Chapter 27

"Ah! —" A chill unlike any I had felt leapt from the soles of my feet into every cell of my body, my stomach churned with acid, and unable to endure, I fell to the side and vomited wildly...

The thought repeated in my mind: Heaven really has been generous to me!

I kept vomiting beside me until all the food in my stomach poured out, and I couldn't stop. Xiao Yin, worried, walked to my side and nudged my foot; I forced a smile, wiped the corner of my mouth with my sleeve, and thought: So there really are people in this world more terrifying than a corpse.

Silvery moonlight quietly poured over him, and recalling the scene I had just seen made my throat itch.

The moonlight was dim to begin with, and only scattered in fragments into the cave, so visibility was low, yet it was enough for me to see that face, more terrifying than any monster. His face was covered with countless curved, intersecting knife scars, each deep enough to expose bone. His neck, forehead, ears bore many red, pus‑oozing sores. Yet none of these were the most frightening.

I remembered a ghost story I had read before, about a handsome, successful young man—Li Yi—who loved eating fish since childhood, but his favorite part was not the flesh or tail, but the fish lips. Whenever he cooked fish, he first cut off the lips and savored them; after tasting, the aftertaste was endless, increasing his hunger. One rainy day, Li Yi found a soaking‑wet little girl outside and brought her home. The girl was silent, disliked going out and interacting with people, and strangely shared Li Yi's hobby—eating fish lips. She wasn't particularly pretty, but her lips were moist and plump, irresistibly alluring, and Li Yi could stare at them for a long time.

Another rainy day, Li Yi hurried back from outside, clutching a bag. When the girl opened it, she was shocked to find a dead infant whose body was purple. That night, Li Yi and the girl, trembling, washed the corpse clean and cooked it to eat. The lips, as usual, were split in two; the girl ate the upper lip, while Li Yi ate the plumper, richer lower lip.

That night, Li Yi could not sleep; the taste of those lips seemed to linger on his tongue, yet he could not recall them. In a daze he remembered the girl's bright, full lips, and trembling, he went to her room. The girl, awakened by Li Yi's entry, was not startled; instead she leaned over, wrapped her arms around his neck, whispered, "Brother…" and kissed his lips.

That night truly passed in a haze; the next day Li Yi awoke to find the girl gone. He suddenly felt a cold, prickling pain in his mouth, stared blankly for a while, then shouted and rushed to a mirror. There, the once handsome youth with red lips and white teeth now displayed a stark white jawbone, a look of terror on his face...

Behind him, a portrait of a woman showed blood at the corner of her mouth and a chilling smile in her eyes...

When I first read that story I didn't find it very scary, but now, seeing a person without lips, with exposed fangs, a chilling cold runs through me along with the recalled ghost tale. Yet the lips are still not the most terrifying; the side missing half an ear, the pus‑filled, worm‑infested scars, even the nasal bridge are not. The most frightening are the eyes. This seemingly unconscious person has eyes without any spirit light, staring at me dead on, because even his eyelids have been mostly cut away, leaving only pupils that seem ready to roll onto my feet at any moment.

If this is a corpse, then fear is understandable, but it shouldn't be trembling like this, its blood‑smeared face quivering, and from the hollow of his cheek you can still see white teeth and the tip of his tongue. My God! At that moment I could no longer hold back, and vomited in horror.

At this moment a huge dilemma lay before me: this person… or perhaps calling him a ghost is more fitting—should I save him? His facial cuts suggest he was disfigured by someone; each slash is deep enough to expose bone. Who bears such a grudge that they would turn him into this half‑human, half‑ghost form to be satisfied?

Thinking of the few scars on my own face, they are trivial compared to his. After much hesitation I sighed and walked toward the cave entrance. When I returned, I had collected some water in leaves and crouched beside him. I hadn't considered pouring the water directly into the hole on his cheek, but seeing the wound, though no longer bleeding, still a horrifying scarlet, I felt reluctant.

