Chapter 1 The Brain Explodes

When Feng Bujue saw this, it felt as if his brain had exploded, and countless thoughts flooded his mind.

However, these thoughts did not make his mind chaotic. On the contrary, he was very calm, thinking about problems faster and more efficiently than usual.

Just two seconds later, he decisively took action.

His Terror Value was still zero, his steps and movements were calm and steady, but the expression on his face was unusually serious.

Feng Bujue first picked up the equipment [Spider Silk Gloves], equipped them directly, put the flashlight in his pocket, and walked over to pick up Si Yu's lantern.

He held the lantern in front of his eyes, carefully observed the footprints on the ground, and after repeated checks, he confirmed the direction Si Yu had been dragged, and then set off in that direction.

When alone, Feng Bujue walked extremely fast. Before, he had considered Si Yu behind him and consciously slowed down, also to look for any items or equipment that could be found in the forest.

But now, Feng Bujue was rushing to save someone alone. As a person without the psychological barrier of fear, given a five-meter visual range, he could walk as fast as flying even if he was in hell.

The further he went, the thicker the darkness around him became, and even the air seemed to stagnate. The vague, strange noises in his ears also disappeared completely. Soon, Feng Bujue was surrounded by a deathly silence.

Suddenly, a clearing appeared in front of him. In the center of the clearing was a wooden stake, and Si Yu was now tied to the stake with heavy iron chains. She was tied to the middle of the stake, her feet half a meter off the ground. Her entire midsection was bound by chains, wrapped as tightly as a zongzi (sticky rice dumpling), with only the parts above her shoulders and below her knees not tied up.

Seeing his teammate, Feng Bujue was relieved by half. After letting out a long sigh, he smiled and said, "What's this? Giant's grilled skewer?"

Si Yu didn't have time to joke with him. She seriously reminded, "She's nearby."

"I know," Feng Bujue replied, "but... I don't understand. Since she can easily catch you, why doesn't she catch me too? Also... has she become this strong? What are we even playing then? There's something wrong here..." As he spoke, he held up the lantern and looked around. At the same time, a thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately reached into his inner pocket...

"Take a guess," the third voice came, a little girl's sweet voice.

Feng Bujue turned his head when he heard the sound and saw Ling'er. She was wearing a coarse cloth jacket, her hair was braided, and her face was quite cute, but her complexion was very pale. The most incongruous thing was that her expression didn't look like that of a child at all.

"Guess, huh..." Feng Bujue could still smile when facing a vengeful ghost, "Heh... you took my friend away, expecting me to be scared, panicked, and running around like a headless fly looking for her. But you didn't expect that I wouldn't show you what you wanted to see, so you directly entered the next stage, um... probably planning to... torture us for fun?"

"So smart."

The moment Ling'er's voice entered his ears, Feng Bujue suddenly felt a darkness in front of him. Then, he felt a small hand pinch his neck, and he was completely unable to resist. His body was pulled and moved, and he seemed to vaguely hear Si Yu shouting something, but he didn't hear it clearly.

A few seconds later, he came back to his senses and found himself also tied to a wooden stake with iron chains. The lantern in his hand was gone, but the unique light curtain was now shining from behind him.

"So powerful..." Feng Bujue said in a low voice.

"Hey, how are you?" Si Yu's voice sounded behind his head.

"Eh?" Feng Bujue turned his neck as much as possible, nearly ninety degrees, before realizing that he and Si Yu were tied to opposite sides of the same wooden stake. He immediately smiled wryly, "I say, little sister Ling'er, you're quite playful."

At this moment, Ling'er was seen holding the lantern and slowly walking in front of Feng Bujue. This Boss actually took the player's equipment, which surprised Feng Bujue.

"Do you know how many years I've been in this world? Little sister is what you call me?" Ling'er said. Her tone and expression were indeed no different from those of an adult, and even more mature than the average adult.

"I thought women, no matter their age, would like to be called that," Feng Bujue said, looking like a dead pig not afraid of boiling water. "So... Sister Ling'er, can I ask, how do you plan to torture us?"

"Yeah... how should I torture you... you don't even seem afraid of death..." Ling'er put her childish little hand to her mouth, a finger prying at her lip, "Oh, right... you seem to care about her a lot, don't you."

Feng Bujue's expression changed slightly when he heard this, and his heart tightened. However, he immediately forced a smile, "Hehe... it's not really as much as you think..."

Ling'er didn't wait for him to finish speaking and stepped forward, walking around the wooden stake to the blind spot behind Feng Bujue's line of sight.

