Chapter 222

Great-grandfather had never been to the capital.

Admittedly, for most people in the country, there are too many channels and ways to learn about and know this place; even if one has never been here, one can still dream up the environment of this place.

But, it is impossible to dream of this orange cat.

The details of this cat are so distinct and clear; it is exactly the one he himself held back then.

It is a cat from the palace, and at the same time, it is the anchor for this memory of his.

Through it, Li Li Zhuiyuan can be certain that this is not Great-grandfather's dream; it should be his own dream.

Picking up this cat, Li Li Zhuiyuan leads A Li down the steps.

The young man has had an extraordinary memory since childhood; although he cannot compare to those individual genius classmates he has seen who possess photographic memories, he can still remember things after taking a few more looks.

What's more, he once sat here for many days.

The damage on the steps, the gaps in the floor tiles below, and everything within his line of sight when he sat there before—it all matches.

Even without the orange cat in his arms, upon walking here, Li Li Zhuiyuan would have reached the same conclusion as just now.

For now, one can only guess that it was the fortune-turning ritual Great-grandfather once set up for him that swapped the dreams of the two of them.

This dream should be a kind of metaphor, with profound meaning behind it.

But as for what exactly it symbolizes, Li Li Zhuiyuan is not yet clear.

And then there is... where did Great-grandfather go?

The reason the young man followed in immediately when the paper doll first made contact with Great-grandfather was that he was afraid, just like last time, that the Qing Dynasty zombie would run out first.

But after coming in, apart from this cat, Li Li Zhuiyuan did not see Great-grandfather, nor did he see the zombie.

Before him, this vast area between the Gate of Supreme Harmony and the Hall of Supreme Harmony appears empty, with only himself, A Li, and a cat.

Just as Li Li Zhuiyuan was hesitating about which direction to head next to search, a sound of bells reached his ears.

"Ding-a-ling... Ding-a-ling..."

Appearing along with the sound of the bells is a scent of lamp oil so thick it is choking.

In an instant, a strong sense of nausea and vomiting strikes; Li Li Zhuiyuan only feels a twisting pain in his abdomen and dizziness. Loosening his grip to put down the orange cat, he squats down himself, his breathing becoming incomparably rapid.

Beside him, A Li also squats down, looking at him.

Compared to the severe discomfort at hand, Li Li Zhuiyuan is even more shocked by the cause of this intense discomfort.

Because, no matter how annoying or choking that bell sound or lamp oil scent might be, the current him should be able to easily withstand it. After all, since he began his journey along the river, he has experienced countless scenes infinitely more disgusting; his resistance and endurance have already been honed to a very high degree.

Furthermore, he has entered this place in a state of walking in the underworld; the discomfort in his physical senses should not be transmitted so clearly.

Most importantly, only he is affected, while A Li beside him has no reaction at all.

This means that this scene is not triggered by the present, but is post-traumatic stress disorder left behind by some experience in his past.

But the problem is, in his own memory, there is simply no such segment.

While continuing to endure the pain, the young man quickly "takes out" this memory in his mind to flip through it rapidly. He is certain that those days were very ordinary; every morning Li Lan would bring him here, and in the evening when Li Lan got off work, she would bring him home again.

For lunch, he didn't even need to find Li Lan or the small canteen, because Li Lan would put water, biscuits, and sponge cake into his small schoolbag in advance.

Although tourists were endless here, there were armed police standing guard everywhere, and Li Lan never worried that her son would be stupid enough to be tricked away by others.

The bell sound... at the place where he entered earlier, on those steps, it was also the position he sat in most often during that period.

Li Li Zhuiyuan struggles to stand up and walks back onto the steps.

After walking up again, the bell sound becomes clearer, the lamp oil scent becomes even thicker, and Li Li Zhuiyuan's painful reaction becomes even more intense.

But soon, the bell sound begins to move, and the lamp oil scent begins to fade.

Avoiding pain is a human instinct; Li Li Zhuiyuan is now overcoming this instinct, using the strength of his own pain as a guide to follow forward.

A Li does not urge him to give up, only silently supporting him.

In the past, no matter how difficult the environment, Li Li Zhuiyuan could quickly overcome and endure it, just like last time inside the high tower, but this time, he finds that he cannot adapt.

This proves that every bit of pain has traces to follow in the past; what he is currently experiencing is not a single pain, but picking up a long stretch of painful experience.

He once walked here, once turned a corner here, once walked down the steps here, once walked through this door; every step, he was extremely uncomfortable. The current him is walking the path the past him once walked.

