I want to die!

Chapter 2 My Surname is Zhao

When Zhou Xing woke up, he found that the lividity on his body had worsened.

Yes, Stephen Chow is dead.

His true form was a corpse, which had been lying in a coffin deep underground for who knows how many years.

The coffin was buried upright in the ground.

Several bronze chains pierced through his body's ribs and limbs, securing him firmly in the coffin, where he was suspended upside down in a bizarre head-down position.

"This posture is so strange, it seems I didn't die peacefully."

Although he was fully conscious, he was unable to control the corpse, not even a single finger.

For an ordinary person, they would definitely worry about cerebral congestion and claustrophobia.

Fortunately, Zhou Xing, being a corpse, was neither ordinary nor human.

The coffin was made of mirrors on all six sides, top, bottom, left, and right. The mirrors reflected each other, and Zhou Xing's reflection was layered upon layered inside, as if countless versions of himself were surrounding him.

Every time Zhou Xing saw so many people around him, he felt his loneliness fade a little. The corpse was warm, and even the lividity had faded a bit.

He just couldn't stare at it for too long.

If you stare at it for too long, the countless reflections in the mirror will gradually stop looking like him.

At first, Zhou Xing would try to control his attention and not watch too much.

But the years in the coffin were too long, so long that he gradually gave up thinking.

This led to unforeseen changes.

For example, right now, the person in the mirror is clearly Wei Liu, the young man who was splitting up at the yamen gate.

Zhou Xing's body was trapped in this coffin, whose location was unknown.

But whenever he gazes at the countless reflections in the mirror coffin, his consciousness can fly to the bodies of those who have died violently in the outside world.

At this moment, in the blank space beside the mirror, invisible pen wrote lines of text:

Wayne, courtesy name Bu Lu.

Some say he was originally a merchant so rich that he could humiliate kings and nobles, and the silver in his treasury was enough to fill a moat.

One day, on a sudden whim, he spent money to buy an official position. It was like a child who got tired of playing with building blocks and wanted to try something different.

The game ultimately resulted in the death of the younger brother, Wei Liu.

By day, Wayne was impartial and incorruptible, judging cases according to the law; but at night, he would sit alone, staring at the flickering candlelight.

He said, "If you govern people by law, they will fear the law, not their own hearts; if you treat people with kindness, they will bully the kind, not fear the wicked. To subdue wicked people, you must make them even more wicked."

These are not words an official should say.

Five years later, Wayne resigned and left.

Without a toast, without a farewell, he disappeared overnight.

Some people say he's gone mad.

Some people say he's scared.

But the martial arts world knows that this is not the end of the matter.

Years later, a new name appeared in the martial arts world: "Black Winged Bat King," and an organization called "Righteous Alliance" that used martial arts to break the law and punish evil.

The wicked who break the law vanish at night; by day, only a cold corpse remains.

Sometimes at night, he would stand alone on the city wall, listening to the sound of his cloak fluttering in the night wind.

Some people have seen it from a distance and said that the jade pendant on his waist looks like it's engraved with an empty bowl and a long knife.

This is the second half of his life.

He lives in darkness, searching for an unnamed organization to commemorate someone who has long since died.

People in the martial world feared him, but only he knew that he was merely a prisoner trapped for life by something unattainable.

Zhou Xing was deeply moved after reading this epilogue:

"What a wild history! The origin story of Blackwing Bat Wayne!"

In the dim light, Zhou Xing saw that the boy's shadow on the coffin mirror was no longer ferocious, and he gave him a slight fist salute.

It then dissipated into specks of starlight, which seeped out of the mirror and merged into his corpse.

The body of Zhou Xing, who had been hanging upside down in the coffin for who knows how many years, twitched slightly in the little finger of his left hand.

"My corpse seems to be slightly revived?"

[The unfulfilled wish of Wei Liu: to prove his innocence.]

Evaluation: Youthful spirit, fiery courage, though he perished, his spirit remained strong (C-)

[You can choose one of the following gifts from the deceased as an additional initial ability for your next soul-possessed person who died a violent death]

Archery Mastery (Gray): A talent for archery, capable of quickly mastering the art of bowing and arrows.

Introduction to the Wei Tuo Demon-Suppressing Force (White): The Wei family's martial arts external cultivation technique, but Wei Liu's skills were not refined, and he only learned the basics.

Exhibitionist (Blue): Enters a berserk state of euphoria when exposing oneself, unleashing monstrous strength capable of overpowering ferocious beasts. The more exposed one is, and the more people one attracts, the stronger the effect.

When he lifted his clothes to cut himself open, he found that his knife was even faster than usual.

