Dow and Carbon-Based Monkey Breeding Guidelines

Chapter 955: Bound by Evil Karma (Part )

"Before I took charge of this city, the rituals that allowed entry here can be roughly divided into six types: Water, Mirror, Shadow, Music, Horn, and Forest. I won't go into the specific ritual methods, because most of them have been abolished by me, and you don't need to know them anymore. But no matter which one, those who participate in the ritual have a high risk of death."

The electric kettle in the corner of the office made a tripping sound. The dean poured hot water into two glasses, then picked up a packet of unknown powder from the pen holder and mixed it into one of the glasses. Cai Ji watched anxiously as the liquid in the glass gradually turned into a muddy brown-black color.

"Drink?"

"what is this?"

"Instant black coffee."

Cai Ji breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly shook his head. The dean added, as if unwilling to give in: "If you find it too bitter, you can add sugar."

"No... I'm not used to this."

"What about tea? Any preferences?"

"It will be all right."

The dean stood up and walked to the cabinet opposite, and took out the tea leaves from the bottom drawer. Cai Ji was still a little dazed until he saw the tea leaves flying up and down in the hot water.

"Um... everyone here is dead, right?"

"Although this is not an absolute situation, you can understand it this way: if a person in the real world falls here, even if his body in the real world is not destroyed, his consciousness will not be able to wake up on its own. If he can be carefully cared for, he may be able to remain a vegetable for decades."

The dean's answer was understated, but Cai Ji heard another meaning in it.

"Apart from this world, are there any people from other places that would end up here?"

"You mean the world of Shanyuanzi?"

Cai Ji hesitated twice, feeling awkward for some reason. But the dean simply asked calmly, "Have you read the notebook I gave you?"

"what……"

"Or are you just busy cutting glass?"

Cai Ji quickly said that he had finished reading it. But when the dean asked him what he thought, he could only shake his head blankly. He did read those fragmentary messages like newspaper clippings, but he didn't think there was anything worth paying attention to. As for the handwritten message on the last page of the notebook, it was just a paragraph of words without a beginning or an end, obviously not written to him.

The dean raised his eyebrows: "Leave a message?"

"On the last page of the notebook, it says something about the reaction and whether the meat is done or not."

The dean suddenly stopped talking and just lowered her head to drink the coffee in the cup. Cai Ji looked at her at a loss.

"…Don't worry about that. It was probably written by someone else."

"what?"

"Before, there was a restless guy who was making trouble in the hospital. He probably wrote something on my notebook at that time, and I didn't have time to check it carefully. Just tear up that page."

Cai Ji quickly agreed. He thought of the storm that destroyed most of the windows in the corridor not long ago, and the increasing number of patients recently. Is all this related to the troublemaker mentioned by the dean? Although he wanted to ask, he swallowed his words because of the atmosphere around the dean. Before he could think of a better way to inquire, the dean put the cup back on the table.

"In all the stories about the underworld, the netherworld, and hell, people don't get older after death, right? No matter what age they are when they die, their consciousness won't develop or change after death. That's why legends like infant spirits, little ghosts, and ghost brides are possible. Otherwise, they would grow up or age over time, and it would be impossible for them to be in the same state as when they died."

“It seems… that’s the case.”

"So, have you seen any pregnant women or babies here?"

Cai Ji recalled it blankly, and then gradually felt confused.

"Maybe you have seen it before? And, as long as you read the notes I gave you carefully, you will understand this problem. There are not only pregnant women and babies here, but also obstetric hospitals in operation. In other words, childbirth is indeed happening. Can you imagine such a strange situation? In the real world, pregnant women may die unexpectedly, and the fetus in their body will also die, but after the soul falls here, it will give birth to the child, and even grow up to the age of thinking. In this case, what exactly is born in this city? If the baby born here can also grow up to adulthood, can this still be considered the underworld?"

Cai Ji stared blankly at the tea leaves floating in the cup. The dean took the hot cup of tea from his hand and put it on the table.

