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Ghost Amusement Park [Infinite] Chapter 5

Place the coin in the mouth, burn paper by the bed, light the lamp for the corpse (Part 2)

 

The players stared at him in stunned silence.

 

Lian Qinglin hesitated for a couple of seconds, then turned around in disbelief and asked, “As an NPC, is it reasonable for him to be more handsome than me?”

 

He voiced the thoughts of the livestream viewers at that moment:

 

【Holy crap! Are all the NPCs in this instance that good-looking? If they are, I definitely won’t feel sleepy!】

 

【Are these NPCs’ faces designed by the system? This yin-yang master has to be a key character!】

 

【Wow, just wow. Lian Qinglin’s godly looks actually got outshone by an NPC.】

 

【I’m fangirling over a virtual NPC in a horror show.】

 

【As a fan of Lian Qinglin’s face, I’m now switching sides for an NPC.】

 

 

The yin-yang master, after speaking, retreated back into the shadows. While the viewers could admire his appearance, the players had no such luxury.

 

Chi Yi nervously asked, “What does ‘prepare the body’ mean?”

 

In front of the spot where the yin-yang master had stood was a square wooden table. On the table was a copper basin, draped with a white towel. Behind the table, on a wooden rack, hung several sets of clothing.

 

Li Zhi walked over to examine the items. “In traditional funerals, there are three main parts: encoffining, the wake, and burial. ‘Preparing the body’ is the first step in encoffining. It means we need to clean the body and change it into burial clothes.”

 

Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air. The thought of having to personally clean that corpse made them want to faint on the spot.

 

Xu Shu, surprised, asked, “You seem to know a lot about this?”

 

Li Zhi explained, “A couple of years ago, I filmed a horror movie. I played a concubine who conspired with the butler to kill the master of the house, so I did some research.”

 

Everyone: “?”

 

That role sounds kind of badass!

 

Li Zhi picked up the copper basin. “Let’s fetch some water.”

 

Fetching water sounded like the safest task, so the group eagerly volunteered to go. Turning right after exiting the main hall led to the kitchen, or what rural areas often called the stove room. The clay stove had a rusted iron pot on it, and in the corner stood a waist-high water jar, with a water pipe above it dripping slowly.

 

It was just a water jar, but when they leaned in to scoop water, it looked deep, like a well with no visible bottom, the blackness inside making it seem endless.

 

No one dared look too long. They quickly filled the basin and hurried back to the main hall. But when faced with the corpse on the bed, the previously eager group fell silent.

 

The image of the village chief staring at them with open eyes was still fresh in their minds.

 

At this moment, Xu Shu stepped forward voluntarily, “I’ll do it.”

 

He walked to the bed and lifted the white sheet covering the body. The village chief had been dead for two days, his body stiff and cold. The clothes he had been wearing, likely for days, gave off a pungent smell of old age.

 

Xu Shu moved quickly, and in less than two minutes, the emaciated and elderly corpse was fully exposed to the group. The twisted bones, and wrinkled, leathery skin draped over the body, made it look like a monster wrapped in human skin.

 

Someone couldn’t hold back, covering their mouth and rushing outside to vomit.

 

After removing the clothing without incident, Xu Shu saw Li Zhi place the basin of water by the bed. After wetting the towel, she glanced at the corpse without a word and began wiping the face.

 

Chi Yi, standing nearby, was trembling so much her teeth were chattering. “Li Zhi, aren’t you scared?”

 

Li Zhi replied, “When my dad passed away, I cleaned his body too.”

 

Back then, she was still very young, just starting middle school. Cleaning the body of her father, who had always been neat and tidy, felt like the only thing she could do for him.

 

Chi Yi hesitated, her voice soft, “I’m sorry…”

 

Li Zhi didn’t take it to heart. “My dad was cremated right after he passed, so the process was different from traditional burial. Otherwise, I’d probably be even more experienced at this.”

 

With those two leading the way, the task of cleaning the body was completed quickly. The village chief still lay peacefully in the bed, and the terrifying scene of him rising from the dead never occurred.

 

Zhang Xiao stepped up quickly, saying, “I’ll handle the next part!”

 

He hadn’t forgotten that this was a live broadcast, and the viewers were watching their every move. Li Zhi had been so proactive that her popularity could easily surpass his. As for Gao Shijun, that fool, Zhang Xiao doubted he’d survive until the end.

 

The group worked together to move the wooden rack filled with clothes over to the bed. There were at least twenty different styles and colors of garments hanging from the long rack.

