Ch. 2841The Layman Between Existence and Nonexistence
Key plot points and events
- Song Shuhang asks Netherworld Ruler Dog Egg’s Dad about Heavenly Dao Prison Space, hoping to compare it with Fish-Tallow Layman’s Forgetting Divine Technique. Dog Egg’s Dad has no prison-space research data, since his Heavenly Dao counterpart conducted experiments secretly.
- Song Shuhang’s speculation that Heavenly Dao Spotted Dragon invented the technique prompts Dog Egg’s Dad to insist on his preferred name: “Heavenly Dao Dog Egg’s Dad.”
- Fairy Cheng Lin recalls having seen the technique before. With Fish-Tallow Layman’s permission, Song Shuhang shares its opening chapter with her and Dog Egg’s Dad.
- Dog Egg’s Dad recognizes it as an ancient inheritance that predates him. He concludes that Heavenly Dao Prison Space was likely modeled on the technique and offers to send Song Shuhang into the prison space so he can investigate.
Character developments
- Song Shuhang connects the technique’s principles to Heavenly Dao Prison Space and seeks expert insight, but initially declines Dog Egg’s Dad’s offer to send him there.
- Dog Egg’s Dad reveals more of his history with Heavenly Dao Spotted Dragon and playfully corrects others’ use of his chosen title.
- Cheng Lin is distressed that “Cheng Dogdan” may be replacing her identity; she feels the title is even changing her personality and style.
- Fish-Tallow Layman is losing his memory and sense of identity so rapidly that he briefly fails to recognize Song Shuhang. The narration describes the endpoint as “Quantum Layman”: someone who exists but is effectively unperceived and forgotten.
Significant themes
- Identity and naming: Dao titles can shape a person, and Cheng Lin fears that “Dogdan” is changing who she is.
- Existence and perception: The Layman’s condition raises the paradox of someone who truly exists yet is remembered or perceived by no one.
- Lost knowledge and continuity: A technique thought likely to have vanished has survived from an era older than Dog Egg’s Dad, making its preservation seem miraculous.
- Hidden experimentation: Heavenly Dao Spotted Dragon’s secretive projects leave even his closest counterpart without access to their data.
Character interactions
- Song Shuhang politely turns down Dog Egg’s Dad’s first offer to enter Heavenly Dao Prison Space, then consults Fish-Tallow Layman for permission to share the technique.
- The Layman’s confusion briefly disrupts their exchange, but he soon recognizes Shuhang and grants permission.
- Cheng Lin confirms the technique’s historical connection to Dog Egg’s Dad, while Dog Egg’s Dad clarifies that he encountered it before becoming Netherworld Ruler and offers Shuhang another chance to study the prison space.