Chapter 42

When Secretary Jin sang this song on the stage yesterday, her Cantonese was standard and her singing professional, yet the boy had not liked it very much.

Though Secretary Jin's Cantonese was not standard now, the feeling in her singing was like river water flowing into a channel that had already been dug after the sluice gates opened—entirely natural.

Singing was indeed something magical. You could recognize it even through a mask, and even after changing skin.

When Secretary Jin had placed both hands on his shoulders earlier, that familiar sensation had told Li Zhuiyuan who she really was now.

Likewise, barring any surprises, the true creator of last night's horrifying, bloody scene should have been the being beneath Ding Dalin's Human Skin.

It was the true dominant force here.

That meant the danger he faced here had not been lifted, because Little Yellow Oriole held only a secondary position at its side.

What those Water Monkeys had dug up... should have been it.

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly realized that he, Little Yellow Oriole, and the Water Monkeys had all become supporting characters in the original plan. No, they were not even supporting characters—they were merely background.

Whether he and Great Grandfather could keep the skin on their bodies now depended on its wishes.

Therefore, the song now and the earlier gestures had both been hints Little Yellow Oriole had given him.

In an instant, the vigilance that had relaxed slightly because of Little Yellow Oriole's appearance was yanked taut again.

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly realized something. Since "it" last night could control Secretary Jin into using Light Signal to lure the six Water Monkeys from the Outer Observation Post over and skin them together, how could it possibly have failed to notice him and Run Sheng on the roof?

Had he and Run Sheng really escaped home intact just because they ran fast?

Other than Ding Dalin, the Water Monkeys were all outsiders. And the only person Ding Dalin knew in this village, had already made contact with, and had even bought property under that person's name, was Li Sanjiang.

If it wanted to fill in the Fish Pond and plant peach trees on this contracted land, it needed to go through Li Sanjiang.

So it turned out that the one who had painstakingly kept everything from collapsing was still his own Great Grandfather.

Secretary Jin finished her song.

Li Zhuiyuan took the lead in applauding. Tan Wenbin followed suit when he saw it, repeatedly praising, "Good, good, good!"

Li Sanjiang reached out and touched the sound system. "Not bad, pretty good. Later, when I have the mule come collect the tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks, I'll have it haul this back too."

"Heh heh, as long as you're satisfied."

Li Zhuiyuan asked with an innocent expression, "Grandpa Ding, how much is this?"

Li Sanjiang frowned slightly. This was supposed to be a freebie—he could just take it home. Why ask how much it cost? Was this kid stupid?

But then Li Sanjiang's brow relaxed again. Good, this child was honest and kind-hearted. He really was different from those ungrateful wolves.

Li Zhuiyuan had asked on purpose. After experiencing so much, he had vaguely touched upon the rules of Karma and Causality. Especially when dealing with something under another Shadow Side, its things were not so easy to take.

Better hear its request first.

"That's right, Lin Hou. How much did you spend buying this from the opera troupe? Come on, I'll pay you. I can use this thing, and I'll earn my money back after renting it out for half a year."

"Talking about such things between you and me hurts our friendship."

Li Sanjiang wrapped an arm around Ding Dalin's arm and shook it hard. "Fine, when you first came back, I misjudged you. You, Lin Hou, really are an honest man. I'm not as good as you."

When they first met, Li Sanjiang had thought Ding Dalin was deliberately putting on airs and showing off his wealth.

But the man had given him a house, land, and a sound system. It was hard not to change his impression, considering he had given so much.

"Actually, Sanjiang Hou, there's something I'd like to ask you to help with."

Seeing the other man climb right up the pole, Li Sanjiang subconsciously dug at his ear with his pinky.

"Easy enough, easy enough. If you need anything in the future, you can come to me."

Li Zhuiyuan spoke up. "Grandpa Ding, if you have something to say, you can say it directly now."

They could not let him follow Great Grandfather's tone and put it off until later. If they could not fulfill his request, then he and his great-grandfather likely would not have any later.

Li Sanjiang pursed his lips. He could not get angry at Little Yuanhou, so he could only follow the boy's lead and add, "Right, Lin Hou, go ahead."

