Chapter 179
Chapter 179: Resurrection?
Passing through that door felt like crossing the boundary between life and death.
The bone-chilling yin wind that had permeated the surroundings dissipated.
In its place stood red lanterns hanging high along the long street.
The bridal sedan had come to a stop on the bluestone-paved road.
The moment the 3 of them stepped into the town, Guo Shuai and the others were struck speechless by the scene before them.
"What the hell… this place, it's way too lively for a ghost town, isn't it?"
Guo Shuai rubbed his eyes, barely able to trust his own judgment.
Compared to the environments of the other areas on Eerie Island, Soul-Return Town was flourishing enough to pass for an ancient tourist attraction.
Both sides of the street were lined with shops, bustling with voices, and one could even faintly hear the sounds of string and woodwind instruments drifting down from the upper floors of the teahouses.
What left them even more astonished was that the wedding procession before them had undergone a complete transformation.
The townspeople who had originally been pale-faced specters now all appeared as flesh-and-blood human beings.
They were wiping sweat and catching their breath.
And the Corpse Captain who had been dragging half a skeletal broken leg had become a middle-aged man dressed in a red jacket, looking every bit the part of a household steward.
The procession leader strode briskly to the bridal sedan, clasped his hands together, and reported to Jiang Nan inside.
"Most honored sir, we have entered the town."
"However, per the rules, we must rest here briefly and wait for the other 2 sedan chairs to converge before…"
"Proceeding together to the【Forest of the Middle Grove】to meet Lord Phoenix Sovereign."
"It may take some time. We ask that you bear with us and rest inside the sedan."
A hand lifted the sedan curtain.
Jiang Nan stepped out, sweeping his gaze across the bustling street.
‘Wait?’
His time was far too precious for that.
Making him stand here and wait was practically squandering his life away.
"I'm going for a walk."
Jiang Nan said flatly.
"But…"
The middle-aged steward instinctively moved to invoke the rules and stop him.
But under the influence of the deep memories reshaped by 【Divine Oracle】, he immediately swapped to an obsequious smile.
"But of course! You are our most honored sir—wherever you wish to go, you shall go!"
"The moment the other 2 sedans arrive, this humble one will dispatch the Ghost Constables to notify you at once!"
Jiang Nan gave a nod, then shot Guo Shuai and the others a look, signaling them to follow.
……
"H-honored… sir, this way… follow me!"
Just then, a soft, youthful voice rang out nearby.
Everyone turned to look. There was the Rabbit-Ear Girl zombie, who, upon entering Soul-Return Town, had also shed that ghastly deathly aura.
At this moment, she had become a young girl who looked pure and adorable.
The pair of fluffy rabbit ears atop her head drooped down limply.
In her hands she was gripping Tang Sirui—who had likewise recovered his living appearance but whose gaze remained vacant—tightly.
Jiang Nan showed no particular reaction, simply following along quietly behind Tu Xiaowu.
Guo Shuai and the other 2 hurried to keep up.
Before long, Tu Xiaowu led the 4 of them through the noisy marketplace.
They arrived at a shop bearing a sign that read:【Tu's Rabbit Meat】
The shop was filled with the rich aroma of meat.
A middle-aged man with a crew cut and a leather apron tied around his waist was raising a Bone-Cleaving Knife, bringing it down thwackthwack on a cutting board, chopping spicy braised rabbit heads.
Hearing the commotion at the door, the crew-cut man looked up. The instant he saw Tu Xiaowu, he froze.
Then he dropped the Bone-Cleaving Knife in his hand.
He wiped his greasy hands haphazardly on his apron and charged out in excitement.
"Aiyo! Xiaowu, you're finally home safe!"
The man grabbed Tu Xiaowu by the shoulders, and his gaze immediately fell on the blank-eyed Tang Sirui standing behind her.
"And this… little Sirui! Xiaowu, you succeeded?!"
Tu Xiaowu's eyes reddened slightly, but she gently shook her head.
