Chapter One Hundred: Another Me?

Lost in these thoughts, I turned and walked into the room with a sense of numbness. I shut the door, sat on the wooden bed, and trembled for a long time.

This place is a true test of one's mettle.

It is no wonder Xiyue once said that Painted Eyebrow Village is fraught with danger at every step, and Chen Chuyi even claimed that the village itself is a giant coffin. Those who enter are stepping into a coffin; to live is to ascend to heaven, and to die is merely a matter of course.

At this moment, I rested my head in my hands and looked out the window. I no longer had the desire to check the bathroom for that stray eye.

Outside the window, it was pitch black, as if it were the dead of night. Yet, I knew that in Painted Eyebrow Village, this level of darkness meant it was only late afternoon. If it were truly night in the village, the ground would be saturated with a sickly, yellow ghostly aura. Since there was still a hint of greyish-white light, I knew it was merely the afternoon.

I shook my head, casting those chaotic thoughts to the back of my mind, and took out the ancient Azure Dragon Secret Arts to study it carefully. I called out for Nie Xiaoke and Tu, but neither answered.

I became so absorbed in my reading that by the time a knock came at the door, the world outside the window had been swallowed by a cold, yellow gloom. I knew then that night had fallen.

I put away the secret manual and went to open the door. It was the innkeeper’s assistant.

"Mr. Yang Dong, would you like something to eat?"

I nodded. Of course; I hadn't eaten all day. I had been holding back because Painted Eyebrow Village was so sinister that I barely dared to leave my room, feeling it was the only safe place.

"What would you like? I'll go prepare it."

"A bowl of plain noodles."

As the words left my lips, my expression shifted slightly. I had no idea why I had specifically asked for plain noodles; it was as if the request had been deeply rooted in my own heart.

My face darkened as I looked at the assistant with a strange sense of unease. He appeared to be lame, with one shoulder higher than the other, eyes mismatched in size, and a flat nose. Everything about him felt entirely uncoordinated.

"Heh heh, alright, alright. I'll go make them for you right away. Please wait a moment!"

Realizing I had been staring, I felt a bit embarrassed and withdrew my gaze, simply nodding.

Once I sat back on the wooden bed, a sense of anxiety began to gnaw at me. I felt that this place was deeply bizarre, though I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Recalling what the two yin-yang masters had said earlier—that if I didn't stay at this inn, I would die tonight—I walked to the window and pushed it open.

What I saw gave me a jolt. The street, which had been deathly silent before, was now bustling with activity. It was teeming with "people" coming and going.

Of course, I knew they were not human; their movements, expressions, and clothing betrayed them.

*Creeak.*

"Heh heh, is this your first time at our humble inn, Mr. Yang Dong?"

The uncoordinated assistant walked in and placed the bowl of noodles before me. I slowly picked it up and replied softly, "Yes, it is."

"No wonder you look so unfamiliar."

Huh?

Hearing this, I felt a strange sense of self-incrimination. It seemed as though everyone here should know me, and even when I first stepped into this place, I had felt a deep, instinctive sense of familiarity. So why did the assistant say I looked unfamiliar? If I were truly a stranger, how did they know my name was Yang Dong, especially since the proprietor hadn't even asked?

I picked up the chopsticks and took a bite. I had to admit, the noodles had a unique flavor—savory and rich, almost as if they had been cooked with cured meat or some other preserved vegetable. I was so famished that I devoured the noodles and drank the broth clean.

The assistant stood there watching me, a bright, beaming smile on his face. I nodded at him and gave him a thumbs-up.

"That was delicious!"

There were only two people in the inn: the proprietor and this assistant. The assistant let out a shy laugh, but just as he was about to speak, the door was pushed open.

I had been standing with my back to the door, but when I turned, I saw the assistant shudder violently, his eyes filled with terror.

"The two guests downstairs are waiting to eat! Get to work!"

The voice was aged, belonging to someone at least fifty or sixty years old. Could the assistant be so terrified just because this was his boss? My heart sank. As the assistant hurried away, I turned to look at the old man. I was stunned.

This man...

"Young man, what is wrong?"

The old man walked toward me step by step, and the door behind him slammed shut.

The situation was so surreal. I could not begin to imagine why the person standing before me looked exactly like me.

Although people age and physical features change over time, the man before me was an exact mirror image of myself.

Faced with this, I was frozen in place. It was completely beyond comprehension.

"You—don't come any closer!"

I felt no immediate threat from his gaze, but the sensation was exactly like staring into a mirror. Why was there someone who looked so much like me? If not for his gravelly voice, I would have been unable to distinguish him from myself.

"Heh heh, don't be afraid. I know your name is Yang Dong, and that you've come to Painted Eyebrow Village to find that corpse coffin, haven't you?"

I didn't answer, studying him intently. He was dressed in a pale blue silk robe in the style of antiquity. He appeared refined and gentle, devoid of any murderous intent, much like a humble gentleman—provided he kept his mouth shut.

I could clearly feel that there was no life force within him. In other words, he was likely not human. I stepped back, putting a meter of distance between us.

"Are you afraid of me?" The man who looked exactly like me sat in the chair I had just vacated, looking at me with a smile.

"What is there to be afraid of? It's just..."

"It's just that you can't believe there is someone who looks so much like you, is that it?"

I nodded. I truly wanted the answer to that question.

"Heh heh, actually, you don't need to know, because I am you."

*I am you?*

A dense layer of cold sweat broke out on my forehead.