Chapter 10: Flowers Bloom a Second Time

Yu Sheng found it absurd that he could live in an "Otherworld" for so long without realizing it—but Yu Sheng felt that this entire world was absurd.

"According to you, this world is full of 'Otherworlds,' right?" Hiding in the corner of a dilapidated temple, Yu Sheng chatted idly with Irene in his mind. "It’s just that most people can't come into contact with them? Because they can't observe them?"

"Something like that, but whether the whole 'world' is like this... I’m not really sure," Irene said. "After all, the world is so big, isn't it? But at the very least, within the 'Boundary City' area... the probability of Otherworlds appearing is very high, which is why this place seems to be called the 'Borderlands' or something... I’m not clear on the specifics. I’ve been in this painting for too long, and my brain is a bit muddled."

"Borderlands?" Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow, feeling a sense of déjà vu, but he immediately noticed another piece of information revealed in Irene's words—

She had specifically emphasized "within the Boundary City area"—so, this city, which seemed so vast it had no edges, actually had an "outside"!

He hesitated for a few seconds, but couldn't help asking, "What’s... 'outside' the Boundary City?"

"Outside the Boundary City? Maybe more cities? Or maybe... the sea or something?" Irene’s answer sounded vague. "I don't remember. I really have been in this painting for too long; I only remember a few things about this city..."

At this point, she suddenly stopped and asked with some confusion, "Don't you know? You haven't left the Boundary City either?"

Yu Sheng’s mouth twitched, and he fell silent immediately.

How would he know! He had only been in this place for two months—let alone outside the Boundary City, he hadn't even figured out the bus routes four blocks away from his own home!

But after a long silence, he decided not to mention it—he didn't want a "cursed painting" he had just met to know this little secret of his.

"I haven't been out; I'm quite the homebody... Never mind, let's not talk about that," he said dismissively, shifting the topic. "Let's figure out how to solve my current trouble. How do I get out of this so-called 'Otherworld'? By the way... you can get out of these things, right?"

Irene on the other end pondered for a while, seemingly organizing memories that were messy and blurred from long-term sealing. After a long time, her response came: "Otherworlds... there are many types. Sometimes it might just be a house that doesn't exist on any map, sometimes it might be an extra bus stop on a route, and sometimes it might even be a forest, or a kingdom you can enter by pushing open a wardrobe door—basically, smaller Otherworlds have relatively fixed and obvious exits, or you can return to reality by following specific rules, but the larger the Otherworld, the more complex the situation."

She paused, then continued, "I don't really remember the specifics. There should be a complete classification system for Otherworlds, and there are even 'depth' and 'danger' rating standards, but I really... have been in this painting for too long..."

Her voice gradually lowered, sounding somewhat dejected.

Yu Sheng had originally wanted to complain, thinking that this doll had rambled on for so long without providing any useful information, but after hearing her final mutterings, he shut his mouth and didn't bicker with Irene as he had before.

She was trying her best to help—she had just been sealed for too long.

"Let's look around; we'll find an exit eventually," Yu Sheng shook his head and looked at the valley outside the dilapidated temple. "The scale of this place doesn't look small to me. At the very least, as far as I can see, there are mountains on both sides and a forest in the distance. According to you, leaving... might not be that easy."

"Mm," Irene hummed. "You can start by walking around the 'original landing point' where you entered the Otherworld. Look for anything that feels out of place with the surrounding environment—things that make you think, 'that shouldn't be there.' Usually, the exit to an Otherworld is nearby. If there's nothing there, find a higher vantage point and see if you can spot any mirror-like reflections or hear a continuous sound of wind...

"But even if you find something like that, don't rush to approach it. It could be a trap leading to a 'deeper layer.' The specifics... I can't explain clearly. You have to rely on your intuition."

"Intuition?" Yu Sheng couldn't help but ask.

"...Yes. Strictly speaking, what it requires is 'Inspiration,' a kind of spiritual intuition. Trained investigators master this method of perception—I know you haven't been trained, but there's no other way now; you'll have to bite the bullet.

"But don't worry too much. Spirituality exists in all sentient beings; even untrained ordinary people have it, it's just not triggered. If you are careful, you will feel those warnings and premonitions that stem from your own essence—if you really encounter something you can't judge, tell me, and I will... try my best to help."

Yu Sheng agreed and slowly walked out of the corner where he had been hiding, cautiously heading toward the temple's main gate. That unsettling "feeling of being watched" and "sense of hunger" still surrounded him, as if it had permeated the surrounding air and become a part of the entire valley, but he steeled himself and walked out.

Because according to the information Irene provided, he had to find an "exit" as soon as possible to leave this place—waiting in a corner wouldn't make a door appear in front of him.