"No, Dad… his soul hasn't come back yet."
"Let's talk inside. I also have a few friends with me."
With that, she gestured toward Jiang Nan and the others behind her.
Only then did the crew-cut man notice these few outsiders with their uncommonly imposing presence. He immediately rubbed his hands together and welcomed them warmly.
"Aiyo! How rude of me, how rude of me! Please, everyone come in!"
The man led everyone upstairs to a private booth, diligently wiping down the table with a cloth.
"You all rest here for a bit and take a seat."
"I'll head downstairs and cut a few plates of our best rabbit meat, bring up a couple jugs of good wine to treat you—I'll be right back!"
After the man clattered downstairs, Jiang Nan leaned back in his wooden chair, his gaze settling on Tu Xiaowu, who looked slightly ill at ease.
"Go ahead."
Jiang Nan's tone was unhurried.
Tu Xiaowu nodded, drew a deep breath, and began explaining her relationship with Tang Sirui and the secrets of Soul-Return Town.
"Sir Groom… you are outsiders, so you may not know the full story of Soul-Return Town."
"I was born here from the very beginning. My name is Tu Xiaowu, and I am the young proprietress of this shop."
"This year… I am 3,333 years old."
"The man who just came out is my father, Tu Xiaogang."
"Pfft—cough cough cough!"
Guo Shuai, who had just raised a teacup to drink, choked violently at that number.
"How—how many?!"
Quanquan was sitting on Guo Shuai's lap, extending a tiny hand.
He tried to count 3,000-something on his fingers, but after 2 attempts clutched his head in agony.
"Waaah! That's too many! Quanquan's head hurts!"
Han Fei's eyes went wide, unable to hold back the urge to comment.
"Women 3 years older—you hold a golden brick."
"Women 30 years older—they hand you a kingdom."
"Women 300 years older—they brew you an immortal elixir."
"Women 3,000 years older—they're already ranked among the immortals!"
"Tang Sirui really lucked out, latching on to a living fossil just like that!"
Even the perpetually composed and aloof Jiang Nan, upon hearing that number, let his fingers pause ever so slightly on the teacup.
3,333 years old.
That age was nearly catching up to his Word Spirit word count.
Though in his previous life as the Dragon God, the years he had lived were far longer.
In the eyes of a divine being, this little girl of 3,000-odd years standing before him was nothing more than a little kid.
Jiang Nan reined in his thoughts, tilted his chin slightly upward, gesturing for her to continue.
Tu Xiaowu paid no mind to their shock. Her expression turned sorrowful.
"Back then…"
"This was nothing more than an ordinary small town. People lived in peace, leading ordinary lives…"
"Until one day, something went terribly wrong within 【Dragon-Summer Imperial City】."
"The vast majority of the people there became infected, turning into man-eating monsters…"
"And war swept across the entire land."
"Just as that disaster was about to reach Soul-Return Town and swallow us all whole, the Phoenix Sovereign appeared."
"She sheltered us with her supreme power…"
"Keeping Soul-Return Town away from the ravages of war, and moreover, she changed the rules of this place…"
"Granting everyone in the town 【Eternal Life】."
"Eternal life?!"
Guo Shuai's eyes snapped wide open. "You mean the kind where you never die?"
Tu Xiaowu nodded. "That's right."
"Under the rules of this town, even those who have been killed…"
"As long as they are buried in the graveyard outside the town and a certain amount of Silver Banknotes is paid, there is still a chance at resurrection."
"But…"
Han Fei spotted the loophole. She turned her gaze to Tang Sirui beside her, who stood like a walking corpse.
"The Phoenix Sovereign only granted resurrection of the physical body, didn't she?"
Tu Xiaowu, hearing this, lowered her eyes with a pained look and gave a small nod.
"Yes… The townspeople you see outside—the vast majority of them…"
"Are actually nothing more than walking shells with a living person's appearance."
