Falling into the post-gate world, Yang Xiao’s thoughts beca blurred, his mind swarming with countless fragnted and broken images: the female ghost in the drama robe, Fu Qingzhu, Tong Han, Mo Daidai, Brother Sui, Beibei, Director Nalan, Zhuge Zhijie...
Only later did he realize that Director Nalan and the already deceased Zhuge Zhijie were standing side by side, both faces displaying the sa rigid and distant smiles, unnaturally pale, gently waving at Yang Xiao as if beckoning him to co over.
Looking further behind them, the ground was undulating with white banners fluttering, which turned out to be rows of graves.
For so reason, Yang Xiao suddenly was able to see the nas on the graves clearly: Nalan Shuo, Zhuge Zhijie, Beibei, Da Xiong, Yu Shu, Tong Han, Fu Qingzhu, Li Qingxuan... In an instant, Yang Xiao’s eyes reddened with tears; every na was familiar to him, all of them were his friends.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of music playing, the fog shrouding the graves gradually dissipated, and a funeral procession burst out from the depths of the mist. Odd-looking figures were carrying a big red coffin, ramming forward chaotically, while countless paper money fell from the sky like heavy snow.
Yang Xiao watched helplessly as the funeral procession charged towards Nalan Shuo, who was back to the procession, still oblivious to everything. Yang Xiao’s throat was hoarse from shouting, but to no avail; he could do nothing but watch as the big red coffin violently collided with Nalan Shuo.
In the midst of Yang Xiao’s despair, Nalan Shuo’s body instantly shattered, blood, flesh, and bones saring the ground, his head rolling chaotically for ters across the floor.
"Director!!" Yang Xiao fell apart emotionally. The next second, he suddenly sat up from the bed, eyes opening to a slightly cramped room.
His forehead was dripping with cold sweat, and Yang Xiao looked around in shock. His vision slowly blurred, and the next second, tears stread down his face.
"You’re awake." A few ters away from Yang Xiao, at a table, Nalan Shuo was sitting on a backless plastic chair, holding a cigarette in his hand.
Slling the faint scent of tobacco in the air, Yang Xiao’s lips trembled a few tis, but ultimately he said nothing, fearing that everything was a hallucination, and that speaking up would wake him from this dream again.
"Thank you, Little Yang." Nalan Shuo gave Yang Xiao a grateful smile, "Thank you."
It really is the Director... Yang Xiao threw off the covers and leaped down from the bed, but in the next second, his legs weakened, and he fell clumsily to the floor, landing on his knees directly in front of Nalan Shuo with a "thud."
"What are you doing?" This scene also startled Nalan Shuo, who imdiately stood up to help Yang Xiao, "Little Yang, you are too polite!"
But at this mont, for Yang Xiao, nothing else mattered; he held tight to Nalan Shuo’s legs, feeling the warmth that belonged solely to a living person. Once he had cald down a bit, he was helped up by Nalan Shuo, but his gaze never left Nalan’s face, eagerly asking, "Director, how... how did you co back?"
Nalan Shuo helped Yang Xiao to sit on the bed, then sat back down in the chair, facing him, "Fang Zhou and Lou Huixiang are both dead. I went back to find you all. On the way, I encountered a ssenger on horseback; I snatched his horse."
"Upon rushing back to Earl Mansion, I went to look for you all in the small courtyard, but none of you were there. I saw the mark you left on the door and knew you were still alive." Nalan Shuo took a long breath and continued with a tone of relief, "I was lucky. When I rushed to Sleeping Gold Pavilion, that door was already close to fading away."
"Are you the only one who survived?" Nalan Shuo looked at Yang Xiao and asked softly.
"Jiang Qingluan too, she also survived. I originally wanted to go back and find you, but she tricked , led to that door, and kicked through it from behind." Although Nalan Shuo didn’t say much and had luckily survived, Yang Xiao always felt guilty, feeling he should have waited and left with Director Nalan.
But Yang Xiao couldn’t complain about Jiang Qingluan; after all, she was doing what she thought was best for him. Based on the situation at that ti, the odds of Nalan Shuo surviving were almost nonexistent.
Nalan Shuo smiled and gave Yang Xiao a reassuring look, "Jiang Qingluan is a good kid. Our Patrol Defense Office and the Yi Sect can have a dialogue, you should consider it."
"Consider what?" Yang Xiao’s mind was a bit chaotic, and he didn’t grasp the aning imdiately.
Nalan Shuo slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray, and looking up at Yang Xiao, said, "Of course, your own matters. You’re not getting any younger, and it’s not easy to find soone suitable. There are very few who can earn the respect of Xiang Fengchen among the younger generation."
"Don’t tease , Director. I am out of her league." Yang Xiao shook his head. He had enough troubles of his own and was not in the mood to think about these matters.
Jiang Qingluan was one of the few who Yang Xiao himself found difficult to handle. Like Tong Han, she was ticulous and decisive in her actions.
Back by the well, when he had hit Chang Chuchu on the back of the head with a rock, this woman had just hesitated for a mont, then quickly stepped forward to help, using so much force to break Chang Chuchu’s leg, allowing them to throw the girl down the well together.
Thinking back to this, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but sigh. In an 11-person mission, besides Fang Zhou, all were veterans, yet in the end, only three survived.
Frankly, Yang Xiao didn’t think it was too few; considering the difficulty of the mission, a total annihilation would have been the norm.
Moreover, the three survivors might still have to pay a price.
"Director, the Life Burning Incense that was burned in the nightmare..." Yang Xiao spoke only half the sentence, the aning clear enough.
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