"Waiting for me?" The middle-aged man looked astonished. "What were you waiting for me for?"
"Without you, I can't leave this well."
"So that's it... hmm? You mean you've found somewhere you want to go?"
"Yes."
Qin Siyang nodded, then said, "Come with me to the mountain behind the village."
"The mountain?"
The middle-aged man looked back at the distant mountain. "What do you want to go there for?"
"Let's talk as we walk."
The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "All right."
With that, he held up his lantern and led Qin Siyang out along the village streets.
The two began talking as they walked.
The middle-aged man asked, "Have you found a way to pass the trial?"
"Maybe. I'm not sure myself." Qin Siyang had little confidence either.
"Then why are you asking me to take you to the mountain?"
"I want to give something a try. It's better than doing nothing."
With that, Qin Siyang pointed at the black pattern slowly growing around his neck.
"If I'm not mistaken, the trial will end when this pattern forms a closed loop. And then I'll never be able to leave this village."
The middle-aged man frowned. "What are you trying to say?"
"What I'm saying is that I have to hurry and test my idea," Qin Siyang said. "But for all of you, there's already no possibility of leaving."
"Impossible!" The middle-aged man immediately rejected Qin Siyang's claim. "I'm alive and well! How could I be unable to leave? As long as I'm alive, I'll be able to get out of here!"
Qin Siyang sighed. "Actually, you're already dead."
The man's eyes widened, and he stopped walking. "How do you know?"
"I guessed."
"That's nonsense! Aren't I standing right here talking to you?!"
Qin Siyang pointed at