The same?

The previous water visions were either drawn by Yi Wansan or appeared as blurry images—honestly, from such scenes, one could only distinguish male and female figures, making it difficult to recognize the same person. So they mostly treated them as independent images, except for the dog that appeared throughout.

But now it was different. Since Yan Hong Sha’s dream and what she witnessed were relatively real, if she said they were the same, it meant that the figures in the images also had continuity.

Luo Ren pondered for a moment: “Generally speaking, after a cursed scroll is captured, it always presents us with two visions. One is the water vision, and the other is a hint about how to find the next cursed scroll.”

Mu Dai interjected: “The water vision appears very quickly, but the hint always comes after some delay.”

That was correct. Luo Ren looked at her: “What do you think is the reason?”

Mu Dai couldn’t answer immediately, but Yi Wansan leaned forward: “I feel like it’s…”

Yan Hong Sha urged him: “Say it, like what?”

“I feel that these water visions are something the Phoenix-Luan Clasp has prepared in advance, just waiting for the cursed scroll to be bound before immediately revealing them. But for the next cursed scroll, the Phoenix-Luan Clasp is still searching, so the hints appear later and are relatively obscure.”

Luo Ren nodded: “I think the same. These water visions might form a complete story, and the timeline of this story is shown in reverse—think carefully about the previous water visions.”

The previous ones? The impressions were somewhat blurred. Mu Dai recalled carefully: a dog with the Phoenix-Luan Clasp, a woman burning in fire, behind bamboo blinds, a woman and man embracing, a bride’s red wedding sedan chair…

Something flashed in her mind, and she let out a soft “Ah,” but before she could speak, Cao Yanhua had already cried out: “I understand! A young maiden, getting married, then having her hair done in the style of a married woman—that timeline would be the correct order!”

Luo Ren smiled: “Yes, let’s trace backward from today’s vision.”

“Judging from her clothing and hairstyle, that was an unmarried young woman. She appeared in a private school, but everyone knows that in earlier times, women didn’t attend such schools. So she was probably the daughter of the school teacher, helping with household chores. And they kept such a dog at home.”

“Then, when she reached marriageable age, she rode in a red wedding sedan chair and got married. If you carefully recall that scene, the dog was left far behind, staring in the direction of the red sedan chair. In other words, she didn’t take the dog with her; it probably stayed at her maiden home.”

Yan Hong Sha, being the least inclined to think deeply, was the most engrossed when others analyzed. Hearing this, she mumbled: “Who would bring a dog as part of their dowry anyway?”

“Then came the third scene: behind bamboo blinds, a man and woman embracing, with a dog in the shadows of the courtyard corner. I’m guessing this small courtyard was the woman’s married home. The dog appeared again, very likely having followed her on its own.”

That made sense. Although there was no reason to bring the dog as part of her dowry, if the dog followed her on its own, they would naturally keep it. After all, dogs were needed to guard the house, and feeding them wasn’t much of a burden.

Yi Wansan continued from where Luo Ren left off: “In the fourth scene, the woman’s house caught fire, and she was burned to death. The dog must have witnessed the entire process, but it’s strange that, typically, dogs protect their masters. Instead of rushing into the fire to save its owner, this dog just sat on the side, unmoved.”

Yan Hong Sha snorted: “Not every dog is as loyal as Hachiko. An animal is just an animal.”

Luo Ren continued: “The fifth scene shows that the dog, together with the seven cursed scrolls, is sealed by the Phoenix-Luan Clasp. So the water visions tell a story. If I’m not mistaken, there should be seven water visions forming a complete narrative, but we’ve only seen five so far. Though the story is becoming clearer, we still don’t know the cause and effect.”

However, this story must have a significant connection to the seven cursed scrolls, though where the connection lies remains unclear for now.

Seeing that everyone was somewhat losing interest, Luo Ren encouraged them: “Let’s take it slowly. Things will eventually become clear—with the fifth scroll captured, we’ve at least gained time, forty-nine days starting anew…”

He suddenly stopped.

Yes, according to Ya Feng, subduing a new cursed scroll would provide another forty-nine days, but his agreement with Qingmu was due in just a day or two.

If the trip to the Philippines didn’t go well, if something happened…

Luo Ren didn’t dare to think further.

At this moment, Cao Yanhua said: “Brother Luo, what about Qing Shan and Ya Feng? We can’t keep them with us forever, all tied up like this… It’s illegal, isn’t it?”

