On the Ark.

"Xuehui," her mother spoke first, her voice somewhat cold, "You shouldn't have spoken out of turn at the family council meeting; it will hurt your father."

The now-adult Guigu Xuehui said calmly, "Mother, I'm not talking nonsense; I'm just stating the facts."

"The truth?" Her mother's voice rose considerably. "What is the truth? Do you really want to leave the Guigu family?"

“Mother, I brought this up a long time ago, and you agreed to it back then…”

"I was just joking!" her mother interrupted. "Don't bring up things from when you were little!"

Guigu Xuehui was silent for a while, then said, "But I took it seriously, and I have to leave the Guigu family."

"Just because of that nightmare?" the mother said in disbelief. "Just because of that little dream, you left the Guigu family? You left me, who raised you for sixteen years?! Guigu Xuehui, don't you have even a shred of conscience?!"

Lin Ye saw Guigu Xuehui biting her lip tightly and softly say, "But, I really can't hold on any longer..."

“If you can’t keep going, just take more medicine!” the mother said. “You’re just mentally ill. Take more sleeping pills and you’ll sleep better at night.”

At that moment, Lin Ye saw Gui Gu Xue Hui's cheeks turn pale, and her straight back tremble slightly.

Lin Ye remained silent.

Things unfolded exactly as he had predicted.

Others might not feel it as deeply, but Lin Ye, who read it from beginning to end, felt it profoundly. The same place, the same people, but a completely different story. The mother who cried while holding Guigu Xuehui ten years ago had become someone who told her to take more sleeping pills so she could sleep. Lin Ye didn't know what had happened to change a mother who loved her daughter so much.

It was probably the torment of being woken up by crying every night that wore away even the greatest maternal love.

"In short, I will not allow you to leave the Guigu family." The mother slowly stood up and then said slowly, "If the family cannot cure your nightmares, then the outside world is even less likely to help. Don't hold onto such meaningless hope. It's just a nightmare, isn't it? You should be used to it by now. You're an adult now, and it's time for you to think about the family. Remember to apologize to your father later and promise that you won't say such thoughtless things again. Okay, that's all. I'm going to see your younger brother. He's had some typhoid fever these past few days. As his older sister, I hope you can be more sensible and not cause me any more trouble."

After saying that, the mother turned and left.

Only Guigu Xuehui remained in the room, if Lin Ye wasn't included. From Lin Ye's perspective, Guigu Xuehui kept her head down, neither speaking nor moving, as if time had stopped. But Lin Ye knew no, because the rain outside the window was still drizzling, and it was getting heavier and heavier.

It's very sad, isn't it?

Lin Ye wanted to comfort Guigu Xuehui, but in the current dream, he was still an outsider and couldn't intervene at all. Guigu Xuehui couldn't see him or hear his words, so she couldn't possibly know that there was someone else sharing her sorrow.

This dream fragment lasted a long time, probably because this conversation left a very deep imprint on Guigu Xuehui's heart, so deep that even long after her mother left, Guigu Xuehui remembered it, even the rain that occasionally drifted in through the window was deeply etched in her memory. Finally, she slumped onto the table, as if asleep, if not for the slight trembling of her shoulders.

The following scene takes place outside the Guigu family compound. Guigu Xuehui's attire has changed from that of the Guigu family's eldest daughter to a masked "ghost hunter," indicating that she has left the Guigu family and is following the legends of the Eastern Kingdom to search the world for the "most evil ghost" that can kill her and end her nightmares.

Following the legends, she went to many places where "extremely evil spirits" might exist, but returned empty-handed, inadvertently creating the "Halloween" festival. Ironically, what was supposed to be her journey to end her suffering became a source of joy for others. Of course, Guigu Xuehui didn't place all her hopes on the legends. After leaving the Guigu family, she sought out doctors—psychologists—who were not found in the ancient Eastern Kingdom, hoping to see if this special kind of medicine could cure her "illness." Unfortunately, she still saw no hope.

Finally, one day, she was utterly disillusioned. She no longer wanted to trust any "professional psychologists," nor did she want to believe in the legendary "evil spirit" that could devour her nightmares. She decided to end her own life, even if it meant being dragged into real nightmares after death, she didn't want to suffer in reality anymore.

So she decided to end her life on her last Halloween.

With this in mind, she headed to the last Halloween location—Jim Town, which is where Lin Ye is now.

This is Guigu Xuehui's "present life". After reading it, Lin Ye took a deep breath and then slowly clenched his fist.

He hasn't exited the dream yet, which means the dream hasn't ended.

