Chapter 5: The Gu Village (5)

Chapter 5: The Village of Gu (5)

"Who's there?"

After the knock, a deep, resonant voice called out from within.

Tan Yue responded loudly, "It's me, the student who visited before! I need to ask you for some help!"

The door creaked open, but it wasn’t the uncle—it was his wife. She fixed Tan Yue with that same unnervingly eager stare.

It was mealtime, but Tan Yue hadn’t returned to Granny Li’s place. Here was prey delivering itself to her—how could she let him go? It wasn’t her fault Granny Li was old and feeble; she couldn’t blame her for seizing the opportunity.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

The aunt gesticulated wildly, feigning muteness, her gestures overly familiar, but Tan Yue avoided her attempt to grab his hand.

He didn’t like people touching him without permission, and besides, the aunt was married—she ought to keep proper boundaries.

Seeing Tan Yue take a step back, the aunt flailed her arms in exaggerated welcome, beckoning him into the courtyard.

She enthusiastically invited Tan Yue inside, while the uncle translated in halting Mandarin, "Your aunt just wants to invite you in for a meal. We’ve made plenty."

The uncle grinned temptingly, "We killed two chickens, steamed some sausages, and stir-fried bamboo shoots. The food smells amazing—Granny Li's cooking can't compare."

The villagers stood together against outsiders, yet schemed against each other. Everyone wanted the best ingredients and hosts, so within the rules, it was survival of the fittest.

The courtyard gate was wide open. Since the rain had stopped and there were many people, the uncle’s family had set up a large round table outside. On it were seven or eight dishes, each portion generous.

The food wafted a mouthwatering aroma, and the dishes looked perfectly normal—just as the uncle had said, there was chicken, sausages…

The four couples sat together with their partners, happily shoveling meat into their mouths. They ate with gusto, stuffing piece after piece into their mouths without pause.

Tan Yue glanced again at the uncle and aunt’s hands. Theirs were the coarse, work-worn hands of people who labored—one pair dark, the other fair, but both clean, with neatly trimmed nails.

Still, Tan Yue politely declined the couple’s offer. He didn’t even step into the courtyard, only casting a glance inside from the threshold. He still didn’t see the tour guide or the driver.

"Uncle Ang, do you know where our tour guide is? I’ve decided not to stay at Granny Li’s place anymore, so I need to let her know."

Li Ang knew exactly where they were—the guide and driver were probably sitting in the Village Elder’s pickling vat by now. Transporting people through the interworld Portal required repairs before it could be used again.

Not about to let the Village Elder reap all the benefits, Li Ang tried to persuade Tan Yue, "Come eat with us first. Once you’re full, I’ll take you to find the guide."

The dishes were spiked with Gu eggs. Their Gu thrived in heat and wasn’t afraid of fire—besides, they had added the eggs only after the food was cooked. They wouldn’t die.

If their eggs could enter Tan Yue’s stomach, this fine-featured youth would become the incubator for their child.

The couple had been searching for the perfect vessel for their child for years, but none of the vessels they'd found met their standards. If they could successfully hatch their offspring, becoming a proper family, they might even stand a chance against the Village Elder.

It was only the first day of the outsiders’ arrival, and the ancient rules still held power.

Besides, the willingness of the prey affected the fusion of the Gu. If they could trick Tan Yue into compliance, Li Ang and his wife preferred not to resort to tying him up.

Tan Yue shook his head again. "I won’t trouble you any further. If the Village Elder is busy, then please just pass along the message to the guide when she comes looking for me."

Tan Yue didn’t mention his boyfriend to the uncle, nor did he ask about Guan Shan’s past.

At this stage, he and Guan Shan still didn’t know each other well enough. Maybe later, when they understood each other better, he’d welcome stories about Guan Shan’s peculiarities.

Besides, he had no idea how Guan Shan got along with the other villagers. What if there was bad blood between the uncle and Guan Shan? Tan Yue didn’t want to hear anyone badmouth his man—he was the type to stand by his man, fair or foul!

Tan Yue turned and walked away, leaving the couple staring resentfully at his retreating back.

The wife's face twisted in frustration, her skin revealing sinister Gu insect markings as the mother Gu in her heart writhed violently. Her face flushed crimson, and her hair bristled like live wires—each strand was no ordinary hair but tiny hair-like Gu insects.

The mother Gu shrieked its cravings, venting its resentment. It wanted to reproduce, to plant its offspring in that prime breeding host!

Li Ang patted his wife's shoulder, signaling her to calm down with a look. "Just wait a little longer. At most, six more days."

That bus would never take these tourists away. After all, they had waited so many years—what were a few more days?

In six days, the rules' hold on them would weaken to almost nothing, and the Portal wouldn't reopen for another full month. These weak humans had no chance of escaping the village!

After a long moment of writhing, the Gu insects settled, and the woman's raised hair drooped back down. The supernatural redness on her face faded as she finally returned to her seat, staring at the eight tourists.

Unlike Granny Li, who specialized in inedible cooking, the eight guests around the round table kept stuffing food down their throats without pause.

Whether it was the round-faced girl who usually complained about dieting or the female teacher with a naturally small appetite, today they were all gorging on double their normal intake—and still going.

Even if the food was delicious, this kind of eating was far from normal. Yet none of the eight seemed to notice. The men, in particular, ate with exaggerated greed, wolfing down food like ravenous beasts.

