[Be a good person.]
Ye Sheng suppressed the surging bloodlust in his heart. He stood in the aisle for a moment, confirming nothing had happened in the restroom before turning to walk toward Carriage 44.
Ning Weichen had said that there was a bleeding incision across the infant girl’s abdomen. ust now, Ye Sheng had deliberately paid attention to the Fetus Girl’s stomach and discovered that the gash had already been stitched shut.
The stitching was identical to that of the Corpse Monster.
It was Xiao Fang who had stitched it.
So yesterday, when Xiao Fang took the Fetus Girl to the restroom, was it just to stitch her wound?
“…”
She really was a kind Corpse-Stitcher.
Ye Sheng needed to keep the Fetus Girl occupied until the Bureau of the Unnatural arrived. But once the Fetus Girl got her little sister back, would she truly be satisfied?
Her little sister.
The little sister she had swallowed into her stomach while they were still in their mother’s womb was now a missing part of her.
Ye Sheng lowered his eyes and slipped the eyeball clenched tightly in his hand into his pocket. When the Corpse Monster had fallen apart earlier, its left eyeball had flown out and struck him. He had casually taken it with him.
To reach Carriage 44, he had to pass their original seats.
Ning Weichen was currently resting his chin on one hand and gazing out the window, his brows furrowed and his lips pressed together, looking dejected and frustrated. The train passed through mountains and dense forests, and the scattered, shifting sunlight illuminated his flawless profile like a famous painting bathed in a soft glow.
Now that Ye Sheng had spoken plainly to him, he no longer wanted to keep pretending.
Honestly, he still couldn’t understand what Ning Weichen was trying to do.
Ye Sheng was penniless. Once they got off the train, they would belong to two different worlds and would never contact each other again. What could Ning Weichen possibly want from him?
Although Ning Weichen concealed his indifference and aversion toward him extremely well, Ye Sheng could still sense them. After all, he had grown up in Yin Mountain and encountered so much malice that he was accustomed to such emotions and more sensitive to them than anyone.
Ye Sheng needed to search through Li Jianyang’s bag in Carriage 44. As a precaution, he leaned over and took the life-saving red talisman from his bag.
As he rose, Ning Weichen spoke.
“Ye Sheng, let’s talk.”
Ye Sheng gave him a strange look as he discreetly slipped the knife into his sleeve. “About what?” In all fairness, he didn’t dislike Ning Weichen. Whether someone was good or bad depended primarily on what they had done to you—and Ning Weichen had indeed helped him several times.
Ning Weichen thought for a moment, then smiled faintly. “Let’s just talk. There may have been some misunderstandings between us.”
Ye Sheng sighed inwardly and tried to reason with him. “Ning Weichen, we’ve only known each other for two days. You don’t have to…”
“No, I do.” Ning Weichen shook his head, his eyes deep like an ocean. “When I was receiving treatment abroad, Andrew said that if I wanted to live like a normal person, I first had to learn to interact with others normally. You’re the first person I’ve been interested in since returning to the country. I know you won’t contact me after we get off the train. I just want an answer—what did I do wrong when interacting with you?” His lips curved downward as he asked softly, “Is that okay?”
Ye Sheng met his gaze.
Ning Weichen could easily feign bright, sweet enthusiasm toward anyone, but stripped of all pretense, his peach-blossom eyes were clear, devoid of any emotion, and even seemed a bit lost and confused—like a child who had done something wrong.
Ye Sheng’s mind wandered for a moment.
This momentary distraction was inexplicable.
Uncharacteristically, Ye Sheng averted his gaze, preoccupied with the matter of the Fetus Girl, and said, “Nothing. You did well.”
Ning Weichen pursed his lips, still deciding to speak up: “I… was born with a special personality disorder, subconsciously rejecting everyone. If you sensed this, I’m sorry, I’m already trying my best to overcome it.”
Ye Sheng was slightly taken aback. If that was the reason, then everything made sense.
But what did it matter even if it made sense?
Ye Sheng said sincerely, “I’m sorry, maybe I’m also sick.”
He too couldn’t form intimate relationships with people.
Because he had no money, he never went to see a psychologist.
Well, in a place like Yin Mountain, there wasn’t even the concept of a psychologist—surviving was already a blessing.
After all, Ye Sheng aspired to become a public servant someday, so he did possess patience. He lowered his head and spoke softly in a tone that didn’t quite match his appearance: “Ning Weichen, you’re a very good person. You’ll definitely be able to live a normal life someday, just as your doctor said. The problem lies with me, but I don’t dislike you.”
But we definitely can’t become friends.
“…”
Even Ye Sheng himself nearly choked on those sappy words.