That face, his fear seemed only to grow, yet for some reason the chilling cold gradually faded, and I stopped vomiting. Of course, it could also be that my stomach is empty, unable even to vomit bile. Yet his breathing, weak and intermittent, still clings to that breath, giving me an odd feeling inside.

So I trembled, pried his clenched teeth apart, and dribbled water in little by little. He seemed to have been here for days, perhaps a suicide attempt, but… at this moment I could not ignore him.

The second time I went out and returned, I brought a clean, damp white cloth and some herbs I could find everywhere. Seeing Xiao Yin's face full of impatience and worry from being left too long, I smiled and said, "Don't worry, even if I abandon him, I would never abandon you, Xiao Yin!"

Though the scars on his face were terrifying, they were not fatal; however, the pus‑filled poisonous sores, if not treated soon, could truly cost him his life. Suppressing my nausea, I used the white cloth to wipe the pus from his face, gave the wounds a simple cleaning, and applied the crushed herbs to his face and neck.

Seeing Xiao Yin again with a face of impatience and confusion, I went out to wash my hands, returned, lifted it and laughed, "I know you're great, Xiao Yin; licking those wounds can make them scab. But those wounds have already rotted and are oozing pus, carrying toxins that aren't good for you. Moreover, his wounds are special; if they simply scab over while the internal toxins remain, it could be worse..."

I was babbling nonstop to Xiao Yin when, unexpectedly, the big brother beside me—more terrifying than a ghost—let out a moan and slowly sat up.

My heart raced with terror; I quickly lifted Xiao Yin and retreated to the side, my body pressed against the wall as if embedded, praying silently: "Don't look at me! Don't look at me! Please don't stare at me with that face even more terrifying than a mummy!"

Of course, Heaven never hears my prayers; the "Mummy" slowly turned those eyes that seemed ready to wobble and fall, finally fixing them on me. His voice, likely hoarse from days without water, said, "Who are you?"

"Will those eyes really not fall?" I held the equally trembling Xiao Yin close, my face ashen, wanting to look away, but those ghostly eyes stared at me, and I couldn't even breathe a fraction heavier, let alone move.

The "Mummy" gave a cold sneer (though he actually had no lips, that gesture was entirely my imagination), and a hoarse voice rang out, "Afraid to meddle?"

I was stunned; his gaze—how to put it? Clearly only two balls remained, clearly sneering, clearly mocking, yet I sensed an unusual sorrow within it.

Actually, after looking at that face so often, it's not that terrifying. Suddenly recalling a line from Xing Ye, I couldn't help but say, "You get used to spitting as you keep spitting."

Looking again at the pile of herbs I had applied to his face, from another angle he resembled... a green mummy; at that thought I let out a soft laugh. He, however, was momentarily stunned, not understanding why I laughed.

Though I still trembled, I stepped out of the shadows and walked toward him, bathing in moonlight. Seeing his startled expression, I forgot even my own trembling, and increasingly felt his face wasn't that terrifying, but rather somewhat funny.

"You ask why I meddle?" I pointed to my own face and laughed, "In short: we are both wanderers of the world; why must we have met before to recognize each other?"

Perhaps my smile was too radiant; his eyes brightened, then dimmed, his face slowly turned away, and he said coldly, "Young lady, you jest. How could your condition be compared with mine? In the eyes of the world, you are at most an ugly person, while I am a full‑fledged monster. Do you dare say that when you first saw me you had no such thought?"

Amen! My complexion changed, and I couldn't help a dry laugh, thinking to myself: I just seemed to find him more terrifying than a monster…

"What meaning does life have for someone whom even his parents fear? Young lady, you need not kindly save me."

"If I were you, having endured such a fate and wearing this hide, I certainly would not want to live on this world, ashamed and despised." He did not turn to look at me, yet his body shivered at those words.

I sighed silently, set Xiao Yin down, walked to his front, stared at his face, and said calmly, "But you don't want to die, right?"