"Sanjiang Hou, it's like this. I had originally planned to live here for a long time, but word came from over there. Something has happened, and I need to go back and handle it.

"So I'll have to ask you to help watch over this house."

"You're leaving again? For how long?"

"Hard to say. If things go smoothly, I might be back in half a year. If they don't, at my age, I could leave at any time. Perhaps... I may never return."

"Then you'd better come back alive sooner."

"What, can't bear to part with me?"

"It's not that I can't bear to part with you. You've acquired so much under my name. If you leave and never come back, I'd feel too embarrassed taking all this windfall."

"I want to come back. I truly want to spend my remaining years here in peace."

"I truly want to see you off too. If I go first, Little Yuanhou can handle it for you. Otherwise, you won't feel at ease taking all this stuff."

"Sanjiang Hou, once the village's contract is settled, I'll pay the contract fee first and leave another sum of money. Help me organize some people to fill in this Fish Pond and plant the peach trees, so nothing gets delayed."

Li Sanjiang rubbed his forehead. Planting trees was tiring work.

This was no longer simply a matter of money. As the host, he would have to put in effort and worry over it.

"Alright, Grandpa Ding, don't worry. Go take care of your business. When you return, you'll be able to enjoy the peach blossoms."

Li Sanjiang nodded. "Don't worry, Lin Hou. I'll take this on."

It was not exactly that he had been coerced by his great-grandson. Receiving gifts made one indebted, and Li Sanjiang knew that since the other man had asked, he had no way to refuse. He could not bear to return the house and land under his name.

Li Zhuiyuan silently breathed a sigh of relief. He was not afraid of it making demands; he was afraid it would make none.

If it was only planting trees, it was not much. Besides, the land had been rented and money would be left behind.

"Then good. Thank you, Sanjiang Hou."

"Look at you, why thank me? It's what I should do. Then... Zhuang Zhuang."

"Yes."

"Run home and call Runsheng Hou. Tell him to push the cart over so we can load everything up and take it back."

Tan Wenbin looked at Li Zhuiyuan and Li Sanjiang with some unease. He did not want to leave. Though he was not as capable in a fight as his father, an extra person meant extra strength when facing Water Monkeys, did it not?

"Bin Bin Ge, go home and call Brother Run Sheng over to move the things."

Nearly twenty Water Monkeys had met that fate last night. In the current situation, one more person would only mean one more shrimp to skin.

"Ah, alright."

Bin Bin left.

"Little Yuanhou, I've noticed something. It's one thing for the mule at home to listen to you, but why does Zhuang Zhuang listen to you too?"

"Ah, does she?" Li Zhuiyuan looked bewildered.

"Heh, that's good." Li Sanjiang patted the boy's head. "It means my Little Yuanhou was born to be a leader."

The will had already been made. Great Grandfather's impression of his great-grandson had shifted from being extremely biased in his favor to believing that such favoritism was only natural.

Ding Dalin said, "It means the child has organizational ability. He really is suited to being an official."

Li Sanjiang tugged at his waistband. "Lin Hou, is there any paper by the crock?"

"There's some in the basket."

"Then I'm going to use the crock."

Li Zhuiyuan wanted to follow, but after taking only two steps, Ding Dalin called out, "Little Yuan."

After hesitating, he did not dare pretend he had not heard and muddle through. He stopped.

"Yes?" Li Zhuiyuan faced Ding Dalin. "What is it, Grandpa Ding?"

"Your Great Grandfather did not misjudge you. You really are a warmhearted, good child."

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and revealed a shy smile.

The reason he did not show the bashful eye contact he was best at was because the skin between Ding Dalin's brows had split at the seam.

It looked very much like clothing that had burst open—not completely torn, but with a break in color.

This performance was clearly nearing its end. He had to avoid any mishaps onstage.

Ding Dalin raised a hand and touched between his brows. Secretary Jin came over to help deal with it, but he instructed her, "Bring a basin of water. I'll wash my face properly."

"Alright."

Secretary Jin brought over a basin of hot water, with a towel hanging over its edge. She stood there holding it, serving as a human stand.

Ding Dalin walked to the basin, bent over, lowered his face, and repeatedly tapped his fingers back and forth over it.

