INSIDER Chapter 20

Lu Chu, upon hearing what the person said, didn’t step away but rather took an unnoticed step forward, wanting to continue listening to what the crazed middle-aged woman was saying.

A villager had just mentioned that the woman had gone mad twenty years ago…

This piece of information matched another clue.

In this “game,” the clues and hints were so concise that they didn’t provide any useful information when analyzed literally. Now, after hearing the elderly recount the village legend of the snake-slaying, and encountering someone related to the “twenty years ago” timeline, it seemed on the surface that there was significant progress.

Just as Lu Chu was about to approach the middle-aged woman, a few burly men appeared from nowhere, dragging her towards a thatched hut in the village, cursing as they went, “Usually she stays put in there, why did she run out today? This madwoman, always causing trouble for us. No wonder the man from outside wouldn’t take her even if he died!”

Some others in the know echoed, “Exactly, exactly…”

Suddenly, something they said seemed to trigger the crazed woman, who began struggling violently, thrashing on the ground, trying to break free from the men’s grip. During the struggle, she got covered in dirt, making her already disheveled appearance even messier.

In her frenzied movements, Lu Chu finally saw her dirt-stained face under her messy hair. It was an unremarkable face, neither beautiful nor ugly, just the kind that one would easily forget after seeing once.

The woman screamed as if she were on the brink of death, her piercing voice hurting everyone’s ears. Her desperate struggle and bloodshot eyes scared the onlookers into quickly dispersing, fearing she might pounce and bite them in her frenzy.

“He won’t die a good death!” the woman screamed, her eyes wide with madness, shaking her head and shouting incessantly, “Won’t die a good death! None of you will die a good death!…”

Her crazed behavior frightened the crowd. A few older women muttered curses and hurriedly returned to their homes, patting their arms as if brushing off something bad.

Despite her madness, the woman was no match for the strength of the burly men. Soon, she was subdued again, dragged back to her small yard, leaving a trail in the dirt.

With the troublemakers gone, the remaining onlookers also dispersed, leaving only Lu Chu standing there, lost in thought.

Just then, an elderly voice called out, “Grandson, what are you doing? Come home and eat!”

Lu Chu immediately put on a warm smile and waved back, “I’m coming right away.”

During the meal, Lu Chu, feigning curiosity, asked, “Grandma, I saw a crowd outside just now and joined to take a look. I saw a woman everyone called a madwoman. She looked like she’s been mad for a long time…”

The old woman immediately put down her chopsticks, her expression serious, “You mustn’t join in such matters.”

Lu Chu, growing more curious, put down his chopsticks and asked, “But Grandma, why not?”

Seeing his curiosity, the old woman sighed and said, “Alright, I didn’t plan to tell your generation about this, but since you’re so interested, I might as well mention it to keep you from getting into trouble.”

“Remember the snake-slaying story I told you earlier?”

Lu Chu nodded, “I remember.”

The old woman continued, “Snakes are considered spiritual beings here, and we’ve always revered them like gods.”

“Twenty years ago, there were events I’m not too clear about since it didn’t happen to our family, but I remember a man from the city came to be a teacher here. He was handsome, and many young girls in the village would sneak peeks at him from outside the classroom—though calling it a classroom was a stretch, just a few leaky mud-brick rooms.”

Lu Chu added food to her bowl and urged her like a curious youth, “What happened then?”

“The madwoman you saw earlier is called Wei Rong, one of those young girls. The teacher was named Guo Jianping. I don’t know much about their early days, but Guo Jianping liked another prettier girl in the village. Then the young teacher had an accident, breaking his leg and ruining his looks. Many girls lost interest in him except for Wei Rong, who took care of him meticulously.”

“Did they end up together?” If things had progressed naturally, Wei Rong wouldn’t have ended up so crazed.

The old woman shook her head while adding food to Lu Chu’s bowl, “Of course not. The teacher returned to the city for treatment, promising to come back. Wei Rong waited every day at the village entrance and finally saw him return, fully healed. But within six months, he proposed to the girl he had liked before.”

Lu Chu was shocked, “Why her? Didn’t Wei Rong treat him well?”

“Love isn’t about how well someone treats you,” the old woman sighed. “We didn’t understand much, but as outsiders, we just watched. Things seemed to settle down until a year later when the girl Guo Jianping married ran off with a wealthier man. Guo Jianping was devastated, and Wei Rong, still devoted, finally moved him, and they got together.”

“Two years passed peacefully, and Wei Rong got pregnant. But Guo Jianping started going to the city frequently, growing distant. Wei Rong began to say the woman who ran off had returned to take Guo Jianping away. They fought, and she lost the baby. After that, her mental state worsened, constantly visiting the local shaman and claiming her baby was still in her belly, speaking of revenge…”

“Then—” the old woman’s expression turned serious, “Guo Jianping was found dead at home, bloodied, his face swollen and twisted in agony.”

“The house was filled with hundreds of snakes, all cut into seven pieces, the stench of blood spreading far.”

Wei Rong screamed, ‘Retribution!’ and went completely mad.”

Lu Chu, deep in thought, could almost visualize the horrific scene of countless snakes cut into pieces with Guo Jianping’s grotesque death amidst them.

“In the old days, slaying a snake meant revenge,” the old woman gently patted his head. “The whole village was terrified for a long time. It’s been twenty years, and everyone buried this event deep in their hearts, never investigating further. No one knows if it was Wei Rong’s unborn child seeking revenge. I’m telling you this so you remember to always respect such things, even if you don’t believe in them.”

Lu Chu nodded.