He jolted sharply, perhaps an illusion; I felt his two eyes, a mix of black and white, protrude half an inch. "Evil—" I held back, clenched my teeth, and kept staring at him.

"There are many ways to die: you can thrust a blade into your chest, jump off a cliff, into a river, or from a building; at worst you could mimic a woman's hanging, yet you stubbornly choose to perish here on your own…"

I suddenly lifted a faint smile, yet my gaze never wavered. Though I was in such pain and despair toward the world, and knew death would bring complete release, I still yearned deep down for life; perhaps this humble yet fierce persistence made me forget my fear of that face, preventing me from letting go.

"What are you waiting for? Perhaps even you don't know… Yet you are indeed waiting; even as death draws nearer you haven't given up. What you await might be a person, or a hope… but whatever it is, you surely don't wish to die, right?"

"You… who exactly are you?"

I pondered for a while, then said firmly, "Lu Ren Jia."

Seeing his eyes bulge another half‑inch, about to pop out, I was frightened, sprang up and stepped back, pursed my lips, and plaintively said, "Then Lu Ren Yi would be okay, right?"

I cradled Xiao Yin and sat aside, nonchalantly eating the roasted wild rabbit in my hand, yet my eyes couldn't help glancing at the person opposite. He, too, was chewing rabbit meat. I swear, this peeking isn't to see whether rabbit meat would spill from his cheek, but… it's that his manner of eating is so elegant, a world apart from my ravenous gobbling!

Originally, I saw Qi Ran's behavior every day, which wasn't shocking or a blow, but… the problem is his demeanor and his appearance differ far too much! Or perhaps I've been frightened too often lately, weakening my heart's tolerance—overreacting?

"Young lady, why don't you ask how I came to look like this?"

Usually such a question signals the start of a long tale; I perked up, placed two lotus‑leaf‑wrapped rabbit slices and some fruit around me, smiled at him, looking like a well‑behaved child listening to a bedtime story.

He was clearly startled by my odd behavior, stunned for a while, his lipless mouth half‑open, the hollow of his cheek revealing the interior. Sigh! How can he live like this? He might as well be dead.

"Eh? I'm ready, why haven't you started?" Seeing him unmoving, I urged, "Also, if you dare to break off halfway and say 'to know what happens next, stay tuned for the next episode,' I guarantee you'll achieve your 101st suicide!"

"Ha ha…" He stared blankly for a moment, then couldn't help bursting into laughter; the few ragged muscles left on his face were squeezed into a lump, his teeth and eyes trembling as if about to fall out. Yet his laughter tugged at his wound, making him moan, "Ah… young lady, you truly are a strange person… Ah!"

I saw his wound burst open, yet he still couldn't stop laughing; I sighed, patted Xiao Yin, and said, "Xiao Yin, help him!"

Xiao Yin glanced at me, muttered reluctantly, then sauntered over, crawled up his body to his shoulder, and began licking his bleeding wound.

"Don't move, Xiao Yin's saliva has healing properties." I stopped his bewildered attempt to fling Xiao Yin away, laughing.

Until I shoved the last piece of rabbit meat into my mouth, he still wore a slightly dazed and shocked expression, glancing at Xiao Yin now and then, while our Xiao Yin remained calm, already closing his eyes as if to meet Zhou Gong. Finally, I ran out of patience and said weakly, "Mù Nǎi Yī Dàgē, will you finally tell your story? If you don't, I'm going to sleep!"

Seeing his expression, I should have asked what a Mummy is, but my impatient face forced me to swallow it. He slowly lifted his head, gazed at the vast sky, and began recounting a tragic tale that sounded trite to me yet struck straight at the heart.

"I was once a relatively well‑known scion of the Qi Kingdom's official class, the sole son in my family, and because I possessed extraordinary talent from childhood, my parents and elders cherished and loved me. Moreover, I had a betrothed since childhood, a childhood sweetheart, and life could be described as quite happy and harmonious. Due to frailty in my youth, I was taken under the guidance of a master and went with him to the mountains to study the arts, and have been away from home for many years."