"So, this place cannot be completely understood as a ghost town in the underworld. For those who died in the real world, this place can indeed be regarded as the underworld, but for those who created this place and were created by it, this place is just a dreamland. This stage is woven with the real world as the prototype, and even the dead have to perform according to the state of their life, and cannot perceive their true state. According to this rule, people here will feel hungry if they don't eat, and they will feel sleepy if they don't sleep. The experience of cold and heat is all the same as when they were alive-unless they can see through the essence of this place. If you were wondering why the dead still have to eat and drink tea, this is the answer. The same is true for the last time you wanted to jump off the building. Because I am here, you will not fall off this city easily, but the pain will not be exempted. If you jump down... I can't say for sure, people in the real world will faint or die before the pain reaches that level, but you may still scream for a long time. At present, I have very few examples in this regard, so I have no chance to do quantitative research."

At the end of her speech, the dean showed a dreamy expression. Her unconsciously relaxed smile, which showed her yearning and regret, was exactly like the evil state of Shura Yaksha in Cai Ji's opinion.

"Let's not talk about this for now. You will be able to figure out trivial issues like eating and sleeping in the future. For you now, the most important thing to understand is how you got here."

The smile on her face suddenly disappeared, she grabbed the knife in the leather bag and showed it to Cai Ji again.

"This thing is called 'Mirror Piercing' - you've probably experienced why it's called that. In this city, this thing can only cut through certain types of materials, namely glass, mirrors, ice, crystals... The reason it can only cut through is because there's no door behind it that can be opened. However, it's different in the real world. If you take it there, it's just an ordinary knife, but once you perform the corresponding ritual, it can be used as a key to open a door."

"……key?"

"A living person can enter here. Not just the consciousness, but also the body if there is such a key. But whether you can go back is another matter, because as I said just now, this key cannot be used here. This is its first function. As for the second... this knife cannot hurt people in most cases. Even if it can cut into the eyes like cutting glass, the actual damage is no different from that of a thin iron rod. Because of this, I have never kept it carefully. If I knew that your relationship with the nurse was so good, I would have locked it up no matter what."

Hearing this, Cai Ji immediately wanted to defend his relationship with the nurse - he was completely taken advantage of by that playful and lazy nurse, and he couldn't be treated as an accomplice for no reason - but the dean waved his leather bag and told him not to continue.

"It's impossible that you took it. Anyone other than me who wants to enter here must have a key. But then again, the employees here are not restricted by medical laws, and they don't really care about the lives of patients like you. You are the only one responsible for your own safety. So next time you come across something strange, at least ask me before you act."

Cai Ji readily agreed. The dean looked at his face, then lowered his head to look at his feet. Cai Ji also looked down at his shoes - just a pair of ordinary wide-toed sneakers. Since he often went downstairs to the courtyard, the nurse brought him clothes for outdoor activities. He had been wearing them for a long time, so it was unlikely that they would suddenly break.

"…Among the six types of rituals, there are two methods of entering here that are the most feasible. Compared to the 'Shadow Ritual' and 'Music Ritual' that can only be performed by certain people, and the 'Horn Ritual' and 'Forest Ritual' that must exclude outside observers, using 'Mirror' and 'Water' is much easier. It's not just the layout of the ritual venue, there are also restrictions on the helpers, and more importantly, the number of people participating in the ritual. Only these two types of rituals allow multiple participants to perform at the same time, and the venue can be used repeatedly. So, you were sent here by one of these two rituals."

The flipping mirror light unfolded layer by layer, gradually jumping from the depths of memory to the front. He remembered the white river water, but before seeing the white river water, where did the long black passage start? In the closed mirror room, there was clearly no way to go, but his eyes saw a dark well extending infinitely. He opened his eyes as wide as he could, and the pale face of the dean seemed to float outside a layer of mist. Her lips moved, as if she was talking through the mirror.

