You're my wife, don't doubt it!

"The translation of the Protestant religion is 'King of Demons' Beelzebub, which is actually the demon god 'Baal' in the Old Testament."

“Baal…that name sounds familiar.”

“Beelzebub, the Lord of the Flies, is the god of the Phoenicians, representing gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins,” Shi Hui explained leisurely. “In Jewish texts, the Lord of the Flies is considered a demon who causes disease. Legend has it that he was originally a member of the choir of the Seraphim, but fled after being defeated in the War of Genesis. Demonology considers him to be the supreme commander of Hell, and John Milton depicted him as a wise man with a majestic appearance, one of the most powerful fallen angels.”

Xiao Yao thought to himself, "Is this something I should have learned from a monk?"

"So, that giant fly was the real demon?" There was a hint of excitement in the ribbonfish's voice.

"Is it that amazing?" the little bear said. "Unfortunately, I..."

“It’s probably not,” Yu Bo shook his head and said, “In my opinion, it’s more likely an aggregate of some kind of desire, or even the desire of ‘one person’.”

As they were speaking, a majestic song drifted down from the tower; it was Shen Hongsheng's voice.

"My daughter, have I wronged you? What have I done to offend you? Please answer me..."

The voice seemed to really come from the sky. Shen Jie tilted her head and listened for a while before saying, "I never knew Dad could sing?"

Yu Luying frowned and said, "This seems to be a modified version of 'The Condemnation of Christ'..."

“Another guy who thinks he’s a god,” Yu Bo said bluntly.

"I once struck down Egypt for you, and their firstborn son..." Shen Hongsheng's singing continued. To be fair, it wasn't bad, but Shen Jie covered her ears with her hands.

Although this is of no use, because the singing is not actually transmitted through the air.

In an eerie atmosphere, the group arrived at the exit and passed through the mirrors one by one to leave.

When it was Shen Jie's turn, she reached out her hand, only to feel the cold, hard surface of the mirror.

“Don’t you understand, Xiao Jie?” Shen Hongsheng stopped his singing: “You are different from them. You were born a Roman. You were born to belong here.”

"Why is this happening?" The tension that had just eased up for everyone tightened up again.

Chapter 256 Meeting the Father-in-Law II

2023-07-06

“Don’t you understand, Xiao Jie?” Shen Hongsheng stopped his singing: “You are different from them. You were born a Roman. You were born to belong here.”

"Why is this happening?" The tension that had just eased up for everyone tightened up again.

"Drag her out!" Yu Bo and Xiong Ji said in unison.

Useless.

Even though Xiao Yao held Shen Jie's hand tightly, the situation did not change in the slightest.

"How about we try a different clothing store?" Yu Luying suggested.

However, their trip to the clothing store was in vain; the mirror there remained impenetrable to Shen Jie.

Shen Hongsheng was still singing, but he changed from singing "Christ's Condemnation" to humming "Lullaby".

Sleep, sleep, my dear baby.

Your father's hands gently rock you.

Sleep, sleep, my dear baby,

Your father's hands gently rock you.

The cradle rockes you to sleep peacefully.

Sleep well, sleep well, it's so warm under the covers.

"Sister, cheer up!" Yu Luying saw that Shen Jie was already somewhat drowsy, with sleepy eyes, and even walking unsteadily, so she quickly reminded her.

"Could it be that people can only leave from the same place they came in?" Shi Hui guessed.

"So that means we can only leave through Shen Jie's room? Isn't that like walking into a trap? Doesn't that mean we're back to square one? All our hard work has been for nothing?" Little Bear became anxious.

“No, that can’t be. The first time, the very first time, we didn’t come out from the entrance.” Xiao Yao looked at Yu Luying and Xiong Ji and emphasized firmly.

“But that time, we defeated the master of the hall…” Shen Jie murmured.

Xiong Ji frowned: "Do we really have to tear down this Leifeng Pagoda and drag out the old bald monk on top to beat him up before we can take Shen Jie away? Given the current situation, that's unlikely to be possible."

"Xiongji, stop talking nonsense!" Yu Bo saw that Shi Hui and Shen Jie's expressions had changed, and quickly stopped the little bear from talking nonsense.

Then, he discussed with Xiao Yao, "Given the current situation, we can't stay in the Shadow World Hall forever, and we can't leave Xiao Shen here alone. As a temporary measure, we're afraid we can only return Shen Jie to her place."

Xiao Yao lowered his head and remained silent, while everyone else shook their heads and sighed helplessly.

Is it really all for nothing...?

Shen Jie nodded and said calmly, "I accept my fate. Thank you all. The late-night snack is still on my mind; I'll treat everyone to Huibinlou."

The crowd erupted in another uproar.

A voice suddenly came from not too far away: "No...it can't be like that."

"Mr. Yao, what brings you in here!" Yu Bo said in surprise, and everyone else was also startled.

"Uh." The little bear turned its face away awkwardly.

