This Damned Thirst for Survival

Chi You’s eyes narrowed slightly and he smiled, “Good.”

A burn of incense later, the two men walked briskly towards Yi Zhuang.

Yi Zhuang was built in a remote part of the city, a place built by the people of Bujiu to temporarily store dead bodies. It is a lonely courtyard in the middle of the wilderness, its wooden gates in disrepair and its walls covered in white mud. It is late in the evening and Yi Zhuang looks even more haunted in the darkness of the sky.

Jiang Luo and Chi You walk in without changing their faces. Yi Zhuang is divided into two parts, one is the courtyard behind the main gate, where more than twenty black wooden coffins are kept. The second is a small room in the courtyard, where the newly deceased are coffined.

Jiang Luo looked at the coffins in the courtyard and Chi You explained, “These are all people who have died in recent days and have put their coffins here for the time being, waiting for a good day to bury them together.”

Jiang Luo asked, “Are there no guards in Yi Zhuang?”

“There’s an old man, Xu, as we call him,” Chi You led the way to the inner door, “he’s eccentric and should be dozing off in the side room at the moment, having finished his drink. We’ll just go in and out ourselves.”

Having said that, he pushed the door open.

“With a creak, the heavy, old wooden door was thrown open. The stench of corpses in the room was overwhelming. Chi You covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, and also covered the hidden smile at the corners of her mouth, “Young Master Jiang, come in.”

Only two paraffin lamps were lit in the room. In the middle of the kerosene lamps are two beds, on which two bodies are lying covered with white cloths and stained with blood.

Jiang Luo also covered his nose as he picked up a paraffin lamp and approached one of the bodies, his pupils snapping shut as he lifted the white cloth, “…… Duan Zi?”

On the bed, Duan Zi’s face is pale, his eyes are wide, his lips are purple and his head has been severed from his neck in a miserable manner.

The person who died …… is Duan Zi ?

How is this possible?

Yesterday they were discussing together how to catch the evil spirits, and today they are dead?

Jiang Luo exhaled a foul breath, disbelief squashed, but he still found it unbelievable. He set the paraffin lamp aside and lifted the white cloth all the way to Duan Zi, where not only had his head been cut off, but his limbs were not on his torso, but had been pieced together into a human form.

Chi You stood watching, he seemed to be looking at a cloud of air and suddenly sighed, “What a sad way to die.”

Jiang Luo frowns.

He went to the other bed and lifted the white cloth violently. There was also a dead man in this bed, a beggar with dirty hair, tattered clothes and a foul stench. His death was similar to Duan Zi’s in that his head had also been cut off and put aside, but he hadn’t been cut up like Duan Zi, at least his arms and legs were still on him. At least his arms and legs were still on his body. The beggar’s expression was the same as Duan Zi’s, with a sense of fear that had not yet dissipated.

Like being scared to death alive.

Jiang Luo threw the white cloth on the ground and stared at the body. He soon saw a black mist wrapped around the body’s neck, which refused to leave, something that looked extremely familiar.

Without hesitation, he immediately stretched out his hand and touched the black mist. The black mist wrapped itself around his arm and in a moment Jiang Luo seemed to enter a blurred dream of unconsciousness. He saw the last memories of the deceased before he died, and felt the extreme fear and cardiac arrest of the deceased.

In the dark, damp street, the beggar was counting the coins he had begged for today. A shadow slowly hangs over the beggar’s head and the beggar looks up sluggishly to see a ghostly figure standing in front of him with a bloody machete, raising its cold, piercing blade towards him.

The beggar’s heart stopped and he screamed out violently, and the next moment, the pain came from his neck and he was unconscious.

Jiang Luo’s eyes snapped open and he gasped for air.

The fear of death that he felt in the vision, of his heart being clenched, fades away and Jiang Luo slowly calms down, realising that he is being held by Chi You around his waist.

Chi You said, “What’s wrong with you?”

Jiang Luo shook his head and Chi You released him, looking thoughtfully at his slightly pale complexion.

Jiang Luo is thinking about the last image he saw before he ‘died’.

