Now, they are all gone, and I have succeeded.
Originally, in a few more years, I would have worn myself out as well.
But who knew, a group of monkeys came.
"So, you want to fill this place with peach trees, to continue suppressing yourself?"
"I have to be quick, because I am no longer who I was before. Originally, I subdued myself to not harm the masses, but now, my heart desires to have you buried with me.
The real me has already died, or, I can no longer distinguish which face truly belongs to me."
"I understand, I’ll arrange it immediately while you still have your clarity."
"You are wrong, I am not clear-headed. I don’t go out because I’ve entered a point of no return, going out would only hasten my demise. I wish to retain some dignity for myself.
In fact, I was very happy when skinning those water monkeys, nothing is more interesting than teasing monkeys.
If there had been just a few more of them, if I could have tasted a bit more of that joy, I would have really come out.
If there were just two more last night, just two;
I wouldn’t be speaking with you in this manner right now."
Li Zhiyuan silently voiced a close call, because two of the water monkeys were now in the hospital.
Their group had planned to take them from the hospital. According to their style, even injured comrades would be brought here, if only to hold a flashlight as a lookout.
Fortunately, I called the police in time.
Due to an unexpected turn of events, I also saved my own life.
"And me, the reason I changed my mind about having you buried with me is not out of pity for you, it’s because I’ve discovered another, more amusing method."
At this moment, the wind’s sound became finer, as if someone was whispering temptations in your ear:
"How about I tell you the method he taught me?"
Li Zhiyuan shook his head: "You learned that, and look what happened to you, with such a negative example before me, how could I possibly want to learn it?"
Seeing the other party didn’t speak, Li Zhiyuan added:
"You say you’re going to vanish, I’ll fill up the fish pond, plant it full of peach trees, whether I learn it or not, you won’t know, nor will you come up again to find me, right?"
"Heh, you’ll learn it, and once you’ve learned, you won’t be able to resist using it.
When I ’saw’ you crouching on the rooftop peeking, I was certain of it."
Li Zhiyuan fell silent.
"The stuff is in the first drawer of the dressing table, take it or leave it."
With that, the man lay back down in the stone coffin.
The method to control corpses...
Li Zhiyuan walked to the dressing table and placed his hand on the handle of the first drawer.
The sound of the wind came again:
"Now, is there anything else you want to say?"
Li Zhiyuan pursed his lips and said: "You’re really perceptive."
"Heh heh... So, how could dragging you to be buried with me be as fun as making you become like me, neither human nor ghost?
You could have just continued planting trees, if only you blame, you are too much like him.
But, I can’t take revenge on him now, so I can only transfer this hatred onto you."
Li Zhiyuan opened the drawer, it was empty.
Instantly, a great sense of loss overwhelmed him.
"Are you playing with me?"
"Have you forgotten where this is?
This place has already been restored, why would you need to dig here again to retrieve something?
I’ve already placed it somewhere you’re bound to see."
Li Zhiyuan pushed the drawer back, nodded, and said: "Thank you."
"No need to thank me, because in the future, you’ll hate me, just like I hate him now.
Once you learn this, those corpses you controlled will enter your heart, twisting and sullying all your emotions.
When you look in the mirror,
You’ll find that the person in the mirror is so unfamiliar."
The sound of wind completely disappeared.
The iron chains on the stone coffin retracted again, locking the casket once more.
The lights around them gradually went out.
Li Zhiyuan hadn’t closed his eyes yet when a wave-like sensation attacked him; he didn’t resist, feeling himself floating upwards.
Suddenly, it was bright again.
Li Zhiyuan found himself standing in the room, the afternoon sunlight coming in, bringing some warmth.
He saw Ding Dalin again, but this time, Ding Dalin was very thin.
He resembled a neatly folded shirt lying flat on the ground.
Li Zhiyuan bent down and picked up the "shirt".
There was no choice; surely, he couldn’t just leave him lying there?
Besides, although he had never gauged the weight of an adult human skin before, it still felt a bit too heavy.
He pressed down on it, detecting some hard lumps.
After searching, he found no split openings.
In the end, he could only take a deep breath, extend his hand into Ding Dalin’s mouth, and dug down to grasp something hard and cold.
Pulling it out and looking at it, it was a shiny, large gold ingot.
This must be the rent money and the money to plant trees.
"You really are something else."
From downstairs in the yard, a shout came:
"Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yuan!"
Li Zhiyuan, holding Ding Dalin, went to the balcony and looked down.
Run Sheng stood in the yard, waving a piece of human skin that unfurled as he waved, causing the golden secretary to sway elegantly in the air.
"I was scared to death, Xiao Yuan, thank goodness you’re okay. I was worried you might end up too."
"Where’s Grandmaster?"
"The old man went back pushing the cart. What happened here?"
"It’s okay now, Brother Runsheng, come up here."
Run Sheng ran up quickly, not even having time to retrieve the golden secretary.
It seems it got caught on some corner because when Run Sheng arrived on the balcony, his golden secretary had already torn.
"Xiao Yuan, you have a set here too, so how should we deal with these two sets of skin garments?"
"Keep them for now. Throw them in the workshop furnace tonight and burn them."
"Brother Runsheng, bring the ladder."
"Let’s go to the roof."
"Right, almost forgot, our stuff is still up there." Run Sheng set up the ladder and climbed up first, reaching back to help Li Zhiyuan as he climbed.
The two sacks containing the array flags and equipment were still there, and Run Sheng’s man-height Yellow River Shovel lay beside them on the ground.
"Xiao Yuan, I’ll bring them down."
"Brother Runsheng, don’t move yet."
Li Zhiyuan walked to the sack with the equipment, crouched down, and opened the top of the sack to see an old book with a black cover inside.
This is what it left for him... the method.
He took out the book, which had no title on the cover.
It never mentioned the word "book," only speaking of methods, so this must be something like a handwritten study notebook.
Without hesitation, he turned the page.
Then, Li Zhiyuan was stunned by the familiar handwriting he knew too well.
He quickly flipped through several more pages and confirmed one fact.
Holding the book, he stood up and looked down at the fish pond below.
The person who deceived you, is his name...