Chapter 31: Night Stroll in Yin Village 29

Chapter 31: Night Stroll in Yin Village 29

Eight people...?

The room fell into an eerie silence as everyone's expressions turned grim.

Xiao Xiao clenched his fists in frustration, cursing, "Damn it! Why us?!"

How could the number of required players be so precise? Was this instance dungeon really targeting them?

There were only six people in the annex, including the NPC Xu Yangshu. To make up the quota of eight, they would have to count Cheng Song and Scarface from outside.

They might be able to tolerate Cheng Song, but not Scarface.

None of the players were overly compassionate. After Scarface repeatedly provoked Qin Fei, plotted against Ling Na, and indirectly caused Liu Sisi's death, nobody was willing to associate with him anymore.

It would be for the best if such a person remained trapped in the dungeon forever.

Sun Shouyi pondered for a moment before suggesting, "How about we discuss it with Cheng Song later? There are still two players in the yard, right? He could substitute Scarface's role."

"If Cheng Song isn't willing to give up on Scarface, we can threaten him..."

However, Qin Fei vetoed the idea. "That won't work."

"Given their current state, they won't be able to complete the zombie refinement process with us."

According to the methods recorded in the Art of Controlling Corpses, the steps to turn a person into a living zombie weren't overly complicated. However, one crucial aspect was that the person had to cooperate fully.

The entire process took three hours, or six hours in total.

There were many steps involved, such as meditation, lying still, and holding water in the throat without swallowing it.

All these tasks needed the consent and cooperation of the person being refined.

The two individuals had already lost their minds. Even bound by ropes, they thrashed around like mad beasts, making it impossible to refine them into living zombies smoothly.

"Then... the Guide? The Ghost Lady?" Xiao Xiao listed the names hopelessly.

Qin Fei shook his head repeatedly. "None of them will work."

To refine a living zombie, the first prerequisite was that the subject had to be alive.

This alone ruled out all the native characters in the instance dungeon.

After all, the Ghost Lady had mentioned that there wasn't a single living person left in the village.

As for the guide...

The guide wasn't a villager of Guardian Village and didn't have any attachment to leaving the village. There was no reason for him to help the players wreak havoc.

Although the guide had a high affinity towards Qin Fei, he couldn't rely solely on such an intangible aspect as an "NPC's favor."

Moreover, since the guide's appearance, he had been pale and stumbled over his words. His actions were also rather stiff.

Qin Fei even suspected that perhaps he wasn't human but something else entirely.

With an air of constraint in his voice, Lin Ye asked, "Then, is there really no other way?"

"In fact, I don't think you all need to worry too much," Qin Fei blinked his beautiful eyes.

"It's true that eight people are required to animate the corpse, but that's only the initial threshold for the process."

Once the zombie regains its human form, it won't be restricted by the number of people involved.

In the story recorded in the 'Corpse Driving Technique,' the necromancer who created this spell brought along seven assistants to the Underworld.

Throughout their journey, they encountered various dangers, and in the end, only the necromancer made it back to the living world.

Moreover, if their plan goes smoothly, they wouldn't need to turn themselves back into humans.

This instance dungeon has a time limit. As long as players maintain their SAN values above a critical point, they will be automatically teleported out when the time is up, and the system will repair their zombie appearances.

"When the animation is complete, any extra people would be unnecessary," Qin Fei's tone was as gentle as a feather.

As Qin Fei finished speaking, a mysterious glint flickered in Ling Na's eyes.

Without the players noticing, the six coffins behind them had somehow sealed themselves shut at some point.

Xiao Xiao turned his head, catching a glimpse of the scene in his peripheral vision, and couldn't help but freeze in surprise.

He walked a few steps closer to the coffin.

The edges of the coffin were sealed with red cinnabar-coated stickers. Xiao Xiao tried pushing it, but it wouldn't budge.

"It's nailed shut," he said.

Indeed, ordinary coffins were typically secured with nails.

Qin Fei nodded. "Let's go."

The creation of a zombie needed to be completed during daylight hours, within six hours – not overly rushed, but certainly not leisurely either.

They couldn't afford any more delays.

...

Outside the annex, within the mortuary courtyard.

Cheng Song and Scar gazed intently at the door.

Over an hour had passed since those individuals entered, yet not a single sound came from within. They tried pushing the door but found it locked.

Unable to locate a key or forcefully break it down, the two could only wait idly inside the mortuary.

During this time, Cheng Song left the mortuary to explore the village and returned to find Scar still alone in the yard.

"How is it?" he asked Scar.

