Chapter 3: 3, A palace

Ren Xiaosu had fallen asleep, having spent so long guarding the wilderness outside that he finally caught a sparrow. Though most of the time he lay motionless on the ground, those in the know understood that remaining still while maintaining constant vigilance was the most exhausting task of all.

Before sleeping, he had instructed Yan Liuyuan: "If you see those people, stay far away. They know Jingshen is dangerous, yet they choose to pass through it. My instincts tell me this isn’t simple."

"Mhm," Yan Liuyuan replied obediently, nodding. "Understood."

In truth, Ren Xiaosu and Yan Liuyuan formed an odd pair. Years ago, they had not known each other, but Ren had decided to shelter the younger Yan Liuyuan. Partly because he had stumbled upon Yan’s secret, and partly because his own illness had long plagued him, requiring a night watchman.

Initially, Ren had made it clear to Yan Liuyuan that they were using each other, but over the years, it had become impossible to discern whether it was affection or mere utility that bound them.

Yan Liuyuan was usually sharp-witted, yet only here did he behave like a compliant, well-behaved child. Sometimes he would say his life had been traded for by Ren, but Ren never acknowledged such claims.

Now, Ren sought to uncover what had changed in his mind. That night, he had waited long, hoping to see if his old affliction would return, but the chaos had not manifested. It was as though the palace had always lain hidden within his turbulent thoughts, and now the black mist of confusion had finally lifted.

He intended to peer into the palace and discover its contents.

Yan Liuyuan glanced at the sleeping Ren Xiaosu, then quietly took up his bone knife and seated himself by the tent’s entrance. The tent had only a thick curtain hanging as a door. Autumn had arrived, and the air carried a chill.

At that moment, the rain ceased.

Footsteps echoed beyond the curtain, the boots pressing against the muddy path after the rain, their sound peculiarly slick.

The curtain was lifted slightly, but before the visitor could fully raise it, Yan Liuyuan’s bone knife was already pressed to their throat.

It was a striking face—outside stood a beautiful woman.

Yan Liuyuan frowned. She was no stranger; she lived nearby.

The woman smiled. "Liuyuan, still awake? I heard Xiaosu returned."

"Xiaosu’s asleep," Yan Liuyuan replied with a smile. "If you have something to say, speak to me."

Xiao Yu’s expression faltered. "He wasn’t hurt this time, was he?"

"Just a sparrow pecking his eye," Yan Liuyuan said. "But you needn’t worry so much about my brother. You’re eight years older than him."

After Ren fell asleep, Yan Liuyuan adopted an uncharacteristic maturity in the presence of outsiders. No matter who they were or what they said, his bone knife never left Xiao Yu’s neck.

Xiao Yu drew a cigarette and a lighter from her bag. The cigarette was hand-rolled, a luxury reserved for those in the coal mines or power plants.

Many laborers worked not just for money and food, but for these cigarettes—one per day. At dusk, it was common to see crowds inhaling smoke. Ren had once told Yan Liuyuan that the tobacco might contain more addictive substances.

Clearly, Xiao Yu’s cigarette was not earned through labor.

She lit it, took two puffs, and seemed lost in thought. "I treat you as a younger brother."

"Oh," Yan Liuyuan suddenly asked, "have you caught a cold?"

Xiao Yu paused. "Yes… is my voice hoarse?"

"No," Yan Liuyuan shook his head, smiling. "It’s just that when you smoke, one nostril doesn’t exhale smoke…"

Xiao Yu: "…"

For reasons unknown, Xiao Yu always felt Yan Liuyuan disliked her.

"I’ll go back now," she said. "Tell your brother I came."

"Mhm," Yan Liuyuan smiled. "I’ll tell him."

When Xiao Yu left, Ren’s voice suddenly echoed behind him: "Stop bullying your sister. She’s had it hard enough."

"Brother, she’s not clean," Yan Liuyuan said. "And she only approaches you because you always bring back prey."

"Who’s clean?" Ren replied calmly. "In this world, no one survives without compromising. Just avoid her, don’t torment her."

In this settlement, a lone woman couldn’t survive if she remained too pure.

Ren paused, then said, "She never said she liked me. Also, are you certain she’s drawn to me because of my hunting skills? Could it not be my looks?"

"Brother, we’ve all gone months without washing. We look the same…" Yan Liuyuan stared at Ren, exasperated. "Aren’t you asleep? Why aren’t you sleeping?"

"Thinking," Ren offered briefly.

Ren was not asleep—he was unraveling the palace’s secrets.

The circular palace held ancient wooden cabinets, resembling a vast exhibition hall. Yet the shelves were shrouded in black mist, obscuring their contents.

At the hall’s center stood a table with a brass typewriter, long obsolete before the catastrophe. Its keys clacked rhythmically.

The machine bore twenty-four copper keys, each inscribed with a character: "Public, Righteous, Sincere, Honest, Friendly, Kind, Wealthy, Strong…"

It was undeniably uplifting.

Yet the typewriter seemed stuffed with endless parchment, and without anyone striking the keys, it clacked on its own. Two lines of small text now appeared: "Task: Gift prey to others; Task complete, reward basic skill learning chart, acquire others’ abilities."

He could not tell if it was a hallucination or something else. Legends spoke of those who could mold memory palaces, even crafting illusory universes based on their mental prowess.

Yet Ren sensed his palace… differed from such tales.

Why would it demand he give away prey? To be a good person in a world where morality was a luxury?

Impossible.

At that moment, his consciousness wandered the palace’s expanse, surveying the surrounding "exhibition cabinets." Objects seemed to float within, but the darkness veiled them. The mist’s resistance barred his touch.

This was a power he could not yet grasp.

To confirm the palace’s existence, Ren would have to act.