Yet, after hearing it, Ning Weichen seemed relieved, revealing a faint smile as his tightly clenched fingers finally relaxed.
“Where are you going?” He blinked, noticing Ye Sheng’s movements.
Ye Sheng didn’t really want to involve him.
After all, in his mind, Ning Weichen was already a pampered, fragile piece of glass.
He gave him a perfunctory excuse. “I left something in Carriage 44. I’m going to retrieve it.”
“But Carriage 44 has already been sealed off,” Ning Weichen said. “Now that we’ve left, we aren’t allowed back inside.”
Ye Sheng: “Sealed off?”
Ning Weichen: “Yes.”
Ye Sheng: “…”
Seeing his troubled expression, Ning Weichen hesitated for a moment before saying, “I can take you inside.”
Ye Sheng looked at him in surprise: “You?”
“Mhm.” Ning Weichen nodded, leaning close to Ye Sheng’s ear and whispering, “To thank you for comforting me earlier, I’ll tell you a secret.” The corner of his lips curled into a small arc, his breath like a cold, thin gust of wind and snow.
“I didn’t actually go to Yin Mountain for an adventure. I went there to carry out a mission. In a sense, I suppose I’m a reserve member of the Bureau of the Unnatural.”
Ye Sheng: “…” He stared expressionlessly at Ning Weichen: “Aren’t you afraid of ghosts?”
Ning Weichen admitted openly: “Yes, that’s why I failed my preliminary mission.” He said dejectedly, “I really don’t want to deal with these things, but my family forced me to come.”
Ye Sheng’s deep black eyes quietly fixed on him, saying nothing more.
How strange—ever since Ning Weichen struck up a conversation with him on the train, he had harbored many suspicions and doubts in his heart, yet subconsciously, he had never been wary of this person.
Ning Weichen immediately asked, “What did you leave behind?”
Ye Sheng said calmly, “Something very important.”
Arriving at Carriage 44, there was indeed a “No Entry” sign placed there, guarded by a police officer. The officer frowned as he glanced at the two of them. Ning Weichen stepped forward and said something, and only then did the officer look away, allowing them to enter.
Ye Sheng belatedly realized something was off: “If I hadn’t left voluntarily during the day, would I have been kicked out of Carriage 44 too?”
Ning Weichen glanced at him with a smile: “Theoretically, yes, but I have a way to keep us there. Do you need me to go inside and help you look?”
Ye Sheng declined his thoughtful offer. “No. The item is a little unusual. Wait outside for me.”
Ning Weichen nodded without hesitation. “All right. I’ll wait outside. Call me if anything happens…”
“Mm.”
After Ye Sheng entered, he pretended to rummage under his own bed for a while, then crouched on the floor to inspect Li Jianyang’s pile of opened luggage.
His objective was very clear. After all, he had smelled that sour, bloody scent when entering the station.
Using his knife, he opened the “local specialties” Li Jianyang had brought with him. The moment he removed the lid of the earthenware jar, a strong sour smell wafted out. It contained homemade pickled vegetables, with green radish leaves arranged neatly inside.
Suppressing his disgust, Ye Sheng probed inside with the small knife.
No reaction. He moved on to the next jar.
By the third jar, as soon as the knife went in, a trickle of red liquid floated to the surface.
Gritting his teeth, Ye Sheng reached his hand into the pickled vegetable jar. Squelching sounds followed as he felt around below, eventually touching something soft. He pulled it out and nearly retched at the sight.
It was a dead fetus, only a quarter the size of a palm.
Its body was dark red, crumpled and wrinkled like paper. Its limbs were short and stubby, its belly hollow and sunken, and its facial features were completely indistinguishable.
This was Fetus Girl’s younger sister, swallowed by her twin sister before fully developing in their mother’s womb, then later removed by a doctor from her sister’s belly.
Ye Sheng wrapped it in several sheets of paper.
It was so small that it could easily fit into a pocket.
Ning Weichen was leaning against the carriage wall with his legs crossed, looking down at his phone. When he saw Ye Sheng emerge, he immediately flashed a bright smile: “Did you find it?”
Ye Sheng wiped his hands with a tissue and said, “No, I’m a bit hungry now. Let’s go eat first—can I come back later?”
Ning Weichen blinked: “Of course, you can come whenever you want.”
“Mm.”
In truth, after handling this parasitic fetus, Ye Sheng felt nauseous and couldn’t eat anything. But this was the last meal on the train, and his fleeting encounter with Ning Weichen was about to end. Out of politeness, Ye Sheng still ate a little while casually asking a few questions.
“Are you still in school?”
This was the first time Ye Sheng had taken the initiative to learn about him.
