Surviving the Ancient Angst Novel [Transmigration] - Chapter 16

I lay in the peony patch for nearly an hour with my eyes closed. At exactly 11:00 PM, I stood up, brushed the grass off my clothes, and decided to wander around.

I had already finished the remaining thirty-some Qideng Fruits. My status panel now showed thirty uses of “Grass-Skimming Flight,” which was more than enough to deal with that “ground-bound chicken” from the White Jade hunting ground. Besides, I knew his weakness. Dealing with him would be zero pressure.

I toggled on my “Auspicious Vision” and strolled around in high spirits. Along the way, I managed to forage a few more red-marked fruits. Since I still had some room in my stomach, snacking while I walked helped alleviate my hunger. Just as I was eating my seventh fruit, the sound of footsteps echoed from deep within the forest.

The newcomer clearly wasn’t trying to hide; they were treading over dry branches and leaves, making a continuous crackling sound. I quickly turned off my Vision and stood still, waiting for the person to reveal themselves.

The night was thick, and my surroundings were pitch black; I could only see about a meter in front of me by the moonlight. People with martial arts training likely had better night vision, as the other person spotted me first from a distance.

He grinned, revealing a row of bright white teeth, and greeted me. I recognized the voice as Nie Gaoming’s.

“Brother Lu, what a coincidence.” Nie Gaoming wiped something off his face and walked over with a smile.

“What a coincidence.” I observed him and noticed blood splatters on his clothes and hands. Even the blade he held was stained with blood. I recognized that knife it was the one he’d swiped from the delivery boy.

Did he kill someone? Can prey kill in the Hunting Ground?

The system explained: 【Prey can counter-kill hunters, and they can also kill other prey. However, there is a price to pay.】

It works like that? I was shocked inwardly, but on the surface, I remained expressionless as I looked at Nie Gaoming.

“Brother Lu, shall we walk together?” Nie Gaoming naturally tucked the knife back into his boot. I nodded and walked side-by-side with him. Neither of us spoke for the rest of the way.

As a small group with glass lanterns appeared ahead, Nie Gaoming suddenly asked me out of the blue, “Have you decided which one to choose, Brother Lu?”

I looked back at him, puzzled.

Nie Gaoming continued, “Massacre (Lùxuè), or Hero (Háojié)?” His voice was very soft, as if he were asking himself as much as me. Before I could answer, the glass lantern squad reached us.

There were five of them, led by that explosive-tempered Green Jade Guide. He opened his mouth with a string of curses: “Not bad, you sons of turtles actually survived!” It was hard to tell if he was praising us or insulting us.

Another even-tempered Green Jade behind him nudged him with an elbow. “Focus on business.”

Tempered-guy looked at him and shouted, “What’s the rush?” Despite his words, he immediately turned serious. “We just finished processing the hunters’ corpses. Which of you did it? Confess now.”

I looked at Nie Gaoming, who was feigning ignorance and looking back at me.

Me: ??? What are you acting for? Didn’t you kill him?

Nie Gaoming looked down, smoothed a bloodstain on his clothes, and then looked back up with total composure. “I’m not sure.”

Tempered-guy let out a sarcastic laugh. “None of you are admitting it, then? Fine.”

…

‘System, can I accuse Nie Gaoming?’

‘You can, but be careful he doesn’t bite back.’

I clicked my tongue. The lack of surveillance cameras in ancient times was really a pain. Tempered-guy waved us over impatiently. Nie Gaoming and I looked at each other again but didn’t move.

The even-tempered Guide explained, “We still need to find others. Follow behind us for now.”

Tempered-guy snorted in dissatisfaction. “You just keep pampering these little bastards.” Even-tempered-guy shot him a reproachful look and pinched the flesh on his arm. Tempered-guy didn’t get angry; instead, he rubbed the back of his head and gave a silly, vacant grin.

I felt like I was being force-fed a display of affection for no reason. …Is it just me, or is the vibe between these two a bit?

Gay.

【There are many “cut-sleeves” here,】 the system explained weakly.

Fine, whatever. Other people’s private lives are none of my business. I followed behind the group without comment, and after a moment, Nie Gaoming followed as well.

We circled the mountain. During the search, we encountered six more corpses. Their method of disposal was unique: they took out a small vial and poured liquid over the bodies. The corpses liquefied rapidly even bones and hair didn’t survive until they turned into a puddle of blood and were absorbed by the soil. From then on, not a single trace of that person remained in the world. Not even a tombstone.

How tragic the fate of those who die in the Hunting Ground… I only watched the process once. For the remaining bodies, I turned away and walked to the edge of the group, feeling the night wind. I habitually reached for my pocket, but found it empty.

Ah, I almost forgot. Ancient clothes don’t have pockets. And, of course, no cigarettes. I bit my finger slightly, using the pain to remind myself: This isn’t a dream. This is real. If I don’t work hard, I could end up like that.

‘This “misery-porn” hub is really no place for a normal person!’

The system comforted me: 【Yinchen, you’re just not used to it yet. You’ll be fine once you get used to it.】

I hoped so. I lowered my hand, wiped it on my robe, and turned back to find Nie Gaoming staring at me.

“Have you never killed anyone before?” He leaned in and whispered.

