Chapter 171

Chapter 171

What thick skin this man has.

That was the immediate thought for most of the nurse participants after hearing his words.

Their next thought was: Dream on. It's not happening.

Many had overheard the conversation between Xie Yinxue and Lin Yue. He had medication, and while they didn't know who had offered him their sole protection, they were just glad he had a means to survive till the seventh day. But what about the other patients? It wasn't that the nurses didn't want to give them medication—it was the ticking time bomb called Hu Li that made things uncertain.

If Hu Li posed no threat, they'd willingly distribute the sleeping pills. It would be beneficial for everyone.

But Hu Li was very much alive. How could they just hand them out?

If they kept the medicine, they could take it when they were about to be caught by Hu Li at night, ensuring their safety even if they became patients. Without it, they'd surely be caught and forced to experience his hallucinations, especially now, when their belongings hadn't been returned. Encountering creatures from the patients' hallucinations, they'd be helpless and tragically doomed without even a chance to fight back.

So, the nurse participants found Bian Yuchen's request absurd. They hadn't even addressed his deceit, and here he was, overstepping boundaries.

Hu Li immediately cursed out loud, "Bian Yuchen, what have I ever done to you to deserve this?"

"Your emotions are unstable, you're unpredictable, and the line between right and wrong in you is blurred. You're a wildcard. So is Su Xunlan, but she's already been dealt with. Now, it's just you." Bian Yuchen's words were cryptic. He sighed softly, looked at Hu Li, then earnestly addressed everyone, "I understand your concerns. Rest assured, I will resolve this issue for all of you. I hope you understand that everything I do is with good intentions—to ensure we all safely pass this instance."

What does he mean?

Everyone's concern was Hu Li. By saying he'd "resolve the issue", did Bian Yuchen mean he'd "deal with" Hu Li?

...How does he plan to do that?

The answer was soon revealed. After Biàn Yǔchén uttered the last word, he turned his head towards Thirteen, nodding slightly in acknowledgment.

Thirteen responded with a brief nod towards Biàn Yǔchén. As he lifted his head again, he also raised the automatic machine gun in his hand.

In the split second the trigger was pulled, Hú Lì didn’t even have a chance to react. His head was blown apart, resembling the hollowed-out seed pod of a lotus. He didn’t manage to leave even half a word of last testament, only bits of his flesh and brain matter scattered on everyone around, except Xiè Yìnxuě.

This was Biàn Yǔchén's method of "resolution" — to kill Hú Lì.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh——!"

Lín Yuè touched the jelly-like substance that had fallen on her head, her eyes wide and almost popping out. Her lips trembled, but the overwhelming terror rendered her mute. Yet, sharp, piercing screams shattered the eerie silence of the corridor.

Listening closely, the sound was emanating from the deceased Hú Lì.

Jiě Qīngméi clung tightly to her boyfriend, Láng Qí's arm, "Is Hú Lì... still alive?"

Láng Qí seemed uncertain, "...Maybe he's dead?"

"There's more than one scream," Chén Yún focused intently, hesitating slightly, "And it seems to be coming from his kneecap."

Upon hearing this, Thirteen approached Hú Lì's body and unwrapped the bandage around his knee.

As soon as the bandage was removed, Yù Fèngzhú, Sòng Qīngyún, and Xiāng Fēi stepped back in unison. Xiāng Fēi retreated the furthest — Hú Lì's entire thigh appeared grotesquely transformed. His kneecap had been replaced by a bizarre human head with mandibles of an insect, and the thigh hidden beneath his hospital pants was no longer human but a revolting, worm-like form. The countless wriggling worm-legs didn't stop moving with Hú Lì's death, but thrashed about, as though attempting to detach from his body.

Seeing these grotesque creatures anchored to his legs, it was easy for the onlookers to imagine the grisly fate that would have befallen Hú Lì that night if Thirteen hadn’t intervened.

"So noisy." Thirteen frowned, firing his machine gun to put an end to these monstrous limbs.

Whether killing humans or creatures, Thirteen's calm was unsettling.

Even Zhèng Shū, who prided himself on his resilience after surviving the "cannibalism" scenario, was stunned for a moment before finding his voice, "Thirteen, do you... realize what you're doing?"

It was as if Thirteen hadn't heard Zhèng Shū at all. After finishing off the men and the creatures, he simply put down his gun, his face expressionless and silent, as if he had merely squashed an insignificant ant.

The 'Eternal Lock' forbids participants from killing each other. If you wish to kill another participant, you must abide by the rules set by the scenario. Otherwise, you'll face "retribution" at the end, and like Thirteen who killed outright, you'll be doomed.

"Thirteen sacrificed himself for all of us."

Biàn Yǔchén gently wiped a drop of blood from his left cheek with his thumb. Closing his eyes and sighing, it was unclear whether he mourned for Thirteen or Hú Lì. Three seconds later, he opened his eyes, speaking with a cheerful tone and a smile, "Alright, everyone. The matter of concern has been resolved. Night is approaching and we don't have much time left. So I hope you'll all seriously consider my request."

Is there even a need to think about it?

Zheng Shu felt that any of their nurses who dared to utter the word "no" would instantly become a "problem" in Bian Yuchen's eyes, destined to receive the same fate as Hu Li.

So, he promptly raised both hands: "I've given my medicine to Xie Yinxue."

Xiangfei quickly rummaged through her pocket: "Who still needs medicine? Come and get it."

