Red Dancing Shoes

"Thump."

Another knock-like sound rang out.

Something was in the next room!

Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly swapped the rusted kitchen knife for a rusted short blade, and the wooden stick for a long spear.

He gripped his weapons and hurried out of the room with light steps. Moonlight lay like frost, and everything around him was silent.

Zhang Yuanqing bent low and crept toward the window.

The paper covering it had long since rotted away. He crouched beneath the window and cautiously raised his head, peering through a hole in one of the lattice panes.

The cold, frosty moonlight poured through holes in the roof, its beams bringing light to the narrow room.

The sight inside made Zhang Yuanqing's heart skip a beat.

Three old coffins stood in the dim, silent room. Their black paint was chipped, and dust covered their lids.

Two mummified corpses lay beside them, dressed in work clothes. A bronze awl had rolled to the hand of one of them.

The awl caught Zhang Yuanqing's attention. It was half an arm's length, cast from brass, with incantations and engravings on its handle. Its workmanship was exquisite. Most importantly, every other weapon was rusted, but this one was still a bright, gleaming yellow, with not a trace of verdigris.

An image appeared in his mind for no apparent reason: Lady of Three Paths Mountain's hand, fingers curled as if gripping something.

But her palm was empty.

"Thump."

The muffled sound came again, forcing Zhang Yuanqing to shift his gaze to the coffin in the middle.

A teeth-grating creak rang out as the coffin lid slowly slid open.

A blue-black hand reached out and grabbed the edge of the coffin.

Then a horrifying figure sat up inside.

In the pure moonlight shining through the holes in the roof, Zhang Yuanqing saw what it looked like. It was wrapped in tattered clothes, its face bloated and badly decomposed, its lifeless eyes bulging from their sockets.

Its hair stood atop its head like a tangled clump of dead grass.

"Ghh..."

It tilted its head toward the moonlight overhead and exhaled a breath of murky corpse qi. Two sharp fangs gleamed in plain sight.

A zombie? A zombie!

Zhang Yuanqing felt his Uncle Ying PTSD kicking in.

So it was a zombie. Yes, it had to be. Otherwise, what would be the point of the Zombie Suppressing Talisman, a consumable item? Zhang Yuanqing began to consider retreating. He had explored this far and learned enough.

It was time to return to the main hall.

But just then, a sudden weight pressed down on his shoulder. That familiar, icy chill descended, seeping into his body and raising goosebumps.

At this critical moment, the Shoulder-Perching Ghost had arrived.

Fifteen minutes were up. Zhang Yuanqing's heart sank.

In this ancient temple, full of danger, his mind was stretched taut. It was difficult to spare any attention to count the time, so he could only estimate by feel—and that left room for error.

The Shoulder-Perching Wraith's appearance was bad enough, but what happened next made things even worse.

As if it had caught the scent of the living, the zombie stopped tilting its head back. Its bulging eyes lowered and turned toward the window, toward the eyes peering in at it.

In the midst of a horror that sent goosebumps erupting all over his body, Zhang Yuanqing sprang up and spun around to run.

The moment he turned, he heard the coffin lid crash to the floor with a resounding clang.

He didn't dare look back. With the wraith on his shoulder, he ran heavily.

Another loud crash rang out as the door was smashed off its hinges.

As Zhang Yuanqing sprinted, he glanced back and saw the hideous figure, wrapped in tattered clothes, charge out of the room and leap after him like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey.

A zombie? What was so "stiff" about it? His face changed dramatically. He pivoted on one foot, using his momentum to turn around, and thrust his spear at the zombie's chest.

He planted the butt of the spear on the ground, forming a makeshift barrier.

At the same time, he saw a savage hole in the zombie's chest. Its heart seemed to have been ripped out.

Senior Brother? The zombie was the Senior Brother from the notes!

The next moment, the zombie charged into the spear. The shaft, an inch thick, bent like a full moon before snapping with a crack.

With no time to think, Zhang Yuanqing seized the opening created by the spear and rolled past the zombie's feet. The stench of corpses filled his nostrils, and behind him came the sound of a great saber striking the ground.

He rolled all the way behind the zombie, sprang up from his knees, and swung the short blade in his hand.

"Clang!"

The blade struck the back of the zombie's head. It was like hitting steel. Aside from cutting off a few strands of hair like dead grass, it did no damage.

Instead, the force that traveled back through the hilt left Zhang Yuanqing's thumb and forefinger aching, and he nearly lost his grip on the weapon.

"Skin like bronze and bones like iron?"

Zhang Yuanqing was horrified. Then he saw the zombie turn quickly and raise its hands, its fingernails black and sharp, to seize his shoulders.

Pain struck at once.

The sharp, black nails pierced his skin, and bright red blood stained his jacket.

The smell of blood roused it. A crimson glow rose in the depths of its bulging eyes. The zombie bared its fangs, exhaled a foul stench, and lunged to bite Zhang Yuanqing's neck.