But how is this possible? Why is there no record of these in his memory?

The young man suddenly thinks of the wave from the Dream Ghost; after waking from the dream, he also lost the memories within the dream. Although important things don't seem to have been dropped much, the specific images still cannot be pieced together even now.

Since he himself, after walking the river, could encounter his memory being wiped, then, could his childhood self have encountered it too?

Even if he was smart back then, he hadn't entered the path yet and didn't understand the affairs of the Profound Gate. If his memory had been tampered with and he didn't notice, it would indeed be very normal.

But why would it be here? And who exactly had done this to him?

Li Li Zhuiyuan grinds his teeth, his figure still continuing to follow forward, but he forcibly pulls himself together.

He begins to actively listen to the tone of this bell sound, actively distinguishing this lamp oil scent.

Due to the nature of Li Lan's work at that time, he followed her to many venues and units when he was young. As a relatively common type of ritual implement, bells of different textures and craftsmanship can produce different sounds.

As for this lamp oil scent, it is even more particular; the ingredient formulas of different sects and temples and the offerings of different groups of believers all cause differences in its scent.

Soon, the image of a Tantric monk emerges in Li Li Zhuiyuan's mind.

The monk holds silver string bells, wrapped in butter, his whole body emitting that scent of lamp oil.

The capital has always been a place where sects gather, and the Qing Dynasty was the peak of the feudal system; the rulers regarded sects as a means to strengthen their rule. Many temples far away on the frontiers had miniature replicas here, or at the very least, would lead their branches into it.

The young man remembers him.

He once stroked his head, and held his hand, introducing to him the historical implements in the glass cabinets one by one, but that was only a one-time encounter.

So, he had met him a second time.

He had once come here, come behind him, and for him who was sitting there, shook the bells, leading him forward all the way.

Not knowing exactly how long he walked, Li Li Zhuiyuan observes the changes in the surrounding palaces and discovers that he has already "followed" to inside the Zhenshun Gate of the Palace of Longevity and Health.

In the corner of the small courtyard ahead, a well appears, surrounded by white railings; the well wall is raised, and the well mouth is very narrow.

This is... the Concubine Zhen Well.

During the first two days when Li Lan first arrived here to work, she used the gaps before and after work to take him on a tour and explain things.

At that time, Li Lan still retained the appearance of a normal mother.

However, she probably also noticed that her son would remember everything once he had seen and heard it, so she was too lazy to continue accompanying him to play, and subsequently just threw him into the palace and went to busy herself with her own affairs.

This well is exceptionally famous because Empress Dowager Cixi ordered people to throw Concubine Zhen into it; many tourists who come to visit will come here to take a look.

In fact, the well mouth back then was very large, not as small as it is now; the current well mouth is so narrow that it would be impossible to throw a person in.

After the founding of the nation, the seventy-four wells in the palace were all renovated for safety reasons; what can be seen now is actually the well-pressing stone.

Back then, why was he brought here?

The question just rose in his heart when, soon, Li Li Zhuiyuan obtained further perception.

"Plop..."

A sound of falling into water seems to reach his ears, followed immediately by a terrifying sense of suffocation and boundless despair, rushing toward him crazily like a tide.

Li Li Zhuiyuan kneels down, his hands reaching upward, instinctively wanting to grab something.

All the painful feelings from following along the way earlier seem to have become a kind of foreshadowing, only for the rapid eruption at this moment!

"Ah..."

Although Li Li Zhuiyuan is still outside the well now, this feeling of drowning is so delicate and real; although the rational memory is lost, the emotional things are preserved.

But this feeling simply cannot be manifested or found in daily life; it can only be triggered again when in a corresponding environment.

He once fell into this well.

No,

It wasn't that he slipped and fell in; he couldn't have moved that well-pressing stone back then. Combined with the bell sound and the lamp oil scent, he was thrown into this well by someone.

The terrifying torment continues, and the most despairing thing is that you don't know when it will end.

Li Li Zhuiyuan's vision begins to blur; he seems to be able to see A Li constantly shaking him, her eyes revealing concern, but gradually, A Li's figure becomes blurry, and his surroundings become dim.

In the dim environment, lamps are lit, the lamplight eerie, reflecting certain things, like spirit tablets and paper charms.

And the position where A Li originally was has turned into a white palace-attired figure; she is also at the bottom of the well, one leg standing straight, one leg bent.

