The First Murder

The First Murder

Why did he feel hot?

Mr. Wang looked down and saw a Copper Coin Sword tucked into Wu Xian's lower back.

The Copper Coin Sword gave off a yellow glow. Its scorching heat seared his pale flesh, but his frozen flesh and blood had long since gone numb, so he hadn't noticed until Wu Xian pointed it out.

"Ah!"

Mr. Wang let out a scream, quickly released Wu Xian, and stumbled back.

That instinctive movement allowed Wu Xian to move again.

"Heh heh, I can worship the god again. Should I eat a peach first this time... No, never mind. This longevity peach will be more useful later."

He took a bite of the pig intestines and found they tasted pretty good. They'd been cleaned thoroughly, with none of their original flavor left, so he picked out a piece with plenty of fat and started eating in earnest.

"We found a few survivors willing to talk. After speaking with them, I figured out why this world had become like this."

Time flowed strangely in the blessed land. Daytime was shorter than nighttime!

"Anything that's killed someone is a murder weapon. Things contaminated by filth, such as feces and urine, Black Dog Blood, or menstrual blood, are vile weapons."

He hurried out of the building entrance and looked up. The sky was a dull gray, and a thin mist hung in the air. The sun was faintly visible, hanging just west of the center of the sky.

As they ate, Wen Chao and Fang Zhi also talked about what they'd discovered during their explorations.

The evil spirit that had cursed Wu Xian and radiated icy cold, yet survived a fall from the Ninth Floor, had simply died by Wu Xian's sword.

But when Qi Zhiyong lifted the lid of the lunchbox, his expression immediately froze. Inside was a lunchbox packed full of rice topped with pig intestines!

The men were more or less all right, but the three women looked utterly disgusted. If they'd had any other choice, they probably wouldn't have eaten this stuff in their lives.

This joss stick was a little thicker and longer than the previous one. Perhaps that meant Mr. Wang was considerably stronger than his wife.

Everyone burst into laughter, with Wu Xian laughing the loudest.

But based on Wu Xian's sense of time, no more than three hours had passed since daybreak.

Shi Ji brought the Iron Bucket wrapped in a quilt from behind him and opened it. Inside were steaming-hot metal lunchboxes.

The Short Sword woven from copper coins and red thread could barely cut tofu, but it pierced Mr. Wang's body effortlessly, like a hot knife through lard. A sizzling sound rang out, along with the stench of burning flesh.

Mr. Wang stared at his chest in terror. The two wounds glowed red, and his flesh and blood melted like ice exposed to intense heat, gradually turning into an indescribable puddle of filth.

He had organized this gathering to exchange intelligence and consolidate information.

"Don't answer her. Don't look at her!"

He immediately took Lu Yuzhu's phone out to check, only to find that it was already one in the afternoon, and the minutes were ticking by much faster than before.

He flashed a sinister grin, turned around, and drew the Copper Coin Sword. Then he stabbed Mr. Wang twice in the chest as the man stood there in a panic!

Qi Zhiyong's expression shifted. Everything here had been collected today. He distributed weapons according to their value, while Shi Ji's food was for everyone. Compared side by side, it made him look stingy.

When they could finally open the building entrance, he looked back and saw that the disgusting puddle had evaporated, leaving a white joss stick on the ground.

A Wandering Wraith was like an adult holding a gun, while the chosen were children with guns. Though their strength differed, the bullets they fired were equally deadly.

Wu Xian didn't waste any time. He quickly pressed the Copper Coin Sword, now down to eight sections of blade, against the lock, using its residual heat to melt the ice clogging the keyhole.

Wen Chao asked curiously, "Are you sure these things work against evil spirits?"

In this kind of environment, someone who could cook and was willing to do so was far more valuable than anyone might imagine.

Shi Ji hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, everyone gets a share of my food."

"As for Magic Treasures... heh, you'll understand when you see one. These things of mine might not work against evil spirits, but even if they only buy us a little time, that could save our lives."

"But weapons from the outside can't be brought into the blessed land. We can only rely on things we find here to defend ourselves. Normally, Magic Treasures are the best against evil spirits, murder weapons come next, then vile weapons. If we don't have any of those, iron tools can work in a pinch."

Wen Chao was about to speak, but Qi Zhiyong knew what he was going to ask.

Everyone had gone out to search for supplies today, and they'd all found a little food, more or less. But that was nothing compared to a piping-hot meal.

Wu Xian turned to head upstairs. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something outside the door, and his expression suddenly changed.

"Don't. Wait, we can talk this over..."

But when he looked at Shi Ji cheerfully handing out the food, he couldn't bring himself to blame him. Instead, he turned his resentment toward Fang Zhi and the laughing Wu Xian.

The evil spirit had bought it.

Wu Xian laughed. This thing really did suit Shi Ji.

He spread open the Woven Bag to show everyone what was inside, then quickly closed it again. "These are the weapons I collected today. But they weren't easy to find, so whether I hand them out depends on how much value each of you can offer the group."

"We tried to leave the hostel. After walking a short distance, we were blocked by an invisible barrier. After testing in several directions, I confirmed that our range of movement is limited to the four residential estates surrounding Ping'an Hostel."

Qi Zhiyong helplessly spread his hands.

But their options were limited. Even if everyone hated eating pig intestines, it was their only choice.

That meant it was already afternoon!

Shi Ji said sheepishly, "The markets here have all shut down, so there isn't much fresh food. I finally managed to find a whole freezer of frozen pig intestines..."

"So, please show us what you're worth."

"It all began with a murder."

Fang Zhi's door had been marked, and the evil spirit had its eye on Wu Xian, too. Neither of them would last long, so for now, they might as well enjoy a piping-hot dinner.

Qi Zhiyong tossed Shi Ji a Steel Pipe. "This is the hostel's Mop Handle. I noticed they've been washing the mop in the urinals here for years. After all that time, this Mop Handle counts as a vile weapon."

"I'm a coward too, and I didn't manage to get any useful information. But everyone's been busy for so long, so you must all be hungry. These are the only ingredients I could find. I made do and cooked everyone dinner."

Qi Zhiyong sat at the head of the table.

But he knew what was more important, so he paused and continued.

"According to the police investigation, he gouged out his own eyes. The line of bloodstained characters on the wall was his final message, written with his finger."

"The murder happened in Huade Mingmen Estate to the north. A single man was found dead in his home, his eyes gouged out. A line of bloodstained characters was written on the wall."

It seemed that Wandering Wraiths and humans wielding Magic Treasures and talismans were actually evenly matched. Victory depended on whose methods struck first.

In Wen Chao's eyes, the barrier was incredibly mysterious and had enormous research value. Studying it might lead to groundbreaking scientific discoveries.

The atmosphere turned strange.

Even so, Wu Xian was still surprised that the evil spirit had died so easily.

"It's time to head back."

But he had no need to take revenge.

Fang Zhi asked sarcastically, "Do we have to contribute to the group to eat this food, too?"

"Who knows?"

The first floor of Ping'an Hostel had no guest rooms, only a spacious lobby. Nine chairs stood in the room, and all nine people who had gone out that morning to search for information and supplies were seated around them.

"After this murder, another seven people were killed within just three days. All the victims had their eyes gouged out and bled to death."

"And at midnight, residents of the four surrounding estates all heard the faint sound of clapping..."