Chapter 10: Girdle-Slipping Hollow

Li Banfeng didn't end up growing two extra heads. Less than an hour after the train left the Three-Headed Fork Station, the intense itching on his neck gradually subsided. He had scratched too hard earlier, leaving both sides of his neck covered in bloody scratches.

The extra heads hadn't physically emerged, but there were signs that they could have. If he had stayed at the Three-Headed Fork any longer, Li Banfeng suspected he really would have grown two extra heads. He was sure he had heard two voices speaking right beside his ears earlier. There was no way it had been him talking to himself.

Li Banfeng wasn't crazy. The doctor had said so. He really wasn't crazy.

In that case, what happened earlier? Why did I hear two people talking? Could I have developed split personalities? Well, if my personality has split, that means I won't have to worry about it splitting again. That's a good thing!

That thought brought a strange sense of relief to Li Banfeng.

However, there was still one thing he couldn't explain.

Do three-headed people exist in this world? I guess they're like conjoined twins. That makes sense! Then why did it seem like I was going to grow two extra heads earlier?

After thinking about it for a long time, Li Banfeng came up with two explanations he thought were reasonable.

This was the first explanation.

I'm a conjoined triplet, but I've just never known it!

This was the second explanation.

The Three-Headed Fork is a place that causes unusual changes in people.

There was no way to verify the first explanation right now, but the second one had a logical flaw. If the Three-Headed Fork could cause unusual changes in people, then why would the train stop there at all? Did it affect everyone or just people with special dispositions? Those were questions he could only try to verify online for now.

Li Banfeng retreated into his berth, accompanied by the rhythmic clatter and swaying of the train wheels colliding against the tracks. He took out his phone and searched for information on the Three-Headed Fork station, but all he got was a bunch of results on three-headed dragons.

Apparently, three-headed dragons aren't just monsters; they are also some kind of tool... Wait, why the fuck am I even reading this right now?

Li Banfeng then switched to searching for information about Train 1160. He found nothing. There didn't seem to be a single piece of information online about Train 1160. The train had a derailment incident recently, yet he couldn't find anything on it.

That's impossible! A derailment is a big deal. How could there not be a single news report about it? Could it be that there was never any derailment? Did Old Chen say that just to try and trick me into talking?

Li Banfeng wanted to try searching for it again, but his phone had lost its signal. He let out a sigh.

Then he opened up a novel he had saved offline on his phone beforehand and quietly waited for the signal to return. It turned out that there was a certain charm to reading a novel to the rhythmic pulse of steam and clangs of machinery. Li Banfeng ended up reading for several hours before drifting off to sleep at dawn.

When he woke up, it was already noon of the next day. The train had arrived at a station, and an announcement rang from the loudspeakers.

「Dear passengers, we have arrived at the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs Station.」

Unlike the Three-Headed Fork, this station was bustling with life. Even through the glass, he could hear a cacophony of street vendors yelling.

"Freshly fried dough twists!"

"Soy milk, fried dough sticks, fried rice cakes!"

"Millet porridge, tea eggs!"

On his window curtains, Li Banfeng saw the silhouettes of large, round clusters passing by. He guessed that they were likely the street vendors pushing their carts back and forth as they tried to draw in customers.

The yells of the vendors drilled in from his ears to his mind, then they burrowed into his stomach.

Li Banfeng was hungry. He really wanted to open the window and buy something to eat—specifically, two tea eggs.

Despite that, Li Banfeng managed to curb his desires. He didn't open the window. Instead, he cooked two cups of instant noodles. However, even after finishing both cups, he still felt hungry. He couldn't stop himself from cooking another cup. Yet, after eating that one too, he was still hungry.

Should I cook another one? No, I can't wait any longer!

It felt like there were a hundred hands clawing at the inside of his stomach, trying to climb their way out of his throat in search of food. Li Banfeng ripped open another cup of instant noodles. He took out the block of uncooked instant noodles and dipped it in seasoning powder. He ate it dry.