Just mentioning these two gave Luo Ren a headache.

On their wedding day, both the bride and groom disappeared, which must have thrown Cao’s Village into an uproar. As for Cao Jinhua, although he had instructed her not to speak carelessly, after living as neighbors for over twenty years, her loyalty might lie with the villagers rather than with strangers like them.

They were two hot potatoes—keeping them was unreasonable and illegal, but releasing them was somewhat against their wishes.

Luo Ren stood up and said, “I’ll go outside to make a phone call.”

In the Philippines, he had indeed assisted with interrogations using stimulant drugs that acted on receptors in the brain and spinal cord, inhibiting activity, making people involuntarily relax and more inclined to tell the truth, but at this time and place, such controlled substances were difficult to obtain.

He called Dr. Ruihua to ask if he knew any trustworthy colleagues in this area who could help with hypnosis.

Luo Ren instinctively felt that Ya Feng, though perverse in behavior, ruthless, and stubborn, was just a difficult woman after the cursed scroll left her body, not someone with strong mental powers.

He Ruihua answered indirectly: “Is Mu Dai with you?”

“Yes.”

“She can do it.”

Luo Ren couldn’t digest the meaning of “she can do it” for a long time. When he finally reacted, he could hardly believe it: “Mu Dai can hypnotize?”

“Based on what you’ve described, this simple kind, she can do it.”

Luo Ren thought He Ruihua was joking: “How is that possible? Mu Dai herself… is somewhat disordered.”

He Ruihua laughed: “Luo Ren, many things should be viewed from a different angle. If Mu Dai has three personalities, and each personality can stand on its own, while this indicates disorder within herself, it conversely indicates that her mental strength is quite powerful.”

“Mu Dai has undergone treatment with me. Don’t think her time here was wasted. We seriously explored various methods of recovery, including hypnosis. She may not be able to do it very well, but simple hypnosis and self-hypnosis are within her capabilities—I won’t introduce my colleagues to help you achieve personal goals, as that itself violates professional ethics and industry standards.”

Luo Ren was momentarily speechless. In the silence, as he was about to hang up, He Ruihua asked him to wait: “Someone wants to talk to you.”

Talk? Who? Luo Ren couldn’t think of who it might be until a familiar voice came through: “Brother Xiaodao?”

Pin Ting?

When Luo Ren came back, his emotions hadn’t fully recovered. Mu Dai looked at him curiously, and Luo Ren said, “Pin Ting is much better.”

Pin Ting? It had been a while since they’d heard that name. Before Mu Dai could speak, Luo Ren looked at Yi Wansan: “She asked about you, too.”

Yi Wansan stuttered: “She… she remembers me?”

“She’s not amnesiac. Of course, she remembers who genuinely accompanied her.”

After saying this, he pulled Mu Dai: “Come, let’s go outside. I need to talk to you.”

As Mu Dai was led out by Luo Ren, her mind was still on Pin Ting: “If she remembers Yi Wansan, does she remember me?”

“Yes, she asked me who that beautiful girl with me was.”

Mu Dai felt a bit nervous: “What did you say?”

From Uncle Zheng’s occasional remarks, she vaguely felt that Pin Ting had feelings for Luo Ren—Pin Ting’s asking was within her expectations, but more importantly, how Luo Ren answered.

Luo Ren said, “How else would I answer? You’re my girlfriend. If I said you were the housekeeper, no one would believe it.”

Mu Dai smiled, then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head in his chest, nuzzling against him.

Luo Ren lowered his head and kissed her hair.

He understood both Mu Dai’s thoughts and Pin Ting’s feelings. After he answered Pin Ting, she remained silent for quite a while. He knew what that silence meant.

However, some things could only be managed one at a time. Whoever he was more concerned about, he would prioritize. There was no need to try to balance things perfectly when they weren’t the same.

Mu Dai suddenly remembered something and looked up at him: “Just now, did you intentionally say that to Yi Wansan?”

Luo Ren nodded, not denying it.

“Yi Wansan was stuttering. Are you trying to match them?”

Luo Ren said, “Feelings should develop naturally. I never try to match anyone. If I were to match, I’d prefer to match Yi Wansan with Hong Sha, but…”

How to put it? These two people got along well now, but there wasn’t that kind of spark between them.

Like just now outside the bathroom, when she clung to Yi Wansan’s leg for help, almost pulling his pants down.

