Falling Dreams Playing Games 5
"This is not your responsibility."
“You don’t need to do that.”
Huaiwen calmly turned around and looked at herself in the mirror. She had never thought about this question much before. What if one day, she ended up harming someone instead of saving them?
"Or do you want to save him?"
Huaiwen saw the leopard-print demon walk into the mirror and switch places with his reflection. The human and demon, now standing behind Huaiwen, stared intently at him with chilling smiles.
Looking at the other side, the demon who was in Huaiwen's team also went in. Now there were three people in the mirror standing behind Huaiwen.
Huaiwen turned around to face the three people in the mirror, watching them imitate real people with such lifelike vividness.
"Do you want to know what happens to the person who goes into the mirror and the person who comes out of the mirror?"
"If you want to know, trade with me!"
In the mirror, Huaiwen began to whisper devilish words, and Huaiwen held her breath, blocking out all the words of the person in the mirror. She had to remain calm and composed at this moment; she was now facing a psychological battle.
She had to admire Ling Shan Xuan Ye for designing so many different scenes. People were so captivated by them that they could no longer escape.
Huaiwen connected everything that had happened since she fell here. But none of the clues pointed to this place; she couldn't find the direct clue that Xuan Ye had given her.
In that case, she can only meet those people in the mirror.
The three people from the realm whispered among themselves, their smiles alluring. Huaiwen sized them up and spoke first, asking, "How do the three of you plan to win this game for them?"
Old Li, the mirror-like man, chuckled: "Well, do you want to know?"
Huaiwen tapped his cheek, feigning thought: "It's natural to want to know, and I want to win too. But I don't think you'll tell me for no reason. How about we make a trade?"
The leopard-print-clad, mirror-wearing demon asked, "What do you have to trade with us?"
"What do you want?" Whitman countered.
The leopard-print mirror-wearing man grinned wickedly: "I want you to walk into the mirror."
Upon hearing this, all four mirror figures laughed. Huaiwen frowned, and taking advantage of the moment when the three mirror figures in front of him were laughing loudly, he released a spirit insect on his back. The three mirror figures immediately reacted, their eyes instantly turning fierce, and they reached out to grab the spirit insect that Huaiwen had left on his back.
Three mirror figures were bouncing around, and Huaiwen searched for flaws in them. But after circling them twice, Huaiwen couldn't find any flaws, which stumped her.
"It's so itchy! Hahaha..." the leopard-print-clad, mirror-wearing demon cursed.
"You're heartless, you ambushed us!" Old Li, the mirror man, was both amused and exasperated.
In the chaos, the mirror demon on Huaiwen's team circled around and punched the two men in the back several times before finally knocking the spirit insect away. They were furious at Huaiwen's appearance, especially the mirror demon in leopard print, who rushed towards Huaiwen in a frenzy, wanting to deliver a punch.
Huaiwen dodged by flying upwards, but the mirror demon in leopard print seemed to be grinding its teeth, chasing after Huaiwen again. Huaiwen glanced at it, then threw a few more spirit insects at it, forcing it to stop and scratch itself again.
Huaiwen calmly landed in front of the mirror again, and the woman in the mirror spoke again: "What's the use of you dealing with them? Do you want to kill them? But you know, they are the ones who are alive now."
“You talk too much,” Huaiwen retorted weakly.
Huaiwen in the mirror suddenly laughed: "I am you, you are yourself."
At this moment, Huaiwen felt that the things Lingshan Xuanye had done were really annoying.
"Or you can make a trade with yourself. You come in, and I'll leave. Then the three people in the mirror in front of you will go back and exchange them. How about it?" Huaiwen in the mirror asked kindly.
Huaiwen asked, "What if I don't want to?"
“Then—” Huaiwen in the mirror pointed to the three mirror figures behind him, “Look.”
Huaiwen turned around, and the mirror that had disappeared reappeared. The three people were trapped inside the mirror, unable to make a sound. Then, the mirror-man, Old Li, walked up to the mirror, smiled wickedly, and slapped himself. The real Old Li in the mirror immediately collapsed to the ground.
