Chapter 216

Granduncle had never been to the capital.

Indeed, for most Chinese people, there are many ways to learn about and know this place; even if they haven't visited, they can still dream of its environment.

However, it was impossible to dream of this ginger cat.

The details of this cat were so strikingly clear—it was precisely the one he had held before.

It was a palace cat, and also the anchor of this memory.

Through it, Li Zhuiyuan was certain that this wasn't his granduncle's dream; it had to be his own.

Picking up the cat, Li Zhuiyuan descended the steps with Ali.

The boy had possessed extraordinary memory since childhood; while not on par with the photographic memory of some genius classmates he'd met, he could memorize things with just a couple of glances.

Moreover, he had sat here for many days.

The damage on the steps, the cracks in the floor tiles below—everything he had seen while sitting there before matched perfectly.

Even without the ginger cat in his arms, Li Zhuiyuan would have reached the same conclusion upon arriving here.

For now, he could only guess that the fortune-transfer ritual Granduncle had performed for him earlier had somehow swapped their dreams.

This dream must be a symbol, carrying a profound meaning.

However, Li Zhuiyuan was currently unclear about what it specifically symbolized.

And also... where was Granduncle?

The reason the boy had followed immediately when the paper effigy touched Granduncle earlier was his fear that, like last time, the Qing Dynasty zombies would emerge first.

But after entering, aside from the cat, Li Zhuiyuan saw neither Granduncle nor any zombies.

The vast area in front of him, stretching from the Gate of Supreme Harmony to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, seemed empty, with only himself, Ali, and a cat present.

As Li Zhuiyuan hesitated, wondering which direction to search next, a sound of bells reached his ears.

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

Along with the bells, a thick, choking scent of sesame oil appeared.

In an instant, a strong wave of nausea and revulsion washed over him. Li Zhuiyuan felt his stomach cramp and his head spin. He loosened his grip on the ginger cat, letting it down, and squatted, his breathing becoming incredibly rapid.

Beside him, Ali also squatted, watching him.

More than the severe discomfort he was experiencing, Li Zhuiyuan was shocked by the cause of this intense reaction.

Because, no matter how irritating and choking the bell sounds or the sesame oil scent were, he should be able to bear them easily now. Since embarking on his "River Walking" journeys, he had experienced countless scenes infinitely more repulsive, and his resistance and endurance had been honed to an extremely high degree.

Furthermore, he had entered this place in a "yin-walking" state, so physical discomfort shouldn't be transmitted with such clarity.

Most importantly, only he was affected, while Ali, beside him, showed no reaction whatsoever.

This meant that the scene wasn't triggering a current discomfort, but rather a post-traumatic stress disorder left over from some past experience of his own.

The problem was, he had no memory of this at all.

While enduring the pain, the boy quickly "pulled out" and reviewed this memory in his mind. He was certain that those days had been very ordinary: Li Lan brought him here every morning, and took him home in the evening after work.

He didn't even need to find Li Lan or the small cafeteria for lunch, because Li Lan would put water, biscuits, and sponge cake in his small backpack beforehand.

Although there was an endless stream of tourists, armed police stood guard everywhere, and Li Lan never worried that her son would be foolish enough to be lured away by others.

The sound of bells... was coming from where he had entered earlier, on those very steps, which was also where he most often sat during that period.

Li Zhuiyuan forced himself to stand and walked back up the steps.

As he stepped up again, the bells became clearer, the sesame oil scent grew richer, and Li Zhuiyuan's painful reaction intensified.

But soon, the bells began to move, and the sesame oil scent started to fade.

Avoiding pain is a human instinct. Li Zhuiyuan was now overcoming this instinct, using the intensity of his pain as a guide to move forward.

Ali didn't try to persuade him to give up; she simply supported him silently.

Previously, Li Zhuiyuan could quickly overcome and endure even the most difficult environments, like in the tower last time. But this time, he found he couldn't adapt.

This proved that every piece of pain had a traceable origin in the past, and he wasn't just feeling a singular pain, but reliving a long stretch of painful experiences.

