Chapter 60: Distorted Memory—Truth or Illusion?
“Xiaocao, Xiaocao, are you okay?”
Familiar voices echoed around her.
Fang Xiaocao struggled to open her eyes, and the faces of Zhi Qi and the others came into view.
“Ahhh—!”
She let out a startled scream and shot upright.
Her sudden movement startled Zhi Qi and the others, who all looked at her with bewildered expressions.
“Where’s that scar-faced freak?”
Panicked, Xiaocao glanced around and clutched Zhi Qi’s hand in alarm.
“Scar-faced freak?”
“What are you talking about?”
Zhi Qi looked at her in confusion.
Xiaocao froze.
She turned to Zhi Qi, who was staring back at her with genuine puzzlement.
She looked at the others, but they too had the same baffled expressions.
“Huh?”
Xiaocao muttered, her mind filled with uncertainty.
“Why is everyone acting so weird?”
“They really don’t know about the scar-faced man?”
“Did Luoshu not tell them?”
A realization struck her.
“That’s right! Luoshu!”
“She must be the one who brought me back!”
If no one else saw the scarred man, Luoshu must have! They were so close—there’s no way she didn’t see him!
“Where’s Luoshu?”
Xiaocao struggled to her feet, scanning the area for Yun Luoshu’s tall figure.
But to her horror, Luoshu was nowhere to be found.
A sense of unease crept into her heart.
“Where is Luoshu?”
Xiaocao turned to Zhi Qi, her voice tense.
“Did something happen to her?”
“She didn’t disappear, did she?”
Her mind instantly filled with ominous scenarios.
“Luoshu…”
Zhi Qi hesitated.
“What happened to Luoshu? Tell me!”
Xiaocao grabbed Zhi Qi’s sleeve anxiously.
“Calm down, Xiaocao!”
“Luoshu is fine… just listen to me first.”
Zhi Qi tried to soothe her.
“Just tell me already!”
Xiaocao was frantic.
“Alright, alright, I will—but you have to stay calm!”
Zhi Qi sighed in defeat.
“Okay, I’ll stay calm.”
Xiaocao took a deep breath.
She needed to know what happened to Luoshu.
Why was she back at the camp?
And what about the scarred man?
Zhi Qi and the others exchanged glances before Zhi Qi finally spoke.
“Luoshu was injured.”
Xiaocao felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
Her first thought was—
“It was the scarred man, wasn’t it?”
She blurted out the question without thinking.
Zhi Qi and the others all exchanged strange looks.
Xiaocao hesitated.
“Why are you all looking at me like that?”
She demanded.
“Xiaocao, there was no scarred man.”
Zhi Qi sighed.
“We asked Luoshu. She didn’t see anyone.”
Su Wanqing chimed in.
“That’s impossible!”
Xiaocao cried.
“If there was no scarred man, then how did Luoshu get hurt?”
She glared at them, demanding an answer.
“Luoshu…”
“She was stabbed by you.”
Zhi Qi hesitated before dropping the bombshell.
“You’re lying!”
Xiaocao was stunned.
“It’s true.”
Su Wanqing held her hand gently.
“I don’t believe it… I need to see Luoshu. I need to hear it from her!”
Xiaocao shook off Su Wanqing’s hand and stepped back warily, putting distance between herself and the group.
“Xiaocao, calm down!”
Zhi Qi frowned.
“We’ll take you to see Luoshu, but you have to stay calm.”
“Otherwise, we’re afraid you’ll hurt her again.”
Zhi Qi’s voice was serious.
Xiaocao froze.
She stared at them, suddenly feeling like they were strangers.
“What… do you mean?”
She asked slowly.
“Exactly what we said—your mental state is unstable.”
Wan Xiaozhou twirled a stick in her hand and spoke in a deep voice.
Xiaocao turned to look at her—and then, her eyes widened.
At Wan Xiaozhou’s feet lay the bundle of firewood she had collected.
The scarf tying the wood together—it was hers!
“No!”
“Something isn’t right!”
“There’s definitely something wrong here!”
Xiaocao’s mind raced.
If her firewood was here, then the scarred man had to be real!
But why were Zhi Qi and the others denying it?
And why did they say she stabbed Luoshu?
She clearly remembered—the scarred man had approached her.
Then everything went black.
Now, more than ever, she needed to know what had happened after she lost consciousness.
Taking a deep breath, Xiaocao forced herself to remain calm.
She had to act normal.
After a moment of silence, she said,
“Alright, I’m fine now.”
“You can take me to see Luoshu now, right?”
Zhi Qi and the others exchanged glances.
Zhi Qi finally nodded.
“Fine.”
Xiaocao felt a surge of relief.
“Follow me—Luoshu is in the tent.”
Zhi Qi said softly.
Xiaocao nodded and followed her.
Inside the small tent, the strong scent of blood filled the air.
Xiaocao wrinkled her nose instinctively.
She lifted her gaze and saw Yun Luoshu lying pale in a sleeping bag.
Her left arm was wrapped in gauze, and she looked weak.
Beside her, Xiaocao’s spring-loaded knife lay on the ground.
Its sharp blade was stained with dried blood.
Xiaocao froze.
“Did I really stab Luoshu?”
Doubt crept into her heart.
“Luoshu?”
“You…”
She stepped forward hesitantly.
“Xiaocao, you’re awake?”
Luoshu smiled weakly.
“Luoshu, what exactly happened?”
Xiaocao crouched beside her, her voice low.
Luoshu glanced at the knife on the ground, then began to explain.
“When we were gathering firewood, we heard a strange noise from deep in the forest…”
At first, everything she described matched Xiaocao’s memories.
But then—
When it came to the moment the scarred man appeared, Luoshu’s version completely diverged from Xiaocao’s.
According to Luoshu, there was no scarred man.
Instead—
At that moment, Xiaocao suddenly screamed and turned on Luoshu, stabbing her with the knife.
Luckily, Luoshu reacted quickly and avoided a fatal wound.
The knife had only pierced her left arm.
Xiaocao felt her whole world tilt.
Whose memory was real?
Had she really seen the scarred man?
Or had she… imagined everything?
(End of Chapter 60)
