Death Tribulation Has Arrived

Unable to sleep from hunger, Fang Huai decided to continue exploring the uses of the tags.

As long as he focused his attention on a person or object, a tag would appear for the other party.

Tags on living things were usually gray, white, red, or black, with a very rare few being colorless; on dead objects, they were typically colorless.

Wall [Crumbling], clothes [Ragged and Worn], mosquitoes [Hibernating, Awaiting Spring], withered grass [Hidden Vitality]...

Floor tile...[Moldy Cake Beneath]?

An unexpected find?

Fang Huai pried up the floor tile and sure enough, found a moldy flatbread. He glanced at the beggar beside the tile and felt a surge of satisfaction:

"Yesterday you were laughing the loudest. I wonder if you'll still be able to laugh when you wake up tomorrow morning."

After the hour of Zi passed, the remaining points in the light screen recovered to 1 point.

What surprised Fang Huai was that his own tag had changed:

[Fang Huai]

[Mortal]

[Exhausted and Weary (Gray)][Covered in Frostbite (White)]

[Remaining Points: 1]

"So it seems everyone has countless tags, and they automatically refresh after the Zi hour each day. I just don't know how many points it takes to exchange white, red, and black tags."

Fang Huai ate the moldy flatbread, his hunger greatly relieved, and his mood improved. He then checked the tags of the other beggars one by one.

[Beast in Human Skin], [Irritable and Prone to Rage], [Bearing a Life Debt], [Infected with Venereal Disease], [Tastes for Men]...

A wave of revulsion washed over him, and all drowsiness vanished. He decided to move to the town and gather some intelligence about this world.

Today, Sishui Town was unusually grim, draped in white mourning cloth, with the streets lined with funeral silks.

Many Pei Family guards hurried about, their faces tense.

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

"Did you hear? The Pei Family's second young master is possessed!"

"How could I not! That Pei Hu ate over a dozen servants alive, his stomach burst, and he died on the spot!"

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

"..."

No wonder the tags had changed inexplicably last night. It was because Pei Hu had been in a frenzy of eating.

As for why, after Pei Hu's death, Fang Huai's tag had changed to [Starving], it was probably thanks to the old beggar's half piece of cornbread.

Fang Huai was lost in thought and didn't notice the Pei Family guard galloping toward him on a tall horse. The guard casually lashed out with his whip:

"Blind fool, get out of the way!"

Fang Huai couldn't dodge in time and took the whip squarely on his back. He cursed inwardly: What a world, even the dogs are this arrogant!

He glared at the guard's retreating figure with burning anger, then suddenly froze. Limping, he followed.

Above the guard's head, a tag clearly appeared: [Loss of Wealth and Injury]

[Loss of Wealth and Injury: Spending money to avoid disaster is not an absolute truth]

Sure enough, before the guard had gone far, the horse inexplicably spooked, throwing him to the ground, trampling him a few times, and sending his money pouch flying.

Good horse! Good trampling!

Fang Huai was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He snatched up the money pouch and vanished into the alleys...

After a visit to the medical clinic and a hearty, gluttonous meal, Fang Huai saw that the sky had darkened and groped his way back to the ruined temple.

His broken leg had been set with wooden splints. The doctor said he had come in time, and with proper care, the leg could still heal.

The ruined temple was filled with thunderous snoring. The sleeping beggars were packed together like fattened pigs.

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

The old beggar, dreaming, caught the scent of the bun. His head unconsciously followed the bun as it moved back and forth, until he finally bit down on it:

"Fragrant, so fragrant!"

The old beggar woke up and wolfed it down: "Huai boy, where did you get a white-flour bun?"

"Don't make a sound. I've already eaten my fill. I took a liking to you, so I saved some for you."

Watching the old beggar eat with relish, Fang Huai thought to himself: Should I try the tag refresh function?

With a thought, the old beggar's tag indeed changed, but the content made Fang Huai's heart skip a beat:

[Savoring the Aftertaste (Gray)][Death's Calamity Has Arrived]

Fang Huai couldn't sit still.

He had been wondering before why, having already avoided Pei Hu's club, and with his body only suffering from hunger and cold, the tag would still mark him as nearing death.