Closely following was the mirror demon in leopard print. This time, he didn't hesitate to pull out a knife and slash his face. The real leopard-print demon trapped in the mirror instantly had three or four slashes on his face, and he screamed silently in the mirror.
Finally, there was the Mirror Demon, who was on Huaiwen's team. He merely pinched his left arm, and the real demon in the mirror felt as if his left arm had been severed. He didn't shout, but his face was filled with astonishment and anger.
This silent pain intensified in Huaiwen's experience. She faltered.
The mirror figures are unharmed because they are inanimate. However, their every word and action can harm the real people trapped in the mirror in their place.
Huaiwen never wanted to hurt anyone with this.
The reflection of Huaiwen in the mirror continued to persuade, "You see? If you don't come in, they'll be the ones who get hurt."
"Looks like you're going to keep all this money for yourself too," Old Li sneered.
Jing Yao, who was traveling with Huai Wen, laughed: "That's how hypocritical Taoists are. Once their own interests and lives are involved, how could they possibly die in place of someone else?"
The leopard-print-clad mirror demon sneered, "Don't even mention her being a Taoist priest; her character is so petty, she doesn't even qualify as a Taoist priest."
These words, like annoying mosquitoes in summer, kept echoing in Huaiwen's ears, making him restless and agitated. If it was just a game, then it was an internal struggle.
Suddenly, countless Huaiwens appeared in the mirror, all mocking him as a hypocritical Taoist priest who claimed to benefit the world but was cowardly and afraid of death, daring not to take any action.
The mirrors transformed into kaleidoscopes, layer upon layer enveloping Huaiwen in a wave of shameful thoughts. The vibrant colors and ever-changing images assaulted Huaiwen's already tense mind.
Huaiwen closed her eyes, unable to see the image, but the voice still lingered in her ears. After struggling for a long time, she finally spoke: "I understand, I'll switch with you."
Huaiwen smiled brightly in the mirror: "Then come here, reach out your hand and touch me."
The kaleidoscope fades, and everything returns to its original state.
Huaiwen walked to the mirror. Her face was expressionless, but the person in the mirror was smiling. Huaiwen raised her hand, slowly reaching out, but stopped just before touching them: "After I go in, will you help them get out?"
"Of course I am you, and I will do what you want to do."
Huaiwen scoffed, "Then do you know what I want to do right now?"
"What?"
I'm going to kill you!
As Huaiwen finished speaking, she raised her gleaming sword and stabbed her reflection in the mirror. The woman in the mirror collapsed in disbelief, while Huaiwen herself, blood trickling from her mouth, said, "You are not me. How could you understand me?"
"What I did was for the sake of this world. My good or bad is not for you to judge, and I will not allow you to become my inner demon!" Huaiwen wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were sharp as she stared at her reflection in the mirror as she fell to the ground and disappeared.
Huaiwen slowly turned around, staring at the three mirror figures before her, and gave a cold laugh. Just then, the demon accompanying Huaiwen shouted, "Our current physical bodies belong to them! If you kill us, they will be the ones who die!"
"Is that so?" Huaiwen sneered.
"Then kill all of you in the mirror."
The Clear Sword flew from Huaiwen's hand, piercing through the human and demon in the mirror with a three-hit combo. This time, Huaiwen heard the mirror human and the mirror demon shouting, and saw them disappear.
The mirror shattered, and a blinding white light struck again. A door opened, and Huaiwen rushed through it.
She returned to where she started—that dark little room.
The voice sounded again, this time announcing her successful completion. The voice asked Huaiwen if she wanted to continue, and this time, Huaiwen chose no. The next instant, she arrived on the second floor of the Drunken Dream Pavilion.
There was no entrance to the game, only people drinking and making merry.
Huaiwen pondered, she had many questions to ask, and without saying a word, she appeared in Xuan Ye's room.
