Chapter 129: A Glimpse of a Lifetime
What is being lost?
Losing your way, your direction, your sense of self. That is being lost.
One month seemed to be the turning point.
After that, the silence, the oppression, the frustration, the despair…
…all gradually transformed into madness.
It started on the platform where the Daoist gave his lectures. Amidst the Daoist’s calm and steady voice, the cultivators sat there like robots with their power switched off, their eyes dull and lifeless, their heads lowered.
Suddenly, one of them stood up and rushed towards the Daoist, his movements frantic.
“Stop talking!”
“I don’t understand!!”
“Just tell me, what is the Dao?!”
“What is the Dao?!”
He swung his sword wildly at the Daoist, but the blade passed right through him, as if he were made of mist.
The Daoist, as if he hadn’t even noticed, continued his lecture, his voice gentle, a serene smile on his face, not even pausing for a moment.
The man stared at his sword in disbelief, then reached out and tried to touch the Daoist, his hand passing through him. After a moment, a strange and chilling wail escaped his lips.
“No… it’s not real!”
“It’s all fake! It’s all fake!”
“There is no Dao!”
Qingying stared at him in shock, but Chen Yin gently covered her eyes with his hand.
“…Don’t look.” His voice was as calm as a still pond.
Qingying turned to him, curious, but before she could decipher the silent sadness in his eyes, a heart-wrenching laughter erupted from the platform.
“Haha, hahahahaha!”
“Heehee, hahaha.”
And then, a strange, unsettling sound, like the scraping of tiny teeth against wood.
She desperately wanted to know what was happening, but Chen Yin’s hand remained firmly over her eyes. She could only snuggle closer to him, her body trembling slightly.
From the corner of her eye, she saw a spray of blood on the ground before the Daoist.
At first, it was just a few drops, then it gradually flowed into a small, crimson stream.
Qingying suddenly didn’t want to look anymore.
What was even more terrifying was the silence on the platform. No one reacted to the madman’s outburst. They all remained seated, their heads lowered, their eyes dull and lifeless.
The Daoist’s gentle lecture and the madman’s crazed laughter mingled in the air, a grotesque and unsettling harmony.
A suffocating sense of dread filled the air.
After a while, the laughter gradually weakened, becoming fainter and fainter, until it finally faded into silence.
Chen Yin slowly removed his hand and said casually:
“Just a quick glimpse. It’ll be gone soon.”
Qingying did as he said and looked towards the Daoist’s feet.
She had seen many gruesome things as a member of the secret division, witnessed the most brutal and inhumane tortures.
But nothing could compare to the horrific sight before her.
What lay on the ground was no longer human.
Like a dissected animal, its flesh was torn open, the bones seemingly possessing a life of their own, having crawled out of the skin.
The mangled remains were a bloody mess, bits of flesh still clinging to the bones.
Qingying realized what had happened.
A wave of nausea washed over her, and she turned away, retching violently.
After she had emptied her stomach, a pale hand offered her a water pouch.
Qingying looked up, her face pale. “…Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
Chen Yin turned to her. “You’ll be seeing this kind of thing for many days to come.”
Qingying’s eyes widened in horror.
“If you can’t handle it, you can close your eyes.”
“H-how will I know when to close my eyes—”
“I’ll warn you.” Chen Yin’s voice was calm.
But his words sounded unbelievable to Qingying.
“You… you remember when everyone loses their mind—”
She stopped mid-sentence, regretting her words.
She glanced at Chen Yin cautiously.
He wasn’t angry. He simply fell silent, his expression unreadable. After a long while, he shook his head slowly.
“…I don’t want to remember.”
“But once you’ve seen this kind of thing…”
“It will haunt you for the rest of your life.”
…Just like now, Chen Yin could talk about it calmly, as if it were an ordinary event.
But in his previous life, the first time he had seen a cultivator’s bones crawl out of their skin and devour their own flesh…
He had vomited violently, just like Qingying, then retreated to the edge of the platform in terror.
Because what was truly terrifying wasn’t just the madman.
But the indifference of everyone else on the platform.
Chen Yin didn’t know who would be next.
He didn’t know if he would be next.
That fear was far greater than the fear of death, far greater than the fear of the endless darkness.
It was truly horrifying.
Qingying looked at Chen Yin’s dark eyes and finally understood why he had become so quiet and withdrawn after entering the Azure Cicada Ancient Domain.
