Sister Fang did not answer the skin's question. Or rather, she had no mouth and could not speak at all.
She nodded slightly, which counted as an agreement.
“That's good... That's good...”
The corpse seemed satisfied, its voice growing weaker and weaker. “I lived my whole life... poor my whole life... To have a nice set of clothes made now that I'm dead, that's not bad either...”
With that, it fell silent.
Sister Fang continued rolling until she had flattened the entire corpse into a human skin of even thickness. Only then did she set down the rolling pin.
She picked up a small curved knife and carefully sliced along the corpse's hairline, fingertips, and toes.
Her movements were light and steady, as if she were unwrapping a beautifully packaged gift.
Once she finished cutting, she pinched the edge of the skin and gently peeled it back.
Riiiiip—
A complete sheet of human skin was peeled off in one piece and laid flat on the butcher block, its pores still clearly visible.
The remaining bits of flesh and bone were casually swept into a nearby wooden bucket containing the internal organs.
The entire process was smooth and seamless, clean and efficient.
Clearly, she had done this countless times.
The others, having finished vomiting, stood at the door and felt a chill run down their spines at the sight.
It was one thing to peel skin to make clothes, but the deceased had actually requested to have “the most expensive one” made.
This bizarre logic was even more horrifying than the skinning itself.
In this building, being skinned to be made into clothes seemed completely normal, perhaps even an honor.
Only after Sister Fang finished processing the skin did she turn around, her flat, featureless face directed toward them as if waiting for them to speak.
Chen Xi steadied herself, took two steps forward, and suppressed the churning in her stomach before speaking.
“We are newly dead, and the scent of the living hasn't fully faded from us yet. We want to go outside to take care of some business, so we came to borrow a few skin coats from Sister Fang. We'll return them as soon as we're done.”
She played along with the ghost's logic, avoiding any mention of the word “living.”
Sister Fang nodded, seemingly not surprised at all.
She reached out, her slender fingers pointing to the human skin on the butcher block, and then to the human skin clothes hanging outside the door.
The group froze for a moment.
Li Yafei reacted quickly, her face pale as she blurted out, “I'll do it, I'll do it!”
She jogged out, found a long bamboo pole, stood on her tiptoes, and brought in a few of the hanging empty hangers.
Sister Fang seemed very pleased with Li Yafei's quick wit and nodded gently.
She picked up the freshly peeled human skin, stretched it open, and gently draped it over one of the wooden hangers Li Yafei had brought in, just like putting on a shirt.
She smoothed it out, adjusted the collar and cuffs, and a human skin “coat” was hung up.
The entire process was incredibly fast—so fast that the freshly peeled skin still retained a hint of body heat.
Chen Xi kept her face expressionless, though her throat began to itch again.
...
After finishing all of this, Sister Fang pointed to the basin of internal organs on the floor. Her flat face turned toward them, and she made a “deliver” gesture.
Just then, a system notification popped up:
【Side Quest Triggered: Delivery.】
【Quest Objective: Deliver the “goods” prepared by Sister Fang to Old Man Wong at Wong Kee Candles at the entrance of the Mong Kok alleyway. Hand over the delivery in person before sunset.】
【Quest Rewards: Gold Ingot × 10, Three-day usage right for the Human Skin Coat.】
【Note: The Human Skin Coat must not be worn for more than six shichen. Exceeding this limit will cause it to fuse with your physical body, making it permanently unremovable. If the clothing is damaged, Sister Fang will personally hold you accountable.】
As expected, there was a quest.
Exchanging a delivery for the usage rights while also picking up a side quest—this was worth doing.
“We'll take it,” Chen Xi said. “We accept this quest.”
Sister Fang seemed to smile. Although she had no face, they could sense she was in a good mood.
She bent down, wrapped the basin of internal organs in oilpaper, stuffed two rolls of human skin material inside, tied it into a heavy bundle, and placed it on the table.
[...]
She gestured, as if giving silent, final instructions. Chen Xi stepped forward and picked up the bundle. It felt heavy, and even through the oilpaper, she could feel the slimy texture of the contents.
“Understood, we'll make sure it's delivered before sunset. Sister Fang, as for the clothes, should we pick them ourselves?”
Sister Fang pointed to the skin coats on the rack, gesturing for them to take whatever they liked.
The three of them exchanged glances and each selected a fitting piece.
Chen Xi chose a gray cloth robe—it was loose-fitting and perfect for concealing weapons.
Zheng Wenxuan chose a short-sleeved laborer's outfit, while Li Yafei picked an inconspicuous student uniform.
