“Hmm… I understand,” Feng Bujue said. “I have two more things I want to confirm with you.” He asked, “First, why do you want to become human? As a Xing Clan person, you should know how pathetic humans are. Why would you give up your power and talent to become one of them?” He paused, then continued, “Second, why have you kept me alive until now? You could have completed these experiments on your own, couldn't you?”

Arthur looked deeply at Feng Bujue and sneered, “Hmph… You probably wouldn't believe me even if I told you.”

Feng Bujue also smiled. “Then let me venture a guess.” He slowly paced back and forth, as if he were a detective performing a reasoning show, and began his narration. “Humans, as intelligent beings with limited lifespans but rich emotions, their thoughts and behaviors change with the passage of time. The same person will naturally act differently at forty than at twenty, and also differently than at thirty. In this regard, I think you, as a Xing Clan person, are no exception.”

Feng Bujue's tone was full of confidence as he spoke. “Therefore, as long as we deduce your thoughts and actions at that time in chronological order, everything can be reasonably explained.” He paused and said, “When we were young, both the affection between brothers and the love for our mother were undoubtedly real and pure.” He held up the yellowed photo. “Just like what this photo shows.”

A few seconds later, he changed the subject. “Unfortunately, our mother had other plans. I'm afraid she didn't expect that you would see through her conspiracy when you were thirteen or fourteen.” Feng Bujue sighed. “Could you have killed her directly? Of course, but doing so would obviously cause a series of problems.

“In order to live, our family had to deal with outsiders to some extent, and our mother's death couldn't be covered up by simply ‘killing and burying’ her. You had to find a seemingly reasonable cause of death.

“So, you created the illusion of illness. A long and incurable terminal illness is undoubtedly a very good transition. As the eldest son, you could logically take over the farm and family affairs during this time, and the people who had contact with our family, including me, would also be mentally prepared for what was about to happen.

“Also, according to my personal speculation, there is another important reason why you chose this method, which is… when a person knows that their death is near, you can see their true nature more clearly.”

As Feng Bujue said this, he couldn't help but think of himself. Speaking of which… he also suffered from a strange neurological disease, and could die at any moment. But he still went about his life as if nothing had happened, doing what he should do. What was that then? Apathy? No. Indifference to everything? That didn't seem right either. So he was just a madman…

“You're right… that woman realized that she couldn't escape death, and knew that she no longer had the ability or time to take my power, so she chose to ‘use’ me, using family affection as a bargaining chip to make me take care of her biological son after her death,” Arthur replied.

“And you did promise her,” Feng Bujue continued.

“Heh… She deserved it,” Arthur laughed. “Her hypocritical and forceful performance for more than ten years was indeed not easy. And objectively speaking, she provided me with food, shelter, education, and care. No matter what her starting point was, I should give her some return.”

“You really have a clear sense of good and evil, and you are decisive in killing,” Feng Bujue laughed. “Terminal illness is also part of the return?”

“Of course,” Arthur replied. “If I didn't end her life in this way, but waited until the day she decided to attack me before fighting back, she would have died even more miserably.”

“Well… let's talk about what happened after her death…” Feng Bujue continued. “You kept your promise, didn't kill me, and treated me like a biological brother. No matter what kind of person our mother was, the brotherly affection between you and me didn't change. At that time, you had an idea. You wanted to become human. You wanted to live a peaceful life like everyone else. You didn't want to worry about being a Xing Clan person, or implicate your family and friends.” He looked at Arthur, waiting for his response.

Arthur didn't deny it, he just said faintly, “Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.”

“I admire the choice you made,” Feng Bujue said. “If I were in the position of a Xing Clan person, I would never consider becoming human. Hehe… From this point of view, if we make a vertical comparison within our respective races, you are more kind.”

“Hmph… is that so…” Arthur sneered.

“But…” Feng Bujue changed the subject. “After your research began, things gradually got out of control. Just as I said before, times change. Many things will change, and often when we look back, we realize that what we are doing now has already deviated from our original intentions.” He held out two fingers. “I think there are two key points that changed you. First, in the continuous killings, your Xing Clan instincts were awakened; second, you discovered my abnormality… You finally realized that your seemingly kind and loyal brother was also acting in front of you, just like ‘that woman’.”

