Chapter 155

“Why do you have a mom and a dad by your side, but I don't?”

Zheng Haiyang's voice came from the car radio.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and turned the volume knob. He wanted to make the sound louder, but the static increased with it, blurring the original audio.

In the end, he settled for a middle ground, ensuring the sound was as loud as possible while still being clear.

The front of the small pickup truck rested against the bridge's guardrail. Since they had just driven onto the bridge, the speed wasn't high, so the driver Tan Wenbin's sudden collapse onto the steering wheel, rendering him unconscious, didn't cause a severe accident.

Yes, that's right, Tan Wenbin had simply fallen asleep.

Then, Tan Wenbin's voice began to emanate from the car radio.

Although it was only his voice, it was enough to infer the events he was experiencing.

Binbin had returned to a dream from his past.

A major difference between an illusion and a dream is that an illusion is a present-day deception, while a dream... can override your established perceptions.

Many university students dream of being back in high school, taking exams, frantically answering questions with their heads down, and submitting their papers filled with anxiety and despair. Only upon waking do they suddenly realize they've already passed the college entrance exam, feeling profoundly relieved.

These dreams can persist after you graduate from university, get married, have children, or even grow old. Each time, you forget your current identity and situation, immediately immersing yourself in the tense atmosphere of high school.

However, Li Zhuiyuan also picked up on some clues, such as the smooth progression of Binbin's fight scenes, his flirtatious remarks to Zhou Yunyun, and his composure while handling his father's funeral arrangements...

This included the inherent calmness he retained even when his mother suddenly drank pesticide and was rushed to the emergency room.

The current Binbin no longer fits his past "dream."

Under normal circumstances, he should have realized something was wrong and woken up from the dream much earlier.

But from this dream, he couldn't wake up.

Li Zhuiyuan had previously speculated about the dream demon's many strange and complex methods, but it was only when the event truly unfolded that he realized he had overthought it.

Like a heavy sword without a sharp edge, or great skill appearing artless, the entity's terrifying power might simply be its ability to forcefully pull you into a dream.

Furthermore, the pre-arranged formations and Feng Shui layout at Luoxin Island Amusement Park could further amplify this ability of the dream demon.

This alone was actually enough.

If it pulls you into a dream and prevents you from leaving, it's like being thrown into a pot with firewood burning underneath. If once isn't enough, then twice; if twice isn't enough, then thrice... Eventually, it will boil you down to nothing.

The flow of time in the dream was clearly different from the outside world because it could alter one's perception of time. Sometimes, a long dream might only last ten minutes in reality, while a short dream could feel like half a day upon waking.

For instance, Li Zhuiyuan was merely sitting in the car listening to the radio, while several days of narrative time had already passed for Tan Wenbin in the radio's story.

When the perception of time can also be blurred, two, three, ten, or even more repetitions become no different from just one.

By repeatedly overriding Tan Wenbin's past perceptions and making him relive this dream cycle, all the sharp edges and incongruities within him would be smoothed away.

In fact, Tan Wenbin's ability to remain relatively calm, handle things gracefully, and even joke about Tan Yunlong's portrait in this iteration showed his inherent strength resisting the dream's impact.

First, remove the "thorns" to revert him to the Tan Wenbin of his second year of high school. Then, soften him, allowing his mindset to gradually lean towards timidity and fear, and finally... shatter him.

Once self-awareness is shattered, one becomes the most obedient puppet. The dream demon only needs to take on the simplest form, offering a tiny bit of grace and warmth, and you will see it as a savior.

Such a puppet is more reliable than a 'chang' (ghost controlled by a tiger it led to kill), as it is not controlled by external forces but a pure internal reshaping to suit you.

Simple... yet extremely effective.

However, by the end, especially when Zheng Haiyang unexpectedly appeared in the hospital and his last two sentences also came through the radio, Li Zhuiyuan realized something was wrong.

Previously, the radio had only featured Tan Wenbin's monologue.

Now, there was an additional voice in the narrative.

Zheng Haiyang shouldn't have appeared in that narrative setting; it was too early.

Tan Wenbin should have spent more time with Zheng Fang, watching her recover, then experiencing their mother-son bond, and finally... seeing her pass away despite resuscitation efforts.

Zheng Haiyang's sudden appearance at this point felt abrupt, and the sudden, distorted change in his image was also illogical.

Tan Wenbin always carried a "thorn" in his heart: witnessing Zheng Haiyang's death.

The dream demon should not have given up on exploiting this "thorn." In fact, it had done so; Tan Wenbin's first action upon entering the dream was to save Zheng Haiyang.

