Why play in a band if you don't form one for life?

"Yeah." Shizi turned to the others, "No problem?"

Before the others could answer, footsteps were heard at the door again. LAYER looked over and saw CHU? and PAREO also walked in. "Has anyone been here? Did they find anything?" CHU?'s voice had already arrived before he had even emerged completely.

As soon as she came in, she saw LAYER No. 3 and her face immediately frightened: "Uh...oh my god, why is there still one?"

"CHU?," LAYER walked forward, "She is similar to No. 2. We are discussing whether to let her join us. Do you agree?"

CHU? glanced at everyone and asked, "Do you agree?"

"We?" LAYER was surprised by CHU?'s question and looked around.

"No problem." Everyone replied.

CHU? sighed irritably, "If you have no problem, then I have no problem too."

PAREO looked at CHU? strangely.

"PAREO, what about you?" LAYER's question brought her back to her senses. She hurriedly replied, "Yes! Since Master CHU has no objection..."

"Well," Youxina concluded, "let's go find the others and ask them. If they agree, we can have a meal and leave." She made a gesture to leave.

Shizi stopped her again: "Wait."

"What's wrong?" Youxi's tone remained unchanged.

"I'm a little curious." Shizi flipped through the book in his hand. "According to the records on the stone tablet, anyone who has the ability to see fate will be selected into the Tianming Pavilion. The person before was just a teacher, but he had a premonition of the catastrophe. I'm a little curious about him."

After Shiko said this, Youxina became curious. She asked No. 2, "What time is it now?"

Knowing that it was still early, they all went to the small courtyard. Following their memories, they soon found the black bamboo door.

The offerings that Shizi had placed were still there. The incense sticks had burned out, leaving only a faint white smoke. PAREO and others stayed in the house wearing masks, trying to find objects that could prove the identity of the owner. The three LAYERS and CHU? followed Shizi back to the yard. The yard was not big, and it was a bit crowded for a few people to stay here.

Shizi narrowed his eyes and lay on the well mouth to look inside. Since the owner hid the stone tablet in the dry well, there might be other things hidden inside.

It was pitch black and nothing could be seen.

"I'll just jump down." Number Three stepped forward. "With my luck, I'll be fine. Maybe I can even find something."

"No need." Chu pushed her away and tapped on the headset. A cyan projection covered her eyes, and the scene at the bottom of the well was fully analyzed. Her eyes lit up: "There is indeed a hole, just big enough for one person to pass through!"

"Where?" Shizi looked carefully, but saw nothing.

"I'll do it." Kita's voice came from the side. Shizi looked up and saw that she had just taken off her mask: "It's so stuffy, I came out to get some fresh air." She pointed with her hand, and a little flame ignited above the well mouth and slowly sank down. Everyone's eyes followed the flame downwards, and the well wall was dry. It seemed that it was indeed a dry well. The flame dropped about ten meters and illuminated the bottom of the well. The bottom of the well was all mud, there was a pile of rotten grass, and there was a small hole next to it, just as CHU? said, it could accommodate one person.

"There's enough oxygen down there," Kita said. She could sense this from the state of the flames.

Do you want to go and have a look? The answer is yes. The rope ladder was quickly lowered down, but there was a problem: the bottom of the well was narrow and could only accommodate one person at most.

Who is going?

LAYER No. 3 stepped forward again: "I'll go. After all, I've received a favor from this town, and I'm curious about this place."

Shizi immediately stopped in front of her and said, "I am the only one who can understand the text here. If there are texts below, it would be more convenient for me to go." She could no longer contain her enthusiasm for archaeology.

But they both heard LAYER's voice: "Kitao, what are you doing?" Turning around, they saw Kitao had quietly climbed up the rope ladder and was descending.

Shizi frowned. Kita was not someone who would make a decision without saying anything. What was going on? She took a step forward. Kita raised her head, and Shizi saw her lifeless pupils. Shizi paused, but did not stop her.

Chu? walked up to her and tugged at her sleeve. Shizi leaned over and Chu? whispered in her ear, "That again?"

Shizi looked solemn: "Yes."

Number 3 and Number 2 were both puzzled: "What's wrong with her?"

"I'll explain later." Shizi had already followed Kita up the rope ladder, "I'll follow and see."

CHU? frowned and held her hand: "In a place like this, if she suddenly attacks you, how will you fight back?"

Shizi gently broke free: "Even so, I have to go." She no longer cared about other people's reactions and climbed down step by step.

