Duosheng Danyuan

——Yangyuanzhai Rules——

Rule 1: Every grain of rice and every drop of water should remind us of the hard work involved in their production; every thread and every piece of cloth should remind us of the scarcity of resources. Please do not waste.

Rule Two: The more a gluttonous person takes, the more they lose; the more a Buddhist practitioner loses, the more they gain. Please eat in moderation.

Rule 3: Rest areas should not be too restrictive. Please get some rest.

Rule Four: Nourish the vital essence with blood, complete the fast with qi, and create things with spiritual energy. When the vital essence is full, the fast is empty, and all things are exhausted.

——Divider——

Inside Yangyuanzhai, the remaining nine of us sat in groups of four, three, and two at the tables prepared by Shengdanyuan. Although there were two tables for four and one table for three, one of the four-person tables only had three chairs, the meaning of which we all understood perfectly.

"What do you think about what happened at the Refining Heart Hall just now?" Lin Xu asked me, chewing on a sesame seed cake.

"What do you mean?"

"all."

"Let's start with the 'Purification Pool of the Mind'."

"Yes, that's fine."

"What happened to you?" I put down my chopsticks and asked seriously.

"My hands were holding yours and Xie Qinghan's respectively, and I can confirm that I never let go. But at one moment, I suddenly realized that my hands were empty."

"At a certain moment? What moment? Was it the moment your mind wandered?"

"Distracted? Now that you mention it... I do seem to have focused my attention on Elder Jianshan. Didn't he say we were almost there? But I can assure you that I held your and Xie Qinghan's hands very tightly. If someone had separated us, I couldn't have been completely oblivious."

"My situation was roughly the same as yours. The thick fog around me suddenly froze, as if time had stopped. Then, in the instant my attention shifted, my hands were separated from yours and Su Wanqing's."

"So, you think the reason we separated was this moment of distraction?"

"Yes. But I don't know what that means yet, so I'm just asking. You encountered a swamp after you separated from us, right?"

"That's right," Lin Xu nodded, then continued, "Although I'm a painter, I often travel around the world to gather inspiration, so I'm no stranger to swamps. After realizing I was stuck in a swamp, I immediately lay down on the ground and tried to pull my feet out."

"I think I heard from survival documentaries that you increase your contact area to gain leverage and escape from swamps?"

"Yes. But the result wasn't ideal. Even though I did get out of the swamp and turned back, the once flat road seemed to have completely disappeared. In short, I felt like I was surrounded by swamp, with no land at all."

"That seems to be the case. And then? What are your plans?"

"Then I just lay down in the swamp and slowly sank." Lin Xu shrugged and said frankly, "After all, Elder Jianshan only said not to bow my head, so I thought maybe the purpose of this swamp is to make me bow my head. Since that's the case, I simply lay down and sank in a position where I couldn't bow my head at all."

"..." After hearing Lin Xu's words, my expression gradually became serious.

"What's wrong?"

"Aren't you...aren't you afraid something will happen? I mean, aren't you afraid that sinking means certain death?"

"...Of course I'm afraid," Lin Xu paused, then said, "but being afraid is useless. In that situation, what can I do? Just accept it. Besides, Elder Jianshan's instructions haven't failed me so far, so I think he's neutral and not hostile to us."

"That's true. However, regarding Elder Jianshan's stance, we'll have to wait and see if Su Wanqing can return safely."

"Su Wanqing..." Lin Xu's expression clearly worsened when Su Wanqing was mentioned.

"There's always a way out; in this situation, we can only try to think positively."

"Hmm. Let's talk about something else. How credible do you think Elder Huaizhen's talk about the philosophy of the Shengdan Academy was?" After a pause, Lin Xu said, "Mainly about the part about ascending to immortality."

"Zero points."

"Are you so sure?" Lin Xu looked at me in surprise and asked in astonishment.

"Hmm, do you believe it even a little bit?" I asked back.

"Of course not. But I'm not as certain as you are. Why are you so sure?"

"Tell me why you don't believe me either," I said, swallowing the last bite of rice with some vegetables to make sure I wasn't too full or hungry.

"It's mainly a feeling, but it's also partly due to Huai Zhen's description. Only about twenty ascendants appear every few hundred thousand years, how could the Sheng Dan Academy produce two in a row? I've looked through the textbook they gave us. Even the highest level below ascension, the Tong Xian, only has a lifespan of about four thousand years. The Sheng Dan Academy has had two leaders, a total of eight thousand years. Can two ascendants appear in eight thousand years? If you do the math carefully, it's obviously a hoax."

"I've noticed what you said too." I nodded, and added, "The only reason I'm so sure is that we exist in this world."

"What do you mean?"

"What are your impressions of the environment and the indigenous people of this world?"

"Hmm... oppressive, restrained, and also very... dangerous."