The next segment will likely be the "nightmare" that has tormented her for over twenty years, the very source of it all. Just like the source that tormented Liz and drove her insane. Lin Ye knew it was time for him to make his move, even though he didn't know what he was about to face. After all, this was a nightmare that had driven Guigu Xuehui to the point of contemplating suicide to end her suffering.

Is it a "ghost" from the legends of the Eastern Kingdom?

Is it a cruel "battlefield"?

Is it a "dream prison" similar to Liz's?

Or is it something even more terrifying?

Lin Ye didn't know, but he was determined to give it his all.

Then, the scene shifts again. The bustling town of Jim is swallowed by darkness, and Lin Ye stands in the darkness, waiting for the final nightmare to arrive.

Finally, the darkness disappeared.

Lin Ye stood in the drizzling rain.

However, there were no legendary ghosts, no cruel battlefield, and no prison, for the gloomy sky was right above him.

Before him stood a house that was all too familiar.

A black cat was taking shelter from the rain under the eaves of the house.

Lin Ye was stunned.

……

……

Author's note: I glanced at it and the bounty has increased by eleven chapters. Adding to the previous nine chapters, it's now twenty chapters.

Chapter 400 Lin Ye's Death Date (3K)

Lin Ye stared blankly at the house in the rain, somewhat unable to believe it.

This was a house he knew all too well. Although he hadn't lived there for many years, he had spent the last part of his life in this house in his previous existence. But why was he here? Wasn't this Guigu Xuehui's dream? Why were his memories appearing? Had his abilities malfunctioned? Was he seeing his own memories now?

Lin Ye couldn't quite figure it out. Because the way he entered the dream this time was different from the previous times, he didn't even know how he entered the dream, let alone control it. So even if something unexpected happened, he would never be able to figure out the reason.

Furthermore… even if the dream he experienced suddenly shifted from Guigu Xuehui's to his own, why would he dream of this place? This was a rented apartment off-campus when he was in university. Because it was an old building, and the person who rented it to him was a kind old woman, the rent was relatively low. However, the facilities weren't very good either; for example, there was often no hot water in winter, and the air conditioner would occasionally break down in summer. Apart from that, he didn't think there was anything particularly memorable about this building that would make it a place in a dream.

...No, there are still some.

Lin Ye noticed the little black cat sleeping under the eaves, sheltering from the rain, and warm memories flooded back. He took a few steps forward, entered the yard, and slowly bent down, squatting in front of the little black cat, softly calling its name: "Xiao Xue".

The black cat called "Xiaoxue" twitched its ears, slowly opened its eyes, and raised its head little by little to look at Lin Ye.

At this moment, Lin Ye felt as if he had returned to his university days many years ago. Despite pressure from his parents, he adopted his seventh cat in his rented apartment, giving this little black kitten a pure white name. Xiao Xue was the kitten he had adopted the shortest and was the youngest, yet the most obedient. Unlike his younger brother, who was always looking for fights, and his angelic companion who wandered off and only occasionally returned home, Xiao Xue, though only a few months old, never ran around or jumped about. Every day, like a puppy, she waited patiently in front of the apartment for Lin Ye to return after class.

After class, Lin Ye would walk through the dilapidated courtyard, across the narrow path, then bend down, touch Xiao Xue lying on the steps, and softly say, "I'm back." Just like what he was doing now, in that daze, he felt as if he had returned to before his death, back to those carefree days.

However, Xiaoxue's response was somewhat different from what Lin Ye remembered. Awakened by Lin Ye, Xiaoxue raised her head, saw him, and immediately bristled, leaping back a step and letting out a low growl. This surprised Lin Ye, but he quickly understood why.

That's who he is now. He's no longer the Lin Ye he used to be, so it's normal that Xiaoxue doesn't recognize him.

So he slowly withdrew his hand. He had to give up the experience he had wanted to have again. Seeing the wary look in Xiaoxue's eyes, he sighed inwardly. There was no going back. In order not to further provoke Xiaoxue, Lin Ye had to take several steps back, keeping a distance of more than three meters from her, before Xiaoxue gradually calmed down. But her wary gaze still didn't leave him.

Lin Ye said to Xiao Xue with a helpless expression, "I'm not a bad person."

However, it was of no use.

Seeing that he couldn't pet Xiaoxue like he did in his previous life, Lin Ye could only continue to examine his surroundings. Before, his attention had been drawn to the house and Xiaoxue, and he hadn't noticed many details. Only now did he realize that this place was somewhat different from what he remembered, or rather, somewhat strange.

Many parts of the house are incomplete, not in the sense of being damaged, but in the sense of being empty and dark.

