The Human Fertilizer is a monster located in the soil of the Banyue palace's garden. He was originally a merchant, but was captured and buried to be used as a fertilizer for the Shanyue Fern.[1]
Appearance[]
His body is buried beneath the ground with only his face showing on the surface. His face is said to be flat, but full of wrinkles when smiling. It is hard to tell his age and whether he is attractive or not as not much of his face could be made out at all, however, it is said to be a nightmarish picture.[1] He has an extremely long, blood-red tongue and the rest of his body that had been buried has been reduced to a skeleton over the years.[2]
When yelling, his voice is said to be sharp and shrill.[2]
Personality[]
While appearing rather friendly and conversing respectfully at first,[1] he has a maniacal personality. Due to being buried and starving for so long, he has already lost his humanity and become delirious. He's delusional and still believes he is human and that he could go home, screaming and crying hysterically in delight when he thought he got the chance to be free. He denied that the skeleton is his own body and that his tongue is anything odd, completely ignoring what has become of him and being mad with joy that he will go home until his death.[2]
History[]
Fifty to sixty years ago, he was a merchant and part of a caravan traveling through Banyue. When he entered the city, he was captured by Banyue soldiers and buried in the palace's garden as the fertilizer for the Shanyue Fern.[1] At first, he survived by eating and swallowing insects with his tongue, but over time he became less and less human. His tongue grew longer, and he consumed worse things, turning into the monster of the present.[2]
Xie Lian and the others first encounter him when searching for the Shanyue Fern in the palace's garden, some merchants accidentally stepping on his face. At first Xie Lian just questions him how he became like this, and they discover he's the fertilizer for the Shanyue Fern over there, which causes the merchants to drop the fern they collected. He wants the people to come closer and explains he has seen one of them fifty to sixty years ago. They distrust him, but he says that the person will kill all of them.[1] Xie Lian becomes alarmed, telling them not to believe him.[2]
One of the merchants snuck away to collect more fern for the wounded, but the monster's long tongue drags him by the collar and pulls his brain out through his ear, proceeding to eat it. He is happy about finally getting delicious food before alarming Ke Mo that he detained the enemies. He begs to be let out, so he can go home. Ke Mo pulls him out with his mace, only for him to discover that his body has become a skeleton due to the fertilization eating away his flesh. He denies that he has become a monster and is ecstatic to go home, but as he's laughing Ke Mo crushes his bones and thus, kills him.[2]