But doing this was wrong; it was practically self-sabotage, breaking the immersive quality of the dream.

The tragedy of Zheng Haiyang's family was linked to that scoundrel at the bottom of the sea. By making Zheng Haiyang behave this way in front of Tan Wenbin, it was constantly psychologically stimulating Tan Wenbin, making him associate it with that scoundrel.

Li Zhuiyuan even suspected that in Tan Wenbin's dream, he had already seen the "turtle."

It was from that night on that Tan Wenbin formally resolved to fully accept the name "Zhuangzhuang" given to him by his great-grandfather and joined Li Zhuiyuan's and Runsheng's team, all to avenge Zheng Haiyang later.

In other words, Zheng Haiyang's actions would gradually stimulate Tan Wenbin's awakening, leading him to think of corpse salvagers, the Dragon King... and even his "Little Yuan Ge."

Moreover, it was clear that the plot on the radio had slowed down at this point.

Tan Wenbin seemed to have seen something terrifying and began to run;

Zheng Haiyang, however, pursued him relentlessly. No matter where Tan Wenbin hid, he would chase him down to find him and express his inner grievances and unwillingness.

The two seemed to be treating the hospital as a separate "playground," playing a game of cat and mouse.

Li Zhuiyuan suspected that if the game continued, it would force Tan Wenbin to instinctively fight back and consequently recall more memories that shouldn't appear in the context of this dream.

Yin Meng: "What exactly is going on?"

Runsheng: "Why does Zhuangzhuang's dream feel a bit strange?"

Lin Shuyou: "Is Brother Bin in danger if this continues?"

The voices of his three other companions in the car echoed in Li Zhuiyuan's ears.

Li Zhuiyuan remained silent, his face devoid of expression.

Earlier, when Tan Wenbin suddenly fell unconscious on the steering wheel, they had appeared anxious, but still within a normal range.

But now, their reactions had become somewhat distorted.

Since Tan Wenbin had fallen asleep, Li Zhuiyuan hadn't uttered a word. From the moment the radio began playing until now, he had done nothing but adjust the volume once.

He hadn't even tried any methods to wake Tan Wenbin.

Logically, his reaction should have kept the rest of the team quiet, no matter how worried or anxious they felt.

Therefore, they were now asking on behalf of someone else.

Li Zhuiyuan leaned sideways, resting his head against the car window.

Dream demon, do you not know what's gone wrong either?

This is truly interesting.

Unfortunately, he couldn't laugh aloud.

During the last meeting, Li Zhuiyuan had mentioned that he wasn't sure if everyone present at the next meeting would still be themselves.

In fact, he hadn't even waited until they reached the amusement park. From the moment he got into the yellow pickup truck and set off, Li Zhuiyuan had already assumed that his companions in the car had been replaced.

Faced with their questions, he certainly wouldn't offer any analysis or explanation.

Even though Tan Wenbin was unconscious right in front of him, it was highly probable that Li Zhuiyuan himself was also in a dream.

Runsheng, Yin Meng, and Lin Shuyou might also be experiencing the exact same impact as Tan Wenbin in their own unique dreams.

Li Zhuiyuan even suspected that the dream environment he was currently in was not continuous but had been interrupted.

This included the segment of Tan Wenbin's story on the radio, which wasn't the first iteration.

The dream demon had deliberately created this environment for him, including the "plot" presented on the radio, with the aim of extracting information from him.

If this was the case, it could only further indicate... that it wasn't just panicked; it was scared.

This was also why it didn't hesitate to change its style and create a special setting just for him.

His current position truly resembled that of a commentator on a TV variety show.

He really wanted to laugh.

This feeling was precisely his original motivation when he decided to embark on this path; he was searching for this kind of amusement.

So, had he been "extracted" from the dream originally arranged for him and placed into this new "set"?

The young man was very curious about what he had encountered in his original dream.

Logically, it should have been what he feared most and was least willing to face.

At this thought, Li Zhuiyuan furrowed his brow.

He knew the answer.

Even just thinking about that answer made him feel physically and mentally uncomfortable.

At that moment, Runsheng, Lin Shuyou, and Yin Meng in the car all turned their gaze towards the young man.

They, or rather the dream demon behind them, had misinterpreted Li Zhuiyuan's emotional expression.

The young man wasn't worried about Tan Wenbin at all.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and gently stroked his forehead, imagining the feeling of A'li smoothing his furrowed brow last time. He genuinely needed to drive a few more nails into the human skin on his face now.

Suddenly, Runsheng, Yin Meng, and Lin Shuyou all spoke in unison, asking in the same tone:

"What, exactly, is happening?"

