pdf-ebookys Chapter 418 (2 chapters, 14000 words in total) [Domain·Drowning] A path to survival appears!
Chapter 418 (2 chapters, 14000 words in total) [Domain·Drowning] A path to survival appears!
He wasn't sure if he had misread it.
Huang Ying... hid her path to survival in her diary?
Just then, a sentence that Teacher Zhan had said suddenly flashed through Chen Ji's mind.
Instantly, goosebumps rose on his arms!
"Huang Ying is a very smart girl. A few months ago, she won first place in the county's spelling contest..."
Spelling contest.
"what happened?"
Wan Xiaoshuang and Tong Zi keenly noticed Chen Ji's unusual behavior.
Chen Ji stared intently at the diary, his face almost pressed against the paper, reading it word by word with extreme care.
After a while.
He raised his head and said softly, "I've found a way out."
"A way out? In the diary?" Wan Xiaoshuang thought she had misheard and couldn't believe it at all: "What is it?"
"We must die."
Chen said very briefly.
The scene froze instantly, and the atmosphere suddenly became absurd.
The boy frowned slightly: "Are you kidding me?"
Chen Ji shook his head.
He handed the diary to Tongzi and Wan Xiaoshuang, saying, "You two read her first diary entry."
The boy glanced at him suspiciously, then lowered his head to read:
(Dream)
I dreamt of that scene again.
A ghost is standing at the head of my bed.
He just stared at me quietly, his whole body dripping wet.
【who is it? 】
I can't see clearly, it's too dark, I feel like I'm drowning...
"Doesn't this mean that a drowned ghost has come looking for her?" The boy looked at Chen Ji suspiciously.
“Yes.” Chen Ji said, “Except for the first sentence with an ellipsis, read the first word of the remaining sentences together.”
Tong Zi and Wan Xiaoshuang slowly lowered their gazes and read out the words one by one.
ghost.
At once.
Yes.
I.
"...Is the ghost me?" Wan Xiaoshuang looked confused.
"The contents of this diary are fake, so Huang Ying is actually hinting at a message."
Chen Ji said, "There is a drowned ghost that corresponds to her, standing at the head of her bed in the dream. This ghost = her."
“Isn’t this just like our experience?” the boy immediately realized.
"Yes." Chen Ji nodded.
"I'll explain this sentence to you in detail later. Now look at the second diary entry and interpret it differently. The ellipsis still doesn't count."
"However, because the ellipsis in the first sentence is at the end, this piece is the last word of every sentence in a sentence."
(in water)
While washing my face...
The water in the basin was strangely clear, like a mirror.
[In the water]
I saw a ghost.
But how could that be? No, no.
[Pale, swollen, with pieces of softened skin peeling off, but the most terrifying thing is]
That's me.
"The ghost in the mirror isn't me..."
Wan Xiaoshuang murmured.
This statement is completely contrary to the text. In the diary, Huang Ying clearly saw a drowning ghost that looked exactly like herself in the reflection.
This is the same as Wan Xiaoshuang's personal experience.
The original text ends by stating directly: "[That is me (the ghost in the mirror)]"
But what is hidden is:
The ghost in the mirror is not me.
“There is no drowned ghost corresponding to Huang Ying,” Chen Ji reminded him. “The one that corresponds to her is the normal ‘Huang Ying’.”
"She was just reminding us."
Wan Xiaoshuang was stunned for two seconds, and suddenly, as if a bolt of lightning flashed through her mind:
"The drowned ghost in the reflection... is another ghost in disguise!"
The first sentence clearly states that the drowned ghost is me, and the scene in the diary is obviously an allusion to the drowned ghost in the dream of the person entering the realm.
These ghosts are the real ones.
And those ghosts in the reflections that foretell their death are not them.
I am the drowned ghost in my dream.
I am not the drowned ghost in the reflection.
则：
Although they look the same.
However, the drowned ghost in a dream is not the same as the drowned ghost in the reflection.
This explains why drowned ghosts say different things in reality and in dreams.
"The ghosts in the tour group can also impersonate others... Which one is it?" Wan Xiaoshuang murmured.
"You'll see when you look ahead."
Chen Ji said, pointing to the third diary entry: "In this entry, the words are read according to the order of each sentence."
"Read it step by step, starting with the first word of the first sentence, the second word of the second sentence, and so on."
(Save me)
It says
It says
Huang Ying's death is imminent.
The cause of death will be drowning.
[Just in July, midway through the holiday]
I'm so scared, will its words come true?
"It is lying."
Chen Ji read it aloud.