"...There is a problem. No matter which method is used, people who enter here will forget their origins - the so-called Lethe River refers to a similar situation. There is a control mechanism before entering, so even if people are sent in, they cannot implement the next step. To break through this control mechanism, if we don't try to retain the memory, we must establish another guidance mechanism to ensure that people who have lost their memory will act according to the predetermined goal. As for the specific method...are you okay?"

Perhaps noticing that he was distracted, the dean stopped talking and looked up into his eyes. That sight seemed to make his body heavy, and he suddenly fell from his floating state back to the solid ground.

Don't think about it anymore. He said to himself. What has happened, whether it is fear or regret, can no longer be grasped. The seekers outside the world have nothing to do with him. For him, what is important is only the dust in the cracks of the bricks in front of him.

"Are you really okay?" the dean asked again, standing up from his chair.

"I'm fine."

"If you really feel uncomfortable, just sit down. Don't feel embarrassed. I've admitted several patients like you before. When they talked about their memories of entering this place, they all had strong stress reactions. Some even went into shock and fainted. In this regard, your performance was quite unexpected to me."

After hearing this, Cai Ji, who had been trying to hold on, finally fell into the seat vacated by the dean.

"I remember there were a lot of mirrors in the factory... a long gallery of mirrors..."

Once the words came out of his mouth, they were completely out of control, like a flood bursting through a dam. He said almost everything that came to his mind, and sometimes the clumsy words came out of his throat before he could even think clearly.

"The well in the mirror...something was talking to me when I fell in...it told me a lot of things I didn't know...and there was black water, and I melted in it...and..."

There are many more people. He thought to himself. But in fact, he did not see anyone. Whether it was the dark well in the mirror or the dark water as thick as a shadow, he was alone there from beginning to end. However, after the door of memory suddenly opened, it was not just his feelings that came out of his chest. The endless pain and the endless complaints were like thousands of people crying with him.

"I... don't know what happened..."

The dean was half leaning against the corner of the table, standing two meters away from him. Her head had already turned to the other side, facing the closed door. It was unclear whether she was thinking about her own things or wiping her eyes to avoid looking at Cai Ji. It was not until Cai Ji was finally able to raise his head to see people that she moved slightly.

"In the far west where the Son of the Mountain Wish was looking for the Sword of Ceremonial, there is a legend about 'Shadow Blood'. It is said that creatures with this bloodline can travel between reality and illusion. The 'Shadow Ritual' that enters here is specially prepared for such people. And if you really follow the process of the 'Shadow Ritual', you will also lose your memory when you enter here, which ensures that the order will not be destroyed. However, this blood has another characteristic, which is the ability to listen to lost voices."

"Lost...voice?"

"Well, how should I put it? You should have heard some ghost stories about shadows, right? Before a person dies, the shadow will leave first. Although it is only an urban legend here, it is common sense in the Far West. All things that happened in the past and may happen, if not recorded by mountains and rivers, will sink to a place outside the real world and become part of the lost records. Some gifted people can see or hear part of it, and become people who understand the yin and yang of the past and present. As for the owners of shadow blood, they can not only hear that place, but some of them can even go there directly."

“Why can they go?”

"I haven't found a completely credible answer to this question. But I heard from someone who has been there that this is where the shadow blood originated."

Cai Ji wanted to ask more, but the dean just shook his head.

"Don't think too much about that place. In places outside of this world, too strong thoughts tend to create associations. For you, if you keep thinking about that place, you will eventually go to see the black bird."

"Bird? It and Shadow Blood..."

"It's like a broadcasting station. Although people with shadow blood will lose their memories when they enter here, their ability to listen to history will not be erased. At most, it will only be temporarily ignored. Therefore, even if the owner of shadow blood has lost his memory, as long as the information is released through this channel, he can still be guided to do things. Moreover, since the ability to travel through the world is not required, it is not necessary to rely on the "Shadow Ritual" to enter. If the base is sufficient, there is no need to enter the ritual - just let the owner of the dreamland capture it according to his own preferences. It is also very difficult for me to identify people who infiltrate in this way."

