Chapter Thirty-One: Brow-Painting Village, the Beauty's Coffin

Page 1 of 3

Night fell as gently as water, serene and clear as a mirror.

Bathed in moonlight, Xiyue lay in my arms, breathtakingly beautiful. I could clearly hear her breathing—not as if she sought the air, but as though she was inhaling the radiant moonlight itself.

Thread by thread, the silvery moonbeams seemed to slip before my very eyes, quietly weaving themselves into Xiyue’s body.

My heart ached to see her like this.

A frown creased Xiyue’s brow, as if she’d slipped into some strange dream. Suddenly, she murmured two words:

“Mirror Corpse!”

The next instant, she jolted awake.

Seeing the alarm in her eyes, I quickly asked, “Xiyue, are you alright?”

She slowly shook her head, then softly replied, “It’s nothing.”

She drifted over to the window. The early morning moonlight spilled across her, spinning into silken threads that merged completely with her being. At that moment, her entire body seemed to emit a silvery radiance. Centered around her, shafts of moonlight shimmered and scattered, and for a moment I could almost see the flawless, jade-like skin beneath.

“Xiaodong, do you remember the Beauty’s Coffin you once entered?”

I had recounted to Xiyue all my adventures—the ghost road, the city of spirits—so she understood my circumstances. Still, I was surprised when she brought up the Beauty’s Coffin, for that memory was especially vivid.

I nodded.

“I’ve begun to recall many things. That coffin was first discovered in a cave near Eyebrow Village. But who knows if we can find that village now, or the cave, or the Beauty’s Coffin itself?”

“Xiyue, wasn’t the Beauty’s Coffin on the ghost road? I arrived at the city of spirits in it!”

I remembered its uncanny nature well, and the mere mention of its name sent a chill crawling over my skin.

“No, it’s impossible—the Beauty’s Coffin cannot be moved. A faint memory of an ancient adage has returned to me.”

“What adage?”

Page 2 of 3

A shiver ran through me. Was Xiyue’s sealed memory now beginning to unravel? Otherwise, how could she recall so much? Just now, I had seen hesitation flicker across her face—she must have remembered something critical.

“When the Beauty is moved, Eyebrow is lost.”

“If we can’t find Eyebrow Village this time, it means the Beauty’s Coffin has been moved. That coffin is tied to some ancient, momentous secret—but no matter how I try, I cannot remember what.”

I said nothing, only stared at Xiyue in a daze.

“Rest for now. When Zhao Fifteen and Chen Chuyi are ready, we’ll set out for Eyebrow Village.”

As she spoke, Xiyue stood in the moonlight and slowly closed her eyes. I watched as her entire form seemed to merge with the moon’s glow, the light pouring into her until she became part of it, utterly serene.

Seeing her so utterly absorbed, I dared not disturb her.

I returned to my own room, undressed, and lay down. After the ordeal in the Bloodslaughter Array, exhaustion overwhelmed me, and I slipped into sleep almost instantly. As I drifted off, I felt the world around me begin to shift and morph.

I knew I was dreaming. In my dream, I found myself once again in the small grove where I’d met Su Ying. There were many people there, all drifting weightless through the void.

Not far away, Su Ying walked toward me, carrying a red lantern.

She was as beautiful as ever, one glance enough to ensnare all my senses.

She came closer, and though I tried to speak, I found I could not.

In that moment, it was as if my body were entirely under someone else’s control. Su Ying took my hand and led me along a dim, spectral road. I recognized this as the ghost road, and on either side, spectral heads emerged from the gloom, each one fixing me with a chilling smile.

Yet none dared approach. Led by Su Ying, I continued down that shadowed path.

Suddenly, a coffin appeared before me. The place felt familiar, yet I could not recall when I’d seen it before.

The coffin’s edges were stained deep red, riddled with countless holes, each one bearing a tiny head. The heads all blinked lazily, gazing at me.

Fear gripped my heart, yet, strangely, Su Ying’s hand in mine filled me with a profound happiness. The terror vanished in an instant.

Page 3 of 3

Gazing at the coffin, I couldn’t help but think of my Bloodslaughter Array—was the Beauty’s Coffin also a treasure of yin and yang, with a spirit of its own, holding an unknowable world within?

“Xiaodong, go inside.”

Su Ying led me to the coffin’s side. Suddenly, ten ghostly pallbearers rose from the earth, each one broad-shouldered and clad in black funeral robes, their faces eerily identical—the legendary pallbearers of the dead.

I’d read about them before, and though I’d experienced something like this once, this time was different. Last time, I hadn’t seen these pallbearers at all, nor was the matchmaker present.

“Go inside.”

Gently, Su Ying took my hand and we entered the coffin together.

I could not resist. I was like a spirit under her care, following her willingly into the coffin. The moment I lay inside, Su Ying vanished without a trace, and with a low hum, the pallbearers closed the lid.

I tried to scream, but no sound came. I beat against the coffin, but realized it was all an illusion.

I could only lie there, perfectly still, while the coffin rocked and swayed.

I knew I was being carried away by the pallbearers.

But where were they taking me? The memory of the last time—the underworld hall, the terror of that ordeal—sent a jolt through my mind, and cold sweat broke out across my brow.

Ah!

Huff—huff—huff!

I awoke with a start, drenched in sweat.

It had all been a dream…