Grave the next day, and her spirit tablet would be enshrined in the Martyred Women Shrine.
Li Zhi returned to the courtyard house ahead of schedule and stood at the door, waiting for everyone to come back. The opera troupe members were the first to return. From a distance, Tao Yu’s voice could be heard: “That village chief is really generous. I thought he was just saying it to save face, but he actually gave Fang Lin a grand funeral.”
Another person chimed in, “Yeah, seriously. Most people don’t even get to enjoy a feast like that. And honestly, Fang Lin was lucky. An orphan with no parents, no children—yet after her death, she still gets to be enshrined in the Martyred Women Shrine. She’ll never lack for worshippers.”
Unexpectedly, Tao Yu spat angrily at the speaker. “Died young and you call that lucky? If you think being enshrined in that so-called Martyred Women Shrine is such a blessing, why don’t you go die yourself?”
The man, chastised by her, looked embarrassed, but since Tao Yu was now the troupe’s star performer, he didn’t dare retort. With a sour expression, he hurried into the house.
Tao Yu crossed her arms and scoffed, “What nonsense. Who cares about being enshrined in the Martyred Women Shrine? If it were me, I’d rather die out in the wild, left to rot, than set foot in that disgusting place!” She quickly slapped herself a few times. “Pah pah pah, childish words, childish words.”
The person behind her teased, “You’re what, a child now? Acting like one?”
“I’ll talk however I want, mind your own business!”
Tao Yu bantered a bit more before the group entered the courtyard house. The players followed behind them.
From a distance, Chi Yi spotted Li Zhi standing at the door. She ran up and jumped in front of her. “Zhi Zhi, what are you spacing out about? I waved at you for ages, and you didn’t even notice!”
Li Zhi smiled. “Nothing, let’s go inside.”
“Hey…” Chi Yi put on an exaggerated hurt expression. “I’m not your best friend anymore. There are secrets between us now.”
Li Zhi chuckled and lightly ruffled her hair. After a moment’s thought, she said, “I just thought of something, but I need to verify it. Telling you now might scare you.”
Chi Yi: “Are you kidding? I, Chi the Fearless, am scared of nothing. Just spit it out!”
Li Zhi hooked a finger at her, and Chi Yi obediently leaned in close to listen. When she finished speaking, Chi Yi’s previously smug expression instantly soured. “Huh?”
Li Zhi raised an eyebrow.
Chi Yi: “Waaaah—”
Audience watching from behind the screen were frantic:
[What?! What is it that us VIPs aren’t allowed to hear!!!]
[Ahhh, the instance plot is already teasing us, and now the players are doing it too?!]
[I have a bad feeling Li Zhi’s holding something big. This is going to be good.]
[System, hurry up and give me a pay-per-view option. I’ve got money—I want to see what happens next right now!!]
[I wanna see Li Zhi pull off some crazy move. Everyone, start voting now. A master like her deserves your precious vote, doesn’t she?]
[Hey, the Li Zhi fan from earlier, I’ve been watching you for days. You pull this same trick every day to beg for votes. Get some new material.]
...
Back in the courtyard, everyone washed up and settled in for the night. As Li Zhi was about to close the door and go to sleep, the pink-haired player led his two brothers, clutching their blankets pitifully, and stood at the doorway. “Sis Zhi, can we sleep in your room tonight?”
Li Zhi glanced at him. The pink-haired player persisted shamelessly, “We all went to the well together this morning. What if we really triggered the death condition? It’s better if we stick together to face it!” To sweeten the deal, he even handed over their items as a peace offering. “Here, Sis Zhi, you can use any of our gear.”
Chi Yi chimed in from behind, “Are we really after your gear? We’re just sick of the three of you snoring and keeping me and Zhi Zhi up all night.”
The pink-haired player quickly assured her, “We don’t snore at all. We sleep like logs!”
In the instance, players weren’t supposed to share rooms because if the room had some kind of trap, triggering the death condition together could wipe out the whole team—it was like not putting all your eggs in one basket.
But if they had already triggered the death condition that morning, sharing a room now wouldn’t make a difference.
Li Zhi stepped aside and let them in. “Sleep on the floor.”
The pink-haired trio thanked her profusely. “Okay, okay, thanks Sis Zhi, you’re the best!”
Once all five of them were lying down, Li Zhi extinguished the oil lamp by the bed. The room darkened, illuminated only by the pale moonlight spilling into the courtyard, casting the silhouettes of tree branches outside the door.
The pink-haired trio breathed softly, careful not to disturb their leader’s rest. But the room was small, and even though Chi Yi tried to keep her voice low, they could still hear their conversation.
Chi Yi asked, “Does your plan require their help?”
Li Zhi replied, “No.”
“Then will their gear come in handy?”
“They worked hard to earn those items. Let them keep them.”
Pink/White/Golden Hair: “…………”
Who do you think you’re looking down on?!
The pink-haired player flipped over and sat up. “Sis Zhi, whatever you need us to do, just say the word. Don’t hold back!”
Li Zhi’s gentle voice echoed in the darkness. “Really, it’s fine. Just focus on protecting yourselves.”
Pink-haired player: “Sis Zhi, are you seriously looking down on us?!”
Li Zhi: “Yes.”
Pink/White/Golden Hair: “…………”
The pink-haired player flopped back down, grumbling. A moment later, he heard Li Zhi say, “If Fang Lin really shows up at midnight, I plan to talk to her. Just listen in—don’t interrupt us.”
Pink/White/Golden Hair: “????”
What are you planning to do??
Boss, do you even know you’re talking to a vengeful ghost?!
The audience had been dying of curiosity earlier, but now that they heard she intended to chat with a ghost in the instance, they were momentarily startled—until they remembered her previous antics and decided it wasn’t that surprising after all.
[Is it really just a chat? I don’t buy it.]
[Last instance, she pretended to be a ghost’s kin using some confusing perfume trick. What’s she gonna do this time?]
[For some reason, even though the conversation hasn’t even started yet, I’m already sweating for Fang Lin.]
...
With this teaser, not only was the audience wide awake, but even the pink-haired trio couldn’t sleep deeply. During his light doze, the pink-haired player even dreamed that Li Zhi and Fang Lin were standing at the door, chatting and laughing. In the dream, Li Zhi asked if Fang Lin had eaten, and when Fang Lin said no, Li Zhi turned and pointed at the three of them sleeping on the floor, saying, “Then I’ll give her you guys to eat.”
The pink-haired player jolted awake in terror.
When he opened his eyes, the sky outside was already turning light. The others in the room were breathing softly. He didn’t know if they were asleep or not, so he cautiously rolled over and hugged himself tightly.
He had barely calmed down from the nightmare when the eerie opera singing from yesterday morning drifted once again through the hanging flower gates, growing louder and closer with each passing moment.
The pink-haired player tensed up. He heard Li Zhi’s voice beside him: “She’s here.”
Seeing that their leader was also awake, the pink-haired player felt a little less nervous. He tried to sit up, but in the dim light, he saw Li Zhi had already jumped off the bed. She held a stopwatch in her hand, her expression calm and composed as she walked toward the door. “Lie still.”
Is this what it feels like to have ultimate backup?!
The pink-haired player hugged himself and shrank back against the wall.
Li Zhi had reached the door and leaned casually against the doorframe. The shrill, piercing opera singing finally stopped just outside. Through the wooden door, Li Zhi could even feel the cold, eerie chill seeping through.
Then came the sound of knocking.
Thud—thud thud—
She looked up and peered through the narrow gap in the door, catching a glimpse of the feet kicking against the door, swaying in the wind under the eaves.