Kaleidoscope of Death

CHAPTER 5: THE DRIED-UP WELL

It was practically impossible trudging along the narrow mountain pass due to the heavy snow.

Lin Qiushi was worried that Ruan Baijie's body couldn't endure the harsh weather, so he protected her the entire trip. Nearby, Xiao Ke indifferently remarked that their relationship was very good.

"She's a girl." Lin Qiushi replied. "It's only natural that you have to be a bit more considerate towards women, you have to treasure them a bit more."

Snuggled delicately against Lin Qiushi's back, Ruan Baijie stared at Xiao Ke with a lovely and pitiful expression.

Xiao Ke's face was stoic, and she coldly averted her eyes. It seemed as though Xiao Ke only held feelings of animosity and dissatisfaction towards Ruan Baijie.

At long last, the time to cut the trees down arrived, and everyone hopped into action at once. This time, they chose two trees that weren't as thick or bulky. They planned to chop down the trees in one go, so they could be finished with the task by today. Although the weather was freezing, Lin Qiushi's body temperature gradually increased; he felt somewhat hot after hacking at the tree for a while. Lin Qiushi reached out to unbutton his coat, and he paused to rest for a while.

Ruan Baijie leaned against the tree beside him and gazed thoughtfully at Lin Qiushi.

Lin Qiushi shot her a glance. "What are you looking at?"

Ruan Baijie: "That ass is quite perky and plump, ah..."

Lin Qiushi nearly dropped the axe in his hands. He swiveled his head around and stared incredulously at Ruan Baijie. "What did you just say?"

Ruan Baijie: "I didn't say anything. You must've heard wrong."

Lin Qiushi's eyes were filled with skepticism.

Ruan Baijie: "How about you repeat what I just said right now?"

Lin Qiushi: "..." This girl has already figured out he was too embarrassed, hasn't she?

The two chatted as they cut the trees. Every once in a while, he and the other men would switch so that one could take a break while the other continued on with the task. They finally chopped down two trees before darkness completely enveloped the skies above.

They weren't as stressed now that the trees had been cut down; however, the burden of transporting the logs still haunted everyone's hearts.

The two teammates who were crushed to death by the log yesterday had already been buried under thick layers of snow. Even if they couldn't see a shadow of their corpses, their tragic appearances were still vivid in their minds.

"Don't carry the logs." Xiong Qi instructed. "Tie the rope around them and drag them away."

"Who's going to drag them?" Zhang Zishuang asked.

Xiong Qi responded, "The men will be divided into two groups. Everyone will drag them together."

This method was truly as fair as it could get. Everyone would be doing the same thing; therefore, if another person died, it was purely because he was ill-fated. No one else would be to blame.

Lin Qiushi didn't utter a sound. He simply stretched out his arm and took the rope from Xiong Qi's hand. Without speaking to his other teammates, he promptly began to drag that cumbersome log away. Lugging the heavy wood down this narrow mountain path was far more difficult than lifting it. But, in any case, it was safe; an unfortunate accident like before was unlikely to occur again.

Having learned from their previous mistakes, everyone was extremely cautious on their way back. It was only until they left the mountain and reached the carpenter's house did they relax their vigilance and breathe a sigh of relief.