Escape from the Thriller World – Chapter 19

Volume One: The Old Corpse in the Mountain Village

Hell’s Abyss

She was clearly a woman whose head had been muddled by love.

Cherry blossom petals fell one by one from the tree, landing on their shoulders. Akita Kyoko breathed in the scent of cherry blossoms, enjoying the sweet atmosphere.

            

Wei Jinbao hugged Akita Kyoko in his arms. He picked up a fallen petal from her shoulder and said, “Kyoko, you’re as delicate and beautiful as these cherry blossoms in full bloom.”

Akita Kyoko smiled with her eyes and said, “Mr. Jinbao, please don’t tease Kyoko.”

Flirting plus making grand promises, Wei Jinbao was undoubtedly a skilled PUA (pick-up artist).

            

“Kyoko, I’ll take you to China someday. There’s countless delicious food and eye-opening scenery there,” Wei Jinbao said to Akita Kyoko, gesturing excitedly.

Akita Kyoko’s eyelashes fluttered as she said, “When Mr. Jinbao speaks like this, Kyoko is very excited.”

Wei Jinbao quickly won Akita Kyoko’s heart with his words. The China he described in his mouth was as beautiful as a painting.

            

Their relationship progressed rapidly, and Akita Koji stumbled upon their affair.

Wei Jinbao secretly brought Akita Kyoko to the hot spring pool behind the mountain, a place the village called the “warm pool.”

They kissed recklessly in the warm pool. Akita Kyoko spotted a figure in the distance and pushed Wei Jinbao away, saying, “Fa… Father is coming.”

            

The two people slowly stood up in the warm pool, their whole bodies dripping wet. Akita Kyoko’s faintly visible fragrance (referring to her body) was fully exposed.

His daughter was so close to this man. If word got out, how could she marry her fiancé!

The enraged Akita Koji cursed loudly: “You bastard, what have you done to my daughter?”

            

Akita Kyoko, hiding in Wei Jinbao’s arms, tremblingly uttered: “Honorable father, please don’t blame him… it was Kyoko’s own will.”

Wei Jinbao picked up clean clothes from the shore and draped them over Akita Kyoko. He smiled awkwardly and said: “Mr. Koji, your daughter and I are truly in love.”

Akita Koji clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth: “Don’t you dare get close to my daughter again. Kyoko will never be with a Chinese man!”

            

Akita Koji dragged Akita Kyoko back home and beat her with the family punishment tool.

Akita Kyoko knelt on the floor, protesting repeatedly. Akita Koji whipped her body, saying: “Do you know what you’re doing? You two can’t be together!”

The war between China and Japan was raging before their eyes. How could their Japanese people get involved with Chinese people?

            

Since then, Wei Jinbao intentionally avoided Akita Kyoko. Akita Kyoko persistently begged him: “Mr. Jinbao, please take Kyoko away. I don’t want to stay here anymore…”

Hot tears rolled down the beautiful woman’s eyes. Wei Jinbao’s fingers caressed her face as he said, “Hmm… Kyoko, I’m thinking of a way. Wait for my news.”

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was June.

            

Their escape was on one night. Wei Jinbao had secretly arranged everything. He was prepared to take Akita Kyoko and run away.

“Kyoko, have you thought it through? Leaving your people to come with me?” Wei Jinbao asked her word by word.

Akita Kyoko made up her mind and nodded, saying, “I’m willing to go with you, Jinbao. Will you treat me well?”

            

Akita Kyoko spoke in simple Japanese. Wei Jinbao could understand about 70-80% of it.

He had taken Japanese as an elective in college. He didn’t have much opinion about this country and came here to travel purely out of curiosity.

Her eyes were full of tenderness as she gazed at Wei Jinbao affectionately.

            

Wei Jinbao admitted that at that moment, he felt compassion.

He slowly looked over, stroking her hair, and said, “I, Wei Jinbao, have more than enough ability to protect a woman. From now on, you’ll be with me.”

Akita Kyoko was moved by the man in front of her, she firmly believed what he said.

            

Wei Jinbao carried a bag of dry food for the journey, preparing to run away. They took off the wooden clogs (traditional Japanese footwear) that made creaking noises on their feet.

The two tiptoed out of the house without their shoes, not daring to make any sound. They were worried that Akita’s family might wake up.

Akita Kyoko didn’t bring many clothes and was about to go back to her room to get a few changes.

            

Wei Jinbao kept saying there was no time, the person waiting to help them was already outside. He pulled Akita Kyoko and started running.

“Kyoko, there’s no time, let’s go quickly,” Wei Jinbao said, pulling her hand.

Akita Kyoko tugged at his sleeve and nodded.

            

The Shiba Inu named Xiao Bao (meaning “Little Treasure”) kept in the house heard a faint noise. It crawled out of its dog house, its ears perked up, and its agile body ran towards the corridor below.

Xiao Bao saw two sneaky people carrying bags and running outside. It started barking loudly, “Woof woof woof!” Its barking woke up Akita Koji and his wife sleeping on the second floor.

“Husband, go check it out,” the wife said, using respectful Japanese language.

            

The wife pushed Akita Koji to go check what happened downstairs. Akita Koji lifted the blanket, got up, and rubbed his eyes.

Sleepy-eyed Akita Koji took a coat from the nearby hanger. He put on the coat and wooden clogs and went to look downstairs.

