"Hehehe!!"
With a strange scream, the last head of the Seven People was twisted off. The body trembled a few tis, then collapsed to the ground and turned into dust, once again proclaiming the Yangtze River pushes forward the waves of new life, only to have the old waves die on the beach. Ancient legends ultimately can’t compete with modern female ghosts; there’s always a mountain taller than the last.
Even Little Qian couldn’t defeat Sadako.
"Whew......"
Only then did Duanmu Huai stand up, moving his neck and limbs a bit, and saw the others standing not far away, watching him uneasily.
"Xiao Ai, are you okay?"
"I’m fine."
Facing Chitanda’s inquiry, Duanmu Huai waved his hand.
"I’ve almost figured out the rules of this place."
"Eh?"
Hearing Duanmu Huai’s response, everyone was taken aback. Duanmu Huai did not hold back, quickly explaining to everyone what he had just discovered.
"So, what you’re saying is... the monsters we see in this world aren’t real ghosts, but monsters ford by people’s thoughts?"
Chief Da Shan furrowed his brows, rubbed his chin, and spoke.
"That’s right, so the reason they attack us isn’t because of any deep hatred towards us; it’s just their setting. In ghost stories and legends, the purpose of these evil spirits’ existence is to kill people, so they co to attack us."
"How could this be......"
Inevitably, hearing Duanmu Huai’s answer left everyone dumbfounded—they couldn’t believe what they’d heard. Frankly, they’d rather believe these monsters were self-aware evil spirits than mindless programs driven by public thought.
"So, we’re currently in the world of the collective unconscious?"
It was Spicy Girl Ueda who seed to understand, her eyes flashing with insight.
"So, we didn’t really travel to this world, but we’re just dreaming?"
"Why do you think that?"
Upon hearing Spicy Girl Ueda’s words, Producer Sangtian puzzledly furrowed his brows and asked, while Spicy Girl Ueda awkwardly smiled.
"It’s really simple. My research area is related to this. You see, ancient folklore from many places is very similar. Even isolated places, with no contact with the outside world, have similar legends. The ancient legend of Princess Kaguya, in China, we have Chang’e flying to the moon. In North Arica and Africa, local folklore myths also have a Moon God. Of course, that’s not surprising; what’s strange is that nearly all civilizations’ moon myths inevitably intertwine with love between n and won."
Saying this, Spicy Girl Ueda beca excited as well.
"For example, everyone knows Princess Kaguya made it difficult for n who wanted to marry her, eventually returning to the moon. Chang’e also drank her husband’s immortality elixir and went to the moon. In New Zealand’s Maori Tribe, there’s a story of a woman who angered the Moon God and was captured to the moon for imprisonnt... Different regions, similar mythologies, so I’ve always believed this might be linked to the human collective unconscious."
Realizing she was perhaps a little too excited, Spicy Girl Ueda sheepishly scratched her cheek.
"If this is the case, it explains this world. If this place is the human unconscious, then it’s unsurprising what kind of monsters appear, and after telling those stories, we might be pulled into a ntal world as a result."
"Uh...... I didn’t quite understand."
Chief Da Shan furrowed his brows.
"So, are we just dreaming?"
"Well... yes, in general terms, that’s right."
"So, everyone else isn’t dead either?"
"That I’m not sure about......"
This ti, for Teacher Gan Xia’s inquiry, Spicy Girl Ueda seed a bit troubled.
"The ntal impact on the body can often defy human imagination. For example, anxiety patients may involuntarily feel near-death symptoms; even if instrunts detect normal body trics, they might feel shortness of breath, a racing heartbeat, as if truly on the brink of death. Our current situation is obviously more than just a simple nightmare......"
"Ultimately, it cos down to how deeply rooted the human impression is."
Duanmu Huai stood tall, looking proud.
"It seems my performance as the Night Woman is quite popular with everyone."
Duanmu Huai wasn’t lying. In fact, when he played the Night Woman again, he could feel the strength continuously gathering from all directions to him. It was precisely because of this that he could easily defeat the terrifying Seven People ghost story.
"No no, that’s not popularity; it’s childhood trauma, okay!"
Banai imdiately retorted.
"Who here, aside from Chitanda, hasn’t seen that movie? I still rember when my parents took to see it; they told if I didn’t close the doors and windows, the Night Woman would crawl out from under the bed to kill ! You have no idea how scared I was then! I even stuffed boxes under the bed to block it!"
"Yeah... honestly."
Even Chief Da Shan nodded in agreent.
"I was a naive college student then, just going with friends for a thrill... I really should ask you for emotional damages."
