Otherworldly Merchant

The short-haired girl in the miniskirt was rather shy and kept her distance from us.

I didn’t know why, but whenever our eyes met, she’d blush and stoop her head.

The man in the Kumamon t-shirt looked like Song Joong-ki from ‘Descendants of the Sun’, so the schoolgirls liked him a lot. They all wanted to take pictures with him. One of the girls even posted the pictures on Tieba Baidu with a caption that read: [We met a cold and handsome oppa in Fengmen Village! It was awesome! Guys, leave some replies and I’ll give you this handsome oppa’s contact!]

I smiled awkwardly since there seemed to be no danger. It doesn’t even feel like we’re here to find an otherworldly item, but to date instead!

After the mysterious man finished his photo session, Li Mazi asked the girls to take a few pictures with him. However, the girls told him that they didn’t have enough space on their phones. Then, they hopped around, starting to explore the village.

The mysterious man looked at the girls as they left , sighing unhappily.

I asked him, “What’s the matter? Did you notice something?”

He shook his head and kept silent.

We picked up our luggage and tried to find a good place to camp.

Although the buildings in Fengmen Village had been eroding for years, they were still standing, which was almost a miracle. Still, all the houses were covered with ivy or other crawling plants, and when looking through the gaps between doors and windows, we could only see darkness inside.

I suddenly remembered some of the rumors about Fengmen Village that I’d read online, and I decided to see if they were true.

Sure enough, I found the armchair that would kill you within a month if you sat on it, and also saw a broken coffin. It was rumored that whenever Fengmen Village was covered in fog, a red-eyed undead creature would come out of it.

Still, I didn’t really know if these were real stories or just rumors!

All the buildings in the village had surprisingly large cracks, and I was afraid that they’d simply collapse if a gust of wind blew over. Eventually, we found a single-story house that seemed to look better than the others.

As soon as we entered, we were welcomed by a moldy stench.

A cracked and worn out board still hung on the door, which read ‘Honorarium Hall’. From what I’d read about Fengmen Village in a travel guide, this place should be where the elderly stayed.

We unfolded the blankets, spread them on the ground, and prepared to rest.

In the meantime, the man in the Kumamon t-shirt removed a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, sprinkling some white powder at the house’s entrance.

Out of curiosity, Li Mazi asked, “What are you doing?”

The mysterious man replied, “It’s to prevent toxic bugs and snakes from getting inside.”

Sure enough, the white powder worked, and I saw a black snake crawling up to the threshold before immediately turning around.

I then asked the mysterious man, “Did you find traces of the corpse pearl?”

He shook his head. “I haven’t found anything yet, but when night falls, we can go out and check. I’m sure we’ll find something.” 

He wasn’t someone who’d speak nonsense. If he said that we’d find something, there was nothing to worry about.

Since we had to take action at night, it was best to rest well during the day to save some energy!

Li Mazi and I pulled our blankets over our bodies and prepared to sleep. The mysterious man, on the other hand, meticulously folded a piece of paper.

Out of curiosity, I asked, “What are you doing?”

He answered, “Folding a paper crane.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I didn’t think that he’d use this method to kill time. Isn’t that something only girls like to do? 

I didn’t talk anymore and closed my eyes as I started to drift off to sleep.  When I woke up, I smelled an intoxicating aroma. 

I sat up and found that those schoolgirls were sitting beside the mysterious man, chatting with him.

Even though the man in the Kumamon t-shirt kept a poker face the whole time and listened silently, it didn’t affect the girls’ interest and they kept chatting with him.

Only the short-haired girl, who was sitting by my side, was still shy. When I opened my eyes, they coincidentally met hers. Once again, she lowered her head bashfully.

I couldn’t sleep due to their chirping. So, I started playing games on my phone.

After a while, the man in the Kumamon t-shirt finally spoke, “Are you girls really planning to stay in the village tonight? Aren’t you afraid?”

“It’s all right. With so many men here to protect us, what is there to fear?” said a girl with heavy makeup.

I smelled the strong aroma again. Perhaps it comes from the cheap perfume the girl is wearing... 

The mysterious man asked, “Who suggested for you to stay here tonight? It’s not a good idea.”

“It was Jing Jing,” said the girl with heavy makeup. “She’s that short-haired girl over there. She’s the youngest among us, and she said that it’d be great to stay over for some extra excitement.”

