Irene thought it was absurd that Yu Sheng could live long-term in a "foreign domain" without knowing it—but Yu Sheng thought this whole world was absurd.
"Going by what you say, this world is full of "foreign domains," right?" Hiding in the corner of the ruined temple, Yu Sheng chatted with Irene in his mind, hit or miss. "Most people just can't reach them? Because they can't observe them?"
"More or less, but whether the entire "world" is like that... I'm not too sure either," Irene said. "After all, the world is so big, right? But at least within Jiecheng... foreign domains appear quite frequently, so this place is apparently also called a "boundary zone" or something... I'm not clear on the specifics. I've been stuck in this painting too long; my mind is a bit muddled."
"A boundary zone?" Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow, feeling the name seemed somewhat familiar, but right away he noticed another piece of information in what Irene had just said—
She had deliberately emphasized "within Jiecheng"—so this enormous city, seemingly without borders, actually had an "outside"!
He hesitated for two or three seconds, but couldn't help speaking up: "Outside Jiecheng... what's there?"
"Outside Jiecheng? Maybe more cities? Or maybe... the sea or something?" Irene's answer was vague. "I don't remember either. I've really been in this painting too long. I only remember a few things about this city..."
At this point she suddenly stopped, then asked with some confusion: "You don't know? You haven't left Jiecheng either?"
Yu Sheng's mouth twitched, and he fell silent immediately.
How would he know! He'd only been in this place for two months—forget outside Jiecheng, he hadn't even figured out the bus routes beyond four blocks from his home yet!
But he remained silent for a long time, and still decided not to bring this up—regarding this little secret of his, for the time being he didn't want a "cursed portrait" he'd only known for a short while to know.
"I haven't gone out; I'm a shut-in... forget it, let's not talk about this," he said, brushing it off with a couple of lines, then shifted the topic. "Let's figure out how to solve my problem first. How do I get out of this so-called "foreign domain"? By the way... is this foreign domain thing escapable?"
Irene across from him pondered for a while, seemingly organizing her messy, blurred memories from long imprisonment, and after a long while a response came: "Foreign domains... there are many kinds. Sometimes they might just be a house not on any map, sometimes an extra platform on a bus route, sometimes even a forest, a country you can walk into by pushing open a wardrobe door—basically, smaller foreign domains have relatively fixed and obvious exits, or you can return to reality by following specific rules, but the larger the foreign domain, the more complicated the situation."
Saying this, she paused, then continued: "The specifics I actually don't remember too clearly either. Foreign domains should have a complete classification method, and also some "depth" classification and "danger level" classification standards, but I really... have been in this painting too long..."
Her voice gradually lowered, sounding somewhat lost.
Yu Sheng had originally wanted to retort a couple lines, thinking this doll rattled off a bunch but remembered not a single useful piece of intel, but after hearing the other party's final muttered complaint, he closed his mouth and didn't argue with Irene like before.
She was already trying hard to help—she had just been sealed for too long.
"Look around; there's always an exit to be found," Yu Sheng shook his head, looking up at the valley outside the ruined temple. "This place looks sizable. At least as far as the eye can see there are large mountains on both sides and a forest in the distance. Going by what you said, leaving... might not be so easy."
"Mm," Irene hummed. "You can start by walking around your "landing point" after entering the foreign domain, looking for anything that doesn't fit with the surrounding environment—the kind of thing that at a glance seems like it shouldn't be there. Generally, a foreign domain's exit will be near there. And if there isn't one nearby, find a higher place and see if you can see mirror-like reflections or hear continuous wind..."
"However, even if you find something similar, don't rashly go touch it. That could also be a trap leading to a "deeper layer." As for specifics... I can't say clearly either. You have to go by feeling."
"Feeling?" Yu Sheng couldn't help but speak up.
"...Yes, strictly speaking, what it actually needs is "inspiration," a spiritual kind of intuition. Trained investigators master this perception method—I know you haven't been trained in this, but there's no other way now. We just have to bite the bullet."
"However, don't worry too much. Spirituality exists within all intelligent beings. Ordinary untrained people have it too; it just hasn't been awakened. If you pay close attention, you'll feel those warnings and omens rising from your own essence—if you really encounter something you can't judge, tell me, and I'll try my best to help."
Yu Sheng agreed, then slowly walked out from the corner where he'd been hiding, and cautiously headed toward the ruined temple's entrance. The unsettling "sense of being watched" and "sense of hunger" still surrounded him, and even seemed to have permeated the surrounding air, becoming part of the entire valley, but he still bit the bullet and walked out.
Because going by the intel Irene provided, he had to find an "exit" as soon as possible to leave this place—waiting in the corner wouldn't make a door open before his eyes on its own.
Meanwhile, probably to relieve the tension in his heart, he was still making desultory small talk with Irene.