He had walked here before, turned here, descended steps here, and passed through this door. Every step had been extremely difficult for him, and now he was walking the path his past self had once trod.

But how was this possible? Why didn't he have any memory of this?

The boy suddenly recalled the Dream Ghost's "wave," where he had lost memories from his dream after waking up. Although important details seemed not to have been lost, the specific visuals still couldn't be pieced together.

If his "River Walking" self could experience memory erasure, then could his childhood self have experienced it too?

Even if he was intelligent back then, he hadn't yet entered the mysterious realm and knew nothing of its affairs. It would be perfectly normal not to notice if his memories had been tampered with.

But why here? And who had done this to him?

Li Zhuiyuan gritted his teeth, his body continuing to move forward, forcing himself to stay alert.

He began to actively listen to the tone of the bells and distinguish the scent of the sesame oil.

Because of Li Lan's work nature at the time, he had followed her to many venues and institutions as a child. Bells, as a common ritual instrument, could produce different sounds depending on their material and craftsmanship.

As for the sesame oil scent, it was even more nuanced; different sects and temples had different ingredient formulas, and offerings from various groups of devotees would also cause differences in its aroma.

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

The monk held a silver string of bells wrapped in a flaky pastry, and the scent of sesame oil emanated from his entire being.

The capital had always been a gathering place for various religious sects, and the Qing Dynasty, being the peak of feudal rule, saw sects as a means to strengthen governance. Many distant frontier temples had miniature replicas here, or at least their branches were drawn into the city.

The boy remembered him.

He had once stroked his head and held his hand, introducing him to the ancient artifacts in glass cabinets, but that had been just a single encounter.

So, he had seen him a second time.

He had come here, behind him, and shaken the bells at him as he sat there, leading him forward all the way.

He wasn't sure how long he had walked, but observing the changing palaces around him, Li Zhuiyuan realized he had "followed" into the Zhenshun Gate of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity.

In the corner of the small courtyard ahead, a well appeared, surrounded by a white fence. The well wall protruded, and the well opening was very narrow.

This was... the Pearl Concubine's Well.

In the first two days after Li Lan started working here, she had taken him on tours and explained things during breaks before and after work.

Back then, Li Lan still seemed like a normal mother.

However, she probably also realized that her son would remember things just by seeing and hearing them once, so she became too lazy to keep playing with him. After that, she would just drop him off in the palace and go about her own business.

This well was particularly famous because Empress Dowager Cixi had ordered Pearl Concubine to be thrown into it. Many tourists would visit this spot.

In fact, the well opening was much larger back then, not as small as it is now. The current opening is so narrow that it would be impossible to throw a person into it.

After the founding of the PRC, seventy-four wells in the palace were modified for safety. The well opening visible now is actually a well-cover stone.

Why was he brought here back then?

The question had just arisen in his mind, and very quickly, Li Zhuiyuan received a further sensation.

"Plop..."

A sound like something falling into water seemed to echo in his ears, followed by a terrible sense of suffocation and boundless despair that rushed over him like a tide.

Li Zhuiyuan knelt, reaching his hands upwards, instinctively trying to grasp something.

All the painful sensations he had experienced while following the path earlier seemed to have been a prelude, only for this sudden, violent outburst!

"Ah..."

Although Li Zhuiyuan was still outside the well, the sensation of drowning was so vivid and real. While the rational memory was lost, the emotional aspect remained.

But this feeling couldn't be manifested or found in daily life; it could only be re-triggered under the corresponding circumstances.

He had once fallen into this well.

No,

he hadn't fallen in by accident. His past self couldn't have moved the well-cover stone. Combining this with the bell sounds and the sesame oil scent, he must have been thrown into this well by someone.

The terrible torment continued, and the most despairing part was not knowing when it would end.

Li Zhuiyuan's vision began to blur. He seemed to see Ali shaking him incessantly, her eyes showing concern, but gradually, Ali's figure became hazy, and his surroundings grew dim.

In the dim environment, lamps glowed faintly, casting light on something that looked like ancestral tablets or talismans.

