Playing Dead

A corpse undergoes a corpse transformation because the resentment stuck in its throat fails to be swallowed down. After the transformation, the soul remains sealed within the body, denied the chance of reincarnation for eternity.

In fact, the best way to resolve a corpse transformation is to disperse the resentment clinging to it. Once this is done, the soul naturally detaches from the corpse, neutralizing the transformation while allowing the soul to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation and rebirth. Doing so is considered a meritorious deed. However, using peach wood spikes to forcefully suppress a corpse incurs a heavy karmic penalty.

The moment I spotted the corpse standing beside the door panel, I hurriedly reached out, pulled Xu Ling back, slammed the door shut, and locked it.

Xu Ling still looked utterly clueless, as if he had no idea what had just happened. The moment I bolted the door, a series of heavy footsteps echoed from inside the room. It sounded like something was hopping along. The second my hand left the door, a loud series of banging sounds battered against it, causing cold sweat to instantly break out all over me.

Remembering the records in the arts of ghosts, I shouted at Xu Ling, "Go find a bundle of straw or firewood—anything will do, as long as it's a bundle! Also, find a wooden stick with a sharp point. If you can find a steel pitchfork, that would be even better!"

With the situation critical, cold sweat beaded across Xu Ling's wretched-looking face. Hearing my instructions, he spun around and bolted. Meanwhile, the pounding against the door grew even more violent. It felt as though something far heavier than a mere corpse was slamming against it from the other side—something like an enraged bull.

Overwhelmed with anxiety, I truly worried the door wouldn't hold.

I quickly unzipped my pack and hastily pulled out my remaining supplies. Inside lay a few corpse-suppression talismans that I had previously drawn myself using cinnabar and yellow paper during idle moments. They weren't drawn particularly well, and since I had never used them before, I had no idea if they would actually work.

Aside from those, my pack contained a bundle of red string and a string of ancient copper coins. The arts of ghosts recorded numerous magical artifacts, but these were all I could manage to find.

Just as I laid these items out, the heavy door began to shudder violently, looking as though it might splinter apart at any second. The sun had already dipped westward, and twilight was settling in. I could hardly believe that a corpse would spring back to life in broad daylight.

I figured this must be related to the architectural layout of the house. Given its design, sunlight could never reach the threshold of the front door no matter the time of day. And the front door happened to be the only entrance leading into the interior of the house.

This caused the Yin energy within the house to accumulate year-round, making a daytime corpse transformation not entirely surprising.

Before I could sink deeper into thought, the door shook even more violently, accompanied by a succession of deafening crashes. Growing increasingly anxious, I hurriedly picked up the string of ancient copper coins.

These were square-holed ancient copper coins, which served as the most frequently circulated currency in ancient times. Coins that had passed through the reigns of five legendary emperors and been handled by tens of thousands of people were known as Five-Emperor Coins. The Five-Emperor Coins themselves carried an intensely potent Yang energy and served as a formidable weapon for subduing ghosts. However, whether the string in my hands genuinely consisted of Five-Emperor Coins was beyond me, as I had simply bought them on short notice at an antique market.

Seeing that the door was on the verge of being smashed open, I grew frantic, sweat pouring from my brow. Yet I forced myself to stand my ground, gripping the copper coins in one hand and a corpse-suppression talisman in the other, gritting my teeth as I stared fixedly at the door.

What frustrated me all the more was that while the door looked like it was about to shatter at any second, it stubbornly refused to break. This limbo-like suspense only made the heart race faster. I glanced back, but Xu Ling still hadn't returned.

Right then, due to the violent shaking of the door, the gap between the two wooden panels widened. Through the crack, I caught sight of a pale, deathly white face and a hand tinged with a sickly greenish-white hue.

Standing right before the door, I was terrified to the absolute limit. To muster up some courage, I let out a fierce roar, "Damn it, if you've got the guts, come on out! What's with all the howling?"

With those words, I stepped closer to the door, clutching the copper coins tightly. This was a rare opportunity; the gap in the door was just wide enough for me to slip the copper coins through, and since the corpse couldn't fully emerge yet, I could test the power of the talismans and coins in my hands.

Reaching the door, I pinched the string of copper coins and hurled them fiercely straight into the crack. As luck would have it, the toss landed squarely inside the open mouth of the corpse.

Yet the moment the copper coins entered its mouth, the corpse suddenly bared its teeth, exposing a pair of sharp fangs. Not only was it completely unaffected, but it also looked even more ferocious than before. My heart skipped a beat. Was my technique flawed, or was this string of copper coins a cheap knockoff?

Panic setting in, I reached for a corpse-suppression talisman to test its potency. To my utter frustration, the gap in the door was still a bit too narrow, and the talisman wouldn't slip through.

Consumed by anxiety, sweat streamed down my face.

Just then, I heard Xu Ling shouting. I whipped my head around to see him running toward me, carrying a bundle of rags on his shoulder. In his hand, he held a wooden stick with one end sharpened into a point.

I nearly lunged forward to hug Xu Ling in relief, calling out to him excitedly as he approached. I quickly jammed the wooden stick through the bundle of rags and stepped back in front of the door.

I signaled to Xu Ling, "When I count to three, pull the door open."

Xu Ling nodded at me, his wretched face suddenly locked in a resolute expression. I began to count. The moment I hit three, Xu Ling yanked the door wide open. Instantly, a corpse clad in burial robes and covered from head to toe in coarse red hair lunged straight out.

I gripped the wooden stick firmly and shoved the bundle of rags forward with all my might. The corpse instantly latched onto the rags, hugging them with terrifying, monstrous strength, as if desperate to tear the fabric into absolute shreds.

The very second the corpse clutched the bundle of rags, it froze completely, unable to move another inch.

I let go of the wooden stick and collapsed limply onto the floor.

Wiping the cold sweat from my face, I couldn't help casting a glance at the corpse. Its eyes were locked onto me with a vicious glare, as though it wished nothing more than to devour me alive.

Shivering with lingering dread, I told Xu Ling, "It's safe now. Drag the corpse inside."

Xu Ling was equally terrified, and I could see his entire body trembling. He scrambled to his feet and approached the corpse with hesitant steps. As he hoisted the corpse to carry it in, his trembling legs gave out, causing him to trip over the threshold and take a humiliating tumble right on top of the corpse.

With no other choice, I bitterly dragged myself up to help him drag the body into the house.

Just as we deposited the corpse inside and turned to leave, I suddenly heard the faint sound of footsteps coming from outside. Out of curiosity, I peered out the door, only to be jolted with shock. An old woman with a hunched back and a face wrinkled like ancient tree bark had appeared.

The bent old crone was walking up from the rear of the house. Marching directly ahead of her were five corpses. All five kept their heads lowered, their limbs rigid, stepping forward one by one in mechanical rhythm right before her.

I retreated hastily into the house, stretched out across one of the spare door panels, and played dead.