"You say the place I've always lived is a "foreign domain"? How did you judge that? I didn't think there was anything wrong with my home at all..."
"I can feel it," Irene replied. "That kind of "inspiration" I mentioned. I can clearly feel there's something wrong with this building—of course, on the surface it does look quite normal... I don't know what's going on with that."
"Feeling again..." Yu Sheng shook his head. "Going by what you say, every time I go home and enter the door I'm walking into a foreign domain, and opening the door to go out means leaving the foreign domain? My family's place really is a "good foreign domain" where you can come and go freely and no one gets hurt."
After two or three seconds, Irene spoke up faintly: "...Opening the door to go out doesn't necessarily mean you'll arrive where you want to go, does it?"
Yu Sheng's expression instantly stiffened, recalling why he had unluckily become trapped in this place.
He seemed to understand now what exactly was wrong with his "home."
Thinking about it, the fact that he had lived steadily in that big house for two months was in itself a miracle!
By now he had already returned to the open space in front of the ruined temple, the "landing point" where he had first entered this "foreign domain."
"I didn't find anything here," Yu Sheng carefully checked around the open space, confirming he hadn't found the kind of "item that felt out of place" Irene described. "Looks like it's not so easy after all."
"Yeah, that's to be expected," Irene sighed. "Then try walking outward first, but remember: absolutely do not touch anything that glows or suddenly moves before your eyes. Also, unless absolutely necessary, don't eat or drink anything from the foreign domain..."
"I know... Speaking of which, would it be better to search after daylight?" Yu Sheng said, glancing up at the sky above, which seemed forever covered by a murky veil. "Moving around outdoors at night always feels gloomy."
"Foreign domains often defy common sense. Daytime isn't necessarily safer, and... there might not even be daytime," Irene immediately said. "I still suggest you find the exit as soon as possible. If you drag things out, who knows what changes might happen on your end."
Yu Sheng curled his lips and could only helplessly walk further away.
And at the very instant he stepped beyond the ruined temple, a sound... came to his ears.
At first, it seemed like only a faint, muffled breathing sound.
Yu Sheng subconsciously looked toward the direction the sound came from, and just then saw a white mist slowly dispersing in the air, as if some unseen giant beast had just exhaled a breath of foul air.
He heard the sound, and thus the giant beast's breath was generated.
He saw the white mist, and thus the giant beast's existence began to be confirmed.
A black shadow emerged in the air—a shadow almost three times Yu Sheng's size—slowly taking shape before him, accompanied by heavy breathing.
Now he saw the giant beast's outline—the giant beast existed.
Yu Sheng's heart instantly clenched. An immense sense of crisis crashed down on him, heavier than the pressure that frog in the rain had given him!
And just as he felt his heart clench, the black shadow solidified.
It was something Yu Sheng had never seen before—a bear? A lion? An eagle? Or a tiger and a snake? Countless grotesque, strange, and seemingly familiar limbs were piled onto that huge, ugly mass of flesh, as if many ferocious beasts had been melted together in one great pot, then mixed into a mass that ran out from inside. This disgusting, terrifying thing propped up its enormous body with swollen limbs of various sizes and shapes, looking down on Yu Sheng, and within those haphazardly layered eyes... brimmed hunger.
Yu Sheng slowly raised his head, meeting the giant beast's gaze.
The giant beast lunged down without hesitation—at the critical moment, Yu Sheng suddenly lowered his body and narrowly escaped past one of the giant beast's gaping maws.
Then he fell into another of its giant mouths.
Sharp teeth closed viciously, and half of Yu Sheng's body was instantly torn apart. But at this moment, the intense pain instead seemed to become a distant numb illusion. He felt everything before him slow down. He saw snake-like limbs extending from behind the giant beast, and another huge mouth biting into him, tearing at the remaining parts below his chest—he saw his own heart again.
His heart beat slowly, then disappeared into the depths of the snake's maw.
"Fuck your uncle!"
Yu Sheng squeezed out a curse from his throat at the end. He knew he seemed to be dying again, but he felt he couldn't just let it end like this.
While the last bit of muscle on his body could still contract, he strained with all his might to turn his head and bit into whatever was beside him—he didn't know which part of the giant beast it was, he didn't know what good this bite would do, he just knew he had bitten into the other side.
Even at death, he'd at least tear off a piece of flesh.
Yu Sheng used up all his strength at this moment, tearing and biting at the giant beast fiercely, and the giant beast also tore and bit him. Blood and flesh, claw and tooth, food and eater...
Before his thoughts sank completely into darkness, Yu Sheng squeezed out one last thought in his mind—he spoke softly to Irene, far away somewhere unknown: "Irene..."
"Ah?"
"It's nothing. I'm hanging up first."
Irene was stunned for a moment, not reacting right away.
And then Yu Sheng hung up.
Chapter 10