The scene looked exactly like women in the city touching up their makeup in front of a mirror with a cosmetics case.

Li Zhuiyuan wanted to leave the room, but Secretary Jin happened to be blocking the doorway. So, to avoid seeing something he should not see, Li Zhuiyuan turned toward the sound system and reached out to touch its cover.

"Little Yuan, did you just learn the local dialect?"

"Mm, yes. I'm still not very good at speaking it." Li Zhuiyuan picked up the microphone and played with it.

"Where did you live before?"

"In the capital." Li Zhuiyuan spoke into the microphone. "Hoo hoo... testing, testing."

"Jiankang?"

The boy's hand holding the microphone trembled.

Jiankang?

Li Zhuiyuan knew that Jiankang was Nanjing's ancient name, the capital during the Six Dynasties.

Eastern Wu, Eastern Jin, Liu Song, Southern Qi, Southern Liang, Southern Chen...

So which era had it come from?

"Oh, someone from the capital. Heh, I didn't react just now. I misheard you."

Ding Dalin laughed, as though glossing over his own slip of the tongue.

Li Zhuiyuan's emotions were complicated. Even if it came from the Southern Chen period, that was nearly fifteen hundred years ago.

Did that mean the tomb in the Fish Pond also had a history of that many years?

He did not know whether those Water Monkeys had been fortunate or unfortunate to find such a top-tier water burial tomb.

However, it seemed that he was even more unfortunate. He had only been reading those books for a short while and was still at the stage of learning and practicing as he read.

In the popular martial arts novels and kung fu films of the day, protagonists would train behind closed doors before descending the mountain, only to first encounter local bullies harassing women as targets to test their skills on.

As for him, he had not even finished learning before coming down the mountain. He had merely pushed open his own front door to get some sun. Hey, the Eastern Depot was right across the street.

"Little Yuan, you promised Grandpa that you'd help Grandpa plant the peach trees properly."

"Mm, I will."

"Louder. Grandpa's hard of hearing."

"Don't worry, Grandpa."

"Turn around and say it to Grandpa's face."

Li Zhuiyuan turned around.

Facing him was a bright red face with no skin!

After an instant of shock and thought, Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand and opened his mouth, just about to scream when that face suddenly pressed close to his.

"Little Yuan, you were one step too slow."

Li Zhuiyuan's expression froze. His raised hand stopped halfway, his mouth remained open, but he did not dare scream.

"Little Yuan, were you just wondering whether you should be frightened enough to scream?"

Li Zhuiyuan did not know how to answer.

"You child, why do you look like you don't recognize me?"

It was a similar sentence. When he had accompanied Great Grandfather on a walk this morning and encountered Ding Dalin, Ding Dalin had said the same thing.

It really had seen him and Brother Run Sheng on the roof last night.

"I will help you plant the trees."

"Heh heh heh..."

Its hand stroked the boy's face and lightly patted it.

"You acted so well that even I can no longer tell—between you and me, who is the one wearing Human Skin?"

"Bzzzt—!"

The electrical static jolted Li Zhuiyuan awake. He lowered his head and looked at the microphone in his hand.

"Little Yuan, turn off the microphone. Grandpa's ears hurt."

Li Zhuiyuan switched off the microphone, and the static vanished. He turned around and looked at Ding Dalin.

Ding Dalin had his head raised, a hot towel laid over his face and completely covering it.

His voice came from beneath the towel.

"Little Yuan, did you just learn the local dialect?"

The same question.

Li Zhuiyuan was confused. Had what just happened been his hallucination?

"Mm, I just learned it."

"Where did you live before?"

"Youzhou."

"Heh heh heh..."

Ding Dalin laughed, lifted the towel from his face, and revealed a normal face that was slightly flushed from the hot compress.

"What a clever child."

Ding Dalin walked up to Li Zhuiyuan, and his hand once more touched the boy's face.

"Grandpa likes you quite a lot."

"I also really like the red packet and gifts Grandpa gave me."

Ding Dalin's hand moved down and seized the boy's right hand, spreading it open.

There was a burn scar and five blood scabs on Li Zhuiyuan's right palm.

Ding Dalin ignored the five blood scabs, pressed a fingertip against the burn scar, and feigned surprise.