A ghostly figure draped in black robes held up a knife, covered from head to toe in black robes, unable to see the face or gender clearly. The opponent was fast, clean-cut and had an eerie aura, indeed like a ghost, but …… it was not impossible for a human being to do so.

Jiang Luo learned what he wanted and he re-settled the beggar and looked back at Duan Zi.

Duan Zi is still a university student and is in his early twenties. Jiang Luo closed Duan Zi’s eyes and gave them a silent recitation of the Sutra of the Afterlife.

But as he recited it, he suddenly remembered, “No, why didn’t the black mist appear on Duan Zi’s body?

Jiang Luo opened his eyes and searched Duan Zi’s body backwards and forwards, but he could not find anything like a black mist. Jiang Luo didn’t know much about black mist, so he couldn’t be sure at this point whether it was because it didn’t appear on everyone when they died, or whether Duan Zi wasn’t really dead.

Jiang Luo speculates that the black mist is something born from the aspect of the soul, carrying the memories and emotions of the dead before their death. The group entered the Mirror World, not with their physical bodies, and it is likely that Duan Zi’s death here does not mean that he is truly dead.

Jiang Luo withdrew his hand and Duan Zi’s eyes were closed by him. He looks back and meets Chi You’s eyes.

Chi You seemed to be staring at him and Jiang Luo was alerted by the look, “What’s wrong?”

“You seem to be interested in their deaths.” Chi You said.

Jiang Luo said, “I am also very interested in your family.”

As we spoke, the yard suddenly rang with the loud sound of a coffin being knocked open. Jiang Luo looked out of the window and his eyes popped.

All those coffins sitting in the courtyard had their lids topped off and the bodies swindled.

One by one, the corpses sat up from inside the coffin, their faces blue and white, their fangs long and their nails black and sharp, having turned corpses into zombie-like.

Jiang Luo : “Shit.”

The zombies jumped out of their coffins , their arms raised and their heads twisted neatly to look inside the house, jumping in unison towards the short room.

Jiang Luo turned to look, and the two bodies on the bed began to move. But they were in tatters, their arms and heads rolling off the bed in a single bound, making them much less threatening. Remembering that Chi You was still there, Jiang Luo stepped back and stood behind Chi You, pretending not to understand anything and said anxiously, “Master Chi, what about this?”

Chi You looked at the fast-approaching vampires outside and said with equal difficulty, “Young Master Jiang, I’m not very good at my craft, so I can deal with just one or two, but it’s really difficult to deal with so many.”

Jiang Luo wants to laugh out loud.

Just a few zombies, and you’re having a hard time?

What a way to talk, full of nonsense just because people don’t know.

He hid his leathery grin and feigned panic, “Do something, or we’ll all die here!”

At the sound of the words, the headless body of the beggar had jumped off the bed, turned to them and jumped closer towards Jiang Luo and Chi You step by step.

Chi You backed Jiang Luo into a corner, fighting and retreating in unbearable disarray. No sooner had the headless corpse retreated from the battle than the door to the room burst open and the zombies in the courtyard poured in in droves.

Chi You looked grave, “Young Master Jiang, it’s not good, we’re in danger.”

Jiang Luo was expressionless behind him, “What should I do then? Young Master Ji, I really don’t want to die.”

Chi You looks around the room and suddenly pulls Jiang Luo back a few steps to a wardrobe in the corner. He pulls the closet open and leads Jiang Luo inside, then closes the door behind him. There were airy gaps in the closet door and they could see the zombies getting closer and closer through the light and dark intervals.

Chi You warned from behind Jiang Luo, “Hold your breath.”

Jiang Luo pauses for breath.

The zombies on the outside of the cupboard door lost their target and they slowly turned their heads. Sharp nails glinted with cold light, a poke fearing a bloody hole.

Jiang Luo stands in front of Chi You, his face as black as ink as Chi You cannot see his expression.

As a professional, he certainly knew about zombies. There are two types of zombies, those who are “newly dead but have not yet converged” and those who have been buried for a long time but have not yet decayed”. Jiang Luo did not believe that Chi You would really be unable to defeat these zombies.