The tall and robust Teacher Yao was dressed somewhat like Fat Tiger today. He looked at Shen Jie and said awkwardly, "If it really is the same way you came in and out, your father, the hall, the master will definitely know."

“No way!” Xiao Yao chimed in, “If he knew you couldn’t escape, why would he go to such lengths to capture you? Let you play around, anyway, you’ll have to go back obediently in the end.”

Yu Luying added her analysis, "So in Shen Jie's father's mind, Shen Jie could escape, which is why he had to intervene?"

“No problem,” Xiao Yao added, “Moreover, the more Shen Jie went down the mountain, the stronger the pursuit became, until finally releasing that most troublesome big fly.”

Teacher Yao, slurring her words, said, “This shows that, in Shen’s father’s perception, the further down Shen Jie goes, the greater the chance of her escape and the stronger the pursuit becomes.”

"Therefore, Shen Jie's exit is here without a doubt!" Xiao Yao drew his sword and slammed it heavily against the mirror, but the blade only pierced through nothingness.

“But Shen Jie can’t actually get out, so what’s the point of saying all this?” Little Bear said helplessly.

“I think it might be like this,” Yu Bo tried to analyze: “As a cognitive world, the hall influences everything related to us through our cognition. These cognitions may be conscious or subconscious. For example, that monster that was flying just now, we thought it was a fly, but Shen Jie thought it was a bee.”

Xiao Yao said, "She's just nearsighted, isn't she?"

Shen Jie: "..."

“In short,” Yu Bo continued, “since cognition affects our interaction with this world, Shen Jie’s inability to go out may also stem from the influence of her own cognition, just like her different judgments about the monster.”

“Impossible,” Shen Jie objected.

"What? What do you mean?" Xiao Yao was a little confused.

"What Brother Bo means is that Shen Jie might not be able to leave because she herself doesn't want to," Daiyu explained, helping with the reading comprehension and translation.

"How could that be? Shen Jie has had enough of that cage. She'd rather sever all ties with her father than not regain her freedom, right, Shen Jie?" Xiao Yao was getting a little anxious.

"Impossible." Shen Jie repeated these three words again, though it was unclear which question she was answering with "impossible."

"How can she possibly answer if you ask her like that here?" Shi Hui stopped Xiao Yao from losing his composure.

Yu Bo comforted him, saying, "Our subconscious thoughts may not even be perceived by our conscious mind. They only appear in real moments. I know you are anxious, but don't rush."

Shen Jie: "..."

Yu Bo continued, "Shen Jie, although we are here to take you out, it doesn't mean that just because we're here, we have to take you away. This is your life, and only you have the right to choose."

Shen Jie said somewhat impatiently, "Father Yu, I've already said it twice, your guess is wrong—I wanted to go out myself."

After saying this, she realized that her tone towards Yu Bo was not polite enough, so she forced a sweet smile.

Teacher Yao stepped forward and whispered in Yu Bo's ear for a while.

“I’ll ask you a few questions, you don’t have to answer them,” Yu Bo said gently.

Shen Jie nodded gently.

Yu Bo carefully considered his words: "Regarding your father's engagement and other matters, has your father sat down and seriously discussed his thoughts with you?"

Shen Jie thought about it seriously for a moment, then shook her head somewhat blankly.

Yu Bo continued, "When you ran away from home last time, did you sit down with your father and have a serious talk about your thoughts?"

Shen Jie shook her head again without hesitation this time.

Teacher Yao seemed unable to speak clearly again, whispering to Yu Bo for a long time. The latter sighed and pulled Xiao Yao aside: "Her situation is a very typical parent-child relationship in a single-child family. Single children usually have a mental imprint in their minds that no matter what, their parents will always love them, and no matter what, this is their home. This mental imprint may never be broken unless they experience major life upheavals. But based on Teacher Yao's experience as an educator, this judgment is often wrong—I myself hold this view."

“These days, who isn’t an only child? I think she just lacks positive communication with her father, and it doesn’t relate to what you’re saying,” Xiao Yao said.

“Then let’s communicate directly. You talk to her, and we’ll give you some space,” Yu Bo said.

The crowd dispersed in twos and threes to the side, and Xiao Yao came to Shen Jie's side.

"Hi," Xiao Yao smiled at her, trying to sound casual, "Finally, I have a chance to be alone with you again."

"I...I've caused everyone trouble," Shen Jie said somewhat uneasily.

"It's alright. I'm the one who owes everyone favors, but I may never be able to repay the favor I owe you," Xiao Yao comforted Shen Jie.

"You're welcome," Shen Jie said with a smile.

"Do you want to see your father?" Xiao Yao suddenly asked, catching everyone off guard.

“But…” Shen Jie hesitated.

“I don’t need ‘buts,’ ‘however,’ or ‘what to do,’ those are my business,” Xiao Yao interrupted Shen Jie. “What you need to do is face your own heart—do you want to see your father and tell him what’s on your mind?”