Before the Eight-Nation Alliance arrived, before Cixi fled the capital, she ordered people to throw Concubine Zhen into the well. A year later, when Cixi returned to the capital, she had people fish Concubine Zhen out of the well; in other words, Concubine Zhen had soaked in this well for a full year or more.

At this time, Li Li Zhuiyuan sees that blurry white figure begin to actively lean toward him.

After the distance closes, she raises her arms, two hands pinching his neck.

But she is not trying to strangle him to death, but after pinching, begins to pull backward.

As if wanting to take him away, but he doesn't move at all.

But the next moment, accompanied by the retreat of that white figure, Li Li Zhuiyuan sees with his own eyes that "he" is grabbed away by her.

One, an identical him.

Soon, an even more inconceivable scene appears; he sees that "he" who was grabbed away is also looking at him.

Li Li Zhuiyuan lowers his head and discovers that on his neck, there is still a pair of hands so white they are chilling.

Two "hims," at this moment, present a kind of eerie symmetrical mirror image.

Finally, accompanied by a "splash" sound that doesn't exist, he seems to float to the surface of the water.

Li Li Zhuiyuan begins to gasp for air, just like his past self, who also once had such an action.

Suddenly, the lamp oil scent intensifies, a psychedelic feeling so thick it is inconceivable strikes.

His eyelids suddenly become so heavy and deep, and his consciousness slowly falls.

At the same time, a dialogue reaches his ears:

"Did it succeed?"

"Benefactor Li, you invited this poor monk to help your son remove his inner demon, but this poor monk has not seen the existence of an inner demon in your son's body."

"He has one, right under that human skin of his, I am certain."

"This poor monk did not see an inner demon, unless the inner demon Benefactor Li speaks of is your son himself."

"Then did it succeed?"

"It failed."

"The consequences."

"According to your description to this poor monk earlier, if you have another patient suffering from the same condition as a reference.

Your son's condition, due to the stimulation of this failed sealing, will erupt earlier and more intensely than hers, and will be even harder to clean up."

"Mm, I understand."

"This poor monk will help him erase this memory of the failed sealing, as much as possible not to stimulate his condition because of this, although, doing so, according to the Central Plains saying, is like a cup of water on a cartload of burning firewood, but... it's better than nothing."

"Seal his memory well, it has nothing to do with the condition; I just want to hear him call me mother for a few more years."

"Benefactor Li, this poor monk will help you check as well."

"No need, you can't even handle my son, I won't let you waste my time either."

"Yes, this poor monk is ashamed."

The dialogue disappears.

All the discomfort also completely fades away at this moment.

Li Li Zhuiyuan supports the ground with his hands, gasping heavily.

A Li stares at the young man; from the young man's eyes, she sees a chilling coldness.

The young man's palms supporting the ground slowly clench into fists.

If Li Lan was just adopting various strange methods to treat his illness in advance, he could understand.

But now, he discovers that Li Lan is not just treating his illness... she is treating him as an experimental subject.

She is "testing medicine" on him to determine if it is effective, so she can use it on herself.

This indeed fits her style of doing things, fits the rational style of the mother and son.

She should have discovered very early on that the normal child she wanted to give birth to suffered from the same illness as her.

The newborn him simply couldn't hide from her eyes; what's more, at first he felt his mother should be like other parents, liking smart and sensible children, so he would deliberately show his extraordinary intelligence to seek his mother's favor.

To her, since she couldn't give birth to a normal child to become the vessel she used to consolidate her human skin, then take it and use it to the fullest early on.

No wonder his condition erupted earlier and more severely than Li Lan's; you really are my good mother.

Li Li Zhuiyuan stands up and walks toward that Concubine Zhen Well.

Now, he knows what is in that well, and also understands the meaning this dream represents.

Li Li Zhuiyuan stands beside the well mouth; although he knows what he is about to see, he still lowers his head and looks down into the well.

Reflected in the well water is a face identical to his, the same expression, the same cold gaze.

A Li walks over, supporting his hand, and also lowers her head to look.

At the same moment, on the water surface in the well, A Li's face also emerges.

That Tantric high monk wanted to help him suppress his inner demon.

But he failed.

The reason for the failure is very simple: Li Li Zhuiyuan did not have an inner demon.

Just as that high monk said, if one insists on saying there is one, then it is he himself who is the inner demon.

After stepping into the Profound Gate, Li Li Zhuiyuan read many, many books; some books were beneficial for current growth and had to be read; some books had no practical value, and reading them was just an attempt to explore his own condition through them.

The current him is proficient in formations, feng shui, and puppet arts; A You's Yin God was tamed by him, and Brother Binbin's resentful infant was sealed by him.