And where Ali had been, a white figure in palace attire now stood. She was also at the bottom of the well, one leg straight, one bent.

Before the Eight-Nation Alliance attacked, Cixi had ordered Pearl Concubine to be thrown into the well before fleeing the capital. A year later, when Cixi returned, she had Pearl Concubine's body retrieved from the well. This meant Pearl Concubine had remained in that well for over a year.

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan saw the blurry white figure actively moving towards him.

As the distance closed, she raised both arms, and her hands clamped around his neck.

But she wasn't trying to strangle him; instead, after gripping him, she began to pull backward.

It was as if she wanted to take him away, but he didn't move at all.

But the next moment, as the white figure retreated, Li Zhuiyuan personally saw "himself" being dragged away by her.

One, an identical version of himself.

Soon, an even more incredible scene unfolded: he saw the "self" that had been dragged away also looking back at him.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and found that a pair of chillingly pale hands were still on his neck.

The two "selves" now presented an eerie sense of symmetrical reflection.

Finally, with a non-existent "splash," he felt as if he had floated to the surface.

Li Zhuiyuan began to gasp for air, just as his past self must have done.

Suddenly, the scent of sesame oil intensified, and an incredibly strong hallucinatory sensation washed over him.

His eyelids became incredibly heavy and his consciousness slowly faded.

At the same time, a conversation could be heard:

"Did it succeed?"

"Patron Li, you asked this humble monk to help your son remove his inner demons, but this humble monk has not perceived any inner demons within your son."

"He does. It's beneath his human skin. I'm sure of it."

"This humble monk sees no inner demon, unless what Patron Li calls an inner demon is your son himself."

"So, did it succeed?"

"It failed."

"The consequences."

"According to your previous description, Patron Li, if you have another patient with the same condition as a reference..."

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

"Hmm, I understand."

"This humble monk will help erase the memory of this failed sealing, so as not to stimulate his condition further. Although, according to the Central Plains' saying, this is like 'a cup of water to put out a cartload of burning faggots,' it's... better than nothing."

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

"Patron Li, this humble monk should also examine you."

"No need. You couldn't even handle my son, so I won't let you waste my time."

"Yes, this humble monk is ashamed."

The voices faded.

All discomfort completely receded at that moment.

Li Zhuiyuan propped himself up with his hands on the ground, breathing heavily.

Ali stared at the boy. In his eyes, she saw chilling coldness.

The boy's palms, which had been propped on the ground, slowly clenched into fists.

If Li Lan had merely been using strange and bizarre methods to preemptively treat his illness, he could have understood.

But now, he realized that Li Lan wasn't just treating him... she was using him as an experiment.

She was "testing medicine" on him to see if it was effective, so she could then use it on herself.

This indeed aligned with her usual conduct, fitting their mother-son rational style.

She must have discovered long ago that the "normal" child she wanted to bear suffered from the same illness as her.

His newborn self couldn't possibly hide from her. Moreover, he initially thought his mother would, like other parents, prefer smart and sensible children, so he would deliberately display his exceptional intelligence to gain her favor.

For her, since she couldn't give birth to a normal child to serve as an anchor for her human skin, then it was better to make the most of him early on.

No wonder his condition erupted earlier and more severely than Li Lan's. You truly are my good mother.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and walked towards the Pearl Concubine's Well.

Now, he knew what was in that well and understood the meaning of this dream.

Li Zhuiyuan stood by the well, and although he knew what he was about to see, he still lowered his head and looked into it.

Reflected in the water of the well was a face identical to his own, with the same expression and the same cold gaze.

Ali walked over, took his hand, and also looked down.

At the same moment, Ali's face also appeared on the water's surface in the well.

That Tantric master had wanted to help him suppress his inner demon.

But he failed.

The reason for the failure was simple: Li Zhuiyuan had no inner demon.

Just as the master said, if one insisted on there being one, then he himself was the inner demon.

After entering the mysterious realm, Li Zhuiyuan read many books. Some were essential for his current growth; others had no practical value, but he read them in an attempt to explore his own condition.