"Look at that. Did your skin almost get burned through?"

"I was fooling around and accidentally did it to myself."

"Then you must be careful. Once skin breaks, it is not easy to patch up. Even if you find new skin, it will not be as good as the original. Don't you agree?"

"Mm, Grandpa is right."

Ding Dalin smiled and raised his left hand, slowly curling it into a fist.

Even A Li had been able to tell that the burn had been self-inflicted by Li Zhuiyuan. How could it not?

But Li Zhuiyuan still had no grasp of its temperament. Logically, he had already persuaded Great Grandfather to agree to help it plant trees. This matter should have ended there.

Yet it seemed to want to continue having some connection with him.

Li Zhuiyuan began to envy Tan Wenbin. Sometimes, knowing too much was meaningless. It was better to muddle through and feel a little more at ease.

Suddenly, intense pain struck him.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and saw that the burn scar on his palm, which had already healed, had split open again. The flesh of his palm had torn apart.

His heartbeat began to quicken. Watching his own flesh split open before his eyes was too horrifying.

It felt as though, the next moment, it would spread outward, his entire skin would peel away, and he would walk out covered in blood.

From the corner of his eye, Li Zhuiyuan looked at Secretary Jin. She was still standing there with the washbasin in her hands, utterly motionless, not even looking in his direction.

Ding Dalin stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. Struggle showed in his eyes.

Then, his neck began jerking sharply right and left, while the expression on his face kept changing, from kindly to calm to gloomy to greedy.

Finally,

he suddenly threw his head back:

"Beast, you deceived me so bitterly."

Thud!

The receiver fell to the floor.

Li Zhuiyuan swallowed and turned around, seeing Ding Dalin washing his face.

He scooped up water with both hands and splashed it over his face, then rubbed his face before finally drying it with a towel.

For the third time.

Only this time, Ding Dalin did not ask about his accent again. He said nothing.

The door was pushed open and slammed into Secretary Jin's back.

The door bounced back, while Secretary Jin did not budge.

"Huh?"

Li Sanjiang's voice came from outside.

Li Zhuiyuan knew those last few times had not been hallucinations. Great Grandfather could not possibly use the toilet that quickly. A stretch of time really had been taken away.

Secretary Jin stepped aside, and the door opened. Li Sanjiang said to Ding Dalin, "My mule's here, so I'll start loading the things."

"Okay."

Li Sanjiang turned and went back out. He did not call Li Zhuiyuan out with him; he could not bear to make Little Yuanhou work.

That left Li Zhuiyuan in the room again.

However,

Bang!

The door was thrown open again, this time with great force. Run Sheng stood in the doorway with a tense face, a shovel in his hand.

It was obvious that he was terrified. That tense expression was his protective coloring.

But he had still come. He had come to save someone.

"What's wrong with you?" Li Sanjiang's voice came from outside. "Move the tables and chairs first. The speakers go last."

Run Sheng looked at Li Zhuiyuan. He was waiting for a look. As long as he got the signal, he would not hesitate to raise the shovel and hack at the two people before him.

In any case, either their flesh would split open, or his skin would.

Ding Dalin extended a hand to Li Zhuiyuan. "Come upstairs with me. I have some snacks I brought back from abroad in my room. Take them all."

In truth, there was no room for choice.

Li Zhuiyuan took Ding Dalin's hand. One after the other, they passed Run Sheng and walked up the stairs.

Downstairs, Li Sanjiang smacked Run Sheng on the back of the head and scolded, "What are you standing around for? Little Yuanhou went to get his things. You should do your job too. Move the furniture!"

Run Sheng was deeply conflicted, but since it was Little Yuan's choice, he put down the shovel and began moving tables and chairs.

Still, the courage he had summoned could not last forever. The scene from last night kept replaying in his mind. As he carried things, his body began to tremble.

Seeing this, Li Sanjiang hurried over and asked:

"Are you still feeling unwell?"

"Huh?"

"Forget it, sit there and rest. I'll carry them."

When they reached the second floor, Ding Dalin was still holding his hand. Li Zhuiyuan sensed something sticky in his palm. He was afraid that, when he let go later, he would tear off a piece of Ding Dalin's skin.