Therefore, examining himself with what he has learned, he is very clear that he has no inner demon, no split personality, is not possessed by evil spirits, and was not reincarnated...

This illness of his is as pure as it can be.

The books and scattered traces left by Wei Zhengdao also fully confirm this point, because with Wei Zhengdao's ability, if it were truly caused by one of the reasons above, it would be too simple for him to solve.

People like them are just born freaks.

Like a piece of terrifying black jade, when just born, or just dug out, the surface is still covered with mud.

With growing up, the impurities on the surface will gradually fall off, and the so-called eruption of the condition is nothing more than the time having arrived for the surface to fall off completely, revealing the true self.

Having an illness that can be cured is actually a kind of happiness, but what if this illness is your most normal state?

"A Li, the one below is also me.

I once suffered a sealing here, and it failed, but the sequelae of the failure have always existed; it is constantly exacerbating the deterioration of my condition.

Great-grandfather transferred this dream away through a fortune-turning formation, which is equivalent to Great-grandfather having been helping me suppress the condition for so long in the past.

No, to be precise, it was Great-grandfather helping me prevent further deterioration.

The recovery of the condition and my changes are the result of my own efforts."

The reason he wants to explain it this way is because Li Li Zhuiyuan doesn't want A Li to misunderstand; he is the girl's window, and he must tell the girl that he has also been working hard all along.

The exacerbating factors of the condition were transferred away by Great-grandfather, but the condition remains; the current him and the past him have obvious changes, all of which are the result of his own active "recovery."

"I suspect it is because I am walking the river, or perhaps because I myself am becoming more and more powerful, and the things involved are becoming heavier; in short, Great-grandfather can no longer continue to help me suppress it, and I cannot watch Great-grandfather continue to suffer for me.

Before, I didn't know, but now that I know, I can no longer play dumb.

Now, I want to take this dream back.

I know the consequences of doing this will cause my condition to suddenly worsen and deteriorate, but I am not afraid.

Because I have improved before, felt the feeling of the human skin on my face solidifying, and experienced this beauty.

Therefore, even if the condition suddenly worsens, I have the confidence to walk out of it again.

The path I have already walked once is not so hard to walk a second time.

A Li, please help me."

The girl nods.

She understands, because she can empathize.

For some people, seeing the light and then returning to darkness is a torture; but for others, eyes that have seen the light can provide greater courage to walk out of the darkness again.

Li Li Zhuiyuan makes this choice mainly to help Great-grandfather be relieved from the pain originating from him, and secondly because if he wants to completely cure his own illness, he must let his condition be a complete entity.

Just like a child learning to ride a bike, Great-grandfather is holding the back seat with both hands behind to help maintain balance; it looks like it's being ridden, but if one truly wants to learn completely, those hands holding the back seat must let go.

Great-grandfather has helped him hold on for long enough; now, it is time to let Great-grandfather rest.

Li Li Zhuiyuan squats down by the well and reaches his hand into the well.

The him reflected in the water is doing the same action.

The water level in the well begins to rise constantly, and the distance between him and the him at the other end is gradually closing.

The fingertips of both sides just like this touch a point.

The next moment, the hands of both sides suddenly grab together.

Not knowing if it was him grabbing the other or the other grabbing him, Li Li Zhuiyuan only feels a dizzying spin, and the him inside the well mouth is gradually fading.

Just at this moment, the voice of that Tantric high monk comes again from beside the well mouth.

"Child, your mother has left.

I left these words in your memory, not knowing if you will be able to hear them in the future.

Without emotion, without love, without attachment, only then is there great freedom; my generation seeks the empty gate all our lives but cannot enter, while you were born in the empty gate.

Originally a Bodhi seed, why stir up the dust.

If you hear these words, it proves you and I have a connection; this poor monk awaits."

As soon as the voice falls, a neat sound of jumping steps comes from afar; with every step that falls, the surrounding palace halls tremble.

The zombies have arrived.

Li Li Zhuiyuan immediately looks at A Li and says to her: "You go quickly, leave this dream!"

A Li does not hesitate, lets go of the hand grabbing the young man, and runs toward the side door on the other side; her figure disappears along with it.

Li Li Zhuiyuan stands in place; it is not that he doesn't want to leave, but that he cannot leave, because the handover of this dream has not yet been completed.

Rows of zombies wearing Qing Dynasty official robes jump in.

Their official robes are brand new, their corpse energy mellow, meaning they are not wild, but raised and cultivated by someone.