Cai Ji listened to the dean's words in a daze. He had no idea for a moment, but he just thought that this was what the dean meant by "patient". Then, when his eyes met the dean's, the answer suddenly fell into his mind.

"This is my...disease, isn't it?"

"That's it."

Hearing the final diagnosis, he thought blankly for a while, then laughed dryly.

"After all this time, I am the cancer cell in this place."

"That's not the case. Even if you are described as a virus, you are just the mildest strain. Compared with the first few, you are almost harmless to humans and animals."

Unable to figure out whether the other party was praising or disparaging him, Cai Ji had no choice but to lower his head and keep silent. The dean then grabbed the leather bag containing the silver knife.

"Just now I referred to you as the owners of shadow blood, which is not a very precise statement. It is called 'blood' just because of the similarity in form. It is completely different from the blood-borne diseases we know. Simply getting this blood is meaningless. In the earliest rituals, this blood can only be passed from one owner to another, and in order to exert the most complete effect, the old owner is often killed. In this way, the total number of owners is actually limited. However, none of you is such a procedural successor, you just have some similar properties - if you meet a real owner, you must keep your distance from him."

"The real owner?"

"Yes, there are such people. Since I am in charge of this place now, there won't be any problems for the time being. If I am no longer in charge in the future, you will have to judge the situation by yourself. So, even if you encounter such a person——"

It sounded like a casual assumption, but Cai Ji suddenly felt as if something heavy had hit his chest. He blurted out, "In the future?"

"What's wrong?"

"In the future, it won't be you who will manage this place?"

"Well, there is just such a possibility. There have been other managers before me, so it's not surprising that I will be replaced one day, right?"

"So, how do you replace it?"

"Hand over the management rights and symbols, and then you will become an ordinary resident of the city, and probably won't remember anything about the past. After all, this place belongs to the Lord of Dreams, and it is up to him to choose who will be his agent."

The dean's voice did not sound distressed by the power that was destined to be lost. Then why were you chosen in the first place? Cai Ji wanted to ask this, but found it difficult to speak. After a brief hesitation, the dean brought up the topic.

"Do you remember that before you met me, there was a period of time when you were completely unable to communicate with the outside world?"

"……Yes."

"So, do you know what your state was like to the outside world?"

Cai Ji shook his head slowly. "Do I really have to know?" He asked unconsciously, "Does it matter if I...know or not?"

The dean was silent, as if examining the silver knife in the leather bag. After a while, she said, "I have been looking for the method that person used the shadow blood."

"A seeker?"

"He didn't use the shadow blood in the correct way. Instead, he used some method to transform you into an intermediate product. Since it's an intermediate product, there might be hope to transform you back to your original form - because I had this idea at first. After taking over this place, I also did some research, but there was no progress at all. Putting aside my identity here, the knowledge I have is too different from that of the people in that place. I'm afraid I can't even understand their theoretical basis, so I can't help you in this matter. However, among all the individuals who received the blood, each person's reaction degree is completely different. Compared with the people who were assigned to other floors, you are the type with the mildest reaction."

"So, that's why I'm on the sixth floor alone?"

"Yes. Although there have been no cases of patients attacking each other so far, it's better not to let you come into contact with them in advance."

"But aren't there other people like me?"

"Yes, but they have all been released from the hospital."

Is there no one willing to stay? Cai Ji wanted to ask more, but the dean turned around and said, "Come with me." "Going back?"

"No. Go see the patients in the advanced stage. Since you have decided not to leave the hospital, you will have to know the impact of that dream on you sooner or later."

The director took him back to the ground. For some reason, she still held the leather bag containing the glass cutter in her hand and took him all the way to the fourth floor. As soon as they walked out of the stairwell, a strange nurse passed by them.

Unlike the ordinary-looking nurse with strange fingers, her facial features were distinct and small, and she had a bright smile on her thin and pointed face. Although she was thin, she made a thumping sound when she walked, just like the tip of an iron hoe hitting the floor tiles. Cai Ji couldn't help but turn his head to look at her, but found that she was also turning her head to look at him, and the smile on her thin face was as unchanged as a lacquer painting. Just looking at this face, his back gradually felt a sharp pain, as if the skin was being peeled off bit by bit by a fine needle.

