Chapter 328 A Gift for My Dear Brother

Chapter 328: A Gift for My Dear Younger Brother

"Have you heard of the Doll Master?"

"Su Xuan" materialized beside Su Bai, leaning in to whisper softly into his ear.

Though Su Bai recoiled instantly, he knew escaping the other's speed was futile, and this eerie entity, for now, showed no murderous intent.

"I did sense the Ghost Witch's aura. I thought it was just my imagination." "Su Xuan" retreated a few steps, widening the distance between them. "Has he appeared by your side before?"

Su Bai was certain that the "Su Xuan" before him was unaware of his rebirth. While he didn't understand why the other would link him to the Ghost Witch, it seemed to be merely a connection, nothing more.

This uncanny being didn't appear to believe there was any profound relationship between Su Bai and the Ghost Witch.

"Are we going to stand here chatting indefinitely?" Su Bai took another step back, further increasing the distance from the uncanny entity. Given "Su Xuan's" speed, any attempt to create distance might be pointless. Thus, A Xi, Xiao Huo, Ghost Umbrella, and even Granny Bai were already poised within the Evil Ghost Puzzle, with even deeper puzzle pieces monitoring Su Bai's every move.

To Su Bai's relief, while "Su Xuan" acted as if he knew everything about him, he was not only ignorant of Su Bai's rebirth but also completely oblivious to the existence of the Evil Ghost Puzzle. This implied that "Su Xuan's" abilities were likely insufficient to probe Su Bai's memories, or even to know what had transpired in the Wang family mansion recently.

Had "Su Xuan" glimpsed even a fraction of the events at the Wang family mansion, he would have realized that Su Bai was far from a mere human new to the nightmare world. Escaping the Beginner Quest's penalty would not have been such an astonishing miracle for Su Bai.

In this unfolding crisis, it was fortunate that "Su Xuan" knew nothing.

"Is talking to your brother such an ordeal?" "Su Xuan's" expression seemed wounded.

Despite knowing this wasn't the real Su Xuan, seeing that familiar and cherished face, Su Bai felt a pang of nostalgia. It had been so long since he'd seen such a crestfallen look on his "brother's" face.

When they were children, Su Bai was like Su Xuan's shadow, trailing him everywhere. Sometimes, when little Su Bai, with his clumsy short legs, couldn't keep up, Su Xuan would stop, turn around, and with a resigned sigh, scoop up his little brother. A half-grown boy would then carry his "doll" of a sibling, running around the streets daily.

Over time, Su Xuan likely grew accustomed to his clingy little tail. So, when Su Bai started school, and later middle school, when he immersed himself in studies to keep pace with his brother and no longer clung to Su Xuan, and when Su Xuan invited him out but Su Bai had no time—though Su Xuan always offered encouraging smiles, his eyes would betray a hint of the same wistful sadness now seen in the eerie entity.

Yet, he would never deliberately display such a hurt and sorrowful expression as this uncanny being did.

"It seems I must offer a truly sincere gift to coax my sulking brother into speaking with me." "Su Xuan" pondered for a moment, lowering his head. "How about we discuss the Ghost Witch?"

"..."

"He is a formidable figure, one who, even beneath the Red Moon, can stand at the apex through sheer power. Alas, he is a solitary king, disdaining followers, with no faction behind him, guarding his unchanging territory for countless years, indifferent to the outside world."

This might be the first time Su Bai heard an eerie entity seriously describe the Ghost Witch. Although the peculiar Mr. Administrator also knew the Ghost Witch well—perhaps even better than "Su Xuan" in understanding the relationship between the Ghost Witch and Su Bai—he had never elaborated on the Ghost Witch's true nature.

Su Bai's own understanding of the Ghost Witch was pieced together from various fragments.

"But, my dear younger brother, aren't you curious why such a powerful being would have a connection with you?"

"Su Xuan's" words were always subtly manipulative, his softened tone designed to make ordinary people feel a gentle intimacy, as if the "person" before them truly harbored no ill will.

"Let me help my dear younger brother recall." As he spoke, "Su Xuan" extended his right hand.

On "Su Xuan's" outstretched right hand, the little finger was severely truncated, less than half remaining. Even with the wound healed, it served as a constant reminder of this incompleteness.

"Do you remember what happened that day?" "Su Xuan" gestured to the missing part of his body's right little finger.

For a moment, Su Bai was bewildered.

Not long ago, this eerie entity had explicitly stated that this body was "newly made," yet the vessel he crafted had replicated Su Xuan's lost little finger? And he even knew the reason his brother lost it?

Why?

Su Bai was now certain that this eerie entity lacked the ability to peer into others' memories. So how had it acquired this information?

"Let me think." "Su Xuan" didn't wait for Su Bai's response, continuing on his own. "Have you remembered what happened that day? Remember when you were five years old, mischievously climbing to the third-floor window and accidentally falling? Remember how Su Xuan, in a panic, jumped down to save you? Remember how Su Xuan broke his little finger in the process?"

Perhaps "Su Xuan's" recent actions had heightened Su Bai's vigilance to its peak. At this moment, Su Bai felt more a sense of strangeness than shock. No matter how Su Bai tried to expose this eerie entity's true identity, it persisted in calling itself his brother.

Yet, in that last statement, he had spoken Su Xuan's name.

"But the memories in your mind must be blurry, right?" A strange smile played on "Su Xuan's" face. "It was such an unforgettable event, so why are most of the memories indistinct? Why?"

Su Bai stood calmly, reminding himself not to be drawn into an inescapable rabbit hole by the other's repeated "whys."

Su Bai was only five when that incident occurred; it was normal for memories to be blurry and confused.

"Because you were young at the time, so it's normal for memories to be blurry?" "Su Xuan" seemed to read Su Bai's thoughts. The next second, he flashed forward again, the face belonging to Su Xuan instantly close to Su Bai's.

"My dear younger brother, that is not normal. Someone deliberately blurred those memories." "Su Xuan" lowered his voice, like a seductive demon. "As a gift, I can restore your true memories. They will be memories of utmost importance to you."