【Item: Human Skin Coat (Durability: 50/50. Meticulously crafted by Sister Fang of the Ghost Building. Wearing it temporarily masks your yang energy and reduces your presence by 15%.)】
With their clothes in hand, they didn't dare linger any longer, practically running away from the seventh floor.
Only when they had walked far enough that they could no longer smell the bloody stench did Li Yafei finally dare to breathe deeply.
“T-That was so scary, yet so thrilling... Sister Fang... she actually makes clothes out of human skin...”
At the thought of the student uniform she was holding being made the same way, she wanted nothing more than to drop it immediately.
“Think carefully. If you take it off, you won't be able to go outside.”
Zheng Wenxuan clutched his stomach and spoke grimly. Vomiting that much had been a truly agonizing experience.
“O-Okay.”
Li Yafei thought about it. In the end, her curiosity triumphed over her fear, her eyes darting around.
“Anyway, even if I die, I'll still be able to be with Grandmother... I still want to see what it looks like outside.”
“Then let's get ready to head out.” Chen Xi let out a long breath, suddenly feeling a bit glad that she hadn't brought Kang Xiaojia along.
“Pill Master, find a room to change. Once we're changed, we leave the building. We'll deliver the goods while it's still day and ask around for news about the missing citizens.”
“Understood,” Zheng Wenxuan immediately agreed, his expression turning serious.
...
The three of them found a room and changed. Held in their hands, the human skin clothes felt soft, like leather that had just been warmed by the sun, yet they retained the elasticity of a living creature.
Slipping them on felt cool, like wearing a tight rubber suit that clung to their skin, making it feel slightly stuffy.
But once fully dressed, their appearances transformed instantly.
Their skin turned a deathly gray, their lips went dark, and the light in their eyes dimmed significantly. They looked almost identical to the wandering souls drifting through the corridors.
Li Yafei looked at herself in a broken mirror, tugging at her blue cloth student skirt.
“We really look exactly the same! If you don't look closely—no, even if you look closely, you'd never be able to tell we're alive!”
Chen Xi also tested her movements.
The clothes were very form-fitting and didn't hinder her movements. Her gun was tucked into her waist, completely concealed beneath the loose robe.
“Let's go.”
Only then did the three of them set out from the ghost building, carrying the oilpaper bundle.
The door to Uncle Biao's room on the first floor was shut. The moment they stepped out of the building's entrance, a gust of chilly wind came swirling toward them.
The ash from incense got in their eyes. Chen Xi instinctively shielded her face. Once the smell of paper ash and the briny stench of seawater dispersed, she looked up and was instantly stunned.
The daytime outside the building was a paper-white color.
It was as if a thick layer of white paper covered the sky. The light filtering down was a deathly, pale glow that illuminated the streets, making everything look like a paper-crafted set.
...
Above their heads, Hong Kong hung upside down.
Skyscrapers, roads, cars, and pedestrians—everything was inverted.
The spires of the buildings pointed downward, the roads faced upward, cars drove upside down, and people walked on the inverted sidewalks with their heads hanging down and their feet pointing up.
Neon lights glowed, and car headlights shone—it was the night scene of the living world.
Black and white were inverted.
Day and night were inverted.
Yin and yang were inverted.
The night here was the daytime of reality.
The day here was the night of reality.
The inverted city looked like a landscape inside a snow globe, its top twisted together and blending into the gray dome of the sky, obscured from view.
Yet the bottom—the side facing them—was crystal clear, bustling with traffic and incredibly prosperous.
They all gasped.
Chen Xi had guessed that this place might be the underworld, but she had never expected to see such a sight.
The living world was in the sky, and the underworld was on the ground, separated by a layer of mist as they faced each other from afar.
Visible, yet completely out of reach.
Were the missing citizens also like this, looking up at their homes overhead, yet unable to return to reality?
...
“Wow...”
Li Yafei looked up, completely dazed. “So... this is what it looks like outside...”
It was her first time leaving the building as well, so her eyes were filled with wonder.
Zheng Wenxuan was also lost in thought. “I've lived for so long, but I've never seen anything like this... It's too magnificent.”
An inverted Victoria Harbour, an inverted Central, an inverted Mong Kok...
Familiar landmarks presented upside down—at once recognizable, yet bizarrely alien.
“Don't stare too long.” Chen Xi withdrew her gaze, suppressing the shock in her heart. “Let's deliver the goods first. Mong Kok alleyway, Old Man Wong at Wong Kee Candles.”
A paper car drove past the street, revealing two... no, two ghosts leaning against the roadside railing and eating fishballs.
One was a Russian ghost in a red dress.
The other was a long-haired male ghost wearing a quju robe.
Rate on N.U.
