Was Yu Xing Deceiving Even You?

Qu Xuanqing walked out of a second-floor ward that was no longer haunted, with a note tucked between her fingers.

The words on the note were written in blood, carrying a strong, pungent smell that stimulated the senses.

The note outlined the general mission objectives and subsequent developments, and was signed... in blood.

After discussing for a long time, the guests in the base on the first floor finally decided to entrust the task of destroying the Rotten Heart to Qu Xuanqing. Firstly, Qu Xuanqing's skills were the strongest among them for the time being, and secondly, she had been secretly moving her location, so even Han Yan could not know her movements in advance and take advantage of her to do something detrimental to her while she was destroying the flowers.

The only one who can contact Qu Xuanqing is Ren Yi. He can use the sacrificial ability to transmit the crimson text to Qu Xuanqing one-way, which can be considered another aspect of Ren Yi's flexible use of the formation.

After reading the general information about the hospital director in the ward, Qu Xuanqing pieced together an extremely powerful and distorted imagined monster from the experiences of the patients, nurses, and Doctor. With a cold gaze, she looked out the window at the rooftop flowers outside the corridor for a while, and then gripped a sharp sword.

"Since the dean is the hospital itself, and it has killed enough monsters, and can move quickly and freely, why did it stay on the fourth floor for so long? Why didn't it just chase after the guests and kill them?" This was the first question she realized, and then, based on her intuition, she concluded, "Is the monster dean... also waiting for something? Someone who has committed so many crimes and hasn't been caught, even if their delusional state is extremely insane, wouldn't be a reckless person. On the contrary, they should be very intelligent, or at least very cautious."

When Qu Xuanqing wasn't smiling, her smiling lips blended with her temperament, giving her a rather cold and aloof appearance. After thinking for a short while, she took advantage of the fact that there were no ghosts in the corridor and opened the door.

Her soft murmur lingered in the air, "Never mind, who knows what madmen are thinking? Just like I can't understand why Han Yan thought killing everyone here was what the Lingren expected of him. The dean's delusional state has already driven him mad; his actions may not need to have perfect logic."

With a flick of her finger, the note she was holding fluttered to the ground, turning into a pool of blood that solidified into a small stain on the mottled surface.

Seconds later, the bloodstains quickly faded, and no one would notice that this small stain, which looked no different from the other bloodstains, was once a brand new piece of paper.

Qu Xuanqing's body, like a bloodstain, blended into the environment and quickly disappeared, leaving the Shadow Ghost hiding in the corridor no chance to warn them.

The next time Qu Xuanqing appeared in the eyes of others was when she entered the rooftop platform on the second floor. Seeing so many withered flowers, known as the Dean's Heart, her heart remained unmoved. She only tried to destroy the Heart, so as to create a battlefield for both the enemy and the ally that was no longer bound by the rules.

Just as Qu Xuanqing hand, had nimbly moved through the crowd without cutting down a single flower, and arrived at the center of the platform in front of the Blood Vessel Ghost Flower, she was momentarily stunned, because someone had already arrived there first.

This wording seems inaccurate. The woman sitting under the red flower stem was weak, her face ashen, and she was curled up. Even when she heard different footsteps around her, she had no interest in looking up.

It doesn't look like they rushed here; it looks like they were just abandoned by someone.

Qu Xuanqing wasn't sure if these flowers counted as ghosts or spirits, or if there was a live stream airing at this moment. She didn't act rashly, but instead called out hesitantly, "Pearl Seller? What are you doing here?"

Upon hearing her voice, the Pearl Seller, whose eyes were somewhat unfocused, stiffly raised his head and then replied in a low voice, "Qu Xuanqing?"

"What are you doing here?" Qu Xuanqing was not usually so easy to talk to. She emphasized her words and stared at the Pearl Seller with a cold gaze, as if she would use her sword to pierce a hole in him if he didn't answer.

"..." The Pearl Seller glanced at her weakly, but still managed to be pragmatic. "How could you not know... Strange... He stuffed me here."

He?

Han Yan?

Qu Xuanqing frowned, feeling that she was stalling for time by saying something ambiguous.

