Chapter 3: The Heart of Compassion
Sister, what use is it for you to involve me? Staying here, unable to extricate yourself, what purpose does it serve? The resentment is truly hard to dissipate; just go and eliminate your enemies.
I still do not know your name, I am almost out of strength to speak, let alone dig stones to make a monument. I will give you a nickname, "Dry Tree as a Monument," the meaning is conveyed, do not take offense.
It should not ... ...
Then ... ...
Yu Ziqing felt a slight sense of weightlessness, and in the blink of an eye, everything returned to normal. He stood on the hillside, and the female ghost had vanished without a trace, while the flock of sheep reappeared at the foot of the hill.
It is likely a ghost with a deep obsession, which, at present, does not actively harm others. It is merely that its resentment and obsession are too profound, having fallen into the abyss of despair, unable to extricate itself.
At this thought, as the new playback began, Yu Ziqing took out a small cloth pouch, about the size of half a palm, from his bosom. After opening it, he hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit of pain in his heart, and took out a piece of beef jerky, no longer than his little finger. Trembling, he rushed to the side of the female ghost and stuffed it into her hand.
And that phrase "It's dangerous over there" is not meant to lure anyone in the least
From the very beginning, he thought of the ghost in a negative light, believing that this female ghost intended to deceive him
To be honest, he really had not considered that the ghostly entities would not come to harm him with their claws and fangs, nor would they pay him any attention, which instead made him feel even more despondent
He only showed a slight, perhaps insincere, compassion just before being overwhelmed by despair, and it was unexpectedly rejected.
His abilities, based on current explorations, can only be specifically activated after knowing some necessary information about the other party; once triggered, he will undoubtedly possess the power to eliminate the opponent
But if he knows nothing, he is just an ordinary person who is starving and on the verge of death.
That sense of despair, which weighed heavily on the heart and made it difficult to breathe, also vanished without a trace
Yu Ziqing felt a stir in his heart and forced himself to calm down. As the new playback began, he quietly immersed himself in the experience, quietly engaging with it.
If this premise is itself incorrect, then everything that follows may also be incorrect
Sir, I am fine, let us go
Despair cannot accommodate even a trace of compassion
Moments later, when the abyss descended once more, the woman tightly gripped the beef jerky and was once again dragged into the abyss
As soon as the words were spoken, several men rushed out from the hillside not far away
Kind words of advice proved ineffective, as the other party continued to ignore him. After repeatedly reviewing the situation, Yu Ziqing found himself at a loss for words, no longer harboring the desire to persuade the other party to let him go.
At this point, he fell completely to the ground, becoming silent.
He knows that this is merely an illusion, or rather, a past illusion
The greatest possibility is that those few individuals did not have these when they came last time
The woman's figure transformed from solid to ethereal, gradually dissipating, and after just a few breaths, her silhouette reappeared on the hillside, transitioning once again from ethereal to solid.
Upon seeing a lonely and frail woman, just as she was about to step into the locust tree grove on the right, I momentarily felt a pang of compassion and offered a reminder, not realizing that it would lead to my own misfortune
Before Yu Ziqing could respond, a similarly dirty and emaciated woman emerged from the location of Yu Ziqing, calling out with a hint of surprise in her voice
That statement is merely a reflection of pure compassion
Take it, have some, you will definitely get through this
At this point, Yu Ziqing paused slightly, almost not believing it himself
There was a hint of surprise in her gaze, as well as a touch of complexity. In the next moment, rippling patterns spread out from Yu Ziqing at the center.
Unfortunately, not at all, those few strong individuals have not mentioned the strange situation here.
Yu Ziqing shivered as he curled his hands, constantly pacing in place to keep warm, making an effort not to freeze to death, while continuing to ponder.
However, after just one hour, Yu Ziqing was shivering all over. He reached into his bosom and found that only a few pieces of beef jerky remained, the last resources he had kept for survival.