 

Zhang Xiao selected two burial robes embroidered with the symbol for “fortune,” joking to ease the fear as he dressed the corpse, “Father, I’ve picked these beautiful clothes for you. You’ll look so nice wearing them as you leave us happily.”

 

The expression on the old man’s face remained serene throughout.

 

Once the corpse was dressed, Zhang Xiao exhaled a long sigh of relief.

 

At this point, the dressing process was complete.

 

The handsome yin-yang master once again emerged from the shadows, his voice now carrying a hint of coldness: “Place the coin in his mouth, light the corpse lamp, burn paper by the bed, remove the door board, and tonight—” He lifted those beautiful yet hollow eyes and glanced over the group. “You will keep vigil.”

 

Xu Shu looked outside at the fading daylight, his tone grave. “We have to finish everything before nightfall. In this instance, it’s best not to go outside after dark. The likelihood of encountering malevolent spirits is extremely high.”

 

Upon hearing that, everyone tensed up and quickly split up to get everything done.

 

Inside a small box on the table were three copper coins. Lian Qinglin, suppressing his disgust, pried open the village chief’s mouth and placed the coins inside, completing the task of placing the “coin in the mouth.”

 

Next, they removed the door panel from the main hall and laid it near the threshold. After kneeling by the bed and burning the paper offerings, the men worked together to lift the village chief’s corpse from the bed and place it on the door panel.

 

The body was positioned with the head facing inside and the feet pointing toward the door, hands folded on the chest, and the corpse lamp was lit above his head, casting light on the chief’s peaceful face.

 

After spending so much time in the same room with the body, everyone had become somewhat numb to it.

 

Luckily, everything went smoothly, and no unexpected incidents occurred. Just then, Uncle Jiu reappeared after being absent for a long time, now looking more like a considerate elder.

 

He even brought some food, saying, “You’ve all worked hard today. Eat some dinner and rest early. There’s still much to do tomorrow.”

 

At his words, everyone felt an overwhelming exhaustion settle in. They had been on edge since entering the instance, and now, finally relaxing, they were both hungry and tired.

 

Xu Shu said, “Let’s eat first. After that, we’ll split up and find rooms to rest in. Remember, no matter what you hear at night, don’t come out.”

 

During dinner, Gao Shijun finally woke up from his hours-long sleep. After a rest, he was much calmer, though more withdrawn than before.

 

Zhang Xiao handed him a steamed bun and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, brother. The task isn’t as hard as you think.”

 

After eating, Chi Yi timidly approached Li Zhi. “Zhi Zhi, can I sleep with you tonight?”

 

To get closer to her, she had even started calling her “Zhi Zhi.”

 

Li Zhi chuckled, “Sure.”

 

After dividing into groups and finishing their meal, everyone retreated to their respective rooms. Inside, there was only one bed. Li Zhi washed up briefly before lying down, and Chi Yi followed closely behind, like a cute little shadow.

 

Once she got under the covers, Chi Yi hesitantly scooted closer again, asking softly, “Zhi Zhi, can I hold onto your arm while I sleep?”

 

Li Zhi, eyes already closed, replied, “Of course, go to sleep.”

 

Chi Yi’s nose stung with emotion, silently vowing to repay Li Zhi’s kindness once they made it out of this place.

 

Night fell, and it was hard to tell how many were able to sleep and how many lay awake with their thoughts. Outside, everything was quiet, with only the rustling of the night wind blowing through the mourning hall.

 

Li Zhi lay with her eyes closed, reflecting on everything that had happened that day. Listening to Chi Yi’s soft, even breathing beside her, she too began to feel drowsy. Just as she was drifting off, she thought she faintly heard the sound of a soft cat meow.

 

Meow—

 

The sleep that followed was deep and uninterrupted until, just before dawn, a blood-curdling scream erupted from the direction of the main hall.

 

It was Gao Shijun’s voice.

 

Li Zhi jolted upright in bed. Chi Yi, startled awake as well, sat up wide-eyed with terror. “What happened? What’s going on?”

 

The two quickly put on their shoes and hurried out of the room. Others who had heard the scream were also emerging, their faces showing no sign of sleep, only shared anxiety and fear in their eyes.

 

“What’s Gao Shijun screaming about this time? What’s going on?”

 

Everyone rushed toward the main hall.

 

The sky was beginning to lighten, a pale, bluish glow faintly illuminating the doorway of the hall.

 

But where the village chief’s body had once rested on the doorboard, there now lay Zhang Xiao.

 

He was dressed in the same burial robes he had helped put on the village chief the day before, barefoot, with his hands crossed over his chest. His lips were slightly curved into a smile, his face ashen and peaceful.

 

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