"How do you want to choose?" Ji Heng asked him after giving his analogy.
Su Er avoided eye contact as much as possible. "I'll go with your call." qFEsQY
Wei Jun had already recovered from the pain of the comparison and started discussing the matter itself. "It's a death trap, but fortune often comes with risk."
In this game, getting something always comes with a price. Things voluntarily given by ghosts often bring great benefits to players—but can also be deadly.
Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.
Su Er understood what he meant and pressed his lips together without replying. Because of their former schoolmate bond, he was more willing to believe that Zhu Yun had something she wanted to give him. But bound by the game's rules, she could only offer it in the form of a lethal condition.
It might be a foolish interpretation, but it brought him some comfort. Z0hdQg
Ji Heng noticed the longing in Su Er's eyes and made the final decision: "Then let's go take a look."
At the crack of dawn, the three of them set off together.
According to Su Er's plan, they were trying to rush it—if luck was on their side, maybe he could get the treasure and catch the Divine Seer's last train out.
Wei Jun chuckled when he heard this. "Good thing it's me and Ji Heng going with you."
HxVU7u
Otherwise, with that kind of attitude, even if the ghosts didn't kill him, some frustrated player might beat him half to death.
Su Er smiled slightly and suddenly looked up at the gray sky. The moon hadn't fully disappeared yet, as if it were making one last struggle before sunrise. He couldn't help but say, "Cao Ledao and that other player's death deadline is coming up. Wonder if they can survive it."
"Chances are slim," Wei Jun said truthfully. "Unless they take the initiative and actively search for clues, there's barely a sliver of hope."
In his view, of the remaining players, only Song Jiayue might be capable of doing that. 5kczYV
Su Er didn't say more. In this game, you help when you can, but most of the time, your life depends on yourself.
Wei Jun stopped walking. "I think I understand why Ji Heng chose you to enter Grave Return."
Su Er raised an eyebrow.
Wei Jun pointed ahead at the ghost house they were approaching and said softly, "Because you knowingly walk into danger." 2MbyZT
Ji Heng, walking in the lead, didn't deny it. He knocked symbolically on the door before pushing it open.
The house was still desolate and overgrown with weeds.
Su Er was kind of hoping to run into another ghostly maze trap—that way, once they found the well, he'd have a good excuse to investigate.
Unfortunately, Tianyi Gua didn't give him the chance. The old man was seated at a stone table, brewing corpse fluid. When he saw that the snake behind them hadn't grown much, his eyes narrowed in displeasure. When his gaze landed on Su Er, the discontent nearly peaked. 18Dv 7
"What did you do to the snake?"
Scales were damaged, sure—but now those cold snake eyes were completely dull.
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Su Er turned to look and was startled by the snake's pitiful state himself. Steadying himself, he firmly said, "It's faking. Just performing to get sympathy."
Thinking it over, he really hadn't done much to the flower snake—just had the child squeeze it a bit, shocked it once or twice, and hardly ever fed it blood. Compared to how many times the flower snake had tried to kill someone, Su Er figured he was practically returning violence with kindness. 3gJ7pB
Of course, Tianyi Gua didn't buy that reasoning.
"You don't deserve to have it."
The old man waved his hand, and the flower snake slithered back to him like it had finally been freed.
"Oh-ho," Wei Jun looked at Su Er. "Looks like the last threat to your life is gone too." r92l0h
Su Er looked up at the sky. "Today's a good day."
Whether or not his fate changed didn't really matter. Back then, he only chose the flower snake to dig up potential information and find a way out of the instance. Now that he knew the snake might devour people and even take their place to survive, keeping it around was just asking for trouble.
"..."
The moment the snake returned, the old man calmed down. After drinking the freshly brewed corpse fluid, he actually looked like he was in a good mood. rh3 d1
Su Er shamelessly moved closer. "Let me help you refill it."
The old man gave him a deep look. He'd seen shameless people before, but none this familiar while being shameless.
Su Er tentatively reached for the little teapot. When the old man didn't stop him, he began retreating slowly, step by step. When the old man suddenly coughed, within a few breaths, Su Er had moved several meters back.
