Tang Ye looked at Lu Xiaojie, and he no longer spoke. The other’s words had enlightened him to so extent. During his first visit here, Lu Xiaojie had requested his help to accomplish so difficult tasks. Even though things weren’t completely resolved in the end, they were still partners in cooperation. But now, she rely wanted to help him leave this dreamscape, and he wasn’t of any assistance to her. What he could achieve, she could as well, albeit with different timings.
He fell silent, perhaps realizing that his words had been sowhat hurtful. Lu Xiaojie added, "I’m sorry, my tone was harsh earlier. However, I won’t tell you what you want to know right now. You’ll figure it out once you’re out, or right before you’re about to leave."
After she finished speaking, Tang Ye waved his hand, indicating he didn’t mind, but his brows remained furrowed. He could see that she wasn’t in a good mood, seemingly faced with challenges that she must confront alone, yet unable to solve them. It was like a deep abyss ahead, yet she had to march onward with gritted teeth.
Tang Ye wanted to help, but his knowledge of this place was rely the tip of the iceberg. The only support he could offer was in terms of strength.
"Let’s head this way."
At this mont, Lu Xiaojie pulled Tang Ye slightly, changing their direction to descend into a small alleyway within the city below.
Soon after, the two landed. The city was shrouded in darkness, the glow of a thousand hos wasn’t visible, and the starlight in the sky was dim, barely illuminating the ground.
Tang Ye looked around, extending his perception. The city was dead silent, devoid of any life. Only he and Lu Xiaojie could move.
"What do we do next? Continue?"
"You don’t have ti for that," Lu Xiaojie said, glancing at the sky. Tang Ye also looked up but couldn’t discern anything. It seed only Lu Xiaojie could see things invisible to him, things that could confirm certain matters for her.
Withdrawing her gaze, Lu Xiaojie faced a nearby wall, brusquely kicking the brick wall open to reveal a corridor to the two.
"Go!"
She led Tang Ye into the corridor, forcefully opening tightly shut doors from the first one. After repeating the action twice, she shook her head.
"Not this one."
She then moved to the second door, repeating her actions of opening and closing it twice, shaking her head once again. Tang Ye noticed that when Lu Xiaojie opened the door the first ti, it was a normal room inside. However, upon closing and reopening the door a second ti, it transford into a deserted plaza.
She repeated her actions at the second door, and once again, the room turned into a bustling street. The two glimpsed passersby who seed to notice them, turning their heads wide-eyed, appearing stunned at that instant.
"Not this one either." Lu Xiaojie ignored the streetgoers’ shocked expressions, shutting the door and moving to the fourth. Tang Ye, having no other choice, followed her lead. And with the fourth door similarly opened, closed, then reopened, it revealed a grassland behind.
She seed to have found the door she was looking for, sticking her head in for a careful look. anwhile, Tang Ye noted that shadows of figures began to appear, graffiti-like, on the surrounding walls and ground, prompting him to remind her, "They’re coming."
"I know."
Unfazed, Lu Xiaojie retracted her head and closed the door again before reopening it, changing the backdrop from grassland to a barren muddy expanse!
Closing and reopening it again, the muddy land vanished, replaced by a winding mountain path surrounded by mist.
After repeating the process several tis, the final door opening revealed a misty forest.
"Alright, go inside. Rember, once you pass through, stay inside the store, endure a bit, and don’t fall asleep. Wait roughly...for more than ten minutes before resting." As soon as Tang Ye stepped forward, Lu Xiaojie gave these instructions.
He nodded to signal his understanding, then proceeded inside.
A wave of dizziness overtook him, quickly fading away. Before him was Mr. Pillay’s grocery store. He was back. He turned around imdiately, facing an absence of doors. It must’ve appeared out of nowhere.
Looking up, there were no crows flying overhead in the misty forest, which seed devoid of life, but not entirely so. He stepped into the small garden in front of the store, where more new buds were burgeoning, thriving significantly more than before, indicating great transformation.
New life was being born and growing, cleaving apart the soil to oust the once withered plants, turning the decaying old life into their own nourishnt. Within the once desolate forest, these burgeoning sprouts transford the scene, making it less stark.
Tang Ye thought to himself that when he had slain twelve of the "animals" from the painting, the small garden would likely beco a flourishing spectacle of blossoms contending in splendor.
His gaze shifted to the distant scene, noting that the circular mist formations had diminished significantly, or perhaps rged with others. Compared to his first visit, the rings of mist seed thicker now.
Tang Ye pondered whether these rings symbolized changes in certain matters, offering insights to those who could decipher them. Perhaps Lu Xiaojie examined the sky because of phenona he himself hadn’t noticed. After all, upon entering the misty forest, he hadn’t imdiately seen these mist rings either.
"I’ll check again next ti."
He shook his head lightly and entered the dilapidated store. But as soon as he crossed the threshold, a drowsiness overca him, making him long to lie down and sleep right there. However, per Lu Xiaojie’s instructions, he needed to stay awake for about ten minutes before resting. To be safe, Tang Ye endured the sleepiness, forcing his eyes open for nearly twenty minutes before closing them.
His consciousness began to drift into a stupor, only to suddenly jolt back to awareness the very mont of sinking into slumber. Tang Ye opened his eyes, finding himself under a white ceiling, on a soft bed that made him reluctant to rise. Feeling drowsy, he glanced outside the window, but couldn’t see clearly, only spotting the rosy glow at the horizon, with the sky sowhat dim.
"Hasn’t it brightened yet..." He felt like he had awoken too early, still fighting fatigue. After a glance, Tang Ye closed his eyes to continue sleeping. However, in the subsequent monts, he couldn’t fall asleep. About ten seconds later, realization dawned on him, jolting him upright.
"Wait!"
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