Bizarre Honkai, a Wife-Chasing Crematorium

Volume III: Return to Taixu

She hadn't yet realized her own death.

She refused to acknowledge her own death.

By conventional standards, the immortal was indeed dead.

Her right foot was severed at the ankle…

The tendons in both her hands were destroyed…

Her internal organs were completely ruined…

Her chest, bearing the brunt of the assault, was riddled with over a dozen wounds. But the fatal blow landed on her head.

It was a lethal sword wound.

Translucent ice beads shimmered faintly. People hurried along the street, their footsteps crunching on the packed snow.

Gradually, the pristine white snow scattered across the world turned crimson, diffusing a blood-red glow.

The sword pierced her forehead, devastating her brain, then passed straight through.

For an ordinary person, any one of these injuries would have been enough to kill them.

"Your gaze… has finally fallen upon me…"

"You found me, Mo."

The Immortal extended a blood-covered hand, gently caressing the cheek of the young man who had impaled her skull with the ice-blue Xuanyuan Sword.

The young man's eyes were like the swirling snow around them, bone-chillingly cold.

He gripped the sword in his hand, driving it deeper into her skull. Shattered bone fragments and viscous fluid splattered onto the ground.

"A demon must be slain," the young man whispered.

A faint, bitter smile flickered across the Immortal's ravaged face.

"Yes, a demon must be slain…"

The Immortal echoed the young man's words.

"A demon… must be slain."

"Except for you…"

--- Original World ---

MEI was still deep in thought, recounting what she had witnessed in her memory.

"Just now, I was pulled into a bizarre dream, and walked into a forest of human skin."

"Is the human skin the source? No, if it were, I wouldn't have any memory of dealing with it, let alone leaving."

"I'm not dead, which means the source is something else entirely. But I can't recall anything more."

"An Bizzare Entity that can't be remembered? Interesting…"

MEI drew a bold conclusion based on her fragmented memories.

Memory was a deceptive thing. Blindly trusting it would only make the Bizzare's tricks more terrifying.

Relying solely on her memory, MEI would never have realized the existence of the source Bizzare, because all related memories had been erased, leaving only seemingly normal ones.

But this very normalcy felt unnatural to someone who frequently dealt with anomalies. Things going too smoothly felt wrong.

The character for "Huái" (槐) in "Huái tree" [Chinese scholar tree, Sophora japonica or Pagoda-tree] is composed of "mù" (木), meaning wood, and "Guǐ" (鬼), meaning ghost. There's a saying that the Huai tree is the ghost among trees. It's also associated with YIN energy [negative/dark energy in Chinese philosophy] and is believed to attract unclean things.

The holes in its trunk are said to be dwellings for lost souls.

Of course, these were just superstitions, and even if true, they weren't important right now.

What was important was Li Mo's human skin, and the ghost she had forgotten.

What had she done in the dream to make that forgotten ghost let her go?

Or rather, what had she done to cause a conflict in its rules?

She couldn't recall a single thing…

MEI shook her head. Her mind felt heavy. She probably wouldn't be sleeping for a long time.

As an ordinary person, she would die if she didn't sleep, but if she did sleep, she would be dragged back into the dream, and she might not always wake up…

"I'll go ask Elysia for a wish. I don't need to wish for the Bizzare entity to be solved, just to not need sleep. The price shouldn't be too high."

MEI left her bedroom and walked towards Elysia's room.

However, she stopped in the hallway and couldn't help but look back at the open door of Li Mo's bedroom.

Honestly, MEI didn't hold much hope for Hua's return, but she couldn't stop Li Mo from going to rescue her.

She wasn't a decision-maker, at most an assistant who provided solutions and handled trivial matters.

Through countless Bizzare files, she had glimpsed the true danger of the anomalies Li Mo faced.

Countless cases had taught her that even seemingly invincible abilities had their weaknesses. For example, the previously infallible "restart" ability could be countered by time locks, resulting in instant death. The same applied to wishes and the independent space created by Dorm 303…

Now, there was a new unknown: a forest of human skin that could kill someone capable of restarting.

This made MEI even more worried about Li Mo's safety.

"Come back alive."

"Next time you return, stay home with everyone for a while…"

MEI murmured, a rare expression of vulnerability crossing her face in the silent house.

But no one saw it, and no one would.

--- Foot of Taixu Mountain ---

June 28th, three days before the Zhongyuan Festival. [Also known as the Ghost Festival, a significant event in Chinese culture.]

