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墨書 Inktalez
"No one knows what that is?"
The fox raised a hand, and the horse let out a low neigh before slowly moving forward.
"Not even you know?"
Xing Ruyi opened her eyes. She realized that the fox had cast a spell on the carriage. Perhaps it was their voices, or perhaps even the night travelers from the Yun family market would not be able to see this carriage. Thus, their voices unconsciously grew a little louder.
"Yes!" The fox nodded, pulling over a blanket that had been resting nearby and wrapping another layer around Xing Ruyi. "This Human Skin Robe, I heard about it when I first arrived in the human world, but at that time no one knew where this first Human Skin Robe came from or how it was made. However, I think after tonight's journey, we might just find out the answer."
"When you first arrived in the human world, are you referring to that time?" Xing Ruyi shifted slightly. "I mean, when you first met me. I still remember you were seriously injured then and could only transform into a very small fox. I went downstairs to buy food and saw you lying in the grass under the streetlight, looking aloof, which made me mistakenly think you were a pet of some wealthy family. When I tried to pick you up, you looked so unwilling that I almost wanted to just leave you there."
"Fortunately, you didn't; otherwise, where would I find such a good Husband today?"
"That's true." Xing Ruyi hugged the fox's arm. "So, people should be kinder and more enthusiastic; who knows when they might pick up a Husband for themselves? Many idol dramas portray it this way; they even write it with this trope. I feel lucky to have been caught up in this trope. By the way, you still haven't told me what happened when you first arrived in the human world. Was there already something as terrifying as the Human Skin Robe back then? It wouldn't be in my neighborhood, would it?"
The fox looked deeply at Xing Ruyi but said nothing.
"Could it be that I've guessed right?" Xing Ruyi instinctively covered her mouth in surprise. "You, please tell me who that person is? They can't possibly live in the same building as me, right? You appearing downstairs at my place wasn't random; it was... attracted by that thing? Just like your previous Centipede; people like you are drawn to certain energies?"
The fox nodded.
Xing Ruyi bit her lip and quietly asked, "Who is that person?"
"He is someone who has lived for hundreds of years and is an immortal. He can live in this world like an ordinary Common Person forever. He has aged but will never die because all his time stopped at the moment he put on the Human Skin Robe. You should have seen him; he lives in the building and is viewed by others as a lonely old man. He has no family and rarely speaks but always enjoys sitting downstairs alone, watching people come and go. When his gaze meets theirs, he smiles gently. With children he encounters, he always kindly wants to say a few words."
"I know who you're talking about—the old man from unit 0. I've even delivered cardboard boxes to him. I thought his family wasn't around; I assumed he sat downstairs every day just to collect discarded cardboard boxes and bottles because I've seen him rummaging through trash cans for those items. I thought he was just a pitiful old grandpa. A Human Skin Robe? How could such an ordinary-looking old man possess something like that?
Moreover, weren't those who wore the Human Skin Robe supposed to have gone missing? Madam Yun disappeared, Hong Liu vanished—why has that old man remained?"
"Because that Human Skin Robe has already matured; it no longer needs to absorb human flesh and blood."
"Is there really a difference between mature and immature Human Skin Robes?"
Xing Ruyi suddenly envisioned a bizarre scene in her mind as she heard those words. She seemed to see a stove with a cage on top of it, and inside the cage lay a garment that was comfortably turning in the steam, even stretching its body proudly as if to show Xing Ruyi: "Look, I'm already three parts cooked!"
Xing Ruyi couldn't help but shiver and quickly shook her head to dispel the strange imagery.
"What strange thoughts are you having again?" the fox asked, frowning at Xing Ruyi.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about that old man. What happened to him in the end? Ever since you came, I feel like I haven't seen him again."
"I helped him take off that garment," the fox said, glancing at Xing Ruyi. "He died."
"Died! Why? Wasn't he supposed to be immortal?"
"If he had kept wearing that Human Skin Brocade, he certainly wouldn't have died. But he lived for too long, so long that he grew tired of it himself and no longer wanted to live. So, he begged me to help him take off that Human Skin Brocade and to assist him in entering Reincarnation. I softened and agreed."
"This world is truly strange. Throughout history, emperors have all sought immortality, yet they each die earlier than the last. The grandfather of the building doesn't need to die and won't die, yet he still begged you to help him die."
