Translator: Ying
Editor: ayszhang
City of Endless Rain ch 9
Chapter 9
That day, Jake was busier than a bee taking
care of the matter regarding the three soldiers when Li Yuanyu urgently called
him to the villa.
"Yes. It's quite chilling, isn't it?"
Goodbye.
He had no clue of what had happened, but
Tang Shan had lost his memories again.
Jake was extremely discontent that Li
Yuanyu had tossed him this extra baggage.
Li Yuanyu had said something about being
afraid that Tang Shan would break down if he saw him, and that he had to
temporarily avoid
Tang Shan. With just a sentence, he'd left Tang Shan in Jake's care. Jake was
hopping mad at this but had nowhere to vent his anger, and it wasn't as if Tang
Shan was someone he could complain to.
This was
just hard to bear!!!
At the
sight of Jake, Tang Shan was silent for a long while, not saying a word. From
the looks of it, it didn't seem like Tang Shan could accept the truth, nor did
he have any plans to rebel. He couldn't tell what Tang Shan was thinking.
Tang
Shan's lifeless eyes scanned the area and then fixed on Jake.
"Morning."
Jake
greeted but was met with no response. He took it upon himself to continue
speaking.
"Are
you hungry? Have you had breakfast? Li Yuanyu should have prepared something in
the kitchen. Shall I bring it to you?"
Tang
Shan's reaction was very slow as he shook his head, rejecting his suggestion.
Jake
hummed for a moment, unsure of what he should do and how to take care of Tang
Shan. He really did not want to face Tang Shan, who had regained all his
memories. That damned Li Yuanyu!
"Did
he send you to keep an eye on me?"
Tang
Shan finally spoke, but the first thing he brought up was this sensitive topic.
Jake had no idea if he should agree or disagree. After pondering over it for
some time, he spoke, "I'm not keeping an eye on you. He's just worried
about you and got me to come and accompany you. Hm... I know this might be a
bit difficult, but if you don't mind, we can have a chat."
"What
about?"
"Anything."
Jake
immediately regretted his words. How much more stupid could he get? There were
a whole bunch of topics that he could not touch on!
"Well
then, Jake, please tell me. Why am I still alive?" Tang Shan enquired.
As
expected, the very first question was difficult to answer. It was too blunt and
straightforward and definitely something to which he could not respond.
"Can
we not talk about this?" Jake forced a laugh, "Let's talk about the
weather. It's great today, uh, alright, so there's a slight drizzle."
"Why
does it rain when Li Yuanyu's in a bad mood? Why do all those families have
ceramic dolls that can move?"
"That-
That I can't answer."
"Does
Li Yuanyu have some super powers? Why can he control the weather?" Tang Shan asked once more.
"I
really can't say anything about this."
Tang
Shan finally stopped with his questions. Just when Jake thought he had given
up, Tang Shan spoke again.
"I
have something I want to ask you."
"I
can't answer any questions you have regarding Li Yuanyu." Jake raised his
hands and surrendered. He really couldn't reveal anything.
"It's
a question directed at you, so you should be able to answer."
"Alright,
ask away."
"Jake,
after you all killed so many people, do you feel grief? Do you feel
guilt?" Tang Shan did not have any intentions of making things difficult
for Jake. He was asking this very seriously.
However,
it was a very straightforward question.
"Are
you questioning my humaneness?"
Tang
Shan answered, a little humour in his tone, "Do you still have it?
'Humaneness'."
Jake
took in a deep breath, yelling in frustration as he clutched his head. Tang
Shan merely stood and watched as he broke down, looking on coldly from the
sidelines. After venting, Jake spoke calmly, "I can't take this anymore.
I'm going to get some breakfast downstairs. You- You just do as you like."
Jake
went downstairs, the stairs creaking from his heavy footsteps. While getting
plates from the kitchen, he was still fuming mad, his movements so large that
it seemed he was on the verge of breaking them at any moment.
Jake
angrily chewed at what was supposed to be Tang Shan's sandwich. The fury was
making his mouth itch to do something, but he didn’t have anyone to scream at,
so he had no choice but to target the blameless tableware. He poured a glass of
milk and gulped it down in one go. After taking ten deep breaths, he calmed down
and braced himself to face the huge demon upstairs who was exceedingly
difficult to deal with.
Jake was
standing before the door, struggling with the decision to enter, when he heard
faint sobs coming from within. He paused, hesitating for a moment deliberating
his choices, and at last pushed open the door.
After he
opened the door, the sobs became even clearer. Tang Shan was suppressing his
cries, but what was the most surprising was once Jake completely opened the
door, he was met with the sight of Tang Shan bloody from head to toe!
