The First Absurdity

The Witch Doctor was squatting by the river, wiping around the wound with the damp corner of her clothes.

Yu Xing's footsteps were not easily heard amidst the sound of flowing water, but the Witch Doctor still turned around after he got a little closer.

"You're back?" Her gaze fell on the suitcase in Yu Xing's hand. "Thank you. Did you get lost?"

At that moment Yu Xing's forehead was covered in sweat, and his breathing was slightly unsteady, as if he had run all the way here. Anyone who didn't know better would really think he was very worried about the injured Witch Doctor: "It's a bit hard to tell which way is which in the mountains. I wandered around for a while, which is why I'm late."

As he spoke, he hurried over to the Witch Doctor and peered at the wounds on her legs.

The bleeding rate had slowed down significantly. Now, enveloped by the cool river water, the blood, half-congealed, was surging at the tip of the wound, no longer dripping.

The Witch Doctor's treatment was quite professional, requiring Yu Xing to do nothing. Yu Xing hadn't used a first-aid kit much either; when he was a child, his family Doctor would always take care of his injuries.

He recalled the Witch Doctor's skillful treatment of wounds, opened the first-aid kit and handed it to her. "I don't know how to do this, you can do it yourself."

The Witch Doctor smiled, took the box, picked out the necessary medicines, and began bandaging herself. Yu Xing watched from beginning to end and thought that her technique might really be the result of practice, after all, so many people in the village cut off their own flesh as offerings, but there was never Doctor.

Although he didn't know what method the Witch Doctor used to keep a group of skeletons "alive," he guessed that if someone were really going to die, the Witch Doctor would definitely help heal them in order to maintain the illusion that the Immortal Lord would not die.

"Can you carry me back later?" The bandages were almost finished, and the Witch Doctor did not surprise Yu Xing as expected.

Yu Xing smiled, a little flustered. "Of course, everyone in the village respects you, and as the newcomer, I will naturally listen to you."

"No, I don't want you to help me because of that... I only kept you around because I felt a connection with you. I'd rather you see me as a friend." The Witch Doctor frowned. "I'm not ordering you to do anything as Witch Doctor; I'm just asking for your help."

The revered Witch Doctor spoke to him in such an equal tone, and Yu Xing was appropriately flattered.

"No problem."

After a while.

He crouched down and carried the Witch Doctor on his back, feeling a sudden, heavy weight on his back, and the unfamiliar breath rhythmically breathing behind his ear.

"You've worked hard." The Witch Doctor didn't immediately show any closeness, but was less assertive than at the beginning.

After the two returned to the village, Yu Xing found that it was getting dark again. Every day seemed to be going by at least three times faster, which significantly shortened his daytime activity time.

However, the nights must have been shorter as well. He had no idea how many hours he had slept in the past few days, but it was a number that made him feel sleepy from time to time.

As usual, Yu Xing slept at Granny Li's house that night. Granny Li didn't have any problems that day, Yu Xing slept very soundly.

His emotions became more and more stable, because things here had begun to unfold. He would be able to find out everything he wanted to investigate but couldn't when the Witch Doctor and the Water Ghost made their move against him.

He was worried about not having a way to advance this event, but now that he has a way, he just needs to wait for the right opportunity.

It's worth mentioning that after a day of mental activity, he suspected that he was currently in the realm of some kind of ghost, and that his memories were being blocked by this powerful ghost.

The reason he thought this way was because he couldn't think of any other reason that could strip away his memories, not even Lingren could do that.

The Lingren was still human after all. Even with the mysterious power he initially couldn't understand, he couldn't directly send his body or consciousness into such a realistically crafted scene.

Of course, if in his forgotten memories a very long time has passed, the Lingren's abilities might have become even stronger... but Yu Xing felt that this possibility was not as high as he was thinking now.

Yu Xing remembers that when she was locked up in the experimental base, she had to have her blood drawn and biopsied every day, and various values were tested using medical instruments that were not very efficient and were imported from abroad.

But in his anger and anguish, he noticed something that shouldn't be at the base.

It was a black, indescribable mass that hovered at the end of the dozens of tubes inserted into his skin every day, sending wisps of unknown mist into his body.