He was playing weak.

Even if he was playing weak, he took Jiang Luo to hide in the cupboard and was asking for his own death.

If a person does not breathe, no yang energy will leak out and they will not be discovered by the zombies. Even if one really can’t fight, the best way to escape from Yi Zhuang should be to take advantage of the breath-holding time to blend in with the zombies. But what about now? It looks as if Chi You has protected Jiang Luo and given them temporary safety. But how long can one hold one’s breath? Instead, they have imprisoned themselves in the midst of the zombies, and once they can’t hold their breath, they will be attacked by all of them.

This is like picking up a sesame seed and losing a melon, such a stupid method, Chi You can’t figure it out?

There was no way he couldn’t figure it out, but that’s what he did.

This was clearly deliberate and was 100% intended to test Jiang Luo.

Jiang Luo is about to explode with anger.

True to form, Chi You. He gritted his teeth, so worthy of you, both later and now, so fucking underdog.

Jiang Luo’s internal fire burns for a moment, but he quickly calms down. The corners of his mouth pursed up and he gave a secret sneer in his mind.

Then let’s see who can out-fake who.

Outside, the zombie let out a low, instinctive growl, its long, sharp teeth protruding from its lips and its snout shrugging, constantly sniffing the air.

Chi You was absently looking out at the zombies when his left hand was suddenly tugged away by the person in front of him. He looked down and there was Young Master Jiang, head bowed, silently taking Chi You’s hand and writing in his palm, word for word, “What should I do next?”

An itch lurked where his fingertips had traced. Chi You smiled reassuringly at him and reached out, returning Jiang Luo’s hand over his, “What do you have in mind?”

The little bugger, indeed, was testing him.

What could he have in mind? He is just an ordinary man.

Jiang Luo grunted inwardly as he felt the need to take this opportunity to teach Chi You a lesson, to show him that he was not someone to be tested at will.

I couldn’t help you when you were growing up, but I can’t help you now?

Jiang Luo’s thoughts were dumb, but he hid these outward emotions and shook his head, “I don’t know.”

Chi You ponders, his brow furrowed, and he looks at Jiang Luo helplessly and guiltily.

The wardrobe is small and barely fits the two of them. Chi You, even as a teenager, was already taller than Jiang Luo.

Chi You looked down, at the young master Jiang standing in front of him.

Jiang Luo’s face was already flushed.

Perhaps it was the heat in the wardrobe, or perhaps it was the nervousness of the zombie horde outside. Jiang Luo’s forehead was beaded with sweat, sticking his dark hair to the corners of his temples in a wretched and vivid way. The flush on his cheeks was becoming more and more vivid, and the heat was getting hotter and hotter, so he was clearly on the verge of suffocation.

Sure enough, the next second, Jiang Luo hurriedly wrote in Chi You’s hand, “I’m out of air.”

Chi You pretended not to understand and stared back in slight confusion.

Compared to Jiang Luo, his demeanour has not changed at all, as if his breath had never been consumed.

The man he was playing with in his palm became even more anxious, even as the redness spread from his face to his neck. Again he wrote hurriedly, “I’m out of breath.”

Chi You dawned on me.

But he didn’t know what to do and could only look at Jiang Luo helplessly.

When he doesn’t move, Jiang Luo gets a little anxious. He moves closer to Chi You and seems to want to say something in Chi You’s ear.

Dark hair swept over Chi You’s ear and a cool scent hit him. A sudden breeze blows in Chi You’s ear as he is momentarily stunned.

“Boom…”

The next moment, a zombie’s sharp claws pierced through the wardrobe, brushed the side of Chi You’s ear and plunged into the wall.

The black hair around Chi You’s ear was cut off and dropped. Chi You looked at the hand that almost went through his head, Yu Guang looked at Jiang Luo.

The young master’s eyes were anxious and genuine. He looked at Chi You with a worried look on his face, his apologies so strong that he could not harden his heart, as if the breath he had just taken in Chi You’s ear had been an unintentional mistake.

