“Is it a deep hypnosis that activates under certain conditions?” Liang Yingwu asked.
“Hypnosis,哼, that’s too basic. I’ve let a part of my soul pass down from generation to generation. Even after so much time, it won’t disappear until it’s revived. From the moment Lu Yun was rejected by you and discovered your closeness with Liu Wenying, I began to revive, which is why we embarked on this journey to Shennongjia.” Liang Yingwu was shocked, “So, this trip to Shennongjia was entirely influenced by you…”
I also felt a chill; it turned out Liang Yingwu and all the students who came this time had been unknowingly influenced by Lu Yun. This silent manipulation of minds was truly terrifying. Lu Yun continued, “Yes, the failed experiment from back then will be continued by you today, though this time, there are fewer sacrificial items, so it might not take as long.”
“Wait a moment,” I quickly interjected.
“What?” My mind raced with various thoughts. I knew that if this ended now, once Lu Yun disappeared into the tunnel again, no one would be able to bring her back, and we would be truly doomed. But what could we do next to make this old monster from over a hundred years ago let us go?
“Trying to stall for time? Your little tricks are best left unused. Goodbye.”
“Wait a moment.” This time, it was Liang Yingwu who shouted.
“Wait, your experiment is over.”
“What?” Lu Yun looked puzzled.
Liang Yingwu suddenly burst into loud laughter, bending over as if he had seen the funniest thing in the world. Lu Yun’s face grew darker, “Enough, what are you laughing at?”
“From start to finish, it’s been you, this little girl, harboring your own fantasies. What experiment? Perhaps Xiao Xiuyun had the right back then, but you, whether you claim to be Xiao Xiuyun or Lu Yun, have no right to conduct such an experiment!” Liang Yingwu said while laughing.
“Rubbish, as a woman you’ve hurt, I certainly have the right.” Lu Yun said sharply, her voice so piercing it could almost rupture eardrums. The surrounding students showed expressions of fear, worried that Liang Yingwu’s provocation might hasten their demise. However, I knew Liang Yingwu was taking a dangerous risk; I understood him too well. Despite his outward bravado, he was as anxious as I was.
“Go on, hurt or not hurt, I’ve never paid you any mind. From the beginning, you’ve been deluding yourself. I said what I did earlier just to disgust myself into forcing you out. Since there was never anything between us, what right do you have to conduct this experiment?”
“It’s like seeing a beautiful bird in a tree and wanting it to play with you, but when it ignores you, you shoot it down. Oh no, for you, it would be killing it with an illusion. Wouldn’t that make you both bored and perverse?”
“You…” Lu Yun gritted her teeth, her face turning pale.
“You what? You, this perverse old monster, if you insist on this foolish experiment, it only shows you don’t understand love. And someone who doesn’t understand love trying to experiment with it is like a cow playing the piano.”
Since I’ve known Liang Yingwu, I’ve never seen him so harsh. Lu Yun’s body was trembling. But Liang Yingwu wasn’t done; he continued, pointing at Liu Wenying, “Do you think I’m in love with her? That only shows how poor your judgment is. When she confessed to me, I told her the same thing I told you, I’ve never accepted her, nor do I intend to. Lu Yun and Liu Wenying are the same to me; I have no interest in either. You talk about conducting an experiment, but who exactly are you planning to experiment on? You don’t even have a subject. Liu Wenying, on the other hand, despite my rejection, has never given up and has tried to win me over. Although she hasn’t succeeded to this day, when it comes to love, she’s far more qualified than you, who hides like a turtle at the first sign of rejection.”
“Really, you and Liu Wenying are not…” Lu Yun said tremulously.
“Of course not, have you ever seen me have intimate contact with her? Don’t let your own isolation make you see a tiny bit of warmth as love. Ah, you really are just a child who knows nothing.”
Seeing Lu Yun’s expression, I vaguely felt there was hope. Liang Yingwu’s strategy of provocation and then soothing was truly skillful. I was watching with the intent to see what else he could say when suddenly, Liang Yingwu reached out, pulled me over, and said, “To be honest, I’m not interested in any woman. I only like men, and they are far more beautiful than you. If you want to compete, change your gender first!”
This statement was earth-shattering. Before my goosebumps could settle, Lu Yun let out a high-pitched scream and then collapsed, fainting on the spot.
Epilogue
Three hours later, under the guidance of the now-conscious Lu Yun, we successfully exited the cave that had trapped us for three days. Fortunately, all our luggage was still where we had left it, untouched by wild animals. No one had the enthusiasm to continue the original plan of crossing Shennongjia. Since everyone had not slept the previous night, after a hearty meal, we set up tents and slept until the next morning.
Of course, Lu Yun slept alone. No female student wanted to share a tent with her, and I’m sure the boys felt the same. On the entire journey back, none of the students were as lively and chatty as they had been on the way there. This wasn’t just because they had experienced a terrifying life-or-death ordeal; it was also because the classmates who had once got along well, in the Cave of White Bones, at the last moment, revealed their terrifying true selves. They had learned too early about the ugliness of human nature, not only from the century-old tragedy of Baojia Village but also from themselves.
However, Liang Yingwu, Lu Yun, and I conversed a lot, understanding things that others dared not ask. As Liang Yingwu had anticipated, I too had thought of it, not being a hindsight strategist. When Liang Yingwu provoked the situation, I had already considered it. What Xiao Xiuyun left behind was a very strong resentment, so powerful that once triggered, it could overshadow the original personality of the possessor, compelling them to act in ways they normally wouldn’t. But while this resentment was potent, Xiao Xiuyun’s profound mastery in illusion also allowed a part of her memory to remain with the resentment, yet it was not a complete soul, incapable of permanently replacing the consciousness of the body it inhabited. Therefore, when the experiment concluded, this resentment would subside, lying in wait for its next outburst.
Lu Yun told us that due to Liang Yingwu’s provocation, this resentment had to deal with overly complex emotions and thoughts, which, not being a true soul, was shattered in an extreme manner. This not only restored Lu Yun’s original mind but also ensured that this resentment would never appear again. Moreover, Lu Yun’s own illusionary skills, through this ordeal, had merged in a mysterious way with the lingering resentment of Xiao Xiuyun, reaching a new level. The future development, even Lu Yun herself couldn’t predict, might surpass Xiao Xiuyun, for all she knew.
Liang Yingwu and I together requested everyone to keep this matter confidential. No one objected. Everyone wanted to forget that dark memory, unwilling to revisit that nightmare. Moreover, although Xiao Xiuyun was gone, Lu Yun was still here, and would continue to attend school with them. No one wanted to risk angering her. When we left the cave, Lu Yun had lifted the seal of the Dragon Binding Array. As long as no one reactivated it, there would be no repeat of being unable to enter or exit. I asked her why she didn’t completely destroy it. Lu Yun smiled, saying it was beyond her abilities. However, I remained skeptical.