"But…"
Quanquan raised a tiny hand and asked in puzzlement.
"Then why do the adults out there seem different from this blue-haired brother?"
"They look like they have more life in them—they talk and do business and everything!"
Tu Xiaowu let out a bitter smile and explained.
"That brings us to the 【Occupations】 the Phoenix Sovereign assigned to the townspeople."
"Every person in Soul-Return Town must go to the Assignment Office and draw an occupation that will stay with them for the rest of their lives."
"And for the entirety of that life, they must fulfill the duties of that occupation…"
"Even if they are nothing but a soulless body."
"The power of the rules drives the body to carry out its work. Over time, they come to look just like living people."
"And my occupation… is to be the young proprietress of this shop."
"I have been the young proprietress here for over 3,000 years…"
"Day after day, year after year. I no longer even know whether I have simply grown accustomed to this life, or whether I went numb long ago."
Reaching this point, Tu Xiaowu took hold of Tang Sirui's cold hand.
"Until a few days ago…"
"My husband, Tang Sirui, came to Soul-Return Town."
"Because the Phoenix Sovereign was about to hold a tournament to select a groom for herself, and in a bid for good fortune, she did not forget us old townsfolk either."
"So she added corresponding spousal occupations to the Assignment Office for every household."
"And as fate would have it, when Tang Sirui drew his lot, he drew 【Tu Xiaowu's Husband】…"
"In other words, my husband."
Hearing this absurd assignment, Guo Shuai and Han Fei exchanged a glance.
Tu Xiaowu's lips curved ever so slightly upward.
"He really is a very interesting person."
"Even though it was a forced marriage, he spent the entire day finding ways to make me laugh and telling me about the world outside."
"That day was the first time in all these 3,000 years that I felt like I was living like a real ordinary person."
But her smile quickly gave way to sorrow.
"And yet, on the night of our wedding…"
Tu Xiaowu's voice took on a tearful edge, and tears fell onto the wooden table.
"As the bride, I waited in the bridal chamber for an entire night, but he never came."
"So I went looking for him, and what I found…"
"Was only a body that had been discarded in the back alley."
"His mouth had been torn open, then sewn shut…"
"His head had been severed with a sharp weapon, then reattached…"
Guo Shuai slammed the table in fury. "Who did this?! That's savage!"
"It was a white-haired old man with a blindfold over his eyes!"
Tu Xiaowu said through gritted teeth. "And his companion had disguised themselves as Tang Sirui, trying to take his place!"
"Just as they were about to flee the scene with my husband's body, thankfully my father brought the Ghost Constables in time."
"They fought with their lives to drive those two back, and only then managed to recover Sirui's body."
Looking at the weeping Tu Xiaowu, all 3 of Guo Shuai's group wore expressions of distress and spoke softly to comfort her.
"Little sister, our condolences."
Jiang Nan, meanwhile, turned the teacup over in his hands.
"And after that?"
He followed up, his voice unhurried.
Tu Xiaowu wiped her tears.
"After that… I buried the body in the graveyard outside the town."
"Then came back to raise the Silver Banknotes and wait for Soul-Return Night."
"As long as enough Silver Banknotes are paid before midnight, a person can be resurrected."
"But those 2 killers were lurking in the town the entire time."
"They knew what I was planning, and every day they were secretly obstructing me from leaving the town."
At this point, Tu Xiaowu raised her head. "Until tonight…"
"I don't know whether Heaven finally took pity on me."
"Those 2 apparently got held up by someone with a grudge against them, and had no time to pay attention to me!"
"That was when I finally found my chance—I paid a large sum to bribe the wedding procession and signed up to carry a sedan chair out the gate."
"And successfully resurrected Sirui."
"After that… we ran into you and your group at the Scholar's Dojo, sir."
Having heard all of this, the corners of Jiang Nan's mouth curved upward.
It seemed that within this Soul-Return Town, it was not just them—it was a melting pot of many competing factions.