Running backwards so steadily and quickly! ye6 qM
Wei Jun said what everyone was thinking, his expression complicated: "A natural-born player, no doubt."
We're sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we're going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Pretending not to notice their stares, Su Er approached the well. He stuck out half his head, peering at the murky water for a long time. The corpse of the flower snake that had been thrown in that day still floated on the surface. Strangely, no maggots had formed.
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Zk Ob rJSQEISN HIvSQwIH EaI 'BQwH JYYIb.'
Chrysanthemum Garden.
qDTSYR xIFJ T ysFJ-xTFzyDz Umssj, jSsYTYyR MxTr rxD syz OTF IUDz rs yTzyD sIr rxD msSjUD ayIfz.
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TaI JSH hGw YQwGSSN vJkSHw'E EGBI QE GwNhJbI GwH twGrrIH, "ZEJr EaGE!"
Su Er looked up and saw the disgust in the old man's eyes, a bit puzzled.
"Scoop along the top layer," the old man actually seemed a little nauseated, too.
Su Er was momentarily stunned, but the white fox rushed over to stop him from continuing his suicidal behavior. "He's half-human, half-ghost. He drinks that stuff to prolong his life." rOPwUY
That so-called refined brewing process, sipping from teaware — it was really just a form of self-deception.
Su Er couldn't understand why a ghost couldn't just be a proper ghost. Back when Gou Baopu and the gardener saw him make meatballs out of monster flesh, they'd reacted the same way — even though ghosts shouldn't be squeamish about such things.
Still unwilling to give up, Su Er made one final scoop. His arm stiffened slightly in midair — he felt the spoon brush against something soft before it slipped away.
"So that's what you came for," the old man's gaze shifted, and he walked right over. 1V3uaP
This time Su Er didn't retreat, but deliberately moved to the other side to keep a safe distance.
The old man rolled up his sleeve and reached into the thick corpse fluid to rummage around. Finally, with his lips pressed into a tight line, he yanked something out — a full fist-sized eyeball appeared in his hand.
This was Tianyi Gua's territory. Unless they killed him, there was no way to steal it unnoticed. Su Er saw the strange eyeball being retrieved and didn't react much, waiting for the old man to state his terms.
Unexpectedly, the old man directly held the eyeball out to him. ASVIcx
Su Er didn't know whether to take it or not.
"I was entrusted to safeguard this thing, with the promise to pass it to a fated person."
Facing the old man's nasty smile, Su Er asked, "How do you define 'fated person'?"
"According to her, someone I'd want to skin alive and slaughter ten thousand times over wouldn't be enough." lpVc4Z
"..."
Su Er cautiously extended the long-handled spoon. "Would you mind putting it in here for me?"
Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.
The old man's eyelid twitched. How could someone be this terrified of dying?
Just then, Ji Heng — who had tacitly allowed Su Er to act up until now — suddenly surged forward like lightning, dragging Su Er back a few steps. Almost at the same moment, the eyeball jumped out of the spoon, bouncing up and down in the air, repeatedly lunging at Su Er. g7Or5V
Even the old man looked a little surprised at this turn of events.
The eyeball seemed locked onto Su Er. Even with Ji Heng in front of him, it looped around in a sneak attack from behind.
Ji Heng punched it — the eyeball trembled, but didn't show much reaction.
Su Er had seen Ji Heng punch ghosts to death. Was this eyeball tougher than ghosts? kvhB J
"Spatial," Ji Heng said grimly.
When one's strength exceeded a threshold, they could slightly distort space to damage ghosts. But this eyeball could clearly escape by manipulating space. If that was the case…
Ji Heng shoved Su Er away — but too late. The eyeball, though still a meter away a second ago, suddenly appeared right in front of him and merged directly into Su Er's forehead.
"Two eyeballs?" Su Er froze. Uvq1LQ
Ji Heng frowned. "That was its real body. What we saw before was likely just its afterimage from spatial evasion."
Su Er didn't fully understand. All he knew was that he now had an extra eye in his body. He touched his forehead, trembling. "Don't tell me… I've become Erlang Shen?"
Ji Heng didn't respond. He poured out some ashes from a small bottle. Su Er didn't know what they were, but judging by Wei Jun's heartache and envy as he stared at them, they were obviously priceless.