Mu Dai nodded: “Me too. I just pulled Hong Sha to help wash Yi Wansan’s clothes, and she took it all on, even asking Cao Yanhua if he had any clothes—since she was washing anyway, she might as well wash them together. She didn’t show any special treatment at all. Wasting my efforts, I even acted as bait despite being injured…”

She held up her finger for Luo Ren to see. At the hospital earlier, her hand injury had also been treated. The doctor had advised her to avoid touching things as much as possible to prevent pain, so she had washed clothes with her finger sticking out, making it extremely awkward.

Luo Ren laughed heartily. They truly were kindred spirits—both secretly trying to match their friends without success. He hugged Mu Dai and said softly, “There’s something I might need your help with. If you can do it, great; if not, don’t force yourself.”

“What is it?”

“Try to… hypnotize Ya Feng.”

The lights were turned off, and the room fell silent.

Ya Feng lay sideways in the corner. Earlier, she had heard the group discuss sleeping arrangements. Qing Shan had been taken to the bathroom by Cao Yanhua. Yan Hong Sha had come over and placed a sofa cushion behind her back. Mu Dai had borrowed an alarm clock from downstairs, winding it and saying that everyone was tired, so they shouldn’t oversleep, and she set the alarm.

After the lights went out, she discovered that the alarm clock face was luminous, facing her directly. The phosphorescent second hand kept moving before her eyes, round and round, rigid yet regular, accompanied by a ticking sound.

From the other end of the sofa came the voices of Luo Ren and Mu Dai, one deep, one soft, intermittent like lovers’ night talk. But when she strained to listen, they were talking about her.

—If it doesn’t work, let’s just release Ya Feng and Qing Shan.

—We’ll have to release them; we don’t have the energy to keep them with us. Keeping them locked up isn’t reasonable, as Cao Yanhua said, it’s illegal detention, and troublesome for us.

—They probably don’t know much anyway.

—Ya Feng might talk tough, but she’s just someone who was possessed. Even if her integration with the cursed scroll was high, how much could she know?

—She’s just a minor character. We should focus on finding the next scroll.

…

Indeed, out of helplessness, they would have to release them. Who could keep guard forever? Ya Feng felt relieved. The sofa cushion behind her was soft and comforting. Gradually, she too began to feel sleepy.

—Sleepy?

—Very sleepy.

—If you want to fall asleep quickly, you can count sheep.

—Or you can count steps going down stairs…

—One step, two steps…

The coquettish, lazy voice caused drowsiness to overcome Ya Feng. In her hazy state, following Mu Dai’s voice, a long wooden staircase that seemed endless appeared before her eyes.

One step, two steps, her steps feeling light, drifting hazily, as if never reaching the end. The alarm clock’s hand reached a point, clicked, and suddenly stopped. Around her, there was no more sound.

Mu Dai exhaled softly and sat up very quietly with Luo Ren, turning on the room light.

Ya Feng was leaning in the corner of the room, her eyes slightly open, her expression content, smiling as if mildly intoxicated.

Mu Dai walked over and sat cross-legged in front of her, waving her hand in front of Ya Feng’s eyes. Ya Feng glanced at her casually, then looked away, unconcerned.

This should be right. Dr. He had mentioned that hypnosis is not sleep but should be a “sleep-like” state of wakefulness.

Mu Dai smiled at her, her voice calm like a conversation between friends: “You don’t know much, do you?”

Ya Feng’s gaze was distant. She tilted her head and tugged at one of her braids: “Not much.”

“The cursed scroll’s possession requires at least a year or two of integration time, but you haven’t known Qing Shan for long. Why was the cursed scroll able to possess him so easily?”

Ya Feng raised her head, her lips curving slightly: “Because he’s different from you all. Many people in Cao’s Village are different.”

“How are they different?”

She lowered her head, her fingertips tapping the carpet as if playing with flowers in water: “Born different.”

Further questioning yielded nothing, so Mu Dai changed her approach: “What about you? Are you different, too?”

“I’m different too.”

“How are you different?”

Ya Feng giggled like a child, lowering her voice and leaning toward Mu Dai as if sharing a secret: “I have a wicked heart.”

“Where are the remaining cursed scrolls?”

“I don’t know, they’re hidden somewhere.”

“Why did you go to Cao’s Village?”

“Because it had been there before.”

“Who is ‘it’?”

“The Star Scroll…”

“What’s your purpose in helping the cursed scroll? What do you all want to do?”

Ya Feng suddenly became still.