Ancient Shenzhou. Jingwei often traveled the world, slaying demons and monsters. Sometimes she turned a blind eye to the turmoil in Shenzhou, other times she actively intervened. The people regarded her as Shenzhou's protector, the undisputed number one martial artist for centuries.

Legend had it that Jingwei was a celestial immortal, eternally youthful and possessing immense power.

Under Jingwei's guidance, the people of Shenzhou learned to harness Honkai energy. They called it True Energy and developed various cultivation methods.

Taixu Mountain was a sacred mountain. Ordinary people who dared to climb it would surely descend into the Nine Netherworlds [the underworld in Chinese mythology].

If someone managed to complete the Heavenly Path and reach the summit where the The Immortal resided, they could make one reasonable request.

…

…

"Brother, why are you hesitating here? Don't you want to join us in seeking an audience with the Immortal?"

A stranger asked.

As if in a trance, Li Mo awoke from a strange dream. Strangely, this time he felt no emotional connection to the dream, and his memory of it was hazy.

Only one sentence was etched into his mind like a knife:

"You found me, Mo."

Li Mo: "…Seek an audience with the Immortal?"

After passing through a cave, Li Mo arrived at a path leading up to the heavens. With each step upward, the temperature on his thermometer dropped slightly.

It seemed to indicate that the Bizzare source was at the summit.

Taixu Mountain… Immortal…

Li Mo's mind raced. He seemed to have arrived in ancient Shenzhou, during the time when Fu Hua was still the Jingwei the Immortal.

Wait, Jingwei the Immortal was Hua, so where was Hua? Was she the Jingwei the Immortal?

Could it be that Hua, having become the Jingwei the Immortal, no longer wanted to go home?

Li Mo quickly dismissed this idea. For an honest person like Hua, fame and fortune held no appeal, let alone the revered position of a Immortal.

She was a quiet soul, without such ambitions.

That would be a cage, imprisoning her freedom.

The man laughed heartily. "Of course! Brother, you must have been mesmerized by the Heavenly Path of Taixu Mountain. How could you forget your original intention?"

He gestured to the twenty or so people behind him, each clad in armor and carrying ample supplies as they ascended the Heavenly Path.

Of course, not all of them were martial arts elites seeking knowledge. There were also ordinary men, driven by desperation.

One man's face was etched with worry, but his eyes were filled with determination, as if he absolutely had to reach the summit.

He must have encountered some misfortune at home and hoped to seek the Immortal's help.

"Among us are martial artists seeking knowledge and ordinary people seeking immortal medicine to save their families."

"The Heavenly Path is also known as the Nine Netherworlds Path. One wrong step can lead to death. Those who have reached the summit throughout history have all been extraordinary individuals, renowned figures of their time. That's why we travel together, to look out for each other. Perhaps we too can reach the summit and meet the Jingwei the Immortal."

"Brother, your earlier expression suggests you were deceived by the illusions of the Heavenly Path. Don't take them seriously."

The man's words were polite and earnest, explaining his purpose and the dangers of the Heavenly Path. He seemed to be inviting Li Mo to join their group.

Li Mo paused, then spoke, ready to pour cold water on their hopes. "Thank you for the warning. As a token of friendship, I have some advice for you."

He didn't dislike these people. Even though they were strangers, Li Mo didn't want them to die at the hands of the Bizzare Entity.

That would be troublesome…

"Oh? Brother, if there's something we don't know, please speak freely." The man said enthusiastically.

"…I can't help you with seeking knowledge or medicine. You may not get what you seek even if you reach the summit. The situation up there is not as ethereal and noble as the rumors in the marketplace suggest."

"I can assure you, if you insist on climbing to the top, not only will you not get what you want, but less than a handful of you will come back alive."

Li Mo spoke sternly, still holding back some information.

If he didn't intervene, none of these people would survive.

The thermometer had already reached zero degrees halfway up the Heavenly Path. Further up, they would encounter even greater horrors.

As soon as Li Mo finished speaking, laughter erupted from the crowd.

"Hahaha! Brother, you underestimate us! Do you know that most of us are sect leaders or direct disciples?"

"This has nothing to do with your strength," Li Mo said flatly.

"Brother, you speak so arrogantly. Have you perhaps already reached the summit and seen the scenery up there? Otherwise, how dare you make such wild claims?"