"Eat it," Ji Heng said. y9tYVJ
It was just ash, so Su Er could accept that. He swallowed it obediently.
Ji Heng asked, "Any burning sensation?"
Su Er shook his head. "Just bitter."
"Good." pkdimV
Seeing Su Er's confused expression, Wei Jun explained, "That means the monster didn't parasitize you."
The old man seemed very interested in the eyeball that had fused with Su Er, but due to the blood oath he'd made, he couldn't dissect him to study it.
Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.
"You've got what you came for, now get lost."
Su Er had many questions tangled in his heart. On one hand, it wasn't convenient to ask with others present. On the other hand, any answers from Tianyi Gua might be misleading. It was better not to pry. So he just nodded at Ji Heng, signaling he wanted to leave. 2NRipv
Just as he stepped across the threshold, a sharp pain exploded in his head, like something had detonated inside. Su Er clutched his head and slumped against the wall.
Once the pain subsided a little, he looked down and saw his spiritual power had dropped significantly.
Ji Heng didn't help him up immediately, letting him rest for a while before asking, "What did you see?"
"I saw…" Su Er's fingers curled, leaving scratch marks on the ground. His face was deathly pale. "The street… is full of snakes." 8DEQnv
The same kind of snakes that had appeared in their room last night — human-faced, snake-bodied — only now they were transparent and clinging to human shells.
Wei Jun, closest to the door, looked outside. This was a remote place with few passersby. Everyone looked normal.
Ji Heng thought for a moment. "It's probably related to the eyeball. It must have a special function, like a charm value."
Unfortunately, the two had just merged, and Su Er couldn't control it at will. n3uxjU
Wei Jun's expression darkened. "That's troublesome. We can't have him walking around with his eyes closed all the time."
Su Er gave a bitter smile. "Even with my eyes closed, I can still see. It's a strange feeling."
He pushed himself off the ground and looked toward the old man in the distance. "What did you do to the people of Tianji City?"
There was also a sting in his head when facing the elder of Tianyi Gua, but it wasn't very strong. The old man's state seemed different from the snake people outside… Su Er touched his forehead—the thing that had merged into his body seemed to help him see the essence of things. sTYdDX
The old man, however, was sighing. "That eyeball really is something."
If he'd known, he wouldn't have sworn a blood oath. He should've found a way to keep it for himself.
"Didn't you already see it…" The old man sighed with regret, his tone lofty and superior. "I granted most people longer lifespans."
Su Er thought of the scenes on the street when they arrived—people haggling, shouting for business. No monster could act so convincingly… unless they didn't know they had become monsters. 5d3tmb
The white fox nearly fainted from hearing this. Weren't there many masters in Tianji City? How could they all have become ghost creatures? More importantly, she hadn't even noticed anything strange.
Su Er looked at him. "Why?"
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The old man said calmly, "Like that jade pendant you brought with you… even though I gave something for protection, that child still died at twenty."
As the one at fault, the white fox didn't dare make a sound. KF9rVD
"Evil spirits and demons can live hundreds, even thousands of years, yet humans only have a few short decades." The old man's tone wasn't harsh—it was calm. "And yet, humans are clearly supposed to be the leaders of all creatures."
Using his past reputation to gain trust, and gradually altering the people here—it had been far too easy. He'd succeeded, and he didn't regret it.
"These people still retain their original consciousness. They think they're normal. It's just that sometimes at night they lose control—it's not a big deal."
Unfortunately, his research wasn't perfect. In this state, they could live no longer than seventy years. pOoZPy
Su Er had no intention of arguing with a madman. What he was thinking about was how to get out of here.
There were more people in the market ahead, and this eye hidden in his body was automatically observing everything—it would drain his Spiritual Power sooner or later. Inside the house, there was only Tianyi Gua; the flower snake was his main body and barely had any influence.
Seeing Su Er's intentions, the old man smirked maliciously. "You can stay here, but only you alone."
Then he turned to Wei Jun and Ji Heng. "If you're still here when I finish this cup of tea, I'll kick him out." jBmS5X
Staying was dangerous—but going outside was even worse.
Even if they hid, who knew what would come out on the streets at night?