And that was indeed what happened.

When they entered the room, Ding Dalin let go first. His skin remained stuck to the boy's hand, gradually stretching taut from the pull, until finally...

Smack!

The sound was so loud that it stunned Li Zhuiyuan. When he came back to himself, he found the room pitch-black. Night had fallen.

Everything in the room was still there, except Ding Dalin was gone.

Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes and tried to find that rising sensation. He found it and felt himself beginning to float upward.

He immediately opened his eyes, interrupting the awakening.

Yes, he was Yin Walking, but not of his own accord. Ding Dalin had pulled him in.

Since that was the case, waking up on his own now would be somewhat disrespectful.

Leaving the room and stepping onto the balcony, Li Zhuiyuan wanted to find Ding Dalin. Since Ding Dalin had pulled him in, he must have had a purpose.

A moon hung in the pitch-black night sky. It was somewhat large, and he could even make out the craters on its surface.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his gaze to the ground ahead, then blinked hard.

The Fish Pond that had been restored in reality had now returned to the state it was in after the Water Monkeys had worked on it last night. The water had been drained, and a deep pit had been dug.

He roughly knew where he should go to find Ding Dalin.

Walking downstairs, he found the scene below still looked as it had after last night's feast ended. The tables were all there and had not yet been cleared away.

As he walked out of the main hall, Li Zhuiyuan first stopped, then took two steps back and looked up.

He saw Little Yellow Oriole hanging from the ceiling of the main hall.

Because her long hair hung down, only by standing in that particular narrow spot could one see through the curtain of hair and glimpse her face.

Her eyes were closed, her expression indifferent.

Li Zhuiyuan did not know whether she had been hiding here ever since last night, or whether she was simply here now.

Little Yellow Oriole did not open her eyes or give any response.

Li Zhuiyuan did not linger. He walked out of the main hall, went down the embankment, jumped into the Fish Pond, and reached the edge of the pit.

Only from up close could he truly appreciate how deep this pit was.

Li Zhuiyuan turned and looked at the roof of Big Beard's house behind him. That was where he had hidden to observe last night.

He bent down and carefully slid along the slope of the pit. He slid for quite a distance before reaching the bottom.

Before him was the excavated tip of a tower.

A pitch-black opening lay exposed before him.

Li Zhuiyuan gripped the wall and slowly walked inside. As he advanced, lamps lit up one after another. Since the tower was tilted, the lamps within it appeared tilted as well.

There were no murals on the surrounding walls, making the place seem very plain. Apparently, the tomb's owner had not intended to continue cultivating his tastes in the underground world after death.

Or perhaps this tomb had been built while its owner was still alive. If someone else had built it, they would inevitably have left behind words or images recording the owner's life.

Fortunately, the tower had tilted over, giving him somewhere to walk. If he had entered from the top while it was upright, it would probably have been no different from jumping down a well.

The farther he walked, the colder the color of the lights became, gradually changing from the bright yellow near the entrance to green.

At last, Li Zhuiyuan reached the bottom.

He saw an enormous stone coffin, fixed to the bottom of the tower. Now, it looked as if it were stuck to the wall.

There was also some furniture around the stone coffin, all fixed in place like the coffin itself, so none of it had scattered. It was not only inlaid with gold and silver, but also gleamed with jade and jewels.

They were all valuable items. No wonder the two Water Monkeys who had gone down last night had been so excited when they came back up. He could also understand why they had returned empty-handed, saying they could not carry anything.

But even after reaching the bottom, there was still no sign of Ding Dalin.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze fell upon the stone coffin again.

Could he still be inside the coffin?

Chains were bound around the stone coffin, and Runes were drawn around it. It fit the characteristics of a Temple Tomb perfectly: suppressing and sealing a Haunting.

"Clatter... clatter... clatter..."

The chains began to tremble. Whatever was inside seemed to want to come out.

Li Zhuiyuan stood still. Although he did not know whether opening a coffin while Yin Walking would trigger any chain reaction in reality, he would not take that risk.

It was not because he feared for his own safety. This was Siyuan Village, after all. Who knew what consequences would result from releasing whatever was inside that coffin?