Song Qingyun held out the medicine to Lv Shuo with both hands: "Please, take it."

……

In less than a minute, all the patient participants had received their sleeping pills. Lin Yue, shaken by the events, came to her senses with a pill still in her hand, feeling as if she were holding a burning coal, unsure whether to keep or discard it.

Fortunately, Bian Yuchen, having achieved his objective, overlooked this minor detail. He pressed his palms together, resembling a benevolent deity, and bowed slightly, "Thank you all for your assistance. You are all good people. It's getting late; please get some rest."

The nurse participants left en masse without looking back.

Xiao Siyu, sharing a room with the "bullet-maker" Thirteen, felt a tad uneasy. Yet Thirteen didn't even glance his way and simply went to bed after taking his medicine.

Lv Shuo sneaked a glance at Xie Yinxue and Bian Yuchen from the first ward, who seemed not ready to sleep, and urgently motioned to Chen Yun and Xiao Siyu, suggesting with hand signals: We should sleep quickly; the more we know, the sooner we die.

The two then fell silent.

Inside ward one, Bian Yuchen lay down first, turning to Xie Yinxue, "Mr. Xie, this is all I could do for everyone. For the next two days, we're all relying on you."

Xie Yinxue lifted his heavily bandaged right hand, indicating his current state of injury, and asked, "What if I can't help?"

"Why the modesty? You surely can help," Bian Yuchen replied, his genteel smile never fading for a moment, "In fact, only you can."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yinxue smiled back, nodding towards the red string on Bian's wrist, "That's a nice red string you're wearing."

"Would you like one, Mr. Xie?" Bian Yuchen sat up, unraveling one to present it to Xie Yinxue, "Unfortunately, this string only serves as a talisman for blessings. It's not as impressive as your pear blossom bracelet."

Xie Yinxue looked down for a moment and then said, "It's of no use to me. I'll pass."

"Alright." Bian Yuchen put the string back on and lay down. Before taking his sleeping pill, he wished Xie Yinxue a good night, "I'll head to sleep first. I hope you have sweet dreams tonight."

With that, only Xie Yinxue remained awake in the ward.

He lowered his head, fidgeting with the bandages on his right hand. He flexed his fingers, each movement looking laborious and stiff. After a moment, he let out a soft sigh, "It's useless."

—— This hand can no longer wield a sword.

Though he could still use his left hand, it would never match the dexterity of the right.

Nevertheless, the night wasn't entirely fruitless.

He had garnered a critical piece of information: both he and Bian Yuchen were practitioners of the mysterious art of Qimen Dunjia, though they followed different paths.

Xie Yinxue practiced the art of magical rituals, renowned for their sorcery and incantations. This art could command spirits, heal diseases, and even raise the dead. The pinnacle of mastery meant that with a wave of one's hand, armies could be decimated. Conversely, Bian Yuchen was skilled in the art of divination, which used astronomical and elemental alignments to forecast events and determine fates.

In simpler terms, Xie Yinxue was proficient in sorcery, while Bian Yuchen excelled in divination.

If you asked Xie Yinxue to perform divination, he could give a general prediction at best. He wouldn't be able to determine the precise outcome of a particular choice on a specific day. Bian Yuchen, on the other hand, likely could. However, if Bian Yuchen were to attempt sorcery, he might conjure a simple object, but he couldn't emulate Xie Yinxue's ability to use a pear blossom bracelet as a shield against harm. The red string Bian Yuchen wore was merely a tool for divination, as useful in Xie Yinxue's hands as flipping a coin.

This was primarily why Xie Yinxue held no fondness for the art of divination.

To him, cultivation was about defying and challenging the heavens, asserting that one's destiny was in one's own hands, not dictated by external forces.

Now, with Bian Yuchen offering so much assistance and flattery, he probably deduced that the key to surviving the Qing Mountain Asylum was in Xie Yinxue's hands. He was likely hoping that Xie Yinxue would lead them both to safety.

Tonight, when Bian Yuchen commanded Thirteen to kill Huli, it seemed like he was forcing the nurse participants to distribute medicine to the patients. But in reality, he was pressuring Xie Yinxue. Just as Xie Yinxue had the Shen family behind him, behind Bian Yuchen was the powerful "Bian family."

Thirteen was a loyal servant of the Bian family, devoted entirely to Bian Yuchen's commands. He'd kill whomever Bian Yuchen pointed out without hesitation, not caring about his own life or death. Xie Yinxue, however, had his reservations because of Liu Buhua, as well as old acquaintances like Chen Yun, Lv Shuo, and Xiao Siyu. If Xie Yinxue refused to cooperate, Bian Yuchen would surely command Thirteen to either kill them all or even turn against Xie Yinxue.

Taking his medicine, Xie Yinxue lay on the bed, whispering the unfinished sentence he had meant for Liu Buhua, "...I'm not good enough."

Chen Yuqing had named him "Yinxue," constantly reminding him to detach from worldly desires and emotions, to be like the untouched snow, leaving no trace.

But he continually failed and found it impossible.

That's why he hurt himself, why he felt controlled by others.

Yet he never regretted it.

Author's Note:

① Adapted from "Qimen Dunjia."

②"Heaven wants to destroy me, I'll destroy heaven; my fate lies within me, not with the heavens." — From Baopuzi Neipian, Volume 16, "Huangbai".