After the street lamps’ light extinguished one after another, the surroundings became pitch black. Shang Jianyao raised his right hand and massaged his temples.
He lay down completely and closed his eyes.
…
This time, he didn’t appear in Star Cluster Hall but the shimmering illusory sea.
In front of him was a small island. The soil on it was dark-brown and grotesquely rugged. There were no signs of life.
This was the first island Shang Jianyao had encountered after entering the Sea of Origins.
According to the antiquarian—Du Heng—the islands corresponded to the fear hidden in everyone’s hearts. Different Awakened encountered absolutely different ‘islands,’ likewise for the number of islands.
Shang Jianyao had already stayed here for many days, but he still failed to defeat this ‘island.’
There were no monsters on the island, but there was an extremely nasty ‘natural condition.’ Once Shang Jianyao climbed up, all the light in front of him would disappear. There would also be no more sound in his ears.
On the island, he seemed to be in a dark, tightly shut, and strange room. Not only was he unable to see his fingers, but he couldn’t even hear his own voice.
This made Shang Jianyao unable to sense the passage of time. He felt that the darkness and silence seemed to materialize and slowly eat at his mind.
He couldn’t stay on the island for too long every time. He always retreated when he was close to breaking down mentally or due to extreme fear.
If it weren’t for the fact that Du Heng had told him about the Sea of Origins’s meaning and the different islands, Shang Jianyao definitely would’ve given up on trying and turned to search for other islands in the boundless sea.
Shang Jianyao believed that bypassing this place meant that he had been defeated by the fear in his heart. There was a high chance that his Awakened abilities would not improve or change again.
After staring at the island for a while, Shang Jianyao lowered his head according to the plan and looked at his indistinct self in the illusory water ripples.
He hesitated for a few seconds before his eyes gradually turned deep.
“They are employees of Pangu Biology, and so am I. They are very young, and so am I. Their parents are right beside them, so…”
Shang Jianyao paused and replied, “Therefore, my parents are with me.”
A gentle and relieved smile gradually appeared on his face.
Without wasting any more time, Shang Jianyao gripped the rock at the edge of the island with both hands and flipped over.
As the Sea of Origins was intrinsically illusory, his clothes did not become wet. No water droplets dripped from his hair either.
Shang Jianyao’s feet had just landed when his vision instantly turned pitch black. He couldn’t see anything else. Not only did this make him feel like he was about to reach the edge due to the cramped space, but it also made him inexplicably afraid of the unknown danger lurking in the darkness’s depths.
“Hey! How are you?” Shang Jianyao tried to speak loudly, but he couldn’t hear anything. At this moment, he felt like he had been abandoned by the world and thrown into an extremely terrifying place that no one cared about.
Shang Jianyao tried to take a step forward, using his footsteps to resolve the fear and uneasiness that gradually rose in his heart. But no matter how he comforted himself, the darkness still invaded his heart slowly and uncontrollably.
Shang Jianyao shrunk his body as if he had found something to rely on in the quiet and uninhabited darkness. This made him last longer than he usually did. However, he eventually felt lost due to the fact that there was only air around him.
His heart raced, and his expression gradually wavered.
“It’s fake…” Shang Jianyao suddenly muttered.
Cold sweat quickly broke out on his forehead. His knees slowly bent as he squatted down and hugged himself.
…
In Room 196, Shang Jianyao opened his eyes. He panted heavily and looked around.
The room was dark, and it was quiet outside.
Shang Jianyao quickly took out his flashlight from under his pillow and pushed the button.
A beam of light shot out and shone on the opposite wall, illuminating the clothes hanging from the burgeoning screws and the sink beside them.
Shang Jianyao’s breathing gradually calmed down as he looked at the yellowish glow. After about a minute, he switched off the flashlight, pulled the blanket over him, and fell asleep.
After an unknown period of time, Shang Jianyao was woken up by a knock on the door. The knock was repeated thrice before it gradually faded away.
Shang Jianyao knew that the Life Ritual’s parishioners were telling him that it was almost time for the gathering. For members without watches and further away from the clock on the street, the Life Ritual parish would send someone who knew the time to remind them.
It was the individual’s choice to get up and participate in the gathering for whatever reason after hearing the knock. If they had already made the decision not to participate in the gathering, or if they had guests at home—which made things inconvenient—they could just wipe away the graffiti on the door before turning the lights off. That way, no one would knock.
Shang Jianyao quickly got off the bed, washed his face, and seriously brushed his teeth. He then put on a dark-green cotton coat and held a flashlight before heading to the nearby public bathroom to relieve himself.
After doing all of this, Shang Jianyao followed the familiar path to Li Zhen’s house, which was located in Zone A, Room 35.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Shang Jianyao knocked on the door three times.
Soon, a deliberately suppressed voice sounded from the door. “Life is what’s most important.”
Shang Jianyao replied very skillfully, “Newborns are likened unto the sun.”