Arthur continued, “So, I forged a book of ancient soul exchange techniques, deliberately creating an opportunity for you to discover it, as a test.” He smiled bitterly. “I didn't expect you to hide that thing without hesitation and secretly start your plan.”

“Yes, I deserved to come to this point,” Feng Bujue readily admitted on Andrew's behalf. “I have one last question… Why, even now, are you still not killing me?” he asked. “And… it seems you still want to save me?”

“Yes… why…” Arthur replied. “The moment the Liancheng began, I was completely disappointed in you. Your eyes were filled with undisguised excitement and frenzy, without the slightest hesitation.” He sighed. “After the Liancheng failed, I looked at you and asked myself, is there any reason to keep you alive?” He looked up at Feng Bujue. “Not one.” He stood up. “But I couldn't do it, because at that moment, I realized that you were my only relative in the world.” He shook his head. “Although we are not blood-related, I still regard you as my brother. How I wish I could go back more than ten years…” He took the photo from Feng Bujue and looked at the two smiling children in the photo. “…to relive that pure and beautiful time.”

Feng Bujue also sighed, “What are your plans now?”

“I'm leaving, leaving forever,” Arthur said. “I don't know who your biological father is, or what he is… so I can't explain what's happening to you right now.” As he spoke, he walked towards the door. “Just now, I rethought the reason for the Liancheng's failure… To cure you, you must first know what you ‘are’. As long as you know this, you can complete the treatment with your alchemy skills.” He looked up. “You can ask that woman upstairs about this yourself.”

“What are you talking about…” Feng Bujue asked in confusion. Arthur's words puzzled him.

“You discovered her long ago, didn't you? Otherwise, how could you have said those words, and how could you have ended up like this?” Arthur said. “Hmph… I think you became like this today because she instigated it.” As he said this, he walked through the door, turned around, and disappeared from Feng Bujue's sight.

Feng Bujue immediately turned around and followed him out the door, only to find that the corridor was empty.

“Could it be… that their old mother is still alive?” Feng Bujue murmured.

[Current quest completed, all main quests completed] The quest prompt sounded, but the script completion prompt did not appear.

A few seconds later, a new prompt appeared:

[“Arthur's Servant” plot triggered and witnessed.]

[Detected that you are carrying the items “Dirty Soap”, “Carved Dentures”, “Perfume”, “Feather Skin Hat”, “Soaked Blanket”, “Artificial Eye”]

[Entering Hidden Ending Process]

[Hidden Quest Triggered]

[Kill "Candice".]

“I see…” Feng Bujue said, stroking his chin. “So that's it… These two are the ways to enter the ‘true’ ending. If I entered the gray room without meeting the above two conditions, I might have encountered a battle instead of a dialogue plot. In all likelihood, I wouldn't be able to win… Even if I barely won, I would clear the game without understanding anything.” As he thought, he walked towards the stairs.

It didn't take him too long to reach the second floor. This time, the door that couldn't be opened finally changed. The black figure from before was now standing in front of the iron door, seemingly waiting for the player to arrive.

“This place is indeed where the final hidden Boss is located. After triggering the dialogue plot with Arthur, you can come here,” Feng Bujue thought.

He first ran to the room where the floor had collapsed, broke off a piece of wood, then came to the corridor, took out the [Anti-Gravity Ejector], attached the wooden board, aimed at the black figure and shouted, “Speak! Are you Candice's bodyguard!”

The black figure didn't move, and didn't respond.

Feng Bujue wouldn't attack rashly unless it was absolutely necessary, so before pulling the launch button, he first tried to use the first effect of the Vajra Bell to check the opponent. Unexpectedly, this black figure wasn't a monster, but an NPC…

[Name: Shadow of Dance]

[NPC Faction: Neutral]

[Level: ???]

[Height: 180 cm]

[Weight: 60 kg]

[Is Battle Triggerable: No]

[Attached Plot: Appearance Dance, Opening of Secret Room Door]