It had completely dropped its pretense.

Although it was clearly the true master of the current environment, it didn't hesitate to violate its own proud principles, choosing to break character to negotiate with him.

Li Zhuiyuan believed that if he were to respond now, he could still negotiate terms.

The dream demon was certainly not a captive of the "hand" behind the scenes; such a causal connection would be too immense. Therefore, the dream demon itself possessed strong autonomy. It might have agreed to this arrangement because it could gain certain benefits from it.

Theoretically, there was indeed a possibility of them "turning enemies into friends." As long as it felt its losses outweighed its gains, it might choose to leave the gambling table.

But why should it?

Coming and going as one pleases—there's no such easy thing in this world.

He was a "River Walker" who couldn't light a second lamp to admit defeat; in reality, he was a gambler who had gone completely red-eyed and bet his life.

The only difference was that he couldn't show emotion. In fact, he should have been the type to fight to the death with anyone who provoked him, even if it meant mutual destruction.

Seeing Li Zhuiyuan's reluctance to answer, Runsheng and the other two spoke in unison again:

"Let's talk."

Li Zhuiyuan remained silent; there was nothing to discuss.

In fact, he himself couldn't control the current situation, and more delightfully, the dream demon likely couldn't either.

A dream is a highly unique environment that can infinitely amplify a mere thread of reality.

The line of cause and effect was also infinitely magnified within this dream.

This feeling was much like when Li Zhuiyuan, as a young boy, had foolishly tried to divine his own fate, resulting in a nosebleed and immediate unconsciousness.

This was a sophisticated formation environment that even the most skilled formation masters couldn't set up.

Even if Li Zhuiyuan were given ample time and resources, he wouldn't be able to create this arrangement, as it was inherently infeasible.

When the river water was introduced here, the unfolding of events was no longer subject to human intervention.

In short,

the dream demon,

had pulled that big scoundrel from the bottom of the sea into the dream too.

This was also why Li Zhuiyuan had been trying to suppress his laughter, because it was simply too hilarious.

Runsheng and the other two spoke again:

"I can withdraw."

Li Zhuiyuan continued to offer no response.

What he was thinking was:

Oh, don't,

Don't be in a hurry,

Wait a bit longer,

I still want to see the Great Emperor of Fengdu.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head, forcibly holding his breath.

In his life, ever since he could remember, he had only feigned smiles or managed to force out a tiny one when not pretending; he had never truly suppressed laughter.

Now, he was experiencing that feeling.

It was like his own great-grandfather's catchphrase for mocking others:

"You might as well go home and sleep; you can have anything in a dream!"

On a small river, a man nearing fifty was poling a small boat.

On the boat lay a shovel, a fishing net, and a large bamboo basket, but he wasn't there to fish or dig for crabs.

The old man sniffed, his gaze cautiously sweeping his surroundings.

He had been searching for a long time but hadn't found anything.

He even felt a pang of regret, wishing he had called the fellow who lived in Shinan to come along; with him, it seemed he could find things faster.

The reason he hadn't sought him out was that with him around, Lu Shan often had bad luck, while the other man always seemed unfazed.

"Crunch... crunch..."

Lu Shan heard a sound.

He slowed the boat and gently pushed aside the reeds ahead with his bamboo pole.

He saw a basin-sized hole, and the sound, similar to an animal gnawing, was coming from inside it.

Lu Shan swallowed, guiding the boat to the bank.

Then he grabbed his tools and disembarked, first setting up the net by the hole in a simple fashion, then picking up his shovel and beginning to dig.

With each shovelful of dirt, Lu Shan's breath hitched, uncertain when whatever was inside would spring out.

Just then, the ground beneath Lu Shan's feet began to sink.

He immediately leaped, clearing the area.

A strong scent of decay emerged. A female 'dead-fallen' with disheveled hair, covered entirely in mud, appeared before Lu Shan.

On the back of this 'dead-fallen' lay a male infant, appearing to be less than a year old.

The infant's eyes were closed. While clutching the female 'dead-fallen' tightly with both arms, he was also gnawing at her neck. The "crunching" sound from before originated from his biting.

Clutching his Yellow River shovel, Lu Shan's eyes widened in astonishment: "A 'dead-fallen' giving birth?"

But soon, he noticed something else amiss. The 'dead-fallen' continuously stretched out her arms, trying to scratch the infant on her back, in a frenzy of rage.

It was just that the joints of the 'dead-fallen's' arms seemed to have been nailed, preventing her limbs from extending properly, rendering her powerless against the infant on her back.