She is bound to this place by herself, repeatedly experiencing her most desperate moment, quite typical
The woman was momentarily taken aback, looking down at the beef jerky in her hand, lost in thought.
You say I am stingy? This is the least I can give? What do you understand, this is my lifeline, my very existence is sustained by these few pieces of beef jerky...
Miss, may I ask your surname? Would you be so kind as to share your name with me?
He stood in place, catching a glimpse of a white feathered arrow that appeared from nowhere, suddenly piercing her chest. She staggered and fell to the ground, gritting her teeth, with the most desperate expression, using her last ounce of strength to throw the swaddled bundle in her hands into the bottomless abyss behind her
Yu Ziqing turned to leave, while Old Yang stretched his neck to look at the writing. His gaze was somewhat strange, and in the end, he shook his head and followed along, unable to bear to look directly.
And now, he does not even know the other party's surname and given name.
This matter is not quite right, nor should it be
Unfortunately, the information currently available is too limited. I lowered my head to look at the short sword, which remained completely still
It is indeed a replay, but it keeps replaying without moving on to the next one
What kind of wretched place is this
Since it is not a female ghost trying to harm him, then the issue lies with the ground beneath his feet
There are indeed still people
This time, it seems to be somewhat different
Please go this way, it is dangerous over there
Yu Ziqing found the situation before him rather complex, and with a sigh of despair, he realized that it was indeed as he had speculated. The continuously replaying illusion was a desperate abyss, a place that allowed no trace of compassion.
I suppose the thing she regrets the most is this very sentence
No one would willingly expose their most desperate scars to others time and again, especially not by forcing others to look at them
Moreover, do not blame yourself; your child certainly does not hold it against you, truly
Especially when the woman threw the swaddled infant off the cliff, the sense of despair was akin to the water of the deep sea pressing in from all directions, an omnipresent force that left him breathless
They laughed heartily as they ran towards the woman on the hillside
The other party remained silent, completely ignoring Yu Ziqing, merely sinking deeper into the abyss of despair, again and again
What if
What if I am a good person, what if I happen to encounter your enemy, and what if I show great mercy and take revenge for you by beheading them and bringing their heads to you
Ah, young lady, please let me go. Just take a gamble that what I am saying is true; after all, you have nothing to lose.
The woman's complexion changed slightly, and she immediately realized she had been deceived. She turned around and ran out from behind the withered tree, revealing a swaddled bundle in her arms
With a single step forward, all the sheep beside him vanished without a trace, leaving only Yuziqing standing alone on the path.
Moreover, if the writing is poor, it is not my fault; I am cold and hungry, and my hands are shaking
Several figures were hunched over, moving swiftly, their eyes a deep red, and their mouths unconsciously agape, revealing sharp fangs
The most bizarre thing on the right side is the layer of fallen leaves that resembles quicksand, appearing like the gaping mouths of ravenous beasts waiting to be fed
From the hollow of the withered tree, a woman floated out, one hand gently touching the newly carved inscriptions, while the other held a small piece of beef jerky left by Yu Ziqing, quietly gazing for a long, long time
If she does not do something, Yu Ziqing always feels a sense of unease. This wretched place allows no room for even the slightest compassion for others, yet it insists on tormenting her with a heart full of pity. If she were to completely turn to darkness, she might have escaped long ago
Since she does not wish to harm others and even ignores the visitors, she cannot possibly be one of those extremely rare psychologically twisted deviants, as she does not seem to fit that description either
Currently, Yu Ziqing finds himself in this place, and the other party has not taken any action against him. The only dangers he faces at the moment are the possibility of dying from thirst, hunger, or exposure to the cold
After taking two steps, Yu Ziqing stopped, paused for a moment, decisively turned around, drew his short sword, approached the withered tree, and carved a few crooked characters into the bark.
The old sheep, seeing that Yu Ziqing seemed to not understand, no longer signaled but simply grinned widely, listening to Yu Ziqing's exasperated explanation
And the woman on the left now seems to have understood.
