Chapter 157

Li Zhuiyuan didn't know who he was, or at least, the current Li Zhuiyuan didn't. Yet, the boy felt an intense familiarity with the blurry figure before him, as if they had spent every day together. However, searching every corner of his memory, he couldn't find any trace of the person.

The boy took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and now confirmed one thing: he must have lost his memory.

"Brain fog," by obscuring memories, provides more room for manipulation within dreams. It's a kind of shackle, designed to trap and then torment you. Normally, given the dream demon's level and current capabilities, the "brain fog" it creates in a dream would be almost impossible to overcome.

Li Zhuiyuan's advantage was that he wouldn't sink into despair or numbness under torture; instead, he would actively work to overcome and adapt. This type of opponent required the dream demon to expend much more energy. Yet, if this blurry figure appeared every time in the dream, the impact alone would be enough to pry open the shackles of brain fog. Even if only a slight crack was opened, the boy's intelligence would allow him to quickly analyze and deduce more, thus breaking free from the entire set of shackles.

Upon realizing he had amnesia, Li Zhuiyuan stood there and began to think. He started to re-examine the world he was in, its people and objects. What symbolic meanings did his mother, the old man on the pirate ship, the girl in the bumper car arena, and the four scenes in the haunted house that stirred his emotions truly hold?

When self-awareness began to emerge, the dream lost its perfect sense of immersion. When self-awareness became strong enough, it signaled the dream's collapse. Many times before, whenever he reached this stage, the dream demon would pull Li Zhuiyuan out of the dream and then "re-insert" him. This was its dependency on a successful pattern; no matter how stubborn someone was, being repeatedly thrown into this torment would gradually wear down their resistance. This was also why Li Zhuiyuan could clearly perceive the gradual formation of "brain fog" and the covering of his memories when he first entered the amusement park. The shackles on him were repeatedly put on and pried open. After many times, the shackles naturally loosened.

The person sitting in the chair lowered his head, looked at the boy, and said, "You're starting again."

Li Zhuiyuan reluctantly opened his eyes, and while continuing his intense thought, he asked, "Can you help me stop this?"

"Tsk." The blurry figure made a clicking sound with his tongue. Each time he spoke to the boy, the boy was able to extract meaning from his tone and words, asking different questions. The first time he asked: Who are you? The second time: Where is this place? The third time: Am I dreaming? This time, he directly requested help.

The figure knew what stage the boy was in. The boy's dream memories weren't connected; each encounter with him was like the first. Yet, he truly used the figure's words to conduct layered analysis. This boy had implicitly assumed what his past selves had responded in previous instances. Such remarkably rational thinking.

However, the boy was about to disappear again. Just like many times before, whenever the boy gained clarity, he would instantly vanish, only to reappear before the figure a short while later. But what the boy did next made the figure instinctively sit up slightly.

"Thwack!" The boy forcefully slapped his forehead, then shook his head. Others did this to force themselves awake; the boy did it to interrupt his own awakening process. He stopped himself from thinking, ceased analyzing his current surroundings, and forcibly maintained his sense of immersion in the dream. Ignorance is bliss.

"Hehehe..." The figure chuckled, finding the child more interesting.

Li Zhuiyuan, meanwhile, began to breathe deeply, forcing his thoughts not to wander further, trying to slow his mind down and avoid overthinking. The boy turned his head again to the blurry figure and asked, "What should we do next?"

The intense feeling of familiarity made Li Zhuiyuan instinctively treat the other person as one of his own.

The figure countered, "Why 'we'?"

Li Zhuiyuan said, "I don't know."

"I don't know you," the figure responded.

"I don't remember you either," Li Zhuiyuan countered.

"So, what connection do we have?" asked the figure.

"We should have a connection," Li Zhuiyuan insisted.

"Child, don't just go claiming relatives," the figure warned.

"Aren't you going to do something?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"Do you think I need to do something?" the figure replied.

"Like, leave this place."

"Oh?"

"You don't seem to like being here."

"Not quite."

Li Zhuiyuan asked again, "Then what you dislike is that you *can* appear here?"

"Tsk." This was the second time the figure made a clicking sound with his tongue. A child whose memory was covered could still be so clever. Most people in this world, looking back at their childhood selves, would feel endearingly foolish.

"How old are you?" the figure asked.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand: "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll disappear, and then upon seeing the figure again, everything will start over."

The figure reached up to touch his own face. That question was quite uninspired, as no matter how old the child truly was, even if he were an old man in reality, it wouldn't change the fact that he was exceptionally intelligent even as a child.