"I haven't reached the summit, but I will," Li Mo sighed calmly. He had already anticipated what they would say next.

How dare you talk about the scenery up there without even seeing it?... That sort of thing.

He couldn't stop them.

Sure enough, the crowd burst into laughter upon hearing Li Mo's answer.

"Brother, you underestimate us! Though we are mortals, we have aspirations that rival the Xianren! The mundane shackles of the mortal world cannot bind us, the elite!"

"If one hasn't even witnessed the scenery atop the mountain, one cannot speak such arrogant words!"

"Besides, brother, you yourself are going to the summit, so how can you stop us?"

Seeing this, Li Mo could only shake his head helplessly and step aside. "My apologies, I take back what I said. Please, go ahead."

Having them test the Bizzare's rules for him wasn't a bad thing. Though it wasn't exactly humane, when facing an Bizzare Entity, human morality wasn't a priority.

Li Mo followed closely behind the group, silent.

At that moment, the man who had awakened Li Mo walked to his side and asked curiously, "Brother, your hand is clearly empty, yet why does it look like you're holding a sword?"

The man stared at Li Mo's right hand for a long time, finding it too strange not to ask.

Li Mo was taken aback. He looked down, and his right hand indeed looked like it was gripping a sharp sword, but there was nothing there.

The backpack Li Mo was wearing wasn't large. The extra space was just for the Head Ghost; otherwise, a waist pouch would have sufficed.

Therefore, at first glance, Li Mo didn't appear to be carrying any weapons, his pistol concealed beneath his clothing.

"Oh, oh, I understand! It must be an illusion of the Heavenly Path, making you hallucinate a sword. You've probably lost it and can't find it now, eh…"

The man, seeing no weapons on Li Mo, came up with a plausible explanation on his own.

"By the way, how should I address you, brother?"

The man was very interested in Li Mo, the newest addition to their group. His intuition told him that someone who could reach the middle of the Heavenly Path alone was definitely not ordinary.

Perhaps he knew even more than he let on.

Even though he couldn't sense any zhenqi flowing within him…

Li Mo casually replied, "Call me Mingyue. And you?"

The man answered frankly, "My name is Changle. I'm a wandering martial artist, without a sect or master. I'm going to the summit to ask for a beauty-preserving elixir for my wife."

Li Mo scrutinized him. He looked to be only in his twenties, the age of youthful passion.

But to embark on the perilous Heavenly Path just for a beauty-preserving elixir?

Li Mo didn't believe it.

Changle, Mingyue… clearly neither of them were using their real names.

Li Mo avoided using his real name to prevent attracting the Name-Calling Bizzare Entity. The other man probably avoided using his real name to protect his true identity.

"Mingyue, you're not from Shenzhou, are you?" Changle asked.

"Strictly speaking, no."

"Haha, although you speak the same language, your mannerisms and clothing are quite different from ours. I suppose you're not from Shenzhou. So, Mingyue, why would you risk your life to meet the Jingwei the Immortal?"

Changle's way of speaking was disarming. The first half of his sentence built rapport, while his true purpose subtly emerged in the second half, delivered in a casual tone.

Li Mo quickly formed a hypothesis.

He was fishing for information. The first half of the sentence wasn't important; it was the second half that mattered.

The reverence and respect he displayed when mentioning the Jingwei the Immortal didn't seem fake.

It was more solemn than the reverence shown by ordinary people driven by belief and faith.

"Looking for someone," Li Mo answered simply.

"Haha, yes, we're all looking for someone. We're looking for the Jingwei the Immortal. Is that the same for you, Mingyue?" Changle asked, glancing at Li Mo from time to time, observing his expression.

"No, I'm just looking for a fri…"

Before he could finish, a commotion erupted ahead, immediately attracting the attention of Changle and Li Mo.

"Someone's dead! Someone's dead!"

Hearing this, Li Mo frowned, feeling a pang of self-reproach.

It wasn't guilt for the dead person, but rather for not immediately noticing how he had died.

This was a hard-won glimpse into the Bizzare Entity's killing pattern, and he had missed it!

"Excuse me, excuse me…" Li Mo quickly pushed through the crowd, reaching the deceased.

Changle followed closely, observing Li Mo's every move.

A thin, ordinary person, probably not a martial artist. There wasn't a single wound on his body. He had suddenly died on the road, leaving everyone baffled.

