Deep in the Living

Chapter 704 The Madam's Entrustment

Following behind the lady, Roddy could smell a strong waxy scent emanating from her, guessing that her entire body was composed of this substance, which was why she looked so young.

At the end of the passage, the walls here are covered with scalding hot wax like a waterfall.

"Come with me."

The lady raised her hand, and Roddy quickly took it.

The texture is indeed unlike human skin; it feels like being squeezed on a soft, waxy surface, and the temperature is higher than normal human body temperature, around 70°C.

Passing through this scorching, liquid wax wall,
A spacious underground hall came into view.

The sky is round and the earth is square.

The square hall has a circular skylight at the top, which draws in moonlight and absorbs yin energy.

Under the courtyard

Center of the hall.

Four pillars adorned with dragon reliefs suspended a black coffin of unknown material in mid-air via iron chains.

Roddy was also stunned, "This is..."

The lady's voice faded softly through the red cloth covering her face: "When your entire body is transformed into a zombie, you will be able to lie in this coffin and undergo the final transformation. At that time, your characteristics as a living being will be completely stripped away, and you will be reduced to a zombie."

Can the pituitary gland change?

"It will be affected, and your subsequent mature plants will also have the relevant attributes, but the fear type will not change."

The introduction of the "Zombie" will grant you a stronger physique, unique absorption properties, and the ability to fly and burrow underground once the plant matures.

"With so many additional features, there must be some weaknesses, right?"

"You're quite smart. Come over here quickly and let me see what's so special about your body."

Led by the lady, Roddy was taken deeper into the Corpse Refining Hall, passing through walls dripping with wax and down a passage painted with red paint.

A distinctive red door is located at the end.

Red candles, red curtains, red bed sheets
Redwood, red brick, red rouge
As soon as they entered the room, the lady lit a red candle that emitted a special fragrance and invited Roddy to sit at the only square table.

She even poured two cups of tea herself, but the surface of the tea was covered with a thick layer of oil, like some kind of aged corpse oil.

"Madam, this is... I just came here to get my arm repaired."

Beneath the red cloth covering the lady's face seemed to be a smile. "Don't worry, I won't reveal your true identity for now. After all, I am who I am, and that old man has no say in this matter."

Since the other party had already gone this far, Roddy stopped pretending.

He also confirmed that his left arm was still functioning and his tongue was still able to lubricate, allowing him to teleport away at any time.

"How did you see through me, Madam? I successfully disguised myself the whole way, and even Master Jiang, who ranked fourth, didn't notice."

"Your disguise was indeed impressive, but you gave yourself away. It seems your disguise came from someone else's [makeup skills], not from yourself."

"Is it because I licked that maid's fingers last night?"

"This is what makes me slightly suspicious... These maids are all my creations; their bodies are covered in wax, allowing them to transmit any external sensations directly to me."

This licking sensation with the tongue is something a newly sprouted monster cannot achieve. Unless you were exceptionally skilled at this activity in your previous life, the essence of a monster is related to the tongue.

Or are you deliberately licking me, trying to get my attention?

Roddy could feel as if a pair of special eyes were scrutinizing him from beneath the red cloth. This gaze was so intense that it made Roddy's entire body ooze oil, or even caused the wax in the air to condense.

Roddy simply smiled slightly, "Is there any other reason?"

"Of course there are. Zombies are extremely yin creatures, and even that old immortal would feel uncomfortable with extremely yang things."

My corpse-refining workshop is extremely hot, with candles burning everywhere. Your body has already undergone corpse transformation, so it's natural that you'll feel uncomfortable.

However, you not only didn't react at all, but you were completely comfortable when holding hands.

You should know that most little zombies, or even small creatures like you in the zombie-transforming stage, will tremble or pull their hands away if they touch my body.

You're holding on so tightly, almost as if you're really enjoying it. Is my body really that comfortable? I even feel like you like this temperature? Is your real body really that hot? May I see?

"Indeed, the gloomy atmosphere of the Jiang residence has always made me uncomfortable. Coming here, the temperature suddenly rose, giving me a strange sense of comfort, even a feeling of coming home."

After all, there is also a being in hell who is connected to candles.

"Hell? Who are you?"

Roddy simply removed the human skin, revealing his hellish body.

The lady had thought Roddy was some kind of monster skilled in disguise, but now it turned out he wasn't even a monster, but a human.

"Human, Connector! This body of yours isn't human yet. It's so hot, so warm!"

Although the lady rejected humans, she was extremely fascinated by this heat and unconsciously reached out to touch Roddy's hand.

The hellish heat spread rapidly.
Tick-tock tick-tock~
As the wax melted, the ghastly bones hidden beneath the powdered white flesh were almost revealed.