Li Zhuiyuan spoke again, "Why do you not wish to be here?"

"Why do you think I'd tell you?" the figure retorted.

"If you didn't want to chat, you wouldn't have spoken first just now," Li Zhuiyuan pointed out.

"Hmm... I originally thought I was dead, but appearing here proves I'm not," the figure mused.

"You're not dead?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"What, do you think I should be happy about that?" the figure replied.

"No..." Li Zhuiyuan reached out and covered his chest, "I'm sad about it."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, but it seems that if you were dead, it would be a very happy thing."

"Indeed, for me," the figure agreed.

"No, for *me*," Li Zhuiyuan corrected.

The figure fell silent.

Li Zhuiyuan continued, "Why aren't you dead?"

"Huh?"

"What's wrong with you? Why aren't you dead? Why won't you just die properly? You should be dead!"

The figure lowered his head, scrutinizing the boy. The boy's disappointment and regret didn't seem feigned. But it was hard to imagine that a young boy, whose memories were incomplete, was genuinely sad about the figure being alive, and it came from the bottom of his heart.

"My apologies, I've disappointed you," the figure said.

"I should apologize," Li Zhuiyuan replied. "I wished you dead for no reason, I cursed you."

The figure shook his head: "No, this is a blessing."

Then, one large and one small, one clear and one blurry, the two fell into silence.

This time, it was the figure who broke the silence, asking, "What's your surname?"

"Li, my name is Li Zhuiyuan. But I'm not sure if the name I have here is accurate."

"Oh, a Li, then."

"Are you worried about something?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

The figure waved his hand, "Because I absolutely left no descendants, I'm quite sure."

"That's quite absurd?" Li Zhuiyuan noted.

"If you live long enough, or rather, exist long enough, you'll also have similar absurd thoughts," the figure explained.

"Living too long is meaningless; it washes away all previous good memories until they're bland."

"Agreed," the figure said with a smile. "Heh, it seems your real age must be quite high. If not eighty, then at least seventy."

"Probably," Li Zhuiyuan said, tapping his forehead again to interrupt his instinctive thought process. "I also feel a strange connection when talking to you, as you said. I must be quite old to resonate with you."

"Actually, no matter how old you are, in my eyes, you're just a little fellow."

"Why?"

"In this world, there are beings that have existed longer than me, but even those my age or many generations younger shouldn't be trapped here like you are now."

"Oh, that's an interesting idea. How long have you actually lived?"

"It's impossible to calculate. Can you give me an exact year?"

"Sorry, I can't," Li Zhuiyuan said, spreading his hands and looking at his small, pale palms. "As you can see, someone as old as me has turned into a child."

"Hmm. But let me put it this way: most of my life, I've been thinking about how to die."

Li Zhuiyuan continued looking at his hands: "But it seems I still want to live."

"Are you sure?" the figure asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. I only seem to wish for *your* death, but I don't have suicidal thoughts. I really do want to live, I think."

"Little fellow, did you seriously lay the groundwork for that one sentence for so long?" the figure teased.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Give me a hand."

"What makes you think that I, who initially refused to help you, would change my mind and decide to help you after a short chat?" the figure challenged.

"I don't know," Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, "but it seems I would do the same."

"Oh?"

"If it were interesting."

"Hehehehe... Hahahahahaha." The figure initially just chuckled, then his laughter grew louder and louder. He felt a wonderfully fitting sense of comfort when talking to the boy. Others simply flattered him, but this boy seemed to be constantly hitting him right in the heart.

"Alright, I'll help you," the figure said.

The figure stood up, left the chair, pointed outside, and said, "Actually, this place should have collapsed a long time ago, but now, it's stabilized again."

"Why?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"Because too many entered. Originally, just one entering would cause this place to collapse. But the problem is, this time, including me, there were three. The three parties, each harboring a bit of apprehension towards the others, instead formed a standoff, like the Three Kingdoms. Or rather, they were all too lazy to deal with it, feeling it would be a loss of face, and each hoped the other would take care of the matter."

"Sorry, I caused you to lose face," Li Zhuiyuan said.

"No matter. There was a time when I indeed cherished my reputation, fearing it might fall to the ground and be stepped on. Now, I don't care. But what exactly did you provoke? It's not just that little demon outside, is it?"

"Do you want to see this through?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"It's a simple matter," the figure replied. "If I get you out and you fall back in again, wouldn't that be a waste of my effort?"

"I don't think I have any enemies," Li Zhuiyuan said.