With a slight commotion inside, the door quickly opened, and a faint-yellow glow flowed out.
Li Zhen—who had her eyebrows slightly raised—sized up Shang Jianyao and smiled. “Come in.”
She quickly moved aside and allowed Shang Jianyao to enter the room.
“You have to tell us about the real world outside later.” Li Zhen smiled and made small talk as she opened the door.
“Alright, Auntie Li.” Shang Jianyao was very polite.
Li Zhen casually pointed at a spot. “Have a seat; it’s about to begin. You’re a little late.”
She had only casually said that without any intention of blaming him. After all, it was not really time for the gathering yet.
Shang Jianyao explained seriously, “I brushed my teeth first.”
Speechless, Li Zhen nodded with a stiff smile. “Good; very good.”
Only then did Shang Jianyao walk to the small stool and sit down.
The stool was relatively short. For a tall person like Shang Jianyao, he had to curl his feet as much as possible to rest his butt.
Upon seeing Shang Jianyao’s uncomfortable sitting posture, Shen Du—who had already arrived—stood up. “Let’s change seats.”
“Thank you, Uncle Shen.” Shang Jianyao didn’t stand on ceremony.
After sitting down again, he looked around and greeted the other members. Shang Jianyao had already participated in similar parish gatherings several times and was no stranger to all the members on this floor.
After waiting for a while, Ren Jie walked out of the room that led to the inner bedroom and walked between the large bed, the closet, and the cupboard.
“Jianyao, you’re back?” Ren Jie—who was wearing a polyester shirt—nodded and greeted him with a smile.
Shang Jianyao immediately replied, “Thy mercy be praised!”
“…” Ren Jie was stunned for a few seconds before she realized that Shang Jianyao meant that he wanted to thank the Arbiter of Fate for blessing his safe return.
She forced a smile and said, “There’s no need to be so formal. It’s just an ordinary chat.”
Without waiting for Shang Jianyao’s response, she said with a serious expression, “The sermon will officially begin. Today’s sermon will be about death. Life will eventually pass, just like how leaves will always turn yellow and fall to the ground…”
Shang Jianyao suddenly raised his hand.
“What’s wrong?” Ren Jie asked worriedly. She thought that Shang Jianyao had discovered something abnormal.
Shang Jianyao stood up and said, “There are many trees that have leaves that don’t turn yellow…”
Ren Jie’s facial muscles twitched as she interrupted him. “That’s just a metaphor. Don’t ask such questions until after the sermon. Listen well and don’t speak.”
“Okay.” Shang Jianyao sat down in disappointment. He then listened to Ren Jie preach with a very focused expression, but his eyes seemed to be a little blank and lacking focus.
Before long, Ren Jie ended the sermon and said to all the members present, “Next is the confiding phase. You can tell your fellow brothers and sisters your worries and draw strength from them…”
As she spoke, she stared fixedly at Shang Jianyao and used her gaze to suppress this fellow, preventing him from speaking. She remembered that the first time she said such words, Shang Jianyao had suddenly interrupted her.
“It’s not only brothers and sisters, but uncles and aunties as well.”
After she finished speaking and confirmed that Shang Jianyao couldn’t interject, Ren Jie heaved a sigh of relief.
The next second, Shang Jianyao took the initiative to raise his hand and share his worries. “I’m a little hungry now.”
“Next,” Ren Jie replied without hesitation.
A woman in her twenties pursed her lips and said, “Our Supplies Allocation Market’s PIC, Wang Yafei, has been supporting the establishment of the Fertility Center. He believes that this can reduce the excuse of female employees taking leave. He believes that this can improve the relationship between husband and wife.
“I know that this is a personal opinion and can’t represent anything, but I can’t help but argue with him. He… he actually found an excuse to transfer me from my original position to the most arduous cleaning post…”
After Ren Jiejing finished listening, she raised her arms like she was cradling a baby. “The Goddess will punish sinners.”
She didn’t say anything else and said to Shen Du, “Your turn.”
Shen Du scratched his head. “My child is getting more and more disobedient…”
The members subsequently shared their worries, such as the death of their relatives, the violence of their husbands, the coldness of their wives, the mischievousness of their children, and the hardships at work. They were all consoled by others.
Finally, Ren Jie returned to her original spot and said to the parish’s members, “Next, it’s time for Holy Communion.”
Shang Jianyao’s back immediately straightened, and his eyes shone brightly.
Ren Jie and Li Zhen quickly came out of the room. One of them carried a cylindrical, translucent container, and the other carried all kinds of cutlery.
The container was filled with white, sticky liquid.
Ren Jie was the first to come in front of Shang Jianyao. She scooped a spoonful of liquid into the lunch box in his hand.
“This is today’s Holy Communion, yogurt.”
Shang Jianyao took a light breath and replied with abnormal sincerity, “Thy mercy be praised!”