Love letters are not allowed in the exorcism notebook!-Chapter 83: Is It Human or Ghost?

Your grandma? In this place?

Upon hearing him finish, Wang Yunxiao decisively lifted the torch and walked a few steps back the way they had come.

The first thing that appeared in his sight was a pair of traditional black cloth shoes.

Wang Yunxiao’s gaze sharpened, and he aimed his gun.

The light of the fire gradually dispelled the darkness, revealing an elderly person with a hunched back.

With a head full of silver hair, skin sallow and dry, dressed in a simple patched gown, her face wore a kind smile.

She looked very normal, the kind of old lady you would often see on the street.

But her appearance here was anything but normal!

If it wasn’t for the fact that she stood still without making any scary gestures or showing any intention to attack, Wang Yunxiao would have pulled the trigger long ago.

It was somewhat strange, actually.

Apart from the clearly deranged Lotus Seed Pod Monster, most of the "non-human entities" they had encountered in the school seemed very peaceful.

They were quite different from the ghosts and goblins he had read about in those horror novels.

Was it because the versions were too outdated and had not been updated?

Even the Investiture of the Gods from before the emergence of the Primordial Stream wasn’t actually that exaggerated in terms of power.

The female ghosts of the Liaozhai era weren’t all about sucking people’s vitality; some couldn’t even withstand the vigor of strong young men.

"Big brother, don’t shoot..."

Dumpling’s voice trembled.

"Clear your head a bit! Do you or do you not know whether this is your grandma?"

Wang Yunxiao scolded coldly.

Dumpling forced a smile uglier than crying onto his face.

"I know, but..."

"Bro, I miss my grandma so much!"

Wang Yunxiao took a deep breath and slowly backed away.

The elder just stayed in the darkness, silently watching them, unaffected by the firelight nor coming any closer.

It was as if she understood their caution and dilemmas.

Dumpling cried, his sobs filled with heartbreak.

He knew, of course he knew, but who could remain indifferent when faced with the sudden loss of a loved one years ago?

"Is this a dream, or what’s going on?"

Youtiao asked Little Gourd in a hushed voice.

"It’s not a dream, it’s the Echo Erosion phenomenon."

Little Gourd looked serious and gently tugged at Wang Yunxiao’s clothing, "Big brother, we need to get back. Dumpling bro is badly injured, and staying here could make it worse."

In the Outer Dimension, mental trauma is far more terrifying than physical injuries.

Gangtou had nearly been bitten into a bloodied mess yet sitting down to rest for a while seemed to recover his strength, suggesting that there was no fundamental harm done.

But Dumpling had only come into contact with the Human-Faced Sore and was already experiencing Echo Erosion.

His spirit was too fragile.

So... was this the result of being affected by Echo Erosion?

Observing the motionless grandmother not far away, Wang Yunxiao suddenly had some thoughts flash through his mind.

He knew that at this moment, his brothers behind him might also have some thoughts of their own.

The sudden disaster that had struck years earlier... apart from Chen Yan, who among those present wasn’t a victim?

Who wouldn’t want to see their departed loved ones once more?

If just being affected by Echo Erosion could...

This thought was too dangerous!

Wang Yunxiao abruptly came to his senses, looked back at his comrades who had fallen silent, and decisively gave the order, "Retreat!"

But this time, his command was not as effective as before.

He could hear it, his brothers’ footsteps were hesitant and heavy.

Dumpling looked back reluctantly at the elder behind him, how he wished that she would transform into a monster and lunge at him now, so he could face the harsh reality.

But the elder didn’t move a step forward; she just silently looked at him, smiling and giving a gentle wave.

Dumpling’s composure broke down at once.

That was his grandmother! The one who loved and spoiled him the most! The one who would cook him all sorts of delicious food and never scold him, no matter how much he ate!

Wang Yunxiao gripped his shoulder tightly, dragging him backwards.

Dumpling cried as he walked.

"Big brother... I don’t want to leave..."

"Shut up!"

Wang Yunxiao turned around, raised the gun, and aimed at the old woman, his voice grave as he said, "If you really are Dumpling’s grandmother, you should know that he can’t stay here with you. It’s of no benefit to him!"

The old woman was silent and nodded.

Can she actually understand human speech?

Even Wang Yunxiao was taken aback—what was the principle behind this?

Something wasn’t right, exceedingly so!

If she didn’t react, or if she clung on and refused to leave, Wang Yunxiao could understand.

But responding like this, understanding human speech, could you say she isn’t the real person?

It’s not just Dumpling, Wang Yunxiao himself was starting to doubt.

Or perhaps... could it be that this world isn’t actually as he had believed it to be?

The Chess Herald is responsible for describing the world, the Advisor for keeping secrets.

Wang Yunxiao suddenly turned his head, looking towards the two girls in the team.

Chen Yan and Jiang Xiaotang, what were they hiding?

No, no, this is not right to assume...

Realizing his thoughts were becoming muddled, Wang Yunxiao forced himself to swiftly calm down.

He began to recall the knowledge Nurse Liu had taught him.

During Nurse Liu’s lectures, there was much content that might not have been immediately understandable, only to make sense after personal experience.

In the first class, she had once mentioned something strange.

"Don’t commit everything I tell you to heart, and certainly don’t believe it all. Just have a general understanding of the situation, and use it as a tool."

At the time, this sounded very abstract.

To remember, but not to commit to heart. To believe, but not to believe entirely.

Are you playing tai chi here?

That was a piece of advice that Wang Yunxiao didn’t understand at the time.

Yet for some reason, at this moment, those words abruptly sprung forth from his mind.

What we see might not be the truth.

Just use it as a tool...

"We can leave now!"

Chen Yan pushed open the dormitory door, shouting out loud.

"Let’s go!"

Wang Yunxiao, holding onto Dumpling, turned back to his brothers and said, "Let’s head back and prepare. We’ll come again next time!"

This statement jolted everyone back to their senses, and they followed Chen Yan through the door, disappearing one after the other.

Wang Yunxiao dragged the dazed Dumpling to the door, saw Little Gourd standing by the side, and couldn’t help but ask, "You’re not leaving?"

Little Gourd raised his head and gave Wang Yunxiao a sweet smile, "You go ahead, big brother. I’ll take care of the end."

In this world, the Chess Herald and Advisor need the team’s protection, yet to leave this world required the Chess Herald to lead the way and the Advisor to cover the rear.

It was an utterly bizarre arrangement.

Wang Yunxiao deeply regarded Little Gourd and said softly, "After we get back, we’ll need a good talk."

Little Gourd shrank his neck, with the smile freezing on his face.

Then darkness enveloped him...

From the sensory perspective, it was like waking up from a lucid dream.

Just running in Dreamland one moment, then suddenly falling back into the bed, experiencing the sensation of gravity shifting and losing balance.

Wang Yunxiao felt his legs go weak, and when he opened his eyes again, he was already at the school gate.

Above him shone the moon, as large as a washbasin, casting even silver moonlight on the earth.

This was the Real World.