Chapter Fifty-Five: Unlocking the Door

At first, the words sounded so merciful, promising a quick end for another, but the reality unfolding now was anything but that.

The ghastly figure, having been knocked away, once again dragged herself upright and charged at Fang Mu. The pattern repeated over and over—each time she rushed forward, Fang Mu mercilessly kicked her away without the slightest hesitation.

Watching from the side, Iron Abacus Immortal felt his heart pounding in his chest, secretly suspecting Fang Mu harbored some strange hobby.

After being kicked away more times than one could count, the ghoul climbed up yet again. This time, however, she did not charge forward. Instead, she remained rooted in place, her eyes revealing a deep struggle within.

Her features twisted together from the intensity of her inner conflict, she pressed a hand against the gaping hole in her abdomen. Gradually, the struggle in her gaze gave way to madness.

“Eat… eat…”

She opened her mouth and slowly forced her right hand inside, chewing it carefully.

“So it really is like that. If she can’t eat others, she’ll have to eat herself,” Fang Mu remarked, his expression calm as he observed the scene before him.

Just as the book described: if a man-eating ghoul fails to devour others, she will consume herself. If she starts eating her own flesh, it means she hasn’t digested anything yet. If she’s killed midway, perhaps something bizarre can be retrieved from her.

Fang Mu thought it worth a try—after all, this was the only use left for the ghoul before him.

By now, the entire forearm of her right hand was gnawed clean. She seemed oblivious to pain, and the more she ate, the wilder her expression became.

Iron Abacus Immortal lifted his compass, which was vibrating with an unusual rhythm. Fang Mu glanced at it and asked, “What’s happening?”

Iron Abacus Immortal stared at the compass, hesitating. “It seems something is emerging—coming from within this ghoul.”

“Something is emerging…”

Fang Mu looked back at the ghoul. “Keep watching—let me know if there’s any drastic change.”

Iron Abacus Immortal nodded, his eyes fixed on the compass.

Her right forearm was gone, and unable to reach further up, the ghoul shifted her attention to the left hand. The chilling sound of flesh being chewed echoed through the silent cavern. In just two breaths, her left forearm was gnawed clean.

“It’s changing!” Iron Abacus Immortal’s gaze grew grave as he stared at her chest. “Something sinister is forming there. She…”

Before he could finish, the ghoul’s movements halted.

Time itself seemed to stop. She stood there, utterly motionless.

Crack… crack…

A fissure split open across her chest, yet no blood seeped out. From within the crack, two deathly pale hands reached forth.

These hands gripped the edges of the fissure and pulled, forcing open her chest. Her body crumbled to dust, replaced by a girl, equally pale from head to toe.

“Mother… mother…”

The girl’s face was covered in dense traces of blood. Staring at the drifting powder, she uttered the words in a daze.

A new horror, born from the ghoul’s body.

After a few murmured words, the pale girl turned, fixing Fang Mu with a chilling, icy gaze.

“Eat… eat…”

Her voice was like ice from a frozen crypt, sending a shudder through one’s soul.

Fang Mu smiled pleasantly. “Come, big brother will send you to reunite with your mother.”

“Die!”

The pale girl’s figure blurred, lunging at Fang Mu.

“Carving the Ox.”

A flash of a gleaming blade swept down from her crown. She froze mid-motion, a thin line of blood running from her head downward as she was cleaved in two with a single stroke.

“She’s dead,” Iron Abacus Immortal said, stepping forward to continue speaking.

“Don’t be hasty.” Fang Mu, eyeing the corpse, reached out his hand…

[You have retrieved from the ghoul’s corpse and obtained a wisp of true qi.]
[You have retrieved from the ghoul and obtained a clue stone — effect unknown.]

The wisp of true qi merged into the Dragon Gate, making it more tangible than before.

Yet what puzzled Fang Mu was why he’d received a stone.

An ordinary stone appeared in his mind. He feigned reaching into his robe and drew it out.

Iron Abacus Immortal was utterly bemused—how had he produced yet another object? Was this some kind of treasure chest?

Fang Mu scrutinized the stone. There was nothing unusual about it; it was just an ordinary stone, except for its odd shape.

It was oval, with no sharp edges, its surface smooth like a river pebble.

But this did not match his expectations. He’d come down the well because of the key, yet found nothing related to it—only this extra stone. The cavern was strewn with jagged rocks, but now there was a smooth pebble among them.

Fang Mu rolled the stone in his hand. “Let’s look around and see if there’s anything here connected to this stone.”

Iron Abacus Immortal nodded and began searching.

Fang Mu traced the inner wall of the cave, examining every detail with care.

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Iron Abacus Immortal suddenly called out from a corner of the cave.

“Copper Abacus Brother, there’s a hole here!”

At his words, Fang Mu approached, just in time to see Iron Abacus Immortal move aside several stones, revealing a small cavity.

It wasn’t large, about half the size of a fist and shallow—no deeper than half a fingertip.

Fang Mu took out the pebble and compared it, then placed it into the hollow.

The sound of a mechanism’s cogs turning echoed through the cave. The smooth pebble was wedged tightly into place. Fang Mu instinctively twisted it.

Crack… crack…

The echo of interlocking gears filled the empty cavern. Four cracks radiated out from the pebble, forming a square.

Fang Mu stopped, then pulled at the pebble.

From the seams, a square stone slab lifted away, revealing what lay beneath.

A box—an ordinary iron box, secured with a lock.

“The key.”

Fang Mu produced the key and inserted it.

As for why he didn’t simply force it open—this world was full of sinister tricks. If the box were booby-trapped, breaking it open could spell disaster.

Better to be cautious; some dangers must be guarded against.

If the key didn’t work, then force would be the last resort.

Click!

The lock turned smoothly, and the padlock opened without resistance.

Lifting both sides of the iron box, Fang Mu opened the lid.

He stared at the contents, a peculiar look on his face.

Inside was nothing but a book.

An utterly ordinary book, no different from the ones he’d seen before, clumsily bound with haphazard threads.

Fang Mu picked it up, and as he turned to the first page, his brow furrowed deeply.

Iron Abacus Immortal craned his neck to look at the contents and sighed, “This fellow is actually quite clever.”