The next second, Si Yu let out a painful groan.

Feng Bujue could clearly feel the chains on his body tighten violently. At the same time, a faint smell of blood filled the air.

When Ling'er reappeared in Feng Bujue's line of sight, she was still holding the lantern in her right hand, and in her left hand, she was holding one of Si Yu's feet.

The foot had been torn off raw from the calf, the bone and flesh exposed, and it was still dripping with blood.

Many drops of blood had splattered on Ling'er's fair face, but she just showed a bloody smile, "What do you think I should bring next time?"

"I'm okay..." Si Yu's voice trembled as she spoke, as if trying to reassure Feng Bujue.

"As expected... the villagers of Cang Ling Town didn't make a mistake in killing you." At this moment, Feng Bujue's face was unusually cold, without the slightest emotion, and his eyes were as sharp as if they could see through people's souls. "If you had grown up smoothly, I'm afraid there would never be peace in this world."

Ling'er threw the severed limb on the ground and sneered, "What are you talking about?"

"I saw the scene before you were burned to death in front of the Tsang Ling Temple. One detail puzzled me very much," Feng Bujue replied. "Why did you call your mother 'Mama'? Generally speaking, shouldn't you call her 'Niang (mother)'?" He paused, then said, "Also, I always have a feeling that your crying and your words are a bit of an act, as if you are deliberately trying to win sympathy."

Ling'er's eyes changed, and the smile gradually disappeared from her face.

"Whether it was when you were burned to death or after you died, those villagers referred to you as a monster." Feng Bujue continued, "From beginning to end, they only revealed anger and fear, but I didn't detect the slightest guilt. Why is that?" He tilted his head. "As long as a person has a conscience, no matter how ignorant... after doing something wrong, their conscience will definitely feel uneasy. This unease does not come from fear, but from inner self-condemnation." He looked down at Ling'er, "The villagers of Cang Ling Town don't have that emotion. Their reactions show that everything they did was based on a very basic conclusion. And they firmly believe in this conclusion—you are a monster."

"Heh..." Feng Bujue laughed, "Since we entered the mountain, you have been misleading us. What we have seen and heard has made us prejudicially believe that you are a wronged ghost, and that you were just an innocent little girl when you were alive." He snorted coldly and continued, "When I heard those villagers attribute events like 'no rain, crops dying in the fields, and children born with disabilities' to you, my trust in them dropped to the lowest point.

Maybe this is my personal preference at work, because the words they said are the same as the reasons used in medieval Europe to burn innocent women as witches. A group of ignorant fools attribute all happiness to God's grace, and then attribute all misfortune to a fictional fact, and let a scapegoat bear those unwarranted crimes and be burned alive, so that this group of fools can live in peace for the next few days.

Such things are common in ancient times and all over the world. I think you should agree with me on this, right?"

"I don't understand what you're saying..." Ling'er replied in a deep voice.

"Is that so?" Feng Bujue said, "Then do you know that the word 'Mama' referred to a procuress in the Song Dynasty? It became a term for older women in the Qing Dynasty, and after the New Culture Movement, it was widely used to refer to mothers.

So, in the era when you were killed, you could call her 'Niang', 'Niangqin', or directly use the word 'Ma', but not 'Mama'."

"Just because of this detail... you determined that I am..." Ling'er glared at Feng Bujue.

"I haven't determined what you are yet, but I can make a few bold assumptions," Feng Bujue interrupted. "For example... a super-powered person who was born with the ability to see the future; a soul that traveled from the future into a little girl's body; or, some kind of powerful consciousness higher than this dimension?"

Ling'er's expression changed drastically. A few seconds later, it became extremely gloomy. "Hmph... let's just say your reasoning is correct..." At this moment, she didn't care about saying words like 'reasoning' anymore and simply stated, "That's right, I am indeed some kind of higher-level will. I was exiled to this world and became this little girl named Ling'er. My body is as weak as an ant, but I can still use some special powers.

Originally, I was hiding well, but... after accidentally killing my 'parents', my abilities were discovered, and some things I had done before... were also exposed one after another. Those villagers discovered the truth, so they caught me and burned me to death.

Even losing my physical body, I became a terrestrial spirit and was subject to many restrictions. Therefore, I can only harvest souls on this mountain and cannot interfere with the world outside Cang Ling Town."

