"Before she met me, she said she never communicated with anyone in the mansion. She said we got along so well because we shared the same passion for art."
Li Banfeng said, "You don’t believe what she told you is true?"
"I believe her. I feel every word she said was true, yet everything she said was exactly as I’d imagined." At this, the Projector began to tremble. "She said her name was Su Lijun, and I felt that was the name she was meant to have. Even if she hadn’t told me, I could have guessed it."
"You could guess her name?"
"Yes! I really could! Her life story too—it was exactly as I’d conjectured. Even if she hadn’t told me, I could even imagine the scene of her murder."
The Projector showed a scene where the Lady of the Fifth Room was doing her makeup in front of a mirror, and a man strangled her to death with a tie from behind.
Li Banfeng said, "Brother, is this the script you wrote for the Lady of the Fifth Room? Is she just strictly following your script, while you’re having trouble telling script from reality?"
"These things aren’t in any script. The scripts are all here; you can take a close look. There are no such scenes!" The Projector opened its film chamber, and a flurry of paper flew out, much of it bearing Li Banfeng’s handwriting. These were scripts Li Banfeng and the Projector had written together.
"These scenes appeared in my mind. I didn’t write them down, and I never mentioned them to the Lady of the Fifth Room. I’m sure she’s not a character I imagined. She’s real, but my thoughts have been implanted into her consciousness. I know where my thoughts come from. I asked about the Blood-Thirsty Pendulum’s past, and it told me some of its residual memories. I’d originally intended to use the Pendulum’s memories as material for the script, but who could have guessed the movie would take shape before the script even existed!"
Li Banfeng felt the Projector still wasn’t quite clear-headed. "Perhaps you mentioned a scene to the Lady of the Fifth Room, and she simply acted it out according to your ideas."
"Seventh Guide, she’s not that obedient!" The Projector showed another scene.
The Lady of the Fifth Room was running through a field of flowers. She picked a bouquet, and as she smelled their fragrance, a sweet smile touched her lips.
The screen suddenly went black, and the Projector explained, "I’d closed the lens cap. I was very tired that day, so I fell asleep." Before it finished speaking, the screen lit up on its own.
The Lady of the Fifth Room held the flowers, her head bowed, and walked towards the lens.
When she reached the front of the lens, she slowly lifted her head, her face devoid of expression.
She tilted her head to the left, and then to the right.
She stared at the lens for a long time, the corners of her mouth curving upward, revealing the faintest hint of a smile.
The screen went pitch-black again, and the Projector said, "I really was asleep then. I didn’t film this segment; she left it for me. I don’t know her purpose in leaving this footage. I asked her, and she said it was a performance done at my request. She lied. That wasn’t my request. Seventh Guide, you might think I’m having mental problems, but I assure you, I’m sane."
Li Banfeng patted the Projector. "Even if you were having mental problems, you’d still be normal."
"But some things *aren’t* normal," the Projector took out the Beaded Flower from its film chamber. "This Magical Treasure originally had a very strong self-awareness, but now *her* consciousness has completely vanished. *She’s* become a pure Spiritual Object, lacking even the most basic ability to express *herself*. This has led me to a bold conjecture: the fate of this Beaded Flower might be the exact opposite of what happened to the Lady of the Fifth Room. When I first met the Lady of the Fifth Room, her consciousness was almost a blank slate. In the Fifth Room, there’s a mysterious power. This power can create consciousness, and it can also erase a person’s consciousness."
Li Banfeng roughly understood what the Projector meant and then asked, "Are you sure this power comes from the Fifth Room, and not from you?"
The screen froze. The Projector’s train of thought halted as well.
After a long pause, the Projector answered, "I’m not sure. All I can say is that I shouldn’t possess such an ability. I know many of our kin have unusual pasts—the Tang Sword, the Judge’s Pen, the Gloves—they were all important figures. But I’m different. I’m a Self-Born Spirit, just like the Sickle. I call myself a Shadow Cultivator, but in truth, I don’t even know my own Taoist Sect, nor can I clearly say where my Techniques originate."
Magical Treasures are usually unwilling to speak of their pasts, due to both contractual restrictions and their inherent nature.
The Projector spoke so candidly of its past because it genuinely felt fear.
Li Banfeng said, "From now on, don’t go back to the Fifth Room."
The Projector replied, "I know the Fifth Room is dangerous, and I keep telling myself not to go back. But I can’t control myself. I’m shaping a soul. I can feel the fear, yet I can’t resist the temptation."
Li Banfeng took out a handgun and laid it in front of the Projector. "Do you recognize this gun?"
Of course, the Projector recognized it. "That’s Ling Miaoying’s gun."
"It’s a Spiritual Object, a very pure one. I’ve tried to communicate with it many times, but it offers no response. If you’re so eager to shape a soul, then shape one for it. Just don’t go back to the Fifth Room."
"Seventh Guide, this weapon is very handy for you. I don’t want to damage it..."
"It’s alright. It’s yours now." Li Banfeng opened the Projector’s film chamber and took out all the film reels concerning the Lady of the Fifth Room.