As soon as she entered, she saw the demon who was in her team. She was stunned for a moment, and the demon glanced at Huaiwen and said, "So fierce, aren't you worried about whether the demon you're killing is real or not?"
Huaiwen said sternly, "I won't hurt you."
The demon muttered, "How should I know? Only you know the truth."
Huaiwen chuckled helplessly and couldn't help but ask, "Did you learn to talk like him?"
The demon stood with his hands on his hips, chest puffed out, and a proud look on his face: "What else?"
Huaiwen squinted, his eyes darting around before he said, "Oh, I understand."
"What do you know?! You're giving me that wicked grin!"
Huaiwen smiled without saying a word, which made the demon anxious and pace around in circles. Xuan Ye was sitting casually on his throne, pressing his temples, and said lazily, "Alright, Qingcheng, you can go now."
The demon named Qingcheng could only glare angrily at Huaiwen as he left. Huaiwen turned to face Xuan Ye and saw him still sitting on the throne, but this time he sat upright, though his superior posture remained unchanged.
Huaiwen stared at him and asked, "Did you arrange this on purpose?"
"yes."
Huaiwen pursed his lips, his expression serious: "Why?"
"I want to know how your trip went."
Huaiwen was skeptical and didn't believe him completely, but she followed Xuan Ye's words and said, "So what do you think?"
Xuan Ye stepped down from the throne, his outer robe sweeping across the red carpet with light steps. A smile unconsciously appeared on his lips, his eyes filled with admiration: "You are very clever and capable."
“I told you, come to me and I will treat you well,” Xuan Ye advised.
She saw admiration and satisfaction in Xuan Ye's eyes, just like a fox seeing a rabbit, or a child seeing candy—boundless longing, and a sense of certainty. She guessed that Xuan Ye had sent her to play the game to test her.
But Huaiwen was also annoyed. Did everyone, whether human or demon, who came to work at Zuimenglou have to undergo a test? Neither the human nor demon establishments conducted such rigorous assessments. Was this test a bit too much?
Xuan Ye raised an eyebrow: "Have you thought it through?"
Huaiwen's thoughts were interrupted. She looked up, her brows furrowed, and asked the question that concerned her most: "Those people, they're not dead, are they?"
Xuan Ye replied with a playful yet sly smile, "If they want to die, they will have their wish granted."
"Ignore them, you stay here."
Huaiwen and Xuanye locked eyes, each trying to decipher the other's intentions. Finally, Huaiwen asked, "You want me to stay because you think I can be like Qingye, like Qingcheng, a capable assistant to you, right?"
Xuan Ye didn't deny it; he nodded and said, "Isn't it good?"
Huaiwen took a deep breath, looked troubled, and shook his head: "I need to think about it some more."
Xuan Ye stared at her for a couple of seconds, then quickly looked away: "I don't have the patience. Tell me in the next two days."
"Then tell me first, how did I end up owing you money?"
Xuan Ye said arrogantly, "If I didn't do this, why would I come looking for you?"
Huaiwen muttered, "You can't do that."
After saying that, he turned and left.
As Xuan Ye watched Huai Wen's departing figure, he recalled Qing Cheng's report to him earlier. They had guided Huai Wen to play the game as planned, and she had lived up to expectations, successfully demonstrating her abilities within the game.
He is a qualified candidate.
Xuan Ye was very satisfied after hearing this. The people he chose were never nobody. Just like Qing Ye and Qing Cheng, he discovered them during the struggle among the myriad demons and brought them out. The current prosperity of Zui Meng Lou owes half of its success to them.
He wanted the Drunken Dream Pavilion to reach new heights, and he wanted the Falling Float to be even more magnificent.
He had already sent Qingye to gather information about Huaiwen, and he would soon find out who she was. But no matter who she was, Xuan Ye felt that he was determined to have her.
Thinking of this, Xuan Ye's heart beat faster than usual. He looked down and listened to the screams of his heart.
He thought, sure enough, his heart was pounding with anticipation for her arrival.
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