“Plop—”
With a loud splash as they hit the water, the icy cold water instantly enveloped and separated the two.
Their vision and hearing became completely blurred.
Watching Li Andy gradually move away from her, Youxi was suddenly struck by a wave of panic.
She instinctively opened her mouth, and the lake water seized the opportunity to pour into it.
She struggled, reaching out to grab him, but couldn't get any closer.
Her body was sinking continuously, as if the whole world was abandoning her.
Several clusters of bubbles flew out, like her hazy consciousness, leaving her body, flying higher and higher, higher and higher...
“Hoo—!”
As a rush of air filled her lungs, Youxi's body trembled violently, feeling as if she had been forcibly pulled from a nightmare.
“Ugh—cough, cough!!”
She tried to open her eyes, but an itch in her throat made her instinctively vomit.
Water, with a hint of a riverine smell, continuously gushed from her mouth and nose.
“Brother...”
“Don’t be nervous, I’m here.”
Li Andy gently stroked her back with one hand and wiped the water from her face with the other.
Hearing his familiar voice, Youxi’s frantically beating heart finally slowly calmed down.
“Feeling better? It’s nighttime now, your father won’t come looking for you, it’s very safe here,” Li Andy said again.
Youxi instinctively nodded gently, rubbed her eyes, and finally saw the person beside her clearly.
“Brother...”
At this moment, she felt inexplicably wronged and wanted to hug him and cry in a spoiled manner.
However, Li Andy didn't give her much time to think, immediately standing up:
“Your clothes are all wet. To prevent you from catching a cold, take them off, wring them dry, and put them there. I’ve laid out some firewood outside the door; I’ll go get it now. We’ll rely on it for tonight.”
With that, he decisively turned and left.
Youxi, left in place, belatedly realized, her small face blushing as she covered her collar, which had been open for a long time.
.......
Outside the cave, Li Andy looked up at the sky, where a sliver of light remained in the grey-black, as if the sun had just set.
However, only he knew that the sky had actually been broad daylight just a minute before.
From Youxi falling into the water to him reviving her, only a short dozen minutes had passed.
Then, he scanned the surroundings from where he stood and indeed saw a pile of firewood.
And next to the firewood, two flints were thoughtfully provided.
“Indeed... this is her mindscape...”
Li Andy could now fully confirm that the world he was currently in was illusory.
“Then... where exactly is this place? A Grim Realm?”
If he was truly in the lost grim realm, this should be a mindscape within it.
But which one specifically?
The Forgetfulness Bookstore, Regretful Retrospection, or The Prison of Regret?
Various similar dungeon characteristics flashed through Li Andy's mind, but none of the plotlines matched.
Could it be that the difference between reality and the game was significant?
Or was this segment of the story not included in the released game content?
Or, was this simply not the game he had played?!
Li Andy frowned in thought. Within his line of sight, a moth inadvertently flitted past.
“Moth... butterfly...”
“Wait a minute...”
Perhaps, this was indeed the Grim Realm he knew, but something had altered its original trajectory.
Li Andy instinctively looked at his ring, recalling the sense of déjà vu from before, and a preposterous and bold guess formed in his mind.
“Perhaps, I had already transmigrated...”
Li Andy looked at the monstrous mountains and felt a strange sense of suffocation.
The feeling of realizing he had lost his memory was truly terrible.
You even begin to doubt whether you are truly yourself, like depersonalization.
Li Andy slowly lowered his head. Under his feet, his own shadow was being devoured by the shadows of the mountains.
“Haha...”
Suddenly, he laughed self-deprecatingly,
“Delving into philosophy indeed easily leads to the trap of nihilism...”
“Why waste so much energy thinking?”
“The world is so beautiful, what I need to do is live in the present!”
With that, he confidently raised his head, his eyes no longer confused.
At the same time, a clear line of text appeared, encircling his ring:
“I, remain consistent.”
Memory, still blocked; but instinct, infused into the soul with spirituality!
Li Andy looked at his palm, the corners of his mouth gradually curling upwards, and his fist suddenly clenched.
The lake water clinging to his clothes was completely squeezed out.
His whole body was now dry and cool.
“Alright, now I should think about how to tackle this.”
First, it could now be confirmed that the source mindscape reflected in this world was Yuquan Youxi.
If he wanted this Grim Realm to be safely resolved, he had to make her realize that she was immersed in a memory.
How to do it?
Forcefully tell her she was “dreaming”?
No.
People’s perceptions and prejudices are far more entrenched than imagined.
Such a crude approach might instead cause her, who had no memory, to fall into confusion and a highly defensive state.
It’s like someone suddenly tells you he’s your future self, and these are the winning lottery numbers for five million; go buy them immediately!
The first reaction of a normal person encountering such a thing would likely be to think they’ve encountered a scam.
Therefore, he needed to correctly guide Youxi to “awaken.”
If he accidentally caused her perception of the world to collapse, this immense power that could create worlds based on memory could also easily crush them.
After pondering for a moment, Li Andy made the firewood stand upright, following his shadow, hopping along.
......
Inside the cave.
After the feeling of shame subsided, Youxi became scared again.
She huddled in the corner, hugging her bare arms, constantly peering at the cave entrance, feeling like every second was an eternity.
Why hasn't he returned yet?
Could it be that he has already been... by her father...
As she thought about it, her heart grew more and more fearful.
The cold wind echoing in the cave also grew colder.
At the same moment, Li Andy, who had just entered the cave, felt his scalp tingle:
“Oh no, don’t think such things!”
He dashed into the cave, but he was still a second too late.
A chilling voice echoed in the cave, and a viscous killing intent seemed to materialize:
“Fellow Daoist, what have you done to my daughter?!”
Li Andy’s breath hitched. He gritted his teeth and shouted at the trembling Youxi:
“Youxi! Run over here quickly! I’ve trapped him in the lake!”
Youxi suddenly looked up and rushed straight over, not even bothering with her wet clothes.
Li Andy felt the soft warmth that crashed into his embrace, sighed helplessly, and, holding her, rushed out of the cave.
Outside.
A pale moon hung in the sky, and the mountains writhed.
On the lake, the yellow-robed Daoist, with blood-red eyes, was trapped by an invisible force within the moon’s reflection.
Youxi looked at the Daoist, fear surging in her heart again, and the binding force was rapidly weakening.
Li Andy quickly pulled her back into his embrace, reinforcing the impression with his words:
“Don’t be afraid! He can’t get out now! I’ll take you to another safe place.”
Youxi’s body was still trembling, but the power binding the Daoist did not strengthen further.
But before Li Andy could breathe a sigh of relief, Youxi’s overthinking mind caused her fear to skyrocket:
“Mother... Mother is coming out soon!”
Oh my goodness!
Can't you think of something good?
Li Andy suddenly regretted so much why he hadn’t established a persona as an expert when he first met her.