Now, he was proficient in formations, feng shui, and puppetry. Ayi's yin spirit had been tamed by him, and Binbin's resentful infant had been sealed by him.

Therefore, examining himself with what he had learned, he was very clear: he had no inner demon, no split personality, no evil spirits residing within him, no reincarnation...

His illness was as pure as it could be.

The books and fragmentary records left by Wei Zhengdao also fully confirmed this, because with Wei Zhengdao's abilities, if the illness were truly caused by any of the reasons mentioned above, it would have been incredibly simple for him to resolve.

People like them were born freaks.

Like a terrifying black jade, when it was just born—or rather, just excavated—its surface was still covered in mud.

As one grew, the superficial impurities would gradually shed, and the so-called onset of the illness was merely when the time came, the outer layer completely peeled away, revealing the true self.

Having an illness that can be treated is actually a form of happiness. But what if this "illness" is your most normal state to begin with?

"Ali, the one down there, that's also me.

I was once subjected to a sealing here, which failed, but the after-effects of that failure have persisted, constantly exacerbating the worsening of my condition.

Granduncle, through the fortune-transfer array, transferred this dream away. It's as if, for all this time, Granduncle has been helping me suppress the illness.

No, to be precise, Granduncle helped prevent further deterioration.

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

The reason he explained it this way was that Li Zhuiyuan didn't want Ali to misunderstand. He was the girl's window, and he needed to tell her that he had also been working hard all along.

The factors exacerbating his condition had been transferred away by Granduncle, but the illness itself remained. There was a clear difference between his current self and his past self, which was the result of his own active "recovery."

"I suspect it's because I'm "River Walking," or perhaps because I'm growing stronger, and the things involved are becoming heavier. In any case, Granduncle can no longer continue to suppress it for me, and I can't just stand by and watch him suffer for me anymore.

I didn't know before, but now that I do, I can't pretend ignorance anymore.

Now, I will take this dream back.

I know that the consequence of doing this will be a sudden worsening and deterioration of my condition, but I'm not afraid.

Because I've improved before, experienced the feeling of my human skin solidifying on my face, and felt that beauty.

So, even if my condition suddenly worsens again, I'm confident I can overcome it once more.

A path already walked once is not as difficult to walk a second time.

Ali, please lend me a hand."

The girl nodded.

She understood, because she could empathize.

For some, returning to darkness after seeing light is torment; but for others, eyes that have seen light can provide greater courage to emerge from darkness again.

Li Zhuiyuan made this choice primarily to relieve his granduncle of the pain originating from him, and secondarily because if he wanted to completely cure his own illness, he needed his condition to be whole.

It was like a child learning to ride a bike: Granduncle held the back seat with both hands to help him maintain balance, making it seem like he was riding. But to truly learn, those hands holding the back seat had to let go.

Granduncle had supported him long enough; now, it was time for Granduncle to rest.

Li Zhuiyuan squatted by the well and extended his hand down into it.

The reflection of himself in the water also performed the same action.

The water level inside the well continuously rose, and the distance between him and the other self on the opposite end gradually closed.

Their fingertips touched at a single point.

The next moment, their hands suddenly clasped together.

He wasn't sure if he had pulled out the other or if the other had pulled him out, but Li Zhuiyuan felt a dizzying sensation, and the self within the well opening was gradually fading.

Just then, the voice of the Tantric master was heard again from the edge of the well.

"Child, your mother has departed.

I leave these words in your memory, unsure if you will ever hear them later.

Without emotion, without love, without attachment—that is true freedom. We, for a lifetime, seek the empty gate and find it not, yet you were born within it.

Originally a Bodhi seed, why invite the dust?

If you hear these words, it proves we are fated to meet. This humble monk awaits."

As soon as the words fell, rhythmic thumping sounds came from afar. With each step, the surrounding palace buildings trembled.

The zombies were coming.

Li Zhuiyuan immediately looked at Ali and said to her, "Go quickly, leave this dream!"