The dean stopped and asked the nurse who appeared on the fourth floor, "What's the situation?"

"It's a great day today. Want to take a look? Go check it out when you have time."

The nurse with a weird smile on her face spoke very fluently and naturally. Except for a slightly sharp tone, her voice was also gentle and pleasant. She was totally different from the nurse with the weird finger.

"She'll be glad to see you. The child loves to see people. Go now."

"Got it. Go take care of the pharmacy business."

It was not until the nurse disappeared into the stairwell that the dean turned around and looked at Cai Ji who was stroking his back.

"…Maybe today isn't a good time."

"what?"

"The person I want to show you today is probably in a very bad state."

"But……"

"If you meet the nurse alone in the future, no matter what advice she gives you, never accept it. If you can't do the opposite, at least ask me first."

After making sure that the dean was not joking, Cai Ji suddenly remembered the night when he used a bed sheet as a rope and swung down from the sixth floor. He felt a shudder on his back that he had just massaged. But despite this, they did not turn around and continued along the corridor to the ward farthest from the stairs. The dean stopped again beside the window with the curtains closed.

"Just look at this window."

After she said this, the light green curtain behind the window slowly opened. Cai Ji stood there unprepared, and could only see his own pale face from nervousness and fear through the dark glass window.

Just like the situation in the corridor on the first floor underground, the darkness behind the window was as thick as ink, and the bright sunlight in the corridor could not shine in at all. If he had not clearly seen the green curtains slide open just now, Cai Ji would have thought that the inside of the window was covered with thick ink.

He stared at his reflection in the glass, looking stupid and ashamed. Just as he was about to say something to ease the embarrassment, a face floated up from the darkness behind the window.

It was just a face. Round, pale, expressionless, floating up and down like a balloon in the darkness where it was hard to tell the distance, even spinning like a flower petal in a whirlpool. He blinked and trembled, and the face was already pressed against the window. It was smooth, seamless, and stuck to the glass like a painting. There were no eyeballs in the eye sockets, just two deep holes, from which came bursts of shouting that made him dizzy.

Go find, find, find, find, find, find——

The thin silver knife was thrust into the window from his side. The blade lightly broke the glass and stabbed into the darkness just below his face. The shout in the darkness immediately turned into a howl that almost shattered his skull.

Kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her—

He covered his head and screamed, the world in front of him suddenly collapsed, leaving only a ball of blood-red lightning dancing in front of his eyes, striking straight into his head, roasting even his brain until it was burnt and smelly black. Then he felt his body melting, rolling on red-hot iron needles, being skinned by sharp knives made of ice - he had this feeling before, and this was exactly how he felt when he first saw the dean outside the hospital. But this time it was different. He felt this horrible pain like a sound, thrown at him from the outside. It was shot at him from the two deep wells behind the window. The thing behind the window, the thing behind the window -

It was unknown how long it took him to regain consciousness and realize that the dean was holding him from behind, preventing him from falling out of the window. His face was all wet, and he couldn't tell whether it was sweat or tears. He could only struggle to take two breaths.

"Are you recovered?" the dean asked behind him.

Cai Ji had no way to answer. His throat seemed to have been burned, and all he could see was a wriggling mass of light. If he hadn't felt the dean's hand supporting his back, he would have thought he was back in that nightmare.

"Can you stand on your own?"

"Let me...slow down..."

"Since she can answer questions, it shouldn't be a big deal. This person's talent for listening is much stronger than yours. Therefore, the degree of her loss of control is far greater than yours, and she can even force you to listen to her voice. This is why you must stay away from the real blood recipient."

Listening to the Dean's calm voice, the pain and burning sensation finally faded away. He could finally see what was happening behind the window again. There was no more bottomless darkness, and the room behind the green curtains was clearly visible.

