He’ll Invited Me to Fall in Love (Infinite) - Chapter 6

“Huh?”

Shen Yi’s remark caught the attention of everyone nearby. The other “participants” at the table cast their gazes over as well.

The yellow-haired youth sneered. “You’re just a rookie. What could you possibly see that’s right? This whole place is ‘wrong’ for someone like you. Stop trying to act like some profound expert.”

“Oh, is that so?” Shen Yi turned and rolled his eyes at him. “Well, if you think it’s perfectly normal for a courtyard hosting a wedding to have red talismans plastered all over the walls and the stage, then just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

“What?”

The other participants immediately snapped to attention. The woman with the wavy hair stood up and looked toward the stage. She instantly drew in a sharp breath, a chill running down her spine.

What sat atop the stage wasn’t a red carpet at all; it was a dense, suffocating layer of red talismans.

The patches on the courtyard walls weren’t red lacquer either, but rows upon rows of blood-red charms. They were pasted so closely together that, from a distance, they looked like a solid coat of paint.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from beside them. The woman looked down to find Shen Yi peering under the table.

“They’re on the table legs, too,” he noted.

Another participant hurriedly bent down to look. Sure enough, blood-red incantations were stuck to the wooden legs of the table.

A deathly silence once again fell over the group. While the villagers continued to laugh, chatter, and bustle about the yard, this particular table felt as if it had been plunged into ice.

The sky darkened further. The clouds grew heavier, hanging low as if they might collapse from the heavens at any moment.

Shen Yi climbed up from the ground and scanned his surroundings. Beyond the talismans, he felt something else was fundamentally wrong.

This courtyard was familiar.

That eerie sense of recognition had been haunting him since they entered the village. It was preposterous, yet everything about the place filled him with a terrifying sense of deja vu. He didn’t even need to look or ask, he simply knew that once you stepped through that door, there would be a bedroom to the left, another to the right, and the stove would be in the hallway between them.

Next to the stove would be a water boiler, with a worn-out sofa behind it. Behind the sofa, a rickety staircase would lead to the second floor, and the door to the south bedroom would be right beside the stairs. On the wall by that door, an old wall clock would chime several times at the top of every hour.

Abstract information flooded his mind. Although he couldn’t see the images yet, he knew the layout followed this exact pattern.

What is going on?

He stared at the house door. The villagers were scurrying in and out of it, looking blissfully busy.

On a sudden whim, Shen Yi turned and asked, “Can I go inside and take a look?”

The woman with wavy hair was stunned. “Ha?”

“No, I just thought…” Shen Yi pointed toward the doorway. “I’d like to see what’s in there.”

“Are you insane? You absolutely cannot. Disobeying an NPC’s unspoken boundaries can have severe consequences. Sit down.”

Her tone was stern, so Shen Yi had no choice but to comply.

The atmosphere seemed to soften slightly, so Gong Cang struck while the iron was hot. “So, everyone… please, have some pity on us. What did you mean by ‘Hell’ earlier? What is a ‘Night Watchman’? And what is this ‘broadcast’ you mentioned?”

Because Shen Yi had performed well, the other participants relaxed their guard. Besides, there was nothing they could do right now but wait for the food to be served.

With time to kill, the man in the suit began, “What we call Hell is—”

Thud.

A massive basin of Sauerkraut Fish was slammed onto the table, making it shudder violently.

The group jumped in fright, and the man’s explanation was cut short. Shen Yi looked up. The person serving the dish was a young girl; her skin was slightly tanned with a healthy reddish glow, and a bright smile was fixed on her face.

“Sauerkraut Fish is here!” she chirped happily. “Don’t start eating yet! Wait until the bride finishes her wedding! She’s currently doing her makeup and will be out in a moment!”

“Where is the groom?”

“Second Brother Zhang is inside the house!” The girl placed the main course in the center of the table and rearranged the other dishes. “Before dawn this morning, Second Brother Zhang went to fetch the bride. He’ll be bringing her out to get married very soon! It won’t be long now. Even if you’re hungry, please hold on for a bit.”

“Second Brother Zhang adores that bride! You might not know, but the bride and Second Brother Zhang grew up together. She’s a beautiful sister, Auntie Sun’s third daughter. Auntie Sun is the village tailor, you know.”

“Everyone calls her Third Sister. She’s skillful with her hands and always has a smile on her face. Everyone dotes on her!”

The girl finished setting the table and straightened up, wiping her hands on her apron with her eyes crinkled in a smile. “Second Brother Zhang has looked forward to this day for a long time. So many people used to chase after Third Sister; it annoyed him to no end, he even cried over it once! Haha!”

“Marrying Second Brother Zhang, Third Sister will surely be happy! Look, she’s right there in the house doing her makeup. She’ll be out for the ceremony in a moment!”

As the girl spoke, she raised her hand and pointed toward the second floor of the house. “Right up there!”

Everyone looked up, only to see something tumbling over the second-story windowsill, falling straight down.

The wavy-haired woman’s eyes sharpened. She reacted instantly: “Get back!”

“Huh? Waaah!”

Gong Cang was still dazed when the man in the suit lunged over, tackling him to the ground. The woman with wavy hair took a swift step toward Shen Yi, grabbing him and yanking him backward.

The other participants scrambled away from the table.

CRASH.

A heavy object slammed onto the table with a deafening thud.

Soup, rice, and meat splattered everywhere, raining down onto the ground. Plates shattered into a million pieces, and meat broth pooled across the floor.

The laughter in the courtyard died instantly.

As the participants processed what had hit the table, their faces turned ghostly pale. The girl who had brought the fish stood with her mouth agape, her pupils shrinking. After a moment of paralyzed silence, a blood-curdling scream tore from her throat.

“AAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

Dressed in a vibrant red bridal gown, the bride lay splayed across the table in the shape of a cross.

Her eyes were closed, and blood leaked from her seven orifices. Her face was pale, yet strangely peaceful. Soup flowed to the edge of the table, dripping rhythmically onto the ground. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Shen Yi was stunned. He stared at the bride, his head buzzing. This was the first time he had ever seen a corpse this close, this vividly.

Suddenly, an eerie laughter echoed in his ears.

The laugh was high-pitched, sinister, and cold. Shen Yi turned his head, but he couldn’t pinpoint the source. The sound seemed to be coming from everywhere at once.

“It’s starting,” the wavy-haired woman said suddenly.

Shen Yi looked at her. She looked back and said, “The broadcast your friend was asking about.”

As she spoke, the laughter took a sharp breath. A raspy, unpleasant voice began to speak:

【Welcome to the Hell of Tongue-Ripping.】

The voice was icy and bizarre, carrying a trace of a chilling smile.

Gong Cang let out a startled yelp. Shen Yi turned and saw the man was so terrified he had lunged forward to hug the man in the suit, tears streaming down his face.

Shen Yi was speechless, his lip twitching.

【This is a carnival of life and death; this is a feast of crime and punishment…】 the voice continued. 【This is Hell, not the human world you once knew. New “Sinners,” please burn the following rules into your memory.】

The moment he heard the word “Sinner,” Shen Yi looked utterly bewildered. He couldn’t help but point a finger at himself toward the sky.

A sinner? Me? What sin?

Good grief, Shen Yi had been an honest, law-abiding citizen his entire life!

No one answered him. The voice continued on its own.

【Here, you do not need sleep, nor do you need food.】

【This is the “Game” of Hell. Please participate actively and complete the tasks assigned by NPCs. When you terminate the evil within this Hell, you will pass the level.】

【Upon successful completion, “Sinners” will regain the qualification to return to reality.】

【However, during the game, if you are hunted and killed, or killed by any ghost or monster within the Hell’s mission, it will be deemed a failure.】

【You will remain in this Hell forever.】

Shen Yi keenly caught a specific word: “Hunted?”

“You’ll understand soon enough,” the woman whispered.

【Please further remember the following rules.】 The sinister voice slowed down deliberately. 【Each Hell possesses its own independent “Night Watchman.”】

【Every night, the designated Night Watchman will appear. He will hunt the “Sinners.” To stay alive, you must flee with all your might.】

【However, every hunt has its “Rules.”】

【The Night Watchman sets his own “Rules” for the game. He can only hunt Sinners who have violated a “Rule” during the day. These rules will not be disclosed; please proceed with caution…】

【The maximum limit for the Night Watchman’s hunt is three people per night; the minimum is one.】

Shen Yi scratched his head. This wasn’t just a simple game of passing a level. This was going to be mentally exhausting.

【After successfully clearing the level, a Guide will appear. The Guide will lead you to the Night Watchman’s Hunting Grounds. The path back to the human world is hidden behind the Hunting Grounds. Only with a Guide can a “Sinner” avoid being hunted by the Night Watchman.】

【Alternatively, killing the Night Watchman will also allow you to pass through the Hunting Grounds though, no one has ever succeeded.】

After saying this, the voice broke into a shrill, cackling laugh. The sound made Shen Yi’s skin crawl, and he rubbed his arms.

【Ghost Groom, Ghost Groom, the sky is dark, rain is coming; the fish in the water are caught, the dragonflies in the sky are burned away. Ghost Groom, Ghost Groom, don’t hold an umbrella, don’t rest in peace; no one waits at the River of Forgetfulness, and the lingering children have nowhere to go…】

The voice laughed sorrowfully, singing a nonsensical nursery rhyme before gradually fading away. Toward the end, the sinister tone carried a hint of grief though perhaps it was just an illusion.

“Third Sister!”

The voice had barely vanished, and before Shen Yi could recover, a man charged straight from behind, screaming “Third Sister” as he knocked Shen Yi flying.

Caught off guard, Shen Yi sprawled onto the ground.

“Third Sister!” the man wailed, throwing himself onto the table. “Third Sister, open your eyes! Don’t scare me like this! Third Sister!!”

Shen Yi climbed up from the ground, looking resentful and exasperated. The man was wearing a tattered suit with comical patches on the back. He was draped over the bride, shaking her and howling her name.

“Wait, hold on,” Shen Yi waved a hand at him. “Brother, listen to me! Calm down, your Third Sister might not actually be dead…”

“She’s definitely dead,” the wavy-haired woman said coldly. “This is a Hell Game. Someone jumping down with blood leaking from every hole… it would be a miracle if she were alive.”

Shen Yi was speechless, she had a point.

The villagers in the courtyard suddenly erupted into a frenzy of shouting. Like a tide, they swarmed forward, pushing the “Sinners” out of the way. They surrounded the bride, crying and screaming in grief.

“Third Sister!” “Yinghong, my sister!” “Xiao Hong! Open your eyes, don’t scare your aunt!”

The villagers wailed in desperation, crowding around the table. The “Sinners,” having been shoved aside, naturally gravitated toward each other at the edge of the crowd, watching the scene unfold.

Shen Yi turned to the woman. “What do we do now? Who gives us the mission?”

The broadcast had mentioned doing tasks for NPCs.

“Don’t worry, just wait,” she replied. “It’ll come soon enough.”

Just as she finished speaking, a man burst out from the house. He tripped over the threshold and fell hard onto his knees. He scrambled back up, ignoring the dust on his face or the nosebleed he had sustained, and screamed at the top of his lungs:

“This is bad!”

“Second Brother Zhang is dead!!”

The villagers’ wailing stopped instantly. The air fell into a sudden, chilling silence.