The candlelight's purifying effect was still working, and fear hadn't robbed him of his reason. At a thought, his glowing blue Inventory appeared, and a talisman materialized in his hand.

Thump, thump, thump. The zombie, ferocious and violent just a moment ago, actually retreated again and again at the sight of the talisman, as if avoiding a venomous snake.

It works. It's afraid of me. It has some intelligence. Zhang Yuanqing endured the pain in his injured arms, tensed his muscles, and kept his eyes fixed on the zombie as he slowly retreated, the wraith on his shoulder.

As he backed away, he prayed that the female ghost in the well wouldn't show up and make trouble.

During this time, the zombie let out a ghastly growl from its rotting throat, its crimson gaze fixed on Zhang Yuanqing.

Fortunately, whether because of the zombie or because Zhang Yuanqing was walking backward, the Well Ghost did not appear. Zhang Yuanqing backed out of the East Courtyard and returned to the Siheyuan. He didn't dare stop for even a moment, and stumbled toward the main hall. As he neared its upturned eaves, a phantom, shrill scream rang in his ears.

The weight lifted from his shoulder, and all the negative effects vanished.

"Huff, huff..."

Inside the main hall, Zhang Yuanqing leaned against the lattice door, gasping nonstop. His legs wouldn't stop trembling.

Half of it was fear, and half was his body's reaction to the adrenaline wearing off.

After resting for a few minutes, his adrenaline ebbed and the wounds on his arms began to throb. Grimacing, he took off his jacket and T-shirt. Both arms were torn and bloody, and the blood flowing from them was dark red.

It was obvious that the zombie's fingernails were coated in poison.

The situation had suddenly taken a turn for the worse.

"There's no disinfectant here, no tetanus shot. How fast does corpse poison take effect? Am I going to die from it?"

A string of thoughts flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind. To his surprise, he wasn't all that afraid. Then he realized it had nothing to do with him. The candle was what gave him courage.

Basking in its light, his emotions gradually calmed.

"I've been poisoned by the corpse now. I can't afford to delay any longer. I'll go straight to the second plan."

Before entering the Spirit Realm, Zhang Yuanqing had come up with two plans. The first was to explore the Mountain God Temple cautiously, gather information, and then look for a way to break through.

It was the careful, steady approach.

Then, inspired by playing games with his aunt—find the rules, find the method—he came up with a second, more adventurous plan.

He would try to subdue the Red Dancing Shoes.

They were both items. He could use the Yellow Paper Talisman, so who said he couldn't use the Red Dancing Shoes?

Guan Ya had said that breaking the rules of rule-based items gave one a chance to subdue them.

"With my abilities, there's no way I could pin the Yellow Paper Talisman to the zombie's forehead on my own."

Pinning a talisman to the forehead of a vicious, terrifying Yin creature with intelligence was like a child challenging an adult to a duel with a knife. The adult might fear the blade, but that didn't mean the child could actually hurt him.

Zhang Yuanqing didn't waste any more time. He got up, leaning on the lattice door, stepped over the threshold, and went into the courtyard in front of the main hall.

This was where he had first encountered the Red Dancing Shoes.

The full moon hung like a plate. An old house, wild grass, and shadows swayed in the breeze.

He waited and waited. He stood among the wild grass for a long time, alert to any changes around him, but the Red Dancing Shoes never appeared.

The shoes didn't seem to have a fixed territory. At first, they had followed him into the temple. Then they had appeared in the Siheyuan. Now, who knew where they had gone?

Zhang Yuanqing, whose condition would only worsen the longer he waited, sighed and reluctantly turned around to return to the main hall.

He had just turned when his body suddenly froze.

"Tap, tap."

Between him and the main hall stood a pair of red dancing shoes, glowing with a dim crimson light. They rose and fell together as if someone invisible were wearing them and marching in place.

The footsteps echoed ominously through the empty, silent night.

Could you change the way you make your entrance? It's terrifying every time. Zhang Yuanqing's soul, nearly scared right out of him, slowly returned to his body. He quietly swallowed.

Although he had been hoping they would appear, facing these eerie shoes still made him feel his sanity slipping out of his control.

The Red Dancing Shoes continued marching in place, their heels tapping against the ground with a crisp sound. The echoes overlapped, making the scene seem even lonelier and more terrifying.

A glowing blue message suddenly appeared in Zhang Yuanqing's field of vision:

[Would you like to dance with me? If you do, please march in place.]

The message appeared beside the Red Dancing Shoes, as if they were speaking to him.

So it really wanted him to dance. It would kill anyone who refused. What a nasty pair of shoes. Zhang Yuanqing had no choice but to go all in, because he realized something: the Red Dancing Shoes had cut off his escape route.

They had appeared between him and the main hall.

If he failed the dance, he was dead.

Was it a coincidence, or had the shoes done it on purpose? Were they intelligent, too? Zhang Yuanqing cleared his mind and settled his emotions, picturing his father's face in his mind.

At the same time, he lifted his foot and began to march in place.

Tap, tap. It was as if his steps had activated the item. The Red Dancing Shoes changed their rhythm and launched into a rapid tap dance.