"Is the death prophecy of the ghost in the mirror a lie?" The boy asked hesitantly. "But Li Bi has already shown symptoms."
"But did she really die as expected?"
Chen Ji countered, "She was killed by the backlash of her own evil creature. At that time, her death was not yet imminent."
Actually, he was killed by the little monkey, but Chen Ji didn't intend to reveal it.
"I guess it's just a symptom, or maybe Li Bi is so afraid of dying that her body is being affected by her subconscious."
A hint of helplessness appeared in Chen Ji's eyes.
"Everything... was actually designed to force us to use the substitution method."
This is ridiculous.
“Therefore, everything Wan Chengzhong and Li Bi did was meaningless,” Wan Xiaoshuang murmured.
But she didn't feel any relief; instead, she felt a chill that went straight to her bones.
She became increasingly curious about what other information Huang Ying was hiding.
After a few seconds of silence, Chen Ji pointed to the next two diary entries:
"Read in the same step-by-step manner, but the fourth and fifth entries should be read together, because in the other diaries there is only one line between them, while only these two entries have two blank lines at the beginning."
Note that the title should still be ignored.
(Is death really inevitable?)
What does death feel like?
Will I ever see my mom and dad again?
Everything was over, but as I cried by the river, I overheard my older siblings whispering; they seemed to be cursed by a ghost as well.
(Things that must be done)
Should we try that method?
They say there's a shady way to save your life.
[When you are alone, and no one else is around, cut off a lock of hair from the person you have chosen and throw it into the Jagu River. That person will then die in your place.]
"Death... is it even necessary?"
This didn't make any sense when read aloud. Subconsciously, Wan Xiaoshuang repeated it several times, and then her eyes suddenly flashed.
It is read backwards.
"It's useless, they'll all die!"
Based on the diary entries, the meaning is:
The substitution method is fake; if it's used, both sides will die!
Wan Xiaoshuang's expression was complicated. Wan Chengzhong never expected that his diary, which contained information about the substitution method, had already hinted that this method was useless.
It will also kill him.
The last diary entry (the date of death) consists of only one sentence, with ellipses before and after it, making it meaningless.
Therefore, when interpreted together, it means:
【I am the ghost】
The ghost in the mirror isn't me (it is).
[It's a lie] (The death prediction was fake)
[It's useless; both sides will die.] (The substitution method will result in the deaths of both parties.)
Now, combining all the clues, we can deduce that the ghost in the reflection announcing its death is clearly the one that lied, which is...
"The Black Leather-Clad Ghost".
"It can't get ashore, so it uses this method to force people to get close to the river."
Chen Ji said, "The substitution method should be one of its methods of killing."
Ironically, the man in the black leather jacket was killed when his own friend used him as a scapegoat and pushed him into the river.
Even after it died, it used the same method to sow discord among the living.
Perhaps that's why it harbors such deep resentment towards those who use the substitution method, even going so far as to scalp them alive.
"Perhaps forced, perhaps controlled, Huang Ying could only write this diary to spread the method of scapegoating."
Chen Ji said slowly, finally understanding why Huang Ying's attitude was so inconsistent. She was clearly going to take him to the black-clad ghost, but she was secretly letting him go.
"But she still secretly hid a way out in her diary."
"Now let's go back to the first sentence, 'The ghost is me.' This sentence is very important; it's not just stating a fact we already know."
A glint flashed in his eyes as he tapped the diary a few times.
"This is related to the last sentence."
"The last sentence?" Wan Xiaoshuang subconsciously looked at the end of the diary.
"Not that sentence."
Chen Ji said, "It's the sentence formed by connecting the titles."
(Dream)
(in water)
(Save me)
(Is death really inevitable?)
(Things that must be done)
(date of death)
"Both the first and last headlines are too short."
"The first and last characters cannot form a sentence, so it should still be read in a step-by-step manner."
"There are six lines of text in total. There are two sentences in the middle, and the corresponding words may be in the same position. So there will be a turning point in the steps."
Chen Ji took out a pen and drew a ">" symbol on his hand: "So, read it like this."
In my dream, I must die...
Wan Xiaoshuang read it out word by word.
"In my dream, the drowned ghost kept saying the same thing."
Chen Ji muttered, "Go to hell."
"Was it malicious, or a warning?"
"If we, as living people, cannot come into contact with the dark green river water, then as floating corpses... can we?"
Huang Ying swam from the dark green river.
The boy was stunned.
On the first night, he and Chen Ji met the drowned ghost that corresponded to them.
"One-on-one, one for one, find a substitute,..."
The boy's eyes suddenly froze: "The task in the guide is incomplete; there should be another sentence at the end."