Xiao Bao was still standing in the first-floor corridor, barking madly at the outside. Akita Koji lit the fire stick (an old-fashioned lighter) in his hand to light the oil lamp.

            

He held up the oil lamp and saw two dark figures running towards the fields in the distance.

It was rare for people to be out late at night in their village. Their local customs were simple and honest, and there had never been any theft or thieves.

Not thieves and not villagers.

            

They… could it be his own daughter and that Chinese man?

Akita Koji ran up to the second floor to check Akita Kyoko’s room. It was empty.

Akita Kyoko left in such a hurry that she didn’t even have time to close the door.

            

His palm trembled, the oil lamp fell to the ground as he chased out, shouting: “Come back! You come back!”

Akita Kyoko watched wide-eyed as her father chased after them, calling her name and telling them to stop and come back.

The night wind howled, cold air swept in, and Wei Jinbao couldn’t help but hold Akita Kyoko’s hand and quicken their pace.

            

“Kyoko, come back! If you run a few more steps, I won’t have you as my daughter anymore!” Akita Koji shouted hoarsely behind them.

The aging Akita Koji gradually couldn’t keep up with their pace, and they were almost at the ferry dock.

Xiao Bao also followed beside Akita Koji. Akita Koji, panting and out of breath, fell to his knees on the hillside.

            

His temples were already streaked with white hair. He grabbed the mud from under his feet, clutched it in his palm, and cried loudly, saying: “Kyoko, you’re leaving so decisively with this Chinese man, have you thought about me and your mother?”

The mud was sticky in his palm. He opened his hand and scattered it forward.

His daughter had grown up, and ultimately couldn’t be kept.

            

His original intention was for Akita Kyoko to marry into a family of equal social status, but Akita Kyoko was stubborn and refused.

Akita Kyoko was like the mud in his hand, always meant to leave his palm.

Xiao Bao “woof woof woof” barked at the two people in front, as if telling them to stop and look at its owner.

            

Akita Kyoko looked back from time to time, she pulled on Wei Jinbao’s hand and spoke politely: “Mr. Jinbao, please allow me to say goodbye to my father?”

Akita Kyoko admitted she had hesitated, she was uncertain.

She dared not imagine what would happen when she went to China alone?

            

She didn’t understand the Chinese language, first the language aspect would be a difficult hurdle, and she understood even less about how Chinese people conducted themselves in society.

When she went to China, how should she live?

Wei Jinbao shook his head and said: “Kyoko, now is not the time to say goodbye to your father, we must leave tonight.”

            

He had already arranged for people to meet them at the ferry dock, after tonight it wouldn’t be so easy to escape.

The ferry dock was within reach, his people had already prepared a boat to receive them, the candlelight on the boat cast a faint orange glow, reflecting on their cheeks.

He stood at the bow of the boat watching a man and a woman run down from the hillside above, the boatman shone a searchlight to clearly see Wei Jinbao’s appearance.

            

A lone boat was moored on the dark lake surface, in the quiet village only the sound of summer cicadas could be heard.

The boatman, holding the oar, said: “Young Master Jinbao, I’ve been waiting here for a long time, please hurry and get on the boat.”

Wei Jinbao anxiously pulled Akita Kyoko, Akita Kyoko broke free from her hand and paused her steps.

            

She wanted to say a proper goodbye to her father.

On the hillside, Akita Koji, with tears in his eyes, said word by word: “Kyoko, have you changed your mind, you’re not leaving, right?”

This was a humble plea from an old father, from the bottom of his heart he didn’t want his daughter to go to a country they knew nothing about.

            

Akita Kyoko turned around, she knelt down on both knees and bowed in the direction of her father, she put her hands together and said: “Honorable father, Kyoko doesn’t want to marry into the Mita family that you arranged, Kyoko has fallen in love with the man before me……”

Under the cover of night, her words seemed so pale and weak.

She was clearly a woman whose head had been muddled by love.

            

Akita Koji scolded her saying: “Your mother and I worked hard to raise you, and now you want to leave with a man you’ve known for less than half a year.”

Akita Koji, speaking kindly and patiently (literal: bitter mouth and worried heart), was still trying to change Akita Kyoko’s mind about leaving her hometown, but Akita Kyoko had already made up her mind.

Akita Kyoko moved her lips and said: “Honorable father, Kyoko has failed to repay your years of nurturing kindness, please consider that you no longer have a daughter named Kyoko!”

            

She knelt at the edge of the ferry dock and kowtowed to Akita Koji several times, leaving bloody marks on her forehead.

A sense of loss appeared in Akita Koji’s heart, he waved his hand and said: “You may go, I will tell your mother that you went missing.”

Akita Koji didn’t want to see his wife upset, so he chose to hide the truth about Akita Kyoko’s departure.

            

Wei Jinbao helped her up and said: “Kyoko, let’s go!”

Akita Kyoko wiped away the tears in her eyes, and with a mix of longing and fear for the foreign land, she set out on her journey.

Wei Jinbao and Akita Kyoko got on the boat, he put down the package in his hand, Akita Kyoko sat on the inside of the boat, the boatman called out saying: “We’re setting off! Sit tight!”

            

The boatman went forward to untie the rope from the wooden stake, the whole boat began to sway, he gripped the oar and pushed back.

The oar slowly created ripples on the lake surface, Akita Kyoko felt the cool summer breeze, her deep pupils reflecting the shimmering water.

From the moment Akita Kyoko set foot in China, she was drawn into a hellish abyss set up by Wei Jinbao.

            

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