The fog chilled him to the bone, and he could feel his body constantly changing away from humanity under the influence of this thing, while his mind was gradually becoming alienated.

The researchers could see the object, but no one dared to approach it; only the Lingren dared to get close.

The Lingren would come to check on him every now and then, then smile at the numb Yu Xing and say, "I knew I hadn't misjudged you. The integration is excellent, surpassing all the other experimental subjects so far. Young Master, it wasn't in vain that I spent so much time on you."

Occasionally, Yu Xing would see other strangely dressed people coming and going with the Lingren, and overhear some things with his abnormally sensitive hearing.

For example, the Lingren and those people often went to some other place, and the place they most often called "absurd."

There are many, many ghosts in the absurdity, this is what Yu Xing guessed based on what he heard.

On very rare occasions, he also heard the word "Yugi".

He gradually came to the conclusion that the black lump that was transforming him, which ran counter to science, was also something that the Lingren had brought out from absurdity—some kind of sacrifice, some kind of fragment.

From that moment on, he longed to know what the Lingren had obtained from that place called the Absurd. If the Lingren's mysterious power came from there, he also wanted to go there.

If he could obtain those powers, wouldn't he be less passive?

Wouldn't it be better if it didn't look like an exhibit being pointed at and commented on by so many people?

Even the alienated thoughts kept reminding him that with his own power, he could kill all these people, right? He made the Lingren's body burn with flames, screaming and dying in agony.

But even after escaping the base, he found no further information about that absurd place, and now...

Yu Xing is very confident in herself.

After his body and mind were transformed, he refused to believe that he wouldn't find clues to the absurd in the future. He knew himself, and once he was free, no matter what happened along the way, he would always be searching for that absurdity.

Because the Lingren wasn't there on the day he left the base, he didn't have a direct confrontation with Lingren.

So the Lingren is still alive.

To prevent the Lingren from harming him again, he will do everything he can to seize the initiative and ensure that he is not manipulated at will.

If he is currently in the midst of absurdity, in the realm of some absurd, ghostly being—then everything makes sense.

"Although I can't be sure, it is indeed the most likely possibility. I hope my understanding of myself is correct." Yu Xing rested her head on her hand in the night outside the window.

He took a bath in Granny Li's bathroom before going to bed; Granny Li heated the tub with fire.

Yu Xing had almost never seen such an old-fashioned method of boiling water. He was born into a wealthy family. In ancient times, they were officials, and after the establishment of the Republic of China, they ran a chamber of commerce in the local area, doing all kinds of business.

He had never been involved in business, but he knew a little about it. In short, his family had connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles, which allowed him to live a very comfortable life.

Showers have been there since I was a child.

At the experimental base, he either took a shower or soaked in strange liquids; there was no chance to take a bath at all.

So, taking a hot bath in a wooden tub for the first time was quite novel for him, but that novelty faded after he thought about his current situation.

"Assuming I'm right and want to leave, there are probably two ways. First, investigate what happened between the two villages and piece together the whole story to break the spell and return to reality. Second, kill that Water Ghost... because the Water Ghost is the only confirmed supernatural thing I've seen here." Yu Xing muttered to himself, organizing all his thoughts into two tasks.

Of the two tasks, the first one was more difficult for him.

To understand the whole incident, he had to keep following the irregular flow of time. The second task, killing the Water Ghost, was much clearer.

Yu Xing cracked her knuckles, sensing the power within her body. "I wonder why my strength is so much weaker than I remember. Is this also a kind of restriction?"

Not only was his strength reduced by seventy or eighty percent compared to when he first escaped, but the sensitivity of his five senses had also decreased significantly, and his physical strength was even worse than that of a normal person, as if his entire body had been cursed and destroyed from the inside out.

He knew that the curse on his body would not be eliminated in the future, because when the Witch Doctor first touched him, he felt a chill run down his spine for a moment. He was all too familiar with this feeling; it would continue every day when he received the black tuft of mist through the tube.

But at that time, his physical condition was at its most terrifying stage, and the cold aura could only bring him pain, not much real harm. Unlike now, Yu Xing felt that if he were to arouse that aura now, he would die in less than half an hour.