Ning Weichen was slightly taken aback, then curled the corner of his mouth: “No, I’ve already graduated.”
Ye Sheng nodded and didn’t continue the conversation.
Ning Weichen’s smile faded as he looked at him persistently: “And? Aren’t you going to ask anything else?”
With a vegetable leaf hanging from his mouth, Ye Sheng looked up in confusion.
Ask what? He had just been making small talk to ease the awkwardness.
Ning Weichen blinked and said obediently: “Aren’t you going to ask which university I graduated from or what my major was?”
“Oh.” Ye Sheng went along with it, his tone flat and perfunctory: “Which school did you graduate from, and what was your major?”
He looked completely indifferent and uninterested in the answer.
“…”
Ning Weichen watched him quietly for a moment, then chuckled softly. He elegantly cut the greens on his plate with a knife and fork, his movements light yet sharp, and said calmly with lowered eyes: “Never mind. The university’s name is too long, and I’ve forgotten it too.”
Preoccupied with what he needed to do that night, Ye Sheng didn’t notice anything wrong with his tone.
If Ning Weichen didn’t initiate conversation, they were like two mutes.
After dinner, they returned to the hard-seat carriage. Whenever someone passed him, Ye Sheng paid particular attention to their expression. Sure enough, no one could detect the strange smell clinging to him. The sour and bloody smell from that parasitic fetus could only be smelled by him alone.
Ning Weichen asked Ye Sheng when they would search again. Ye Sheng said he was a bit tired and wanted to sleep first.
As the train approached the metropolis of Huai City, security improved exponentially. Murders and robberies were mostly limited to Yinshan Station, so everyone had begun to relax. Ning Weichen, exhausted from the previous night’s ordeal, slumped over the table and couldn’t help but fall asleep.
Ye Sheng silently watched the mountains hurtling past outside the window like the spine of a colossal beast, light and shadow surging darkly in the depths of his eyes.
He had deliberately searched for information about Xiao Fang earlier.
The details about Xiao Fang’s life found online did not mention her family background, only stating that she was mute, somewhat autistic, and socially anxious, making a living through embroidery in her village.
When she was three months pregnant, she left the countryside for the first time in her life to care for her husband in the hospital. Her husband, also an honest and hardworking migrant worker, had been beaten into a vegetative state by a contractor while demanding unpaid wages.
The entire story was filled with human suffering—while Xiao Fang was tortured by thugs on the train, miscarried, and died, her husband also failed to survive in the hospital.
Destiny treated her with cruelty as sharp as a blade, and life had been as treacherous as hell for her.
Yet in life, she was a timid and gentle embroiderer, and even in death, she did not become a vengeful spirit.
On Train 1444, she became a corpse-stitcher.
A corpse-stitcher. A corpse-stitcher. According to ancient beliefs, if a person entered the world whole, they should also leave it whole.
Ye Sheng’s expression grew peculiar under the ever-changing light and shadows of the train.
11PM at night.
Ye Sheng stood up and left his seat without waking Ning Weichen. He walked forward, returning to Carriage 44. The no-entry sign was still there, yet Ye Sheng entered without encountering any resistance.
He did not turn on the light and headed straight for the restroom.
As he gripped the handle of the restroom in Carriage 44, Ye Sheng deliberately softened his breath. Entering, he placed the eyeball he had been holding for a long time on the sink.
This place had witnessed a bloody struggle just the night before. Even though the bodies of the bespectacled man and the muscular man had been removed and the bloodstains cleaned, a strange smell lingered.
Recalling the various sounds he had heard the previous night, Ye Sheng finally pieced together the most plausible sequence of events:
The first scream was Xiao Fang’s. After Xiao Fang fled in terror, the cries of the Fetus Girl followed. Her weeping awakened the Corpse-Monster hidden on the train. The subsequent tearing and killing were the work of the Corpse-Monster
After setting down the eyeball, Ye Sheng retreated into a corner and concealed his presence.
As time passed, ten minutes later, that icy, damp mist filled Ye Sheng’s nostrils just as it had that night. Water began seeping from the walls, dripping onto the floor. Soon, a massive, bloody figure began to take shape in the air.
Xiao Fang, her neck bent, hummed something as she walked toward the eyeball. Her body was swollen, the whites of her eyes bloodshot. Her shirt was soaked in blood, and her two braids were messy and dirty. With the most terrifying appearance, she sang the most innocent song. Her movements and demeanor as she picked up the eyeball were as gentle as a young girl’s.
Just as Xiao Fang put away her prize—
Click.
