Passing through that door felt like crossing the boundary between life and death.
The chilling, biting wind around them dissipated.
Instead, red lanterns hang high along the long street.
The bridal sedan chair stopped on the bluestone road.
As soon as Guo Shuai and his two companions stepped into the town, they were shocked by the scene before them.
"Holy crap... this place is like a sapphire crystal palace, isn't it?"
Guo Shuai rubbed his eyes, hardly believing his own judgment.
Compared to the environment of other areas on the Weird Island, the Soul Return Town is so bustling that it resembles an ancient tourist attraction.
The streets were lined with shops, bustling with people, and one could even faintly hear the sounds of string and wind instruments coming from the pavilions.
What surprised them even more was that the wedding procession in front of them had undergone a complete transformation.
The townspeople who had been pale-faced before now all looked like normal people with flesh and blood.
He was wiping away sweat and panting.
The rotting captain, dragging a half-boned, broken leg, transformed into a middle-aged man dressed in a red mandarin jacket, resembling a butler.
The wedding procession leader strode to the sedan chair, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and reported to Jiangnan inside the chair.
"Your Excellency, we have entered town."
"However, according to the rules, we need to rest here for a while and wait for the other two sedan chairs to join us..."
Only then can we go together to [Central Forest Garden] to meet Lord Phoenix Emperor.
"It will probably take a while. Please rest in the sedan chair while you wait."
The sedan curtain was lifted by a hand.
Jiangnan walked out and glanced around the bustling street.
Wait?
His time is very precious.
Letting him wait here is a waste of his life.
I'm going to take a look around.
Jiangnan spoke softly.
"This..."
The middle-aged housekeeper instinctively wanted to use the rules to stop it.
But under the influence of the [Divine Edict] reshaping his underlying memories, he immediately put on a fawning smile.
"Of course! You are a distinguished person, you can go wherever you wish!"
"When the other two sedan chairs arrive, I will immediately send a ghost messenger to inform you!"
Jiangnan Nan nodded and gave Guo Shuai and the others a look, signaling them to follow.
"M-Sir, come with me!"
Just then, a childish voice rang out beside me.
Everyone turned to look and saw that the rabbit-eared female zombie had shed her terrifying death aura after entering the Soul Return Town.
At this moment, she has transformed into a young girl with a pure and lovely appearance.
The fluffy rabbit ears on her head drooped limply.
She was holding Tang Sirui tightly in her hand; Tang Sirui had also regained her human appearance, but her eyes remained empty.
Jiangnan didn't react in any special way; he simply followed quietly behind Tu Xiaowu.
Guo Shuai and the other two quickly followed.
Soon, Tu Xiaowu led the four of them through the bustling streets.
We arrived at a shop with a sign that read "[Tu's Rabbit Meat]".
The aroma of meat filled the air inside the shop.
A middle-aged man with a buzz cut and a leather apron around his waist was holding a cleaver.
He was chopping spicy rabbit heads on a cutting board.
Hearing the noise at the door, the man with the buzz cut looked up and was stunned when he saw Tu Xiaowu.
He then dropped the cleaver he was holding.
He hastily wiped the oil off his hands on his apron and rushed out excitedly.
"Oh! Xiao Wu, you're finally back safe and sound!"
The middle-aged man grabbed Tu Xiaowu's shoulder, his gaze then falling on Tang Sirui, who stood there in a daze behind her.
"And this... Little Si Rui! Xiao Wu, you succeeded?!"
Tu Xiaowu's eyes were slightly red, but she gently shook her head.
"No, Father... his soul hasn't returned yet."
"Let's go inside and talk. I have a few friends with me."
As she spoke, she pointed to Jiangnan and the others behind her.
Only then did the crew-cut man notice these impressive outsiders from Jiangnan, and he quickly rubbed his hands together, greeting them warmly.
"Oh dear! I'm so sorry for the neglect! Please come in, everyone!"
The uncle led everyone to a private room on the second floor and diligently wiped the table with a rag.
"Please sit here and rest for a while."
"I'll go downstairs and cut some of the best rabbit meat, and get two jugs of fine wine to entertain you. I'll be right back!"
After the uncle came downstairs, Jiangnan leaned back in his wooden chair, his gaze falling on the slightly uneasy Tu Xiaowu.
"Speak."
Jiangnan's tone was flat.
Tu Xiaowu nodded, took a deep breath, and began to explain her relationship with Tang Sirui, as well as the secret of this Soul Return Town.
"Groom... you are from out of town, and may not know the details of Soul Return Town."
"I was born and raised here. My name is Tu Xiaowu, and I'm the young owner of this shop."
"This year... I'm three thousand three hundred and thirty-three years old."
"That was my father, Tu Xiaogang."
"Pfft! Cough cough cough!"
Guo Shuai, who was just picking up his teacup to drink water, choked and coughed repeatedly when he heard the number.
"How... how much?!"
Circle sat on Guo Shuai's lap and stretched out her little hands.
He tried to count on his fingers how much three thousand was, but after counting twice, he clutched his head in anguish.
"Ugh! There's so much! Circle's head hurts!"
Han Fei's eyes widened, unable to resist the urge to complain.
"A woman three years older than her husband is a golden brick in the making."
"A woman thirty years older is destined to rule the world."
"A woman three hundred years older can refine elixirs of immortality."
"A woman three thousand years older will be among the immortals!"
