Chapter Thirty-Three: One After Another

Inside the cave, Shen Wan swung his arm so hard it ached, but the crystal mushroom remained stubbornly stuck to his palm.

Panting heavily, he finally gave up trying to shake it off. Staring at the mushroom on his hand, he realized that though it clung to his palm, it seemed to have no other effect on his body.

Was he destined to spend his life with this thing glued to him? Others might have moles or warts, but he—he grew a mushroom, and not just any mushroom, but a damn crystal one...

Shen Wan felt a pang of resignation.

His breath gradually steadied, and the chill in his body eased after the exertion. “If I ever get out of here, maybe Senior Brother could figure something out,” he muttered.

He glanced into the pitch-black depths of the cave and sighed again, realizing he was probably hoping for too much.

The faint blue glow of the crystal mushroom on his palm remained dazzling. Raising his hand, he illuminated the surroundings like a flashlight. Yet the light didn’t focus; though bright, it bathed everything in a vague, misty haze.

Perhaps this was what it meant to find amusement in misery. Shen Wan wandered through the dim cave, waving his glowing hand. At least it was better than letting his thoughts run wild. No matter how things ended, he wasn't about to wait for death idly.

He strolled along the stone wall at a slow pace, watching the pale blue light reflect off the water membrane, scattering countless shifting shadows—strange and beautiful.

Finding it amusing, he began waving his arm more vigorously: sometimes drawing his hand closer, sometimes stretching it away, marveling at the ever-changing play of light.

But the novelty quickly faded.

Raising an eyebrow, Shen Wan impulsively thrust his hand straight into the water membrane.

The instant his palm entered, the entire cave was plunged into darkness, as if someone had switched off the lights.

The glow persisted, but only within the water membrane; the rest of the cave was swallowed by blackness. Inside and outside the water membrane became two worlds, utterly severed from each other.

Startled by the sudden change, Shen Wan was then struck dumb with astonishment as the pale blue halo, now inside the water membrane, began to expand rapidly, spreading across every inch of the cave’s stone walls in the blink of an eye.

Yet the light remained confined within the water membrane. Even as it filled the cave walls, it did nothing to illuminate the cavern’s interior.

Shen Wan’s curiosity was piqued—he had never seen such a bizarre phenomenon. He tried to withdraw his hand, hoping to circle the cave and observe.

He twisted his body and pulled his arm with casual force.

But—

His body bounced slightly, then returned to its original position.

His hand wouldn’t come out.

Alarmed, he pulled harder. His shoulder jerked back, but his right hand remained fixed, motionless within the water membrane.

“What the hell is this?” Shen Wan’s mind reeled. He flexed his fingers; they moved freely, but his hand was stuck fast.

He yanked harder, feeling the strain in his upper arm, but his hand still would not budge.

“Damn it, not again?”

One thing after another, never-ending trouble. He reached with his left hand to grab his right wrist but stopped, afraid his left hand would get trapped too.

Not daring to touch the water membrane, he carefully gripped his right wrist near the base and pulled with all his strength.

No matter how hard he tried, his right hand remained serenely inside.

After ten minutes of struggle, his wrist was red and sore.

All his effort was useless.

“Oh, this is it… I’m really done for now…”

A wave of helplessness washed over him, leaving him lost for words.

Since entering this cave, nothing had gone as expected. He didn’t even know why he’d come here to cultivate. He couldn’t train, just found trouble for himself.

It was like wandering into a dead end, foolishly pressing forward as the path grew narrower and narrower until there wasn’t even room to turn around.

Shen Wan sighed deeply. His body sagged, knees bending, but with his wrist suspended in midair, he couldn’t even kneel properly.

“Might as well leave it to fate,” he muttered.

Despair faded into resignation—no amount of struggle seemed likely to help. If any hope remained, it was that his senior brother might find him.

Trying to comfort himself, Shen Wan’s thoughts gradually quieted. Perhaps he was exhausted from the day’s ordeal; fatigue pressed down on him.

He closed his eyes. Though the position was uncomfortable, he leaned against the stone wall and drifted off.