Ali didn't hesitate. She released the boy's hand and ran towards a side door on the other side. Her figure vanished with her departure.

Li Zhuiyuan stood his ground. It wasn't that he didn't want to leave, but he couldn't, because the transfer of this dream was not yet complete.

Rows of zombies in full Qing Dynasty official robes hopped in.

Their official robes were brand new, and their corpse aura was rich, indicating they were not wild, but rather cultivated and nurtured by someone.

Li Zhuiyuan recalled the lamps he had seen earlier in the dimness of the well bottom, and the ancestral tablets behind them. Each of those tablets represented a zombie.

They were part of the preparations made to seal him back then. More precisely, the Tantric master had originally intended to separate his inner demon and then use the zombies' corpse aura as the array core to suppress the inner demon.

But because the beginning was flawed, these subsequent arrangements could not be put into use.

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

No wonder Granduncle had been chased by zombies after taking over his dream. When the dream's owner changed, this group of zombies essentially gained a new target.

But as he pondered the words the master had secretly left him, combined with the scene of so many zombies entering, Li Zhuiyuan, being well-versed in array formations, discerned the hidden purpose behind it:

If his inner demon had been successfully separated, the other party wouldn't just want to suppress it; they would also want to control and influence him through their mastery over the inner demon.

Since you say we are fated... then I will definitely pay you a proper visit someday.

Soon, a large number of zombies gathered around Li Zhuiyuan. They formed a circle, raised their arms, and spewed corpse aura from their mouths towards Li Zhuiyuan.

At this moment, the figure reflected on the well's surface finally disappeared. This dream had been taken back by Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand, intending to dispel the corpse aura and break through their encirclement. Now, he could even easily suppress these zombies back.

But as soon as the boy raised his hand, a strong sense of detachment immediately arose within him.

He hadn't experienced this feeling in a very long time. For a long time, he had only felt a discomfort that could be overcome.

This was the feeling of his condition fully erupting, of his human skin completely shedding, and the urge to purge everything irrelevant.

"Are you coming out again? Well, this time, I'll let you out!"

Surrounded by a group of zombies, the boy gave up resisting and slowly lowered his head towards the well opening.

East Room.

Ali sat up in bed.

Liu Yumei turned her head, asking confusedly, "What's wrong?"

The old woman looked up at the time again. It was still very early to get up and get ready.

Ali got out of bed, her bare feet carrying her in a white nightgown to the door. She unlatched it, pushed it open, and walked out.

Liu Yumei opened her mouth, intending to remind her granddaughter that it wasn't appropriate to see Xiaoyuan dressed like that, but the old woman immediately realized something. She got up, walked to the door, and watched her granddaughter's figure disappear into the building.

The old woman lowered her head, looking at the threshold. She hesitated, wondering whether to go out now.

It wasn't concern about whether acting in Li Sanjiang's house would cause a backlash of fortune, nor was it about any "River Walking" karmic entanglements. She was afraid that if she went out now, she might not only be unhelpful but also make things worse.

After all, the scene tonight had been arranged by Xiaoyuan himself; he surely had his own purpose. Her rash intervention risked disrupting the boy's plans.

Liu Yumei pursed her lips and ultimately did not step over the threshold, but instead sat down on it.

The old woman, accustomed to elegance her entire life, rarely adopted such an unrefined posture.

She was waiting, knowing that if her help was truly needed, even if Xiaoyuan didn't call out, her granddaughter would find a way to inform her.

Liu Yumei gently tapped on the room door with her fingertips.

She knew that after this sound, Ali and Ating, who were staying in the south-end room of the East Room, would also immediately prepare themselves.

Finally, the old woman's gaze flickered to under the bed.

A sword case lay under the bed, and there was a sword within it.

But sometimes, a clear opponent is easier to deal with. If something goes wrong with oneself, it's often far more troublesome.

"This child knows what he's doing; he'll be fine."

Ali, having exited her "yin-walking" state, had just left the East Room, entered the building, and arrived on the second floor when she saw the boy walking out of Li Sanjiang's room.

