Fate Trading System – Chapter 148

Plan A

Red Moon in the Barrier 12

Tong Liu

The snow had almost completely melted, and the temperature had returned to its usual warmth, though still carrying a slight chill and a hint of moisture.

Su Xin couldn’t have misheard – that was the sound of intimate activity.

While this place wasn’t particularly remote, it was a small path that Su Xin had taken as a shortcut, different from her earlier route.

Su Xin quietly crept past using the cover of obstacles, not wanting to disturb the pair of mandarin ducks [figuratively means ‘lovers’]. However, she was curious about their identity – to dare do such things at this time and place went beyond mere boldness; it was completely uninhibited.

Master Fourteen, help me identify who those two people were.

【Tong Xi, Tong Xiaoxuan.】

When Master Fourteen revealed their names, Su Xin was surprised. While it wasn’t strange that the woman was Tong Xiaoxuan, the fact that the man was Tong Xi was definitely unusual.

When did Tong Xi and Tong Xiaoxuan get together? Was Tong Xi’s health even good enough for such activities? Something felt very strange, and Tong Xiaoxuan might be in danger.

“Ah… Brother Tong Xi, you’re amazing…”

Tong Xiaoxuan’s uninhibited voice reached Su Xin’s ears, her excited cries seemingly unconcerned about being overheard.

Su Xin maintained a straight face and walked further away with her vegetable basket. She wondered when Tong Xiaoxuan had become like this – in the original owner’s memories, she had been a mature and steady older sister figure, and such public displays were completely out of character for her.

Su Xin wasn’t particularly bothered by this inconsistency – you can never truly know someone’s heart despite knowing their face, and besides, what others do is their own business.

Master Fourteen, could you give me some hints about the characteristics of the formation eye, otherwise I’m just running around like a headless fly, unable to take any meaningful action.

【Host, the usual rule applies – one-twelfth of your life force.】

Master Fourteen explained that she had no choice in the matter. When she first took over this world, the information was formatted in her local network, with different levels of importance assigned to various pieces of information – which could be freely shared and which needed to be exchanged – everything had a clear price tag.

Ah… fine.

【The formation eye has a red crescent-shaped mark on their right shoulder.】

Just that?

【Just that.】

Oh.

Su Xin’s face remained expressionless.

It wasn’t even summer now – how was she supposed to conveniently look at people’s shoulders? While it seemed like crucial information, implementing this knowledge would be extremely difficult.

However, this indirectly revealed something: the formation eye must be aware of their own existence as such.

What kind of person would willingly sacrifice themselves to trap an entire village here?

As Su Xin walked home thinking about this, she passed by Tong Ling’s house.

Tong Ling was sitting at their doorway, eyes closed, lost in thought.

Tong Ling’s father had built a small pavilion by their doorway, furnished with a rattan chair. The pavilion provided shelter from both sun and rain. When the weather was nice, Tong Ling would sit there in perfect comfort – most children in the village envied her for it.

Now Tong Ling was lying in her rattan chair with a blanket draped over her knees. With the weather still carrying a slight chill, she looked quite content.

“Lingling.”

Su Xin walked over and called out, and Tong Ling opened her eyes.

“Ah Ning.”

Tong Ling’s face lit up with a delighted smile; any unpleasantness from the New Year celebrations had long been forgotten.

“What brings you here?”

“I went to get some vegetables from Tong Liu’s place, and I’m planning to bring him some rice later.”

Su Xin swayed the vegetable basket in her hand.

“Alright, but don’t get too close to that guy.”

“When have I ever been close to him? You know we don’t get along – I can’t stand that fellow.”

Su Xin made no attempt to hide her look of disgust.

“Men are no good, boys too. Except for your Xiaoqing, of course.”

Tong Ling mumbled, tugging at the blanket on her knees.

“Pfft, you’re talking like someone who’s been hurt by a man. Have you been secretly dating someone behind my back, you silly girl?”

Su Xin joked, noting how Tong Ling was acting just like a bitter wife.

“What nonsense are you talking about, Tong Ning? Watch out, or I’ll beat you up!”

Tong Ling glared at Su Xin, speaking in a mock-angry tone.

“Where are your parents?”

“Oh, them? They’re sleeping inside.”

Tong Ling said carelessly while picking at her fingernails.

“Alright then, I’ll head home first. I’ll come back to check on you later when I bring the rice.”

Su Xin waved goodbye.

“Go on, go on.”

As Su Xin returned along the same path, she felt a trace of doubt and unease, triggered by Tong Ling’s unconscious gesture.

The original owner Tong Ning and Tong Ling were close friends, and though they knew each other very well, the original owner was particularly observant, paying close attention to her only good friend. In the original owner’s memories, when Tong Ling picked at her fingernails, it meant she was lying.

But why would Tong Ling lie? She had only been asked about her parents’ whereabouts.

What could be so secretive about that?

Su Xin harbored doubts; something was strange about Tong Ling. Each time she saw her, Tong Ling’s complexion looked worse than the last time.

Su Xin arrived home, placed the vegetable basket in the kitchen, and greeted Mu Qi.

