Chapter 12: Twelve: The Truth of the Blood (Two-in-One)

Twelve: The Truth of the Blood (Two-in-One)

The woman in white maintained the posture she held when she died a miserable death, standing in place, refusing to fall due to her boundless hatred for the world.

The hatred, resentment, anger, and despair formed a tangible black mist that made one's blood run cold. Yu Lianyun's soul suddenly trembled, and as her mind opened up, she actually saw the experiences of the woman in white before her death—a nightmare not recorded on the videotape.

It turned out that after being pushed into the deep well by the perverted father and son, the woman in white did not die immediately. Even later, when her spine was broken by a rock, causing a second major injury, she still struggled in the deep well for a very long time. Dragging her paralyzed lower body, she jammed her fractured finger bones into the wall of the well, screaming for help toward the wellhead that was gradually being sealed.

When the wellhead was completely sealed and sunlight could no longer shine into the well, her miserable wails turned into poisonous curses against heaven and earth. The cries for help that could once be vaguely heard by the outside world turned into the most primitive, monstrous roars, and the clear water in the well was slowly dyed red by the blood flowing from her body.

In this sunless well, she had thought she might freeze to death, drown, suffocate, or die from blood loss, but before that, she had actually experienced a mental death and a collapse of the soul.

The monstrous roars from the sealed well lasted for three full days and nights; the sound never ceased, never weakened, and then it stopped abruptly.

Yu Lianyun realized that it was her intuition ability that allowed her to see the memories of the woman in white. This made her understand the origin of the Curse stored in the videotape and why it was so intense and terrifying. At the same time, it forced her to empathize with the woman in white, experiencing the same collapse.

Yu Lianyun fell to her knees with a thud. After killing the Other-dimensional Creature, the woman in white limped past Yu Lianyun, ignoring her as if she were not the least bit interested in her current state.

"It's very painful, isn't it? Dying all alone in a place like that, you must be very resentful." Yu Lianyun said, murmuring with tears streaming down her face. Whether it was the nameless female corpse or the woman in white, they had both experienced horrific torture before death. The pain of the spirit and soul was an inhuman sensation; it was only natural to have immense resentment toward the world, and this was a darkness destined to be unresolvable.

At this moment, Yu Lianyun realized profoundly that the so-called Curse did not lie in the video itself, but in the human heart. The act of deleting the video was like the perverted father and son sealing the stone well; out of sight did not mean clean. The resentment would always be there, in that bone-chilling, sunless well.

Therefore, after watching the videotape and glimpsing the past of the woman in white, the only way she could think of to resolve the Blessing was to let the woman in white vent her hatred.

Yu Lianyun thought she understood the pain of the woman in white and wanted to turn back to say something to her. However, when she saw those ruthless eyes engraved with her own death countdown once again, she discovered that she could not fully empathize with the other party; that sense of shared feeling was merely a false emotion.

Now, the woman in white she saw was no longer the vengeful spirit who had died in the well, but a collection of some kind of resentful emotion.

Therefore, when she locked eyes with the woman in white again, the mental impact directly knocked Yu Lianyun over. She fell backward, feeling as if she were plummeting into an endless abyss, until at one moment, she suddenly hit the bottom!

Yu Lianyun's body jolted, and she opened her eyes abruptly, waking up in a panic on the bed. She sat up, gasping for air, her chest rattling with trembling lung sounds. Cold sweat drenched her like rain; she was just like someone who had walked out of a torrential downpour without any protection.

However, the Xuanmi Group members sleeping beside her seemed not to have felt any of the bizarre phenomena that had just occurred to her. It was only when they heard the sound of her sudden awakening that they slowly woke up, rubbing their eyes in a daze and asking, "What's wrong?"

What's wrong? Yu Lianyun was dazed. She only knew that she seemed unable to escape the fate of death, and the Xuanmi Group was powerless against it.

"Had a nightmare, it's nothing." Yu Lianyun whispered softly, then got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Looking at her haggard self in the mirror, she felt a heaviness on her shoulders. In a trance, she actually saw the woman in white riding on her shoulders, but in the blink of an eye, this terrifying and bizarre image vanished without a trace.

Facing this situation, what Yu Lianyun felt was not the confusion of facing an unknown fear, but a deep despair at being powerless despite knowing the truth. She sat alone on the bathroom floor, silent and motionless, neither crying nor laughing, just emptying herself, not wanting to think about anything at all.