He had
taken a pen from the study table at the bedroom and hurt himself. The wounds
were quite deep, and his arms and legs were all bloody, dripping all over the
floor. Jake couldn't tell for how long this torture had been going on.
"Gosh,
Tang Shan! What are you doing?!" Jake could not believe what he was
seeing. He had hemophobia, and had to expend a lot of effort not to just faint
right there and then.
Tang
Shan cried in muffled sobs, apparently in a terrible
state, his hand tight around his weapon.
"Calm down, Tang Shan! Pass- Pass me
the pen-" Jake tentatively reached out towards Tang Shan while on the
verge of vomiting.
Tang
Shan howled, backing up to avoid Jake who was drawing near.
"Tang
Shan!"
"Don't
come over!"
Sickly
pale, Jake really stopped and made no move to get closer to him.
"Why
can't I die?"
Tang
Shan lifted the pen, stabbed it into his neck and dragged it downwards,
creating a gaping wound. Blood gushed out, and Jake could not bear to watch.
Jake
couldn't take it any longer. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted. Before
losing consciousness, the image of Tang Shan stained with blood seemed to be
embedded in his mind, unable to disappear.
Suffocating,
Tang Shan collapsed to the floor on his knees, but the wound was slowly healing.
Soon, there wasn't even any pain at all. The mark on his wrist where he had
severed his arteries had also disappeared. He was like a demon that couldn’t
die.
Why was
he still alive? Tang Shan stared at his unwounded yet bloody hand.
In the
end, he lost consciousness from the excessive blood loss.
Li
Yuanyu returned home, but no matter how much he called, nobody appeared. He
went upstairs and entered the bedroom, only to this scene.
Jake was
lying on the ground, while Tang Shan had collapsed in a pool of blood. The
blood that had not been soaked up by the carpet was a rather chilling sight
under the light.
Upon
seeing this, Li Yuanyu didn't even bat an eye and stepped over Jake's body to
squat beside Tang Shan's body. After checking his condition, he picked him up
and carried him to the bed.
Though
the movements were gentle, Tang Shan still woke from it.
Li
Yuanyu was expressionless and seemed to lack emotions from the moment he
entered till he picked up Tang Shan, and even when Tang Shan opened his eyes.
Tang
Shan was just as numb to everything.
They
gazed at each other as though engaged in a soundless match between them. In the
silent, tense atmosphere, nobody wanted to let the other have his way.
"You
tried to commit suicide."
Li
Yuanyu spoke first, interrogating from the start. The simple sentence was a
sharp rebuke.
"Why
can't I die?" Tang Shan asked him, voice hoarse as he choked out the words.
Out of fear, he could not help but constantly tremble in tears.
Li
Yuanyu used the fleshy part of his thumb to wipe away his tears while planting
light kisses on his cheek, forehead, eyes, nose, and lips.
"Darling,
I can tolerate all your selfish and reckless actions, but you dare seek
death... This is my limit," he spoke.
The
gentle Li Yuanyu vanished. He grabbed Tang Shan and tied his hands together
with a garment. With a hand he held Tang Shan's head down and render him
immobile. Tang Shan did not know what kind of expression the person behind him
had, and he did all he could to cry, begging for help or threatening Li Yuanyu
to halt his actions.
However,
Li Yuanyu seemed to have lost his senses, or perhaps, he was actually very much
in control. He tore off Tang Shan's pyjama pants, spread his legs and entered
his body. No matter how Tang Shan begged to be let off, he still mercilessly
continued to rape him.
"-hurts,
Li Yuanyu- No-"
The pleas
turned into whimpers, and the fear and humiliation caused him to gasp for
breath.
Li
Yuanyu turned Tang Shan over to face him and lunged at Tang Shan's throat,
gradually tightening his grip.
"Do
you like it? Erotic asphyxiation. Didn't you want to die?"
Tang
Shan was in incredible pain and was terrified of Li Yuanyu's lunatic
tendencies.
He
really might just die like this.
All of a
sudden, Tang Shan realised that this could be a way for him to be find release
from all of this.
He smiled
appearing as deranged as Li Yuanyu was.
Seeing
the grin, Li Yuanyu's movements halted and loosening his grip, he slid out of
Tang Shan's body.
"I'm
sorry."
Extremely
remorseful for his actions, he apologised while sitting in front of Tang Shan
with arms around his own head. He had personally harmed his most beloved, most
precious Tang Shan whom he had always treated as a delicate treasure.
