Chapter 177.

Chapter 177.

Xiao Siyu, Lu Shuo, and Chen Yun all tightened their lips and remained silent upon hearing this.

Aunt Mary launched her first attack the moment the hospital was enveloped in darkness. Her agility and speed left them defenseless. Just one of her was enough to inflict severe injuries; what more three?

If Xie Yin Xue intervened, then he would have to face five Aunt Marys.

Could Xie Yin Xue handle five of them?

"Listen to my godfather and leave!" Liu Bu Hua, seeing their hesitation, took the initiative to help Xiao Siyu and Chen Yun pull Lu Shuo away. She didn't spare Xie Yin Xue even a glance or a word of concern.

Chen Yun, noticing that even Liu Bu Hua, who was closest to Xie Yin Xue, had no doubts, stopped hesitating and told Xie Yin Xue, "Mr. Xie, take care."

The slender young man didn't turn back but simply raised his injured hand as a response.

It seemed Aunt Mary held a grudge against the young man. The moment their illusions connected, the three Aunt Marys lunged at Xie Yin Xue. The Aunt Mary, who had sliced Lu Shuo's belly, brandished three sharp surgical knives, throwing one after evading Xie Yin Xue's initial attack.

Xie Yin Xue, having just severed a weapon from his own illusion's Aunt Mary, spun around and kicked the falling hammer towards another Aunt Mary, causing a large hole in her chest. Yet, he couldn't defend against all three knives, with one embedding into his right shoulder, staining his blue and white patient gown a deep red, resembling a blood-soaked pear blossom.

The spider-formed Aunt Mary, hanging from the ceiling, cackled, "I can smell the stench of decay on you."

The Aunt Mary, bleeding profusely, told the young man, "You're dying."

"That line—" Xie Yin Xue smiled, extracting the knife from his shoulder and throwing it directly at the crowbar-wielding Aunt Mary's face, "I've heard it since I was twelve."

The Aunt Mary staggered back from the force of the thrown knife, but quickly lunged forward, aiming to crush the young man's skull with her crowbar, all the while murmuring softly, "You must have been struggling all these years, haven't you?"

Xie Yin Xue retaliated with his sword, its blade shimmering in the dim moonlight that streamed through the window, colder than the night itself, deflecting the crowbar with a resonant clang.

In a fleeting moment, the crowbar was caught by Mary of the Bone Scissors, lying on the ground. She rose to her feet, wielding the crowbar to puncture the young man's right shoulder wound again. With great force, she yanked him from the ceiling, throwing him violently to the ground. It was as if she had dragged a celestial moon fairy, unfamiliar with worldly affairs, from the heavens, condemning him to eternal pain. Even after experiencing all the miseries and challenges of the mortal realm, he would find no respite.

Mary of the Bone Hammer and Mary of the Spider pinned down his left and right arms, respectively. Meanwhile, Mary of the Surgical Blade and Mary of the Crowbar restrained his legs. Finally, Mary of the Bone Scissors dropped the crowbar, grasping each handle with her hands and positioning the sharp edge against the young man's delicate neck.

It said, "Death is a beautiful thing."

Xie Yin Xue pondered, "Is it so?"

At the age of twelve, during the first frost, he fell ill with a cold. His condition was dire, and all the doctors declared his end was near, claiming there was no cure.

No one understood how a mere cold could bring him so close to death.

He couldn't understand either, only recalling days spent bedridden, delirious with fever, and in so much pain he wished for death.

One day, his fever broke, and he felt slightly stronger. Seated in a wheelchair, he ventured to the courtyard behind Mingyue Cliff. To his surprise, he discovered that the pear blossoms had fully bloomed, their beauty rivaling that of snow.

Gazing at the dazzling pear blossoms, he felt an overwhelming sense of loss. The snowfall had been scarce the previous year at Mingyue Cliff, and he had promised Chen Mama that they would collect fresh snow from the pear branches to brew wine for Chen Yuqing.

Unexpectedly, his illness had spanned from the first frost to the vernal equinox of the following year.

He had missed that winter, unaware of when the snow had fallen and melted. He also remained ignorant of the Shen family's visit to Mingyue Cliff on the first day of spring, kneeling before Chen Yuqing, begging her to die in his place.

Hence, on the day of the vernal equinox, when Chen Yuqing asked if he wished to see the snow again,

He simply replied, "I do."

His only desire was to witness snowfall once more, not to continue living.

Both his past and present self believed that death was indeed a beautiful thing.

But he always understood: such beauty wasn't meant for him.

Under the vast, dark night, the Marys appeared like compassionate healers for the suffering, simultaneously offering the young man, seemingly on his last breath, a gentle plea: "Join us, will you?"

A smile still played on the young man's lips as he responded, "Go away."

The Mary holding the Bone Scissors also smiled, remarking—

"Then perish."

After uttering those words, she tightened her grip and, with a crisp "snip", severed the young man's neck, parting his frail body from his head. Yet, his clear eyes, reminiscent of frozen snow water, remained open, their lashes drooping slightly, concealing all emotion.

"Mortals cannot compare to deities."

The four nuns restraining the young man released him after their execution, simultaneously declaring, "I may not be a deity, but you are nothing more than a mere mortal."