Including the courtyard, in Lin Ye's memory, the courtyard of this house was planted with many plants, but now they are all gone. Large swathes of darkness fill the gaps, as if cutting the courtyard into sections.

"What's going on?" Lin Ye murmured.

This hadn't happened in Guigu Xuehui's previous dreams. Or rather, it hadn't occurred in any of the dreams he'd entered before. It was as if... those dreams were complete, while this one was incomplete. But that didn't make sense. If he wasn't mistaken, this should be Lin Ye's own dream. How could his own dream be less stable than someone else's?

Lin Ye was puzzled, and just as he was pondering this, a voice that was all too familiar came from inside the house, making him widen his eyes in an instant. Then he looked up and stared straight at the door.

"Xiaoxue, dinner's ready." The door opened, and a young man of about twenty... no, exactly twenty years old, walked out of the house and said to Xiaoxue, who was lying on the steps, "I bought you new cat food. Try it and see how it tastes."

Lin Ye's mouth dropped open slightly.

How is this possible?!

He actually saw...another version of himself?

No, that's not right. It's not another version of myself; to be precise, it's my past self.

This is the only one that Lin Ye would absolutely not mistake.

Lin Ye stared intently at his past self, but his past self didn't notice Lin Ye in the courtyard at all. He simply patted Xiao Xue's head and told her to follow him into the house. Xiao Xue, who was patted on the head by his past self, made a very affectionate "meow" sound. After glancing at Lin Ye in the courtyard, she followed his past self into the house.

This made Lin Ye, who was standing in the courtyard, feel a chill run down his spine.

How could this happen?

I absolutely cannot understand it!

Although the protagonist of this dream should be his past self, he himself is standing here, so how could his past self possibly appear?! Isn't this his own dream? How could he possibly see another version of himself?!

Lin Ye felt his mind was in a mess because the dream was just too bizarre.

Is this really his dream? If it is, how could he see his past life? But if it's not him, then whose is it? It doesn't make any sense. Wait a minute.

Lin Ye suddenly thought of something.

When he intervenes in someone's dream and uses his abilities, he is in a "stealthy" state. Only the dream's owner can see him; no one else in the dream can see him unless he actively leaves this "stealthy" state. Just now, Lin Ye from his past life didn't see him standing in the courtyard, which means that Lin Ye from his past life wasn't the owner of this dream…

Upon reaching this conclusion, Lin Ye couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

If this dream truly doesn't belong to Lin Ye himself, but to someone else, then it must be someone who knows Lin Ye very well, even remembering small details like him buying new cat food to try on Xiao Xue. But the problem is, in his past life, Lin Ye clearly lived alone; his apartment was always occupied by him alone!

But these are things that no one else, except the people in this apartment building, could possibly know.

Then... Lin Ye dared not think about it any further.

Moreover, he didn't need to think further, because he was already standing there, and the truth was right before his eyes, since the owner of the dream must be in the dream. So he took a deep breath, then slowly stepped forward, pushed open the wooden door that was all too familiar, and, listening to the all-too-familiar creaking sound, Lin Ye entered the house.

The furniture was the same familiar stuff, but it looked quite outdated because it had been purchased by the landlady. However, he noticed that the interior, like the exterior, had many dark, empty spaces, a testament to the incompleteness of this dream. But compared to the large, empty spaces outside, the interior was much better preserved.

In other words, the person experiencing this dream has a clearer memory of the house than of the courtyard.

At this moment, Xiaoxue was eating cat food, while her past self seemed to have gone to take a bath. After all, it was a rainy season, and Lin Ye in her past life liked to take a shower in this kind of weather.

Wait, the plum rain season?

Lin Ye thought of something.

He immediately turned his head and looked at the cabinet next to him, on which was a calendar and a bottle of white medicine.

Lin Ye's eyes widened.

He saw the date on the calendar: 201X-X-X.

How is that possible?!

Lin Ye's sense of surprise intensified, because he clearly remembered that this was the day he had his heart attack, the day he passed away!

To put it simply, this was the day he was destined to die in his previous life.

Upon realizing this, Lin Ye immediately felt his hands and feet turn ice cold, and his whole body trembled.

Why would he see his death date here? This is clearly not a dream! But besides him, who else could remember every detail of the day he died so clearly?!

Lin Ye suddenly looked around, fear written all over his face.

If that's really the case, then wouldn't it mean that on the day he suddenly died, someone was hiding in his apartment the whole time?! Watching him collapse from a heart attack, watching him die because he couldn't get his medication... watching it all!?