"Perhaps that's the difference between emperors and ordinary people? Those high-ranking emperors have long been accustomed to loneliness and solitude. For them, possessing power and holding onto it forever is the most important thing. As for family ties, friendships, and love, they are merely embellishments in their lives. They never care about who comes or goes beside them because for them, everyone and everything is just a passerby; what they care about is always themselves. Thus, they desire longevity even more than they desire youth.
Ordinary people lack such great power and therefore have fewer desires; they live lives filled with mundane necessities. Take that old man from the building as an example: although he wouldn't die, he would still get hungry. So he needed to eat, drink, relieve himself, sleep just like ordinary people do; he also had to earn money to support himself. Supporting oneself and making a living are almost indistinguishable for ordinary people; both are quite arduous.
Because of his ordinariness, his view of the world is much broader than that of emperors. All he sought was enough food and warmth, along with companionship from family and friends. He never thought about standing at the pinnacle of this world. Therefore, the longer he lived, the lonelier he felt and the more tedious life became. For centuries, in order not to let others discover that he was a monster, he had to keep moving homes and meeting new people while accepting new things. He grew weary and tired; thus he sought liberation."
"I think I can understand you," Xing Ruyi sighed. "If I were that immortal person, I probably wouldn't think about creating any miracles either. I'm so lazy that I definitely wouldn't read more books or newspapers or learn more knowledge; any extra time given to me would just be wasted. My mind isn't particularly dull but certainly isn't brilliant either. Immortality would only change the length of my life; it wouldn't change my intelligence or broaden my horizons. In fact, living longer would only bring more troubles—especially when watching those around me leave one by one; that kind of torment would be unbearable. But then again, if it were me now, I would hope for immortality."
"Is it because you're not lazy anymore?"
"Of course not!" Xing Ruyi shot a glare at the fox. "It's because I now have Ghost Technique! Using some methods from certain stories, it's like I've been reborn with an external advantage; I can easily stand taller and see further than others. Deep down, I know that without you by my side or this magical Ghost Technique supporting me, I wouldn't have been able to open this Ruyi Cosmetic Shop at all or thrive as I do today in the Golden Tang Dynasty.
Moreover, it's because of you—I know that the person I like can accompany me for centuries, and among my current friends, aside from Brother Chang, Shengzi, and Si Niang, everyone else can stay with me for a very long time. I'm not lonely or bored; in fact, I can do many wonderful things. Of course, I wouldn't want to die.
Unfortunately, I'm not the lucky one chosen by Master in the end. So sometimes Master is quite fair; those who are reluctant to die often end up dying while those who never thought about living for a hundred years tend to live longer."
"Fox Demon—"
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I just had a moment of reflection. Thanks to you and the Ghost Technique, even if I were to be gone one day, I could still be by your side in another form." Xing Ruyi blinked at the fox and said, "Just now, I suddenly realized something; I don't mind the length of life as much anymore."
"What did you come to understand?"
"Relationships! Don't forget, I have a connection with the Underworld Lord and many friends in the Underworld. If that time comes and I shamelessly stay in the Underworld instead of reincarnating, they wouldn't want to make things difficult for me considering our past friendship and your reputation, right? In that case, I could be with you forever. At worst, you could sacrifice a bit of your time to come to the Underworld and keep me company."
The fox's eyes brightened for a moment before dimming again. "No! I can't bear to let you stay in such a dark place without sunlight."
"Come on, did you take that seriously?" Xing Ruyi shook the fox's hand, but the fox held her hand back.
"Fox Demon, do you know why I agreed to help him with that Human Skin Brocade?"
Xing Ruyi looked up into the fox's eyes and after a long while, slowly nodded. "Is it because of me?"
"Yes! It's because of you. At that time, I wanted to be with you forever."
"But you never gave me that Human Skin Brocade." Xing Ruyi recalled all the moments she shared with the fox. She swore that until now, she had never heard the fox mention anything about the Human Skin Brocade. If that garment truly had any effect, the fox would have told her about it and given it to her. "The reason you didn't tell me is because you discovered that the Human Skin Brocade has other side effects, right?"
The fox fell silent for a moment before finally saying, "We've arrived!"
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