The old woman’s words were difficult to fully grasp. I pondered if, as she claimed, she had forged a pact with the Sea of Undead, trading the lives of ninety-nine people for an undying body—wouldn't she, too, be steeped in the blood of the unjustly slain? Yet, equating this frail, white-haired woman with the ruthless female demon I imagined felt challenging. I wanted to ask her how she had killed those ninety-nine souls, but the question stalled at my lips. Everyone harbors secrets they wish to keep buried, and I feared probing this question would wound the old woman’s already repentant spirit. Better not to ask; let the past lie. I simply waited for her next command.

“Grandmother, what do we do now? Will Hua Jinlan come to kill us?” Seeing everyone fall silent, Hua Gu cautiously addressed the old woman, using the question to draw everyone back to the present.

“How many people are in the village?” the old woman asked.

“A little over a hundred, it’s a small village,” Hua Gu replied.

“That’s about right. It’s probably tonight; she wants to wipe everyone out in one go, leaving no survivors to avoid future trouble,” the old woman stated with certainty.

That affirmation sent shivers down my spine; her tone was so absolute, as if she were describing her own actions from years past. "Wipe everyone out, leave no survivors"—what a brutally bloody scene that must have been!

Xiao Shu cleared his throat, a dry little cough. Everyone turned to look, realizing he had been sitting silently in the corner for a long time, and risk being forgotten if he remained quiet any longer. He lowered his voice, his tone thoughtful as he asked, “Grandmother, isn't the ultimate fate of every Undead soul to merge its absorbed essence and blood into the Sea of Undead, thus powering its existence? What connection does this undying body, gained through the Sea of Undead pact, have to the Undead? Does it not share their fate?”

The old woman let out a dismissive laugh. It seemed there might be some hidden history between her and Xiao Shu’s family. I suddenly recalled that Hua Jinlan’s mother, the hunchbacked crone, was the butler at Xiao Shu’s villa. And since the old woman had just claimed that Hua Jinlan’s family held a generational grudge against her, it explained why Xiao Shu didn't kneel before her, and why she always looked at him oddly, regarding him with palpable disdain. There had to be a deep root to this history.

“Are you asking if your nefarious Ming Brother and his gang of Undead thugs will stand longer in this world than I will?” A distinct sharpness laced the air, threading out from the old woman’s words.

Xiao Shu immediately fell silent, lowering his head to sit quietly, neither confirming nor denying her implication.

The old woman softened her tone, speaking slowly. “The Undead cannot escape their destiny; they have beginnings and ends, an unending cycle, just like people. The Undying Body is merely a walking corpse, living alone in this world, watching the cycles of time ebb and flow, using memories to inject a semblance of human feeling into this cold shell. These are two separate paths, both gifts from the Sea of Undead, originating from the same source. The difference is that the Undead carrying a mission possess power beyond nature, whereas the Undying Body is just an empty vessel. Therefore, once one begins a slaughter, they must eradicate the roots entirely, or rivals will always seek to destroy that hard-won shell. Many obsessively seek this shell, believing that being undying means eternal life, and eternity allows them to endlessly satisfy their greedy desires. They fail to realize the pain far outweighs the pleasure. Acting against the natural order never brings happiness; all the joy I once knew came only from memories.”