Chapter 1145: Eyes
Despite her words, Qiu Shiliu still looked lost.
She knew she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, so she could only resort to the most foolish method possible: entering as many doors as she could, then finding a way to leave all the information she'd discovered in one spot, hoping that her teammates outside might stumble upon it by some stroke of luck—since she herself had no hope of making it out alive.
With that thought, Qiu Shiliu turned around again and "moved" toward another door not far away. The scenery within her field of vision began rushing past her in a blur.
But just a few seconds later, she stopped her intent, and everything around her came to a halt.
As expected, desperation could spark inspiration that had never occurred to her before.
Before she'd entered, Su Shan had told her that to explore this space, she needed to abandon all conventional common sense.
With that in mind... Qiu Shiliu looked back at the door she had just passed through.
Why had she chosen that particular door to move toward?
There was only one reason: it was close enough. By common sense, when time was limited, the nearest door would be the easiest to reach.
If that was really the case, combined with the condition that "it's not me moving, but the space," then the logic of movement shouldn't have been "I go to the nearest door," but rather "let the nearest door come to me."
Qiu Shiliu pressed her hand to her forehead, trying to cool down her overheated mind.
In other words, it was precisely because the space had received the command "let the nearest door come to me" that the entire space shifted, placing her right in front of that door.
"If that theory is correct..." Qiu Shiliu let out a breath. "Then I don't actually need to randomly enter these doors at all..."
She steadied her intent, then slowly closed her eyes.
So here, she really couldn't rely on "common sense."
If this space could accept such abstract commands, then in theory, she could do anything.
She felt that she was probably the only living person in this bizarre space—the "god" here. Everything in this place could move according to her intent.
Now she pushed all other thoughts out of her mind and focused on repeating one phrase over and over:
"Let the most important door come to me."
The abstract description left Qiu Shiliu standing frozen in place for a long time, with no change around her. She could only keep emptying her mind, concentrating entirely on entering a meditative state.
She didn't know how much time passed before she finally heard the sound of wind whistling in her ears. The wind blew from the front, then from the side, as if the entire space was moving and turning at high speed.
To ensure success, Qiu Shiliu didn't open her eyes. She kept them shut, repeating the same words. After just a moment, all the wind died away.
She waited a few more seconds before slowly opening her eyes.
The scene before her had indeed changed, but since she'd kept her eyes closed the whole time, Qiu Shiliu had no idea which direction the space had moved. She could only tell from the numerous doors around her that she was no longer facing her original direction.
But soon, she noticed something strange.
There was no "door" in front of her.
The closest door, by common sense standards, was at least a hundred meters away. Yet she had come to a stop in an empty area.
Was this because her intent wasn't strong enough... or had she misjudged the entire principle from the start?
Was there no such thing as the "most important door" in this place? In other words, was Xuanwu's weakness simply not here...?
Qiu Shiliu was about to close her eyes again to rethink when she noticed something odd right in front of her.
Suspended in midair, very close to her, seemed to be a tiny point of light.
Qiu Shiliu frowned and stared at that point of light. It looked no bigger than a coin, with some kind of pattern flickering within it.
"Could this... be... a door...?"
Qiu Shiliu slowly widened her eyes and stepped forward.
The point of light was far too small to be called a "door." At best, it was a "hole."
If this was the so-called "most important door," then how was she supposed to enter or exit it? And how could she know what was inside?
She hesitated, then leaned forward, pressing her eye up to the hole.
...
"Nine... it's okay." Jiang Shi said, leaning against the wall. "I'm fine... go to Xuanwu. Your abilities are important too."
Bai Jiu sighed. "What do you think I'm still here for?"
"As if I don't know..."
Jiang Shi coughed twice, forcing a bitter smile. His remaining eye blinked, making the empty socket on the other side seem even stranger.
"Nine, don't bother... I'm beyond saving. I could die any minute. Staying here is just a waste of time."
"But you said you didn't want to die alone—that it would make you especially scared." Bai Jiu's face was expressionless, her tone cold. "I'm here to die with you."
"Yeah..." Jiang Shi slowly lowered his head. "Thank you... Nine... Don't worry, I'm not in pain right now, so I don't know when I'll die... Could be in the next second, could be a few hours from now... Just talk to me..."
Bai Jiu nodded. "What do you want to talk about?"
"I..." Jiang Shi thought for a long time, then shook his head. "Forget it... I'll recite something."
"Alright, go ahead. I'm listening." Bai Jiu replied. "Don't be scared. I'm here with you."
He nodded. "Storytellers sing to guide men aright, three roads converge in the central light. Good and evil will find their just return, the righteous path of the world—the righteous path of the world is... it is..."
As he recited, Jiang Shi's expression crumpled, and tears began to roll from his remaining eye.
Bai Jiu stood there for a moment, then frowned and bent down, reaching out to wipe his tears.
"Don't cry, little Jiang Shi," Bai Jiu said. "Your body doesn't hurt anymore, but your heart will if you cry."
But Jiang Shi couldn't stop his tears. He lay on the ground, sobbing.
Bai Jiu could only sit beside him and stroke his hair. Though they were similar in build, Bai Jiu was like a big sister gently comforting him.
"Little Jiang Shi, don't cry. I know you're most afraid of pain. It's fine now, it doesn't hurt anymore." Bai Jiu's own voice began to choke.
She wiped his tears away. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly noticed something strange in the empty socket where Jiang Shi's other eye used to be.
Bai Jiu steadied Jiang Shi's head and stared closely at that socket—the eye that Xuanwu had long ago gouged out.
Then, in the next second, an eye materialized out of thin air in the hollow cavity.