In the end, the nun known for her bone-cutting scissors let go of her weapon. She picked up the young man's severed head, looking into those eerily calm eyes, searching for the fear and despair that most display before death, or perhaps the relief of transcendence.

But those eyes revealed nothing. Their dilated pupils mirrored an empty stillness, not even reflecting her image.

Disappointed, the nun scoffed, about to toss the head aside when suddenly a smile crept onto the young man's lifeless face. His lips moved, whispering, "I know not the heavens' height, nor the earth's depth, only the warmth of the sun and the cold of the moon, tormenting one's life..."

Mortals shouldn't compare to gods,

But where are these gods? Where is the Supreme One?

The nun looked puzzledly at the talking severed head, wondering how a dead man could still speak. As she tilted her head in confusion, it fell right off, and she saw her body frozen in place, still maintaining its prior posture.

The young man's left hand tightly held a sword, his headless body standing behind her. Blood dripped from the blade in large drops.

The head, cradled by its body's hands, gazed at her mockingly, "In the east lies a tree, below, a dragon with a candle in its mouth. I shall cut the dragon's foot, devour its flesh, ensuring it neither returns by day nor rests by night, ensuring the old don't die and the young don't weep."

"You, a mere wretch, lesser even than me, a mortal, dare compare yourself to a god?"

As the words settled, the young man approached the nun's body, lifted his foot, and then... she found herself airborne.

As her head tumbled down the stairs, she faintly heard the young man's voice, "Though, your body does seem sturdier than mine. Maybe I'll put it to use."

Aunt Mary: "..."

Is he even human?

The other four Aunt Marys wanted to ask the same.

Although Xie Yin Xue mentioned borrowing Aunt Mary's body, he didn't intend it for his own use, but rather as a shield. He used her to fend off the attacks from the remaining four Aunt Marys, ensuring his own body wouldn't be torn apart again.

As for his head, it resembled a spider. The once lifeless strands of hair split into eight, taking on the function of legs. They moved silently on the ground, swiftly climbing walls and ceilings. Before long, he had blended into the shadows, leaving no trace to be found.

At this moment, the remaining four Mary creatures felt he resembled a being on the brink of death more than they did.

They attempted to catch up to the young man, but with his human shield, the ferocity and ruthlessness of his sword strokes only intensified. Sword lights and shadows shimmered like drifting snowflakes in the moonlight. Wherever the blade passed, blood sprayed and flesh scattered. Perhaps since his body no longer had eyes, aesthetics no longer mattered. Even though the Mary creatures were durable, they couldn't withstand this blender-like swordsmanship and soon found themselves entrapped.

Fortunately, it wasn’t just the Mary creatures who suffered during this time; Zheng Shu was also hiding and tormented in the cafeteria of the basement floor.

The cafeteria was his meticulously chosen hideout for the evening due to its four exits, making it easy for him and Mu Yujie to flee should any patients come looking. Particularly after dark, Zheng Shu and Mu Yujie discovered they seemed to have an uncanny ability to sense the whereabouts of the patients. Hiding within the ring of hair formed by Xie Yinxue, Zheng Shu felt confident that no patients, not even Xie Yinxue herself, could locate them tonight.

However, as they were hiding, Zheng Shu and Mu Yujie suddenly sensed a patient sprinting towards the cafeteria at an unnaturally fast speed.

"Sister, someone is coming." Zheng Shu shuddered, quickly pulling Mu Yujie, "Let's hide somewhere else!"

"Okay," Mu Yujie nodded. But just as she was about to move, she froze, "Wait... I think it's too late."

Mu Yujie sensed that the patient was already very close to them. So close that they almost seemed to be standing at the same spot.

Zheng Shu also felt this eerie presence. Though the cafeteria was dimly lit, they could clearly see their surroundings. They were certain that aside from the two of them, there was no third figure present.

Even though Zheng Shu knew for a fact that there were no ghosts in this replica, the chilly sensation gave him goosebumps. It felt as if a deceased patient, now a vengeful spirit, was standing right behind him. This terrifying thought made Zheng Shu's heart race. Without turning around, he felt a coolness on his head, as if some liquid was dripping onto him.

Zheng Shu touched his head and brought his hand in front of his eyes, only to see it covered in red.

The liquid that dripped on him was blood.

Zheng Shu stared in shock for a moment before tilting his head upwards. Then he saw the most terrifying sight of his life, one that could potentially alter his very core.

He saw Xie Yinxue's severed head, with a gruesome, bloody neck and visible bone. Blood dripped from the arteries on either side, chillingly falling on his face. Her once soft and gentle voice now sounded hollow: "Zheng Shu, you hid quite well... I've been looking for you for a long time..."

Zheng Shu: "..."

Indeed, it was a vengeful spirit — Xie Yinxue had died and due to the gruesome manner of her death, her resentment was so intense that she had transformed into a spider-like ghost, seeking revenge.

Author's note:

①②③ are excerpts from Li He's "Ku Zhu Duan".

Xie Yinxue's body: Ruthlessly decapitated.

Xie Yinxue's severed head: Haha, I'm free now! (joking)

Aunt Mary's head: Flying away~