This silence lasted for quite a while. Then, Ya Feng slowly raised her head, her eyes gleaming with a strange light, her gaze somewhat mad yet frenzied.

Luo Ren sensed something was wrong and grabbed Mu Dai’s arm, quickly pulling her behind him when Ya Feng suddenly lunged forward.

Fortunately, Ya Feng didn’t attack. She just clutched his collar tightly, her eyes rolling upward, her face showing a meaningful, sinister smile.

Luo Ren frowned, trying to pry Ya Feng’s hands away, when suddenly she slowly said something in a low voice.

“You will eventually be like us. Everyone is the same.”

The next day, they drove back to the county town.

After the discussion, the five of them decided to release Qing Shan and Ya Feng, as they couldn’t keep them confined—neither of them had the cursed scroll anymore, so they were far from being able to cause trouble. Luo Ren wasn’t afraid of exposure; if the cursed scrolls didn’t come looking for them, they would go looking for the scrolls. Exposure was inevitable sooner or later.

But they took an extra precaution, contacting Wan Fenghuo through Ma Tuwen to find someone nearby to keep an eye on Cao’s Village, especially on Qing Shan and Ya Feng’s movements.

When Ya Feng left, she was triumphant, while Qing Shan beside her was submissive, more like a meek and obedient wife, infuriating Cao Yanhua so much that his nose pointed to the sky. He had originally thought of using this opportunity to go home for a visit, but now he was unwilling, no matter what.

Suddenly remembering Ya Feng saying that people in Cao’s Village were different, Cao Yanhua wondered how they were different. He felt uneasy, suddenly feeling sorry for himself. He also realized that in this mission, Brother Sansan had distinguished himself, while he had accomplished nothing—feeling that Luo Ren and the others were looking at him strangely, a sense of desolate loneliness welled up within him.

Reaching the county town, Mu Dai first went to the mobile service center to buy a phone, having broken hers again on this trip, with a fairly high frequency of replacement. Yan Hong Sha went to the supermarket to buy food. Yi Wansan continued to lie in the car with his arm sticking out. Cao Yanhua, feeling unwelcome, sat silently on the curb.

A countryman squatted nearby, having brought two pheasants from the mountains to sell. One of them, seeming to know its end was near, kept fluttering and flying about desperately, its wings stirring up dust from the ground. The other was relatively calm, just lying on the ground, its small amber eyes fixed on Cao Yanhua, with a hint of tenderness.

Cao Yanhua felt melancholic and silently asked it: “Do you feel as lonely as I do?”

The pheasant’s head drooped, creating an atmosphere of “we are both fallen souls in this world, meeting by chance with no need for prior acquaintance”…

Cao Yanhua asked the countryman: “How much for one pheasant?”

…

Luo Ren waited for Mu Dai outside the service center. Seeing that he had some time, he called Shen Gun.

Shen Gun’s voice was dispirited: “Hello…”

Luo Ren mentally pictured his slumped shoulders and drooping head, wanted to laugh, but held back. He briefly told him about their recent experiences.

Shen Gun responded: “Oh…”

Luo Ren said, “Even if you haven’t made progress, you don’t need to be so low-spirited.”

Shen Gun’s tone finally rose a bit: “How can you say I haven’t made progress? I have!”

Progress? With such a half-dead demeanor despite making progress?

“Because I’ve been thinking about a very… deep… broad topic.”

Luo Ren was annoyed but knew this was Shen Gun’s typical behavior, so he patiently asked: “What have you discovered?”

“Little Luobo, do you believe that the wisdom of the ancients surpassed modern people?”

As he spoke, Shen Gun lowered his head, picking up seven bullet-sized pieces of wood spread on the kang bed in front of him.

Each piece of wood was round, black, and glossy. They appeared to be the same size, but upon careful examination, the grain and direction of each piece differed. Moreover, each one seemed to be made of countless fine wooden strips interlocked with mortise and tenon joints.

Under a magnifying glass, one could see that at the base of each piece of wood was a carved miniature, but lifelike… wooden kite, and beside each kite was a character.

Whatever Luo Ren replied, Shen Gun said: “Do you know… about a person called Lu Ban?”

Meanwhile, Mu Dai had set up her new phone, inserted the old SIM card, and checked her call history.

Unexpectedly, there were many missed calls from the past day or two, all from the same person.

Senior Brother, Zheng Mingshan.

Mu Dai became anxious. She bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, then called back, her voice urgent.

“Senior Brother, is Master… having an episode?”