Tang
Shan found his breath again and began to gasp for air. His vision had become
blurry from tears, and the injuries in his behind had begun to heal. The pain
on his body vanished, but on the other hand, his heart was bare – dead.
"I'm
sorry, Tang Shan." Li Yuanyu hugged him while repeating apologies and
words of love. "I'm sorry, Tang Shan. I'm sorry. I love you. I really love
you."
"Just kill me." Tang Shan was still frozen in the same position. He was extremely disappointed in Li Yuanyu for letting go and giving him the misconception that he would finally be free from this.
"Just kill me." Tang Shan was still frozen in the same position. He was extremely disappointed in Li Yuanyu for letting go and giving him the misconception that he would finally be free from this.
Li
Yuanyu hugged him so tightly Tang Shan felt as though the air in his lungs were
being squeezed out.
"I
won't kill you. I couldn't bear to."
Li Yuanyu let him go and began to caress Tang Shan's face and rearrange
his messy hair, returning to his previous state as a caring lover. All the
craziness and anger from before disappeared.
"Hang
in there for a while longer, my love. Once I settle the matter regarding the
intruders, we'll continue. This time, you'll forget about absolutely everything
and then wholly belong to me." Li Yuanyu left a gentle kiss on his cheek,
though it was rejected with a turn of Tang Shan's head.
Li
Yuanyu laughed it off.
"Wait
for me at home like a good boy." Having said this, he made to leave.
"You're
not going to untie me?" Tang Shan's hands were still tied together, and
within his body, there remained Li Yuanyu's bodily fluids.
"No.
This way, you'll be more obedient. When Jake wakes up, he'll untie you."
Li Yuanyu went to the door, paused and continued, "Don't worry, Jake's
used to this. Good night, my love." With that, he gave a sarcastic laugh
and left.
As Li
Yuanyu closed the door, Tang Shan felt frustration and anger gushing out. He
could not move his hands and instead repeatedly knocked his head on the bed,
burying his head in the pillows and screaming.
When
Jake woke up, he was once again in a state of confusion, unsure of where
exactly he was. He was only able to react to the situation after a long while.
"Ow."
He crawled up with some difficulty. The blood clots on the carpet were quite
scary, and he quickly diverted his gaze so that he would not faint a second
time.
"What
time is it now? Morning? Or night? How long was I out for?"
Jake
supported his forehead and asked Tang Shan but did not get an answer.
"Tang
Shan?"
He stepped
towards the bed, uncertain, and found Tang Shan's naked body on the bed, his
hands tied up with clothing. There were no signs of a struggle, and he merely
lay there without any movement. This was probably why he had not discovered
Tang Shan's situation at the very beginning.
"What's
wrong with you?" Jake exclaimed before processing the situation. What else
could have happened? There were bruises on Tang Shan's neck that had come from strangulation.
There were traces left behind by sex all over his body, as well as a strange
smell in the room. It was obvious what had taken place here.
Li
Yuanyu had gone a little too far. This was, without a doubt, rape.
Wait!
This had all happened while he was lying on the ground unconscious! Perverts!
Shameless! Couldn't they have at least changed a location?
Tang
Shan slowly sat up, groaning from the pain. His voice was hoarse as he spoke to
Jake, "Untie me."
Jake
quickly untied the bindings on Tang Shan's hands, and upon seeing the bruises
left behind from his struggles, Jake gave a long sigh. This was the way Tang
Shan was, unwilling to concede or give way. Things would be so much easier if
he could let Li Yuanyu do as he liked, but here he was, struggling as much as
he could.
"I'll
help you to the bathroom." Jake used the bed sheet and wrapped it around
Tang Shan's body, wanting to help him get up.
However,
Tang Shan pushed Jake away and tried to be tough, "There's no need to.
I'll walk there myself."
He
didn't think that he wouldn't be able to even stand properly, falling to the
ground the moment he got off the bed. He groaned.
"Let
me help you." Jake helped Tang Shan up and into the bathroom.
Jake
brought him to the bathtub and made to leave, but Tang Shan suddenly grabbed
him.
"Ouch!"
Tang
Shan’s grip was very strong, to the point that his nails dug into flesh.
"You
have to help me, Jake. I don't want to be brainwashed into a dummy who doesn't
remember anything. I've already become a monster that can't die by my own hand.
You must know some other way..."
Jake
widened his eyes, feeling very pressured by his relentless pleas.
"Jake-"
"You're
not a monster." Jake revealed, "Actually, you're the same as all the
people in this town. No matter what injuries they have, they'll heal very
quickly. It's the same for me."