The fact that the infant, even when dragged into a muddy burrow under such circumstances, remained attached and continued to gnaw, demonstrated his extraordinary nature.

The 'dead-fallen' saw Lu Shan and lunged at him, as if seeking someone to unleash the rage it was enduring.

Lu Shan didn't confront it head-on but chose to maneuver around it.

Eventually, he found an opening and sprinkled a bag of black dog blood onto the 'dead-fallen.' The entity shrieked, its body trembling.

The infant on the 'dead-fallen's' back also shrieked. He opened his eyes, which were entirely gray.

It seemed the black dog blood's harm only incited the infant's inherent ferocity. He bit at the 'dead-fallen's' neck with even greater frenzy.

"Snap!"

The 'dead-fallen's' neck cracked open.

Seizing the opportunity, Lu Shan stepped forward and sliced at the 'dead-fallen's' neck.

"Thud."

The 'dead-fallen's' head completely detached, its body collapsed, and began to dissolve into pus.

The infant also fell, rolling to a stop in front of Lu Shan.

Lu Shan looked down at the infant. The infant seemed sated, placing his right thumb in his mouth and contentedly sucking on it.

Moreover, the gray in the infant's eyes gradually faded, revealing normal human eyes.

He saw Lu Shan, and while still sucking his finger, he curled his lips into a smile.

Grandpa... Grandpa... Grandpa...

Lu Shan emotionlessly raised his shovel towards the infant at his feet:

"You abomination, I can't let you live!"

Runsheng watched as the shovel fell fiercely, and then he heard the crisp sound of his own head being smashed.

"Huu..."

Runsheng suddenly woke up to find himself sitting behind the stove, with a fire still burning inside.

It was just a dream. How could Grandpa ever kill him?

Runsheng habitually added a bit of firewood to the stove. The water was boiling, and he could add the meat; he should have done so much earlier. He hadn't realized he'd dozed off while tending the fire.

He stood up, grabbed the ladle, lifted the lid, and added more water to the pot.

Since childhood, his family rarely ate meat, and going without meals was a common occurrence.

In his memory, he could only enjoy meat on two occasions: once, after he and his grandpa finished a job and received money for salvaging a corpse, Grandpa would buy meat for them that evening to treat themselves, but it was only for that day, as the next day Grandpa would be at the card table and lose all the money.

The other occasion was when they went to Uncle Li's house. Each time, they would mark the date and start eating very little two days in advance, only going when their stomachs were completely empty, so they could feast at Uncle Li's.

Uncle Li would always scold them, calling them reincarnated hungry ghosts, yet he would continue to bring out food, letting the two of them eat to their heart's content.

So, every time they were to visit Uncle Li's house, Runsheng would become happy several days in advance, more excited than waiting for the New Year, because during the New Year, there were more people playing cards, and thus more people for his grandpa to "give money" to.

The meat, the meat, where's the meat?

Runsheng slapped his head, remembering: he had prepared the meat and left it on the wooden board in the yard.

Oh, dozing off caused a delay. He couldn't let passersby steal it or cats and dogs snatch it.

Runsheng hurriedly ran out to the yard.

A large stack of meat, neatly cut—his masterpiece.

"Heh heh."

Runsheng couldn't help but laugh.

On the wooden board, three incense sticks were still burning, half consumed. He vaguely recalled that when he was cutting the meat, he must have been craving it and had smelled the incense to satisfy his craving beforehand.

Raw meat wasn't inedible, but Grandpa hadn't returned yet, so he couldn't start eating first.

But why wasn't Grandpa back yet?

By now, his money should have been lost, and he should have left the card table.

Runsheng walked over to the wooden board and suddenly noticed blood-stained clothes piled beneath it—his grandpa's clothes.

Damn it, he hadn't noticed while cutting the meat and had soiled Grandpa's clothes.

The two of them collectively only had two sets of clothes each that were presentable enough to wear outside. The rest were rags, fit only for wearing in bed at home; wearing them out would be indecent.

As Runsheng was about to bend down to pick up the clothes, he noticed a round object placed on the wooden board.

Had he bought a pig or a sheep?

It seemed the last job's employer had paid quite a lot; Grandpa had almost smiled his jaw off on the way back.

Runsheng blinked. Grandpa often said he wasn't bright and easily fooled, which was true. How old was he, and his memory was already this bad?

He reached out, grasped the round object, and turned it over.

Although it had been prepared, roasted, and pared, when it faced him, Runsheng instantly recognized it: it was his grandpa's head!

Runsheng's eyes widened, blood vessels rapidly filling and darkening until they seemed about to spill out.

