Chapter 213: The Weight of False Death

“Ah, I knew it,” Mo Qingyan admitted, a blush creeping up her own cheeks. She recalled that her initial performance with a pencil had been hardly any better than Xiao Qing’s.

Jia Cheng and Xushan had already turned away the moment Xiao Qing took the pencil. They watched the blazing inferno with unwavering gazes, as if they had long anticipated this exact outcome.

I had a good guess as to why. After experiencing deaths like hanging or strangulation, the body would involuntarily relax, losing all control.

I, however, had quickly overcome the sensation of death, regaining command of my body to avoid such an embarrassing display.

“Xiao Qing, are you alright?” I went over to help her up, then pulled a handkerchief from my bag to wipe her face clean.

Xiao Qing’s face was streaked with tears, yet she asked, still unwilling to give up, “Why can Sister Xia overcome such a terrifying vision? I feel like I can’t accept it at all.”

Mo Qingyan sighed. “Alas, it’s because she has already experienced the feeling of being on the brink of death. You haven’t had such an experience, so of course, you can’t adapt.”

I paused, suddenly understanding the difference between Xiao Qing and me. Whether it was being swallowed by the Skin-Peeling Ghost, my mouth and nose stuffed with flesh, or later, being choked by it in Xiao Qing’s home, I had indeed experienced the suffocation of being near death twice.

These experiences allowed me to quickly discern that these were not my true deaths within the illusion, thus rapidly reclaiming my consciousness. Xiao Qing, however, lacked such experiences, and she had become lost in the despair and agony of death.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qing finally recovered her composure. After all, the experience of being near death was something everyone had gone through.

Yet, she still gazed at the pencil on the ground with a look of unwillingness and asked, “I’ve also touched a red pencil when playing ‘Pencil Immortal’ with you before. Why wasn’t there such a terrifying death illusion then?”

“Because at that time, I was the master of the red pencil. As long as my hand was still touching the pencil, you didn’t need to endure the death illusion.

However, if you wish to use the red pencil yourself, you must overcome the death it carries,” Mo Qingyan explained.

“Then, will I never be able to pick it up?” Xiao Qing asked, sounding dejected.

“Of course not. As long as you have courage, you can repeatedly pick it up, or simply touch it and let go, adapting little by little until you are completely familiar with death. Then, you will naturally overcome the illusion.

Once you overcome it, the pencil will acknowledge you,” Mo Qingyan clarified.

“Back then, the Department Head also took three tries to successfully overcome it. I was even worse; I took five tries. Only Bai Yue and Xia Yubing were like each other, overcoming it in a single attempt,” Xushan remarked.

I looked at Bai Yue with some surprise. She was so young; had she experienced being near death before?

Bai Yue seemed to understand my questioning gaze and said faintly, “The pain of being gnawed by Gu worms is worse than death. And you, you adapted faster than I did.”

So that was it. Bai Yue hadn’t had a near-death experience, but the agony of being ravaged by Gu worms had helped her overcome a false death.

Listening to the piercing screams of the wronged souls plummeting into the Gu swarm, I truly understood what it meant to live a life worse than death.

However, it was difficult to comprehend that Bai Yue, a Gu master, had once endured being bitten by Gu worms.

After hearing Mo Qingyan’s words, Xiao Qing gritted her teeth, preparing to try again. She reached out her hand, attempting to touch the red pencil on the ground, but she stopped when her fingers were mere centimeters away from it.

Her fingers trembled. No matter how much knowledge she possessed, Xiao Qing was still just an ordinary high school girl.

The previous battle against the Skin-Peeling Ghost was one of her rare encounters with demons and monsters, and it hadn’t truly allowed her to experience the agony of being near death.

Therefore, she felt a sense of dread and retreated. Even a false death was not something an ordinary young girl could endure.

This pain was etched into the bone; even my brief few seconds of experiencing it felt like a journey through hell.

Xiao Qing bit her lip and continued to reach out. Even if she didn’t pick up the pencil, just touching it would be a form of adaptation.

But at that moment, the pencil was suddenly taken away.

“Sister Xia, what are you doing?” Xiao Qing looked up at me, realizing I was the one who had taken the red pencil.

“Nothing. I just feel this is still too early for you, Xiao Qing. You don’t need to face the pain of death so quickly. Perhaps you should rest,” I said.

“I can do it! Give me the pencil!” Xiao Qing, like an agitated cat, was desperate to prove herself, even reaching out to snatch it.

I grabbed Xiao Qing’s hand. “I said, there’s no need. Our goal is simply to learn the Malevolent Yin Finger, not to torment ourselves. We can still learn the Malevolent Yin Finger even without a cursed artifact, can’t we, Senior Mo?”

“Yes, you can learn the Malevolent Yin Finger even without any assistance; it just takes a bit longer,” Mo Qingyan nodded, adding, “However, I don’t think it’s a bad thing to experience death more beforehand. This won’t actually kill you and can make you calmer and more composed when facing real life-threatening dangers.”

“But Senior Mo also said it’s too early for Xiao Qing, didn’t you?” I asked again.

Mo Qingyan nodded once more. “It is indeed too early. Moreover, if one is unprepared psychologically, blindly and repeatedly experiencing death might be more harmful than beneficial. If you can’t overcome the fear and shadow of death, it will stay with you for life.”

I… Xiao Qing finally hesitated. She truly wasn’t ready to face death. This was evident from her earlier retreat.

“Xiao Qing, trust me, it’s alright. I have other ways to help you,” I whispered, referring, of course, to a cursed artifact, the brass key.

Xiao Qing, who had been given the jade gecko by me, nodded and said, “Of course I trust you. Alright, I won’t try to pick up this pencil today.”

“That’s good. Let’s practice slowly first, and once you’re more proficient, I’ll teach you,” I said. Xiao Qing seemed to understand my hint and no longer rushed, moving to the side to practice slowly.

However, she still blushed as she took off her underwear. There was no other choice; it was already soaked through. Now, she could only rely on pure qi circulation.

Fortunately, the environment was scorching hot, so there was no need to worry about catching a cold.

To avoid provoking Xiao Qing’s competitive spirit, I stopped using the red pencil as an aid and returned it to Mo Qingyan. I relied on my own practice to compress and release the malevolent qi.

After about an hour of practice, the results were minimal, but there were changes. The malevolent qi I expelled was no longer misty but had a somewhat liquid feel, now resembling a spray.

Xiao Qing also finally managed to control the malevolent qi on her own. However, for her physical health, Mo Qingyan still advised her to use the jade gecko to absorb and filter the malevolent qi.

After an hour of wailing and sorrowful cries, the number of people jumping down gradually decreased, finally stopping now. No one else leaped down. I had thought the ghosts here were truly infinite.

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