Chapter 166: That Depends On What Strange Things Are In Your Heads
From Lao Yang’s words, they learned a story filled with a sorrowful yet eerie undertone.
Actually, when he first came out of the Qinling Mountains three years ago, Lao Yang never expected things to turn out this way. As he had said before, he only thought that prolonged contact with the bronze tree branch would cause him to see things he shouldn’t, such as hallucinations and ghosts he could actually perceive. These disappeared after he stopped directly touching the bronze tree branch.
What truly began to make him suspicious was what happened when he got out of prison and returned home.
As everyone knows, despite Lao Yang’s various flaws, there was one thing no one could fault him on—he was very filial to his mother.
Wu Xie had met Lao Yang’s mother several times, and she had always struck him as a very gentle aunt. However, in the photograph Lao Yang produced, his mother’s hair was noticeably much grayer, and her vitality was not as good as before. It was likely that Lao Yang’s imprisonment had dealt her a severe blow.
Lao Yang took out this photograph, his eyes holding suppressed grief. Wu Xie’s gaze towards him changed instantly, and considering the aunt’s condition in the photo.
“Auntie…” Wu Xie didn’t know what to say for a moment. No matter how much Lao Yang had deceived him, he wouldn’t have expected him to stab him in the heart about something like this. Could it be that she had fallen gravely ill due to the immense shock, and that’s why Lao Yang needed money so badly?
Lao Yang smiled and carefully touched the face of his mother in the photograph. “When I returned home, I learned that she had already passed away before I was released from prison.”
Passed away? Was it the “passed away” he was thinking of? Wu Xie softly let out a sound, and various thoughts swirled in his mind, finally leading him to a conclusion: “Then the need for money, was that just an excuse to trick me here?”
He looked back at Lin Yan. Didn’t you say Lao Yang wasn’t lying back then? Lin Yan shrugged helplessly, “He could already control this ability back then. What was fake had already become real. It’s understandable that I couldn’t tell, right?”
Only after truly understanding and being able to utilize this ability did Lin Yan realize that his ability hadn’t lost its effectiveness; it was just that the bronze tree’s power was too overpowered. Who could withstand such a dimensional reduction attack? Looking at it this way, Lao Yang’s ability was much stronger than Zhang Qiling’s. And in this situation, could it still be used outside the bronze tree? This was essentially a weakened version of God!
Fortunately, this ability seemed not to be omnipotent, otherwise, Lao Yang wouldn’t have had to go through so much trouble to trick Wu Xie here.
Lao Yang shook his head silently. “It wasn’t entirely a lie. I do need money, it’s just something that happened along the way.”
Speaking of which, Wu Xie only then belatedly realized that Lao Yang no longer stuttered. Honestly, him speaking fluently sounded a little strange, he felt unaccustomed to it. But then again, considering he had such a mystical ability, fixing a stutter would be a matter of minutes, right?
Lao Yang was silent for a good while. Wu Xie didn’t have the heart to ask more about such matters, so he changed the subject. “Then why did you show me the photograph? What do you want me to do?”
Lao Yang snapped out of his memories and smiled at Wu Xie. “Don’t rush. Listen to me finish first. Do you know how my mother died?”
After saying this, he carefully put the photograph back into his pocket, sighed, found a place to sit, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes. He then fumbled in his bag for a long time, pulled out a cigarette, lit it with a waterproof lighter, and tilted his head back, exhaling deeply.
In this moment, Lao Yang seemed to have let go of all pretense, the exhaustion on his face completely visible. Upon closer inspection, even a few strands of white hair at his temples glinted in the reflection of the amber. Wu Xie felt a pang in his heart looking at his dejected appearance.
Lao Yang was not surprised by their silence. After taking a puff of his cigarette, he began to speak amidst the swirling smoke. “The day after I was released from prison, I excitedly returned home. But as I entered the house, I smelled a foul odor. When I saw my mother, she was slumped over the sewing machine. At first, I thought she had a heart attack, but…”
At this point, anyone could guess what happened next, but neither of them expected it to be such a chilling scene that still sent shivers down their spines when recalled. What did “skin stuck to the sewing machine” even mean? Could such things be discussed inside a tomb? Wu Xie had never hated his own rich imagination as much as he did now; his mind was filled with it.