Her feet stepped on the soft bottom of the well. There was no one around, and Xiduo had already walked into the cave. She lit a torch to illuminate the cave wall and followed quietly.

Xiduo stepped into the simple Taoist temple. She had never been here before, but it was very familiar to her.

The wall was made of mud with some thatched grass. If you looked closely, you could see rat holes at the base of the wall. However, the yard was unusually clean, with no weeds to be seen, and everything was in perfect order.

When she opened the bamboo curtain, she saw an inexplicably friendly girl sitting on a futon. The futon was old and had been used for who knows how many years. The girl was dressed as a Taoist nun. When she saw her, she patted the futon opposite her and said, "Sit down."

Before Kita could react, her body moved on its own and sat down on the equally old futon opposite her in a very orderly manner, without moving. Her posture was so stiff that even the nun opposite her frowned. "Until the very end, you refused to relax a bit in front of me."

"Do you know what I'm here for?" A strange female voice came from Kita's mouth.

The nun didn't answer. She slowly brewed two cups of tea according to the standard procedure, and then said, "They told me that you were leaving."

Kita sat up straight, his tone a little deeper: "Yes, I came to say goodbye."

The fragrance of tea spread at this time, as if the scorching sun also became pure.

The nun closed her eyes, as if enduring something. After a long while, she opened her eyes, her eyes tired: "...You, wanted to leave a long time ago, right?"

"Yeah." Kita lowered his head slightly, avoiding the other person's gaze. "I didn't think there was much hope for the Eden Project. I have done what I can do, and it's time to do what I want to do."

"…The Fire Road is not yet complete. If you die outside, you won't be able to come back."

Kita's voice said without any hesitation: "It doesn't matter. If he dies, he dies. Even if the Fire Road is completed, he will be a useless person here for the rest of his life after he comes back. What's the point?" There seemed to be resentment in her voice towards someone unknown.

"But... that would be better."

Kita fell silent. After a long while, she spoke again, her voice no longer full of resentment, but still firm: "I know... but I don't know how long it will take for the Fire Road to be completed, but there has been no news from the east for a long time."

When the word "east" was mentioned, the Taoist nun's eyelids twitched.

"They have already revealed a little bit of their plan. It is inevitable that there will be no news."

Kita nodded, "That's exactly it. There's nothing going on in Eden Garden, and their plan is at a critical stage. I want to go."

"...Then go ahead." The nun stood up and opened the bamboo curtain. "Have a safe journey."

The blinding sunlight shone in. Kita picked up the teacup, drank it all, and stood up.

"It's not raining..."

She heard the Taoist nun sigh softly.

When I walked out the door, I found that the mountain flowers were in full bloom.

From behind, I heard the voice of a poet reciting:

"…The green mountains share the same clouds and rain, and the bright moon is never in two places."

I don’t know whether I was reading it to her or to myself.

Kita paused and continued walking down the mountain.

When will I be able to see flowers like this again?

There was a sound of bones breaking under her feet. Kita looked down and saw a skeleton lying against the wall. Her foot broke the skeleton's femur, and the broken bone fragments were scattered at her feet.

Like a flower.

Chapter 44: Remnant Soul

The skeleton's empty eye sockets stared at Kita. In the past, Kita would have jumped up in fright and hugged Ichiri if he had encountered such a thing.

But now, Kita only felt a sense of sadness, not from other people's memories, but from her own.

The firelight illuminated the cave. It was only the size of a study room, but the walls were built with stone bricks, and pots, pans, and other items were placed on the shelves in the corners. There was also a small hole for excretion, which seemed to be a shelter that had been built long ago. Kita suppressed his emotions and looked down at the skeleton.

The skeleton was wearing a piece of cloth, which was different from the bare bones in the outside world. Over the long years, the cloth had almost turned into pieces, and a piece could be torn off with a slight pull.

There were light footsteps behind him. Although they sounded deliberately concealed, Kita had been able to recognize the identity of the person after living with him for a long time.

She turned around and saw Shizi holding a torch, cautiously staring at her in the aisle. Kita raised his hands in surrender: "I'm normal now."

"Name?" Shizi was still cautious.

"Kita, Kita."

All the muscles in Shizi's body relaxed.

"You're still in the mood to joke, it seems like it's real." She walked closer to Kita and saw the skeleton behind her, then retracted her gaze and looked at Kita again, "Why is it so serious this time?"