He did it on purpose.

Chi You is talking to yourself in your heart.

The wardrobe was completely destroyed as the zombie’s iron arm came between the two of them, while the corners of Chi You’s lips grew higher and higher.

He thought, almost pleasantly, that this man was really interesting.

At that moment, Chi You felt a tug on his sleeve.

He looked back, and the slightly nervous smile at the corner of his mouth turned into a reliably gentle grin as he looked tenderly at Jiang Luo.

Jiang Luo gestures outside, indicating that it is time to leave.

Chi You nods.

The two men exited the wardrobe silently, trying not to touch any zombies as they approached the door. But these zombies blocked the door to the exit.

Chi You saw Duan Zi’s head rolled to the ground among the zombies and he kicked it into the corner, the sound attracting the zombies, who were blocking the door and rushing towards the corner.

Jiang Luo and Chi You took the opportunity to run out the door and fled towards the Yi Zhuang gate.

He was on the verge of reaching the gate, just one more step away from getting out. Jiang Luo was about to take this last step when Chi You suddenly jumped on him and hugged him, rolling him twice on the ground.

Jiang Luo’s spine aches from the stones as the two men finally stop.

This was definitely revenge, and Jiang Luo smiled coldly and opened his eyes when he heard Chi You whisper, “Are you all right?”

Chi You was pressed against his body and his face was bloodless. There was a cut on his neck from which blood dripped down onto Jiang Luo’s body.

Jiang Luo stared blankly at the bruise on his neck, and Chi You said reassuringly, “It’s okay, it’s just a small cut. Don’t worry, you’re not hurt.”

“……” Jiang Luo’s goose bumps were rising as if he had swallowed a fly, “I can’t thank you enough.”

Chi You got up and pulled Jiang Luo up with him. Jiang Luo then saw what had attacked Chi You. There was still a zombie in the coffin in the courtyard, and it had just risen up and lunged at them.

Chi You didn’t waste much time, nor did he bother to kill the zombie that hurt him, he just dragged Jiang Luo and ran out, “Go.”

Jiang Luo looked back and saw that Chi You hadn’t closed the door to Yi Zhuang at all.

Oh, maybe Chi You didn’t even think about closing.

Chi You doesn’t care if the zombies come out and hurt people, because he is cold-blooded and has no intention of stopping them.

Even if you pretend to be a normal person, you can’t pretend to be normal.

Jiang Luo withdrew his eyes and looked at the bruise on Chi You’s neck and mentally hissed.

This freak has done so much theatre that he has hurt himself, only to fear that he has bigger plans in store for Jiang Luo.

Then Jiang Luo’s curiosity and desire to win was completely aroused, and since Chi You wanted to act, Jiang Luo was willing to play along. Jiang Luo’s acting skills are no better than Chi You’s. He blushed, “The wound on your neck ……” and then said sadly, “I’m sorry I dragged you down. ”

Chi You shook his head, “You’re my friend, how could I stand by and watch you get hurt?”

These words …… are simply more gut wrenching than a direct threat. It was as if the poisonous snake had opened its fangs and saliva dripped hungrily onto Jiang Luo, and it had to say to Jiang Luo, “I’m holding you in my mouth to protect you, and I will never eat you.”

Jiang Luo’s expression almost twisted in disbelief.

“But ……” Chi You sighed suddenly as he coughed lowly, “there are some bad consequences to zombie bites.”

Jiang Luo knows, but he understands and pretends not to understand, “What are the consequences?”

Chi You : “If I don’t treat the wound soon, the necrotic poison will invade through it and turn me into a zombie too.”

Jiang Luo was horrified, “What should we do then!”

“Don’t worry,” Chi You said softly, “just wait until we get back to the house and take some glutinous rice to wash away the vampire poison. It’s just that this wound is so obvious that anyone with experience will know that it was made by the nails of a zombie. I have to meet the elders later, and if they see it, I’m afraid it will cause a riot and cause trouble.”

Jiang Luo already knows what he’s going to do, and I’m afraid Chi You’s next line is to ask Jiang Luo to help with the elders.