It was just an ordinary ward with the same layout as the one on the sixth floor. The walls and floor tiles were also plain and gentle light green. The air was surprisingly clear, and the red sunset could be seen through the window on the opposite wall.

Sitting on the side of the bed near the corridor was a patient who looked only eleven or twelve years old. At first glance, the round face that easily showed panic and stupidity reminded Cai Ji of Xiao Chu. But of course she was not Xiao Chu, because this was a girl, at least most of her body was still a girl, and she was wearing a set of pajamas with a cartoon rabbit pattern. However, what stretched out from the trouser legs were not feet, but a pool of solidified darkness. The darkness was very thin, like a shadow, but it always made people feel that it was real, and the shape had nothing to do with the owner of the shadow - like black grease frozen on the ground, with an obvious crack on the edge. The girl's face was facing them. The face used to float in the darkness, emitting terrifying cries from her eye sockets, but now it was completely still, as if her soul was not in it.

Watching this scene, the initial fear gradually subsided, and was replaced by unspeakable sadness.

"she……"

"She is the most seriously ill patient. Girls of her age are most likely to hear voices in their dreams, and by the time we found her, we had already wasted too much time. I tried to wake her up like I did with you before, but as you can see, I can only control her to this extent."

Cai Ji turned around and saw the dean standing behind him, staring at the girl behind the window. Her eyes were like glass beads embedded in ebony, emitting a faint glow in the dusk.

"What was that just now?"

"It was her shadow. When her consciousness was occupied by what she heard, her body was also occupied by the shadow. This is the form you were in when you lost consciousness. However, you were much more concealed at the time, moving between reality and illusion. For her, it has already developed to the final stage, and there is no need to hide anymore."

Just like that, he heard the truth about himself. Cai Ji thought blankly for a while, then asked: "How did you change her back?"

"I just borrowed a little talent from someone else. Besides, this thing will work."

The dean was still staring out the window, holding the silver knife in his hand.

"This is its second function. For most things related to doors, its functions in the virtual and real worlds are different. But for shadows, it is a sword that cuts off shadows and severs evil no matter which side it is on. Because of this, it is regarded as a ceremonial weapon by the country of the Son of the Mountain Wish. Think about it yourself. If you had accidentally cut your own shadow while fooling around with this knife before, you would not be much better off now than the person in the ward."

Cai Ji took a step aside awkwardly and was about to say something when the dean's eyes gradually turned red. He opened his mouth and saw two streaks of blood falling from her eyes.

"……Hello!"

The director closed her eyes. The green curtain behind the window was drawn again, covering the ward tightly like a barrier. She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand and said, "There have been too many things going on lately, and I've been overworking my eyes a bit."

“I’ve already shed tears of blood!”

"It's a common thing. The ward next door is empty. There is gauze in the cabinet. Go get it for me."

Cai Ji helped her to the empty ward next door and found a bag of gauze from the cabinet. He watched anxiously as the director took the gauze and wiped the bottom of his eyes with his eyes closed.

"Don't make a fuss, it's just a normal fatigue warning. Half an hour of rest will be enough."

Is it normal? Cai Ji was in a daze and thought that his life had nothing to do with normality. As if he had heard his inner voice, the dean continued with his eyes closed: "This is what you will face from now on. If you don't want to leave the hospital and forget everything that happened here, then you must continue to resist this change. Until the end of this city or the end of your consciousness, you must fight against the voice in your dream and the voices of other shadows."

"Will I become like that?"

"It is possible. It is true that the symptoms you are showing now are very mild, and you do not have any talent for listening, but since you have already dreamed of the black bird, it is only a matter of time. I can help you when I am here, but if I am not here, you will have to rely on yourself."

Cai Ji was absent-minded for a moment. He thought about how the dean always seemed to be talking about being replaced. But if the dean was gone one day, what would the new manager do with him?

"Aren't there any other people like me who are staying here?"

"If you can be cured to this extent, you will generally leave after the observation period is over. After all, the ward is not a resort."

"No... isn't there anyone else working with you?"

"That's not the case. To be honest, I also want to know what's so special about you."

