Imminent Death

Too hungry to sleep, Fang Huai simply continued probing the labels to see what they were for.

As long as he focused his attention on a person or object, its label would appear.

Living things usually had labels in one of four colors: gray, white, red, or black. A very few labels were colorless. Labels on inanimate objects were usually colorless.

The wall [teetered on the brink of collapse], the clothes [tattered and worn], the mosquitoes [lying dormant until spring], the withered grass [hiding a spark of life]...

The floor tile... [moldy flatbread underneath]?

An unexpected windfall?

Fang Huai pried up the floor tile and, sure enough, found a moldy piece of flatbread. He glanced at the beggar beside it, inwardly gloating:

You were the one laughing so happily yesterday. Let's see if you can still laugh when you wake up tomorrow.

After midnight, the remaining points in the light screen refreshed to 1.

To Fang Huai's surprise, his labels had changed:

[Fang Huai]

[Mortal]

[Exhausted and Worn (gray)]

[Covered in Chilblains (white)]

[Remaining Points: 1]

Looks like everyone has countless labels, and they refresh automatically after midnight each day. I just don't know how many points it takes to exchange for white, red, or black labels.

Fang Huai ate the moldy flatbread. His hunger eased considerably, and in high spirits, he checked the labels of the other beggars one by one.

[Wearing a Human Face, Hiding a Beast's Heart], [Irritable and Prone to Anger], [With Blood on Their Hands], [Afflicted with Venereal Disease], [Fond of Men]...

A chill ran down Fang Huai's spine. His sleepiness vanished, so he simply made his way into town to scout out the lay of the land.

Sishui Town was unusually somber today. White mourning cloth hung everywhere, and the streets were draped with white funeral banners.

Pei Family guards hurried to and fro, their faces tense.

Fang Huai crouched beside a steamed bun shop, listening to the passersby gossip:

"Have you heard? The Pei Family's second young master's been possessed!"

"How could I not? Pei Hu ate more than ten servants alive. His belly burst, and he died on the spot!"

"Shh, keep your voice down. Pei Family guards are coming..."

"..."

No wonder the labels had changed for no apparent reason last night. It was because Pei Hu had been eating like a man possessed.

As for why Pei Hu's death had changed Fang Huai's label to [Ravenous Hunger], it was probably thanks to the old beggar's half a steamed bun.

Lost in thought, Fang Huai failed to notice the Pei Family guards galloping toward him on their tall horses. One of them casually lashed him with a whip.

"Eyes in the back of your head, do you? Get out of the way!"

Fang Huai couldn't dodge in time. The whip landed squarely across his back, and he cursed inwardly: In this world, even a dog's running wild!

He glared furiously at the guards riding away, then suddenly froze. Limping, he followed after them.

Above the guard's head, a label had appeared: [Lose Money, Get Hurt].

[Lose Money, Get Hurt: Losing money to avert disaster isn't an absolute truth.]

Just as expected, before the guard had gone very far, his horse spooked for no reason and threw him to the ground. It trampled him a few times, and his money pouch went flying.

Good horse! Good stomping!

Quick as a flash, Fang Huai snatched up the money pouch and disappeared into the alleyways...

After stopping by a clinic and stuffing himself with food, Fang Huai saw that the sky had grown dark and made his way back to the ruined temple by moonlight.

His broken leg had been splinted. The physician said he'd come in time, and with some rest, his leg would recover.

The ruined temple rang with snores. The beggars slept sprawled together like a heap of fat pigs.

Fang Huai took out a white flour bun and held it above the old beggar's nose and mouth.

In his sleep, the old beggar caught the bun's scent. His head followed it from side to side of its own accord until he finally took a bite.

"Delicious. So delicious!"

The old beggar woke and wolfed it down. "Huai, where'd you get a white flour bun?"

"Don't make a fuss. I'm already full. I like you, so I saved you some."

Watching the old beggar eat with gusto, Fang Huai wondered if he should try refreshing his labels.

He focused his thoughts, and the old beggar's labels changed just as he'd expected. But what appeared made Fang Huai's heart lurch:

[Relishing Every Bite (gray)]

[Imminent Death]

Fang Huai couldn't sit still.

