Frightening Joke: Above the Mist

The crimson rain showed no signs of stopping, still pouring relentlessly.

Bai Yanliang knew that this rain was very likely Bai Yanren's doing, and to achieve this, he feared... at this moment, he was no longer a mere human.

Yet he told Xun Weimo that he was still alive.

"Cross this street and head towards the river bank, Feng Yiru is there."

Bai Yanliang held an umbrella, quietly following behind Bai Yanren.

The crimson raindrops hung in every corner of the visible view, and faint wails echoed through the wind and rain, painting Ye City with the hues of Hell.

"I heard Feng Yiru is your wife... brother."

Bai Yanliang suddenly spoke.

"Yes."

Bai Yanren did not deny it.

"When did you get married?"

In Bai Yanliang's memory, his brother had never mentioned having a wife.

This time, Bai Yanren remained silent.

Under their umbrellas, the two of them headed towards the river bank, a place Bai Yanliang had arranged.

Feng Xiuxue, of course, had come.

Of course, Bai Yanliang did not tell her that Bai Yanren was also there at the moment.

When the three saw each other from across the street, Feng Xiuxue's eyes were filled with disbelief.

But soon, her expression completely changed, as if she had turned into another person.

That look was... Feng Yiru.

She glanced at the sky, not daring to step into the blood rain, merely waiting quietly for Bai Yanliang and Bai Yanren to come over.

Bai Yanren's gaze seemed to soften a bit, and his pace quickened as well.

In front of Feng Yiru, he remained silent for a while without speaking, but it was Feng Yiru who spoke first.

"Code."

These two words seemed to suddenly pull the time back to ten years ago...

————

It was also a rainy day.

However, it wasn't bloody storm, but a gentle drizzle.

Feng Yiru leaned on Bai Yanren's shoulder and asked, "Do you really have to go?"

Bai Yanren nodded lightly, "There's no other way."

"Fog Gathering is not a game. It's not about clearing stages. The door I saw at the end is just an opening to the next cycle, continuing until the right person appears."

There was a hint of confusion and puzzlement in Bai Yanren's voice.

This felt like an already destined matter; if that person were among them, they should have appeared long ago.

Yet the fact was, they had gone through Fog Gathering more than once, and each time they cleared it, they received another key. Until today, they had eight keys.

But the "right person" had still not appeared.

In such a situation, even the most unlikely answer seemed to be it.

That is—although their group's mental resilience was the most outstanding, the person Fog Gathering sought was not among them.

Whenever he thought of this, Bai Yanren felt it was ironic. What was the meaning of all their struggles?

"Yiru, I'm going to tell a lie, using those eight keys."

Bai Yanren turned his head to look into Feng Yiru's eyes, "I need your help."

"Okay." Feng Yiru nodded.

"Aren't you going to ask what it's about first?" Bai Yanren was a bit surprised.

Feng Yiru shook her head, her eyes had been fixed on his face since he started speaking, as if each glance would decrease the count of glances left.

"I trust you."

Bai Yanren laughed freely.

Then Feng Yiru said, "I have only one question."

"Go ahead," Bai Yanren looked at her.

"Can you return?"

Feng Yiru looked at him intently, and for a moment it seemed even the wind and rain paused.

Bai Yanren was silent.

"Maybe I can," a hint of confusion flickered in his eyes, "but even if I return, I don't know if the one who comes back will still be me."

"It's okay, as long as you can come back." Feng Yiru sighed in relief. She knew that Bai Yanren almost never lied.

Bai Yanren laughed heartily, recognizing the look in Feng Yiru's eyes.

Yes, he almost never lied. To him, a lie is a lie, regardless of whether it's for good or evil.

But... when he decided to lie, it would be an enormous one.

For instance, creating the legend of the Nine Prisons using eight keys.

Or for instance... telling Feng Yiru he could return.

"However, even if I come back, it will probably be ten years later. You'll have to wait, Yiru."

Bai Yanren said with a mischievous smile.

And Feng Yiru, as if she realized something, sat up straight and took a key from Bai Yanren's pocket.

"No matter what you want to do, I will keep one key."

"Ten years, twenty years, as long as I'm alive, I'll keep waiting until you appear."

Feng Yiru looked at his somewhat evasive eyes and said word by word, "If you want the key back, find me when you return and... give me the code."

"Code?" Bai Yanren was taken aback.

"Yes, didn't you just say that even if you return, you don't know if the person who comes back is still you?"

"When you come back and see me, tell me... 'I'm back.'

"I'm back..." Bai Yanren repeated her words.

"Yes! Just these four words, it's simple, right?"

Bai Yanren smiled wryly. It was indeed very simple.

Simple enough that if he really got "polluted" or had a change of mind, he could easily recall this code and take that key.

However, if he didn't promise her, she would not assist him in completing this deception.

Only by letting the elder go to the "other Fog Gathering" could there be a chance for a new batch to enter Fog Gathering.

As for the "other Fog Gathering," of course, it was... false.

Dr. Zhou Tian is an extremely intelligent person, and this final attempt could only be completed with his help.

After all, whether it was opening a new space between Fog Gathering and the Mortal World, isolating ten years,

or creating a new "Fog Gathering," these were not feats possible by human means.

However, Dr. Zhou Tian could do it, with his understanding of the narrow and the gap, and... the mysterious power he possessed was enough for him to accomplish all this.

Bai Yanren recalled the words Dr. Zhou Tian had said. He was willing to undertake this final self-sacrificial attempt because of Dr. Zhou Tian's final words.

"I wish... to atone."

"Alright, I remember it!"

Bai Yanren collected his thoughts, looking at the woman in front of him, embracing her once again.

"Yiru, I need you... to guide someone for me in the next new Fog Gathering."

"Who?" Feng Yiru asked.

"My brother," Bai Yanren said softly.

"But... isn't Yanliang already..." Feng Yiru was a bit surprised, as she had already known the fact that his brother was seriously ill from the sparse details Bai Yanren had once mentioned.

"It's okay." Bai Yanren laughed heartily, "He'll be fine."

"And I'll be fine too!"

He patted his biceps, "Wait, ten years later, I will definitely say these four words 'I'm back' in front of you!"

Feng Yiru said nothing, just nodded.

The rain poured down in torrents.