Li Li Zhuiyuan remembers the lamps and the spirit tablets and paper charms behind the lamps he saw in the dimness at the bottom of the well; those spirit tablets all represent a zombie.

They were the preparatory part of the attempt to seal him back then; to be precise, that Tantric high monk originally intended to separate his inner demon and then, using the zombie corpse energy as the formation eye, suppress the inner demon.

But because the beginning was wrong, the subsequent arrangement methods couldn't be used.

However, they were indeed left behind in this dream of his.

No wonder Great-grandfather, after taking over his dream, was chased by zombies; after the owner of the dream changed, this group of zombies was equivalent to having a new target.

But chewing on the words that the high monk secretly left him at the end, combined with the scene of so many zombies entering, Li Li Zhuiyuan, who is well-versed in formation paths, sees the other party's purpose hidden under the water:

If the inner demon had been successfully stripped away, the other party wouldn't just want to suppress the inner demon, but also wanted to manipulate and influence him by controlling the inner demon.

Since you say I have a connection with you... then I will visit you properly in the future.

Soon, a large number of zombies gather around Li Li Zhuiyuan; they form a circle, arms raised high, spraying corpse energy at Li Li Zhuiyuan from their mouths.

And at this time, the figure reflected on the water surface of the well mouth finally disappears; this dream has been taken back by Li Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Li Zhuiyuan raises his hand, intending to expel this corpse energy and then break their encirclement; the current him can even easily suppress these zombies back.

But just as the young man raises his hand, a strong sense of detachment rises in his heart.

This feeling, he hasn't experienced for a long time; for a long time in the past, he only felt a kind of discomfort that could be overcome.

This is the feeling of the condition erupting completely, the urge of the human skin falling off completely, wanting to clear out everything unrelated.

"Are you coming out again? Then this time, I will let you come out!"

Surrounded by a group of zombies, the young man gives up resistance and slowly lowers his head toward the well mouth.

East Room.

A Li sits up from the bed.

Liu Liu Yumei turns her head and looks over, puzzled: "What's wrong?"

The old lady looks up at the time again; it is still very early before the time to get up and dress.

A Li gets out of bed, barefoot in her white pajamas, walks to the door, pulls out the door bolt, pushes the door open, and walks out.

Liu Liu Yumei opens her mouth, originally wanting to remind her granddaughter that it is inappropriate to go see Xiao Yuan like this, but the old lady immediately realizes something, gets up, walks to the door, and watches her granddaughter's figure disappear into the building.

The old lady lowers her head and looks at the threshold under her feet; she is hesitating whether to go out at this moment.

It is not that she is worried about whether taking action at Li Sanjiang's house will encounter a backlash of fortune, nor is she concerned about any karmic connection of walking the river; she is afraid that if she goes out now, she will not only fail to help but instead make things worse?

After all, the scene tonight was arranged by Xiao Yuan himself, and it must have his own purpose; if she takes action rashly, there is a risk of disrupting the child's layout.

Liu Liu Yumei purses her lips, ultimately not stepping over the threshold, but sitting down on the threshold instead.

The old lady, accustomed to elegance all her life, rarely has such a down-to-earth posture.

She is waiting; if she truly needs her help, even if Xiao Yuan doesn't call, her granddaughter will find a way to notify her.

Liu Liu Yumei taps the room door with her fingertips.

She knows that after this sound, A Li and A Ting, who live in the room at the south end of the East Room, will also be ready immediately.

Finally, the old lady's gaze glances toward the bottom of the bed.

Under the bed is pressed a sword case, and in the case is a sword.

But sometimes, a bright and clear opponent is easier to deal with; if something goes wrong with oneself, it is often even more tricky.

"The child has a sense of proportion in his heart, it's fine."

A Li, who ended her state of walking in the underworld, just came out of the East Room, entered the building, and arrived on the second floor, when she happened to see the young man walking out of Li Sanjiang's room.

The young man saw her, but there was no color in his eyes, and this gaze didn't even pause.

Seeing her was just like seeing her.

The young man pushes open his room door and walks in.

A Li follows him in.

Li Li Zhuiyuan walks to the desk, his fingertips sliding over the books placed there, and pulls out a copy of "Jianghu Records of Strange Tales."

Li Li Zhuiyuan had actually finished reading these books long ago, and he didn't place the full set of "Jianghu Records of Strange Tales" here; the reason he chose this one to place in a position on the desk within reach was because a character in this book had been changed.

Wei Zhengdao — Pseudo-Orthodox.