Meanwhile, perhaps to relieve his inner tension, he continued to chat idly with Irene.

"You said the place I've been living in is an 'Otherworld.' How did you judge that? I haven't felt anything wrong with my house..."

"I can feel it," Irene replied. "It's that 'Inspiration' I mentioned. I can clearly feel that there is something wrong with that building—of course, it looks perfectly normal on the surface... I don't know how that works."

"Intuition again..." Yu Sheng shook his head. "So, according to you, every time I go home and walk through the door, I'm entering an Otherworld, and when I open the door to leave, I'm exiting it? Then my house really is a 'good Otherworld' that's harmless and easy to come and go from."

After two or three seconds, Irene said softly, "...Opening the door to leave doesn't necessarily mean you'll arrive where you want to go, does it?"

Yu Sheng's expression stiffened instantly as he recalled why he had been so unlucky as to be trapped in this place.

He seemed to know exactly what was wrong with his "home."

Thinking about it, the fact that he had lived peacefully in that big house for two months was a miracle in itself!

As they spoke, he had returned to the open space in front of the temple, the "landing point" where he had first entered this "Otherworld."

"Nothing found here," Yu Sheng checked the area around the clearing carefully, confirming he hadn't found any of the "incongruous key items" Irene described. "Looks like it really isn't that easy."

"Yeah, that was to be expected," Irene sighed. "Then try walking further out, but remember, never touch anything that glows or suddenly moves in front of you. Also, unless absolutely necessary, don't eat or drink anything in the Otherworld..."

"I know... By the way, wouldn't it be better to search during the day?" Yu Sheng said, looking up at the sky, which seemed to be permanently covered by a turbid curtain. "Being out in the wild at night always feels eerie."

"Otherworlds are often counter-intuitive. It's not necessarily safer during the day, and in fact... there might not even be a day," Irene said immediately. "I still suggest you find an exit as soon as possible. If you drag it out, who knows what might change on your end."

Yu Sheng curled his lip and had no choice but to walk further away.

And the moment he stepped outside the temple grounds, he heard... a sound.

At first, it seemed like nothing more than a faint, blurred breath.

Yu Sheng subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound and saw a white mist slowly dissipating in the air, as if some invisible giant beast had just exhaled a breath of foul air.

He heard the sound, and thus, the giant beast's breath was generated.

He saw the white mist, and thus, the giant beast's existence began to be confirmed.

A black shadow emerged in the air, a shadow nearly three times the size of Yu Sheng, slowly taking shape in front of him, accompanied by heavy breathing.

Now, he saw the outline of the giant beast—the giant beast existed.

Yu Sheng's heart tightened instantly, an immense sense of crisis crushing down on him, heavier than the pressure the frog in the rain had brought him!

And the moment he felt his heart constrict, the black shadow solidified.

It was something Yu Sheng had never seen before—a bear? A lion? An eagle? Or a tiger and a snake? Countless hideous, strange, and ambiguous limbs were piled onto that massive, ugly ball of flesh, as if many beasts had been forcibly melted in a cauldron and then mixed together as they ran out. This nauseating, terrifying thing looked down at Yu Sheng with its swollen limbs of varying sizes and shapes, and in those randomly layered eyes... there was nothing but hunger.

Yu Sheng slowly looked up, meeting the giant beast's gaze.

The beast lunged without hesitation—at the critical moment, Yu Sheng ducked low, narrowly dodging past one of the beast's gaping maws.

Then he fell into another one of its giant mouths.

Sharp teeth clamped down viciously, and half of Yu Sheng's body was torn apart instantly. Yet, at this moment, the excruciating pain seemed to turn into a distant, numb hallucination. He felt everything before his eyes slow down. He saw snake-like limbs extending from behind the beast, and another giant mouth biting into him, tearing at the remains below his chest—he saw his own heart.

The heart beat slowly, then disappeared into the depths of the snake-like maw.

"F*** you!"

Yu Sheng squeezed out one last curse from his throat. He knew he was about to die again, but he felt he couldn't just let it end like this.

With the last bit of muscle contraction left in his body, he turned his head with all his might and bit down on something beside him—he didn't know which part of the beast it was, and he didn't know what good this bite would do, he just knew he had bitten into it.

If he was going to die, he would at least tear off a piece of flesh.

All of Yu Sheng's strength was spent in this moment. He tore at the beast violently, and the beast tore at him—blood and flesh, claws and teeth, food and diner...

Before his consciousness plunged into total darkness, one last thought squeezed into Yu Sheng's mind—he whispered to Irene, who was far away in some unknown place: "Irene..."

"Yeah?"

"Nothing, I'm hanging up now."

Irene was stunned, unable to react for a moment.

Then Yu Sheng hung up.

(End of chapter)