Yu Ziqing was somewhat exasperated
Therefore, if the other party does not intend to deceive him, from the very beginning it was to remind him that the woods on the right are dangerous, and that walking this way is safe
Big sister, trapping me here is of no use. We have no grievances in the past and no enmity recently. Moreover, I have not consumed my own kind. Ever since I arrived in this cold and desolate place, I have even given up my favorite lamb!
To speak more rigorously, it only encompasses the enemies encountered thus far, and anything stronger remains unknown
She once again poked half of her head out from behind a dead tree, hesitating a bit, and with a touch of reluctance, called out.
I will set up a monument for you; it should at least have a name inscribed on it
If you continue to delay, you may never be able to take revenge, this is absolutely true
You see, this is exactly what I was talking about, the unforeseen circumstances have indeed arrived
Even if we take a step back and say that you are afraid I might turn against you once I go out, there is still a possibility that I will remember this matter. Taking a gamble on it wouldn't be detrimental to you, would it
Yu Ziqing made an effort to recall the scattered information he had overheard earlier, and took out the recipe, flipping through the complex and fragmented details that he had recorded to prevent forgetting.
There is also a little cub, hahaha
To take a step back, even if you cannot get out, if you let me go, and I happen to encounter your enemies, I could do a good deed by taking care of them for you, which is certainly better than you keeping me trapped
There are indeed still people
He simply feels that he is about to freeze to death, and this world is filled with despair
After some thought, Yu Ziqing added another column beside it
In the talismanic text you taught me, this character does not exist at all. I replaced it with a similar meaning; is there anything wrong with that
To feel anew, to think anew, Yu Ziqing seems to have gained some insight, as if he had intended to diverge from the very beginning
At the same time, the surrounding environment also underwent changes, and these changes were not centered around the female ghost, but rather around Yuzi Hetushucomcom Qing.
Ghosts do not harm people; it is people who cause harm.
As Yu Ziqing and the remaining flock of sheep gradually walked away, they disappeared down the path
Yu Ziqing was also on the verge of despair
This time, however, her appearance was somewhat different; her cheeks were sunken, her face was gaunt, she was emaciated to the point of being skin and bones, her hair resembled dry straw, and she wore a filthy, thin long shirt, draped in a mat of grass and tree bark
The grave of the son of Cece, Ziqing stands.
The several men, upon seeing this, immediately burst into loud laughter, appearing almost insane, with drool flowing freely.
The woman peeked out from a hollow in a withered tree, her eyes filled with a hint of reluctance. After hesitating for a long time, she called out to Yu Ziqing.
Yu Ziqing knew that if he could not handle this woman, who was uncertain whether she was a ghost or something else, he would truly be unable to escape
The right side remains unchanged, but the withered tree on the left side is not as withered as before
The woman's expression was filled with despair and terror. She tightened her grip on the swaddled infant in her arms and turned to flee in a panic. When she reached the edge of the hillside, it seemed she only then remembered the hidden cliff nearby. Looking back, a deep, inescapable sense of despair pierced into Yu Ziqing's eyes.
The place beneath our feet resembles an abyss, a despairing abyss, into which anyone who steps will fall, becoming trapped here. This may also be true for that female ghost; she is ensnared by the abyss of despair that she inadvertently created herself
During the third playback, Yu Ziqing could no longer hold back
The Tomb of Cece, established by Ziqing
The old sheep stood beside Yu Ziqing, continuously nudging him with its head, bringing the distracted Yu Ziqing back to reality
Glancing up at the cliff at the end of the hillside, Yu Ziqing suddenly had a conjecture
Please go this way, it is dangerous over there
This female ghost may not have intentionally trapped him here, nor does she intend to harm him; it is important to consider this from the perspective of a normal person, reflecting on a very common psychological issue.
And that same woman, who appeared as bait, also emerged, exclaiming in surprise
The old sheep shook its head, indicating that it was not referring to this, and then pointed its lips towards Yu Ziqing's chest.