He had come here step by step only because his life was under threat, but no matter how great the threat, he would not open the coffin.

However, he soon no longer needed to struggle over it.

With a series of crisp snaps, every chain on the stone coffin fell away.

Then came a dull scraping sound as the Stone Coffin Lid slowly slid open.

He did not need to help at all. It could come out by itself.

Li Zhuiyuan held his breath, completely focused as he waited for the person in the coffin to sit up.

But after waiting for quite some time, it did not.

The scene fell into an eerie stillness.

Gradually, wind rose inside the tower. At first it was weak, only making the flames of the lamps sway. Then the wind grew stronger and stronger, forming a howling within the tower.

The howling slowly became more delicate, until it finally formed a human voice. It was hoarse, like an old phonograph that had not been maintained.

"Aren't you curious?"

Li Zhuiyuan answered, "I am very curious."

"Then why don't you dare come closer?"

"I'm afraid."

"You can feel fear?"

"I can. Fear is an instinct, just like pain."

"Let's take off the human skin and speak plainly."

"What does that mean?"

"Peel off the skin you're wearing. I don't want to speak to a child."

"No, I am myself. I am who I am right now."

"Heh. Some people wear their skin on their bodies, while others wear it in their hearts."

Li Zhuiyuan knew it was mocking him, but he did not care. Everything he had done was to preserve this skin, both for himself and for A Li.

"Even if you don't want to peel off your skin, don't speak to me in the tone you'd use with a child."

"I am a child. Fine, I'll try my best."

"Do you know where this is?"

"A... Temple Tomb."

"Yes, a Temple Tomb. Then do you know who suppressed me here?"

"You did it yourself."

The wind seemed to stop for a moment.

But soon, it began howling again, forming words:

"You guessed?"

"I don't even know exactly who you are, nor do I know the era you lived in. Since you asked me this question, the answer should be within the range of possibilities available to me. That only leaves you."

"You really resemble someone. When he was young, he was as clever as you, clever beyond reason."

"Can you tell me his name?" Li Zhuiyuan tested. "That way, when I plant the trees later, I can look him up."

"You won't be able to find his name."

"Oh."

"He was a beast."

"Was he the one who deceived you?"

"I trusted him too much. Though he was nearly the same age as me, I had always regarded him as a model. To him, I was like those two people around you are to you."

Li Zhuiyuan knew the two people it referred to were probably Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin, because it only had those few limited options.

"Being deceived by someone you trusted really is infuriating."

"He did not deceive only me. He deceived all of us, all of us who followed him."

"He really was awful."

"Like you, he was very good at disguising himself."

Li Zhuiyuan tried hard to calm his emotions. The greatest harm one could do to a mentally ill person was to repeatedly remind them that they had an illness.

This conversation with the one inside the stone coffin made the boy feel as though he had returned to that night when he had spoken with Li Lan on the phone.

"Disguising yourselves is your instinct. You seem to be born knowing how to do it."

"Do you have something you want to tell me?"

Li Zhuiyuan took the initiative to cut off the topic. If they kept talking about it, he feared that cold emotion inside him would be drawn out.

"Fill in the Fish Pond and plant it full of peach trees."

"Don't worry. We'll do it."

"Actually, I should have left long ago."

"Where to?"

"You can guess it, yet you still ask. As expected, just like him, hypocrisy is your instinct."

"Could you stop describing him so specifically, or stop tying me together with him? I only came here along with your wishes because I was afraid of dying."

"And then?"

"But there are some things I would rather die than give up."

"He said that too..."

The wind fell silent again.

After a long while, it rose once more.

"Alright."

"Thank you."

"No need. I was originally planning to call you here and have you buried with me."

"Thank you for the original plan."

Seeing that the other party had fallen silent again while the wind continued to blow, Li Zhuiyuan took the initiative to continue the conversation, out of respect for that "original plan."

"How did he deceive you?"

"He taught me a method that could control Death Collapse."

Li Zhuiyuan's heart jolted. The books he had read recorded countless ways of dealing with Death Collapse, but none had ever mentioned that Death Collapse could be controlled.

"I was happy. I was excited. I trusted and respected him so deeply, so I learned it."

"Did you master it?"

The wind kept blowing. Then, movement came from inside the stone coffin.