Yu Lianyun's Abnormal emotions could not escape the notice of the Xuanmi Group members. That listless appearance of hers caught the attention of He Jia'an and the others, making them realize that last night's events did not seem to have been perfectly resolved.

After some questioning, Yu Lianyun, feeling that neither speaking nor staying silent could change her fate, calmly recounted her nightmare from last night, including staring directly at the Other-dimensional Creature that had invaded her mind, and the fact that the woman in white had "protected" her.

After hearing Yu Lianyun's words, the three of them, including He Jia'an, could not help but reveal deep anxiety; the development of the situation was truly even trickier than they had imagined.

"I want to go out for a walk by myself. Could you please not follow me for a while?" Yu Lianyun said.

"But it's nine o'clock at night now." Li Yingqi reminded her.

Yu Lianyun glanced at her, perfectly calm: "Do you think, at this point, there is anything left that would make me feel afraid?"

The three were speechless. While they hesitated, Yu Lianyun had already walked out of the hotel, strolling alone in this city that lacked a nightlife culture, walking on the silent streets.

The moon tonight was full, the temperature was pleasant, and the evening breeze from the sea was cool and comfortable. The waves were sometimes slow and sometimes rapid, yet Yu Lianyun had no intention of appreciating such harmonious and leisurely scenery.

Passing by a community park, Yu Lianyun saw that it was deserted—a quiet place for a temporary rest—so she sat on a swing in the park's sandpit, not swinging, just sitting quietly.

The park still held traces left by children playing during the day: sand grains splashed out of the sandpit, a half-destroyed sandcastle, and snack wrappers stuck in the gaps of the playground equipment. In the quiet park at this moment, Yu Lianyun could actually feel a hint of liveliness.

"If I could die silently here, that would seem quite nice." Yu Lianyun suddenly thought.

She laughed a few times, pretending to be open-minded, but before the sound could fully escape, she fell off the swing, knelt on the ground, and began to sob in a low voice.

Of course, she did not want to die; no one was willing to die, and naturally, she would be afraid of death.

The videotape had brought about her death, yet she did not regret buying that tape; the contradictory psychology clashed back and forth within her heart.

After crying for a while, Yu Lianyun climbed back up from the ground and left the park; she did not want to cast her pain and despair upon this place full of hope and vitality.

She returned to the street and continued walking forward aimlessly, until, lost and soul-broken, she bumped blankly into a gentleman's chest.

"I'm sorry." Yu Lianyun apologized subconsciously. When she looked up at the gentleman's face, she only felt that the face was exceptionally familiar.

"I'm so sorry, are you hurt?" Haimofen steadied the swaying Yu Lianyun. He did not blame her, but instead asked with concern.

Yu Lianyun shook her head. When she caught a glimpse of the gentleman, who possessed a combination of feminine and handsome traits, missing his left ear, she couldn't help but sigh in her heart, secretly calling it a pity.

Unaccountably, she thought of the female corpse and the woman in white, who also possessed stunning, otherworldly appearances. This world seemed to always inflict suffering upon those who bore beauty, and that included her...

But soon, Yu Lianyun discovered that the background behind Haimofen was somewhat familiar; a ten-meter-high narrow stone staircase was right behind him, and the other party seemed to have just come down from there.

Seeing that Yu Lianyun was just preoccupied and not injured, Haimofen quickly noticed that Yu Lianyun's hands still had unhealed chilblains, and he couldn't help but frown. He suddenly grabbed Yu Lianyun's hands and said with some heartache: "It is truly a pity for such a pair of delicate, skillful hands to have become so tattered."

A man whose first impression was that of a gentleman had suddenly made an ungentlemanly move. Yu Lianyun was startled for no reason, pulled her hands away from his with force, dodged a few steps away, and then looked at him with some vigilance.

But after a moment, Yu Lianyun suddenly remembered this gentleman's face. She said in surprise: "Wait! You are... Haimofen?"

Hearing that the other party recognized him, Haimofen's expression changed slightly. He was silent for two seconds, then gave a formulaic smile: "No, I am not him, I just look like him. Everyone around me says so."

Hearing this, Yu Lianyun looked at him suspiciously. Haimofen lowered the brim of his hat, trying his best to avoid her gaze.

"No, you are him. Although I have never seen you in person outside of screens and posters, you are definitely Haimofen." Yu Lianyun said with certainty. When she said this, even she herself was surprised. She had never been such a stubborn person who jumped to conclusions easily, nor did she often act on so-called intuition. Like when she caught the criminal in the livestream room yesterday, she had performed in a similar way.