Because the Pearl Seller was originally a member of Single Prism brought in by Han Yan, it was only because there was evidence that the Pearl Seller and Han Yan did not have a good relationship. When the Pearl Seller disappeared, not only were they searching for him, but Han Yan also secretly searched for the Pearl Seller. This was a gain she obtained by hiding in the dark. She saw the Shadow Ghost controlled by Han Yan moving through the corridors and various rooms more than once, vaguely calling out the three words "Pearl Seller".

There was a special power in that call, Qu Xuanqing could sense it. If the Pearl Seller himself heard it, he would definitely respond under the influence of an indescribable force.

Therefore, she believed that the connection between the Pearl Seller and Han Yan was broken. Judging from the way Han Yan searched for the Pearl Seller, Qu Xuanqing knew that Han Yan was not worried about the Pearl Seller, but rather a strange distrust that made Han Yan choose to keep track of the Pearl Seller's whereabouts.

For this reason, she didn't kill the Pearl Seller moment she saw him. Instead, she unusually showed patience and spoke to the Pearl Seller, whose condition was clearly not right. "Explain yourself. Don't make me ask questions."

The Pearl Seller gritted her teeth and shakily got up from the ground. It wasn't obvious when she was leaning against the flower stem, but as soon as she stood up, Qu Xuanqing realized that the Pearl Seller was in a very "lifeless" state. To put it bluntly, it looked like she might die at any moment.

Despite having no external injuries, showing no obvious signs of poisoning except for her pale complexion, and not even appearing particularly dejected, she still gave off a sense of impending death, which was very strange.

The Pearl Seller found Qu Xuanqing's question somewhat unacceptable. She raised her eyelids and said, "Yu Xing, he put me here. You came here, wasn't that at his behest?"

Qu Xuanqing was a little surprised by the answer. She repeated, "Yu Xing?"

"You didn't know? He didn't even tell you?" The Pearl Seller seemed even angrier, but her weakened life force prevented her from acting on her emotions. She said weakly, "He clearly said he would let you know I was here as soon as he found you! That madman! I shouldn't have trusted him!"

"..." Since it was an accusation against Yu Xing, and Yu Xing seemed to have given some instructions to the Pearl Seller, Qu Xuanqing wasn't as fierce as before. After softening her tone, she decided to seize the opportunity to ask for clarification, "I was someone who was on the outer edge of the group. He may have notified others, but he didn't tell me. What did he make you do? Who did he make you wait for here? What did he promise you? You can tell me everything now."

When Yu Xing was mentioned, the Pearl Seller no longer felt the same sense of rejection and disgust Yu Xing had at the beginning of the morning; instead, he felt a deep-seated fear.

"He's a madman. I was on the second floor by the wall, peeking over it to see if any ghosts were wandering around." The Pearl Seller closed his eyes and began his story from the beginning. "Then, Yu Xing silently approached me from behind, covered my mouth, and dragged me into a nearby ward."

She paused, then continued, "That madman didn't seem to be in a good mental state. He was like a psychopath who would imprison people. He put a knife to my neck and asked me for Han Yan's location."

"... I didn't really think much of Han Yan Han Yan begin with. When he brought me to the 'Fear Hospital' program, he only told me it was a training exercise. He didn't reveal a single thing about his plans to me, so whether he wanted to carry out a massacre or had other motives, I knew nothing." The Pearl Seller finished speaking, panting heavily, seemingly having some difficulty breathing. "But Han Yan didn't intend to kill me directly. I sensed that he was still using the same control methods on me, intending to destroy my will to resist."

"So I guess Han Yan will kill the other ten people and then take me away." The Pearl Seller lowered his head, a mocking smile playing on his lips, his tone suddenly turning strange. "You're a senior; you must have seen many people from the Fallen Path and killed quite a few. You should know that we Fallen Path people are never rational. We're selfish, profit-driven, and sometimes, because of our own resentment, we make imperfect choices that hurt ourselves."

"I hate him, so even if he doesn't intend to kill me, I don't want to give up this rare opportunity. If I had to choose between Han Yan and you, I would choose your side, as long as you can make Han Yan die."