The train's stopover at the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs Station lasted for more than twenty minutes.

The train started moving again, and after an hour, Li Banfeng put down the block of instant noodles in his hand. His uncontrollable hunger had finally subsided. They had likely left the domain of the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs.

Eight empty noodle cups sat in front of Li Banfeng. He had eaten the noodles from five of them dry. Li Banfeng's stomach felt bloated and distended. He wanted to vomit. He retched for a long time, but nothing came out.

His digestive system was having a hard time processing the excessive amount of food, leaving him feeling overwhelmed. He ended up lying down again.

Ka-da-da!

Li Banfeng's phone's notification sound chimed.

It appeared his phone signal had returned, and he received a new text message.

He Jiaqing: 21 Threaded Lane, Memorial Arch Street, Inner Gully, Medicine King Gully.

He Jiaqing had sent his home address to Li Banfeng.

He Jiaqing: Bro, just come straight to my place after you get off the train. I won't be able to pick you up tomorrow.

Li Banfeng: What's with the province you live in? Why are there people with three heads?!

He Jiaqing didn't reply.

Li Banfeng searched for "Medicine King Gully" and "the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs," but he couldn't find any information on them online. Then he opened his phone's map app, hoping to at least confirm his location or which direction he was heading. However, the map was completely blank. The app could not locate him.

Feeling irritated, Li Banfeng tossed his phone aside. His phone battery was running low. There was a power outlet beside his berth, but he couldn't be bothered to charge his phone. He just turned over and slept.

As dusk approached, a cloyingly sweet fragrance drifted into Li Banfeng's compartment. That sweet scent made Li Banfeng strangely restless, rousing him from his sleep.

It's so sweet!

It was a cloying sweetness he could almost feel with his hands, something stretchy and very warm.

Li Banfeng took out his train ticket and checked the station name.

Is this Greenwater Bay? Is the water in Greenwater Bay sweet?

He checked the scheduled stop time.

No, it's not Greenwater Bay.

The train was scheduled to stop at Greenwater Bay at 3 PM. Steam trains often ran late, but it was already past 6 PM. That meant the train was likely at the next stop after Greenwater Bay—Girdle-Slipping Hollow. The name seemed quite indecent, but Li Banfeng couldn't figure out why a place called Girdle-Slipping Hollow would smell so sweet.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

He stepped to the side of the berth and was about to try peeking outside through the window curtains.

However, someone knocked on his window right then. "Sir, would you like to employ our services?"

Li Banfeng stiffened in alarm. "What kind of services?"

"Services for train passengers. Two hundred yuan for twenty minutes. Specially designed to relieve travel fatigue."

Only two hundred?! That's a bargain!

The glow of the setting sun cast the silhouette of a slim and graceful woman onto the curtain. She had a sweet voice, sweetly scented cosmetic powder, and the sweet sincerity of a young lady.

Li Banfeng had found the source of that sweetness in the air.

Fighting his urges, Li Banfeng replied, "I don't need it, thanks."

Nevertheless, the young lady outside his window didn't leave. In addition to her sweet sincerity, she was sweetly patient. "Sir, I'm guessing it's your first time here? Don't worry, I don't have to enter your compartment."

Li Banfeng's imagination was rather limited. "If you don't come in, how are you going to provide the service?"

"Just crack open the window and give me access to the part you need me to take care of."

The part I need...

Li Banfeng pictured the scene in his mind. He would stand at the window... and stick out the part he needed her to take care of.

"That doesn't seem appropriate..."

"If the service isn't up to your standards, I won't charge you!"

The young lady had made such an earnest offer that it was weighing on Li Banfeng's conscience. How was he supposed to turn her down?

As he struggled with his inner turmoil, Li Banfeng stared at the thick window curtains and somehow saw the young lady standing outside. She was a shy girl-next-door, staring at him brightly with large, limpid eyes.