Subsequently, Yu Lianyun suddenly remembered what He Jia'an had said. That was it; she was not just Yu Lianyun now, she also had the soul of that female corpse. Her style of acting just now was actually closer to Jinxiu.

Haimofen had not expected that the fan in front of him would be unexpectedly difficult and paranoid. His heart sank; the thing he worried about most had indeed happened. While he was living in seclusion to resolve the Abnormal things on his own body, he had actually run into a fan of his professional work and been recognized.

"This is troublesome..." Haimofen muttered to himself, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

Yu Lianyun was very surprised that the most outstanding young violinist of the century would appear here, and judging by his missing ear, he seemed to have gone through quite a terrible experience.

Regarding this, Yu Lianyun couldn't help but have a bold speculation. The part of her spirit that was Jinxiu once again took the initiative and asked Haimofen: "Are you here to find Boss Lin?"

"Lin Laoban?" Haimofen looked at the haggard woman in astonishment, and soon realized that the other party had the same status as him—a client of Lin Ling, the owner of the Forest Cabin.

With this, Haimofen's mood relaxed. He withdrew the hand he had reached into his pocket and smiled slightly: "So that's how it is. You are also going to find Lin Laoban."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but look at Yu Lianyun's hands again. "I suppose you have also run into big trouble, but it doesn't matter. Lin Laoban is a person with great supernatural powers and ability; you will surely be able to resolve your own troubles just like I did."

In Haimofen's words, there was a hint of admiration and worship for Lin Ling.

Yu Lianyun was very curious: "Also?"

Thinking of how Haimofen, as a globally renowned musician, had suddenly disappeared for three years without a trace, it turned out he had been hiding in this small seaside town, living by night and hiding away.

But after hearing Haimofen's words, Yu Lianyun also realized that the seclusion was only a superficial, active behavior. In reality, it might not have been Haimofen's own wish. He was just like her, having accidentally and carelessly fallen into an untouchable world, disturbed by some mysterious thing.

Haimofen deliberately ignored Yu Lianyun's confusion and curiosity, slightly lifted his hat, and smiled as he bowed, "I have matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave. Good luck to you, beautiful lady."

Having said that, he leaned on his cane and departed elegantly.

Yu Lianyun watched that departing black silhouette, feeling somewhat dazed; she suddenly felt that encountering such a miserable situation was not lonely, because even big screen superstars and musicians could have such terrible luck.

Perhaps people are just that base; when you see someone who was originally "high and mighty" suddenly fall to your own level one day, you feel comforted and gain an inexplicable "courage" from it.

Looking at the stone steps extending into the dark woods, Yu Lianyun thought for a moment and decided to visit the owner of the Forest Cabin for the third time.

"Please come in, Miss Yu." When Yu Lianyun knocked on the shop door again, Lin Ling, as if he had anticipated she would return, smiled and invited her inside.

Yu Lianyun arrived in the shop once more, but this time she saw that Lin Ling was not sitting at the tea table drinking tea; instead, he was sitting in a rocking chair, wearing headphones and listening to music, his face full of ease and contentment.

For some reason, every time she came to this desolate little shop, she never felt any terror, but instead felt exceptionally at ease.

Regarding Lin Ling, whom she had only met twice and whose appearance seemed much younger than her own, Yu Lianyun also felt it strange that she always had an urge to pour out all her worries and sins to him.

It was as if this place were a temporary sanctuary for the lost lambs of the world.

"Boss, this time I would like to earnestly ask for advice on how there could be a win-win solution that would allow me to both get rid of the invasion by the extra-dimensional life form and save me from the destruction brought about by the Blessing," Yu Lianyun asked humbly.

Lin Ling rocked along with the chair, his hands restlessly stroking the black cat, and the black cat did not resist, letting him do as he pleased.

Amidst the rhythmic swaying, Lin Ling spoke slowly: "Do you sometimes feel that you are getting what you deserve now?"

Yu Lianyun shuddered all over and clenched her fingers tight.

"Let us return to that initial topic; after mysterious phenomena began to appear on the female corpse, during the period of unconsciousness you mentioned, what did you actually do?" Lin Ling opened his eyes, his pitch-black pupils staring at Yu Lianyun like a netherworld examining a human heart.

"I..." Yu Lianyun's gaze darted away, her words catching in her throat.

"You killed your father with your own hands, didn't you?" Lin Ling hit the nail on the head, and Yu Lianyun suddenly collapsed to her knees on the floor as the truth she could not bear to recall gushed forth once again.