They danced a tap routine, full of energy and incredibly fast. The loud tapping echoed through the silent night and the abandoned ancient temple.

Beneath the moon, amid the wild grass, on the path paved with pebbles, a pair of red dancing shoes danced alone, their movements possessed of an indescribable, bewitching beauty.

Zhang Yuanqing widened his eyes, letting his pupils drink in the moonlight as he stared fixedly at the Red Dancing Shoes. He didn't need to memorize the routine deliberately. He only had to let their steps imprint themselves in his vision.

At the same time, his heart pounded like an overworked engine. Noisy static filled his ears, and countless fragmented images flashed through his mind.

His brain began automatically receiving information from the world around him: the wind, the way the wild grass bent slightly, the rhythm of the distant Chinese scholar tree's leaves swaying, and the Red Dancing Shoes' steps and tempo.

His brain rapidly analyzed and memorized the information.

A few minutes later, the Red Dancing Shoes stopped, satisfied, and stepped back with their left foot, rising onto their toes.

The pose looked strange, but if someone had been wearing them, it would have been a proper curtsy.

Quite polite. Blood flowed from Zhang Yuanqing's nostrils as he grumbled inwardly. Then he saw a line of text appear above the Red Dancing Shoes:

[Your turn!]

They had danced hundreds of different rhythms in those few minutes, with no two sets of steps alike. That was already beyond an ordinary person's ability to memorize on the spot.

Zhang Yuanqing steadied himself and took a small pill from his pocket, placing it in his mouth.

Then his brain slipped into a strange state, replaying the scenes from the past few minutes frame by frame.

"Tap, tap, tap, tap."

He danced a few steps at a slow pace, his movements clumsy, then cautiously studied the Red Dancing Shoes.

If their standard was perfect accuracy, then even if he remembered every rhythm and movement, he couldn't possibly complete the task.

When the shoes showed no sign of disapproval, Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief and began dancing with all his focus.

He tapped, spun, made small hops, and crossed his feet from side to side. He danced very slowly, his posture awkward and ugly. Compared to the Red Dancing Shoes' smooth movements, he was utterly pathetic.

But the slower pace would make sure he didn't make a mistake.

Seven or eight minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing had copied every step the Red Dancing Shoes had performed. He stopped, panting.

His nostrils were full of warm liquid, which ran over his lips and chin, but he had no time to wipe it away. He stared fixedly at the Red Dancing Shoes.

Could he make it out of the Spirit Realm alive? Could he complete the trial?

It all came down to this.

[Your dancing is as terrible as ever!]

The Red Dancing Shoes displayed this message, then turned into dim crimson light and vanished into the night.

Right afterward, a cold voice rang in Zhang Yuanqing's mind:

[Ding! You accompanied the Red Dancing Shoes in a dance. Congratulations! You have earned their favor. However, because your dancing is so poor, the Red Dancing Shoes will only favor you for half an hour. Good luck!]

Zhang Yuanqing collapsed limply to the ground, his face pale and his brain throbbing with pain.

Half a minute later, the symptoms eased. He sat up, still pale, and hurriedly opened his Inventory.

In the second slot lay a pair of brand-new red dancing shoes.

After gazing at them for a few seconds, the item information appeared automatically.

[Name: Red Dancing Shoes]

[Type: Footwear]

[Function: Tracking, Pursuit]

[Description: Their former owner was a princess of a kingdom somewhere in the West. The princess was naturally beautiful and skilled at dancing, and the kingdom's men were captivated by her. But her wicked stepmother, jealous of her talent and beauty, imprisoned her in a tower. The lonely princess danced alone in the cold moonlight and eventually died. These red dancing shoes inherited her legacy, began to wander, and have danced without end ever since.]

[Note One: Usage form one: Throw the Red Dancing Shoes at a designated target. You can also use the target's blood, hair, or other cells to lock on to them. The shoes will pursue the target without end. During the pursuit, they ignore all physical obstacles. They cannot be escaped or destroyed, and will pursue the target until they die or dance with the shoes. Any kind of dance will do.]

[Usage form two: Wearing the Red Dancing Shoes increases agility, improves evasion, and lets you run over any terrain without using stamina. You only need to remember one thing: you can wear them for only five minutes at a time. If you exceed that limit, the shoes will never come off, and you'll run with them forever, until your life ends or you cut off your feet.]

[Note Two: You won't dance with me? I'll kill every last one of you.]

What an incredible item. Zhang Yuanqing was thrilled after reading its description.

So this was a rule-based item?

It was absurdly powerful.

The descriptions for the Yellow Paper Talisman and the candle had been relatively simple, just a few short sentences. But the information for these Red Dancing Shoes went on and on.

That alone was enough to show how unique they were.

"Too bad they'll only favor me for half an hour..."

Zhang Yuanqing noticed the countdown beside the Inventory and felt a pang of regret.

If he could keep an incredible item like this, it would be tremendously useful, both in the real world and in any Spirit Realm he entered in the future.