"Nothing's happening," Scar replied. "Maybe they won't come out..."

"That's impossible," Cheng Song interrupted him.

From their earlier actions, it was clear that they entered the chamber with a specific purpose.

The situation was evident – that group must have discovered something within Xu Family's ancestral home.

Based on Cheng Song's extensive experience in dungeon runs, this clue hidden within the mortuary, or even under the noses of the players, couldn't be some insignificant tidbit of information.

The scarred man was clearly unconvinced: "But..."

Once again, he failed to finish his sentence.

This time, it wasn't Cheng Song who interrupted him but the sudden opening of a door in a nearby room.

Five players and one NPC emerged from the chamber, spotless and without any fresh bloodstains on their clothes.

Each of them walked with an extraordinary calmness, exuding an air of confidence as if victory was already in their grasp.

Cheng Song's heart stirred.

Before he could approach them, Qin Fei took the initiative and stepped toward him.

"There's something we'd like to discuss with you."

Cheng Song was taken aback but nodded. "Let's sit down and talk."

Thus, the eight of them formed a circle in the center of the funeral parlor.

...

"In short, that's how it is."

With Xiao Xiao and the others chiming in with additional details, Qin Fei managed to convey the entire story with the least amount of effort.

Throughout the narration, Cheng Song's expression grew increasingly grave.

Finally, he turned to Qin Fei seriously and said, "Thank you for telling me all this."

Xiao Xiao interrupted, "There's no need for thanks. Just tell us if you're willing to cooperate."

They weren't sharing information solely to save their lives.

Cheng Song nodded. "Of course."

With a clear path to safely exit the dungeon laid out before him, only a fool would refuse to cooperate.

For some unspoken reason, both parties unconsciously excluded Scarface from their conversation.

It wasn't an outright rejection of him.

As the players conversed, Scar sat beside Cheng Song and listened to their entire discussion.

However, during the process, Scar attempted to join in a few times, only to be interrupted by Lin Ye and Xiao Xiao's words.

Qin Fei observed all this but kept his smile, remaining silent.

Surprisingly, Cheng Song didn't seem to have any intention of supporting Scar either, not once offering him an opportunity to speak.

A chill crept across Scarface's expression.

Yet, he had no choice but to comply.

Just like a dog with an iron chain around its neck, he obediently sat back down where he was.

Having obtained such crucial information, Cheng Song no longer held anything back.

He took out the map of the ancestral hall from his bosom and laid it flat on the ground between them.

The man's voice was low and resonant. "While you two were in the chamber, I took another stroll outside."

Perhaps because it was the day the village festival began, despite it still being daytime, the villagers had already started their activities, with people bustling about everywhere.

Many were converging on the ancestral temple, where they were said to be setting up an altar for the evening ceremony.

Cheng Song wanted to go take a look, but was stopped at the entrance.

He then turned to walk in another direction, attempting to gather information by conversing with the locals.

For this, Cheng Song expended much effort in persuasion.

The villagers didn't treat him as amiably as they did Qin Fei; most of them simply ignored him.

It took him half a tour of the village before he finally found someone willing to pay him any attention.

"That NPC mentioned that every year, travelers come to the village to visit."

By 'travelers,' everyone understood that he meant players.

The villagers informed Cheng Song that in the years preceding the ritual, there were tourists wandering aimlessly around the village, even seeking him out for information on how to escape the place.

At this point, Cheng Song's brows knitted together.

He recalled the peculiar smile on the villager's face as they spoke, and the rows of disfigured, blackened teeth stained by tobacco smoke.

"Everyone who has ventured into that white mist has never returned."

As the villager spoke, their grin widened, stretching almost to their ears, giving off an eerie vibe.

"Perhaps they succeeded in leaving."

"Would you like to give it a try?"

The villager asked him.

Cheng Song had no desire to attempt it at all.

He was well aware that the fog was not ordinary; it served as the contaminated boundary of the village.

Players couldn't possibly escape an instance map by "crossing the contamination boundary." This was something all veterans were well aware of.

Only inexperienced and foolish newcomers would attempt such a thing.

"Even if we're dead, we won't be able to 'walk' out of this village," Cheng Song said, casting a casual glance at Lin Ye and Ling Na. He was worried that someone might buckle under the pressure of the village ritual and try to sneak away before it began.

Newcomers were most prone to mental breakdowns in their first instance.

Cheng Song had seen this happen many times before.

Carefully crafted and meticulous plans had been ruined by novices who panicked and fled at the last minute.

A dike built over a thousand miles could still collapse due to a tiny ant hole.

