Chapter 129 - 129 129

Words : 1355 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

129: 129. Your Name (Way of Death) 129: 129. Your Name (Way of Death) Every time one of the three contestants died, a hiss exploded over the banquet in the courtyard of Jinlongyu Taoist Temple. The senior members of their sects faced disgrace and bowed their heads, fearing recognition. “This is truly the worst group I have ever led.” “When we return, he will be punished to copy the scriptures ten times.” Complaints were constant for a while. ... Introducing oneself involved not only one’s identity but also one’s... manner of death. The classroom was deathly still as the gazes of the contestants and the ghost creatures fell on the figure who stood up in the first row. “My name is Meng Fenfen, you can call me Fen’er. I was lured by Erniu from the next village to an empty house where he tried to force himself on me, and when I refused, he locked me in a cabinet where I died.” The girl next to her coldly recited her method of dying, sat back down, and stared intently at Lu Li beside her with her dark eyes. About twenty ghost creatures looked on, their immense pressure bearing down, as Lu Li stood emotionlessly, spoke a sentence, then sat down. “My name is Lu Li, and I suffocated in a cabinet.” Just then, his deskmate raised her hand and stood up with a sinister tone. “Teacher! He’s lying!” Fen’er reached out her visibly malnourished, thin arm toward Lu Li’s neck. At the critical moment, Lu Li remained calm and slowly said, “I did not.” Just as her hands were about to touch Lu Li’s neck, Fen’er sneered, “You told me you died from talking too much—” “I was locked in a cabinet because my talkativeness annoyed someone, and by the time they remembered me, I was already dead. Is there a problem?” Lu Li’s eyes coldly stared back. “And to add, I had eaten spoiled corpse flesh by accident a few days ago and am still sick from the poisoning.” Some contestants wondered inwardly what the point was of this character setup. Only Martin appeared thoughtful, seeming to sense something. Fen’er’s cold hand reached Lu Li’s neck as the corners of her mouth gradually widened, “Your death is just like mine—” She seemed very eager to kill Lu Li, just like the ghost creatures that had killed the three contestants. “Is there a rule that everyone must die differently? What do you think, Teacher Song Hongfang?” Under the students’ gaze, a drenched Song Hongfang, as if just pulled out of water and still dripping, responded, “The way of dying, well, it’s like running—does it matter if you die like this or he dies like that? Next student, please.” Fen’er, grudgingly releasing Lu Li, glared venomously at him, waiting for him to slip up. Drip-drip— A finger poked Lu Li’s back, who turned around to find a little ghost girl behind him, grinning with saw-like teeth as if to smile, “Lu Li... kiddo, the tiger corpse told about... found in the spicy there... what?” She, or it, had a stumbling speech, biting her tongue several times which appeared severely mutilated. Lu Li responded quietly, “Not far from school, but when I left, I heard wolves howling. You’ll probably find only bones if you go now.” “No speaking during class time! Next!” A stern voice came from the podium as Lu Li turned his gaze away and sat quietly. In the second row, a young man tense with nervousness stood up. He seemed to be a contestant, yet not quite. “I, I am Lu Wei... I am...” He stammered, too nervous and frightened to think of what to say. A sinister ghostly aura emanated from his deskmate. Startled, Lu Wei squeezed out a tearful smile and hurriedly added, “I committed suicide by hanging!” “I am called Wang Xiaolu, went up the mountain and was poisoned by a snakebite,” Lu Wei’s deskmate said icily, her skin turning a sullen hue, purpling, and finally a deep purple like that of poisoning, her pupils bloodshot. Then the third row, and the fourth. After initial unfamiliarity, the remaining contestants understood the introduction segment and, like passing the parcel, narrated randomly made-up causes of death and passed them back. Until the last one by the wall stood up, a young man stood up and as if making up his mind, said, “My name is... Lin Zheng Ying, and I was caught and infected by Corpse Poison by a zombie.” ...? As disciples of a sect dedicated to subduing demons and eliminating ghosts, not knowing who Lin Zheng Ying is was as rare as a martial artist not knowing Jin Yong. The remaining contestants became agitated, especially after this contestant claiming to be “Lin Zheng Ying” calmly sat down. This seemed to be a good method for distinguishing humans from Ghost Creatures... “My name is Li Xiaoyao.” “My name is Xiao Yan!” “My name is Meng Dan...” “My name is Kong Yiji—” Consequently, as if by a shared intuition, all contestants began using the names of famous personalities as proof of their own identities. The situation suddenly became clear, and the contestants who thought they had found the trick were secretly pleased—until the elders watching from outside revealed sly smiles, and the self-introductions continued to the seat in front of Martin. That was the little girl Ghost Creature, whose face was smeared with coagulated blood from tearing open the throat of her deskmate. “My name is Zhao Ling’er, killed by a monster.” Zhao Ling’er’s head turned towards the contestants who had just introduced themselves, flashing a sinister smile. The contestants she focused on shivered with dread. Even the ones who hadn’t taken their turn felt a chill running through their bodies. The Ghost Creature had seen through their plan and had joined them under a guise. If they hadn’t witnessed her tearing open a contestant’s throat, they might have all thought she was one of them. And if that were the case... how many among those using specific names were hidden Ghosts...? Martin looked at “Zhao Ling’er” as she sat down and thought deeply. There were definitely real players among those using special names, yet they had not been attacked by the Ghost Creature. Perhaps because the names didn’t reveal their identity, they didn’t trigger any lethal scenario... “Next.” The teacher’s voice sounded, and all eyes fell on Martin. Martin, composed, stood up and said, “My name is Martin, and I accidentally drank poison stored in a bottle and died. By the way, a few days ago I ate decaying corpses with Lu Li, and my food poisoning was a bit worse than his.” ...? The other contestants were even more confused. Was there anything special about this setting? Why were they eager to announce their issues? Some clever ones suddenly realized something and then showed annoyance—they were a step behind. Lu Li took a few more glances at Martin, who might or might not have used his real name, then looked away. It wasn’t just because Martin was smart, but also because he was quite cute. “Next.” “My name is Liu Goudan, and I died from being tied up at home by my brother, who then set me on fire and burned me alive...” Martin’s deskmate let out a miserable wail, his clothing turned to ash, and his skin visibly charred and cracked. Crackle— With a faint popping sound, his skin split open, and a fiery dark pattern flickered inside, like the interior of burning coal. A pungent burnt smell emanated from his body. The introductions continued downward: some students were beheaded and then picked up their own heads, some were drowned and then dripped with water all over, but most showed no obvious changes. “Alright, students have finished introducing themselves, next—” Ten minutes later, after all the students had introduced themselves, the homeroom teacher began to speak, and a sudden scream cut through. “Teacher! They’re not ghosts!”

Chapter 129 - 129 129

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