If it were her, she would never want to return to this place. Even the mere thought of it would send shivers down her spine.
…But this was only the first.
She had only witnessed the first descent into madness.
If Chen Yin was telling the truth, then everyone here would eventually suffer the same fate.
Qingying suddenly didn’t want to watch anymore.
“L-let’s go…” She tugged at Chen Yin’s sleeve, her voice filled with fear.
But Chen Yin shook his head. “He’s gone.”
Qingying looked up in surprise and saw that the gruesome scene had vanished.
As if it had never happened.
“This…” She turned to Chen Yin, who simply shook his head silently.
“Don’t look at the others. Just focus on your brother.”
“Next time someone loses their mind, I’ll warn you to cover your ears and close your eyes.”
Qingying hesitated, then asked cautiously,
“…Will it be more horrifying than that?”
Chen Yin didn’t answer. He just looked at her with a sad expression.
Qingying understood.
She took a deep breath and followed him.
Chen Yin noticed that her hand was gripping his tightly.
“You’re actually holding my hand. You must be really scared.”
“It’s just holding hands.” Qingying said softly. “Don’t get any ideas.”
Chen Yin didn’t tease her further.
He just ruffled her hair gently and said softly, “Let’s go.”
Qingying didn’t like people touching her hair.
It made her feel like a child.
And she was tall, being patted on the head felt strange.
But this time, she didn’t feel any annoyance at his touch.
Only a sense of warmth and comfort.
The next few days were like a living hell for Qingying.
At any time, in any place, someone could suddenly lose their mind.
Sometimes, it would be during breakfast, a crazed scream echoing from outside. As she reached for the window to see what was happening, Chen Yin would already be there, blocking her view with his body.
“It’s not over yet. Don’t look.”
Sometimes, it would be during their morning walk. A cultivator, his eyes dull and lifeless, would suddenly start convulsing, stripping naked and performing obscene acts in public.
Before Qingying could even turn her head, Chen Yin would cover her eyes from behind, his voice gentle. “Cover your ears.”
It happened on the platform, in the middle of the night, everywhere.
Sometimes it was a single person, sometimes several at once.
Qingying felt constantly on edge, her nerves frayed, afraid that the seemingly lifeless figures around her would suddenly snap.
These days were incredibly exhausting.
But Chen Yin had protected her well.
Besides knowing that someone had lost their mind, she hadn’t seen any of the horrific scenes.
Sometimes, Qingying wondered…
How had Chen Yin endured this alone last time?
She quickly dismissed the thought, afraid to delve deeper.
If it were her, she probably would have gone mad by now, even without reading the Dao Scripture.
Every day in this place was torture. Compared to this, the seemingly cruel and inhumane tortures of the secret division seemed almost kind.
And throughout it all, Chen Yin remained by her side, silent and supportive. Whenever someone lost their mind, he would always be there to shield her from the sight, his presence a source of comfort and reassurance.
As an old man collapsed to the ground, mumbling incoherently, Chen Yin once again covered her eyes.
Qingying hesitated, then mumbled softly:
“You’re… not that annoying when you’re not being a pervert.”
“That doesn’t sound like a compliment.” Chen Yin slowly removed his hand.
“I wasn’t complimenting you! I was saying, can’t you just stop doing that?!” Qingying stomped her foot in frustration.
“Stop doing what?”
Chen Yin suddenly turned to her, his eyes intense. “If I change, will I become the type of person you like? Will you finally be able to like me without any reservations?”
“I…”
Qingying’s face burned with embarrassment, and she quickly turned away.
“I never said anything like that! Don’t overthink it!”
“Then why should I change?”
His gaze softened, and he said casually, “I’m not your boyfriend. I don’t need to be the type of person you like.”
“If you want me to change, wait until you become my girlfriend.”
Qingying’s face flushed red, then paled. She didn’t know how to retort.
She suddenly envied Nan Xiaoxiang. If she had her eloquence, she wouldn’t be so easily flustered by this man’s teasing.
Unfortunately, she was clumsy with words. And clumsy in general. He always seemed to have the upper hand.
Frustrated, she turned and bit his shoulder hard.
“What was that for?” Chen Yin frowned slightly.
“A girl’s prerogative.” She raised her chin defiantly.
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