Though Zhang Yuqiu pressed him relentlessly, Xiaoyu remained rooted beside the desiccated corpse, unmoving. He lowered his head and spoke in a low voice, "If I don't find her, I won't be able to live with myself."

"Sigh," Zhang Yuqiu sighed, glancing over at Xiaoshu. "And you? Will you come with me?" Xiaoshu shook his head. "Thank you for the catsuit, but my brother and I came together, and we must return together. If he searches for Wenshu, I must search alongside him. It's a pact forged in hardship; you wouldn't understand."

"Very well," Zhang Yuqiu conceded with resignation. "But even if you find her, it doesn't guarantee retrieving the love you once shared. She has changed. Like you, she’s become an undying being, yet she lacks freedom."

Startled by the blunt truth revealed by Zhang Yuqiu, Xiaoyu’s eyes widened like copper bells. He urgently pressed, "What exactly does that mean?"

Seeing Xiaoyu’s sudden alertness, Zhang Yuqiu deliberately played coy. "I heard an old woman entrusted you with a task. Is that true or merely rumor?"

"It's true," Xiaoyu admitted nervously. "From the first time I met her, she told me one wish: to bring her the Man-Eating Nether Worm and end the nightmare of this undying body." "However," Zhang Yuqiu interrupted before Xiaoyu could finish, "you don't truly grasp what her nightmare entails, which is why you haven't fulfilled your promise until now."

"Well..." Xiaoyu felt a pang of awkwardness. Despite meeting the old woman several times, he had never truly taken her wish to heart. He lowered his head, feeling somewhat ashamed.

"There’s no such thing as a free lunch. The true nature of an undying body is that of a manipulated puppet. Whatever the master commands, the puppet must obey. If she is told to kill, her hand cannot tremble when wielding the blade; if she is ordered to slaughter, regardless of whether the victim was once a friend or kin, they must die. Being a puppet is an agonizing experience because they retain all their memories and emotions from life. Perhaps when she sees your beloved, she might turn a scythe or a dagger upon your dearest friend." As he spoke, Zhang Yuqiu shrugged, his expression carrying a measure of weary helplessness.

"But I don't feel like I'm being controlled like a puppet," Xiaoyu countered. "Besides, how do you know her specific situation?"

"Didn't I tell you? I know far more than you can imagine. Now, are you wearing this suit or not?" Zhang Yuqiu snapped, growing impatient.

"Easy, easy," Xiaoshu interjected, playing the peacemaker. "How about this: we change while you tell us everything about Wenshu? And the difference between Xiaoyu’s condition and hers." Saying this, Xiaoshu deliberately stripped off his outer shirt and trousers right in front of Zhang Yuqiu, leaving only his briefs. He then pulled on the black catsuit that had been offered, transforming himself into something resembling a bizarre Spider-Man.

Seeing Xiaoshu donning the suit, Xiaoyu followed suit, shedding his own clothes. Though he felt a degree of awkwardness, he held his tongue, waiting for Zhang Yuqiu to elaborate on the nature of the undying bodies.

So, Zhang Yuqiu began speaking to the pair as if recounting a story to kindergarten children. "There are actually two types of undying beings. Any undying who has killed ninety-nine people and completed the contract becomes a puppet. Normally, they are indistinguishable from regular people—they live, eat, and work just like anyone else, only they do not age or die. When the master requires them, they are summoned. They gather to form an army of the undying. At that moment, their original thoughts and emotions are sealed away. They pick up the butcher's knife and slaughter anyone their master designates, or complete tasks deemed impossible. If they survive completing the mission, their lives revert to what they were before, and their thoughts and feelings are returned to them. Then, they live forever in remorse for the atrocities they committed. Only those who repeatedly sacrifice themselves for others achieve the freedom of the undying—they are not subject to puppet-like control, and consequently, they are spared the regret that follows awakening." At this point, Zhang Yuqiu let out a weary breath. "Frankly, even without my telling you, you should have realized it by now. This field littered with corpses—this is the handiwork of your sweetheart and her comrades."