Three Optional Identities

The firewood in the earthen stove crackled, and cooking smoke curled from the chimney.

Under cover of night, Yang Heyi summoned the panel.

Mundane Object: Lotus Born Lotus

Associated Lore: "Ghost Lotus." Consume 1 point of Spiritual Vision to enter the Lore World?

"Let's try it."

The instant Yang Heyi confirmed, the smoke and dust froze in midair. The city fell utterly silent, and all ghosts and monsters seemed to vanish.

"Time has stopped? Even better. I won't have to worry about Old Man Yang noticing anything."

Please choose the identity you will play in the Lore.

Yang Heyi watched countless lines gather on the panel, eventually forming three black-and-white faces. They were unfamiliar, yet their features bore some resemblance to his own.

Coffin Escort (White): The general's young son died early, his head severed from his body, his eyes forever unclosed. His remains are sealed within a coffin of darkwood, carried by eight Coffin Escorts. You are one of them.

Constable (White): Cailian Town lies in a remote area beside Qing Lake, which is rich in lotus flowers. The town is known for its lotus roots. As a constable of Cailian Town, you discover that strange incidents have occurred one after another since the General's Mansion's coffin arrived.

Lotus Root Harvester (White): Qing Lake's lotuses have only recently bloomed, yet people have already begun purchasing lotus roots. The town elders say there is no need to rush, but there will always be greedy Lotus Root Harvesters who fear no taboos.

White-quality identities require no additional Spiritual Vision.

If no identity is selected, you will enter the Lore World in your true body.

Yang Heyi relaxed. It seemed that playing a role in a Lore would not put his life in danger, and with time stopped, this was the best opportunity to catch his breath.

"Whatever this Lore involves, I only hope to find some way to protect myself."

He did not dare waste time. After some thought, he first ruled out Coffin Escort.

Lore "Ghost Lotus" clearly revolved around the coffin. The danger faced by a Coffin Presser far exceeded that of the other identities, and it might simply waste his Spiritual Vision.

Constable was somewhat better, but he would still have to deal with the coffin.

"Lotus Root Harvester seems detached from the Lore itself. It's a little strange, but it must be safer than the other two identities."

"Choose Lotus Root Harvester."

The moment Yang Heyi locked onto Cailian, the world spun around him.

When he came to his senses, he was no longer in Peibai City.

The thatched hut was drafty on all sides, and the bed was built from mud bricks.

Yang Heyi opened his eyes inside the room and noticed the crimson sunset beyond the window.

Unexpectedly, he was calmer than he had expected. He hurriedly assessed his situation. "An ancient setting, but the Lore World is already in the height of summer."

Yang Heyi stretched his limbs and searched himself all over.

"Although I've changed bodies, I don't feel the slightest discomfort. Mm, this Lotus Root Harvester is younger, around fourteen or fifteen."

He looked around, but found no tools for harvesting lotus roots.

Bang.

The door was kicked open.

A burly man entered, carrying a freshly dead rooster. Blood dripped down against the blazing sunset, making for a terrifyingly eerie sight.

"Yang Heyi, hurry up! If we don't leave now, we won't be able to get out of town!"

Seeing Yang Heyi standing there in a daze, the burly man added, "A few days ago, I made arrangements with them. We were originally planning to head to Qing Lake tomorrow night to harvest lotus roots."

Fear showed on his face. "But strange things have kept happening in town lately, and the Yamen is planning to impose a curfew. Vegetable merchants had, we might as well move it up to tonight."

Yang Heyi could roughly guess the cause and effect. The identity he was playing probably intended to take advantage of the town's chaos to steal lotus roots.

He simply did not know whether the lotus roots were anything special.

"Yang Heyi, don't back out at the last second. Come on, come on!"

Yang Heyi had not expected his name to remain unchanged in the Lore World.

"Fine. I'll pack my things."

"Forget packing! It's not like I, Xu Dabao, met you yesterday. What kind of savings could you build working odd jobs for others? If I hadn't given you a hand, you'd have squandered even your ancestral home."

Xu Dabao dragged Yang Heyi to his feet. The moment they stepped outside, Yang Heyi smelled something burnt.

"Brother Dabao, what strange things have happened in town?"

"Ah."

Xu Dabao lowered his voice. "Four people died last night!!"

A cold breeze drifted by, scattering pale funeral paper through the alleyways.

"Vegetable merchants had, Captain Wang found five corpses in town. Their faces were completely mangled. Who the hell knows whose body the extra one belongs to."

As He Spoke, he brought the rooster to his mouth and squeezed out some chicken blood.

Xu Dabao swallowed it, then passed the rooster to Yang Heyi. In a grave voice, he explained, "Drink up. On a dark and windy night, chicken blood can keep your yang energy from fading."