The words of the girl with heavy makeup were ambiguous, and I wondered if she was flirting with the man in the Kumamon t-shirt. However, the mysterious man smiled faintly and gave each girl a paper crane. “You should go to sleep, because I’d also like to get some sleep.”

Then, he walked towards me, signaling me with his eyes to stop using my phone and seize the time to sleep some more.

When I saw his eyes, my heart jumped, feeling that there was something wrong with his expression.

I switched my phone off and pretended to sleep.

The girls looked unsatisfied, but there was nothing they could do. After the man in the Kumamon t-shirt had settled near me, they also returned to their respective tents.

I didn’t sleep since his expression from before kept flashing in my mind.

I’m sure he has something important to tell me! 

Around an hour later, after all the girls were fast asleep, he used a finger to poke me. I opened my eyes and looked at him.

He pointed outside and walked out.

I hurried to follow him, exiting the cottage.

After I’d steadied myself, I asked, “There was something wrong with those girls, right?”

The mysterious man nodded. “Did you smell a strange aroma earlier?”

I replied, “Yes, I did. It smelled like cheap perfume.”

“It wasn’t perfume.” The mysterious man smiled coldly. “It was corpse aroma.”

“Corpse aroma?” I jolted. “What’s that? And, where was it coming from?”

“The undead have a very special smell. They use it to attract humans, which then become their prey. It’s some sort of innate skill.”

My jaw dropped in shock. “D-Do you mean… that those girls are undead creatures?”

The mysterious man said, “I’m still not sure if the corpse aroma comes from the girls or the Honorarium Hall. Anyway, I guess they’ll try to do something nasty tonight. Be careful!”

“Wait a second, what does the Honorarium Hall have to do with the corpse aroma?” I was puzzled. “It’s just an abandoned single-story building. When we arrived during the day, I even sensed that moldy smell.”

The mysterious man furrowed his brows and asked, “Do you know what people used the Honorarium Hall for?”

I shook my head, feeling a little fearful. “I don’t. What did they use it for?”

“To store corpses. This place is the so-called ‘corpse house’,” said the man in the Kumamon t-shirt.

My scalp went numb. I didn’t think that we were actually sleeping inside a corpse house!

If I’d known that earlier, I never would’ve entered the place, not even if I were beaten to death.

Flustered, I asked, “What do we do now? I don’t think I can stay in this place any longer.”

He replied, “It’s better to pass the night here. If we leave now, it could be worse.”

Then, he returned to the cottage.

I could only helplessly follow him.

But, after returning to the cottage, I couldn’t sleep anymore. Those girls might be undead creatures, and we are spending the night in a corpse house! 

Even if I were bolder, I still wouldn’t be able to sleep!

Of course, since Li Mazi knew nothing, he was fast asleep, snoring noisily.

I turned a little and felt the Sirius Whip underneath my body.

In case something unexpected happened, I could quickly grab the whip and counterattack.

After midnight, at around 3 AM, I heard the zipper of the tent being pulled down. I tensed up and tried to sense even the smallest movement.

A young girl wearing pajamas came out of the tent. She stood at the entrance for a while and then abruptly called my name.

I immediately got goosebumps. Why is she calling me? 

I pretended to be sleeping and didn’t answer.

As her repeated calling couldn’t wake me up, she came to me and gently patted me.

When she came closer, I could clearly smell that strange aroma.

Sure enough, it came from her body. Now, I was even more frightened. Is she really a zombie? 

Still, I’d never seen a zombie as beautiful as her.

I couldn’t pretend to sleep anymore and had no choice but to open my eyes to see who was shaking me. It turned out that it was the short-haired girl, Jing Jing.

I asked in a daze, “What’s the matter?”

Jing Jing made a gesture, hinting for me to keep silent. Then, she whispered, “Can you come out for a moment? I need your help with something.”

I furrowed my brow, but still gave her a nod. “Okay.”

I secretly shoved the Sirius Whip in my pants and went out with her while trembling.

While walking behind her, I observed her every move. I didn’t notice anything strange, but her swaying buttocks, slim waist, and long arms were beautiful.

It was really hard to imagine that such a beautiful lady was an undead creature.

After walking out of the single-story building, Jing Jing turned around and looked at me shyly. “I have a few blisters on my feet. They really hurt. Can you help me prick them?”

Holy shit, what's happening? 

Does she want me to prick her blisters or is she trying to seduce me?!