Chapter 317: Heart's Lute

How long has time passed? Never mind, it no longer matters.

Is this rain? A damp sensation. The pain seems gone, yet I can still feel this dampness? Let there be more rain.

Wait, I open my mouth to drink a bit. Oh, my mouth is sewn shut. Then never mind.

Night or day? Even more meaningless. I can see nothing, hear nothing.

Did pain return for an instant? No, someone must have cursed me. The Great Sinner is already hanging on the city wall.

"Uncomfortable? Painful? Helpless? No, perhaps only emptiness remains..."

"Li En" hangs upside down, perceiving only void. His body long ago lost all sensation from pain; eyes, nose, throat, and ears are all destroyed. He perceives nothing at all.

"Bang!"

"Bang bang!"

No, there is still one thing.

"My heart still beats. I am not finished."

"Li En" listens to his own heartbeat, feeling time pass.

"An instant, two instants... drip... drip-drop-ta-ta-ta..."

The heartbeat became the only thing he, having lost everything, could perceive.

Vitality always fades. Even if Fistreion's situation is special, hanging on the city wall to dry in the wind would still lead to death in an instant.

He counted his own heart's voice, waiting for that moment.

But at some unknown time, he began to play once more.

At first, the heartbeat remained steady. What actually leaped like rhythmic drumbeats was his consciousness.

But at some unknown time, that consciousness merged with the heartbeat, and the heartbeat itself carried a joyful rhythm.

"Papa-papa-papa-papa..."

With the heartbeat carrying a joyful rhythm, his body trembled slightly.

The more life energy faded, the weaker life became, yet the heartbeat grew ever stronger.

Finally, at some unknown time, his body began to provide the "accompaniment" as well.

Gradually, he regained pain and touch, and realized he could still sing.

"Do you wish to hear my song?"

"Aaaaaahhhhh!"

Li En had just awakened from the dream when he instinctively roared. That pain of complete loss of self, unable to express or perceive, is known only to those who have suffered it, knowing how easily it drives one mad.

He sat on the bed, unable to come to for a long while.

"It's fine, I'm fine..."

When the door opened and Miss Shaliman, Miss Lana, and the maids rushed in, Li En hurriedly soothed them, saying,

"Just a nightmare, just a nightmare..."

At this moment, it was still the middle of the night. This was Li En's first Heroic Soul dream without seeing an end.

Perhaps it was because the content that followed was far too early for the current Li En.

Outside the window, darkness still reigned. After taking some time to send off those who cared for him, Li En lay back on the bed, recalling what he had seen in the dream.

"I cannot see through it, cannot see through it... Is he truly Li En Sudar?"

Returning from the dream, Li En himself, now awake, still felt a bit dizzy, his throat a bit sore.

It was like singing all night without drinking much water. Well, not like it; Li En actually sang all night.

At the very beginning, the exchange between the two sides was relatively peaceful.

When Li En opened his mouth and the other party immediately agreed, Li En relaxed as well.