"So someone else is causing trouble?" the figure concluded.

"I suppose so," Li Zhuiyuan agreed.

"So, what do you want to do?" the figure asked.

"If possible, I'd still prefer not to have any enemies," Li Zhuiyuan stated.

"It seems you're also a ruthless old chap," the figure remarked. "Your descendants probably wouldn't dare breathe heavily in your presence."

"I actually want to meet them," Li Zhuiyuan said.

"No point. If they turn out to be idiots, you'd find them annoying and feel your eyes defiled just by seeing them," the figure scoffed.

Li Zhuiyuan pondered these words and surprisingly felt a resonance in his heart. He couldn't bear the thought of his children being idiots. But then, if his children were very intelligent, he felt quite repulsed by the idea.

"I don't think I have children," Li Zhuiyuan said.

"Are you sure?" the figure inquired.

"Because I don't like children," Li Zhuiyuan explained.

"Me too," the figure said.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the figure standing before him and asked, "So, is that why you've seen me come here many times before but never actively intervened?"

The figure didn't answer.

"Did you dislike me at first?" Li Zhuiyuan pressed.

The figure still didn't answer.

"Or rather, is it your past self that you dislike?" Li Zhuiyuan tried again.

This time, the figure finally spoke, saying, "Stop. I'm already feeling nauseous."

"Sorry for making you feel disgusted," Li Zhuiyuan apologized.

"It's fine, that was before. Talking to you feels quite good now," the figure conceded.

"Can I continue talking to you after we leave here?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"Probably not. You won't find the place where I am," the figure replied.

"That's a shame," Li Zhuiyuan said.

"Let me take you out first," the figure offered.

"Okay."

The figure extended a hand, and Li Zhuiyuan offered his. The two, one large and one small, walked hand in hand, leaving the long corridor.

Li Lan was still there, answering questions. She was working on the third question, holding a brush and continuously making strokes in the air.

"Who is she?" the figure asked.

"My mother," Li Zhuiyuan replied.

"Is your mother, in your perception, omnipotent?" the figure inquired.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "She's just very clever."

"We're leaving," the figure said. "Do you need to go say goodbye?"

"No, it'd be disgusting. For her too," Li Zhuiyuan replied.

"That's nice," the figure commented. "Like mother, like son."

The figure led Li Zhuiyuan, walking through the deserted amusement park, eventually arriving at the ticket booth.

"That thing tried to change this place repeatedly, but because I was here, it couldn't," the figure explained. "Don't mention it. It tried to change only me, not those two other places. If it had succeeded, wouldn't I have lost a lot of face?"

"I'm curious, who are those two? Do you know them?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"Funnily enough, I actually know both of them," the figure chuckled. Then, he suddenly burst into laughter again, "Hahahahahaha!"

Li Zhuiyuan guessed, "The joke is that one of them isn't human, and is also a significant entity in traditional cultural contexts?"

"How wonderful it would have been if you had been born a millennium earlier," the figure sighed. "Then I could have taken you with me when I attempted suicide everywhere. Even if I failed, at least I'd have someone to chat with and wouldn't be bored."

"I probably won't live that long," Li Zhuiyuan said.

"There are many ways to live for a very long time, but the cost is becoming neither human nor turtle."

"Is that a turtle?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"Indeed. Here's a piece of advice: when you get old, make arrangements for your afterlife early. Life needs death to be complete."

"Duly noted."

The figure released Li Zhuiyuan's hand, walked towards the ticket booth, and stepped outside.

On the bridge in front of the ticket booth, the dream demon's eyes widened, and the candle flame in its hand began to flicker rapidly. It had actually been waiting for the imminent strike, and had simulated the tactic of diverting trouble countless times in its mind. Yet, it couldn't afford to provoke any of the three parties, and surprisingly, all three had tacitly paused their actions. The feeling of waiting to be slaughtered was more painful than being slaughtered itself. Now, one of them had emerged.

The dream demon was terrified, yet also breathed a sigh of relief. It hadn't intended to kneel, knowing that no amount of kneeling, kowtowing, or pleading for mercy would make a difference for what it had done. But it knelt anyway. When that person appeared, in its own dream, its own domain, it knelt. For some beings, even a blurry gaze, if it deliberately focuses on you, is enough to make your so-called "backbone" utterly incapable of supporting your knees.

"How did you pull me into this..." The figure had one thing he hadn't understood. Previously, he had been immersed in the profound sense of desolation that he wasn't dead. Now, however, he had the presence of mind to investigate how this little thing managed to pull him into the dream. What's more, it wasn't just him it had pulled in, but two others as well. This was akin to a small landowner in a rural village hosting a simple banquet, only to find himself entertaining three members of the royal family.