Remembering that night after Li Sanjiang completed the fortune-turning ritual, he fell into a coma; the next day when he woke up, he discovered that this stroke had been modified in the book.

At the time, he suspected that this was very likely done when he was unconscious.

Facts proved it was indeed so; looking back at the past with current eyes, even without counting Li Sanjiang's fortune, just by the fact that Liu Liu Yumei, Qin Li, and Liu Ting all lived here, it would be impossible for any petty thief to get in.

Li Li Zhuiyuan remembers now that after the fortune-turning ritual ended that night, Li Sanjiang became drowsy, as if he were drunk.

It was he who supported Li Sanjiang and let him lie back on the bed.

Although this old man prevented him from returning to his most original state, making him have to continue to retain the dirty and stupid human skin, he could vaguely feel that this old man also simultaneously shared something extremely precious with him.

The him at the time, because he hadn't entered the path, didn't know what this was.

He only felt that using it to exchange for the human skin to stay for a while longer was very cost-effective and fit his interests.

The current him naturally knows; this is fortune.

A good thing that is hard to come by, even the Long Wang's family has to hibernate here, just seeking to share a little bit.

That night, after returning to his room, he flipped through "Jianghu Records of Strange Tales."

With the obstruction of the human skin, the speed of understanding things was much slower; he actually only vaguely sensed something was wrong, but failed to see the true meaning expressed by the author of this book between the lines.

Although the whole book is filled with "destroyed by the orthodox path," what it expresses is a kind of mockery of the rules of the Heavenly Dao, and even more contains a sarcasm that makes the other party unable to do anything to him.

This is a very smart person; in his era, he was playing a very dangerous game, and it looks like he played it quite well.

Unfortunately, he is a figure from a long time ago and is already dead.

No, a person who can write this book, a person who can mock the rules of the Heavenly Dao, if he wanted to live, he should be able to find loopholes to survive.

This was his thought at the time.

The current Li Li Zhuiyuan naturally knows who Wei Zhengdao is, and also knows he is his fellow patient.

Li Li Zhuiyuan touches the character he modified with his fingertips again, murmuring:

"You were actually pursuing suicide; how truly stupid and short-sighted."

At this time, Li Li Zhuiyuan turns his head and looks at the girl who entered his room.

The current Li Li Zhuiyuan is Li Li Zhuiyuan himself.

He now recalls the memory of that night, and remembers that after he finished reading the book and changed that character, when he lay down on the bed, he tore off the thread ring that symbolized wanting to continue being a human.

The reason he lost the memory of that night was that at the time, he was unable to connect with the "original self" and was not qualified to inherit and continue the thinking logic in the memory of the original self; in order not to let the him after waking up produce self-cognition bias, he deliberately forgot this memory.

Now that the original self state has been restored, that memory has naturally been picked up again.

Li Li Zhuiyuan touches the book surface with his fingertips; in this way, in the wave of the Dream Ghost, the "lost memory" of his was also like this.

It should have been Wei Zhengdao deliberately helping him erase it, because in that dream memory, there was too deep a connection with the Great Emperor of Fengdu and that turtle; only by forgetting that dream memory was it the best way of self-protection.

Later, when his strength and fate further improve, he will also be able to pick up the lost memories again like now.

Li Li Zhuiyuan opens the wordless book; in the image on that page, the "Evil Book" is still a skeleton.

The young man gently rubs the image with his finger.

The image changes; it raises its head and looks at the young man.

A skeleton face is actually able to express a look of terror.

Yo, discovered that the person flipping the book now is different?

Li Li Zhuiyuan knows what it wants; it wants blood, essence blood, which can be given to it, and then use the fresh blood to make a rubbing of the painting it is in, rubbing out the second page and third page on this wordless book.

In this way, wouldn't the efficiency of deduction immediately improve?

Worry about it rebelling? It has already been sealed into the wordless book; no matter how much it tosses, where can it toss to?

That old lady lives here; if something happens, just throw the book to her. She has the responsibility of the Long Wang's gate, so she will definitely manage it.

If that doesn't work, one can still throw it to the one in the peach forest; a fool who actually ended up thinking about suppressing himself to death, it was a waste to follow Wei Zhengdao for nothing, lying there waiting to die is also a waste.

As for suitable essence blood...

Li Li Zhuiyuan casts his gaze on A Li again.

Her blood is absolutely what the "Evil Book" wants.

Anyway, her eyes are full of him; whatever he asks of her, she will give. Giving a little blood every day, she is definitely willing.