The water membrane was cold. Shen Wan realized it wasn’t his right hand that was stuck, but the crystal mushroom had never intended to come back out.

Half his face was submerged in the water membrane; adjusting his posture, he managed to keep his nostrils above the surface.

He let out a self-mocking laugh, breathing steadily, and his tired body relaxed a little.

Drowsiness crept over him, his mind growing hazy. He yawned deeply, and his thoughts began to slip into another realm.

Then—

Shen Wan felt an itch in his right hand.

Then—

The itch intensified, sharper and sharper…

He woke instantly, instinctively reaching to scratch his palm.

But the moment his fingers touched, he realized the crystal mushroom was writhing slightly.

A tense, stretching sensation welled up in his palm—the crystal mushroom was burrowing deeper into his hand.

“I—I—I—” Shen Wan stammered in fright, frantically trying to pry the mushroom off.

But it clung too tightly, impossible to dislodge.

In his panic, a still stranger event made him fall silent in shock.

The luminous halo on the cave walls began to fade rapidly, visible to the naked eye.

In a matter of seconds, the half of the stone wall behind him had been swallowed by darkness.

The light was quickly contracting into the crystal mushroom in his palm.

Shen Wan’s scalp prickled; his body began to tremble.

His heart pounded faster and faster, thundering in his chest.

Mouth agape, he watched as the last gleam was swallowed, all the light converging into the crystal mushroom.

Darkness filled his vision; even the blue glow vanished completely.

He could see nothing but black.

In the silence, his breathing sounded loud, but Shen Wan dared not even breathe too deeply.

Since the light disappeared, the itching in his hand ceased as well.

This was no good sign—it was the calm before the storm.

He had no idea what would happen next or whether he could endure it.

As he feared, the crystal mushroom made its next move.

The itch did not return.

Instead, an excruciating pain tore through his palm, as if someone were methodically crushing his bones to dust.

The agony traveled up his arm.

Snap. Snap. The pain was ruthless, inhuman.

A scream exploded in the cave, echoing off the stone and setting his eardrums ringing.

Shen Wan’s pupils contracted; blood vessels burst in the whites of his eyes, and his nerves writhed like serpents beneath his skin.

The agony did not relent. He didn’t know if his hand still existed—the pain had reached his upper arm, and his right hand was numb.

Then his eyes rolled back, and like his arm, he lost all sensation.

…

He didn’t know how much time had passed when faint chimes sounded in the darkness.

He slowly opened his eyes, and memories of his last moments flashed through his mind.

He sat bolt upright, instinctively clutching his right hand.

His hand was still there, but the crystal mushroom was gone, and so was the pain.

“What…”

Puzzled, Shen Wan hastily checked himself over—nothing was missing, his body was perfectly intact.

Relief washed over him; he let out a long breath.

“As long as nothing’s missing…”

He muttered under his breath, absentmindedly rummaging in the pocket of his boxers—brightly printed with Doraemon.

“Awake?”

Suddenly, a familiar, clear voice rang out. Shen Wan stiffened, nerves taut in an instant.

Once bitten, twice shy—now even the slightest disturbance set his hair on end.

He whirled around, panic-stricken, and saw a familiar figure.

It was the person from his dreams.

Seeing the figure, Shen Wan exhaled, his tense body relaxing.

“You scared me half to death… Honestly…”

He waved a hand, asking the figure to let him recover.

The shadow stood motionless.

After a long moment, Shen Wan’s pounding heart finally calmed. He wiped his face and was about to speak when he realized something.

He was dreaming again—this person only appeared in his dreams, and always unpredictably. He could never summon him at will.

It wasn’t easy for this figure to appear, and Shen Wan had no idea what was happening to his real body outside the dream. So many questions, and no one to answer them. If this person vanished again after some cryptic nonsense, who knew how long he’d have to wait for another chance.

With that in mind, Shen Wan didn’t care what the figure wanted to say. He stood up and blurted, “I understand the Spiritless Realm you mentioned, and the eight—whatever meridians you talked about. I just want to know: am I dead or alive right now?”

Shen Wan stared solemnly at the figure.

The shadow tilted its head and, without a hint of restraint, mocked him: “You don’t know a damn thing!”