There were also a few half-dead peach blossoms painted in the corner...
Di Yao's words of thanks were scared into a scream. Liu Heng followed her pointing finger and looked over, his face calm, already accustomed to such sights.
"Miss, don't worry. That man is fine..." Before Liu Heng could finish, Di Yao had already run towards the thatched hut.
The hut was dirty and messy, with a foul odor. Di Yao was driven out as soon as she entered. Seeing the purple-faced man hanging from the beam, his eyes rolled back and his tongue sticking out, she noticed he was still breathing. Gritting her teeth, she entered again, holding the man's legs to try to get him down.
Liu Heng quickly stepped in to help, explaining as he did, "Miss, don't panic. Zhao Mazi the Hanging Ghost is fine; he won't die."
Zhao Mazi was quite tall. Liu Heng stepped on a rickety bamboo stool to lift him down.
Di Yao helped lay Zhao Mazi flat on the ground and gently patted his face to wake him.
Zhao Mazi's face had turned a dark purple from the strangulation. Even though Di Yao patted lightly, she left several white fingerprints on his face that took a while to fade.
Seeing Zhao Mazi's eyeballs rolling under his eyelids, Di Yao withdrew her hand and sat casually on the ground.
"What did you just say, Master Liu? I wasn't paying attention." Di Yao felt a bit embarrassed.
Liu Heng raised an eyebrow at her casual sitting and looked away. "I was about to say you didn't need to save the hanging man, but then I saw you rush to help, so I wanted to tell you not to worry—nothing bad would happen."
"Why didn't he need saving?" Di Yao asked, puzzled.
"You're new to Wrongful Death City, aren't you?" Liu Heng, seeing that Zhao Mazi wouldn't wake up anytime soon, also sat down on the ground like Di Yao.
Di Yao nodded truthfully.
"As you know, the people living here are already dead, so there's no such thing as dying again. This place is different from the mortal world. As long as you can see someone, it means their soul hasn't dissipated. So this is no big deal for Zhao Mazi."
Di Yao had been too flustered to think earlier, but after Liu Heng's explanation, she understood.
Liu Heng also said that suicide was a grave sin. Zhao Mazi had hanged himself in life, so here in Wrongful Death City, he had to relive that day's events every day. He wouldn't truly die, but he would repeatedly experience the pain of that moment—a punishment for his suicide.
So suicide came with punishment? Di Yao thought about her earlier guesses regarding her own death and felt a bit clearer.
She glanced at Zhao Mazi's still-purple face, realizing she had made a fool of herself in front of others. She laughed awkwardly. "So that's how it is. I really didn't know before, and now I've embarrassed myself. Since that's the case, I'll head back now."
Liu Heng followed her out of the hut and called her back.
He had expected her to be shy or flustered, but seeing her open and relaxed state surprised him a little.
His mind went blank and he started stammering, but Di Yao suddenly remembered something and turned the question on him. "Master Liu, you're knowledgeable. Do you know if one can carry illnesses from life into the Underworld?"
Liu Heng, hearing someone praise him as knowledgeable for the first time, felt a surge of joy. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I think... yes. Yes, that's right! There's a consumptive ghost next door to me who coughs all day long—very noisy."
Di Yao's eyes brightened. "Then, Master Liu, is there an apothecary or something here? I'd like to get some medicine."
"Are you ill, miss?" Liu Heng asked with concern.
"No, no, I'm fine. I want to get some for my husband. He hasn't been feeling well since arriving here."
Hearing that Di Yao was already married, Liu Heng couldn't hide his disappointment, and his tone became listless. "I see... But we don't have an apothecary here."
Seeing Di Yao's eyes droop in disappointment, he felt bad. "But don't worry, miss. Even if you get sick here, you won't die. There's no need for medicine at all."
Di Yao recalled Ning Shuhe's words from the previous night and felt a surge of irritation.
"You won't die again, but does that mean you won't feel bad? You just have to endure it? And because you can't starve to death here, you don't need to eat or drink?" Di Yao pursed her lips. "What's the point of staying here then?"
Food is the staff of life. Even though she and Wei Xunzhou were now in the Underworld, their mortal lifespan hadn't ended yet, so they could barely be considered half-human, right? Her three hundred dan of grain hadn't even been eaten yet! Where could she find it?
Di Yao didn't want to bottle up her frustration, but she realized she had lost her composure. She apologized to Liu Heng and left.
Liu Heng stood there, still savoring Di Yao's words.
When Di Yao reached Ning Shuhe's house, she saw Wei Xunzhou through the fence, lying on a lounge chair in the yard, reading a book, looking utterly at ease.
This was the first time Di Yao had seen him so relaxed. She stopped to take a closer look, then lifted her skirt and trotted into the house.
"When did you wake up, husband? Where did you go this morning?"
In the Underworld, even though the accommodation was decent, the lack of food and drink stripped away many joys and ways to bond. Di Yao felt that life here wasn't really living—it lacked flavor.
The warmth of daily life, like idle chats over tea or after meals, is crucial to people. But here, there was none of that.
Even Di Yao, who was usually the best at livening up the atmosphere, found it hard to endure these dry, face-to-face conversations, as if they were always discussing something serious. It was too awkward.
Just like now, Di Yao pulled up a small stool and sat in front of Wei Xunzhou, her hands and eyes unsure where to settle.
"At the hour of the Rabbit. I took a walk outside." Wei Xunzhou rolled up his book.
"Oh? Can you tell the time here, husband?" Di Yao pointed at the sky. "And what time is it now?"
Wei Xunzhou glanced at the sky. "Around the hour of the Snake."
"You're so sure? Then I'll believe you! To be honest, I'm still not good at telling the time here. Everything feels so different." Di Yao had no memories of her past life, but deep down, she knew the sky wasn't supposed to look like this.
"Oh, I took a walk too..." Di Yao was about to exchange information about the Underworld with Wei Xunzhou when she was interrupted by a voice.
Liu Heng was standing at their fence, one hand on it, waving at Di Yao.
"Miss Yao'er!"
Seeing it was Liu Heng, Di Yao got up to open the gate. Liu Heng entered and saw Wei Xunzhou on the lounge chair. He raised his hands in greeting.
"You must be Miss Yao'er's husband, sir? I am Liu Heng. I live not far from here."
Wei Xunzhou toyed with the book in his hand, flipping it back and forth, and nodded expressionlessly at Liu Heng.