" too."
Teacher Gan Xia weakly raised a hand.
"When Xiao Ba tricked into watching that movie, I should’ve been cautious. You can’t imagine how agonizing it was to wake up in the middle of the night needing the bathroom, but see the bedroom door open and not dare to step off the bed, toughing it out all night long!"
"Exactly, exactly."
Even Producer Sangtian began to complain.
"I had originally arranged a date with a girl back then, picked out a horror movie to watch together, just waiting for her to jump into my arms. And what happened? Lost all interest in going to a hotel that night! Even just walking into the hotel, seeing the shadow under the bed gave cold chills, couldn’t get interested at all, almost thought my career as a man ended there..."
"Not my problem."
Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes, ignoring the complaints of the others.
"The story was written by the screenwriter, the movie was directed by the director, and it was approved by Toei, I’m just an actor, why bla ? Is being dedicated wrong too?"
"...Is it really that scary?"
Chitanda looked at Banai, then at Duanmu Huai, curiously asking, to which Banai nodded vigorously.
"That’s right, Ai Liu, you probably don’t know, even now at video stores, Xiao Ai’s movie tops the sumr horror tales rental charts! Almost every sumr break, parents rent this movie to scare their children! It’s outrageous!"
"Uh... then I... definitely won’t watch it."
Chitanda reaffird her decision.
As they spoke, the group had returned to Baixue Hall, but when they saw Baixue Hall in front of them, they were shocked - originally destroyed by atmospheric monsters, Baixue Hall had completely restored to its forr appearance, as if it hadn’t been attacked at all. They pushed the door open, looked inside, and saw the hall and corridor spotless, as if the house blown away by the giant whirlwind earlier wasn’t Baixue Hall.
Not only that...
"Mm, such a delicious sll..."
Upon entering Baixue Hall, everyone slled a mouthwatering aroma, Banai’s eyes lighting up as she followed the scent down the corridor.
This couldn’t be...
Following Banai, the others followed the scent to the end of the corridor, arriving at the kitchen door. The kitchen door was locked, but the strong aroma was making them hungry, and Banai’s stomach growled like a drum.
"What, what is this sll, let in, I want to eat! I want to eat ahhh!!"
At this mont, Banai looked just like a zombie from a zombie movie, clinging to the kitchen door, shouting loudly. Seeing her bloodshot eyes and drooling mouth, even if there was soone inside, Banai seed like she’d swallow them whole.
Hmm...
Duanmu Huai glanced silently at Chitanda.
"Is it your story?"
"Huh?"
"The one about the clam cooking in gratitude."
"Ah, um..."
Chitanda looked at the "Cooking in Progress, Do Not Enter" note on the kitchen door, her expression complicated.
"...Then let’s go in and take a look."
Duanmu Huai said, then kicked open the kitchen door!
"Bang!"
With the kitchen door kicked open, the scene inside was revealed to everyone. They saw a kimono-clad girl standing in front of the stove cooking, but her neck was empty, and as for her head, it was in the pot, bouncing and moving with the bubbling broth, then rising and heavily falling down.
"Ah—!"
At this point, the head floating on the soup saw the group rushing into the kitchen and scread.
"Didn’t I say no peeking?! You broke the agreent!"
As she spoke, the girl grabbed the head floating in the soup, placing it on her neck, then a gust of wind blew through. When everyone opened their eyes again, the girl had completely disappeared.
"...So this is how the soup is made..."
Duanmu Huai silently comnted, while Chitanda covered her face and sat on the ground, probably not expecting this outco when she told the story.
As for Banai... at this point, she seed possessed, heading for the pot of soup.
"Hehehe, it slls so good..."
"P-please wait, Banai!"
Teacher Gan Xia desperately held her back.
"You can’t drink this, drinking it would an the end from all perspectives!"
Even if it’s a demon, the soup is made with a human head!
"Please let go, Teacher Gan Xia! I’ll just take one sip, one sip!"
Theoretically speaking, letting Banai take one sip might be okay, but considering the soup was made with a human head, if it opened any new doors for Banai, it would be a problem.
Especially given Banai’s culinary threshold, it was very likely.
So Duanmu Huai walked over and, under Banai’s devastated gaze, poured the pot of soup down the drain.
"Ahhh!"
Watching the delicious soup being poured out, Banai let out a heartfelt scream... but alas, it was too late.
"You really shouldn’t drink this."
Duanmu Huai stared at the dejected Banai sitting on the ground, letting out a silent sigh.
He didn’t want Banai to add human to her nu in the future, that would be troubleso.
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