He made no effort to hide his underlying message, which drew simultaneous scoffs from Lin Ye and Ling Na.

"Mind your own business, especially the one beside you," Ling Na replied bluntly.

As she spoke, she deliberately leaned closer to Qin Fei, a gesture of defiance.

Lin Ye followed suit, echoing their unwavering commitment to their teammates through their actions.

Confusion flickered across Cheng Song's face. He struggled to comprehend how this slender and seemingly powerless young man could have bound the hearts of this group so tightly around himself.

Sun Shouyi cleared his throat and placed a sheet of paper on top of the map.

This was an excerpt from the "Necromancy Art" that the players had transcribed within the Incense Chamber.

It mainly listed the materials required for the creation of animated corpses and a small portion of details that players needed to pay attention to.

The remainder of the content, such as the specific methods of corpse refinement, were all committed to memory by Qin Fei in silence.

The book itself was never taken out throughout the entire process.

Human intentions were fickle and thus, precautions had to be taken.

On the paper, in stark contrast of black ink on white, there was a lengthy list of items:

Spiritual talismans, cinnabar (used for drawing the Yin Gathering Talisman), copper bells, official robes, human blood...

Cheng Song frowned and said, "We'll split up and search the village separately."

Given the special day today, these items wouldn't be too difficult to gather from the villagers' homes.

He had seen a few of them at the entrances of the houses just now.

With his skills, it should be relatively easy to take them without leaving any trace.

Qin Fei nodded. "The entire process of necromancy will take six hours. We must finish before nightfall."

There wasn't much time left for them to find the materials.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Song was about to respond when suddenly, someone knocked on the mortuary's main door.

Knock!

Dong...

Rhythmic knocks echoed throughout the courtyard.

Soon, the black lacquered door creaked open, revealing the village chief and the tour guide standing outside.

"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed travelers," the guide stepped forward to address the players.

"Time flies when we're having fun, and before we know it, our journey has reached its final day."

He raised his speech script expressionlessly, reciting the words mechanically.

"At nine o'clock tonight, the Yin Guardian Village's annual ceremony will commence. During this event, the warm-hearted and sincere villagers will present an authentic Xiangxi zombie-dancing performance."

"To ensure that all of you have the most genuine folk experience, the village chief has prepared some traditional costumes specific to this region."

The village chief stepped forward, showcasing a tray in his hand.

On the tray lay a neatly arranged stack of garments, folded into perfect squares.

It was evident that these were the Qing dynasty official uniforms that players had encountered several times before.

Beside the clothes sat a stack of talismans, already inscribed with patterns.

Qin Fei sneaked a glance and found them identical to those mentioned in the "Necromancy Technique."

They even prepared this?

It was as if someone was handing him a pillow the moment he felt sleepy.

At this point, even Cheng Song couldn't deny that Qin Fei and his team had undoubtedly discovered the correct path to clearing the game.

Xiao Xiao raised an eyebrow and ventured a question, "Why such clothes? Is this a genuine zombie march, and they want us to play the part of zombies?"

The village chief and the guide remained silent, their four eyes fixed intently on the players.

Their unwavering gaze instilled an inexplicable sense of dread.

Qin Fei tilted his head, locking eyes with the guide.

His amber irises were clear, without a trace of gloom.

In the live stream, the system seemed to know what the audience enjoyed, abruptly zooming in for a close-up of Qin Fei's eyes.

Those eyes, seemingly filled with tender affection, enlarged on the screen, causing a commotion among the viewers.

"Ha, ha! The host suddenly started radiating charm again."

"He seems to know he's good-looking."

"Huh? Huh? ? The guide actually turned his head away!"

"Is he shy? Or is he feeling guilty for planning to trick him?"

"This guy is really odd. I noticed earlier that all those NPCs treat him so well..."

As the viewers speculated, the guide was indeed filled with guilt towards Qin Fei.

Caught between his job and his newly-found, well-liked friend, he ultimately chose his work, leaving his conscience deeply troubled.

But when did he start having a conscience in the first place?

A hint of confusion flickered in the guide's eyes.

Qin Fei, on the other hand, stood silently in place, seemingly oblivious yet also acutely aware of everything around him.

He nodded at the guide, took the stack of clothes from the village chief, and cooperatively replied, "Understood, we'll change right away. Is there anything else?"

The village chief glanced at the group's backs.

The large lock was still securely hanging on the annex room door.

Shaking his head, the village chief said, "That's all. Don't go out during the day today, just rest well. The activities tonight will be physically demanding."

