At this mont, Dong Che was in a state where he could neither stay silent nor lie.
Once he forcibly chose to remain silent or lie, his heart would explode. Considering that he might not be human, even if the biological weakness of the heart region were damaged, he might not die; so demon hunters seem to have a similar kind of undying nature, so it’s hard to judge whether the real Dong Che belongs to that type. However, whether he lives or dies next, as long as there are signs of his heart bursting, I would be able to judge whether he is the real Dong Che.
Originally, I probably should have asked him to lead the way to Ancient Moon Village first, and then settle the suspicion issue with him, but I thought it was even more important to confirm this matter first.
Dong Che seed to realize his predicant and might even sense the murderous intent I harbored without acting. He did not resist Mazao’s heart-grasp and declared with absolute certainty, "I am Dong Che, a human being.
"I have not been substituted by anyone, or any bizarre creature, nor have I ever substituted for anyone else. I am myself."
Upon receiving this reply, I first looked at Mazao.
And she seed to feel the heart she held carefully, then nodded at and said, "He’s not lying."
This answer almost seed to suggest that all my previous suspicions were rely my own illusions and misunderstandings.
Could it be that this Dong Che sohow withstood the lie detection of the Black Rope Heart-locking Ring by so ans? The possibility is extrely low. Not that Dong Che definitely doesn’t have a way to counter the Black Rope Heart-locking Ring, but to pull it off right under Mazao’s and my noses without us capturing any hint of abnormality would be nearly an impossible task.
If it were Yinyue herself, claiming she could achieve this would be quite persuasive; however, my suspicion as to "whether Dong Che is disguised by Yinyue" increasingly seems unlikely.
I do not doubt my own intuition; the non-human aura from Dong Che is genuine. At the sa ti, I also tentatively believe in Dong Che’s testimony as true. Thus, the problem likely lies in so of the preliminary conditions. So seemingly logical conclusions that serve as the foundation for reasoning are likely mistaken.
Reasoning... Just thinking of the word, I can’t help but feel a bit humorous. Many mystery stories strictly prohibit the appearance of magic and superpowers because that disrupts the fairness of the detective ga. And yet the abnormal event I’m facing involves Yinyue, a being that can whimsically alter ti, space, and established facts.
Faced with such an exceptional monster, how much can human wisdom actually accomplish?
We temporarily concluded the questioning, and Mazao, standing behind Dong Che, withdrew her hand. The Black Rope Heart-locking Ring on her left middle finger once again reverted to its appearance marked by scorch damage.
Mazao is unable to fully repair the Black Rope Heart-locking Ring.
She had explained this to during a leisure mont. While she can fully repair the Fake Water Moon, she encountered a minor setback with the Black Rope Heart-locking Ring. Perhaps it was because my power had not truly awakened when I destroyed the Fake Water Moon, contrary to when the Black Rope Heart-locking Ring was damaged.
At present, I have actually moved half a step beyond the Great Success Rank. Hence, Mazao, at her pri being at most Great Success Rank, cannot use the Power of Return to completely reverse the fact that "the Black Rope Heart-locking Ring was destroyed by ." Even if she manages a forced reversal, the Black Rope Heart-locking Ring will revert back to its scorched state after her Mana recedes.
Fortunately, as the Black Rope Heart-locking Ring serves as an "active skill item," it’s sufficient that it can revert to its original form when necessary. Its current appearance isn’t really a problem, though it looks a bit unsightly. And Mazao seems to attach great importance to this ring, constantly wearing it on her left middle finger and refusing to take it off.
Dong Che touched his heart area, then asked , "Elder Zhuang Cheng... I might already be dead, right?
"The reason you suspect of being an abnormal creature might not be because I am truly not human, but because I might be a corpse that has been walking unaware that it has been dead for a long ti... At least, I might not be a ’living person,’ and so you directly judged as not human... Is that it?"
He analyzed his own situation as if discussing soone else’s, and to my surprise, I said, "You seem quite calm. Aren’t you afraid that you’re really dead?"