"But the cousin who had been lodging in my house since childhood turned his heart against my fiancée. Moreover, if I were eliminated, he would be the sole heir. So when I returned home after completing my studies, thrilled at finally marrying Xiao Lian, I was completely unsuspecting. Yet… he slipped a drug into my wine; when I awoke, I had become this in‑between of man and ghost. When my fiancée saw me, the former tenderness vanished, leaving only a sharp, mournful scream. My parents, upon seeing my face, fainted in terror. I wondered why my cousin didn't simply kill me, only to learn that he had been eclipsed by my brilliance since childhood, ignored by others, and thus wanted me to taste this… feeling! Over the past year, wherever I go I am chased, beaten, driven away; even wearing a mask cannot erase my dread of this appearance. I constantly think that when I sleep, the mask might be removed… gradually I stopped hoping; I asked how a person whom even his parents cannot tolerate could be accepted by the world. I began to wonder what meaning my life had; perhaps death would be simpler…"

I tossed the fruit pit I had just chewed aside, wiped my hand, and said, "During this year, you must have met people who felt pity and sympathy for you, right?"

He stared blankly, lowered his head into thought, and after a long while nodded helplessly, "There have been one or two."

"It seems the one imprisoning you isn't others, but yourself." I stood, brushed dust off my body, slung my backpack over my shoulder, lifted Xiao Yin, and with a faint smile said, "But it's easy to talk, hard to act; don't take my words too seriously. Dawn is breaking, I must go; take care of yourself!"

"Young lady, wait!" He saw me leaving, hurried up before me, blocked me, and said, "May I follow you, my lady?"

"Ah—" I was stunned on the spot.

Could you let me serve as your guard and follow you, miss? His words were earnest, and he repeated the meaning again.

I stumbled, he... This is him showing his loyalty to me, good heavens! What situation is this? I forced out a smile: "This young master, how can a proper seven-foot man like you follow a woman? Besides, men and women shouldn't be intimate; this would also harm my reputation." Damn it! Why is being so finicky with words so hard?

I originally thought he was like Bu Sha, a cold-blooded, heartless type, but now how has it flipped? He shows a weak, purely foolish demeanor, and the most terrifying part is that he still clings on desperately.

"Miss, you can still chat and laugh freely in front of my face, showing no fear at all; you surely wouldn't care about these external things, would you?"

Looking at his face, which is even more terrifying than a ghost, yet it's actually full of smiles, I couldn't help but shout in disgust and anger: "Which of your eyes saw that I'm not afraid? If I have to keep eating while facing your face from now on, I'd rather die!"

"Is that so?" He trembled slightly, his expression turning ice-cold in an instant—no wonder I just felt he was as cold-blooded as Bu Sha; he seems to have potential.

Bu Sha... He should still be by Qi Ran's side, right? He always has a faint presence, so much that I and Qi Ran often unintentionally forget his existence, yet he always appears when we need him most.

"Hey!" I called out to him timidly, full of reluctance, "Name!"

He froze again, looked up at me. Big brother! Please don't let your eyes pop out again!

"If you're going to follow me, you have to tell me your name, right?"

"And you?" He looked at me coldly, of course that cold expression is my guess, "What's your name again?"

I tightened the little silver in my arms, wanting to draw warmth from it, slowly turned my head away, then turned back to gaze at him, and said word by word: "Shui Bingyi, I am called, Shui Bingyi."

I know I shouldn't say this name, but Shui Bingyi already died in the lava beneath that cliff. Perhaps this name will bring me endless disaster in the future, but at this moment I don't want to deceive him, to deceive this man who is already despairing of the world yet still striving to cling to me, desiring to live.

Perhaps it was an illusion; I seemed to see a flash of light in his eyes for a moment, then it dimmed, and he said: "I have no name. If I must have a title, then call me 'Ye'."

(End of chapter)