"Who is he? How did he die?" Li Mo asked the crowd.

"An ordinary person, not a martial artist. He came here seeking a life-prolonging elixir," Changle immediately answered.

Li Mo narrowed his eyes, looking meaningfully at Changle. "You seem to remember him quite clearly… We know his identity. What about the cause of death?"

The crowd exchanged glances, as if no one had paid any attention to the condition of an ordinary person.

After a long while, no one stepped forward to explain.

"Forget it, you don't need to tell me. I already know how he died."

Li Mo patiently unbuttoned the deceased's outer garment, removing the plain, coarse cloth from his body.

In the next instant, the rough outer garment transformed into a finely made, death-gray shroud, made of a strange, incredibly soft material.

The shroud was wrapped with red ropes, and there were ligature marks on the deceased's neck, wrists, and waist.

"Mingyue, what just happened? Why did his clothes suddenly turn into a shroud?" Changle pinched his nose, unable to contain his curiosity.

The shroud emitted a strong, pungent odor of decay.

Li Mo took out his Bizzare Handgun and set the shroud ablaze.

"Is that a… firearm?" Someone in the crowd recognized the pistol.

Blue-violet flames roared, sparks flying, as if struggling against something.

After a few minutes, the flames died down, but the shroud remained intact.

"Tsk!" Li Mo tucked the pistol back into his waistband and hurriedly tossed the shroud over the edge of the Heavenly Path, down the cliff.

Then, without a word, he rushed towards the summit with a panicked expression, leaving the crowd bewildered and hesitant.

"What's he doing?! He threw away the only clue! Does he not want us to know the cause of death?"

"Why is he running so fast on the Heavenly Path? Is he in a hurry to reincarnate? This isn't an ordinary road. The faster you run, the faster you die…"

Changle hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and, ignoring the conventional wisdom about ascending the Heavenly Path, quickly followed after Li Mo.

The crowd looked at each other, uncertain. A few men in black followed Changle without hesitation, and a small number chose to follow Li Mo. Most, however, continued at their original pace, slowly making their way up.

The sudden strangeness made everyone avoid the corpse, afraid of violating some taboo.

As everyone rounded the corner, the dead body suddenly stood up, trembling uncontrollably, shaking the red ropes.

The bright red ropes became paler under the sunlight, their color fading rapidly, as if attracting something unclean.

The shriveled, decaying face gradually deformed. The hair on the body grew rapidly, and the large frame began to shrink, developing a pronounced hunchback…

The mouth protruded into a beak, and the beard lengthened into thin cat whiskers.

Gray hair sprouted from the back of the head.

"Mingyue! Mingyue! Slow down! What happened?!"

Changle finally caught up to Li Mo, panting heavily.

Li Mo's face was grim. He said darkly, "Didn't any of you find it strange that someone would wear such thick clothes in the middle of summer? And with a bamboo hat to conceal his face?"

Changle: "Is that strange? It's normal for cautious martial artists to wear thick clothes in the summer to conceal hidden weapons and other secret items. The hat is probably for sun protection."

"The deceased didn't have any of those things you mentioned."

-----

Nine Netherworlds (九幽): In Chinese mythology, this refers to the underworld or hell, a place of darkness and the afterlife. It's not a single place, but a multi-layered realm.

Zhongyuan Festival (中元节): Also known as the Ghost Festival, this is a traditional Chinese festival observed on the 15th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar. It is believed that the gates of hell open on this day, and ghosts return to the world of the living. It's a time for ancestor veneration and offerings to appease wandering spirits.

Huai Tree (槐树):

The huai tree, or Chinese scholar tree, holds a complex and often dualistic symbolism in Chinese culture. Beyond the literal breakdown of its character ("wood" and "ghost"), several factors contribute to its association with the supernatural.

Its dense foliage and spreading branches can create shadowy, somewhat eerie spaces, which historically were seen as attractive to spirits. Older huai trees often develop hollows and knots in their trunks, further reinforcing the idea of them being dwellings for unseen entities.

Certain varieties of huai trees have fragrant blossoms that, while pleasant, can be quite intense and even overwhelming, contributing to an otherworldly feel. Historically, huai trees were also planted near cemeteries and temples, further solidifying their connection to the spiritual realm.

However, the huai tree is not entirely associated with negativity. It also symbolizes scholarship and high rank, as it was traditionally planted in the courtyards of officials and scholars.