Refining the Mountains and Rivers

The child's eyes were pale gray and there was a cold indifference on his face that didn't match his age. It was like his existence was bred from a million resentments, completely out of sync with this world.

The young child looked at Qin Yu again. His lips slowly moved, repeating, "This is your family. If you don't stay here, where would you go?"

Feeling the ice cold aura continuously gushing out from the young child's body, Qin Yu knew it was impossible for him to escape.

After a brief silence, Qin Yu came back down on his own initiative. He stood across from the young child and earnestly looked at him, "Are you me?"

This question was extremely strange and was filled with an incredulous absurdity. But, the young child nodded without hesitation, confirming it without any doubts.

Qin Yu furrowed his eyebrows. "Can you tell me why you would appear here? The manor in this dream, what is this place?"

The young child said, "This is your family. I am you, so I should stay at home."

Qin Yu said, "Do you want to stay at home? Or is someone making you stay at home?"

The young child asked, "Is there a difference?"

He didn't reply, but he gave an answer.

No matter how Qin Yu tried to recall it, the memories of his childhood didn't seem to exist at all…in the past, he thought he had experienced too much pain and suffering so his body had subconsciously chosen to forget all of it, but now it seemed that things weren't so simple.

One a.d.u.l.t and one child, they both stood across from each other in silence. But time didn't stop. The manor in the dreamland continued to collapse.

It was like a puzzle being broken apart. With the courtyard the two of them were in acting as the center, everything outside began to collapse and disintegrate.

Then, the permanent darkness was like the end of life, a complete silence.

Qin Yu's pupils shrank. He had a feeling that once this darkness spread to him and swallowed him…that would be when his death arrived.

The young child mumbled, "Everything should come to an end."

The young child closed his eyes. He gave off an unexpectedly relaxed feeling, as if he was finally able to let go of something heavy in his heart.

Kacha -

Kacha -

Kacha -

As the broken dreamland world continued to collapse, there was no earth-shaking momentum that accompanied it. But, the small sounds were even more frightening.

Qin Yu was also scared. But he was well aware that at this time, it was useless to be afraid.

He took a deep breath and looked at the 'himself' standing across from him. On that young child's immature face, he could feel the vicissitudes of time.

As if this young child had experienced infinite misery and pain, and was filled with loathing towards the entire world.

Qin Yu was well aware that the reason he had fallen into this desperate situation was because of this world-worn and pessimistic young figure in front of him.

But at the same time, his only chance of surviving also rested on this young figure of 'himself'.

"I have no idea what you have experienced and why you would be here, insisting on killing your future self…but I am telling you that I am not willing to die here…no, to be more exact, I firmly believe that I will survive…to retrieve the memories I lost when I was young, memories you might have…"

These words seemed to have touched a sore spot in the child's heart. The child opened his eyes, which were an even deeper gray than before. A chill flowed between his words, "Do you think that these memories are happy and beautiful?"

Qin Yu's transparent figure was suddenly covered with frost. A cold chill thrust into his body like iron needles, making him feel an agonizing pain.

But he was actually overjoyed inside. This young child had clearly been prepared to greet the arrival of his final death. To enrage this child and cause fluctuations in his mood, that was Qin Yu's only chance to find a way to change the child's mind.

"Even if those memories aren't happy, they are still mine and no one can take them away…even if they are taken away, they must be returned to me intact. That is the price that must be paid!"

The young child coldly sneered, "How weak! Do you think you are very strong right now? In their eyes, you are nothing but a slightly stronger ant!

"An ant will forever be an ant. No matter how strong you become, they can easily crush you to pieces with a single finger."

He looked at Qin Yu, an insightfulness in his gray eyes that could see through everything. "I know you want to move me. Give up. Wait here for your death to arrive and bring an end to this utter absurdity."

Qin Yu's heart shrank. He knew that this was his final opportunity. If he couldn't move the young child then death would inevitably come for him.

A roar escaped from his lips, "If you really want me to embrace death, then why make my experience the same dream over and over…or, to make it more clear, why are you prolonging the time where I can survive!"

If the goal of this strange dreamland was to kill him, then this young child could have done so from the start. There was no need to wait until now. Then, there had to be a change in this repeating dream, and the only change could be the young child before him.

Although Qin Yu couldn't figure it out, if this young child was helping him live, why did he plan on sending him towards death in the end?

The young child was without expression, "You are overthinking things."

He closed his eyes and no longer spoke.

Qin Yu's heart was weighed down. Did he fail? Or, had he really guessed incorrectly…?

But thinking about such things was meaningless. Looking at the constantly decomposing dreamland fragments around him, he took a heavy step forward.

"Perhaps you might have accepted your fate and are unwilling to continue struggling, but that doesn't mean I am willing to die here like that.

"This world is too vast. I haven't yet seen the beauty of it. I still have countless attachments.

"I won't die. I absolutely cannot."

Bang -

As if striking an invisible barrier, Qin Yu's translucent figure shook. Faint ripples spread through him.

In these ripples, his body became increasingly translucent, as if his strength was being used up. But Qin Yu didn't stop. He continued to impact the barrier.

Bang -

Bang -

A deep sound spread far away in the broken dreamland. It came again and again, as if it would never end.

But this sound slowly weakened because Qin Yu's body was becoming increasingly transparent. Like a shallow shadow, it seemed as if he could disappear at any time.

But his eyes remained firm and decisive, even there was no change to the invisible barrier in front of him.

He struck out again and again. Even though he knew there was no hope, he couldn't give up until death took him.

At some unknown time, the young child had opened his eyes. His gray eyes looked at Qin Yu who was continuing like a moth to the flame and a complex look came across his face.

Even so, his mind didn't change. There were innumerable tenacious people in this world with unyielding wills and unwavering resolves. But, so what?

There were some matters that couldn't be changed just because one had a firm will…rather than suffering an even greater pain in the future, why not just give up here?