Skinned Corpse

By the dim moonlight, Xia Lun looked toward the sound. His eyes narrowed slightly.

A human figure crawled out on all fours, head hanging low and body twitching like a beast.

It was a skinless, blood-soaked corpse. From face to foot, its skin was gone, leaving crimson tendons exposed. Several fat maggots writhed between its reddened muscles and pale fascia.

There really are Walking Corpses? Xia Lun thought.

The Skinned Corpse looked horrifying, but Xia Lun felt little. He had seen so many Undead in the last Scenario that he had become numb to them.

With a thought, he conjured the Short Sword Night Plume in his left hand, then slipped into the shadows with Stealth.

The situation was unclear, so using the thunderous Revolver was out of the question. If the place was full of Walking Corpses, a gunshot would be a dinner bell for the whole horde. Better to observe first, then deal with them using Cold Weapons.

The cold hilt settled into his hand. Xia Lun angled the blade so its reflection would not give away his position, then watched the enemy patiently.

The cartilage in the Skinned Corpse's nose had rotted away. Though humanoid, it crawled like a Hound, sniffing the ground over and over.

At the sight of that, Xia Lun felt a sudden sense of foreboding.

The Skinned Corpse paused. Then its neck snapped to the right, its head twisting a full ninety degrees like a wound spring, and stared straight at Xia Lun in the shadows!

"Ugh!" A muffled, raspy sound rose from its throat, almost a low bark.

His Stealth had failed.

Xia Lun was not discouraged. He tightened his grip on the sword and slowly stepped out of the shadows.

He still had no idea where he was or what role he played in this Scenario. But none of that mattered now. A fight was coming!

A strange thrill rose in him like an electric current that made him shiver. His heartbeat quickened, and his pupils began to dilate with excitement...

Then a cold, sharp rebuke cut his anticipation short. "Stop barking. He's over here!"

As the voice rang out, an eerie red light appeared in a dilapidated side room. A gaunt figure in a loose, plain black robe and a red wooden Nuo Mask strode toward them.

The Skinned Corpse whimpered, then lay flat on the ground like a family dog with a broken spine. Xia Lun frowned at the sight of a human-shaped creature behaving that way.

The strange masked man raised a bright red lantern and shone it toward Xia Lun in the shadows.

After a moment's thought, Xia Lun chose not to shoot him. Instead, he stepped out cooperatively.

He had learned his lesson from the last Scenario. This time, he would not be so aggressive. He would be friendly, put his talents as a Merchant to good use, help others with their problems, and communicate and cooperate rather than kill his way through.

Besides, he had only just entered the Scenario. He needed a source of information.

With that in mind, Xia Lun gave him a warm smile and spread his hands to show he meant no harm for now.

But the Nuo Mask wearer, who looked every bit a Cultist, did not seem to appreciate it. The first words out of his mouth were a harsh demand: "Where's Xuan Yan?"

As he spoke, another person in a Nuo Mask and several skinned Walking Corpses approached from the distant side rooms.

They clearly did not live in those rooms, but from what Xia Lun could tell, they had been here for some time. Perhaps they were searching for something—or someone.

Xia Lun quickly counted them, then looked away.

There were not many. Including the red-masked Cultist, there were only two Cultists and four Skinned Corpses. One round of rapid fire would kill them all.

Satisfied that the situation was still under control, he shook his head and answered honestly. "Sorry, I don't know who Xuan Yan is. I've only just arrived in Sorrow Hill City myself. Do you know where I can get a Yin Longevity Pill?"

"Just arrived?" The masked man laughed, then said with open mockery, "That lie's ridiculous."

"I wasn't joking..."

"Heh. Do I need to explain the basics to you? Everyone in Sorrow Hill City longs for a Yin Longevity Pill. It's where we begin and where we end. As the saying goes, 'Cast off the limbs, dismiss cleverness, leave form and shed skin, and become one with the Great Unity.' No one here pities someone who plays dumb."

The masked man's voice grew colder. He advanced slowly, his free left hand closing around a dagger.

"Fools with bad brains have only one fate here: becoming Human Material. Is that what you are?"

Xia Lun had no idea what the man was talking about, but he could hear the malice beneath his words.

He narrowed his eyes, ready to fire back. Then, drawing on his knowledge of classical texts from his previous life and the strange murmurs he had heard upon entering the game, an absurd but brilliant idea struck him.

After weighing it for a moment, he decided it might work and looked up at the masked Cultist.

"Hahaha! I see, I see! A pleasure to meet you!" Xia Lun's gloomy expression cleared at once. He laughed heartily and cupped his hands in greeting.

The masked Cultist froze, apparently baffled by the sudden turn. "A pleasure? What are you talking about?"

"We're both followers of the Way." Xia Lun raised an eyebrow and began spouting nonsense in a calm voice. "Hearing stops at the ears; the mind stops at signs. Qi, when empty, awaits all things. Fellow seeker, are we not on the same path?"

"What?" The masked Cultist hesitated, his movements stiffening. After a pause, he asked, "Are you also a follower of Master Man in the Flesh? Are you with the Mind Fasting Sect too? Are you... here to ambush Xuan Yan as well?"

Xia Lun did not answer. He gave the man a brief look.

That was a trap.

His years of dealing with people let him sense the man's intent. Smiling, Xia Lun shook his head as thoughts raced through his mind, searching for a reply.

Then he recalled the classical quotation the man had used. It sounded rather like "The Great Ancestral Teacher" from the Zhuangzi, which he had read in his previous life. He raised his right index finger and spoke with an air of devotion.

"No. I'm not with the Mind Fasting Sect, and I certainly don't know any Xuan Yan. I belong to the Way of Sitting and Forgetting."

"The Way of Sitting and Forgetting?"