A man sat up from within it.

Since the coffin was suspended above its base, the man was facing Li Zhuiyuan.

He had long hair, cold and refined features, and an otherworldly air.

But his eyes were closed, and the voice that came next still traveled on the wind instead of coming from his own mouth.

"I mastered it. I could control Death Collapse too."

"Then how did he deceive you?"

"How did he deceive me?"

The man turned his head. The wind lifted the hair at his temples, revealing a pair of eyes, a nose, and a mouth—a human face.

The man turned farther, exposing his back. The wind swept up his long hair, and another face—a woman's face—covered the back of his entire head.

It was a deeply unsettling sight. Such a handsome, elegant man, yet so many faces had grown from his body.

No. Li Zhuiyuan realized that he was Yin Walking, so what he saw might not necessarily be real. These faces that had now taken physical form might represent the man's heart.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

The wind grew stronger still, whipping up the man's long robe. Everywhere skin was exposed—his arms, chest—was densely covered in human faces.

Li Zhuiyuan instinctively took two steps back. Just seeing it made his own skin itch.

He unconsciously lowered his head to look at his arms, terrified that unfamiliar faces might grow there too.

"He never told me that while I could control them, they could also control me."

Li Zhuiyuan looked away. Only after the wind weakened somewhat did he turn his gaze back.

The man had returned to his original posture, his clothes and hair settling back down.

"He said he wanted to eradicate all hauntings from the world and bring peace to the jianghu.

"I believed him and followed him. But the more Death Collapse I dealt with, the more I myself became like one.

"By the time I realized it, there was no turning back.

"So I built this tower and sealed myself inside.

"I planned to use time to grind them away, and grind myself away with them.

"The faces you just saw all had their eyes closed. Originally, they should all have had their eyes open, crying, shrieking, roaring, wailing every day...

"Now they are all gone. I succeeded.

"Originally, in a few more years, I should have been able to wear myself away too.

"But then a group of monkeys came."

"So you wanted this place filled in and peach trees planted over it, so you could continue suppressing yourself?"

"It must be done quickly, because I stopped being who I once was long ago. The old me suppressed himself to avoid harming the living. The me now longs to keep you here and bury you with me.

"The real me is already dead. Or perhaps I can no longer tell which face hides the real me."

"I understand. I'll arrange it immediately, while you still retain some clarity."

"You are wrong. I am not clear-minded. I do not leave because I have reached an irreversible final stage. If I left, I would only perish quickly. I want to preserve a little dignity for myself.

"Actually, when I skinned those Water Monkeys, I was very happy. Nothing is more entertaining than teasing monkeys.

"If there had been just a few more of them, if I could have savored that happiness a little longer, I truly would have come out.

"If there had been two more last night, just two;

"I would not be speaking to you here in this manner now."

Li Zhuiyuan silently thought, That was close. Two Water Monkeys were currently in the hospital.

Their companions had intended to take them out of the hospital. Given their usual methods, even injured companions would have been brought here, if only to hold flashlights and keep watch.

Fortunately, he had called the police in time.

By a strange twist of fate, that had saved his own life as well.

"And the reason I changed my mind about burying you with me was not because I pitied you. It was because I discovered another, more entertaining way."

"What way?"

At that moment, the wind became softer, like someone whispering temptingly into his ear.

"Would you like me to tell you the method he taught me?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. "You learned it and ended up like this. With such a ready example right in front of me, how could I possibly learn it?"

Seeing that the other party said nothing, Li Zhuiyuan added,

"You said you are about to fade away. Once I fill in the Fish Pond and plant it full of peach trees, whether I learn it or not, you won't know. And you won't be able to come up and find me anymore, right?"

"Heh heh. You will learn it, and after learning it, you will not be able to resist using it.

"When I 'saw' you lying on the roof and spying on us, I was certain of that."

Li Zhuiyuan fell silent.

"The thing is in the first drawer of the dressing table. Whether you take it or not is up to you."

After saying that, the man lay back down in the stone coffin.

A method for controlling Death Collapse...

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the dressing table and placed his hand on the handle of the first drawer.

The wind spoke again.

"Now, is there anything else you want to say?"