Damn it, if you’re going to say it, why describe it in such detail?
Fortunately, Lao Yang quickly continued. He was dejected for over a week, and just as he felt he would die quietly at home, he heard a familiar sound: “There was movement in the kitchen, like someone cooking. I thought it was auditory hallucination, but not long after, my mother came out of the kitchen and said to me, ‘Wait a moment, it will be ready soon.'”
Seeing Lao Yang’s bitter smile, Wu Xie could imagine his joy and shock at the time. ” …Resurrected?”
Wu Xie forced out the words with difficulty. Lao Yang nodded, then paused for a few seconds before shaking his head. “…Not exactly. But it was after that that I gradually began to notice something was off around me.”
Lao Yang recounted that it took him a week to figure all of this out, but when he gradually started to gain control over this ability, problems arose.
The reason people are complex is because human thoughts are complex, and most of these complicated thoughts are uncontrollable. It is for this very reason that Lao Yang had a very painful time during that period. He cherished the time he could see his mother again, but he would still involuntarily recall the scene of his mother’s death. That unforgettable memory would always remind him that even if the soul and body of the person before him were exactly the same as before, his mother was someone who had already died once.
He had no way to completely forget about this, which led to his subconscious mind’s last impression of his mother being that figure hunched over the sewing machine.
As he said this, Wu Xie completely understood and gasped, “You mean, you often wake up and then…”
He couldn’t imagine what kind of torment it would be to repeatedly witness the scene of a loved one dying, but he understood that whatever Lao Yang wanted him to do must be related to his mother, otherwise, he wouldn’t have specifically told him the cause and effect.
But even so, he still had some doubts and couldn’t help but look back at Lin Yan: He didn’t lie to me this time, did he?
Lin Yan spread his hands: You be the judge. Even if I had this ability, I still wouldn’t be able to figure it out.
Wu Xie looked at Lao Yang, unable to determine what he wanted him to do. It couldn’t be that he wanted him to help resurrect his mother, could it? He couldn’t even pass through the bronze tree, so asking him for help would be less useful than asking Lin Yan. But to be honest, even though he understood that Lao Yang just wanted to see his mother again and spend some more time with her to make up for his guilt during his time in prison, Wu Xie still did not approve of his decision.
In his opinion, the deceased are gone, and everyone is like that. Not to mention whether the resurrected Lao Yang’s mother would still be Lao Yang’s mother, or if there would be any deviations in a person resurrected through his memory. Even if it were truly the same person, human desires are endless. Who knows if Lao Yang would then want his mother to live longer, or even… for longevity?
Although in his subconscious mind he didn’t believe that anyone could truly live for a thousand years, the semi-formed living corpses under the Lu King’s Palace and everything here told him that it was achievable.
This made Wu Xie’s scalp tingle.
As if sensing what Wu Xie was thinking, Lao Yang finished his last puff of cigarette, then crushed the butt on the ground, and smiled at him, “Actually, what I wanted to do is already done.”
What does that mean? Wu Xie looked at his hands, imagining a knife appearing in them—it didn’t happen. He looked at Lao Yang, “When was it done? Could it be that in my subconscious…”
Lao Yang said with a smile, “Yes, look, how miraculous. The interesting thing about human thought is that the subconscious mind is completely uncontrollable. It’s your own thought, yet you can’t control it. In fact, I originally wanted your help, but now…”
He turned to look at Lin Yan: “There was a small accident, but it’s nothing serious. To be honest, I really have to thank you, Lin Yan.”
He stood up and sincerely thanked Lin Yan.
“I originally just wanted to find someone who knew my mother and had a clean subconscious to help, and that was you. But I didn’t expect that the person I thought was ordinary would be the biggest variable.”
He smiled at Lin Yan, a smile that was no longer a bitter one but one of complete relief: “If there’s a chance when we get back, I’ll treat you to a meal cooked by my mom.”
Wu Xie’s eyes widened. He looked at Lao Yang, then at Lin Yan, his brain a little stuck: “Lao Yang, I can understand you asking for my help, but Lin Yan never met your mother, how could he have helped?”
