Excessive ferocity due to caution

"It...it's here!!"

Thomson was too nervous to speak.

One hand gripped the torch tightly, the other clutched the book tightly.

Snapped!

Zhao, who was standing to the side, lit a cigarette.

It was the same box he had given Zhao Yi before.

"Thompson, go..."

"The nightmare should end here."

Thomson, trembling, held the book and, overcoming his immense fear, walked step by step toward the shadowy figure.

With each step he took, beads of sweat would appear on his forehead.

The blood vessels in their eyes will become even more prominent.

Why...

Why is he so afraid of this dark figure?

Why have so many of his memories disappeared, and why can't he recall them no matter what he tries?

Is Zhao Yi's speculation really a reality that once happened?

At that moment, Thomson felt a mix of fear and uncertainty.

This is a process that everyone has to go through.

Like a new recruit about to go to the battlefield, no matter how brave he is, he will inevitably tremble before charging forward.

Thomson knew he had no way out.

If he backs down now, this vengeful ghost will surely kill him.

Only by awakening the memories of the vengeful ghost before him might it spare him!

With this in mind, Thomson endured the excruciating pain in his head, overcame all difficulties, and step by step, staring at the almost frozen cold, clutching the torch and the book, he arrived in front of the vengeful ghost.

He raised his head, looked at the vengeful spirit shrouded in thick black fog, and tremblingly handed the book to it, saying loudly:

"Master Daoist!"

Do you remember me?

"I am Thomson!"

"Quickly recall, Daoist Master! You are a cultivator, how can you be swayed by evil thoughts?!"

The vengeful ghost stared at Thomson for a long time.

Those deep green eyes were filled with immense grief and compassion.

But in the end... it reached out and slowly took the book from Thomson's hand.

The ghost cast a grateful glance at Zhao Yi behind Thomson, then turned and left.

Seeing it disappear into the rain, Thomson seemed to lose all his courage and collapsed to the ground.

Although he was trembling violently, he burst into maniacal laughter:

"We survived!"

"We...survived!!"

He laughed, and as he laughed, the heavy rain outside stopped.

A ray of blinding sunlight shone in and fell on Thomson's face.

Neither hot nor cold.

"It's finally over."

Qin Bai let out a breath, but Zhao Yi, standing beside him, said to Thomson:

"The rain has stopped, Thomson, you should go back now."

Thomson's eyes lit up slightly, and he murmured:

"Yes……"

"The rain has stopped..."

"I should go home now..."

After saying that, he walked outside as if he had lost his mind.

Zhao Yi and Qin Bai arrived at the door and entered the corridor, watching Thomson walk away alone in the sunlight until he slowly disappeared.

Their sealed power returned to their bodies.

Thomson's obsession was resolved.

"I still don't understand... was his obsession really resolved just like that?"

Qin Bai didn't understand.

Zhao Yi gripped the railing with one hand and said:

"At first, everyone thought Thomson's obsession was to write a compelling story...including me."

"This comes from the hints that books and pens give us."

"But the real danger of this cursed world is that Thomson's obsession is not to write a sufficiently ingenious horror story, but to leave this place alive."

Qin Bai was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Leave alive?"

"you mean……"

Zhao Yi slowly said:

"right."

"In the long past, Thomson did come to this place to gather inspiration because he couldn't write a novel, and an old Taoist priest did live in this Taoist temple... but whether the priest ascended to heaven or died is unknown."

"However, one thing is certain... Thomson really did die here."

He couldn't go back.

Qin Bai was somewhat surprised:

"Brother Yizi, how did you find out?"

Zhao Yi turned and glanced at him.

"An ordinary person might be able to survive for thirty days without food and only drink water, but the environmental requirements are extremely demanding."

"This place is deep in the mountains and forests. Even if wild animals outside dare not enter the dojo for some strange reason, they can always guard the outside."

"The dojo is over a hundred miles from the nearest town. How could someone so weak possibly travel that far?"

"Furthermore, in such rainy weather, with temperatures constantly dropping, how could Thomson, dressed so lightly and without food or water, possibly survive?"

Qin Bai was thinking seriously.

"These...are just speculations, aren't they?"

"Although Thomson's chances of survival are extremely slim..."

Zhao Yi calmly said:

Have you been to any of the other rooms in the dojo?

Qin Bai nodded.

"certainly!"

"But this place is really in terrible condition; so many things are damaged."

Zhao Yi:

"Not damaged."

"It was forcibly demolished."

"Think carefully, haven't you dismantled almost everything in the room that could be used for fire?"

Upon hearing this, something clicked in Qin Bai's mind, and he quickly turned around to look at the altar room.

The portraits on the wall, the dilapidated altar.

And... the overturned brazier.

"I understand... I understand..."

Qin Bai was deeply shocked.

"Back then, Thomson was trapped in this place. There was nothing to eat but a few rotten fruits on the platform. It was pouring rain outside, and Thomson had nowhere to go. He also fell and injured himself on the road, so he could only huddle in the dojo and wait for the rain to stop."

"But he never expected that the downpour would suddenly become unstoppable."

"He's cold, so he has to light a fire to keep warm."

"However, after the old Taoist priest left, there was only a limited amount of firewood in the room. Eventually, he ran out of firewood and had to start tearing up the paintings and smashing the cabinets... Because he lacked suitable tools, not only was smashing the cabinets difficult, but he also injured himself..."

He stood in the room, and it seemed as if he had returned to that cold, rainy day.

Qin Bai watched as Thomson, filled with fear and despair, smashed down whatever could burn, threw it into the brazier in front of him, and then numbly watched it turn to ashes.

Finally, Thomson dragged his already exhausted body out into the pouring rain, wanting to fight for his life before he died.

Or perhaps... he just wanted to die.

Compared to suicide, watching himself die little by little in that dark and cold room seemed to be more unbearable for him.

The specific details of what happened back then are no longer known.

But Qin Bai could understand Thomson's fear.

"He gets a headache whenever he thinks about those memories because he is filled with an indescribable fear of them. He cannot face them, nor does he want to face them a second time."

"I constantly used verbal suggestion to help him escape his predicament through self-deception, ultimately leading him to believe he was saved..."

Zhao Yi put his hands in his pockets and looked at the rising sun in the distance.

"This method can have significant side effects for some patients with emotional disorders... but for Thomson, it doesn't really matter."

"He just wants to go home... right?"

PS: Phew!

First update.