The dean opened his eyes slightly, as if with a mysterious smile, but quickly closed them again and pressed gauze over his eyes.

"…It's time to ask for leave. Just ask for a day or two. During this time, don't touch anything you don't know about, and don't go to other floors. Although you can't enter an occupied ward, it will be troublesome if you are caught by a particularly annoying nurse. Like the one you just met, if you dare to agree verbally, she will throw you directly into that ward."

Cai Ji shrank back, laughed dryly twice, and couldn't help saying, "That girl looks a bit like Xiao Chu."

"What does he look like?"

"It's mainly about temperament. He seems like someone who is easily bullied. Are people like this more likely to deteriorate?"

“I don’t know. I haven’t found any significant influence on personality.”

The dean gently pressed the gauze twice, and then said, "Xiao Chu is not here."

"He hasn't been discovered by you yet..."

"No, I told you before, Xiao Chu is not in this city."

"really?"

"Since you first mentioned him, I have already started looking for someone who fits the description. Logically speaking, with such detailed information, we should be able to find him. Since we can't find him, it means he didn't come here. The ghost of Xiao Chu you mentioned might just be some kind of data record left by that person."

"So, was he killed by that person?"

"Do you think that man will kill Xiao Chu?"

"Didn't he kill that girl, too?"

The dean shook his head slightly and continued to hold the gauze in place.

"To him, it was just a mouse. It's common to capture mice and implant cancer cells in them for cancer research. But killing a healthy mouse for no reason is completely meaningless. And you should have noticed that Xiaochu liked that person very much. In this case, it's possible that that person had other plans for him."

"...You mean, you didn't kill him, but you didn't let him go either?"

"I have been investigating for a while. We have sent people to search the old shipyard you mentioned, but no body was found. No similar people have appeared near Xiaochu's old home or where you used to work. So I think that since Xiaochu is disappointed with his world, that person might send him somewhere else. Like his own hometown, or the hometown of Shanyuanzi."

Cai Ji had no way of telling whether the dean really meant to say this or was just trying to comfort himself. He didn't even think about how the dean investigated the present world, but instead imagined how Xiao Chu lived in the world of Shanyuanzi. If that place really rewarded good with good and punished evil with evil, would Xiao Chu be happier than in his hometown? Thinking about it, his eyes became wet again.

"You really are a tearful person."

"I'm not a cold-blooded killer." Cai Ji said with a little sob.

"Don't you like watching that kind of movies? They should be bloody ones, right? The plot where the female killer falls to her death from a height, or the scene after she falls to the ground is not filmed?"

"what are you saying?"

Cai Ji looked at her in confusion. The dean looked up as if in pain, and gently rubbed the gauze with his hand.

"You said it yourself. There was a strange guest who watched a Japanese female killer movie with you. He first said that the female killer looked like a mermaid, and then said that someone would fall to his death like the heroine in the movie."

Cai Ji couldn't help laughing. He had never expected that the dean would understand his retelling in this way. It was hard to say which side of the issue this was.

"He didn't fall to death! These are two completely unrelated things. You would think so only if you haven't seen the movie."

"Didn't the heroine fall to her death?"

"She was assassinated by the enemy's daughter... I'll start from the beginning. There was a villain who killed the heroine's father, and the heroine killed him herself when she grew up. As a result, the villain's daughter obviously didn't get any fatherly love, but she was still determined to avenge the villain. In the end, she assassinated the heroine when she was in a state of dismay. The heroine's name was Xueji, so she died in the snow after being stabbed. It has nothing to do with falling to death. This is probably about revenge..."

Talking about his favorite movie, he couldn't help but get excited, but when he saw the dean's expression, his voice slowly stopped halfway through his words.

"What's wrong?"

The dean sat there motionless. Her eyes were open, and she was quietly looking at the sunset outside the window, with an expression that looked like enlightenment and despair. She didn't even notice when the gauze pressing her eyes fell from her hands.

"Xueji." She whispered. A trail of blood flowed down.

(End of this chapter)