........

Zhou Xing finally understood.

"A roguelike game where players risk their lives, and it even has a death inheritance mechanism, right?"

There are two indicators for evaluation: the degree to which the last wishes are fulfilled and the effect and impact of the death.

The more heroic the death, the more likely one is to live on. Even though he didn't fulfill his last wish by stabbing the fat shopkeeper to death, he can still receive a good evaluation.

The abilities gained from Wei Liu will become the power of the new body and the foundation for the next level.

Zhou Xing's corpse even carries the risk of resurrection!

Zhou Xing was in a hurry.

He couldn't remember how long he had been trapped in the coffin, and he had almost given up thinking. Now, a chance to be brought back to life was before him, and he had to consider whether this was his only chance in this life.

Rinse it!

Based on the principle of choosing the longer of two short and one long options, choose [Exhibitionist]!

My attention was drawn to the layers upon layers of countless mirrors, and after an unknown amount of time, subtle changes began to appear on the mirrors.

This time, what appeared in the mirror was a handsome young man with a refined appearance, who looked to be around twenty years old.

Character: Li Xuanqing

ability:

【Martial Beggar (White)】The ability to withstand blows and tolerate pain, honed through years of injuries.

【Flesh-in-the-Hand Nail (Green)】A long nail stained with mud, its shape is unsettlingly reminiscent of the nails sealing a coffin.

Inherent Ability: [Exhibitionist (Blue)]

Last wish: To leave an inheritance for my family

Yangshou: 3 days

.....................

Li Xuanqing is from Qingshui County and lives in Baxiang Town, outside the county seat.

Although his family were farmers with several dozen acres of fertile land, their lives weren't too dull. But his father, Li Yingcai, was a restless man.

Li Xuan's youth coincided with war and chaos. The Northern Barbarians invaded the Central Plains, and the Central Plains gradually changed. Years of war, coupled with heavy taxes and frequent famines, quickly depleted his once-wealthy family fortune.

Li Yingcai, the biological father, tried many ways to make a living. He tried selling tea, but it all got moldy when it rained; he transported silk, but it was robbed by bandits; and finally he tried opening a money exchange, but it was hit by a bank run.

After years of hard work, Li's father finally lost all of his family's savings.

But the story isn't over yet.

The hemp rope broke at its thinnest point, and the family's second son contracted an unexplained eye disease. Li's father ran around trying to find a solution, eventually owing the Zhao family seventy taels of silver, and losing the family's last few dozen acres of land.

Within a few years, Qingshui County was hit by a famine.

The day after his sickly second son starved to death, the father, Li Yingcai, packed a small bundle: "I'm going out to do some business with my friends."

His wife, holding their youngest daughter, pressed him for details about what other business he was looking for, but Li Yingcai didn't answer.

The eldest son, Li Xuanqing, was fifteen years old and already acted like an adult. He said, "Father, you can go in peace."

Li Yingcai disappeared without a trace, and no news of him ever came back. The gossipy women in town said that he either died in another place or found an excuse to abandon his wife and children and run away.

Li Xuanqing remained silent. As the eldest brother, he had to support the family.

He was only fifteen and not very strong. He couldn't pay off the Zhao family's debts even with hard work, so he had to resort to shady ways that brought in quick money.

........

In the beggar's quarters south of Qingshui County, there was a group of about a hundred beggars, which could be considered a beggar gang.

There are also different types of beggars: the "civil" beggars speak auspicious words, sing folk songs, and recite traditional rhymes, while the "martial" beggars make a living by drawing blood.

Of course, those who see the blood of others are bandits, but Wu Qi sees his own blood.

Li Xuanqing learned the martial arts of a beggar, a skill called "street bricklaying".

This job requires ruthlessness. Find a luxurious carriage, pull out a brick, and smash it against your forehead. "Crack!" The brick shatters, your head breaks, and blood splatters all over your face. "Please, sir and madam, have mercy!"

With his face covered in blood and gore, he followed the kind man and wouldn't let him leave. If he wasn't given money, he would take a knife and stab himself several more times, crying out loud.

At this point, kind-hearted bystanders will often gather around:

"This child is so pitiful, please give him something."

"You're so heartless! Don't you have any compassion at all?"

"Who in the world could just stand by and watch this teenager suffer like this?"

After doing this, the kind-hearted rich woman will most likely give her some money.

With blood streaming down his face and public opinion swaying him like a whirlwind, this was the Martial Beggar.

If it happens to be a wedding or funeral for a wealthy family, it would be even easier. Just go to the entrance of the ancestral hall and say, "On such an important day, let's put on a show for the gentlemen. Would you like some money?"

