Kaleidoscope of Death

CHAPTER 4: MORE DEATHS

Lin Qiushi carried Ruan Baijie on his back. As for the remaining people, three of them came over and evenly spread out, lifting that bulky wood on their backs.

The snow made the roads slippery, so everyone took extra precautions when walking.

Up ahead, Xiong Qi was carrying an oil lamp and opening up the path for the others, constantly advising everyone to take it easy.

Originally, the snowflakes were but miniscule specks dotting the skies every once in a while, but on their way back, the snowflakes suddenly became larger, even fiercer, similarly to goose feathers fluttering around, shrouding the entire sky.

Ruan Baijie wasn't heavy at all. Lin Qiushi was easily able to piggyback her. He lowered his head, carefully looking down at the ground under his feet, and steadily made his way forward.

The sound of the wind became louder, more deafening, to the point that its shrill howls pierced his ears. The falling snow obstructed most of Lin Qiushi's vision; it was getting rather difficult to see the people in front of him.

A bad feeling overcame him. Lin Qiushi slightly slowed his steps. He had just wanted to stop, but he then heard Ruan Baijie's voice near his ear. She urged, "Don't stop. Keep going."

Lin Qiushi caught what she said and had to continue moving forward.

However, the further he walked, the more he felt that something was terribly wrong. At first, Lin Qiushi thought that the freezing weather had caused him to be cold and disoriented, but as the journey progressed, he soon discovered the source of this chilling sense of wrongness.

Too light. The person on his back was way too light. It was as if her weight had simply vanished. Lin Qiushi gulped down his thick saliva; he tried to act as natural as possible as he tentatively hoisted the person higher up his back.

...It truly wasn't just his imagination. The person on his back was incredibly light, lighter than a piece of paper. Though she had the shape of a human, she had absolutely no weight. Lin Qiushi's forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat. He called out, "Baijie."

There was no sound.

"Baijie." Lin Qiushi called out once again.

"What's up?" Ruan Baijie snuggled her face against Lin Qiushi's neck. Her face was ice-cold, and her skin was moist and soft; it instantly evoked a feeling of dread within Lin Qiushi and caused him to think of something unpleasant. She asked, "What'd you call me for?"

"It's nothing really." Lin Qiushi replied, "I just wanted to ask whether you're cold."

"I'm not cold." Ruan Baijie responded. "I'm not cold at all."

Lin Qiushi didn't dare stop. Before, he had been walking with his head lowered, but as of this moment, he lifted his head and glanced at his surroundings; it wasn't long before he found that he was far away from the people that were walking in front of him.

In this heavy snow, he could barely make out the faint light of the oil lamp and the hazy backs of a few figures walking through this blasted wind and snow. This thing on his back also didn't seem to be Ruan Baijie; rather, it seemed to be something else.

Lin Qiushi slightly clenched his teeth.

"You're trembling," remarked the thing on his back. With Ruan Baijie's voice, it softly whispered, "Are you very cold?"

"It's fine." Lin Qiushi assured. "It's just a little cold."

"Do you want to go to a place that isn't cold?" She questioned. "A place so warm, somewhere that doesn't have any snow and never gets dark?"