But before the figure could finish his question, he realized he was dissipating. His feet were the first to dissipate, and within moments, he had dissolved up to his waist. He then waved a hand, and his arm also dissipated. Far from being alarmed, the figure was overjoyed.

"Hahahahahahaha!" This laughter completely stunned the dream demon kneeling on the bridge. It was the creator of dreams, most skilled at crafting bizarre ones, but that didn't mean it, the demon itself, enjoyed being messed with like this. But when the dream demon mustered its courage and looked forward again, it was astonished to find that the terrifying, blurry figure had vanished.

Its first instinct was to try and modify Li Zhuiyuan's dream. It couldn't be modified. The dream was still beyond its control. So, what about pulling the boy out of the dream again? But this time, the boy hadn't awakened in the dream, so it seemed to have no reason to do so. Furthermore, that powerful figure had emerged and then vanished without doing anything to it. Neither of the two sides of the bridge had continued to encroach. Although it still felt like it was sitting on a volcano, as long as the lava hadn't fully erupted, it was best... not to do anything at all. This was its "home," but once those three entered, it, the host, could only kneel by the side.

The figure vanished before Li Zhuiyuan, and then reappeared before him. It had become severely damaged, but was rapidly recovering, with its missing arms and feet gradually growing back.

"Is it dangerous outside?" Li Zhuiyuan asked. The figure's tone earlier had been confident, as if solving the matter was simple, but seeing him return dismembered, it seemed otherwise.

The figure replied, "I have good news for you: I'm dead!"

A strange, unexpected joy welled up from the bottom of Li Zhuiyuan's heart. "Congratulations!"

"Congratulations to you too," the figure said.

Li Zhuiyuan stood there for a moment, then sat down. The figure was so happy, he danced and sang, continuing for quite some time. Although still blurry, his dancing was graceful and had the refined elegance of a distinguished scholar.

Finally, he stopped.

"I'm dead."

"Mhm."

"I am not my true self now, because my true self is already dead. Successfully dead."

"I know, but now we should talk about the real issue."

"The real issue is tricky."

"Oh?"

"Because my true self is already dead, the me that exists now might just be fragmented remnants I left in this world."

"Fragmented remnants?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"I left quite a bit of that stuff. You know, sometimes when suicide attempts fail, you always lose a little something. No wonder I always felt that not only you, but even I seemed to have forgotten some things. So that's what it was."

"That's a bit complicated."

"Simply put..."

"You mean you can't do what you could have done to help me earlier?" Li Zhuiyuan finished.

"You've summarized it quite accurately. If I step out of here, I'll vanish."

"Then..."

"Then there's no way. But don't worry, you can wait for one of the other two sides to lose patience and simply wave their hand to break this place open."

"How pessimistic."

"Indeed."

"Is there no other way?"

"I'm just a mere shadow now. What can I do?"

"Can I help in any way?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"You?"

"Yes."

"Have you studied array formations?" the figure inquired.

"Array formations? Like the patterns and arrangements often seen in scriptures and ancient tombs?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"Think again," the figure prompted.

"I can't think about it anymore; if I do, I might start over from the beginning. But I can confirm that before this age, I hadn't truly encountered such things."

"What about Feng Shui?"

"Haven't studied it."

"And magic?"

"Haven't studied it."

"What about other mystical arts?"

"Haven't encountered them."

"Then what's the point?" The figure also sat down. "There's no way. Let's wait for those two sides to make a move."

"So, stuck in the middle, aren't you like the stabilizing needle of the ocean?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"Yes, exactly," the figure confirmed.

Li Zhuiyuan shifted to a kneeling posture, facing the figure before him, and asked, "I don't know any of those things you just mentioned. Can you teach me?"

"Learn now?" the figure scoffed.

"Yeah!" Li Zhuiyuan affirmed.

The figure beckoned to Li Zhuiyuan. Li Zhuiyuan crawled a few steps forward, moving closer to the figure.

"Thwack!" The figure gave Li Zhuiyuan a sharp rap on the head.

"Ouch," Li Zhuiyuan winced.

The figure chuckled and scolded, "Little old thing, learning on the spot? Do you think you're me?"

"My brain's still quite capable," Li Zhuiyuan insisted.

"That's true," the figure admitted.

"So, can't I learn?"

"Why bother learning all this? Just wait for them to help you break the stalemate."

