Chapter 14: [Pain Curse]

…

Do we really have to?

…

What other choice do we have?

…

Qinghe looked at Qiu Li’s distorted face before her. Though fear coiled in her heart, though disgust lingered within her, she still chose to respond with a gentle smile.

“Now do you believe that I love you the most, Sister?”

She curled up on the bed like a kitten baring its belly, lifting the back of her hand to her lips and licking it in a deliberately tempting gesture.

“Meow…”

Qiu Li had never seen Qinghe like this. The last thread of restraint within her snapped.

“Xiao He, you truly are the most obedient little kitten I’ve ever seen…”

Overcome with excitement, she seized Qinghe’s arm and pressed her down beneath her.

Qinghe maintained her smile and slowly closed her eyes.

Come on…

Shatter, twist, rebuild… as though she were plunging into an endless abyss.

Burning heat. Trembling. Dampness. Screaming. Crying.

When she opened her eyes again—

The girl’s dim, single eye reflected Qiu Li’s frenzied expression.

Her gaze was unfocused, her mouth slightly parted, hot breath dispersing into the air.

“Oh God…”

“Oh God…”

Why… does this feel so strange?

…

[Fallen Value: Three]

…

So hot. So unbearable. Her entire body ached, joints creaking as if they might splinter apart.

No more, no more… if this keeps going…

“Sister…!” She grabbed Qiu Li’s hand.

Her aggrieved expression was pitiful, her small face filled with panic and faint resistance as she looked up at Qiu Li.

“N-No…”

She shook her head weakly, yet the mist gathering in her eyes only stirred something darker.

Qiu Li raised her head with pride and gazed down at Qinghe.

“But… I haven’t even done anything yet. I only touched you.”

Qinghe’s face flushed crimson—not from shyness, but from the humiliation of dissatisfaction.

“I…”

That voice, laden with boundless temptation, tugged at the soul.

Qiu Li leaned close to her ear. Her red lips parted slightly as she enunciated each word, “It seems Xiao He truly does love me… I’ll be quick, and I won’t go too far…”

Warm breath brushed against Qinghe’s earlobe, and a rosy hue spread from her cheeks down through her entire body.

“No…”

A scream swallowed the rest of her words.

Ten minutes later.

Qiu Li sat beside the bed, calmly wiping her hands with a handkerchief.

Today, she wore a white shirt paired with black trousers, her long silver hair neatly cascading down her back.

“Xiao He, have you rested enough? If you have, we’ll go see the village chief.”

Qinghe lay limp on the bed. The pitch-black eye had long since lost its light. Tears continued to pool in the hollow of her left eye socket.

Her eye felt unbearably itchy. Qinghe assumed it was because it had been exposed to the air for too long.

She drew a breath and turned her head toward Qiu Li.

In truth, not much had happened just now. She had merely touched her, and yet…

She already couldn’t endure it?

“I… I need to rest a little longer, Sister, meow…” The words slipped out unconsciously, sounding almost coquettish. Her already flushed cheeks deepened in color.

Even after something like that had happened, Qinghe closed her eyes, feeling a trace of reluctance.

But at least Qiu Li trusted her more now… didn’t she?

If so, perhaps she could try asking a few questions. For instance, where exactly had Qiu Li obtained the power to resist the night?

Although Qinghe had watched numerous gameplay commentaries of [Abyss of Despair], the protagonist in the game had never come into contact with supernatural powers, so the mechanics had never been explained in detail.

Even information about the village remained vague. Qinghe only knew the villagers were not good people. The only truly useful clue was the statue standing at the center of the village.

An evil god seemed to be sealed within it. It protected the village’s continued survival, but in return demanded offerings of flesh and blood. Ogres, demi-human corpses—any would suffice.

But when offerings ran short, it would… eat people.

A chill crept through her heart. Qinghe clenched her small hands tightly. She absolutely would not become the one devoured.

“Sister, why are you so powerful?” Qinghe asked softly, testing the waters.

“Why are you suddenly asking that, Xiao He?”

Qiu Li had just finished wiping her hands and now used the same handkerchief to clean Qinghe.

The slightly rough fabric brushed against her skin, causing her breathing to quicken.

“Meow?”

“Because… I also want to become stronger. That way I can… help you, Sister.” Qinghe blinked and let out a small laugh.

Qiu Li paused and looked at her.

“Fool. I don’t need Xiao He’s help.”

“Xiao He only needs to behave and let me protect you. I’ll take good care of you.” Qiu Li gently patted her head.

Qinghe bit her lower lip. She was unwilling, but Qiu Li’s gaze was firm, as though she had never intended to tell her.

“Sister, meow… if one day you’re not here and I run into danger, what should I do?”

“So even if you don’t need my help, I still need some ability, right, Sister?”

“Like… like yesterday. My eye was…”

“If I weren’t so easily affected by the night, maybe…” Qinghe grasped the corner of Qiu Li’s clothes and looked at her with pleading eyes.

She had to know. Even if she could not become stronger, she at least needed to know whether there was a way to resist the night—some method to slow the decline of her Sanity Value.

At her words, Qiu Li hesitated.

She was confident she could protect Qinghe. As long as Qinghe remained in the village and nothing unforeseen occurred, she would rarely face danger.

The strange evil god that had taken Qinghe’s eye had been completely beyond her expectations.

During those days, Qinghe had slept peacefully and nothing unusual had happened. So why had she attracted the attention of an unknown existence? Qiu Li could not understand it. She had considered asking Qinghe, but…

She had already read Qinghe’s diary, and Qinghe herself seemed unaware of anything unusual.

In the end, Qiu Li could only attribute it to an accident.

But… Qinghe’s words just now had moved her. If Qinghe gained the ability to resist the erosion of Sanity, then if something similar occurred again, would the risk be greatly reduced?

If that were true…

Qiu Li lowered her head. Qinghe lay beside her on the bed like a small pet.

“There is, in fact, one way to resist mental distortion,” Qiu Li said softly.

Qinghe’s eye brightened faintly.

“What method is it, meow?”

What is it? What is it?

She had to know.

Qiu Li gently stroked the girl’s small face.

“Xiao He, I’ll tell you—but this method… will hurt.”

Hurt? What did she mean?

Qinghe felt puzzled.

Could it be resisting through pain? She already knew that approach. The thought left her somewhat disappointed.

But the original host likely did not know, so Qinghe maintained a curious expression.

Qiu Li’s lips curved slightly.

“Think carefully.”

“I’m about to tell you.”

“It’s similar to Xiao He’s memory curse.”

“Do you remember when I saved you?”

What did she mean? Why bring that up now?

Qinghe froze. Qiu Li meant… when the apocalypse had just begun, when she had saved the original host?

After a moment’s thought, Qinghe recalled that Qiu Li had killed a worm that crawled out of a pregnant woman’s belly.

“It seems Xiao He still remembers.”

“Then do you know the Child of Calamity?”

The Child of Calamity… that was a type of monster bearing the authority of an Outer God. Its larvae used the Outer God’s power to parasitize various hosts.

The larval form of the Child of Calamity was relatively common, but fully matured individuals were exceedingly rare. Whether human, ogre, or demi-human, once discovered, they would attempt to kill it immediately.

Its adult form… possessed terrifying, destructive power.

Qinghe grew curious. How did this relate to the Child of Calamity?

“When I killed that newborn Child of Calamity, I…”

“My consciousness was contaminated by it.”

“I received the [Pain Curse]…”

Pain… Curse!

Qinghe’s eyes widened.