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

He saw her, as if he simply saw her.

The boy pushed open his own room door and walked in.

Ali followed him inside.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the desk, his fingertips tracing the books displayed there, and pulled out a copy of "Records of Riverside Wonders."

Li Zhuiyuan had actually finished reading all these books long ago. He hadn't kept the complete set of "Records of Riverside Wonders" here. The reason he chose to place this specific volume within arm's reach on his desk was that a character in it had once been altered.

Wei Zhengdao — Pseudo-Righteous Path.

He remembered that after Li Sanjiang completed the fortune-transfer ritual that night, he had fallen unconscious. When he woke up the next day, he found this alteration in the book.

At the time, he suspected that it was very likely something he had done unconsciously.

Facts proved this to be true. Looking back with his current perspective, even without considering Li Sanjiang's fortune, with Liu Yumei, Qin Li, and Liu Ting all living there, it would be impossible for any petty thief to get in.

Li Zhuiyuan now remembered that after the fortune-transfer ritual that night, Li Sanjiang had become completely groggy, as if he were drunk.

It was he who had helped Li Sanjiang back to bed.

Although this elder had prevented him from returning to his most primal state, forcing him to continue wearing his "dirty and foolish human skin," he could vaguely sense that the old man had also, at the same time, shared something extremely precious with him.

His past self, not yet initiated, didn't know what this was.

He only felt that it was a very cost-effective and beneficial exchange to keep his human skin for a longer period.

His current self, of course, understood now: this was good fortune.

A kind of treasure that is rare to encounter, something even the Dragon King's family had to lie dormant here just to try and get a piece of.

That night, after returning to his room, he had picked up "Records of Riverside Wonders."

With the obstruction of the human skin, his speed of comprehension was much slower. He only vaguely sensed something was amiss, but couldn't discern the true meaning conveyed by the author of the book between the lines.

Although the book was filled with phrases like "destroyed by the righteous path," it expressed a playful mockery of the rules of the Heavenly Dao, and even contained a taunt indicating that the other party couldn't do anything to him.

This was a very intelligent person. In his era, he was playing a very dangerous game, and it seemed he was playing it quite well.

Unfortunately, he was a figure from a very distant era and was already dead.

No, that's wrong. A person who could write this book, a person who could mock the rules of the Heavenly Dao, if he wanted to live, he should have been able to find a loophole to survive.

This was his thought at the time.

The current Li Zhuiyuan, of course, knew who Wei Zhengdao was, and also knew that he was a fellow patient.

Li Zhuiyuan lightly touched the altered character again with his fingertip and murmured:

"You were actually pursuing suicide. How foolish and short-sighted."

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and looked at the girl who had entered his room.

The Li Zhuiyuan of now was Li Zhuiyuan himself.

He now recalled the memory of that night, remembering that after finishing the book and changing the character, when he lay down on the bed, he had torn off the thread loop that symbolized his continued humanity.

The reason he lost the memory of that night was that his self at the time was not yet capable of connecting with his "true self," nor was he qualified to inherit and continue the thought processes within his true self's memories. To prevent his waking self from having a distorted self-perception, he deliberately forgot this period of memory.

Now that he had returned to his true self state, that memory was naturally retrieved once again.

Li Zhuiyuan lightly touched the book's surface with his fingertip. This meant that the "lost memories" from the Dream Ghost's wave were also similar.

It was likely that Wei Zhengdao had deliberately helped erase them, because that dream memory involved too deep a connection with Emperor Fengdu and that turtle. Forgetting that memory was the best form of self-protection.

In the future, once his strength and destiny further improved, he would also be able to retrieve lost memories like this again.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the wordless book. On that page, the "Evil Tome" was still a skeleton.

The boy gently caressed the image with his finger.

The image changed; it lifted its head and looked at the boy.

A skeletal face was actually able to express a look of terror.

Oh, have you realized that the person turning the pages is different now?

Li Zhuiyuan knew what it wanted: blood, vital essence. He could give it, and then use fresh blood to make rubbings of the painting it was in, creating a second and third page in this wordless book.