"But who knows how long that will take? And what if my true self doesn't have that much time to wait?"

"Your concerns aren't unfounded, but your method isn't feasible." The figure stood up, seemed to wave a blurry sleeve, and then walked back.

Li Zhuiyuan also stood up and followed him.

"What if?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"There is no 'what if.' Even if I were in that position, I couldn't pull off that 'what if.' The time is too short; it's pointless. Rest assured, those two will remain in a stalemate for a while longer, but one of them will definitely lose patience. After all, being dragged into this place is, in itself, a very embarrassing and inexplicable matter."

"I want to learn," Li Zhuiyuan stated.

"Do you know what I've hated most in my life?" the figure asked.

"Teaching people?" Li Zhuiyuan guessed.

"Yes, exactly. Every time I have to teach someone something, I first have to mush it up, chew it to bits, then cook it to a palatable consistency, and then spoon-feed it to them, spoonful by spoonful."

"I can hold my own spoon," Li Zhuiyuan offered.

"Heh."

"Anyway, you don't have anything else to do right now."

"I'd rather we sit down and chat some more than hold a lecture."

"I don't even know what I'm like in reality, so chatting with you lacks a sense of immersion."

"Weren't you chatting quite well earlier? Was it just to coax me into helping you?"

"Yes."

"Even that 'yes' is to humor me, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Heh." The figure walked into the corridor, his gaze sweeping over the third problem desk, which held a painting that required completion. "You might actually have some talent."

"I told you, I learn things quickly."

"But this particular field is unlike learning anything else; it's a completely different matter. And you have no foundation in it right now."

"That means I have a lot of room for improvement."

"You're annoying."

"I'm sorry."

The figure's foot moved across the ground, and quickly, a complex, freehand pattern was outlined. "Come, find the core of this array for me." The figure finished speaking, then sat back down in the chair. No sooner had he sat down than he saw the boy already standing within the pattern. The figure abruptly stood up. Because the spot where the boy stood was precisely the core of the array!

"Give a reason," the figure demanded.

"No reason," Li Zhuiyuan replied.

"Make one up," the figure prompted.

"I followed my gut feeling," Li Zhuiyuan stated.

"A very good reason," the figure conceded. "There's a type of person who has a natural affinity for array formations."

"Are you talking about me?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"But often, such people find it difficult to reach the level of a true array master."

"My professor said the same thing," Li Zhuiyuan explained. "He said that children like us are too clever, haven't experienced the hardships of learning much, and tend to be overconfident, overlooking the importance of a solid foundation."

"Your professor is quite astute. In this world, ninety-nine percent of people don't need to rely on talent; sheer effort is enough. Only the select few at the very top need to compete with talent, and even then, those people often work harder than everyone else. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Li Zhuiyuan said. "You're praising yourself."

The figure bent down, outlining with his fingertip on the ground. Soon, an even more complex array pattern appeared. After drawing, the figure clapped his hands.

"It's incomplete," Li Zhuiyuan observed.

The figure continued clapping: "Exactly, I want you to complete it."

Li Zhuiyuan picked up a stone, squatted down, and began to complete it. It was literally completed without thought or hesitation; he just drew it directly. The figure's clapping stopped.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up: "It's complete. It should be correct, right?"

"Continue?" the figure asked.

"Okay," Li Zhuiyuan agreed.

The figure began drawing ahead, and Li Zhuiyuan completed the patterns behind him. At first, they were one behind the other in the corridor. But drawing took longer, while completing was quick. Gradually, Li Zhuiyuan began to draw alongside the figure. When the figure was drawing an array, Li Zhuiyuan didn't wait for him to finish setting the problem; he drew the solution along with the figure. The two drew from one end of the corridor to the other.

Finally, the two, one large and one small, straightened their backs together and clapped their hands together.

"There's a problem," the figure stated.

"Did I draw something wrong?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"No, you didn't draw it wrong. I mean, *you* have a problem."

"So, my true self has studied array formations?" Li Zhuiyuan inferred.

"More than that," the figure replied.

"My true self has high proficiency in array formations?"

"More than that."

"Then what is it?"

"No matter how proficient your true self is in array formations, even if it influenced this place, it's impossible for you to see an array I created and instantly know it, let alone draw it with me!"

"Did you leave behind any writings?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"I've written some books."

"So I must have read them and memorized them?"

"Memories can't be brought in here. You've thoroughly grasped it."

The figure said, "I'm sorry."

"What does that mean?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"It means we can proceed to the next step. Do you know how to