"What's wrong? Little Instinct doesn't have an appetite?"
I swallowed hard; my stomach was already aching from hunger. I pressed my abdomen, saliva constantly overflowing, and shook my head.
"I don't want to eat anything greasy for now. I've been trying to lose weight lately."
Saying this, I got up and walked straight out of the shop. Uncle Lee followed me out.
"You don't look well, Little Instinct. Are you sure you're alright?"
I shook my head, clutching my stomach, glancing around in frustration. What exactly does John Chou want? I'm starving—I've only eaten a little this morning, and this hunger is unbearable.
"Uncle Lee, can you tell me how I can get back?"
I asked, and Uncle Lee shook his head before patting my shoulder.
"You'll get used to it after a while."
My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"Does that mean I can't go back, Uncle Lee?"
The moment Uncle Lee nodded, my heart skipped a beat, and I sighed helplessly.
I looked around for Uncle Lee.
Saying that, I started running wildly and soon reached the shore in one breath.
"John Chou, where are you? Come out!"
I stood at the shore and shouted, but after a long time, I still saw no sign of John Chou. Just as I was about to give up, his voice echoed in my mind.
"Find my body, Rachel Lan. I can't enter your world, but only you can enter mine. Once you find my body, you can get out. Remember, Rachel Lan, never eat anything from the World of the Living Dead. If you really can't bear it, just eat grass!"
I widened my eyes, stomped my feet, kicked some stones away, and looked around.
"Where is your body?"
John Chou didn't respond. At that moment, I sensed someone behind me. I turned to see Uncle Lee standing behind me with a strange look on his face.
"Little Instinct, who are you talking to?"
I shook my head and smiled awkwardly.
"Uncle Lee, is there any grass around here?"
Led by Uncle Lee, I followed him to the back of the village, where I saw graves of all sizes. Most of the graves looked like they'd already been dug up.
"This used to be where we rested, Little Instinct. I warned you before to leave quickly, but you didn't listen. You can't blame us for what happens now."
Uncle Lee said sternly. I swallowed, looking at the woods behind the cemetery, where there were grass and trees. I sensed a surge of vitality.
"Can you tell me? Uncle Lee, why did you all end up like this?"
I quietly watched Uncle Lee. From him, I felt both vitality and death mingling together. Their state was neither human nor ghost—they truly were living dead.
"Let's go, Little Instinct. Find a place to sit and I'll tell you everything. This place is a bit of a mood killer."
I nodded, then hurried into the woods behind the cemetery, looking around. There really wasn't anything to eat, but I was so hungry that, helplessly, I actually plucked some grass and put it straight into my mouth, chewing and swallowing without a second thought. It was truly unbearable.
"What are you doing, Little Instinct?"
Uncle Lee called out from behind. After adjusting for a moment, I turned and followed him. He led me to the left side of the village, to some stone tables and benches. After we sat down, Uncle Lee spoke with a melancholy expression.
"The reason we became like this is because of a curse!"
I nodded. My father had told me about curses before—these unusual powers can follow a person's bloodline, passed down for generations. There are many types of curses. The immense curse power I'd seen in the world of the living was just one manifestation. Real curses are more hidden and last longer. The only ways to break a curse: death, the caster lifting it, or a powerful force that can suppress or destroy it.
Curses have a trait: the longer they last, the harder they are to break. Even great power can only suppress them temporarily. Once that power weakens, the curse will return. But I couldn't sense any curse power here—it must have been a long time since they changed.
"Uncle Lee, how long have you all been like this?"
"More than 2,000 years."
I swallowed, eyes wide in disbelief as I looked at Uncle Lee.
"Has it really been that long?"
Uncle Lee nodded.
"If we count by time, our era should be the Warring States! Little Instinct, everyone here was once a servant or trusted retainer of a great family."
I looked at Uncle Lee in confusion. I didn't know much about John Chou's past, only that Zhang Qingyuan once told me John Chou was the eldest son of an ancient powerful family. Their influence was vast, but for some reason, John Chou was killed by Lord Shenyan, and the family fell into decline.
I wasn't clear on the details. Uncle Lee radiated sadness; it seemed things were far more complicated than I'd imagined. My stomach felt a bit better now. Resting my chin on my hand, I looked at Uncle Lee and asked.
"Uncle Lee, tell me—what exactly happened between you and the Henderson Family?"
"We betrayed the Henderson Family. This place was always used to store their vast treasures. The whole family worked as spies for various nations, and all the money they earned selling information was shipped to this island. One day they hoped to build their own country, but that plan failed because of Miss Isabelle Frost. The Hendersons were hunted down by many nations, and the family was destroyed. That's when we betrayed them."
(This chapter isn't over yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting story!)
I swallowed and immediately gave a wicked smile.
"No wonder that guy is so cunning."
Hearing this, I more or less understood. Uncle Lee continued speaking.
Although the Henderson Family was exposed, the wealth they'd accumulated over generations was enough to rival nations. They managed to resolve some crises and planned to retreat to this island, waiting to see how the world changed before making new plans. But at that critical moment, some people in the family started scheming to steal the treasures.
After a certain point collapsed, many people lost faith in the Henderson Family because of the death of their eldest son, John Chou. Everyone betrayed the Hendersons at once and began fighting over the massive treasure. In the chaos, Uncle Lee's group won and gained the location of the Hendersons' most crucial treasure—the entire map was tattooed on John Chou's back.
So after John Chou died, Uncle Lee's group snatched his body, used a special method to prevent decay, and brought many people here. After finding the treasure, they decided to settle on the island, using the wealth to survive the chaotic times and waiting for the world to stabilize before returning to enjoy prosperity.
"But what we didn't expect was, after living here for a while, we saw John Chou, who had already turned into a ghost."
I swallowed, eyes wide in shock. Uncle Lee continued.
John Chou's appearance terrified everyone—they feared he'd kill them, but couldn't bear to part with the treasure. Eventually, they hired a skilled sorcerer to seal John Chou. The sorcerer told them that as long as John Chou's body remained here, he couldn't leave. After setting up some formations, they sank his body into the dead pool atop the mountain.
He also told the villagers that in forty-nine days, using the power of the living world, John Chou's ghost would be destroyed. But sometimes John Chou would still appear, and the thing he said most often to the villagers was...
"The treasure doesn't matter. Just fish my body out of the pool—I want to leave this place."
Uncle Lee sighed, shook his head helplessly, and went on with the story.
After that, the villagers ignored everything, using the Hendersons' treasure to buy all sorts of things and planned to settle and thrive here. With so much money, they could live comfortably and never leave—the place seemed like paradise.
But what Uncle Lee and the others didn't expect was that after a few months, thinking John Chou had been destroyed, he appeared before them again—his eyes were no longer the same.
"If you like it here, then stay forever—eternally."
Uncle Lee spoke, shaking his head sadly.
"Those were John Chou's words to us when he left."
I swallowed.
"And after that, you all..."
"No one could leave. After John Chou said those words, we were never able to leave the island again. For over a thousand years, no matter how we tried, we always ended up back here. Our bodies changed too—some who died of illness came back to life, their bodies rotting day by day, but never dying."
Uncle Lee stood up and pointed to the back of the village.
"You saw it just now, Little Instinct—those are our graves. But after we die, it doesn't take long before we revive. We can never sleep, never feel hot or cold, and eating brings no sensation. For more than 2,000 years, we've lived like this."