"I... have some guesses." Kita turned around and continued to check the cabinet at the corner. "Maybe a dead soul has attached itself to me at some point. She came from the former Garden of Eden, but later left. She died halfway along the way somehow, and her soul attached itself to me, so I can see her memories and follow her feelings to come here." She stretched out her hand and tried to touch the objects on the shelf.

Shizi ignored them and took out a jade slip: "Do you want to try to transfer that soul out? You can use this. I developed it for another self, but it didn't work."

Kita took the jade slip: "She should have no ill will towards me... But okay, thank you." She put the jade slip on her forehead, and soon, star-like lights flew out from Kita's body and gathered towards the direction of the jade slip.

However, something strange happened suddenly!

As the light flew out, a black and red foul smell also emerged on Kita's body. Her body trembled, and the guitar and notes emerged on their own, playing the melody of "Time Flows, Triangle Days and Nights", but she could only barely hold on!

Shizi immediately stepped forward and grabbed Kita's shoulders. Musical notes also appeared around him, matching Kita's rhythm and relieving her pressure, but it was still not enough! At this moment, the light spot that flew out of Kita's body suddenly reversed direction and returned to Kita's body. Kita groaned, and the jade slip in his hand fell on Shizi's shoulder.

Shizi frowned and was about to carry her outside, but at this moment, Kita's eyes opened.

His eyes were dull.

"Sorry." Kita didn't open his mouth, but a strange female voice sounded in Shizi's mind.

Shizi paused and glanced. There was a bamboo mat on the empty space on the ground. She laid Xiduo flat on it and sat cross-legged beside him: "Who are you?"

After waiting for a long time, Shizi finally got the answer: "Just a dead person."

"How did you possess Kita?" asked Shiko.

The female voice continued intermittently: "My remaining soul... is attached to the monster... You kill the monster, and I will attach myself to it."

Shizi's brows furrowed even more tightly: "Then why choose Kita? Can't I do it?"

"She... has the best resistance to filth... I can barely control myself on her... As for you..." The female voice changed the subject, "I tried you, but there is an unknown power in you..."

Shizi heard this and recalled. An unknown power that only existed in her? She thought about it and could only think of one. In her mind, she tried to communicate with the giraffe.

This time, it worked.

Shizi returned to the sky above the city that was on the verge of collapse, facing the giraffe in the strong wind.

Before Shizi could ask, the giraffe's voice came into her mind: "I understand."

"I need strength. Existence alone is not enough. I need the stage to blend into the wilderness, and I need the power to assimilate the wilderness." The giraffe's voice was calm.

Shizi crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow when he heard this: "I thought it was enough to let you stay here."

"You didn't ask."

Shizi's eyelashes twitched a few times: "Then please be patient and let her live here too, okay?"

"I understand." The giraffe's expression was invisible. Or rather, giraffes don't have any expression.

Shizi returned to reality. "Okay, I've made the deal. You can live with me, is that ok?" She looked into Kita's lifeless eyes.

The pupil did not blink: "It's... impossible..."

"What?" Shizi was a little anxious, "Why?"

"The filth... has been too deeply integrated with her soul. With the help of those two holy vessels and my control... she is still fine, but as soon as I leave her body... she will immediately attack."

"Didn't you say that she has the strongest resistance?!" Shizi shouted angrily.

She pounded her chest, took a deep breath, and calmed down: "What exactly is filth? Is there any way to deal with it?"

She had heard this word many times, and now that she had caught a senior, of course she had to ask him about it.

"The main body of the monster... is filth..." the remnant soul said in a deep voice, "It is also the extension of the power of Satan's incarnation... that is the demon wolf. The two holy weapons on her body... are made of filth, and can suppress filth."

Hmm... is it something like miasma? And is it related to emotions? Shizi tried to connect the two.

While Shizi was thinking, the remnant soul continued to speak. "Go to the center of the Garden of Eden... There is someone still alive there... She will help me..." The female voice became softer and softer until it could no longer be heard.

Kita's eyes slowly closed.

"Center? Is there anyone else?" Shizi threw herself on Kita, "Speak more carefully? Hello? Are you there?"

However, no new voices came out. Shiko called for a long time, but Kita did not respond.

Kita slowly opened his eyes and saw Shiko's face illuminated by the firelight.

So close.

She was startled and pushed Shi Zi away: "What are you doing!"

Shizi rolled over and steady herself: "Oh, it hurts...hiss, what is that?" She looked back and saw that a sharp bone fragment had scratched her skin and blood was flowing out.

"Uh, sorry..." Seeing this scene, Kita covered his mouth, "Why don't you go out first, will you get infected?"