Ren Xiaosu fell asleep. He had only managed to catch a sparrow after keeping watch in the wilderness for so long. Although he spent most of his time lying motionless on the ground, anyone who knew what was going on would know that lying motionless on the ground while maintaining constant vigilance was the most exhausting.
Before he went to sleep, he told Yan Liuyuan, "If you see those people, you must stay far away from them. There's no way they don't know that the Jing Mountains are dangerous. Most people would choose to avoid the Jing Mountains, but they just had to pass through there. My intuition tells me that this isn't a simple matter."
"Mhm." Yan Liuyuan nodded obediently. "Got it."
Actually, Ren Xiaosu and Yan Liuyuan were a very strange combination. A few years ago, they did not know each other. Later on, Ren Xiaosu decided to shelter the young Yan Liuyuan. On one hand, he had accidentally discovered Yan Liuyuan's secret. On the other hand, his headaches had been bothering him for a long time, so he needed someone to keep watch at night.
Back then, Ren Xiaosu and Yan Liuyuan had made it very clear that they were just using each other. But over the years, it was no longer clear whether it was just feelings or just using each other.
Yan Liuyuan had always been very quick-witted outside. It was only when he was with Ren Xiaosu that he would behave like an obedient child.
Sometimes, Yan Liuyuan would say that Ren Xiaosu had exchanged his life for his, but Ren Xiaosu would never admit to that.
Ren Xiaosu wanted to find out what had happened to his mind. He had deliberately waited for a long time tonight to see if the "illness" that had troubled him in the past would reappear. In the end, that chaos did not reappear.
It was as though the palace had always been hidden in his chaotic mind. Now, the black fog of chaos had finally dissipated.
Ren Xiaosu wanted to see what was inside the palace.
Yan Liuyuan glanced at Ren Xiaosu, who was lying next to him. He quietly picked up the bone knife and sat at the entrance of the shack. There was only a thick curtain hanging over the shack. It was autumn now, so it was a little cold.
At this moment, the rain stopped.
The sound of footsteps came from outside the curtain of the shack. The boots had a unique slippery feel on the muddy road after the rain.
A corner of the curtain was lifted, but before the person outside could completely lift the curtain, Yan Liuyuan's bone knife was already pressed against the person's neck.
It was a beautiful face. Outside the door was a beautiful woman.
Yan Liuyuan frowned. The person who came was not a stranger. He usually lived not far away from them.
The woman smiled and said, "Liuyuan, you're not asleep yet? Where's Xiaosu? I heard that Xiaosu is back."
"Sister Xiaoyu, he's already asleep." Yan Liuyuan smiled and said, "Why don't you tell me what you want to say?"
Xiaoyu's expression was a little unnatural. "Did he get hurt during the trip this time?"
"He got pecked by a sparrow. But Sister Xiaoyu, you don't have to be so concerned about my brother, right? You're eight years older than him." After Ren Xiaosu fell asleep, Yan Liuyuan had a mature temperament that did not match his age when facing outsiders. Regardless of whether the person he met was an acquaintance or not, no matter what they said, the bone knife in his hand never left Xiaoyu's neck.
Xiaoyu took out a cigarette and lighter from her bag. The cigarette was a type of cigarette that was only distributed to industries like coal mines and power plants that belonged to the stronghold.
Many able-bodied laborers did not work for the sake of money and food, but also for the sake of a cigarette. They would get a cigarette for every day they worked.
So when they got off work at night, they would often see a large group of people smoking together. Ren Xiaosu had told Yan Liuyuan that the cigarettes were likely mixed with something more addictive.
And the cigarette that Xiaoyu was smoking now was obviously not from her work.
Xiaoyu lit the cigarette and took two puffs. She seemed to be thinking of something. "You're so mischievous, so I treat you guys like my younger brothers."
"Oh." Yan Liuyuan suddenly asked, "Did you catch a cold?"
Xiao Yu was stunned for a moment. "Yeah, is my voice a little hoarse?"
"No." Yan Liuyuan shook his head and said with a smile, "I just noticed that when you were smoking, one of your nostrils wasn't emitting smoke."
Xiaoyu was speechless.
For some reason, Xiaoyu had a feeling that Yan Liuyuan did not like her very much.
"Then I'll head back first." Xiaoyu said, "When your brother wakes up, tell him that I was here."
"Mhm." Yan Liuyuan said with a smile, "I'll let him know."
After Xiaoyu left, Ren Xiaosu's voice suddenly rang out from behind Yan Liuyuan. "Don't keep bullying your Sister Xiaoyu in the future. It's not easy for her either."
"Bro, she's not clean." Yan Liuyuan said, "Besides, she only got close to you because she saw that you always came back with game."
"Who's clean?" Ren Xiaosu said calmly, "Those who want to survive in this world can't be clean. They're forced by life, so just stay away from her. Don't tease her."
In this town, a single woman would not survive if she was too clean.
Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment and said, "She didn't say that she liked me or anything. Also, are you sure she only got close to me because I can hunt for game? Isn't it because I'm handsome? "
"Bro, everyone hasn't washed their faces in months, so they basically look the same." Yan Liuyuan looked speechlessly at Ren Xiaosu. "Bro, aren't you asleep? Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I'm thinking about something," Ren Xiaosu explained simply.
Ren Xiaosu did not sleep because he was exploring the secret of that palace.
Inside the circular palace, the walls were lined with old wooden cabinets. It was like a huge showroom. However, the shelves in the showroom were shrouded in a black fog, so it was impossible to see what was inside.
There was only a table in the middle of the hall. On the table, there was a brass typewriter that had been obsolete since before The Cataclysm. It was the type that made clicking sounds as it typed.
There were only 24 brass keys on this typewriter. Each key was engraved with a word: "Fair, Righteous, Sincere, Honest, Friendly, Kind, Rich, Strong …"
It could be said to have a very positive energy.
However, the typewriter seemed to be stuffed with an endless supply of kraft paper. Furthermore, it would click on its own even without anyone hitting the brass keys. Now, there were two lines of small words that had appeared in the afternoon. "Mission: Give your game to someone else. Mission completed. Reward: Basic Skill Duplication Scroll. Can learn other people's abilities."
He could not tell if this was his imagination or if there was some other reason. Legend had it that someone could create a memory palace. In the memory palace, one could even recreate an imaginary universe based on one's willpower.
However, Ren Xiaosu felt that his own palace … seemed to be a little different from the description of the memory palace …
But why did it want him to give his game to someone else? Did this typewriter want him to be a good person?
To be a good person in this world where morality was a luxury?
No way.
At that time, his consciousness was standing in the middle of the vast palace, looking around at the surrounding "display cabinets." There seemed to be items floating in the display cabinets, but they were blocked by darkness. The dark fog made it impossible for Ren Xiaosu to see what was floating inside.
The display cabinets were connected to the dome of the palace. It was like a huge museum. Ren Xiaosu walked in front of one of the cabinets. He wanted to reach out and touch the item floating in the black fog. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not break through the resistance of the black fog.
This was a power that he could not probe at the moment.
If he wanted to know if the palace really existed, he needed Ren Xiaosu to prove it with his actions.
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