Li Zhuiyuan pursed his lips and said, "You really are a good judge of people."

"Heh heh heh... Exactly. How could dragging you here to be buried with me possibly be more entertaining than making you become neither human nor ghost like me someday?

"You could have just planted trees properly. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for looking too much like him.

"But I can no longer take revenge on him. I can only transfer that hatred onto you."

Creak...

Li Zhuiyuan opened the drawer. It was empty.

A huge wave of disappointment struck him at once.

"You were playing with me?"

"Have you forgotten where this is?

"This place has already been restored. Do you still need to dig it up again to retrieve the thing?

"I already placed it somewhere you would definitely see."

Li Zhuiyuan pushed the drawer shut, nodded, and said, "Thank you."

"No need. In the future, you will hate me, just as I hate him now.

"Once you learn this, every Death Collapse you control will enter your heart and twist and taint every emotion you have.

"One day,

"When you look into a mirror,

"You will find that the person in it is so unfamiliar."

Li Zhuiyuan: "..."

The wind vanished completely.

The chains around the stone coffin drew back once more, locking the coffin shut again.

The lights around them gradually went out as well.

Before Li Zhuiyuan could close his eyes, a wave-like sensation swept over him. He did not resist it, simply feeling himself float upward.

Then suddenly, daylight returned.

Li Zhuiyuan found himself standing in the room, afternoon sunlight streaming in and bringing a hint of warmth.

He saw Ding Dalin again, but Ding Dalin was very thin now.

He looked like a shirt, neatly folded on the floor.

Li Zhuiyuan bent down and picked up the "shirt."

There was no way he could just leave him lying there, after all.

Besides, although he had never weighed a sheet of adult Human Skin before, it still felt somewhat too heavy.

He pressed his hand over it and felt several hard lumps.

He searched all over but could not find an opening.

In the end, he could only take a deep breath and insert his hand through Ding Dalin's mouth, reaching all the way down until he grabbed something hard and cold.

He pulled it out and looked at it. It was gleaming gold—a large Gold Ingot.

This should have been the payment for leasing the land and planting the trees.

"You really are something."

A shout came from the open space downstairs.

"Little Yuan, Little Yuan!"

Holding Ding Dalin, Li Zhuiyuan walked to the balcony and looked down.

Run Sheng stood in the open space, waving a sheet of Human Skin in his hand. The skin had unfolded, and as he swung it around, Secretary Jin swayed gracefully through the air.

"You scared me to death, Little Yuan. Thank goodness you're alright. I was so worried you'd turn into this too."

"Where is Great Grandfather?"

"The old man pushed the cart back. What happened here?"

"It's fine now, Brother Run Sheng. Come up for a moment."

"Oh, alright!"

Run Sheng rushed upstairs so quickly that he did not even have time to put Secretary Jin away.

He must have snagged her on some corner of the wall. In any case, when Run Sheng appeared on the balcony, Secretary Jin in his hand had already split open.

"Little Yuan, you have a set here too. What should we do with these two Leather Coats?"

"Put them away for now. Tonight, throw them into the workroom furnace and burn them."

"Alright."

"Brother Run Sheng, bring the ladder."

"What for?"

"To get onto the roof."

"Right, I almost forgot. Our things are still up there." Run Sheng set up the ladder and climbed up first. When Li Zhuiyuan climbed after him, he turned back and reached down to give him a hand.

The Formation Flags and tools wrapped in two burlap sacks were still there. On the ground beside them lay Run Sheng's own man-tall Yellow River Shovel.

"Little Yuan, I'll carry them down."

"Brother Run Sheng, don't touch them yet."

"Oh, alright."

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the sack containing the tools, crouched down, and opened it. Inside, he saw an Ancient Book with a black cover.

This was the... method it had left for him.

He took the book out. There was no title on the cover.

It had never mentioned the word "book," only a method. So this was probably something like handwritten study notes.

Without hesitation, he flipped it open.

Then Li Zhuiyuan froze. The beautiful handwriting was too familiar.

He immediately flipped through several more pages in succession, finally confirming one fact.

Holding the book, he stood and looked down at the Fish Pond.

So,

Was the person who deceived you named...

Wei Zhengdao?