Now the old beggar had also refreshed with the tag "Death Calamity Has Arrived," meaning disaster was bound to befall the two of them.

Just as he thought this, shouts came from outside the ruined temple.

The sound drew closer, accompanied by heavy footsteps and the glow of crimson torches.

"Come with me!"

Sensing danger, the old beggar pulled Fang Huai behind a damaged Buddha statue, where there was a hollow space large enough for the two of them to hide.

"Bang!"

The temple door was kicked open, and five or six black-clad men wielding chopping knives burst in. The leader shouted, "Everyone stay put! I am Pei Long. All of you, get up and follow me now!"

Pei Long?

The eldest young master of the Pei Family?

Fang Huai's heart pounded violently. Could these people be here for him?

The beggars panicked, scrambling to flee and hide. Most of them were petty thieves, and some even had multiple lives on their hands. Now, seeing the Pei Family's grand display, they were thrown into chaos.

Seeing this, Pei Long frowned slightly and casually grabbed a beggar who had stumbled beside him.

"A headless fly."

A cold gleam flashed, and the beggar's head hit the ground, blood spurting in a column.

"Kneel, all of you! Anyone who resists dies on the spot!"

Under the bloody intimidation, the crowd wilted like frostbitten eggplants, gathering together under the black-clad men's coercion.

"Those still hiding, crawl out now, or we'll break your limbs!"

Pei Long's words took effect. A few beggars, unable to bear the pressure, slunk out from the shadows with their heads drooping.

After waiting a moment longer and seeing no one else emerge, Pei Long waved his hand, and the black-clad men scattered to search.

Screams erupted everywhere!

Fang Huai bit his lip hard, not daring to breathe, only hoping these plague gods wouldn't discover his hiding spot.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

The footsteps grew closer. A hand bulging with veins reached behind the statue and dragged him out: "Hide, go on, keep hiding!"

The black-clad man intended to break Fang Huai's leg, but found it already crippled. He spat in disgust and slammed the flat of his blade against Fang Huai's back.

A sweet, metallic liquid surged into his throat, and Fang Huai coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Pei Long's patience wore thin. He shouted, "Ten silver taels to anyone who reports a hider!"

The words worked. Several people who had hidden in extremely clever spots were betrayed by their own friends.

By the time the group finally left, the old beggar hadn't been discovered. This brought Fang Huai some relief.

At least the old beggar's death calamity had been averted. He hadn't ratted him out, repaying the kindness of that half a steamed bun.

Fang Huai and the others were escorted to the village entrance, where a dense crowd of villagers stood, trembling with fear, unsure why the Pei Family was making such a grand show.

Fang Huai's sharp eyes caught sight of Pei Family head Pei Qing at the edge of the crowd, head bowed, face tense, standing beside a man in a black robe.

[Feng Wuwang]

[Qi Refining Layer 4]

[Sha Qi Infusion (White)] [Ruthless (Red)]

[Sha Qi Infusion: The body undergoes changes due to Sha Qi erosion]

[Ruthless: Appears cruel and violent, and indeed is so]

Qi Refining Layer 4? A cultivator?

So this was a world of immortal cultivation. With his ability to swap tags, he could dominate this realm!

"About time, no? My patience has limits," Feng Wuwang said.

Pei Qing's body trembled as he replied in a low voice, "Some people live far away; they're still on the road."

"Those who haven't arrived yet have no fate with the Corpse Sha Sect! Those people cannot be left for the Mystic Sword Sect!"

Feng Wuwang snorted coldly, slapped his Storage Bag, and a pitch-black Soul Banner appeared in his hand.

He waved the banner, and hundreds of vengeful spirits shrieked as they surged out, rushing toward every corner of Sishui Town.

In moments, the spirits returned, carrying hundreds of bloody heads in their mouths.

Among those heads were villagers from remote areas, Pei Family guards who hadn't made it back in time, and... the old beggar...

Staring at the old beggar's face, filled with unwillingness and terror, Fang Huai's heart sank to the bottom.

The tag had come true. Truly, [Death Calamity Has Arrived]!