"Hmm. Even though you haven't read Rules of the Uncanny, you must have read some horror works, such as classics like Silent Hill and Dead Silence."

"I've seen it, what's wrong?"

"The environment we're in now is at least nine-tenths similar to those in horror stories. You could say it's a terrifying world separate from reality. Since it's a terrifying world, there has to be a reason, like in horror movies—why did this world become a terrifying world?"

"If there really is a reason... then it's quite obvious, just like Huaizhen said, it's because of the book we have, 'The Secret Method of Longevity Elixir,' right?"

"Yes. In Silent Hill, the other world arises because of people's own guilt. When you confront your own inner weakness, the boundary between the real and the other worlds breaks down. In Dead Silence, the appearance of the doll Billy is due to the resentment of its creator who was burned to death for no reason. Although the story ends with the monster winning, if humans could burn all the dolls, they might also win in the end. As for other horror works, the parts with real ghosts mostly revolve around obsession and resentment. Perhaps, as long as we unravel the obsession and resentment of this Shengdan Academy, we can return to our original world."

"That makes sense," Lin Xu nodded, then added, "But what if this place is inherently a strange world? Like in 'The Strange Immortal of the Dao,' perhaps the strange is the norm here."

"I think that's unlikely," I shook my head and continued, "Think about it, when Elder Jianshan first met us yesterday, why didn't he find us, these new disciples who were clearly different from them, strange?"

"Because...because the disciples here all started out just like us!?"

"Yes, that's what I think. Including Elder Jianshan and Huaizhen's exchange about Qian Zhe and Tang Anran, the changes in their three souls and seven spirits are essentially directly related to the interests of the elders."

"I noticed that too. The tone of their conversation didn't sound like they were discussing disciples; it sounded like they were discussing merchandise. This is probably a cannibalistic world."

"It's nothing. Our society is cannibalistic anyway, it's the same everywhere."

"Haha, don't make comparisons. In this godforsaken place, I just feel incredibly nostalgic for my own world." Lin Xu shook his head and said, "Since our top priority is to find clues about the obsessions and resentments of this world, shouldn't we go to the Ancient Pill Scripture Pavilion? If we're talking about clues, I think there must be many scrolls there that record the old stories of the Life Pill Academy."

"I think the same way you do. The Ancient Elixir Pavilion is definitely an important place. However, important places are generally also the most dangerous places," I said in a deep voice.

"We still have to go, but we can go somewhere else to find out the situation first before going to the Ancient Elixir Scripture Pavilion," Lin Xu said.

"Hmm. Speaking of which, are the rules of Yangyuanzhai the shortest?" I looked up at the rules on the wall and joked.

"It's hard to say the shortest, but it is indeed quite concise, like a normal cafeteria code of conduct," Lin Xu nodded.

"But like the Quiet Abode and the Refining Heart Hall, there are also things that are not explicitly stated. Things like the Gluttonous Beast, the Buddhist Disciple, and the entire Rule Four are all like riddles."

"In other words, if we solve these riddles, we'll find the answer to how to leave this place, right?" Lin Xu smiled and said optimistically.

"I hope so."

A moment of silence.

I watched Lin Xu finish his food and prepared to get up and leave Yangyuanzhai with him. Just then, Wang Hao walked towards us.

"Lin Xu, Gu Changfeng." He called our names naturally.

"What's wrong?" Lin Xu asked.

"Do you have any plans for this afternoon? If not, how about we sit down together and chat?"

"Let's chat? Everyone come? Where?" Lin Xu asked again.

"Well, everyone except Su Wanqing... should come. As for the location, since we initiated it, let's just have it in our dorm, what do you think?"

"I'm fine. Brother Changfeng, what about you?" Lin Xu asked, looking at me.

"Of course I'll go." I nodded and accepted Wang Hao's invitation.

"It's settled then. Don't leave first, okay? We'll all go together then," Wang Hao said with a smile.

"Um."

Soon, everyone finished their food and left Yangyuanzhai together, heading towards Jingxilu. Wang Hao, or rather Chen Yu, had made a good suggestion; given the current situation, those of us in similar circumstances should unite. After all, so far, no rules had been found that required sacrifice. If we think optimistically, perhaps all ten of us could safely return to our own worlds...

Since we weren't very familiar with each other yet, on the way back to Jingxi Lodge, there were only a few scattered words of concern and greetings, and no one brought up any other topics. In silence, we soon arrived at the door of Chen Yu and the others' thatched hut.

"Come in," Qian Zhe said.

"Don't worry, Qian Zhe and I tested it this morning and it's okay to visit each other," Wang Hao said with a smile.

"..." Chen Yu remained silent, and followed Wang and Qian into the thatched hut as the third person to enter.

Then, whether hesitantly or decisively, everyone went into the hut.