But that Liu Ting is skilled in medicine; afraid she will see it and cause trouble, one must find a way to help the girl hide the blood loss.

No, no need to hide; as long as the girl is willing, Liu Ting can't do anything, and that old lady can't stop it either.

This Long Wang's gate shouldn't have been inherited in the first place; the old house has never been visited, things have never been taken, but instead, so much karma has been carried, and there are so many shackles of the Long Wang's inheritance.

People like him should learn from Wei Zhengdao, walking the river silently, without needing to worry about other things; in this way, even the Heavenly Dao's grip on him can be much smaller.

However, since the wrong decision has already been made, in order to ensure the maximization of benefits in the future, one must continue to act; since they are willing to die for him, to sacrifice for the so-called Long Wang's inheritance, then leave the future wave to them, let them pay with their lives to help him pass the wave easily.

Li Li Zhuiyuan looks at A Li again and says:

"A Li, give me your..."

Li Li Zhuiyuan freezes; the word "blood" actually cannot be spoken.

Not only that, a strong sense of discomfort appears on his body; he opens his mouth, his expression appearing somewhat painful.

Similar experiences often happened before; every time he wanted to make a choice that violated rationality, he would feel physical discomfort.

Unexpectedly, now it can actually be reversed.

Why can't her blood be used? She is his material; this is her value.

He is now racing against time; he wants to deduce the team formation before the next wave arrives!

"A Li, give me your..."

Trying again, but failing again.

On Li Li Zhuiyuan's face, apart from pain, there is an extra trace of anger.

No, anger, why would I have such a stupid emotion as anger?

Li Li Zhuiyuan gets up, leaves the chair, and walks to the large mirror of the wardrobe.

The him outside the mirror has a painful expression, but the him inside the mirror is very calm, with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Are you cutting yourself off from me?"

A smile appears on Li Li Zhuiyuan's face, as if he knows something extremely absurd.

"Do you know what you are doing? You are me, I am you... no, I am the real us. We are one body; there is simply no inner demon."

A Li walks over; from her perspective, the Li Li Zhuiyuan in the mirror and the Li Li Zhuiyuan in reality have the exact same expression, with no difference.

But inexplicably, she feels a sense of intimacy and familiarity toward the young man in the mirror.

Li Li Zhuiyuan continues to talk to himself in the mirror:

"Don't waste your effort; Li Lan has already lost, and Wei Zhengdao also has no way to deal with this illness.

Knowing it is a failure, why are you still struggling?

Is it unwillingness, is it regret?

These are all very low-level emotions belonging to humans.

We could clearly pursue higher, further, and more interesting things.

Isn't it deliberately targeting us because of Wei Zhengdao's precedent?

Wei Zhengdao is a failure, because he actually thought about committing suicide in the end.

We are not.

We can do it more ruthlessly, more absolutely, and more exaggeratedly than Wei Zhengdao!"

Li Li Zhuiyuan tries hard to persuade, but the him in the mirror has an even greater smile at the corner of his mouth.

The Li Li Zhuiyuan outside the mirror also blankly raises his hand, reflecting on what he just said and his tone:

"No, why, why would I be so emotional?"

In the room next door.

Li Sanjiang wakes up from a dream; his calf suddenly cramps because he kicked too many times while dreaming earlier.

"Hiss..."

Li Sanjiang is in so much pain that he immediately gets off the bed, attempting to straighten the cramped leg.

But after getting off the bed, his steps soften, losing balance; after staggering back several steps, he falls to the ground head-first with a "bang."

This fall directly knocks him unconscious.

And the position where he fell is exactly the area where he drew the fortune-turning formation back then.

In a daze, Li Sanjiang arrives at a familiar place again.

"Coming again?"

Li Sanjiang has a helpless look; this dream is becoming more and more outrageous, from dreaming every few days to dreaming every day, and now it has become dreaming twice a day?

"Eh, where are the zombies?"

Not seeing the zombies doesn't make Li Sanjiang feel happy.

Because the most terrifying thing about zombies is not when they appear, but when you don't know when they will appear.

This is just like those few horror movies he watched with Lu Runsheng before; the sound effects before the ghost appears plus that atmosphere are what truly tug at the heartstrings; on the contrary, after the ghost comes out, it's just like that.

Li Sanjiang decides to look for them, at least to be clear about where they have shrunk to.

Searching and searching, Li Sanjiang truly finds them.

He sticks his head out from the Zhenshun Gate.

"Ha, you are all here!"

Immediately after, Li Sanjiang lets out a sound of surprise; the one surrounded by a group of zombies spraying black energy, isn't that his own little Yuan Hou?