As the leader of the beggars' group, he was quite happy to order Li Xuanqing around.

Nothing more than being young, resilient, and ruthless to oneself.

Experienced martial arts practitioners would prepare some crispy bricks or blood bags hidden in their messy hair, but Li Xuanqing always got it right.

Until late autumn when I was sixteen, a brand-new rickshaw came to the streets of the county town, with its gleaming brass bells and clean canopy.

A young woman in a bright red cheongsam sat in the car. Her hair was styled in a neat perm, and she held a cigarette between her fingers. Her phoenix eyes were half-closed, and she seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

The Hanako gang is like cats that smell fish.

These young, wealthy women are usually soft-hearted and eager to get money.

Just as Li Xuanqing arrived, two or three beggars grabbed blue bricks and smashed them on the back of their heads, causing blood bags in their disheveled hair to burst and blood to splatter everywhere.

But the wealthy woman sitting in the car didn't even lift her eyelids, only casually remarking, "Is that all the tricks you have?"

She beckoned, and a servant brought out a mahogany tray with ten silver ingots stacked on it, dazzlingly white.

"I've heard that you guys have this kind of 'big job'?" The lady flicked the ash from her cigarette with her fingertips. "Whoever puts on a real show today, this plate of money is theirs."

The wife tossed an oil paper package with a "clang" and it landed on the side of the street.

Inside the oil paper package was an iron hammer and a nail seven or eight centimeters long. The nail had rust spots on it, and if you looked closely, there were still some mud spots stuck to the nail head.

"Ten taels at a time." The lady's red lips curved into a smile. "Put it on your head, don't try any tricks."

The autumn wind swept fallen leaves across the street.

The crowd stirred slightly, but no one stepped forward.

After the leader of the group silently retreated back into the crowd, he realized that begging on the street was a job that required reading people's expressions, and he had already figured out that the lady in the red cheongsam had come prepared.

Among the martial arts beggars, there is a type called the Nail-Headed Beggar, who uses long nails to drive themselves into their heads.

And those mud-splattered nails... He looked at them carefully for a few moments, and a chill ran down his spine. The more he looked at them, the more they resembled coffin nails.

He retired, but some people didn't.

Li Xuanqing picked up the long nail that had fallen to the ground.

"Madam," his voice was hoarse, "do you mean what you say?"

A soft laugh came from inside the car: "My surname is Zhao."

Li Xuanqing brushed aside his messy hair, revealing a smooth forehead. He gripped the iron nail tightly in his right hand, aimed the pointed end three inches above his brow, and swung the hammer.

"Ten taels."

The first nail slammed down with a dull thud and a gush of blood. He swayed, "Ten taels!" The second nail slammed down hard. Blood gushed forth like a fountain, mixed with some pale substance.

Such a miserable sight made the wealthy woman subconsciously frown and raise her face, her expression showing obvious disgust.

"Madam, does it still count?" Li Xuanqing paused for a moment, then stopped and asked.

"It counts, it naturally counts." The lady in the cheongsam raised an eyebrow and said coldly.

"Ten more blows will count, but if you cheat and don't put in any effort, you won't get a single tael of silver."

"Ten taels, ten taels..." The third nail, the fourth nail... He hammered like nailing wood, each blow more ruthless than the last. The hole in his forehead grew larger and larger, and onlookers gasped and gathered from afar to watch.

On the fifth strike, his arm trembled; on the sixth strike, his throat made a hoarse sound, and he could no longer speak.

As the seventh nail struck, he froze in place like a wooden stake, his eyes fixed blankly on the plate of silver in front of him.

"I'm worth...seventy taels now..." he said, a smirk playing on his lips.

His body then fell straight backward, crashing onto the bluestone slab, and blood spread out.

"Really dead?" The woman in the cheongsam got out of the car, her face showing a moment of bewilderment, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Excellent work, deserves a reward!"

The servant poured the entire plate of silver next to Li Xuanqing, piling it into a small silver mountain.

It's not just seventy taels anymore, it's a full one hundred taels.

The driver pulled the gleaming rickshaw and sped away.

The wheel rolled over the pool of blood that had not yet congealed.

Just as we rounded the street corner, five or six beggars swarmed around us, grabbing at us like madmen. You grabbed two coins, I grabbed three, stuffing them into my clothes or tucking them into my waistband.

Some people fought over a single ingot of silver, punches landing on faces and blood splattering into the pool of blood of the dead.

In a short while, dozens of taels of silver were snatched away.

All that remained on the bluestone slab was Li Xuanqing's corpse and the pool of blood that was gradually turning black and sticky.