Wouldn't the efficiency of deduction immediately increase that way?

Why worry about it rebelling? It had already been sealed into the wordless book. How much more trouble could it cause?

The old woman lived here; if anything went wrong, he could just throw the book to her. She had the responsibility of the Dragon King's Gate, so she would definitely handle it.

If worst came to worst, he could also throw it to that one in the Peach Blossom Forest—a fool who ended up wanting to suppress himself to death, completely wasting his time following Wei Zhengdao. Lying there waiting to die without being utilized was also a waste.

As for suitable vital essence...

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze fell upon Ali again.

Her blood was definitely what the "Evil Tome" desired.

Anyway, her eyes were filled with him. She would give him anything he asked for, and surely she'd be willing to give a little blood every day.

But Liu Ting was skilled in medicine; he worried she might notice and cause trouble. He would need to find a way to hide the blood loss from the girl.

No, no need to hide. As long as the girl was willing, Liu Ting couldn't stop it, nor could the old woman.

This Dragon King's Gate should not have been inherited in the first place. He hadn't visited the old house or taken any items, yet he had accumulated so much karma and so many shackles from the Dragon King's lineage.

People like him should emulate Wei Zhengdao, "walk the river" quietly, without worrying about anything else. This way, even the Heavenly Dao's grasp on him would be much weaker.

However, since a wrong decision had already been made, to ensure maximal future benefit, he would have to continue the act. Since they were willing to die for him, to sacrifice for the so-called Dragon King's legacy, then he would leave the next "wave" for them, letting them pay with their lives to help him pass through it easily.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Ali again and began to speak:

"Ali, give me your..."

Li Zhuiyuan froze. The word "blood" simply couldn't escape his lips.

Not only that, a strong sense of discomfort arose within him. He stood with an open mouth, his expression somewhat pained.

He had often had similar experiences before; every time he was about to make an irrational choice, he would feel physical discomfort.

He hadn't expected it to reverse now.

Why can't I use her blood? She is my material, this is where her value lies!

I need to race against time now; I must deduce the team formation before the next wave arrives!

"Ali, give me your..."

He tried again, but failed again.

Besides pain, a hint of anger appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face.

No, anger. Why do I have such a foolish emotion as anger?

Li Zhuiyuan rose from his chair and walked to the large mirror on the wardrobe.

The reflection outside the mirror showed a pained expression, yet the one inside the mirror was perfectly calm, a smile playing on its lips.

"Are you trying to separate from me?"

A smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face, as if he had learned something utterly absurd.

"Do you know what you're doing? You are me, and I am you... No, I am the real 'us.' We are one; there is no such thing as an inner demon."

Ali walked over. From her perspective, Li Zhuiyuan in the mirror and Li Zhuiyuan in reality had identical expressions; there was no difference.

Yet, inexplicably, she felt a sense of closeness and familiarity towards the boy in the mirror.

Li Zhuiyuan continued to talk to himself in the mirror:

"Don't waste your efforts. Li Lan has already lost, and Wei Zhengdao also had no solution for this illness.

Knowing it's a failure, why are you still struggling?

Is it reluctance? Is it regret?

These are very low-level, human emotions.

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

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

Wei Zhengdao was a failure because he ended up wanting to commit suicide.

We are not.

We can be more ruthless, more absolute, and more exaggerated than Wei Zhengdao!"

Li Zhuiyuan tried hard to persuade, but the smile on the lips of his reflection in the mirror deepened.

Li Zhuiyuan outside the mirror also raised his hand blankly, reflecting on his words and tone just now:

"No, why? Why am I so emotional?"

In the adjacent room.

Li Sanjiang woke from his dream, his calf suddenly cramping because he had kicked too much in his sleep.

"Hiss..."

Li Sanjiang immediately got out of bed, wincing in pain, attempting to straighten his cramped leg.

But after getting out of bed, his legs went weak, and he lost his balance, stumbling backward several steps before falling headfirst onto the ground with a "thud."

The fall immediately rendered him unconscious.