Lao Yang looked at him with the tolerant expression one would give a foolish child, making him almost want to explode: “You misunderstand. This ability cannot be intentionally used; it must be used unconsciously. Just thinking about it like you did earlier won’t work. It took me a long time to barely master this ability. Of course, it’s no comparison to Lin Yan. He’s like he was born with this ability. I can feel that his aura has merged with this bronze tree, becoming indistinguishable. Compared to me, he’s more like an omniscient and omnipotent God.”
Wu Xie was so spooked he turned to look at Lin Yan, but Lin Yan was still smiling at him as usual, showing no sign of anything unusual.
Lao Yang looked at Wu Xie’s expression, smiled, and shook his head. He then said something to Lin Yan that Wu Xie couldn’t understand: “Don’t worry, it’s only for three years.”
Lin Yan sighed, and only then did Wu Xie realize Lao Yang wasn’t speaking to him: “Mm, take care.”
No, what does that mean? What he said sounded like Lao Yang was going to… No, I can’t think about it! Wu Xie quickly shook his head, casting away the strange thought – he couldn’t help it. Ever since Lao Yang said that only subconscious thoughts could be realized, he had been on edge, terrified that some thought might lead to strange consequences.
Since Lao Yang said he had succeeded, there was probably no point in him thinking about it now. Perhaps when Lao Yang returned home, his mother would already have a meal ready for him. Although this had nothing to do with him, Wu Xie figured he probably wouldn’t visit Lao Yang’s home in the future. After all, upon seeing his mother, his first reaction was “the skin sticking to the sewing machine.”
What if Lao Yang no longer had this ability and he still did? That would be so awkward.
“So, that corpse’s face isn’t yours either?” Wu Xie suddenly remembered this question and asked Lao Yang doubtfully, “This isn’t some trick of yours, is it?”
Lao Yang shook his head, “I wanted to ask you! In your opinion, do I really look like someone who’d be trapped in this corpse cocoon?”
Wu Xie scratched his head and thought back carefully about what he was thinking at the time: it seemed he might have had some thought that Lao Yang was behind the whole thing, making Lao Yang seem like some big boss behind the scenes. Perhaps for this reason, his subconscious felt that the tomb owner’s corpse had Lao Yang’s face?
Ridiculous, this is too ridiculous! Then what kind of face did this tomb owner have?
He leaned down, holding his flashlight, and returned to the top of the corpse cocoon, observing the face inside through the almost transparent amber.
This time, it was an unfamiliar face. Although the height was still great, it had nothing to do with Lao Yang’s face anymore. He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, thinking it was fortunate that this was also something his subconscious had imagined. If it couldn’t be changed back, it would be hilarious, and he might have even left a backup clone card bug for Lao Yang here, allowing him to visit here anytime and then leave.
“But, Lin Yan, what’s going on with you?”
After resolving Lao Yang’s issue, Wu Xie felt a sense of lightness and then began to question Lin Yan. Lin Yan, however, responded with “I don’t know anything,” spreading his hands and showing no interest, “I don’t know either.”
This statement made Lao Yang roll his eyes. You don’t know, yet you can fully master this ability? Comparing people is truly disheartening. Compared to this monster, he was simply the lowest of the low, and it took him over a week even to realize that!
Wu Xie was also taken aback and shot him a resentful look, likely understanding that Lin Yan didn’t want to talk much, “Then what was going on with you earlier? As soon as you saw the bronze ancient tree, you started climbing it and couldn’t be stopped!”
Lin Yan smiled sheepishly, “At that time, I actually had some awareness, I just couldn’t control myself. How should I put it, like… a kind of hunger, pushing me to come up and eat something. It was already very obvious when I saw that branch earlier.”
He gestured towards Lao Yang’s backpack. The branch, still bearing teeth marks, was haphazardly stuffed inside, with one end sticking out. “I arrived here before you guys came in. Actually, this place wasn’t originally going downwards, but was in the center of the altar. To understand why it became like this, you have to ask yourselves what you two were thinking in your heads. I had a pretty hard time finding you, okay?”
Lin Yan frowned unhappily, “Originally, I was staying here perfectly fine waiting for you. Who knew that as soon as you came in, I fell down? Luckily, I reacted quickly, otherwise, I really would have died from the fall. Oh right, I almost forgot.”
Lin Yan patted his head and reached into the wall, pulling out two big rats who were still bewildered and gnawing on something. “I forgot about these two guys outside earlier!”