"Alright," Qin Fei readily agreed.

The village chief looked at him doubtfully.

This young man clearly had fair skin and an innocent appearance.

Yet, the village chief couldn't shake off the feeling that he was up to no good.

The village chief scrutinized Qin Fei from head to toe but failed to detect any flaws. With a reluctant expression, he turned and left.

As soon as the village chief departed, the players became animated.

"Great, now we only need the bell." Lin Ye rummaged through the pile of clothes.

There were exactly eight pieces.

Zhu Sha still had some, as he had just taken out quite a bit.

It seemed that the villagers of Ghost Guard Village hadn't counted the two players who had lost their minds as part of the sacrificial offering.

Cheng Song turned to leave. "I'll go find the bell and be right back."

Qin Fei, however, firmly grasped his shoulder; "There's no need."

Cheng Song paused in his steps and turned around.

The young man behind him wore a bright smile as he reached into his pocket and, like a magician performing a trick, pulled out a handful of copper bells.

Those delicate little bells were strung together on a crimson thread, appearing at first glance like some exquisite piece of jewelry.

The others froze for a moment at the sight.

"Where did this come from?" Lin Ye asked out of curiosity.

"Oh, this one," Qin Fei casually replied as he slipped the copper bell onto his wrist. "It was on that zombie old lady back in the chamber."

He had noticed it during the Four Corners game; whenever the female ghost followed him, there would be intermittent sounds of bells ringing from her.

Thus, after the game ended and the players had damaged the zombies' bodies, Qin Fei deliberately searched within the coffin.

He successfully managed to slip the bell into his hand before the coffin lid closed shut.

Players: "..."

Xiao Xiao muttered to himself, "Sometimes, I really doubt if you were just lying to me on that bus ride..."

Whether it was his knack for casually taking things or his skill in picking locks, Boss Qin didn't seem like an ordinary person at all.

Qin Fei didn't get angry upon hearing this. Instead, he smiled warmly and replied patiently, "You're overthinking it."

With that, they had gathered all the necessary materials for creating the living corpse.

The players no longer needed to search the village for anything extra.

Swiftly, they donned their official robes and affixed the talismans straight onto their foreheads.

This was a matter of life and death; even Scar didn't cause any trouble. He remained silent throughout the process, following the others' actions without a word.

After applying the talismans, the players also needed to use cinnabar to press dots on their chest, back, between their brows, the palms of their hands, and the soles of their feet.

These seven points represented the "Seven Orifices," the locations where a person's vitality originated.

By sealing these seven points, one can completely conceal their vitality within their body, preventing any leakage.

The final ingredient: human blood.

Acquiring this was quite straightforward.

Qin Fei casually picked up a relatively sharp stone from the ground and, without flinching, swiftly slashed it across the vein on his wrist.

Bright red blood trickled down his fair arm, the skin at the wound splitting open.

Just the sight of it made Lin Ye and his companions' faces contort involuntarily.

Qin Fei, however, acted as if nothing had happened, seemingly oblivious to the pain. He used his right index finger to dab at his own blood, then proceeded to press it, one by one, onto the foreheads of the other players.

"Each of you take a sip of clean water, but do not swallow it. Close your eyes and lie down in the coffins."

This is the final step in the process of creating a living zombie.

After that, all that's left is to bide one's time as it passes.

"Whatever you do, don't fall asleep," Qin Fei warned.

With that, he lay down in the coffin, his hands crossed on his chest, and closed his eyes peacefully.

...

A veil of mist began to swirl before Qin Fei's eyes.

The fog grew denser and heavier, enveloping everything around Qin Fei.

It submerged the floor, the coffin, the courtyard walls, and every sight within his vision.

The young man remained calm and relaxed, allowing the thick mist to completely enshroud him.

After an indeterminate period, a warm, golden ray of light suddenly appeared at the edge of Qin Fei's field of view. Accompanying it was a vague, dark silhouette.

Qin Fei couldn't make out his features, but discerned that this was a mage clad in a long indigo robe, wearing straw sandals, and a dark indigo hood on his head.

In his left hand, he held a lantern, the source of the emitted light.

His right hand was raised high, with a string of copper bells suspended from his palm.

As he moved, the sound of the bells echoed continuously.

Ding ling ling, ding ling ling.

With the rhythmic chiming of the copper bells, an eerie power crept along the mist towards Qin Fei's body.

It felt as if invisible threads were pulling at the ends of his limbs; Qin Fei's arms lifted involuntarily, his knees unbent, yet he stood upright as if by magic.