At this moment, even knowing this is a dream, even if little Yuan Hou in the dream is in danger, he, Li Sanjiang, will go to save him without hesitation.

Li Sanjiang jumps out directly and shouts at the group of zombies:

"Hey, line up, follow me!"

In the middle of the zombies, Li Li Zhuiyuan, who was just about to use his methods to isolate the corpse energy for the next step, looks up somewhat strangely.

Shouldn't Great-grandfather have already woken up?

How did he enter the dream again?

But watching Great-grandfather shout "One-two-one, one-two-one..." and lead the zombies away in neat rows.

Li Li Zhuiyuan, who already had a smile on his lips, can't help but laugh out loud.

"Hehehe..."

"Hehehe..."

In reality, Li Li Zhuiyuan, standing in front of the wardrobe, looks at himself in the mirror, his smile becoming more and more brilliant.

The anger in his heart also rises more and more along with it.

He should be angry, but he is even more angry that he is actually angry!

Li Li Zhuiyuan in the mirror: "Alright, you have also come out to get some air; now, you can go back."

Li Li Zhuiyuan in front of the wardrobe: "What nonsense are you spouting? What do you rely on to make me go back? I am the real me."

Li Li Zhuiyuan in the mirror: "I found a new treatment method; I want to try it."

Li Li Zhuiyuan in front of the wardrobe: "What method?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan in the mirror: "Inner demon."

Li Li Zhuiyuan in front of the wardrobe: "Heh, you are very clear that between us, there is no such thing as an inner demon."

"Now there is." Li Li Zhuiyuan in the mirror points to himself: "You are right, we are one body; there is no such thing as an inner demon between us. But now, I actively recognize you as the main body, and voluntarily turn myself into an inner demon!"

The next moment,

Li Li Zhuiyuan's body in front of the wardrobe begins to tremble violently.

He didn't expect that the other party would actually adopt this method to cut himself off from him; no inner demon, then he will give up the main body and become an inner demon.

"How much do you hate the real you!"

Li Li Zhuiyuan in the mirror: "I heard all your inner thoughts just now; such a you, such a 'me', makes me feel disgusted."

"Do you think you can suppress me? You adopting this method will only make it more convenient for me to completely strip you away!"

"Try it."

Li Li Zhuiyuan in front of the wardrobe opens his right hand; blood mist begins to rise, ceramic ribbons appear, and the formation begins to present itself.

At this time, the girl who had been standing beside him grabs his right hand.

"What are you doing?"

The girl's eyes keep staring at the young man; at the same time, her nails slowly pierce into the young man's palm.

Last time, when the girl did this, it was because she saw the scar left by self-harm in the young man's palm.

Li Li Zhuiyuan wants to pull her away, but he discovers that every time he wants to take an action to hurt her, he will naturally stop.

Just like before, when he wanted her to offer blood to him, the word "blood" simply couldn't be spoken.

Inner demon, inner demon, inner demon...

It is indeed an inner demon.

Because he discovers that he is truly being influenced, being bewitched.

The control of the body, the initiative of consciousness, is currently being gradually detached.

"When I wake up next time, you will no longer be me; I will be able to clear you away more easily, because you have already fallen, while I am the main body."

However, at the moment before being suppressed, he still raises his hand; he wants to test the girl's strength.

This is very important for his future, because all along, the girl has also been a member of his river-walking team, and the most important member at that.

His hand swings down.

The girl just continues to stare at him, her nails deeply embedded in his palm, without any intention of dodging.

Li Li Zhuiyuan despairs; he knows he can't test it out, because the girl firmly believes that he will not hurt her.

The hand that swung down hangs powerlessly beside the girl's hair.

The young man closes his eyes and falls backward.

"Ouch..."

Li Sanjiang crawls up from the tiles; the back of his head hurts a bit, and then, because he slept for a night on the hard and cold tiles, his waist is sore and his back is aching.

Room next door.

Li Li Zhuiyuan, lying on the bed, opens his eyes.

His expression is somewhat numb, and his eyes are full of chaos.

The experience of last night was like an extremely long dream, making him somewhat unable to distinguish whether it is a dream or reality at this moment.

Just at this moment, almost habitually, the young man lying on the bed turns his head to the side.

He sees the girl in a red dress painting at the drawing table.

The girl notices he is awake and turns to look over.

Along with her, the morning sunlight also looks over.

Brilliance emerges in the young man's eyes.

Dawn has broken.

(End of chapter)