Her sudden display of madness and desperate gamble made Qu Xuanqing raise an eyebrow. Clearly, there was a story between the Pearl Seller and Han Yan, but she didn't care. She simply used a cold tone to steer the conversation back on track. "You're saying all this to prove to me that because you hate Han Yan, when Yu Xing held a knife to your throat and interrogated you about Han Yan's whereabouts, you just went along with it and sold Han Yan out?"

"That's right, I can't wait for you to get rid of Han Yan. In Single Prism, strength is paramount. Even if he's someone close to Lingren and can help me climb the ranks, I don't think he's necessary. With my own abilities, I can still slowly climb the ranks in Single Prism."

The Pearl Seller's words seemed perfectly reasonable to someone on the Fallen Path, and his tone was quite sincere, but Qu Xuanqing still felt that something was amiss.

She's too rational.

Qu Xuanqing thought that the woman in front of him had the same impression of the Line of Fallen Path as an academic who had given an answer based on an analysis report—it was flawless, but somewhat unrealistic.

Which Fallen Path would continue to degenerate when so clearly aware of its own problems?

Ultimately, the Fallen Path occurs because the Personality Assimilation Degree reaches a certain point, making it impossible for them to control themselves. When they try to be rational, the alienation of their personality has already deprived them of the right to be rational, which leads them to do things that are difficult for others to understand.

Feeling no remorse after committing murder is a lack of morality. Other deficiencies include being unable to feel pain, love, or fear.

Their flaws gave them extraordinary strength, but also their greatest weakness.

Unlike the Pearl Seller, who knows why she hates, knows how to maximize her profits, knows how people on the Fallen Path appear in the eyes of others, and even knows the flaws of people on the Fallen Path themselves—all of these conclusions are correct, but it's a paradox because someone who understands these things... cannot be on the Fallen Path.

A clear understanding dawned on Qu Xuanqing's mind, and she smiled, seemingly believing the Pearl Seller's words.

"Then tell me, what did Yu Xing make you do later? Why did you say he was crazy?"

The Pearl Seller, "After I told him Han Yan's location, he didn't go looking for people directly, nor did he come back to you to make arrangements. Instead, he asked me a question."

"What?" Qu Xuanqing asked, seemingly unsure.

He asked me... "Have you ever sold eyeballs?"

The Pearl Seller seemed to find the memory somewhat painful. "When I said I didn't have any, he looked displeased and almost stabbed me with a dagger. He said, 'I'm a respectable Pearl Seller, and I don't even sell eyeballs? If I don't even sell eyeballs, why did he look at me with dislike the moment we met?'"

Clearly, the Pearl Seller hadn't found a Karma connection between the two. For a moment, she thought Yu Xing was deliberately picking a fight, but quickly, through Yu Xing's eyes, she realized the other party was serious.

She said, "Logical inconsistencies and disregard for Karma are characteristics of a madman."

Qu Xuanqing nodded. "That's right. In some ways, he is indeed crazy, but he rarely acts this obviously crazy. You were probably unlucky and encountered... his temporary insanity."

The Pearl Seller didn't know what symptoms Yu Xing had, nor did she want to know. Her initial attitude towards Yu Xing was naturally based on her own considerations, just like what she was saying to Qu Xuanqing now, which was only half true and half false.

The process is entirely true, but as for the motives... no one can verify or prove it, so she can say whatever she wants.

She continued, "Then he asked me whether I should help him or die."

"Of course I'll help him. I was thinking, since I've been so nice and pragmatic, even if he doesn't trust me, giving me a small peripheral task would be fine; he probably won't do anything to me again."

"But..."

Just then, the fear in the Pearl Seller's eyes resurfaced. "I suddenly felt my life force rapidly draining from my body, as if something was sucking my life out of this shell. You'll never know how terrifying it is if you haven't experienced it. I could feel it; it was real death, unlike the rules of the Fear Hospital."

She took a few more deep breaths before saying, "Don't worry, these flowers won't trigger the live stream screen, so no one else can hear what I'm saying right now."

"I suspect Yu Xing is also at the 'despair' level. Did he even deceive you?"