Ye Sheng turned on the restroom light.The sudden light froze Xiao Fang in place, and she let out a piercing scream like a trapped beast. A ghost monster’s pupils were already no larger than pinpricks, but hers now contracted to their limits. She retreated repeatedly, filled with terror and fear of the stranger before her.
Ye Sheng took a deep breath and called out her name.
“Xiao Fang.”
He possessed a natural affinity for attracting ghost monsters.
While humans shunned him, ghost monsters felt drawn to him.
Ye Sheng stepped forward, his voice low. “Do you remember me? I’m the person you saved last night.”
Xiao Fang stared fixedly at the unfamiliar youth before her and soon recognized him as the one who had piqued her interest the night before. Yet she remained anxious and fearful, shrinking her massive frame into the corner, emitting low growls in an attempt to scare Ye Sheng away.
Nothing like a C-Class monster at all.
Ye Sheng completed his cold assessment inwardly and calmly recounted the events of the previous night. “Last night, those two men tried to drag me into the bathroom to kill me. Your appearance saved me. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead now. I wanted to thank you, so I came looking for you.”
Some of the panic on Xiao Fang’s face faded, replaced by confusion as she gazed at the person before her.
Ye Sheng walked toward her, crouching halfway down as the light cast a heavy shadow over him.
Ye Sheng’s appearance was off-putting to strangers, his expression indifferent, yet his voice was gentle and soothing.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Ye Sheng offered a somewhat unpracticed smile, his gaze fixed quietly on her. “I made a point to learn about you.”
“This train originates from Yin Mountain, a place teeming with thieves, bandits, and desperate criminals. Every day, innocent people are robbed and have their organs cut out—their eyes, fingers, ears, feet. When the criminals rush into the bathroom, you’re the one who gathers them all.”
“You are simple, kind, and gentle.”
“Corpse-stitching a great and noble profession, restoring corpses to wholeness and dignity to the dead. You collect these organs and, when their owners cannot be found, stitch them together to create a ‘complete’ person.”
As Xiao Fang listened to his words, her pupils gradually lost focus, and she looked up dazedly.
Ye Sheng shifted the topic.
“Yesterday, when you came out of the bathroom, was it to help that baby girl stitch her wound?”
Xiao Fang sniffled and nodded.
Ye Sheng sighed. “You helped her, but she’s harming you. She’s a bad person. She ruined your collectibles, scattering those organs in a messy heap on the floor.” Ye Sheng took the eyeball from her hand, pointing to it as evidence. “This is what she damaged. She doesn’t respect the dead.”
Xiao Fang remained silent, her expression saddened as she looked at the lonely eyeball and heard that someone disrespected the dead.
Having achieved his goal, Ye Sheng said, “No one should be allowed to destroy the integrity of a corpse.”
Xiao Fang’s face showed innocent confusion. She tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then gave a light, earnest nod.
Ye Sheng’s expression remained impassive as his gaze shifted downward. From behind the stitching craftsman’s bloodstained, darkened clothes, he caught sight of her mangled abdomen. The hostility that had begun stirring when the Fetus Girl threatened him during the day now spread and seeped through the depths of his soul, drawing forth an insane plan for revenge.
“Xiao Fang.” Ye Sheng’s tone was gentle as he reached the heart of the matter. “You’ve restored countless corpses and allowed those people to die whole.”
The youth crouched on the ground, his black T-shirt outlining his slender back and upright posture. His hair was slightly long, his skin pale, his expression obscured in the shadows, and his voice, though slow, carried a distant, bewitching quality.
“But haven’t you realized that you’re actually incomplete?”
Xiao Fang froze, anxiety flickering across her face.
Ye Sheng’s finger lightly, very lightly, came to rest on her abdomen through her clothes.
“When you died, there was a child missing from your womb.”
His pitch-black pupils swirled like whirlpools, dancing with a crazed light, as he whispered softly.
“You need to sew a baby into your body, only then will you be complete.”
Xiao Fang was utterly stunned.
Ye Sheng’s throat moved. In truth, the next sentence should have been: I’m grateful to you, so I’ve brought you a child.
He had planned to have Xiao Fang stitch the Fetus Girl’s little sister into her abdomen. Then, at midnight, Xiao Fang and the Fetus Girl would turn on each other. One was a C-Class ghost monster, the other an incomplete A-Class ghost monster—he didn’t know how their strength compared, but the most likely outcome was mutual annihilation.
After safely getting through the night, everyone in the entire train carriage could arrive at the station unharmed.
But the words caught in his throat, and Ye Sheng fell silent.
…The overwhelming flood of information from the internet filled his mind.
He remained silent for a long time, withdrew his hand, and gave a self-mocking smile. “So when the infant girl arrives, you and I will deal with her together.”