Yang Heyi's Spiritual Vision was insufficient, yet he still felt ghostly shadows surrounding him.

He could not worry about that now. Enduring the nausea, he copied Xu Dabao and swallowed the chicken blood. At once, a faint warmth spread from his stomach throughout his body.

The two ran out of Cailian Town along a small path.

Four households in town were holding funerals, and the streets and alleys were incomparably deserted.

The constables did not stop them. Clearly, the Yamen had no time to concern itself with much else. Before long, they followed the path to the nearby hills.

"Yang Heyi, we're almost there."

Yang Heyi glanced back. His 0.2 points of Spiritual Vision were truly limited.

He could only sense that the town was grim and terrifying. Scattered pedestrians wandered the streets as if they had lost their souls, while several coffins sat brazenly before doorways.

The sky gradually darkened.

Xu Dabao led Yang Heyi past a vast stretch of terraced fields before they finally saw Qing Lake.

During the day, Qing Lake was decorated with lotus leaves and pleasing to the eye. Now, beneath the night sky, it merely looked black and bottomless.

Six men, all around thirty, were waiting to meet Xu Dabao and Yang Heyi.

"Dabao."

Xu Dabao said eagerly, "Brother Zhang, just put the two of us wherever you need us."

Zhang Kai eyed Yang Heyi suspiciously. "Dabao, didn't I tell you to find someone in his early twenties? What if he gets contaminated by something unclean?"

Xu Dabao said helplessly, "Which family's strong laborers aren't related to someone? You know it too, Brother Zhang. The Yamen is checking people closely now."

"Forget it. Harvesting lotus roots won't take long anyway."

Zhang Kai tossed over a money pouch. Yang Heyi weighed it in his hand. There had to be at least a dozen taels inside.

"There'll be another twenty taels once the job is done, but we'll have to wait for the customer to settle the account."

Yang Heyi clicked his tongue inwardly.

He had at least learned the prices of vegetables from Old Man Yang. Lotus roots were not some rare treasure; ten taels could buy meat for months.

"Everyone, gather closer. Remember what I'm about to say."

"See these red strings?"

Zhang Kai took out red string and tied it around the ankles of the seven men.

"Lotus roots fear red string the most. If you notice the string tightening, immediately move toward the source of the disturbance. Remember, don't rush. If the red string breaks, none of us will get away with it."

Yang Heyi's scalp tingled. Were there really lotus roots in the lake?

Why did it feel more like some sinister thing?

Before Yang Heyi could think any further, Zhang Kai planted three sticks of incense on the shore, muttered several indistinct words, and immediately prepared to enter the water.

Xu Dabao frowned, looking equally confused.

Zhang Kai gestured for everyone to keep some distance between one another in the lake before entering. Their knees must not bend while walking; they had to imitate the movements and posture of lotus roots.

They slowly felt their way forward.

After Yang Heyi waded deeper into the lake, bone-piercing cold shot up his spine.

His feet stepped among dense water plants. The sensation was exceedingly strange, reminding him of a woman's hair. At first glance, the lakebed seemed covered in corpses.

"Something's wrong."

Yang Heyi watched the panel from the corner of his eye. His Spiritual Vision suddenly increased without warning.

Spiritual Vision: 0.3 points

His heart rose to his throat. Qing Lake was clearly abnormal.

Zhang Kai shouted, "All of you, move more gently! Lotus roots won't run when they hear noise, but they can't stand waves in the water."

They went deeper and deeper, and before long the lake water reached their waists.

Xu Dabao could not swim and inevitably began to lose his nerve. Suddenly, the temptation of twenty taels was simply too great, so he could only force himself to follow.

Yang Heyi had seen countless ghosts and monsters, barely managing to stay calm.

"There! I found one!"

Suddenly, Yang Heyi heard a Lotus Root Harvester cry out in delight. The man thrust both hands into the lake. "I caught it!!"

"Quick, tie it with the red string!"

The others moved toward the lotus root as agreed.

Only Yang Heyi hesitated slightly. At that moment, his Spiritual Vision abruptly rose to 0.5 points.

Zhang Kai was the closest and more experienced than the others. He hurried over in just a few steps, while that Lotus Root Harvester had already curled up in the water.

"Don't panic, I..."

Splash.

Zhang Kai saw severed limbs and chunks of flesh floating on the water, and could not help falling into a daze.

The next moment.

Zhang Kai staggered, and the red strings around everyone else's ankles pulled taut.

They noticed that Zhang Kai seemed to be holding something in his arms...

Spiritual Vision: 0.7 points

Yang Heyi froze In place. As his Spiritual Vision increased, the cry of an infant suddenly rang out.

A dazed look crossed his face as he saw infant corpses floating and sinking throughout Qing Lake, their hair swaying like water plants.

Their tender white limbs were exactly like... lotus roots.