"But
Li Yuanyu- Li Yuanyu's wounds don't heal so quickly-" Tang Shan thought of
the time he had helped Li Yuanyu dress a wound on his leg. "Is Li Yuanyu
the only normal person here?"
He
didn't believe it.
"He
isn't! He purposely made his own injuries heal slower, wanting to make use of
this and gain your sympathy. He loves you too much. He's willing to give up
everything for you; even his pride! He used to be a superior being but became
such a contemptible man because of his love for you. At times, I feel for him,
thinking him pitiful." Jake became agitated as he spoke and stared at Tang
Shan unforgivingly.
"He
washed away my memories. Aren't I the least bit pitiful? Think about it from my
perspective." Tang Shan stared at him with tears in his eyes, trying his
best not to let them fall, "I'm begging you, kill me. Don't let him wipe
away my identity."
"I
can't kill you..." Jake hesitated.
"Jake,
seeing that we're friends, you have to help me."
Friends!
Jake wavered, on the verge of tears as bitter emotions arose.
It
wasn't like he couldn't understand Tang Shan's desire to die, nor his
unwillingness to be brainwashed or have his memories rendered a blank slate.
Jake struggled inwardly.
While
Tang Shan was waiting for Jake's answer, thunder boomed.
Jake
made a decision. "I need to be honest with you about this now. I think you
should have guessed it already but never had the courage to acknowledge
it."
He began
by beating around the bush, as if the words he wanted to say were difficult to
get out. Tang Shan waited patiently.
"Tang
Shan, you and I, as well as Li Yuanyu, and even everyone in the town- we're all
dead. We're no longer in the world that you used to exist in. We- well, in
other words, we're living in another dimension."
Tang
Shan was much too shocked, unable to believe the words as he stared at Jake.
"Are
we spirits?"
"No...
I'm not sure. As you know, we're different from the spirits that we know about.
We're about the same as living humans, aren't we? Then again, nobody has really
died and turned into a spirit and proven what a spirit is like... It's a difficult
question to answer!" Jake scratched his head, stumped. "Anyway, we
can't die because we're already dead!"
"How
about the people who were burnt to ashes?" Tang Shan asked.
"I
knew you'd ask this.” Jake sighed. “Listen to my explanation carefully. Tis is
a very complicated situation."
Tang
Shan quietened down to listen.
"Not
long after I came to this town, Li Yuanyu arranged for me to be a patrol
officer. He's the manager of this town, in charge of dealing with the emergency
situations that happen within here. The role of the patrolling officers is to
seek out these issues. The most common situations are those like you, the...
spirits, who throw themselves into the town. Newcomers are usually first judged
by Li Yuanyu, where he determines whether they are suitable to stay in the
town, and what kind of jobs they should have."
Tang
Shan interrupted him, "Does everyone have a job? Why don't I have
one?"
"You?
You're Li Yuanyu's lover; you don't need to work."
Li
Yuanyu had also mentioned this before. Tang Shan couldn't understand this and
furrowed his brows.
Jake
sighed. “Let me put it this way. Your job is to be Li Yuanyu’s lover, got it?”
Tang Shan
recalled the attitude the others in the town had towards him, and his face
paled from the belated humiliation.
"Don't
get upset. Fortune smiled down on you for him to like you. There are plenty of
people who want him but will never be able to get him."
"Don't
bother with that. Continue." He didn't want to dwell on this topic.
"Alright,
let me think of how I should say this... Let's talk about Marie. After you
arrived here, Li Yuanyu completely changed, becoming gentle and very forgiving,
and the architecture of the town also underwent some changes – don’t interrupt
me – the architecture changes with Li Yuanyu's feelings, just like how the
weather changes according to his mood. Everyone noticed the change in him and
thought it was a good thing.
"But
Marie had a different line of thinking. She believed that if Li Yuanyu spoilt
you too much, something irreversible would happen. She pushed Li Yuanyu to send
you out of the city. Then, she threatened to kill herself and forced him to
make a decision. You know how that ended."
Marie!
Tang Shan couldn't believe that this had happened.
"It's
been proven that Marie's beliefs were right. Because of you, Li Yuanyu's inner
thoughts became very warped, and cracks began to appear in the town. The
architecture became messy, the alleys became a maze. You know, the town was
originally very orderly, but you turned it into its current state."
Tang
Shan was speechless at Jake's reprimanding words.
"The
three soldiers who recently entered the town were determined to lack the
ability to assimilate into society and unsuitable to stay in the town. Hence,
the Banishment will be conducted tonight."
"Is
the so-called Banishment the one I saw last time?"
"Yes.
