Chapter 531: Wake Me Up

Qi Xia could only feel his tears streaming down incessantly. If this was a nightmare, why wouldn’t it end?

“Rat… you…” Qi Xia’s pupils trembled slightly.

He recalled the first time he had met the child before him, when he had confidently declared, “This time, I’m betting my life.”

After winning that bet, the headache had been unbearable.

“What am I even doing…?”

He longed to reach out and touch the mummy’s face, but it shrank back as if frightened.

Doors on both sides kept opening, one after another, as “Zodiacs” stepped out. They each nodded respectfully at Qi Xia before moving deeper down the corridor.

The distant sounds of the world collapsing continued, mingling with the countless footsteps of Zodiacs treading on the wooden floor. Qi Xia’s mind was in chaos, as though fragments of countless lives were converging upon him.

“I want to go home…” Qi Xia finally snapped out of it, murmuring shakily. “I need to return to my room… This place isn’t for me…”

He took a few steps forward, only to find the door he had come through was gone.

Now, both ahead and behind him stretched endless corridors, with no end in sight.

“Brother Goat…” The mummy behind him called out again. He turned, only to find no one there.

“Brother Goat…”

No matter how Qi Xia spun around, the voice remained behind him.

It was as though she floated just out of sight, following his every move, forever unseen.

“Stop calling me…” Qi Xia said, breaking down. “I’m sorry… Rat… I’m really sorry…”

“Brother Goat…”

“Brother Goat…”

Qi Xia slowly shut his eyes and covered his ears.

Why wouldn’t this nightmare end?

If it continued, he’d truly lose his mind.

After what felt like an eternity, the mummy’s voice seemed to vanish completely. The empty corridor was now silent except for Qi Xia’s heartbeat and breathing, the dim lighting making it all the more eerie.

“Goat.”

A bizarre voice spoke behind Qi Xia—a mix of male and female tones, oddly familiar.

Even with his hands clamped over his ears, the voice pierced through, crystal clear in his mind.

“You can’t hear voices in dreams…” Qi Xia muttered. “This isn’t a dream… Where is this? What are you…?”

“Goat, you don’t recognize me?” The androgynous voice whispered by his ear again. “Turn around. Look at me.”

Qi Xia’s entire body turned ice-cold. This voice was even more terrifying than what he’d just endured.

“I can’t…” Qi Xia said. “I can’t look at you…”

“Goat, turn around. Look at me.” The voice carried an undeniable authority.

“No…” Qi Xia suppressed his emotions, whispering, “I can’t…”

“Giving up already?” The voice chuckled. “I’m disappointed.”

“I’ll never give up.” Qi Xia answered without turning. “The only reason I’m still standing here is to destroy you. So as long as you’re alive, I won’t surrender.”

“But how can I die?” The voice pressed. “You know none of us can die, don’t you?”

“You—”

“Qi Xia, you know the truth. As long as you don’t die, no one here can.”

The voice grew closer. A chill crept over Qi Xia’s skin, goosebumps spreading like scales. Every hair on his body stood on end.

“Qi Xia, I see you.” The voice said. “If you won’t turn to face me, I’ll come to you.”

Though Qi Xia couldn’t recall anything, his instincts screamed at him—he must not look back.

Yet the footsteps drew nearer. Soon, the figure would be right in front of him.

“Wake me up…” Qi Xia pleaded, eyes shut. “I can’t see him… I can’t face him here…”

**SMACK!**

A sharp pain flared on Qi Xia’s left cheek as his head snapped to the side.

He opened his eyes. No one was there.

“Old Qi!”

“Liar!”

Qi Xia’s eyes widened. “Chen Junnan… Fist… Wake me up…”

**SMACK!**

Another resounding slap. The surroundings trembled, as if on the verge of collapse.

“Not enough…” Qi Xia gritted his teeth. “Wake me up now…”

He lifted his head, as though shouting at someone unseen.

“Wake up!!”

“Wake me up!!”

**SMACK!!**

A brutal strike landed on his face. At the same time, a searing pain erupted in his abdomen—someone had punched him. The force was so immense it sent his organs churning, and the world around him shattered instantly.

The scenery crumbled like fragile paper, revealing an abyss of darkness beneath.

Beyond the fragments stretched an endless starry sky.

Before Qi Xia could react, the ground beneath him gave way, and he plummeted downward.

“Ah!!”

Qi Xia’s eyes flew open. The stench of decay flooded his nostrils, and dim lamplight filled his vision.

Before him stood Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin, while further back, Zheng Yingxiong, Qian Wu, and Zhou Liu watched with concern.

“Damn, Old Qi, what the hell happened?” Chen Junnan sighed in relief. “No injuries, no illness—yet you were screaming in your sleep?”

Seeing their familiar faces, Qi Xia knew he was still in hell—but at least he could breathe again.

The experience still felt vivid, far from an ordinary dream.

Who had spoken to him?

What had Yu Nian’an’s words meant?

And what was the significance of “Three thousand six hundred paths, yet each person clings to their own root”?

“Hey!” Qiao Jiajin grinned sheepishly. “Told you slapping wouldn’t work, pretty boy. My punch did the trick.”

Qi Xia glanced around, realizing he had been lying in bed, asleep.

“Ridiculous…” His lips barely moved. “How could I be allowed to lie down?”

“Huh?” Chen Junnan blinked. “What’s wrong with lying down, Old Qi?”

“I can’t lie down…” Qi Xia murmured, dazed. “I can only sleep sitting up… Lying down makes me too relaxed…”

Qiao Jiajin gave him a puzzled look before shaking his head. “Liar, you passed out. Were we supposed to prop you up in a chair instead of letting you rest?”

Even Qi Xia found it strange.

Some deep instinct screamed that he must never lie down, must never let his guard slip—yet he had no idea why.