Chapter 385: Ch 385 : Meet Xiangling again
Su Yuan came alone once again to Wuwang Hill—the entrance to the boundary between life and death...
Even though it was clearly broad daylight, the area around Wuwang Hill remained shrouded in gloom, with barely a trace of sunlight.
The whole place was steeped in a chilling, eerie atmosphere...
"Little guy? Youngtere? Are you there?"
Su Yuan spoke directly within his own mind:
"If I remember correctly, the last time I entered the boundary between life and death, you smashed a rock against my head, didn’t you?"
"So if I want to enter that boundary again, do I have to hit myself on the head with a rock too?"
"Big Brother Su Yuan, you misunderstood."
The young boy, Youngtere, replied in Su Yuan’s mind:
"Smashing your head with a rock was just one method—a means to an end, not the end itself..."
"And back then, I was merely a figment of your imagination. I didn’t actually hit you with a rock..."
Su Yuan nodded.
That made sense.
When he came back from the boundary between life and death last time, there hadn’t been any injuries on his head.
So it probably wasn’t real...
"Based on the method I’ve figured out so far, if you want to enter the boundary between life and death, the key is to reach a state where you are both alive and dead... Something like thinking you’re dead, but in reality, you’re not?"
"But this method only works once. I can’t guarantee anything if you try it a second time. That’s why I decided to tell you the truth..."
"As for this kind of thing, we’d better ask Big Sister Hu Tao—she’s the expert in this field, totally qualified!"
But soon, the young boy suddenly seemed to realize something and asked:
"Wait a second, Big Brother Su Yuan, why did you call me ’Youngtere’?"
"Did I ever tell you that name? Or did you just guess it?"
"Haha, I just said it casually. Since Dottere is the adult form and you are the young form, I thought I’d make a little joke out of it..."
Su Yuan scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Anyway, let’s not dwell on trivial stuff like that..."
"By the way, why is it that only you and Tartaglia have been talking all this time? We haven’t really heard anything from Director Hu..."
"Exactly! Su Yuan, I was just about to bring that up," Tartaglia chimed in.
"It’s like Director Hu is fast asleep or something—we’ve been calling her, but there’s no response at all..."
A sudden sense of unease rose in Su Yuan.
Could something have happened to Hu Tao’s soul inside his body?
And if he couldn’t get Hu Tao’s help right now, how was he supposed to enter the boundary between life and death... to see if Xiangling was actually there?
"Director Hu? Hu Tao? Are you there?"
Su Yuan called out into the depths of his mind several times, but there was no response at all...
Was Hu Tao really just asleep? Or was she no longer inside his body?
Su Yuan thought for a while.
If Hu Tao’s soul was still residing within him but simply in a deep slumber that couldn’t be roused by normal calling, then he’d have to use some more... unconventional methods.
"Did you guys hear? Apparently, there’s a new funeral service company from another nation that recently set up shop in Liyue, trying to snatch away the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s market share..."
"And their promotions and slogans seem to be way more appealing. Something like ’billions in subsidies,’ ’buy one get three free,’ and even ’tenfold compensation for counterfeits’..."
Su Yuan had no idea what nonsense he was spouting, but somehow, his words had exactly the intended effect...
Before long, Hu Tao’s anxious voice echoed in his mind:
"How could that be acceptable? Death and funerals are matters that require solemnity and must be treated with the utmost seriousness. How can they be turned into mere business gimmicks?"
"Sure, I sometimes joke about things like ’one client, two clients,’ or ’buy one get one free,’ but that’s just idle banter when I’m goofing off!"
"Alright, alright, Director Hu, no need to be upset. I was just joking, totally made-up nonsense..."
Su Yuan let out an awkward laugh and said:
"But anyway, the important thing is—you’re still here."
"We’re standing at the entrance to the boundary between life and death here at Wuwang Hill. We need to go inside and check on Xiangling’s situation..."
"It’s just that... we’re not quite sure how to get in. We need your help."
"Xiangling? What’s going on with Xiangling?" Hu Tao asked, confused.
"Why would we need to go to the boundary of life and death for her? Did something happen to her?"
"Huh? Sounds like you’ve been asleep this whole time, Director Hu? You don’t remember anything?"
Su Yuan was puzzled too, and proceeded to explain everything that had happened recently to Hu Tao.
"I see..." Hu Tao replied.
"Ever since I first left the boundary between life and death, it’s like my memories have been fragmented, and I’ve been in a deep sleep..."
"Maybe it’s because—even though you, Su Yuan, have a special constitution capable of hosting other souls—my own nature as the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor makes me... not entirely compatible with you."
"But now’s not the time to dwell on that. Let’s go check on Xiangling right away."
"Su Yuan, the method for entering the boundary between life and death is a bit complicated, so I’ll need to take control of your body for a moment. That’ll make things much faster and easier."
"Alright." Su Yuan nodded and handed control of his body over to Hu Tao...
After Hu Tao took control of Su Yuan’s body, she began performing a series of intricate hand movements while chanting mysterious incantations.
Moments later, a swirling vortex resembling a portal appeared in front of them...
"Alright, it’s ready. Go on in—that’s the boundary between life and death..."
With those words, Hu Tao returned control of the body to Su Yuan.
He then stepped through the portal and once again arrived at the boundary between life and death...
Once inside, it didn’t take long before Su Yuan spotted Xiangling’s ghostly figure, speaking with a few others nearby...
"Young lady," an elderly man asked her, "you look so young—how did you die?"
"Was it an accident? Or some kind of illness?"
"I... don’t quite remember..." Xiangling thought for a moment before replying.
"I’m a chef. I just remember going up the mountain that day to gather some fresh ingredients... and then I lost consciousness. I don’t know what happened after that—next thing I knew, I was here..."
"Sigh... Sounds like you may have fallen from a cliff," the old man said with a sigh, "or maybe ran into a wild beast in the mountains..."
He gave a sympathetic shake of his head and walked away.
"Xiangling."
Su Yuan stepped forward and greeted her.
"Huh? Su Yuan, what are you doing here?" Xiangling looked at him in surprise.
"Don’t tell me... you died too?"
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