Die... die and then be resurrected, repeating this process.

However, after weighing the options, he realized that if he were to unleash that aura in a suicidal manner, the Water Ghost would definitely be reduced to ashes within it.

It's an indiscriminate attack when energy bursts out, which may harm innocent people.

However, he has no compassion now, and whether these villagers are innocent or not is not a consideration for him, so killing the Water Ghost is not difficult.

"Let's see tomorrow... Try to figure things out as much as possible," Yu Xing said softly, closing her eyes.

His spirit also needs to be nurtured.

[Sheqing Ghost Yi Qing, it has been detected that you used the talent ability "Dream Intervention" on the deducer Yu Xing. Restrictions on you will now be strengthened. You have lost all dream-related abilities during this deduction.]

Although the deduction system was silent in Yu Xing's mind, Yi Qing, as the individual hidden within Yu Xing's Persona Mask, could still receive warnings from the system from time to time.

In a dreamlike bamboo house, Yi Qing reclined on a bamboo chair, his hair disheveled. He fanned himself with a fan, a smile playing on his lips, looking like a naughty student who wasn't listening to the lesson.

"Why be so strict? I only increased the probability of him dreaming about the past. Let me tell you, even if I didn't interfere, with his abilities, he'd remember some of it soon enough." With a snap, Yi Qing closed her fan and took a sip of hot tea. "Why not let this happen in a dream? I can observe from the sidelines and learn more about him, wouldn't that be better?"

[A deducer's promotion requires their own effort and cannot be interfered with by external forces; you have violated the rules.]

The system actually replied to him, and Yi Qing took another sip of tea. "What a great opportunity! You only told me to follow him, but you didn't tell me what kind of person he is. Since you won't tell me, I naturally have to figure it out myself. Hmm, I know you're not a living being, and you don't have emotions, just an empty will. But isn't weighing pros and cons your forte?"

He seemed to be talking to himself, but without the slightest embarrassment, he chuckled to himself, completely at ease. "Since you intentionally had me monitor him after discovering the anomalies in his data... then you should at least grant me some permissions, giving me the environment to monitor him."

"Well, I understand what 'monitoring' means. You're worried that this abnormal data might undergo uncontrollable mutations, and you need a sufficiently powerful person or ghost to restrain it. I agree."

The ageless, Sheqing Ghost lazily raised its eyes, gazing at the hazy, indistinct view outside the bamboo hut window and the strange dreams that occasionally flashed through it. In a negotiating tone, it said, "But if he were an uninteresting person, I wouldn't have agreed to this job. Most of what I said to him in the bar was true, as you must have heard. I went with him because I was interested in him. You could say... my interest in him came first, and your hint was only second. So, if you want me to continue keeping an eye on this unstable element for you, don't stop me from investigating this interesting person. What do you say?"

[You have violated the rules. Given your task, this violation will not be punished, but you still need to stop interfering with Deducer Yu Xing's promotion Yugi.]

"Alright, alright, I've already seen part of it. He's even more fun than I imagined. I definitely won't be bored for the next ten years or so." Yi Qing knew when to stop and didn't try to bargain with the system anymore. Then she suddenly remembered something, "However, the more I watch, the more I feel that Yu Xing's age is suspicious."

"Does this mean he won't be killed, or even die of old age?" The system didn't mention this when it prompted him to sign the agreement with Yu Xing.

Although Yi Qing doesn't regret it now, she feels like she's been played by the system.

This time, the system remained silent, as if it hadn't heard his question.

I slept soundly all night.

Yu Xing regained consciousness under the warm sunshine and realized that she hadn't dreamed today.

Sure enough, when he was about to dream of the mountain village last night, a mysterious force intercepted his dream, preventing him from obtaining any more information through the medium of dreams.

He closed his eyes for a moment to recover, when he suddenly heard a slightly familiar voice. "Brother Yu Xing, Brother Yu Xing, wake up!"

A tender yet energetic voice rang in his ears, Yu Xing opened his eyes in surprise, only to see Mai Mai's little face.

He suppressed the surprise in his eyes and looked around.

Good heavens, he's back at Old Zhang again... and it's still Old Zhang that hasn't become a deserted village.