"So, finding a stand-in is just a process before completing the final mission, or rather, something we have to do."
Even if they don't know what the rest of the guide is, everyone can guess that it's related to the Jagu River.
After all, normally, it's impossible and unthinkable for a normal person to dive underwater, so the appearance of Zhang Wenxuan and the core ghost in black leather at the bottom of the river would be meaningless.
There is only one possibility: the process follows the domains, and the final task is to go to the bottom of the river to connect everything.
Combined with everything that has happened before... the mission is gradually becoming clear.
Enter the riverbed to rescue/find another Hongtian.
But to get in, they need to find a stand-in.
"Where there is a desperate situation, there is a way out."
The boy raised his head and said softly, "Jiagu River is this dead end."
"One on one."
"One drowned ghost corresponds to one person who enters the realm."
"One for one".
"An entrant into the realm swaps himself into the body of a drowned ghost."
"It's people replacing ghosts, not ghosts replacing people."
“Yes. 'The ghost is me.'” Chen Ji nodded: “The drowned ghost in my dream is another form of us.”
“I think we have to ‘die’ once, go through the process of drowning, and become a floating corpse before we can dive to the bottom of the river.”
"However, Ah Gou had already done so by chance, but he was still killed by Zhang Wenxuan."
Wan Xiaoshuang said hesitantly.
"What if Zhang Wenxuan stops us from taking Hong Tian away? Hong Tian even said in his sleep that he was locked up by Zhang Wenxuan."
"Red schoolbag".
Chen Ji had already thought of this, and he reminded him, "Zhang Wenxuan keeps appearing in Teacher Zhan's dreams, wanting his red schoolbag back."
Although the reason is unknown, it is very likely that the red backpack was the key to solving Zhang Wenxuan's problem.
"After we get into the water, we need to find Huang Ying first."
Chen Ji said, "If everything is normal, the red backpack should be with her."
However, he hadn't seen Huang Ying carrying the red schoolbag before, so he didn't know where she was hiding it.
The boy nodded silently, his eyes filled with a sense of vicissitude.
The path ahead is now clear.
Turning to look at the horizon, the warm morning sun rose from the distance, shining on the faces of the three of them.
The fog surrounding the domain has finally been dispelled, but at an extremely heavy cost.
If we had gotten the diary earlier, if our teammates hadn't been so suspicious of each other...
Perhaps they had already left the territory before the tour groups even appeared.
Unfortunately, Zhu Guang and Li Yinghe died in the darkness before dawn, never to learn the truth again.
The boy's hands trembled slightly. In fact, he had not actually seen Zhu Guang's body, but he really dared not... cast another divination.
Only he knows what it feels like to realize that his teammate is dead.
He didn't want to experience that feeling a second time.
However, his hand unconsciously reached into his pocket, touching three copper coins...
"Boy".
Wan Xiaoshuang said softly, "It's good to have peace of mind. What if Zhu Guang survives?"
“Yes.” Chen Ji also stepped forward: “Did you notice that the two female ghosts were actually chasing after Wan Chengzhong? So Zhu Guang may have really escaped.”
The boy pursed his lips, then turned his back and took out his three copper coins.
One throw, one catch.
Six times in a row.
The boy's eyes first turned gray, then slowly became incredulous, and finally, a glimmer of light flashed across them!
The hexagram shows:
There is another village in the dark.
Zhu Guang is still alive! But where is he now?
My heart was pounding. I turned around and looked at the teaching building. The golden morning sun shone on the windows on the second floor.
"Go check downstairs in the teaching building! The floodwaters have receded. Zhu Guang might have left clues there after he jumped out of the window!"
The three were filled with turbulent emotions and immediately headed out of the woods.
Gradually, I moved away from that old cedar tree.
After a few steps, the boy couldn't resist turning back for a glance.
The morning air is filled with moisture.
Li Yinghe huddled under the cedar tree, bathed in the glow of the sunset, her body shimmering with a faint halo, appearing and disappearing in the misty fog.
Suddenly, the boy no longer saw the twisted corpse sewn together with the ghost.
Instead, it's a completely different picture.
Every time they left the area, in the house the three of them rented, Li Yinghe would always complain about being tired and sleepy. She would curl up quietly on the sofa and fall asleep in no time, breathing evenly and peacefully.
It's the same now, isn't it?
She simply fell into a peaceful, long sleep.
Goodbye, Xiaohe.
"Have a sweet dream."
The boy murmured silently.
He turned around, gradually straightened his back, and walked faster and faster, as if a gentle breeze was pushing and urging him on...
move on.