Chapter 117: Inviting Disaster
The three of them arrived at the center of the playground. Police Officer Li lit a cigarette for himself and Qi Xia.
Han Yimo gave an awkward smile, then put the cigarette between his lips and asked, "How do I learn this?"
Officer Li reached out, took the cigarette directly from his mouth, and put it back in the pack. "Learn my ass. Do you know how much I envy people who don't smoke right now? This stuff has a hundred harms and not a single benefit. It's best if you don't start, so don't even think about learning."
"Huh?" Han Yimo was confused. "Officer Li, but you just said..."
Qi Xia waved his hand, cutting off Han Yimo's words, and then asked, "Han Yimo, what is the 'Seven Black Sword'?"
"Ah...?" Han Yimo's expression froze.
If Qi Xia hadn't brought it up, he had almost forgotten about that bizarre encounter.
In the previous cycle, the "Seven Black Sword" had pierced through his abdomen.
Han Yimo paced back and forth a few times before lifting his head to say to the two of them:
"Sixty years ago, there was a 'Punisher of Evil' who shook the martial world, known as 'Chu Qi.' He wielded a massive, heavy sword, and with his elusive lightness skill, he would 'reward the good and punish the evil' according to his own whims. Those he deemed 'good' were rewarded with a tael and seven maces of silver; those he judged 'evil' were sure to have their dantian pierced by the great sword. For a time, all hearts in the land were filled with fear, everyone unsure whether they were good or evil."
"And that massive sword he wielded—because its blade, tip, spine, edge, handle, tassel, and scabbard were all pitch-black—was named the 'Seven Black Sword.'"
Police Officer Li listened, dazed. He stepped forward and rapped Han Yimo on the head.
"Hey!" Han Yimo was startled. "Officer Li, what are you doing? I'm trying to remember..."
"Kid, do you think this is my first time interrogating someone?" Officer Li curled his lips in exasperation. "Just from your eyes, I can tell you made all this up. Give me the truth."
"This stuff was made up by me in the first place!" Han Yimo said anxiously. "I put a ton of effort into making it all up..."
"Is this from your novel?" Qi Xia suddenly asked.
"Yeah." Han Yimo nodded. "In my story, this chivalrous hero named 'Chu Qi' was killed by villains. I thought the martial world would return to peace, but I never expected that the 'Seven Black Sword' wouldn't vanish from the world. It still went on 'rewarding the good and punishing the evil' in an uncanny way, except the wielder was never seen again. It was as if the sword had come to life on its own, always piercing someone's dantian at dawn..."
Police Officer Li tried hard to accept this premise, then asked, "What does this have to do with you being killed?"
"Blame my overly vivid imagination..." Han Yimo lowered his head in embarrassment. "Have you ever had that feeling? Like your imagination has nowhere to go?"
Qi Xia shook his head. "That's a bit abstract."
"To put it simply, there's too much stuff in my head." Han Yimo pointed to the space between his eyebrows. "I always feel like... if I can't find an outlet to channel the things in my mind, I'll suffocate. So I tried many ways. At first, I painted, but since I never had formal training, my brush couldn't bear the weight of my imagination. So I chose writing."
Police Officer Li took a deep drag of his cigarette and chuckled. "I've heard that plenty of people give it their all to become writers and still fail, but you were 'forced' into it?"
"Pretty much." Han Yimo nodded. "There's a whole world in my brain, always waiting to pour out. So I can't stay in a confined environment, or my mind will uncontrollably start conjuring wild thoughts."
Qi Xia seemed to catch something important. "Are you saying... this sword is one of your 'wild thoughts'?"
"It has to be." Han Yimo turned around and said very seriously, "On that pitch-black dawn, I was trembling the whole time. I was terrified of the dark, and I worried that I would die here. Then my thoughts started racing, and I began to worry that the 'Seven Black Sword' would pierce my dantian just like in the story."
Qi Xia was slightly stunned. This situation felt familiar.
Back in the interview room, Han Yimo had also been afraid that a harpoon would pierce his body. If Qiao Jiajin hadn't stopped him, he would have already made that "dream come true."
"And then I really was pierced..." Han Yimo gave a bitter smile. "This place is pretty good. I suggest all writers come for a visit. After just one day, you'll never run out of inspiration."
"No, that's not the issue, right?" Police Officer Li thought it over carefully and realized how unreasonable this was. "According to you... the 'Seven Black Sword' shouldn't even exist in this world. It's just something you imagined. So why did it pierce you?"
"I don't know." Han Yimo shook his head. "That feeling was really strange... When I saw the 'Seven Black Sword,' I was both a little happy and a little scared. Every writer hopes the world they write about becomes real. But when you actually see the things from your book come to life, anyone would be afraid, wouldn't they?"
Yes, this feeling was truly bizarre.
Qi Xia rubbed his chin, trying to sort out the logic.
Han Yimo had sensed that a harpoon would pierce him, so he trembled and felt afraid—that was still within understandable bounds.
But what about the "Seven Black Sword"?
Was he so frightened all night because he had somehow foreseen that the "Seven Black Sword" would pierce him?
But theoretically, that sword shouldn't even have appeared. What was he afraid of?
"Inviting disaster"...
Qi Xia's eyes widened slowly.
Wait a minute...
If Han Yimo could foresee danger, then this "Echo" shouldn't be called "Inviting Disaster"; it should be called "Danger Avoidance" or "Foreknowledge" or something like that.
Why "Inviting Disaster" ?!
Qi Xia felt as if he had been struck by lightning. All his previous inferences had been backwards.
The harpoon was never going to pierce Han Yimo!
The "Seven Black Sword" was never going to kill him either!
It was all because of Han Yimo's "summons"!
He thought the harpoon would pierce him, so that harpoon overcame every obstacle to pierce him.
He believed he would die under the "Seven Black Sword," so even if the "Seven Black Sword" had to materialize out of thin air, it would pierce his dantian.
As long as Han Yimo believed a disaster would happen, it would inevitably happen.
That was what it meant to "invite disaster."
Qi Xia slowly took a step back. The young writer before him felt extremely dangerous.
He had thought bringing Han Yimo along would help avoid calamity, but Han Yimo's very existence was a walking calamity!
The second bell had yet to ring, and Han Yimo was still "inviting disaster."