Chapter 904: Shared Madness

At this moment, only one thought occupied my mind—

“Brother Goat, is it almost time?” I asked.

I felt like the day Brother Goat had mentioned was getting closer and closer.

Taking everything into account, by that day… Brother Goat believed he would lose his memories and then liberate this place.

These two contradictory ideas had lingered in my mind for a long time, but I couldn’t reconcile them. So, I simply stopped thinking and decided to follow the rules Brother Goat had set.

Perhaps I understood better than anyone else in the “Land of the End” that Brother Goat’s strength surpassed even that of the “Heavenly Dragon.”

Although he didn’t possess the overwhelming divine power of the “Heavenly Dragon,” he had managed to navigate these years with sheer intelligence. For a human, he had already reached the limits of what was possible.

“Originally, it was almost time…” Brother Goat shook his head. “But now, I still have to worry about the future for a few troublesome individuals.”

“Troublesome…?” Suddenly, I recalled what Brother Goat had told me before.

He said that almost his entire life had been spent running around for others. Could it be the same now?

“Ten thousand ‘Dao’ isn’t a problem, but three contracts are too difficult…” Brother Goat murmured. “After all, the ‘Dao’ issue can be resolved by me alone, but the ‘contracts’… they depend on him…”

“Brother Goat…” I said, “I don’t know who you’re running around for, but I suggest you love yourself a little more.”

I must have gone mad—I was actually criticizing Brother Goat’s actions.

“Loving myself…” Brother Goat frowned slightly upon hearing this. “Loving myself isn’t enough. There’s a reason I have to get out of here—a reason that won’t let me die in this place.”

I paused, carefully digesting his words. Something about them felt… off.

“Brother Goat… you have a ‘reason you have to get out’?”

“Yes, she’s still waiting for me. I can’t stop.” His voice was calm, but his eyes flickered with something unsettling.

For a brief moment, his gaze grew vacant, but then it sharpened again. There was something indescribably eerie about him.

A chill crept up my spine. It seemed that, over this long stretch of time… Brother Goat had turned himself into someone else entirely.

“B-Brother Goat…”

I didn’t know how to phrase my question to confirm my suspicions. After all, my memories seemed to have diverged from his.

“Why that look?” he asked.

“I… I forgot to ask before… Are you… married?” I ventured cautiously.

“Married…?” He hesitated, not answering directly. After a few seconds of silence, he muttered, “I have a wife. My wife is still waiting for me at home.”

“What…?”

I swallowed hard. Was Brother Goat’s current state… right or wrong?

Before, this kind of confusion only happened in his dreams when he zoned out. But now, it was bleeding into reality.

Should I remind him…?

I lowered my head, lost in thought for a long moment, before finally looking up and whispering:

“But Brother Goat… do you remember who I am?”

“You…” His lips parted slightly, as if struggling to recall. After a long pause, he uttered three words: “Yan Zhichun?”

The moment he said it, his expression twisted into something horrified. He immediately bowed his head, gripping his hair tightly with both hands, as if in unbearable pain.

“Brother… Brother Goat?”

The next second, I froze in place.

Because the scene before me abruptly shifted—even Brother Goat vanished from sight.

I found myself inside a building with Old Sun.

“Hey, sis… what’s up?” Old Sun asked.

“Huh…?”

I frantically looked around, my heart pounding wildly.

Where was this? What was happening?!

Where was Brother Goat?

Seeing my silence, Old Sun spoke again, “Why’re ya spacing out? Weren’t ya gonna tell me somethin’?”

“Old… Old Sun…?” I stammered, wide-eyed. “This is…”

“Yeah, it’s me!” Old Sun gave me a puzzled look. “What’s wrong with ya?”

I… I must’ve spaced out again?

But why did this time feel so strange?

I stood up, scanning the room. It looked vaguely familiar.

Still, zoning out wasn’t new to me. If I just acted like nothing happened, my memories would return soon enough.

“Old Sun, how’s Ruoxue doing?” I asked, feigning calm.

“Ruoxue…?” Old Sun blinked. “Who’s that?”

“Huh…?” I hesitated. “Jiang Ruoxue… Aren’t you both active in that area?”

“What the…” Old Sun muttered under his breath. “I thought we just met today. Ya already know where I hang out?”

Something was wrong… We had just met today?

A wave of sheer terror surged through me.

“Old Sun… are you a member of ‘Jidao’?” I asked.

“‘Jidao’…?” Old Sun’s eyes widened. “Nah, I ain’t. Damn, sis, ya know ‘bout ‘Jidao’ too? Guess their influence really is spreadin’…”

What the hell…?

What year—what day—was it?

If Brother Goat seemed insane… was I losing it too?

“Old Sun!”

I grabbed his arm, but when I looked up, it wasn’t Old Sun anymore—it was Gu Yu.

We were standing on an empty street, and he stared at me in confusion.

“Zhichun-jie… what’s wrong?”

“I—”

My entire body trembled, and I couldn’t utter a single word.

“Is it something about Wen Qiaoyun?” Gu Yu asked. “I just heard she’s the leader, so I wanted to ask you about her. If you don’t wanna talk, it’s fine. I’ll ask someone else after I get back from ‘Vortex City.’”

This can’t be real…

What’s happening to me?

Who the hell is Wen Qiaoyun…?

Someone… please save me.

“Gu Yu…” My voice shook. “Where… where’s Jiang Ruoxue?”

“Sis Ruoxue?” He scratched his head. “She was just here…”

He glanced around. “Want me to go look for her?”

“Y-yes…” I nodded, still reeling. “Bring Ruoxue to me… please…”

Only Ruoxue could save me… I didn’t even know what she could do, but just having her here would make me feel safer.

I really must be losing my mind… What day is it now?

Why do I keep shifting between these scenes…?

Why don’t I remember any of this?

“Zhichun-jie, Sis Ruoxue is here.”

Hearing that was like grasping a lifeline. I turned around eagerly.

“Hey, wifey!”

The familiar voice washed over me, instantly calming my nerves. But just as I was about to speak, the scene vanished again—and Brother Goat stood before me.

He clutched his forehead, waiting for the pain to pass.

When his expression finally eased, he opened those unsettling eyes and looked at me. “Yan Zhichun… how could I not remember you?”

For some reason, those words made me take an involuntary step back.

“Don’t ask what you shouldn’t,” Brother Goat said grimly. “Just remember—I’ll ensure you’re ‘forever safe.’”