Feng Bujue continued, "Since what those villagers said is true, then what that tree and that monk said are naturally lies. Once I figured that out, many problems were easily solved." He sneered, "Those two monsters both hinted to us that Ling'er was a wronged ghost. And they guided us to enter this Bell Realm with this wrong view, come to this island, and fall into your hands..."

"You're wrong about that," Ling'er replied. "How would simple-minded wandering spirits like them know my secrets?"

"I see..." Feng Bujue said thoughtfully, "So they were also deceived by you..."

"Only by deceiving them first can they help me lure those monks and Taoists who come to the mountain to catch ghosts into this Bell Realm," Ling'er replied with a smile. "That's why no one can transcend me, this 'ghost'."

"There's still one thing I don't understand. Over the years, haven't any of the many eminent monks and old Taoists been your opponents?" Feng Bujue asked.

"There was only one," Ling'er replied. "His magical power was so high that he could fight me to a draw and retreat safely." She snorted coldly, "That person did have some ability. After he escaped, he drove away the villagers of Tsang Ling Town, renamed the town Cang Ling, and reorganized the mountains and rivers here, trying to resolve my 'resentment' in this way. Hmph... unfortunately, I'm not a wronged soul at all. Even if another thousand years pass, I won't be reborn."

"Hmm..." Feng Bujue pondered, "Very good, I have no more questions."

Ling'er's face once again revealed a cruel expression. "Then it's my turn to ask questions... travelers from another world?" She threatened, "You should know very well what will happen if you don't answer well, right?"

"Travelers from another world?" Feng Bujue asked suspiciously. "So you were a subordinate of the Four Pillar Gods before you transmigrated? And your level seems to be not low either."

"You really know a lot..." Ling'er raised her small hand, "But now it's my question time. Who allowed you to talk nonsense?" She waved her hand casually, wanting to use telekinesis to tear off one of Feng Bujue's legs.

Unexpectedly... nothing happened...

"Hmm?" She tried two more times, but still no reaction.

"Strange, why is it out of control? Could it be..." Feng Bujue showed a chilling expression. As he spoke, one of his arms actually stretched out from the gap in the iron chain. This hand of his was wearing a glove, and sticking to the palm was a small silver bell. To be precise, it was a bell that had been squeezed out of shape and damaged. "...Could it be that something has stopped working?"

It turned out that a few minutes ago, when he put his hand into his inner pocket, the bell had already been adsorbed in his palm.

"As soon as I came here, I kept thinking about a question, 'Has she become this strong? What are we even playing then?' I think you heard that sentence too," Feng Bujue said. As he spoke, he actually broke free from the chains and stood firmly on the ground.

At the same time, because of his breaking free, Si Yu, who was tied to the other side, was also untied. Although she hadn't completely escaped the entanglement of the chains, she had already landed on one foot, and her arms could also move to a certain extent.

"Destroy the bell," Feng Bujue said loudly without turning his head.

Upon hearing this, Si Yu immediately took out her bell from her knapsack and smashed it hard on a hard ground next to her feet. The silver bell was immediately deformed and destroyed.

Ling'er's face became very ugly, but a loli face making this expression was still very cute.

"I'm a person who often has answers popping into my head as soon as I ask a question. I think this is the result of years of training," Feng Bujue continued from what he had just said. "At that moment, many assumptions flashed through my mind. I won't list them one by one. The more reliable ones are... your power is stronger in the Bell Realm than in the outside world; and on this island, your power is stronger than in other places in the Bell Realm. But the most important thing is that there is one thing, one thing that we must have with us when we come here, that allows you to play with us at will."

As Feng Bujue spoke, he threw the bell in his hand to the ground and stepped on it. "After entering the mountain, we got these two bells from your lackeys. Hmph... my reaction was half a beat slow. It's clearly written on them [This small bell seems to have a connection with a powerful evil spirit], such an obvious hint... Fortunately, I managed to pinch the bell in my hand before you tied me up." As he said, he quickly came to Si Yu's side and gave her the ***-500.

Si Yu did not hesitate and immediately ate a slice. The next second, her severed foot began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"The Taoist priest who fought you to a draw must have been a smart man. Before he was fatally injured by you, he realized what the problem was and dropped the bell," Feng Bujue said. "And we can only say that we are lucky, because we are the so-called 'travelers from another world'."

Ling'er's expression changed several times, and finally returned to a ruthless look with composure, "Then have you considered why that Taoist priest still fought me to a draw in the end?"

Before she finished speaking, she instantly transformed into a black shadow and pounced towards Feng Bujue and Si Yu.