But Jiang Luo has no desire to meet the stinking elders of the Chi family. Just as he does not want to meet the Jiang family, Jiang Luo does not have the slightest patience to deal with them, either outside or inside the mirror.

And, if he stepped in to help Chi You, he would only be helping Chi You pull away the hatred value of those Chi family elders. Not to mention that he was content to be ignored by the Chi family, which would be a problem if he was involved because of Chi You.

So his eyes lit up before Chi You could say his next words, “I have a way to keep your wounds from being seen.”

Chi You paused and asked with interest, “What’s the solution?”

Jiang Luo pulls Chi You into an alleyway.

*

Chi You was pinned against the wall by Jiang Luo, who looked down at the young master who kept surprising him, who kept surprising him, and smiled, “What are you going to do?”

Jiang Luo didn’t say anything, but beckoned towards Chi You, “Look down and let me see your wound.”

Chi You bowed his head as he was told and placed his neck under Jiang Luo’s eyes.

The aorta was pulsing and the slightest carelessness could have killed him. Chi You doesn’t seem worried, he is so open, as if his trust in Jiang Luo is behind his openness.

Jiang Luo, however, noticed that underneath the shirt the young man’s body was imperceptibly tense.

Jiang Luo had no doubt that if he had made any move that threatened Chi You’s life, Chi You would have had him dead in a heartbeat.

Jiang Luo “tsked” and took a closer look at the bruises on Chi You’s neck.

Chi You’s wound was so perfunctory that only a few drops of blood hurriedly flowed before it began to dry, which was about as far as he was willing to go to play Jiang Luo.

Injured to the point where the wound is now slightly blackened and the cortex stiffened, the necrotic poison has begun to take effect.

He poked the wound and asked, “Does it hurt?”

Chi You’s smile remained the same, “It doesn’t hurt.”

He thought for a moment and added, “There is no longer any other feeling.”

“Then it’s time to get back to the house as soon as possible to fix the necrotic poison,” although it was an act, the wound was indeed for Jiang Luo, who wouldn’t deliberately screw Chi You in that regard, “It’s not a deep wound, although it’s a nail mark, but on the other hand it’s good imitation.”

Chi You raised an eyebrow, “Hmm?”

Jiang Luo raised his hand to Chi You’s neck, mimicking the nail marks, the nails scratching Chi You’s skin.

Chi You didn’t know what Jiang Luo was going to do, but he didn’t move and let Jiang Luo do what he was told.

Jiang Luo dug a few blood marks into Chi You’s neck and stepped back to look at them, but they were still not enough. The zombie’s finger marks still stood out, and after some thought, he stepped forward again and made a few bruises on Chi You’s neck.

This makes the bloodstains look a little more ambiguous.

It was just that such traces could only fool people who hadn’t had sex with fish, and as for the elders of the Chi family, Jiang Luo really didn’t think they could necessarily be fooled. OCD forced him not to allow the flaw to be seen, Jiang Luo frowned, “Young Master Chi, you have to remember that everything I do is to allow us to muddle through.”

Chi You, vaguely curious as to what he wanted, affirmed, “Naturally.”

Now that he’s agreed, Jiang Luo doesn’t care. He pressed down on Chi You’s neck and dropped a kiss on the knot of his throat, which then sucked out a hickey.

The moment the soft lips touched skin, Chi You froze completely in place. His hands were behind his back and he was slightly bent over, looking very much at ease.

But at the moment, the teenager’s swimming ease was crushed into pieces.

A tickle rises in the throat and Chi You’s throat rolls involuntarily, adding to the dryness of the alley.

Soon, and for what seems like an eternity, Chi You’s neck cover-up is done.

Jiang Luo nods in satisfaction that the zombie finger marks have been perfectly concealed underneath it.

“Come on,” he said, “we can go back.”

He turned to walk towards the outside, but his wrist was suddenly tugged, Jiang Luo turned back, Chi You with a smile, his eyes fixed on his neck, “I think you should add a few to your neck …… as well.”