“I’m going to take some rice to their house now. You can start cooking – we can eat as soon as I return.”

“Okay.”

“See? I told you I’d be fine and I’m back. Don’t worry so much. I’m just going out one more time, okay?”

Su Xin patted her little brother’s head and pinched his cheeks.

“Mm-hmm, come back quickly. We’ll wait for you to eat together.”

Mu Qi washed her hands and entered the kitchen to prepare the food, frowning at Su Xin’s retreating figure.

When Su Xin walked that route again, passing by Tong Ling’s house, the rattan chair at the entrance was empty. Tong Ling had disappeared somewhere, the door was tightly shut, and there wasn’t a sound to be heard.

Su Xin didn’t dwell on where she might have gone. Passing by the previous spot on her way to Tong Liu’s house, the couple who had been intimate there earlier were gone. The place was empty now, with nothing but a patch of obviously flattened grass that looked rather pitiful.

When Su Xin reached Tong Liu’s house, their door wasn’t completely closed. Before she could knock, she heard intense arguing.

Tong Liu and Tong Xiaoxuan were fighting, accompanied by crashing sounds – they were probably throwing things.

“You went out fooling around with another man again, didn’t you?”

“What’s it to you? You’re my brother, can’t you mind your own business?”

Tong Xiaoxuan’s voice was shrill, sounding extremely angry.

“Now that we can’t leave the village, tell me, which person from the village are you seeing?”

Tong Liu shouted back just as fiercely.

“Can’t you just leave it alone? This is my personal business.”

“Bullshit! You’re my sister – if I don’t look out for you, who will? Some random man? How will you ever get married like this? Who the hell would want broken shoes [a derogatory term for promiscuous women]?”

Tong Liu was breathing heavily; even through the door, Su Xin could feel the tension inside.

Tsk, Tong Liu really didn’t know how to talk – what kind of way was this to advise his sister? It made one’s hand itch to slap him, showing not a hint of genuine concern.

Sure enough, Tong Xiaoxuan exploded.

The crisp sound of a slap made even listeners feel the sting.

“Tong Liu, how dare you talk to me like that! We can’t leave anyway – who knows what cursed thing we’ve run into? We’re going to die here, and you won’t even let me find some happiness? What’s wrong with having a little fun before I die? You’re the broken shoes – get out!”

Tong Xiaoxuan was furious – no woman would stay calm being described that way, especially by her own brother.

“Tong Xiaoxuan, you… you’re being unreasonable!”

“Don’t think that just because you’ve had a couple years of education you can lecture me. I’m still your older sister.”

Su Xin nodded, thinking, “Mm, just like a father will always be a father.” [indicating a common saying about respecting hierarchical relationships]

Inside, the atmosphere had sunk into a heavy silence. After a long while, Tong Liu finally spoke.

“Tell me who it is.”

“Why do you have to know? Is it that important?”

“Of course it’s important! What if you’ve found some crooked melon and cracked jujube [meaning: an unsavory character] this time? Let me see who he is. If he seems decent enough, I won’t object even if you move in with him. I definitely won’t stand in your way.”

Something in Tong Xiaoxuan’s words must have affected him; Tong Liu’s tone carried a sense of dejection.

Perhaps it was the mention that they would all die here – who wouldn’t be scared in such a situation?

“It’s Tong Xi.”

Tong Xiaoxuan’s anger had dissipated, her voice carrying a hint of sweetness.

“What did you say? That medicine pot whose whole family died?”

Tong Liu couldn’t believe it.

“Watch how you talk.”

“Isn’t it true though? He was always sickly, but strangely, he’s come alive now. His entire family died – if he’s not a harbinger of disaster, what is he? Maybe all these consecutive deaths in the village are connected to him. Perhaps we can’t leave because of his doing?”

Tong Liu was so angry – he’d rather his sister be with a married man or an old man than with Tong Xi.

Tong Liu felt there was something sinister about Tong Xi, who carried a ghostly presence about him.

“He’s quite good – his health is perfectly fine.”

Tong Xiaoxuan lowered her voice, sounding somewhat embarrassed.

Though she appeared mature and rational to others, only her brother knew what she was really like. She had developed earlier than other girls, maturing physically faster, with strong physical needs [referring to intimate desires]. Previously she could satisfy herself, but after one incident went too far, she could no longer find self-comfort.

However, no matter how extreme things got, she would never get involved with her own brother, so she could only seek partners from other villages. Tong Liu knew about this but was helpless to change it.

Without satisfaction, Tong Xiaoxuan would become extremely irritable and quick-tempered, only returning to normal after her needs were met.

“Sister, choose someone else. I’ve always gone along with your choices, but this time I can’t. He’s too strange – I’m afraid something will happen to you.”

“Whether we die sooner or later, we’ll die anyway. If something happens, so be it. I’ve long lost the will to live.”

Su Xin inwardly clicked her tongue, thinking that if Tong Xiaoxuan were the protagonist, this would probably be an R-18 story about rural romance, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Su Xin knocked on the door, interrupting their conversation.

---

---