The Banishment is the only way out of the town. Li Yuanyu calls it, yes – the
way the orients call it – reincarnation? Or something like that. I can't
confirm this, but you don't want to be brainwashed again, right?"
Tang
Shan shook his head.
"Then
tonight is the best opportunity."
Tang
Shan's eyes brightened. "You're willing to help me?"
"Does
it look like I have much of a choice at this point?"
"Thank
you so much, Jake!" Tang Shan gave him a huge hug.
Jake
gave a long sigh, able to imagine the consequences.
"Don't
hug me. Go wash up. Once you're done, we'll plan how to 'leave'. Also, don't get me wrong. I'm helping Li
Yuanyu, not you."
Tang
Shan let go and said, "Whatever it is, thank you."
Jake
left the bathroom and began to think of ways to secretly exchange the soldiers
who were going to be banished tonight with Tang Shan, as well as come up with various
routes to take.
After
taking a bath and putting on a clean set of clothing, Tang Shan came out of the
bathroom holding the wall.
Seeing
Tang Shan walking out in this state, he was stunned. The perfect plan that he
had thought up was ruined in that instant. He had forgotten to take into
account the current state of Tang Shan's body!
"What's
wrong?" Tang Shan enquired worriedly upon seeing the troubled expression
on Jake's face.
"I'd
thought up a plan, but I realised it can't work. I'm just a little depressed
about that."
"Then
what should we do?"
If not for the fact
that Tang Shan's could not overexert himself due to his current condition, he
would have gotten Tang Shan to leave by the back door, taking a long route so
as not to be detected by the ceramic dolls that guarded the villa.
However, they could
now only do this head on!
Jake found a golf club in the storeroom and
felt its weight in his hand. Then he picked out a pitching wedge and passed it
to Tang Shan.
"Hah! Let's charge our way out!"
Having said this, Jake pushed the main door open and waved the club the moment
he stepped out, smashing the ceramic doll by the door to smithereens.
The sounds of ceramic breaking did not stop once
Jake walked out through the door. He mercilessly waved the club around.
"Go! Leave while they haven't set off
the alarm yet!"
Jake rushed him outside, and Tang Shan
quickly came back to himself and followed.
Jake stomped on a ceramic doll which had
only half a face left but was on the verge of sending out the signal. They hid
into a small alley and continued their cautious advance.
"Is the alarm their laughter?"
"Yes. It's quite chilling, isn't it?"
Tang Shan glanced at the shattered ceramic
dolls, still able to move and crawl towards them despite their fingers and feet
being separated from their bodies. He lifted up his pitching wedge and slammed
down, turning the pieces into powder.
"We're here." Jake, who was in
front, halted. In front of them was the square. "Wait for me at the parts
of the alley shrouded in darkness. I'll bring the substitute over."
He made to leave, but Tang Shan suddenly
grabbed onto him, reminding him seriously, "Be careful."
Jake remarked impatiently. "Tsk, of
course. You don't have to tell me that."
Tang Shan hid in the dark area. He couldn't
see the square from where he was, and nobody there could see him either. Though he was terrified out of his mind, he
believed in Jake's ability.
Minutes passed, and there was no commotion
from the square; there was only the laughter from the ceramic dolls. He
remembered that once the laughter stopped, it was time for the trial, the
beginning of the Banishment.
"Mmmnn..."
Jake returned, bringing with him a soldier
who had been tied up. Even his mouth had been stuffed, and he could only make
dull sounds of protest, constantly twisting his body.
Jake pushed the person into the alley a
distance away from Tang Shan. That person still wanted to resist, but the
moment he moved his head, Jake's golf club came down ruthlessly, and he
fainted.
Tang Shan, who had seen all this, sucked in
a deep breath at Jake's ruthless actions.
"What are you afraid of, he's already
dead! Besides, he can't die from this. He'll wake up again. There's no more
time to waste. Change into his clothes!" Jake spoke as he took off the soldier’s
uniform, asking Tang Shan to put it on.
He could wear those clothes and they had a
similar build, but what about his face?
Jake had prepared for that as well, covering
Tang Shan's head with a sack – perfect.
"Remember to struggle once in a while
to make it seem more real. Also, don't make a sound, or you'll get found
out." Jake gave him the last piece of advice, and then advanced in a
direction while holding Tang Shan.
"I can only accompany you to this
point. The policewoman will bring you there later. I've convinced her, so she's
on our side."
Tang Shan grabbed Jake's hand, writing
something on it – Thank you.
Jake flipped Tang Shan's hand over and
grasped it, feeling extremely emotional. He said nothing, but this last hug of
theirs was more significant than any spoken word.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
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