Their attention was entirely fixed on the food in front of them—so much so that they didn’t even notice Tan Yue’s arrival.

Tan Yue remained oblivious to any strangeness. To him, the village seemed perfectly ordinary: beautiful scenery, hospitable villagers, and aside from Granny Li’s disgusting habits and the spotty cell service, everything was great.

Carrying his denim backpack, Tan Yue headed toward the Dragon God Temple and soon stood at the entrance of Guan Shan’s "home."

He checked his hair in his phone’s selfie cam, straightened his hoodie’s hood, and meticulously smoothed the wrinkles on his shirt collar before knocking firmly on the door three times.

Clearing his throat, he spoke in a polite yet bright tone, "Is Guan Shan here? It’s Tan Yue."

Since he hadn’t asked about Guan Shan’s family situation before, Tan Yue assumed he lived with his parents. Wanting to make a good impression on his maybe-future in-laws, he put extra effort into looking presentable.

The door creaked open from within, revealing Guan Shan leaning against the corridor.

The boy was already ethereally beautiful, but sitting cross-legged, his legs—long, pale, and impossibly slender—became even more noticeable.

Tan Yue’s ears turned red again. He forced his gaze upward, focusing on Guan Shan’s face.

His boyfriend was so gorgeous it was a feast for the eyes—Tan Yue could go without food just staring at him.

"Growwwl…"

Something rumbled loudly. Embarrassed, he pressed a hand to his growling stomach. He hadn’t eaten since getting off the bus, and his stomach roared in rebellion.

With a pitiful expression, the handsome youth pleaded, "Ah Shan, I had a little disagreement with Granny Li. Can you take me in for a while? I’m low-maintenance—I don’t eat much, and I can sleep on the floor."

Guan Shan gave him a sidelong look. "Come in."

After all, Tan Yue was his. Claiming him was his right.

"Yay!" Tan Yue cheered softly, darting into the courtyard as if afraid Guan Shan might change his mind.

Sitting beside Guan Shan, he whispered, "Ah Shan, where do I sleep? With you? Are your parents home?"

By "parents," he meant Guan Shan’s mother and father.

Guan Shan replied, "Parents don’t apply to me."

He meant it literally—after all, beings like him didn’t reproduce the same way humans did.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Tan Yue thought he had touched on Guan Shan's painful subject of being orphaned and quickly apologized.

"Are you living alone now?" He glanced around the courtyard, seeing no signs of anyone else.

"Only me." In truth, there were many small pets he kept, but pets don't count as people.

Tan Yue's posture relaxed noticeably, as in his eyes, his boyfriend Guan Shan was family.

He took Guan Shan's hand and placed it on his flat stomach. "I'm starving, my stomach's empty. Ah Shan, do you have anything to eat at home?"

Guan Shan remarked, "Idiot." He couldn't even bother to eat first. Without him, this weak human might have starved himself to death.

Tan Yue looked hurt. "I won't freeload. I can give you all my money."

He pulled out his wallet from his backpack. "All my cash is here. There's no signal in the mountains, so I can't transfer money. Oh, and my ID seems to be with you too."

He was essentially putting himself up as collateral—how could that count as freeloading!

Guan Shan stood up. "There are ingredients in the kitchen. Cook for yourself."

As a deity, he'd never stoop to serving Tan Yue.

Tan Yue left his bag in the room and followed Guan Shan to the kitchen.

The kitchen was immaculate, fully furnished, with plenty of bags of provisions. Though there was no ready-made food, staples like rice, flour, oil, and salt were all there, along with various cured meats, eggs, and duck eggs...

Tan Yue pushed up his sleeves. "I'll cook. Ah Shan, help me light the fire. Let's start with a bowl of noodles to take the edge off."

Guan Shan gave him a startled look, clearly baffled by this bold worshipper ordering him around.

Tan Yue had already started prepping ingredients, asking matter-of-factly, "Ah Shan, do you like spicy food? Or something milder?"

In just these few minutes, Guan Shan surely hadn't eaten, so he'd prepare portions for both of them.

The god had no preferences. "Either is fine."

Guan Shan snapped his fingers behind Tan Yue's back, and flames sprang to life in the stove.

After tasting Tan Yue's meat sauce noodles, Guan Shan noticeably sped up his eating.

Delighted his cooking met approval, Tan Yue grinned. Between mouthfuls, he said, "This is pretty basic. Later, I'll see what else we have and make you a real meal for dinner!"

"Also, we're getting short on firewood. I'll chop some more this afternoon."

He wasn't about to shamelessly mooch off his boyfriend—he'd earn his keep through labor.

Guan Shan stayed silent but listened attentively: high-quality ingredients. In this village, he remembered the Village Elder had plenty of those.

Unnoticed by anyone, the empty cabinets quietly filled with fresh ingredients. The courtyard gradually piled up with new firewood, forming a small mountain.

A few live chickens from Granny Li's coop went missing without explanation. A middle-aged man kept chopping wood endlessly, yet the pile never seemed to grow.

At the Village Elder's home, the gaunt-looking old man painstakingly dragged out all his carefully preserved human skins, hanging them one by one from the rafters to dry.

This task even delayed his usual meal. Supernaturals also ate meat, but premium prey like humans weren't always available, so they ate about eighty percent the same foods as humans.

But when he entered the kitchen, the Village Elder's slit eyes bulged in alarm: all his prized reserves—the cured meats and hams he'd been hoarding and rarely touched—had disappeared completely!