"No, it's too hot! The heat is making me panic... You're actually human. What is your purpose? How did you manage to come to my Jiang residence with such a sophisticated disguise?"
Is this the Bureau of Human Exploration's new technology? Are they trying to find out about the old immortal's condition so they can take over the Jiang residence and seize this crucial dungeon entrance?

"Don't worry, Madam!" Luo Di grabbed the arm that the lady had pulled back and continued to transfer heat to her, causing her whole body to begin to melt like wax, effectively suppressing her suspicions and doubts.

"I come from Whirlpool Town, have you heard of me?"

Roddy quickly opened his palm, revealing a swirling palm print.

"Whirlpool Town...what exactly is your purpose in coming here?"

“I am not here on behalf of any organization, nor on behalf of humanity. This disguise is solely for my personal curiosity and a private matter.”

"What's the matter?"

Roddy grabbed his cervical spine and pulled out the dark spine from his back.

Before he could explain, the lady's waxy, half-exposed, skeletal hand touched it. "The soul is broken, and for a very long time... But this thing isn't human, is it a creature from hell?"

“Madam is indeed knowledgeable! She is a special demon from hell, born as a weapon. My visit to the Jiang residence is to seek a way to repair her.”

"She's not a zombie, not even a monster, not even human... Her soul structure is very different. Moreover, a whole piece of her soul is missing, and it's been going on for a long time."

Repairing such a soul is extremely difficult.

Roddy's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "So, there's a chance?"

"As long as the individual consciousness is still there, the Jiang family's corpse refining technique can be repaired, but the cost is too high, requiring half of the Jiang family's resources to be used up."

Even if you can afford it yourself, the master will not allow you to do it this way.

The master is fully aware of everything that is happening here with the corpse-refining process.

"I'll think of a way."

"There's no way to help you. Even if I really wanted to, I wouldn't use so many resources. Besides, the success rate of repairs is too low, so it's pointless."

This thing is indeed good, but it's not worth the high price. Just replace it when it breaks.

"Thank you, Madam. I will consider it."

Now that you have the answer, are you leaving?

Luo Di's tone was unusually firm, "No, I want to stay a while longer. If Master Jiang can agree, then it can be repaired, right?"

"You're completely deaf to reason. Yes, as long as that old geezer agrees to your outrageous request, I can start working on the repairs for you."

But you need to understand that the Jiang family's resources are basically being used to keep him alive, so stop daydreaming.

Roddy's expression suddenly changed, and he changed the subject: "What is the purpose of bringing me here, Madam? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Since you are only here seeking soul repair and have no hostility towards the Jiang family, you can indeed do me a favor."

Of course, my return gift is simply to continue helping you conceal your identity.

"What's the deal?"

"Recently, the Jiang family's dispatched stewards have been disappearing one after another. That old codger's physical condition means he can't leave the Jiang family. Although Uncle Bo is powerful, he also needs to stay at the Jiang family to manage all kinds of affairs."

The Jiang family was in dire need of manpower, but most of the new recruits were treated as private property by the old man and were not seriously trained.

Although there are still a large number of zombies, they are all incapable of handling the heavy task.

Since you have the ability to infiltrate the Jiang family mansion and come from that newly established Whirlpool Town, I hope you can help me investigate the disappearance of the dispatched steward.

"Doesn't Madam suspect Whirlpool Town?"

"The former steward, Uncle Zhou, once visited your area and brought back information that basically confirms the neutral nature of Whirlpool Town."

"Besides, you already have so many top-tier monsters gathered there. If you really wanted to destroy the Jiang family, there's no need to resort to such despicable methods."

"Even if I wanted to help Madam investigate, my current status only allows me to stay within the Jiang residence, doesn't it?"

“I will explain your heat-resistant constitution to Uncle Bo and let you stay here as my apprentice. During the week, you can leave the Jiang residence through a secret tunnel and disguise yourself as the steward to investigate outside.”

After thinking for a moment, Roddy nodded in agreement.

"Don't rush to agree. You're just a mature plant. The missing stewards are all of the same rank as you."

I need to test your abilities; otherwise, even if I send you to investigate, you'll only face certain death.

"How would you like to try, Madam?"

"You can attack at any time, but you can't make too much noise."

Snapped!
He grabbed the woman's throat with his arm, forced her to the ground, and instantly subdued her with his tongue.

His dark eyes were fixed on the other person, as if he wanted to kill him.

This sudden attack caused the red cloth to slip off, revealing a meticulously sculpted face, though the wax on the face was melting, and a smile appeared on the rosy lips.

"Your name is... Luo Di, right? Uncle Zhou mentioned you. That old man's judgment was indeed poor; his evaluation was too low."

You absolutely mustn't let that old geezer see your physical body, otherwise he'll probably stop at nothing to possess you.

P.S.: Great news! The print rights (Simplified Chinese) for "Deep Within the Living" have been licensed to a publisher. Stay tuned!
(End of this chapter)