"Cases similar to this are not rare in the docuntation of Luo Mountain," he said. "Victims who died in bizarre incidents reappear by accident, forgetting that they have died. They seem to be alive, interacting with people at the site of the incident, but unknowingly they beco a servant ghost at the heart of the event..."
"Although I have no recollection of encountering specific enemies and dangers in the fog, nor do I feel that I died... But, Elder Zhuang Cheng, I will not take your judgnt lightly. Since you insist that I am not human, then there must be corresponding evidence. And the only explanation for the current situation is the conjecture that I have already died."
He actually believed in my outsider’s conclusion to this extent, making feel sowhat unexpectedly flattered.
From his perspective, it seed as if he was sentenced to death without any ntal preparation—a description that’s still far too generous. It’s as though his death sentence had already been executed, and he no longer had any chance to dodge the bullet. Such unpredictability of life and death.
However, if what he said was true, such absurdities are not uncommon in the abnormal world; perhaps "being forever ready for the absurd" is a quality that a qualified demon hunter must possess.
For the first ti, I deeply realized that Dong Che was indeed a Luo Mountain "Evil" of achieved level.
"If that’s the case, what do you plan to do going forward?" I asked curiously.
"Take it one step at a ti," replied Dong Che. "After all, I can still think right now. In other words, whether I am alive or dead, at least my soul remains on this land.
"Of course, you might also think that my so-called thinking is false, that a puppet master behind the scenes is manipulating my mouth, creating this dialogue... But I hope you’ll believe for now."
"Okay, I’ll believe you for the ti being."
His indifference to life and death had touched , and I looked at this seemingly naive young man with new respect.
"Let’s then answer the question you just asked about whether you might already be dead," I said. "I can’t tell if you are dead or not. Although I’ve seen your obituary, it disappeared imdiately. Perhaps you’re in so kind of ’undetermined’ state.
"At the very least, the impression of the monster I feel from you is closer to that of a demon like Yinyue, rather than a ’walking corpse’."
I consciously spoke with optimism. When I talked with him at night at the Fufeng Base, I really saw the look of death on his face, which faded when I verbally dismissed it. If my words really have a mystical power, then perhaps now just by speaking so auspicious words to him, the situation may take a turn for the better.
"Is that so... Perhaps the situation hasn’t gotten to its worst yet?" Dong Che also showed a hint of optimism.
"Then please continue to guide us," I said.
"I understand." He nodded.
We moved further into the dense fog. With his guidance, and the reinforcent of Mazao’s Power of Return, the white fog around us seed to beco even denser. This might be evidence that we were indeed delving deeper into the fog.
After about fifteen minutes, vague shadows lood ahead, looking like low buildings.
We drew closer for inspection. The shadows indeed belonged to buildings—low houses constructed of mud bricks, wood, and thatch. Judging by the number of houses within sight and the faint shadows in the distance, there were dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of these thatched cottages, densely and haphazardly built on the open ground of the forest.
Could this place be Ancient Moon Village? However, the shopkeeper and regulars of the Moon Concealing Mountain City ntioned that there should only be a few households left in Ancient Moon Village now... But on second thought, it made sense. Ancient Moon Village had only a few households left after the collective relocation of the villagers; there must still be nurous houses left from when there were many villagers in the mountains in the past.
I glanced at Dong Che, who nodded and affirmatively said, "This is Hu Family Village."
As he spoke, an old crone erged from one of the nearby thatched houses. She saw us, took a closer look at Dong Che, and then turned to shout loudly into the village, "They’re back, they’re back!"
As her voice rang out, more figures erged from the surrounding thatched houses. About a dozen villagers appeared, all elderly. Even the youngest looked middle-aged—at least that’s what I thought until a much younger person soon appeared.
Only this individual didn’t dress like a villager, but more like a mountaineer. A young man in his twenties wearing a black and green jacket, his face bearing the tornt of anxiety and fear. Upon seeing Dong Che, he cried out excitedly and rushed our way, then hesitated as he noticed Mazao and .
Dong Che saw him too and moved closer. Reflexively, I extended my arm and stopped Dong Che first.
These villagers, including the young man, all gave the sa impression as Dong Che.
None of them were human.
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