He'd already wondered why, despite avoiding being beaten to death by Pei Hu, his only physical conditions being hunger and cold, he'd been marked with Imminent Death.

Now the old beggar had also refreshed into an Imminent Death label. Some calamity was sure to befall the two of them.

As he pondered this, shouts came from outside the ruined temple.

The voices grew nearer, accompanied by heavy footsteps and the glow of crimson torches.

"Come with me!"

Sensing danger, the old beggar grabbed Fang Huai and hid behind the damaged Buddha statue. A hollow space there was large enough for the two of them.

"Bang!"

The temple doors were kicked open. Five or six men in black, armed with cleavers, barged in. Their leader shouted, "Stay where you are! I'm Pei Long. Everyone, get up and follow me at once!"

Pei Long?

The Pei Family's eldest young master?

Fang Huai's heart shuddered. Could these men really be here for him?

The beggars panicked. Most of them were petty thieves, and some even had several lives on their hands. Seeing the Pei Family's show of force, they scrambled to flee and hide.

Pei Long frowned slightly at the sight and grabbed a beggar who'd fallen beside him.

"Like a headless fly."

A flash of cold light, and the beggar's head hit the ground. Blood spurted in a fountain.

"Everyone, get on your knees! Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!"

Cowed by the bloodshed, the crowd wilted like eggplants struck by frost. The men in black herded them together.

"Anyone hiding, get out here! If you don't, I'll break your arms and legs!"

Pei Long's threat worked. A few beggars couldn't bear the pressure and emerged from their hiding places with their heads bowed.

After waiting a little longer and seeing no one else come out, Pei Long waved his hand. The men in black scattered to search.

Screams rang out all around!

Fang Huai bit down hard on his lip, not daring to breathe. He could only hope that this pack of plagues wouldn't discover his hiding place.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

The footsteps drew closer and closer. A hand, its veins bulging, reached behind the statue and dragged him out. "Hide, will you? Keep hiding!"

The man in black had meant to break Fang Huai's leg, but when he saw that Fang Huai was already limping, he spat and smashed the back of his hand against Fang Huai's back.

A sickly-sweet liquid surged up his throat, and Fang Huai spat out a mouthful of blood.

Pei Long was growing impatient. He shouted, "Ten taels of silver for anyone who reports a person in hiding!"

The offer worked. A few people who'd picked exceptionally cunning hiding spots were dragged out by their friends.

When at last everyone had left, the old beggar still hadn't been found. That eased Fang Huai's mind a little.

At least the old beggar had escaped his death calamity. Fang Huai hadn't given him away, repaying the kindness of that half a steamed bun.

Fang Huai and the others were marched to the village entrance, where a dense crowd of townsfolk had gathered. Everyone was uneasy, unsure why the Pei Family had made such a huge show of force.

Fang Huai had sharp eyes. At the edge of the crowd, he spotted the Pei Family head, Pei Qing, standing beside a man in a black robe, his head bowed and his face tense.

[Feng Wuwang]

[Fourth Level of Qi Refining]

[Sha Qi Infusion (white)]

[Ruthless (red)]

[Sha Qi Infusion: The body changes after being eroded by killing intent.]

[Ruthless: He looks cruel and violent—and he really is.]

Fourth Level of Qi Refining? A cultivator?

So this really was a world of immortal cultivation. With his ability to exchange labels, wouldn't he be able to run rampant across this world?

"Is that enough? My patience is limited," Feng Wuwang said.

Pei Qing trembled and replied in a low voice, "Some people live far away. They're still on their way."

"Anyone who hasn't arrived has no fate with the Corpse Sha Sect! We can't leave those people for the Mystic Sword Sect!"

Feng Wuwang snorted and slapped the Storage Bag at his waist. A pitch-black Soul Banner appeared in his hand.

The Soul Banner swept through the air. Hundreds of vengeful spirits shrieked as they rushed out of it, scattering to every corner of Sishui Town.

Moments later, the spirits returned, bearing hundreds of blood-soaked heads.

Among them were townsfolk who lived far away, Pei Family guards who hadn't returned in time, and... the old beggar...

Looking at the old beggar's face, full of fear and unwillingness, Fang Huai's heart sank to the bottom.

The label had come true. It really was [Imminent Death]!