After enduring day after day of torment, Chen Youzai finally came to a bleak conclusion: living like this might truly be worse than dying. There was almost no hope of ever finding the silver coin again. If things continued this way, all that awaited him was a lifetime of suffering followed by a miserable end.
Just let it end. Chen Youzai closed his eyes and, for one desperate moment, tried to force himself to end his own life.
But almost immediately, he lost his nerve. His instinct to survive overwhelmed him, and his whole body trembled. No matter how miserable he was, his fear of death was still stronger.
A few more days passed, and the weather seemed to grow hotter and drier. Chen Youzai also felt as though his face were becoming more and more wrinkled. Once, while everyone else was asleep, he touched it and found the skin rough, shriveled, and uneven.
Is it because I’ve been roasting in the sun? Or did the owner of this body somehow earn the title “most handsome man” with a face like this?
Chen Youzai’s only remaining wish was to see his own face. If he really did not have much time left, then at least he wanted to know whether coming here had been worth it. There were no mirrors anywhere, and not even enough water to make a reflection. Most of the time, they had to chew on rotting grass roots just to draw out a little moisture. They barely urinated at all, and on the rare occasions when they did, even that tiny amount vanished into the dry earth almost immediately.
That day alone, Chen Youzai fainted three times from exhaustion, and each time he was beaten awake. The place felt like the Flaming Mountain itself. It seemed he would not even get to fulfill this last wish. In despair, he made another feeble attempt to end his life with a nearby stone.
He was too weak even to follow through. The stone barely touched him before rolling away. Chen Youzai no longer had the strength for anything. He shut his eyes in despair as another wave of pain swept through his body, too exhausted to lift his heavy eyelids.
Fine. Beat me. This time, don’t stop. Don’t bring me back again. I don’t want to keep living like this.
Heaven, however, did not grant his wish. Chen Youzai woke again, and this time he felt strangely full of strength. He sprang to his feet and found energy coursing through his whole body. He touched himself in confusion. Huh? Nothing hurts. Nothing hurts at all. He had no idea that seven days had passed. All he knew was that something had suddenly changed.
Even stranger, he was still in the same place, but everyone else was gone. After thinking about it for a long time, Chen Youzai finally reached a conclusion. This must be a final rally before death.
Mother Chen had once told him that people sometimes experienced a final rally shortly before dying: illnesses seemed to recede, pain disappeared, and strength briefly returned. His maternal grandfather had gone through something like that. He had already been paralyzed, yet during that last burst of strength, he had even managed to stand and take a couple of steps.
Realizing this, Chen Youzai gave a bitter smile. Forget it. Maybe this is a good ending after all. Wasn’t I trying to die earlier? If the King of Hell has finally come to collect me, at least I won’t have to struggle anymore.