Between two dangers, Su Er chose the lesser. He whispered, "I'll stay."
Ji Heng handed him the bottle that had held the ashes. "Gain control over the eye inside you as soon as possible." CX7KYA
Su Er nodded.
Not long after, only the old man and Su Er remained in the house.
"If you're staying, you'll have to work." The old man's malice toward Su Er was blatant. "Come with me."
Every time Su Er came, his movement was restricted to the outer courtyard. This was his first time entering the inner courtyard. 5TimkZ
The main hall was empty. The old man lifted a few green bricks and revealed a small iron door beneath. Below it was a hidden cellar. They walked down a long stone staircase— amp, cold air and a bloody stench surrounded them.
As torches were lit on both sides, everything inside became clear.
Chrysanthemum Garden.
The stone walls were carved with many divine figures: Nüwa, Fuxi, and others whose names were unfamiliar. All had human faces and snake bodies. Etched into this place, they lacked solemnity and instead gave off an eerie vibe.
At the front was an old man's corpse frozen in ice. There were no signs of decay—it must have died recently. From the neck down, the skin had transformed into snake scales. At first glance, it looked like a densely packed net. W1GMsP
The old man handed Su Er a knife. "Extract the snake eggs from his body and soak them in corpse fluid. As for the internal organs—separate them and store each in a different jar."
After giving the instructions, the old man turned and headed upstairs. "If you haven't delivered the results by moonrise…"
He didn't finish the sentence, replacing it with a cold chuckle before reminding him—
"Remember, there are at least a hundred snake eggs—even in the brain. Don't miss a single one." CnbcIa
Su Er was sure this guy was doing it just to disgust and punish him.
Sharing a cellar with a corpse was not a pleasant experience. There were many small jars on the shelves, labeled and filled with liquids of varying colors.
There were also vats at the bottom. Su Er could barely make out some of the contents—pig hearts, what looked like duck intestines, and rat tails.
He took a deep breath and walked up to the corpse. JgHeq3
The shriveled belly of the deceased seemed to be wriggling, as if something inside would burst out at any moment. Su Er guessed it was the snake eggs—if they hatched, he'd be dead for sure.
Thankfully, Tianyi Gua hadn't said the eggs needed to be alive. That gave him a loophole.
For safety's sake, the best course was to kill the eggs first.
Su Er didn't hesitate—he poured all kinds of strange liquids down the corpse's throat, and for good measure, added the ashes Ji Heng had left behind. UpdN4S
...
As night gradually fell, the old man leaned against a tree, staring at the pitch-black sky. He stretched out his bony hand. "A hundred years is too short. I'm not willing…"
Finally, the moon came out.
Tianyi Gua's personality had drastically changed in recent years. He was obsessed with surviving—he even wanted everyone to live long lives. But sometimes, he couldn't control his urge to kill. Murder gave him a sense of pleasure. wiCe1E
Smiling, he stood up and walked in a certain direction.
Su Er was sitting on the little iron door of the cellar, unmoving. When he saw the old man approach, his eyes flickered, and he took a slight step back.
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The old man chuckled. "Failed? Looks like I'll have to ask you to leave."
Tianji City wasn't safe at night. Any human who went outside would surely die. ClujgU
He stepped closer and closer, eager to witness Su Er being torn apart.
"You said earlier that humans should live hundreds of years—I disagree," Su Er didn't beg for mercy. Instead, he gave a smile uglier than crying. "We should live as long as the heavens."
The old man thought he was just scared and trying to flatter. He curled his lips, about to speak—
Boom! N9FsaC
A loud bang came from under the iron door, like something was violently slamming into it.
The old man frowned. At normal speed, the snake eggs shouldn't have grown so quickly.
Su Er bluntly admitted what he'd done. "I poured all those fluids into the corpse. Added some other stuff, too."
The old man raised an intrigued brow. "To accelerate the development of the snake eggs?" RleqZa
That would be an unexpected benefit.
Su Er shook his head, blocking the entrance with all his strength, pale and exhausted. "There's a creature… whose lifespan far exceeds the snake people's…"
Bang! Bang! The banging grew more intense—the iron door was nearly bending under the force!
Su Er's face turned white. "…It's called a zombie!"