Qin Fei looked down and saw the arches of his feet, taut and straight.

He attempted to jump.

His body felt unusually light; with just a gentle push from the tips of his toes, he lifted off the ground instantly.

It felt somewhat akin to the sensation an ordinary person might experience when bouncing on a trampoline.

The feeling... was actually not bad?

"Xiangxi zombie hunting—keep out if you're alive!"

The dark figure called out in a drawn-out tone.

A crisp gong echoed from the distant air.

Following that, Qin Fei found himself irresistibly drawn, his gaze fixed as he followed the shadowy figure step by step.

Bouncing along, moving forward with it.

"The world has righteous energy, bestowed in various forms—"

"Beneath, it becomes mountains and rivers; above, the sun and stars—"

The black silhouette recited the "Song of Righteousness" loudly, striding forward with confidence.

Like an unwavering and infallible landmark, it guided Qin Fei's path forward.

...

Qin Fei felt as if he had been bouncing for an eternity.

He followed the figure in the mist, moving relentlessly forward.

Although unable to turn back, he could distinctly sense the undead trailing behind him, one after another.

One, two, three.

Six, seven, eight.

Until they formed a lengthy, straight line with uniform intervals.

They traversed a lengthy mountain path, eventually arriving by the riverbank.

Boarding the wooden vessel, we navigate through the swirling eddies and treacherous reefs.

They passed through villages where every household remained firmly shut behind closed doors.

They arrived at the Corpse Inn.

Upon entering to rest, they were caught in a torrential downpour, forcing them to be stranded for seven days.

Qin Fei was uncertain whether what he had witnessed was truly real or just an illusory mirage.

Mountains are difficult to traverse.

Yet, only the path beneath their feet stretched endlessly forward.

After a long while.

The mist before their eyes gradually dissipated.

The overwhelming sense of disorientation also faded away along with the mist.

In the funeral home, the eight people standing inside coffins looked at one another, each having transformed into a complete zombie.

"This is... it's done?" The zombie Lin Ye said in a dazed yet excited whisper.

Qin Fei replied, "Yeah, it's done."

They could still speak, think, and knew who they were.

They had now become genuine living corpses.

Fantastic!

Lin Ye subconsciously tried to clench his fist.

But his five fingers refused to obey his command, remaining stiffly extended.

Lin Ye: ?

He attempted to struggle once more, but to no avail.

His hands wouldn't move, nor would his feet.

With a gentle push from the tip of his toes, he could indeed jump, but only vertically; he couldn't move forward, backward, or to either side.

It was as if their in-game characters were forcibly locked in a standby mode.

Lin Ye was stunned. "How do we deal with this?"

The village ceremony hadn't started yet, so they couldn't possibly appear before the villagers of Shadow Village in their current state.

The others were no different, standing stiffly in the coffins like wooden stakes.

"Don't panic," Qin Fei reassured them.

Since they had already become zombies, their actions would naturally conform to zombie behavior.

As long as a zombie hadn't undergone zombification, it wouldn't move on its own. When traveling, it needed a necromancer to shake a bronze bell for guidance throughout the journey.

—Just like what that person in the fog had done earlier.

The fog had dissipated, but the person remained within it.

Currently, the zombified players didn't have any necromancers to guide them.

But that was not a problem.

Because Qin Fei had a string of copper bells tied to his wrist.

Jingle-jangle—

The moment the bells rang, the mysterious force constraining the zombie players' bodies suddenly dissipated significantly.

Everyone hurriedly lowered their hands.

After repeating this process for a while, they finally managed to return their limbs to their original positions.

However, even with their feet on the ground, it was still difficult for them to walk; they could only rely on hopping to move around.

Sun Shouyi tried hopping once, and a worried expression flickered across his zombie-like, pale-green face.

Their movements were too rigid now; if they appeared before the villagers, they would surely be exposed.

After a moment of contemplation, Cheng Song suggested, "Let's lie back in the coffins first."

"I learned from my inquiries with the villagers that in previous village rituals, players would simply lie in the coffins, and the villagers would carry them to the altar along with the coffins," he explained.

"Hopefully, we can bluff our way through this."

It sounded rather risky, but there was no other choice at the moment.

The sky above gradually dimmed as the clouds transformed from grayish white to a bluish purple.

The unseen sun was setting, and dark red rays pierced through the layered, gloomy clouds like the filthy, distorted eyes of giant creatures, observing everything on the ground.

Creak.

The mortuary gate creaked open once more.

The village chief poked his head in, "Are you all ready?"

"The village ritual is about to begin—"