Chapter 107: I Am Not Dead

Feng Yang!

Standing at the doorway was Feng Yang, looking exactly like the Feng Yang I had seen before. I could even sense his heartbeat if I focused. Yet, at that moment, I was terrified to the point of collapse; his sudden appearance left me utterly shaken.

"You, you..." I stared at him, unable to utter a coherent word.

Feng Yang looked agitated. "Quick, come with me, or you’ll be in great danger." Honestly, I had no intention of following a dead man. I had seen with my own eyes the innkeeper tear out Feng Yang’s heart and smear it onto the corpse that looked just like him. The mere memory made my scalp crawl.

"I... I’m not going!"

I reached to close the door, but Feng Yang seemed to sense something. He pushed the door open, his expression grim. "If anyone asks, say you haven't seen me. This is a matter of life and death. You must be careful; every step you take now determines whether we can escape!"

I nodded mechanically. I watched as Feng Yang slipped into the bathroom, then cautiously shut the door.

Within ten breaths, a knock came at my door.

*Knock, knock, knock...*

For some reason, each rap felt like a strike against my own heart. I took a deep breath, walked over, and opened it. A familiar face stood outside, and my heart trembled.

"Did you happen to see someone just now?"

Before he could finish, I shook my head. Although it was daytime, the only real difference between day and night in Painting Eyebrow Village was the pallor of the moonlight.

"If you know anything, you must tell me immediately. Remember, anyone here might want to harm you, but I won't, because we are essentially the same person!"

I looked at this man who was an identical copy of myself. If not for the difference in his voice, he was indistinguishable from me.

"Who... who are you exactly?" Since the innkeeper had brought it up again, I didn't hesitate to ask the question that had been haunting me.

"Who am I? Do you really not remember?" The innkeeper asked with a hint of frustrated persistence.

I shook my head. I genuinely had no idea who he was. Ever since he first claimed that we were the same person, I had been utterly confused. Now that he brought it up again, I was truly at a loss.

"Heh, you’ll understand eventually. Here, only I will protect you; everyone else will hurt you!"

I nodded, acting almost like a machine. To be honest, I didn't want to deal with this person at all. Just standing in front of him brought back the bloody, horrific scene I had witnessed, filling me with a sense of dread. Without waiting for him to say more, I closed the door. I pressed my ear against it, clearly hearing the innkeeper turn and head back downstairs.

What should I do? Who can I trust now? If only Xi Yue and the others were here. If only Nie Xiaoke and Tu could appear.

Only when I could no longer hear the innkeeper’s footsteps did I move slowly toward the bathroom. There was a terrifying "Yin Eye" in there. If Feng Yang were a ghost, he would fear the Yin Eye. But if he were human? Yet, he could hardly be human; I had seen the innkeeper kill him and tear out his heart just moments ago.

I took a few steps toward the bathroom door, intending to knock, but I hesitated, paralyzed by fear. I stood there for a long time.

*Creeeak!*

Just as I was debating whether to push the door open, it swung wide. Feng Yang stepped out.

"Let's go!" He grabbed me and pulled me toward the room's entrance, reaching for the door handle.

"Go where?" I tried to pull my hand away, my heart torn and unable to decide who to trust. "Didn't we agree to work together to escape this inn?"

My heart trembled. I didn't know what to say to the Feng Yang holding my hand. His skin felt cold, which only made me tremble more, terrified of what might come next.

"I know, you're afraid. You're afraid I’m a ghost, not a human?"

I said nothing, staring at him. Indeed, that was exactly my concern, and I felt it was a valid one.

"I didn't die. What you saw was a substitute!"

A substitute? I was bewildered.

"I divined my own fate before we set out, so I prepared a decoy. Everything I suffered was endured by that substitute. The innkeeper didn't kill me; he killed my puppet."

I still didn't believe him. Ghosts are cunning.

"If you don't believe me, I'll use a yellow talisman to show you."

Feng Yang stepped forward, pulled a spirit-suppressing talisman from his pocket, and pressed it to his forehead. Nothing happened. And this time, I could feel a faint warmth coming from his hand. Could Feng Yang really be human? I was half-convinced.

"I don't have time to explain. We must leave and find a place to hide, or we'll truly become ghosts!"

I nodded. As I gripped his wrist, I could feel his pulse, and his skin was warm. Perhaps the one the innkeeper killed really was a substitute.

*Creeeak!*

The door opened slowly. The hallway was empty. I followed Feng Yang, carrying my pack, and crept downstairs. Strangely, the innkeeper was nowhere to be seen, and we managed to slip out onto the main street.

Painting Eyebrow Village was far more mysterious than I had imagined. Once on the street, I realized this fully. Feng Yang walked in front, holding a small bell. It was a "Ghost Bell," like the ones we had at the Longevity Agency. Its primary purpose was to ring incessantly whenever a spirit was near.

The bell began to toll, but even after activating my Yin-Yang Eyes, I saw no spirits drifting about, nor did I sense any Yin energy.

This was truly bizarre.