He clutched his face with both hands, staring in disbelief at everything, while memories of himself preparing this pile of meat incessantly flashed in his mind.

"Aah!!!"

"A-You, the temple is not a place for you."

"Master..."

"Don't call me Master. Although you are my master's grandson, you are unqualified. You are not fit to be a 'Guanjiangshou,' nor will I take you as a disciple."

Lin Shuyou knelt prostrate on the steps in front of the temple gate, looking with pleading eyes at the old man standing beside him.

But his usually kind grandpa sternly reprimanded him:

"I never imagined my Lin family would produce such an innately evil seed as you. Others who are unqualified to be spirit mediums at most cannot sense the deities, but you, you can provoke the deities to anger!

You are not my grandson; what exactly are you? Get out!"

Lin Shuyou left the temple gate, utterly dejected.

Becoming a 'Guanjiangshou' had been his dream since childhood. Now, that dream was shattered, and his world had collapsed.

So he walked, then stopped, roaming the old streets like a zombie until nightfall. Unable to walk further, he squatted in a corner.

He kept muttering the names of various Yin Gods, and his hands mimicked the gestures used during religious processions.

"Fire! Fire! Fire!"

Someone started shouting.

Lin Shuyou remained oblivious, continuing to zone out.

"The temple is on fire!"

"The temple is on fire!"

Lin Shuyou turned his head and looked outside. He saw columns of fire rising high. His vision began to refocus, and he recognized the burning place: it was his family's temple!

He immediately got up and started running like a madman, knocking over countless people along the way. Normally, he would have sincerely apologized at once, but now, he couldn't care less.

Anyone who dared to block his path was pushed aside. If the road ahead was blocked, he would climb over the wall.

Although he was already exhausted, the fire at his family temple now wrung new strength from him.

In that temple were not only his master and senior disciples but also his family members; they all usually lived there.

The closer he got to the fire, the fewer people were around, and he saw no one coming to fight the fire.

However, Lin Shuyou wouldn't notice these details.

He ran to the temple gate, where the fire raged fiercely inside.

Lin Shuyou kicked open the temple gate, hoping that everyone inside had already escaped.

But as soon as he entered, he froze. The fire was still burning, but the bodies of his fellow disciples and family members lying on the ground were clearly not burned to death.

Some had their chests pierced, others had their necks twisted, and some were even torn in half at the waist by brute force.

Directly in front of him, on the steps leading to the main temple hall, Lin Shuyou saw a man in red, lifting his grandfather with one hand.

Grandpa's face was altered, indicating he had entered a trance, yet even so, he was no match for the man before him.

Who was this man, and how terrifying was he?

Grandpa's neck was clutched, and he could only painstakingly turn his head slightly to look at Lin Shuyou, blood constantly frothing from the corners of his mouth:

"A-You... run..."

The man had been holding Grandpa's neck with one hand. Now, he extended his other hand, gripped Grandpa's head, and simply pulled.

"Thump!"

Grandpa's head detached from his neck, and blood gushed from the headless stump.

"Grandpa!"

The man casually discarded Grandpa's head and walked towards the main gate.

As the surrounding flames tried to approach him, they were pushed back by the air currents emanating from his body.

Lin Shuyou charged at the man, but as soon as he reached him, he was swept away by a powerful aura.

He lay on the ground, spitting blood and pounding the earth with his fists in frustration. He couldn't enter a trance, couldn't summon the deities; in his current state, he was utterly incapable of threatening the man before him.

The man continued to walk out.

Lin Shuyou fiercely shouted, "I'm not dead yet! Why won't you kill me? Why won't you kill me?!"

The man replied, "Because you are not from this temple."

"I am! I am! I clearly am!" Lin Shuyou screamed again, his face contorted in a grimace. "Why? Why are you doing this? Why?!"

The man stopped, turned, looked at him first, then at the raging fire rising from the main temple, and spoke:

"Those who offend the Dragon King's majesty shall have their families wiped out!"

In Fengdu Ghost Street, it was raining.

Little Yin Meng stood at the entrance of the coffin shop, watching the curtain of rain before her.

There weren't many pedestrians on the road. A mother, holding an umbrella and her daughter's hand, walked by, chatting and laughing.

As the little girl passed, she turned her head and waved at Yin Meng, who was standing at the shop entrance.

Yin Meng tilted her head, watched the girl, but didn't respond.

She turned around and went back inside the shop.

At the very end of the counter was a small cabinet wrapped in clothes. The four corners of the cabinet were two hands and two feet.

Lifting the topmost layer of clothing revealed