Her sweet, pure voice came through the window again. "Big Brother, I meant what I said, truly. If you think I'm no good, I won't charge you a thing!"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Big Brother knows. Big Brother knows you're sincere! Big Brother thinks you're great!"

He was on the verge of losing control. Just as he was about to open the window, he recalled the three-headed man from before.

What if this girl has three heads too? Triple the pleasure?

One head provides the service while the other two ask...

"Sir, are you satisfied?"

"Big Brother, I can do it."

Girl... I really can't picture it!

After giving it some thought, Li Banfeng proceeded to politely decline the young lady's offer of such magnificent hospitality. He even deliberately made his voice deeper and huskier so that he would sound like an older man. "We're not right for each other, Miss. You're too young. If fate wills it, we'll meet again."

Hearing that, the young lady gave up. The stopover had a time limit, so she had to quickly search for her next customer.

Just as Li Banfeng was regaining his composure, another woman knocked on the window.

She sounded older than the one before. "Sir, I'm just right for you. Right age, right price. One hundred yuan for fifteen minutes. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

"Ma'am, I am a highly educated man. Such crude exchanges are beneath me," Li Banfeng said, making his final stand.

"Highly educated... I've got it!" The woman outside adjusted her tone. "Class, let's begin."

She now sounded intelligent and imposing, making Li Banfeng shiver in excitement. He seemed to be able to see the woman outside the window. She was a young teacher with glasses and dressed in a gray suit. She pointed at the writing on the blackboard as she taught every knowledge-hungry student with a gentle demeanor.

The teacher outside the window called out, "Class, repeat after me: service!"

The students echoed, "Service!"

The teacher wasn't quite satisfied. "Louder, class. One more time. Service!"

This time, the students' voices rang out loud and clear in perfect unison. "Service!"

The word rang resonantly over and over outside the window, driving Li Banfeng to retreat step by step.

Li Banfeng was about to cave.

With her alluring voice, the teacher called out to him, "My dear student, I assure you that I'm an excellent teacher. If you don't believe me, just open the window and take a look at my meticulously prepared teaching materials and lesson plans."

The teacher has spoken. I should obey the teacher!

Li Banfeng placed his hand on the window. His fingers crept slowly toward the latch. He was shaking with excitement.

Yet, at the last moment, Li Banfeng gritted his teeth and resisted once more. He adjusted his voice and said, "Big Sister, you've got the wrong customer. I'm actually a woman."

The ability to change his voice was one of Li Banfeng's many talents. He had once posed as a female streamer and earned quite a lot in tips.

The woman outside the window let out a cold snort and left.

Li Banfeng splashed cold water on his face, trying everything he could to extinguish his raging flames of desire.

I can't open the window. I have to follow the rules on the train.

However, no matter how much cold water he splashed on his face, the sweet fragrance in the air kept feeding the flames, making them more intense.

Li Banfeng was losing control. The temptation of Girdle-Slipping Hollow was too powerful. If one more person came to the window and named a price, Li Banfeng would open the window without hesitation and accept the offer.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Someone really did come to his window again.

Li Banfeng's eyes turned bloodshot. He pressed both hands on the window latch.

No matter who it was, he had to have those services! Even if it cost him his life, he was going to have those services!

The person outside the window said, "Miss, would you like to employ my services? Twenty centimeters long. You pick the time. I guarantee you'll be satisfied before the train leaves. The price is just eighty yuan."

Li Banfeng withdrew his hands. He could not accept this offer.

Listening to the man outside knocking on the window nonstop, Li Banfeng thought the air wasn't all that sweet anymore.

He took out his train ticket and double-checked the itinerary.

This place really is called Girdle-Slipping Hollow. It's such a straightforward name... This is such a strange place...

Jiaqing, once I've handled everything for you, maybe I'll just settle down here for good.

The next stop is Medicine King Gully. Jiaqing, we'll be meeting again soon.