Chapter 19
The man’s expression was calm. Light and shadow fell across his eyelashes as he glanced to the side, his face utterly unruffled.
The cat was just as calm. The newcomer, on the other hand, jumped in fright.
After the three of them stood in silence for a few seconds, the newcomer tentatively asked Yin Xiu in a quiet voice, “Excuse me, are you a player too?”
Yin Xiu nodded, then looked away from the newcomer and turned his gaze back to the cat.
The cat stopped looking at the newcomer, too. Under Yin Xiu’s gaze, it licked its paw, then shifted restlessly on the branch as if preparing to jump down.
“What a coincidence. I’m a player too. I just came from over there. What are you doing here watching a cat?” The newcomer edged closer to Yin Xiu, careful and hesitant. Seeing another player here surprised them; they’d even thought they were the first one to come out.
Yin Xiu’s aloofness inexplicably stirred a little excitement in them. It felt as if they’d found a treasure before anyone else.
“It should be a guide cat, but it wouldn’t move when I was alone.” Yin Xiu raised his chin slightly and took a step back. The cat immediately sprang down from the tree with astonishing agility.
“Looks like it takes at least two people to get it moving...” Yin Xiu glanced at the newcomer beside him. He wasn’t sure whether the cat needed two people to get started because this instance always gave players a roommate. To be safe, he’d left Li Mo at home. If the newcomer hadn’t come along, he would have had to wait a little longer.
“How did you know it was a guide cat?” The newcomer followed timidly behind Yin Xiu, watching him follow the cat.
“I guessed.” Yin Xiu answered calmly.
After jumping down, the cat swayed its tail and walked elegantly toward the town. The white collar around its neck stood out against its black fur.
The newcomer stared at it, then suddenly realized, “It has a collar. Someone must be keeping it, right?”
“Maybe.” Yin Xiu narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the distant town.
Even from a distance, the town seemed subtly wrong in the daytime. There had been so many lights at night that, logically, it should have been full of people. Yet for some reason, it was quiet. Far too quiet.
Their footsteps were the only thing lending the road any hint of life. The wind rustled through the branches, but there were no insects or birds. Even now, as they neared the entrance to town, they still couldn’t hear any signs of ordinary life there. It was eerie.
The newcomer took a deep breath and stammered, “I-I’m a first-timer. I don’t have much experience, and I might hold you back... I hope you don’t mind.”
Yin Xiu gave a cool, noncommittal reply. Looking straight ahead, he followed the cat into town.
The town wasn’t very developed. Many of its streets were still paved with blue-gray flagstones, with weeds growing between them. Still, it was in decent shape: the ground was clean, the houses sturdy, and every home had its own fenced-in yard. At first glance, nothing seemed wrong. It was simply too quiet.
The moment he stepped into town, Yin Xiu felt a chill in the air. A gloomy, sinister feeling swept over him, and the sunlight’s warmth seemed to vanish in an instant.
Since they’d entered, people had been watching them from behind the windows on both sides of the road. Their shadowy gazes clung tightly to the two of them.
Yin Xiu stopped by the roadside at the town entrance and examined an old stone stele covered in moss.
Grave Town Rules:
\nOne. At night, children are strictly forbidden from touching the altar in the square. No matter what you see, pretend you saw nothing and leave at once.
\nTwo. There are no female ghosts in town. If you happen to see a woman in white, avert your gaze and do not listen to her voice. If she latches on to you, seek help from other townspeople.
\nThree. During the day, strange things in town may disguise themselves as residents. Be sure to tell them apart, and do not let them invite you into their homes. The chances of encountering something strange during the day are very high, so try not to go out.
\nFour. The town must remain welcoming to outsiders. However, if they break the rules, show them no mercy.
\nFive. You may let outsiders watch the sacrificial ceremony, but be absolutely sure to warn them not to break the first or second rule.
\nSix. Do not let outsiders who accidentally break the rules leave alive.
Yin Xiu’s gaze settled on the rules carved into the stele. Some had grown blurry from years of wind and rain, while others were crystal clear, as if they’d been carved only recently.
The latter half of the third rule, for instance—the line that read, “The chances of encountering something strange during the day are very high, so try not to go out”—looked new and cramped against the rest of the text. It must have been added recently. That meant the chance of encountering something strange had only increased lately.
“This... this sixth rule sounds really dangerous. And there’s even a sacrificial ceremony here?” The newcomer’s face paled. The last rule made it clear just how merciless the town was toward outsiders who broke its rules—and they were outsiders.
“Mm.” Yin Xiu quickly ran through the rules in his head. Once he’d memorized most of them, he turned and continued after the cat.
The gazes from the houses on both sides of the road lingered. The residents stared at them intently, but perhaps because the rules told them to avoid going out during the day, they stayed hidden inside without showing their faces.
As the two followed the black cat toward the square, a door on one side creaked open. Half a face was immersed in shadow, the other half exposed to the sunlight.
An old man with a sickly, pale face stretched out a shriveled hand and beckoned to Yin Xiu. His voice rasped in his throat. “You two young fellows are outsiders, aren’t you? Have you seen the stone stele at the entrance? ... It’s dangerous during the day. Don’t wander around town. Come take shelter at Grandpa’s house!”
The newcomer glanced at him in a daze, then looked back at Yin Xiu, who kept walking as if he hadn’t seen a thing. “Aren’t we going to respond?”
“Responding to him would get us killed.” Yin Xiu’s voice was calm. “Look at his feet.”
The newcomer immediately looked toward the old man’s feet. Inside the house behind him, not far past his feet, a human shape lay on the ground, almost concealed by the darkness within.
The newcomer squinted, straining to make it out. When they realized what it was, they sucked in a sharp breath and edged closer to Yin Xiu, trembling. “I-It’s a corpse... A corpse exactly like that old man...”
“Mm.” Yin Xiu’s voice was cool and indifferent. He showed no reaction to the corpse or the unknown thing that had taken the old man’s form.
The third rule clearly said that something would disguise itself as a resident during the day and invite people inside. Yin Xiu hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. Anyone who hadn’t seen the rules—or was a little more careless—would have fallen for it already.
“Young people, I’m serious. It’s dangerous in town these days. I’m an old man—what could I possibly do to you? Come on in!” The old man kept beckoning. His shriveled, lifeless eyes fixed on the two of them as they walked away, resentment spilling from his gaze.
When neither of them took the bait, the “old man” clenched his teeth in anger and slammed the door shut.
The road fell quiet again. Yin Xiu followed the black cat to the center of the square.
The moment he entered the area, the chill became even more pronounced. The oppressive cold that shrouded the entire town and made it hard to breathe was emanating from here.
A statue stood in the center of the square. It was the head of a woman, with a massive nail driven straight into her forehead. Her eyes were wide open, fixed on the sky. Her gaze seemed to brim with the resentment of someone facing death, glaring furiously at the sky. Just one look at the sculpture was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.
Even more horrifying, yellow talismans had been pasted all over the statue, and countless red threads were looped and wound around it. The talismans were packed together, and an unknown formation had been carved into the ground, its twisted grooves stained with dark brown residue.
In front of the statue stood a blue-gray stone platform. A large, black, sticky mass of tangled hair lay across it, giving off a foul stench.
This must be the sacrificial site mentioned in the town’s rules.