Du Jie gives me a strange feeling when he speaks, usually every time he comes in, he brags about himself, saying how awesome he is and how powerful the women he's with are. But today, after coming in, he was low-key which makes me feel a bit alienated.

  After discovering that Du Jie's situation was not right, I felt that I couldn't bear it anymore. To be honest, I was a bit afraid that something would happen to Du Jie, and if he were to disappear like Zhang Qi, that would be terrible.

  Zhang Qi, after all, I haven't known him for long, and we don't have much real feelings for each other. So whether he disappears or not, to be honest, I'm not too affected by it. This doesn't mean I don't care about him, but rather that our relationship hasn't reached the point where I'd be extremely concerned. But Du Jie is different - he and I are absolutely iron brothers! Our bromance is something even normal couples would envy. If anything happened to him, I absolutely wouldn't allow it!

  After feeling that Du Jie was not quite right, I carefully and tentatively asked him: "Brother, won't you be in trouble? You feel strange today! Don't you usually come back with a proud look?"

  Hearing me ask this, Du Jie, who was changing clothes on one side, gave me a displeased glance and then loudly said to me:

  "Damn it! Are you eager for me to get into trouble? Today is really depressing, that stupid woman almost took my life away. I was already at the end of my rope when she still managed to give me a feeling. After I left her house, my legs were so soft they felt like noodles, and walking was completely exhausting. Otherwise, I wouldn't have fallen into the ditch. Can someone like me still be proud?"

  As I listened to Du Jie speaking like this, and seeing that his face didn't have any unusual pale complexion, the worry in my heart also dissipated. Watching Du Jie change clothes over there, I followed up and asked him again: "Then before you left, did the woman still make you suck the blood on her fingertips?"

  "Before you could even cut your finger, I had her hurry up and do it. Damn it, I don't know what's wrong with me, but after we finished, I wanted to take a sip of the blood on her fingertip, it felt like getting hooked on ice skating or something, although I've never actually gone ice skating, that's just how I feel, it's so weird! You little brat, you didn't get addicted too, did you?" By the time he asked me this, Du Jie had already changed into a clean set of clothes.

  "You've sucked, how can I not suck? Don't know what will happen after sucking this blood, anyway it feels very uncomfortable. And the apple eaten before leaving, dry and astringent, damn bad taste." I complained to Du Jie.

  "The apple I ate before leaving was quite tasty, okay? You little brat shouldn't complain either. Having an apple to eat is already good enough, you know? Apples are the big shots of the fruit world!"

  "What's up?" Seeing Du Jie's little eyes becoming sly again, I knew it was just my overthinking. It seems like this kid really didn't have anything going on, maybe he was just in a bad mood, that's why he acted so off when he came in.

  "How did apples become the big boss of the fruit world?" I knew Du Jie would definitely start talking nonsense in the next second, and I was looking forward to hearing his nonsense.

  "Haha! Don't know, huh? Let me tell you! Apple, the ultimate temptation! One tempted Eve, one woke up Newton, one harmed Snow White, and one occupied Christmas Eve! On Christmas Eve, how many girls are deceived into eating bananas under the pretext of eating apples, and finally have to drink soy milk! What's the English word for apple again? Oh! It's called "assault"! Right! Assault! Haha!"

  In the end, this silly guy was amused by himself first...

  Now that Du Jie has returned to his true self, I can finally put my mind at ease.

  After Du Jie and I chatted for a while, he said to me: "Did your girl tell you? The village chief said that the walking marriage is not going on in the village tonight, and we need to prepare some sacrificial rituals. He told me to find her tonight, and tomorrow night I don't have to enter the village."

  "Huh? Is that so? My girl didn't tell me about it! How exactly did she say it to you?" I asked curiously.

  "Haha, wasn't I tormented by her for a whole night?! I really couldn't take it anymore, so I told her that tonight is absolutely not going, saying that I must rest for one night or else I'll be drained dry. Then she said, tonight you must come, whether you want to or not. It turns out that tomorrow night allows me to rest because tomorrow night they have some sacrificial ritual ceremony in the village, and all the women in the village are not allowed to go out."

  "What the...?! Is this really happening?! What kind of ritual is this?! And aren't you supposed to be the one with three thousand concubines, changing them out like they're going out of style?! Why are you always fixated on her now?! This isn't like you at all!"

  "I don't know what's wrong with me either, I just feel like messing around with her. Alas, I've given up on myself, this lifetime has actually been ruined by a woman, and I even feel like I don't recognize myself! As for the sacrificial activities you asked about, that woman didn't say anything."

  I raised an eyebrow at Du Jie's response and asked him, "What's the lunar date tomorrow?"

  "Let me see! Eleven, twelve... Oh! Tomorrow is July 15th on the lunar calendar."

  "July 15th?!" I involuntarily exclaimed, my voice rising an octave.

  "Really! What's wrong with July 15th? Why are you so startled?" Du Jie curiously asked me.

  "What? Oh! No... nothing! Alright, you little scamp has been through a lot, hurry up and eat something to fill your belly, then go to bed early!"

  "Ugh! I'm also tired, sleepy and hungry. After eating something, I'll just sleep. Honestly, I'm a bit overwhelmed now. Previously, I said that Seventh Brother was getting old and didn't have as much energy as us, but now it seems like no matter who it is, they can't keep up with this pace! Even if Superman came, I reckon he wouldn't be able to handle it either!"

  ......

  Like this, after Du Jie and I ate something, we both lay down, then I found out that Du Jie fell asleep, so I got up alone, lit a cigarette and smoked it with a sigh.

  Now it seems that Du Jie this kid, although on the surface he doesn't seem to have changed much, but I've already discovered that Du Jie has a problem! Even I feel like I'm having problems too!

  The reason I think so is a simple example: we are continuing on the old path that Zhang Qi has taken!

  When we knew Zhang Qi, he always said that after being with his Ah Xing, he had never been with any other woman. With so many women in the village, how could a man who likes new things and gets bored with old ones possibly only hang out on one tree? It's not like they're playing with true feelings! And before Zhang Qi disappeared, he personally said that women's blood can't be drunk, if you drink it, you'll get addicted, and you'll be done for! This is exactly because Du Jie drank the blood of the woman he's currently with, and suddenly became devoted to her, just like Zhang Qi was devoted to Ah Xing!

  And I, since sucking Korean Jingjing's blood, I also started to stop thinking about that first night that hooked my soul and flew out of Tingting. Even when I saw the picture made by Ah Xing himself, I could hold on to it, and at that time, my mind was full of Korean Jingjing!

  This is absolutely abnormal. According to my analysis, it seems that whoever's blood we suck, we'll guard them and stay with them all the time, even feeling no interest in any other woman!

  This is a terrible situation, I wonder what's going on with their blood? How can there be such a strange effect?

  Du Jie may still be in a daze now, but I have really come to realize something.

  What Du Jie didn't see is what I saw, the crisis that Du Jie didn't discover is the one I'm discovering now. I always feel that the horror of this village has exceeded my control range. At this moment, I don't even have the heart to investigate how Zhang Qi disappeared. I think I should escape from this village with Du Jie!

  But even if we want to escape, it's not the right time yet. Isn't this village going to hold some kind of ritual ceremony tonight? I have a feeling that something is off about this activity, and I should be able to find out more. After tonight, I'll take a look at the situation, and it won't be too late to drag Du Jie away then.

  That's why Du Jie said that tomorrow is the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, I will feel so surprised, because it's an extraordinary day, that day is the Zhongyuan Festival, also known as the Ghost Festival in folklore.

  ......