The spot where he lay was precisely the area where he had drawn the fortune-transfer array.

In his dazed state, Li Sanjiang once again arrived at a familiar place.

"Again?"

Li Sanjiang wore a helpless expression. This dream was becoming more and more absurd. From happening every few days to daily, now it was twice a day?

"Huh, where are the zombies?"

Not seeing the zombies didn't make Li Sanjiang happy.

Because the scariest thing about zombies isn't when they appear, but when you don't know when they will.

It was just like the ghost movies he used to watch with Runsheng: the sound effects and atmosphere before the ghost appeared were the most terrifying; once the ghost was out, it wasn't so bad.

Li Sanjiang decided to look for them; at least he needed to know where they had hidden.

As he searched, Li Sanjiang actually found them.

He poked his head out from Zhenshun Gate.

"Ha, you're all here!"

Immediately after, Li Sanjiang let out a startled exclamation. Wasn't the one surrounded by a group of zombies spewing black mist his own little Zhuiyuan Hou?

At this moment, even though he knew this was a dream, if little Zhuiyuan Hou were in danger within it, Li Sanjiang would not hesitate to save him.

Li Sanjiang immediately jumped out and shouted at the group of zombies:

"Hey, all of you, line up and follow me!"

In the midst of the zombies, Li Zhuiyuan, who was about to employ a method to block the corpse aura and proceed, looked up in surprise.

Shouldn't Granduncle have woken up by now?

How did he enter the dream again?

But watching Granduncle lead the zombies away in neat formation, calling out "one-two-one, one-two-one..."

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

"Hahahaha..."

"Hahahaha..."

In reality, Li Zhuiyuan, standing before the wardrobe, watched his reflection in the mirror, his smile growing more radiant.

The anger within him surged even higher.

He should be angry, but he was even more furious that he *was* angry!

Li Zhuiyuan in the mirror: "Alright, you've had your breath of fresh air. Now, you can go back."

Li Zhuiyuan before the wardrobe: "What nonsense are you spouting? How can you make me go back? I am the real me."

Li Zhuiyuan in the mirror: "I've found a new way to treat the illness. I want to try it."

Li Zhuiyuan before the wardrobe: "What method?"

Li Zhuiyuan in the mirror: "An inner demon."

Li Zhuiyuan before the wardrobe: "Heh, you know very well there's no such thing as an inner demon between us."

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

The next moment,

Li Zhuiyuan's body before the wardrobe began to tremble violently.

He hadn't expected that one to use such a method to separate from him. If there was no inner demon, then it would relinquish its original form and become the inner demon.

"How much do you truly hate your real self!"

Li Zhuiyuan in the mirror: "I heard all your thoughts just now. That kind of 'you,' that kind of 'me,' disgusts me."

"Do you think you can suppress me? Taking this approach will only make it easier for me to completely strip you away!"

"You can try."

Li Zhuiyuan before the wardrobe opened his right hand; a blood mist began to rise, ceramic ribbons appeared, and a formation began to materialize.

At this moment, the girl who had been standing beside him grabbed his right hand.

"What are you doing?"

The girl's eyes remained fixed on the boy, and at the same time, her fingernails slowly dug into the boy's palm.

Last time the girl did this, it was because she saw the scars in the boy's palm left from self-harm.

Li Zhuiyuan wanted to pull her hand away, but he found that every time he tried to make a move to harm her, he would naturally stop.

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

Inner demon, inner demon, inner demon...

It truly was an inner demon.

Because he found that he was truly influenced, truly swayed.

The control over his body, the initiative of his consciousness, was gradually slipping away at this moment.

"When I awaken next, you will no longer be me. I will be able to eliminate you more easily, because you have willingly fallen, and I am the true self."

However, just before he was suppressed, he still raised his hand. He wanted to test the girl's strength.

This was very important for his future, because the girl had always been a member of his "River Walking" team, and the most important one.

His hand swung down.

The girl just continued to stare at him, her fingernails digging deep into his palm, showing no intention of dodging whatsoever.

Li Zhuiyuan des