Thinking of the self-slashing “Silver,” I lied shamelessly: “I have. Why?” It was indirect, after all.

Nie Gaoming looked me up and down with genuine curiosity. “Really?”

I said with a dry smile, “If I said I was lying, would you believe me?”

My logic left Nie Gaoming utterly confused. He blinked once, then twice, and finally stammered out, “…Yes?”

I gave a humble smile. “But I don’t even believe myself.”

Nie Gaoming took a step back, continuing to study me. He was clearly even more muddled now.

The search continued. Two more surviving boys were found in this hunting ground; they were like terrified rabbits, unable to speak coherently when they ran into us. They were both bleeding from various cuts. Even-tempered-guy used bandages to give them a basic dressing, then had the four of us stand together to explain the rules.

“This is Massacre (Lùxuè),” Even-tempered-guy said, picking up a black string from a tray and displaying it. “If you choose to join Massacre, then…”

The black string represented the Massacre faction; the white string represented the Hero faction. This was the divide between “Evil” and “Orthodox.” Just from the names, “Evil” brought to mind bloodthirsty, inhuman, and ruthless acts. “Orthodox” evoked righteousness, heroism, and compassion.

According to the law that “good people outnumber bad,” most would naturally gravitate toward the Hero faction. From a world-building perspective, if there were too many bad people, there wouldn’t be enough good people for them to kill. Thus, the Hero faction is far larger.

“Everyone who chooses Massacre is a damn lunatic,” Tempered-guy interrupted, earning himself a hard stomp from Even-tempered-guy.

“Do you want to die?” Even-tempered-guy hissed, glaring at him.

Tempered-guy spat on the ground. “I just can’t stand those Massacre people.”

Even-tempered-guy shook his head sadly. “Don’t forget, Zhang Xian, some people are forced into it.”

Zhang Xian clenched his fists. Thinking of something, he walked away with a dark face and stopped talking.

The explanation continued. It turned out that if a member of the Hero faction kills someone during the quarterly Hunt, they are automatically reassigned to Massacre. Once in the Massacre faction, if you fail to hunt any prey leading to the total survival of the Hero faction you are executed as a sacrifice.

Many people are forced into Massacre through schemes or threats. To survive, they force themselves to become blood-stained lunatics or numb killing machines. Others, who refuse to harm the innocent, choose to take their own lives. All kinds of tragedies happen here.

The promotion rules for Massacre were brutally simple: pick an opponent say, a Green Jade Hero and defeat them. If you win, you get the Green Jade. If you challenge and defeat an Orange Jade, you get an Orange Jade. The same applied to higher ranks. However, if a high-ranking Massacre member challenges a lower-ranking one, their rank remains unchanged.

In Massacre, if you don’t kill, you get killed. This cruel mechanism creates cold-blooded executioners. Those who voluntarily choose Massacre are madmen who enjoy dancing on the edge of a blade.

But if you choose the Hero faction, your options are much wider. You can promote through the Hunt (the fastest way: survive a quarterly Hunt and you promote one rank though, would you dare accept a higher jade knowing who your future opponents would be?). You can also choose to keep your current jade and not promote. This was very flexible.

Consequently, those with power can rise like a rocket. Those without power can “piggyback” on a powerful leader provided someone is willing to carry them. Imagine a powerhouse in the Hunt taking on the Massacre hunters single-handedly while the rest of the team just lies low and survives. How wonderful!

You might wonder why they don’t just gang up on the hunter to increase their odds. Well, anyone who can survive in Massacre is a monster capable of taking on many opponents. Massacre members are significantly stronger than Heroes on average. As they say: The strong fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear the suicidal. Even with a hundred Heroes against one Massacre madman, if he can kill you and you have scruples that prevent you from killing him, it’s only a matter of time before you’re wiped out.

As for the true top-tier masters, their hunts are one-on-one affairs with their own sets of rules. When he reached this point, Even-tempered-guy’s eyes shone with a mix of longing and admiration.

Zhang Xian spat again out of jealousy. “I’m pretty strong too!” Even-tempered-guy gave him a playful, exasperated smack.

Besides the Hunt, promotion can also be granted by high-ranking officials. You first have to catch the eye of a Blue Jade or higher, as only they have the authority to grant jade. But for most commoners at the bottom, they’ll never even touch the hem of a Blue Jade’s robe, let alone impress them. Finally, there was the semi-annual popular vote I mentioned earlier.

With the explanation finished, Even-tempered-guy said seriously, “Which of you killed the hunter here? Step forward or name the person. Otherwise, we’ll have to draw lots.”

The atmosphere became tense instantly. Several Green Jades stared at us with heavy expressions. Nie Gaoming and I were fine, but the other two White Jade boys burst into tears.

“I don’t want to be in Massacre… hic… waaaah!” “It wasn’t me! I didn’t kill anyone!!”

I stroked my chin and stole a glance at Nie Gaoming. He spoke up with a smile: “Then let’s just draw lots.”

He looked at me pointedly when he said that. I looked away and stayed silent. I figured we’d just play it as it comes. Seeing my indifferent attitude, Nie Gaoming’s smile widened.

The system whispered: 【Yinchen, I can help you cheat. Which one do you want to choose?】

I looked back at Nie Gaoming and asked the system wickedly:

‘Can you make him draw Massacre?’