"Tang Sirui is so lucky! She's hooked up with a living fossil!"
Even the usually calm and arrogant Jiangnan paused slightly when he heard this number.
Over three thousand three hundred years old.
At this age, he's almost reached the number of words he's written in his "Word Spirit".
However, in his previous life he was Dragon God, and he lived for an even longer period of time.
In the eyes of the gods, this little girl who is over three thousand years old is...
In his eyes, she was nothing more than a little girl.
Jiangnan composed herself, slightly raising her chin to signal her to continue.
Tu Xiaowu ignored their shock, her eyes turning sorrowful.
"Back then..."
"This is just an ordinary small town, where people live peacefully and contentedly, leading Ordinary Sequence lives..."
"Until one day, a sudden change occurred in [Dragon Xia Imperial City]."
"The vast majority of people have been corrupted and turned into cannibalistic monsters..."
"War has engulfed the entire land."
"Just when that disaster was about to engulf Soul Return Town and devour us all, Phoenix Emperor appeared."
"She protected us with her immense power..."
"She saved Soul Return Town from war, and she changed the rules here..."
"Granted [immortality] to everyone in the town."
"Eternal life?!"
Guo Shuai's eyes widened suddenly. "Does it mean I'll never die?"
Tu Xiaowu nodded. "That's right."
"In this town's rules, even the dead who have been killed..."
"As long as you bury him in the cemetery outside the town and pay a certain amount of silver, there is still a chance of him being resurrected."
"But..."
Han Fei noticed the flaw and turned to look at Tang Sirui, who was like a walking corpse beside her.
"Phoenix Emperor gave was only a physical resurrection, right?"
After hearing this, Tu Xiaowu sadly lowered her eyes and nodded.
"Yes... the vast majority of the townspeople you see outside..."
"They're all just walking corpses with the appearance of living people."
"But..."
Circle raised her little hand and asked in confusion.
Why are those middle-aged men and women outside different from this blue-haired guy?
"They seem more human; they can even talk and do business!"
Tu Xiaowu gave a wry smile and explained.
"This all started with the [jobs] that Phoenix Emperor assigned to the townspeople."
"Everyone in Soul Return Town must Job Assignment Office and choose a profession that will stay with them for life."
"And then, for the rest of their lives, they must fulfill the responsibilities of this profession..."
Even if you are just a soulless body.
"The power of rules compels the body to perform tasks, and over time, they begin to appear as if they were living people."
"And my profession... is the young owner of this shop."
"I've been the young master here for over three thousand years..."
"Day after day, year after year, I don't even know if I've gotten used to this kind of life, or if I've become numb to it."
At this point, Tu Xiaowu grasped Tang Sirui's cold hand.
"Until a few days ago..."
"My husband, Tang Sirui, has come to Soul Return Town."
"Because Phoenix Emperor is about to hold a contest to find a husband, she hasn't forgotten us old townspeople, hoping for good luck."
"Therefore, the Job Assignment Office added corresponding occupations for each couple."
"As it turned out, when Tang Sirui drew lots, he actually drew [Tu Xiaowu's husband]..."
That is, my husband.
Upon hearing this outrageous allocation, Guo Shuai and Han Fei exchanged bewildered glances.
Tu Xiaowu's lips curled up slightly.
"He's a really interesting person."
"Although it was a forced marriage, he spent the whole day trying to make me laugh and telling me about the outside world."
"That day was the first time in my three thousand years that I felt like I was living like a truly ordinary person."
However, her smile was quickly replaced by sadness.
"But on their wedding night..."
Tu Xiaowu's voice trembled with tears, which fell onto the wooden table.
"As the bride, I waited in the bridal chamber all night, but he never came."
"So I went to find him, and there I found..."
"There was only one body left in the back alley."
His mouth was torn open and sewn back on...
"His head was also severed by a sharp weapon, but then reattached..."
Guo Shuai slammed his fist on the table in anger. "Who did this?! So cruel!"
"It was done by a blindfolded, white-haired old man!"
Tu Xiaowu said through gritted teeth, "His companion even impersonated Tang Sirui, trying to replace him!"
"Just as they were preparing to flee the scene with my husband's body, thankfully my father arrived in time with the ghost messengers."
"We fought them off with our lives and managed to retrieve Si Rui's body."
Seeing Tu Xiaowu crying, Guo Shuai and the other two showed sad expressions and gently comforted her.
"My dear sister, please accept my condolences."
Jiangnan, meanwhile, was toying with the teacup in her hand.
What happened next?
He pressed on casually.
Tu Xiaowu wiped away her tears.
"After that... I buried the body in the cemetery outside town."
"Returning to town to raise money and waiting for the night the spirit returns."
"As long as enough silver is paid by midnight, the person can be resurrected."
"But the two murderers have been lurking in the town."
"They know my intentions and are secretly hindering my departure from the city every day."
At this point, Tu Xiaowu raised her head. "Until tonight..."
"I wonder if it's a blessing in disguise."
"Those two seem to be preoccupied with their enemies and have no time to pay attention to me!"
"That's when I found an opportunity, and I bribed the wedding procession with a large sum of money to sign up as a sedan chair bearer."
"Si Rui has been successfully revived."
"After that... I met you, sirs, at the Confucian Scholar Dojo."
After hearing these words, Jiangnan's lips curled into a smile.
It seems that Soul Return Town is not just home to them, but a melting pot of various forces.