HCB Chapter 64 Are you still alive?
Chapter 64 Are you still alive?
Lin Fan felt a blur before his eyes, and the scene before him changed.
He was already somewhat familiar with this system, and with the Soul-Suppressing Pearl in his own stomach, Lin Fan was exceptionally calm at this moment.
Lin Fan moved his body slightly, but his limbs were bound by ropes, and he felt that his body was not very natural.
The chest felt heavy, the waist was thin but the hips were thick; he basically guessed who 'he' was.
Lin Fan looked down and saw that he was dressed in a bright red outfit, exquisitely made of fine fabric, a wedding gown for a bride.
It must be said that the Red Robe Curse is more terrifying than the minor curses of the first and second levels.
Lin Fan was tied to a chair, and it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Two red candles illuminated the room draped in red silk, and the double happiness character on the window looked particularly eerie against the backdrop of the darkness.
Even though the windows were tightly closed, the winter wind, like a slippery, venomous snake, crept up from the open opening of Lin Fan's skirt.
The occasional sound that came through was a lament from who-knows-how-far away.
In such an environment, being left there for several hours, most people's psychological defenses would probably crumble.
The Red-Clothed Curse doesn't need to advance the plot; it can already drive a person's mind to the brink of collapse.
Even though Lin Fan wasn't afraid, most of his initial focus had been worn down.
"Mother……"
A sound like an echo from an empty valley came from the darkness, carrying an eerie and sinister aura that made Lin Fan's hair stand on end.
What happened? As far as he knew, the Red-Clothed Curse had no children. This place should be the Ma family mansion, and the scene was what the Red-Clothed Curse saw before her death. In Lin Fan's understanding, there shouldn't be any child's voice.
Even the Red Robe Curse cannot add characters that did not exist in the original storyline.
Lin Fan tried to turn his head and scan his surroundings by the dim candlelight. Under the bed, under the table, and outside the curtain, it was all dark. The more he stared into the darkness, the more uneasy he felt, not to mention the thought that there might be a strange child here.
Lin Fan gave up the idea of searching for his child. After searching for a while, he felt uneasy no matter where he looked, so he could only stare blankly at the only light source in the room.
Fortunately, not long after, two sets of footsteps approached.
Upon seeing that the visitors were the second young master and fourth young lady of the Ma family, Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey, you two, it's been a while." Lin Fan felt uneasy, sensing that something was different this time, and he needed to get out of this illusion as soon as possible.
Lin Fan's voice was soft and pleasant, but his tone was full of disdain, "What kind of tricks are you two going to pull today? Don't make it too complicated, I'm in a hurry."
"She's not very bright, just ignore her. But isn't this the type Second Brother likes? I noticed her a few days ago and dressed up specially for Second Brother to enjoy." Ma Si Niang said sweetly, with a hint of self-satisfaction.
Even the usually calm Ma Er's eyes had changed, his gaze now filled with desire as he looked Lin Fan up and down, scrutinizing her curvaceous and tall figure.
Clearly, these two hadn't listened to what he was saying.
Grass.
Lin Fan cursed inwardly; Ma Er was clearly acting strangely this time! Even in an illusion, Lin Fan had no desire to be violated by a man!
Scholars can be killed but not humiliated!
"Brother, I still think she's too ugly. She's just... sigh, I think even the pigs I raise at home are more handsome than her. Second brother, you don't have to be so indifferent to appearance."
Lin Fan quickly nodded in agreement, but seeing Ma Er's intensely passionate gaze, he couldn't listen to what he was saying.
"Hehe, why don't you let me do your bride's makeup? Maybe it will look better."
Ma Si Niang tiptoed and skipped like a beautiful elf, picked up a thin willow-leaf knife and moved closer to 'Lin Fan'.
Lin Fan was quite experienced in entering and exiting the illusionary realm. He had experienced the illusion of the Red Robe Curse twice, and the illusion of the first and second-tier low-level curses dozens of times.
After so many experiences, he has not been without any progress.
People in illusions always believe they are alive, that they are the person in that time and place.
If they are exposed, some will become enraged, some will collapse on the spot, and in any case, the bizarre illusion can be ended quickly.
Others might worry that overstimulating the characters in the Ghost Realm would cause them to go berserk and become uncontrollable, but Lin Fan wasn't worried at all. The more they went berserk, the shorter the Ghost Realm could last.
After only a short while, Lin Fan's face was covered in wounds. His eye was cut open, half of his lip was cut off, and his nose had been modified into a flip-top style.
It's obvious that Ma Si Niang's plastic surgery skills are terrible; they can only make an already ugly face look even more grotesque.
Lin Fan was in so much pain that he grimaced many times, but the Soul-Suppressing Pearl would erase the pain. Although it was torturous, he could still bear it.
"Brother," Ma Si Niang said in a drawn-out, coquettish tone, "we just can't get this right. Why don't we cut off this head and get a new one?"
Lin Fan immediately understood why the Red-Clothed Curse had so many wounds on its face, and why its head was severed from its body. What a beast, treating people like objects to be toyed with.
Ma Si Niang tapped her chin with her delicate fingers and pondered, "But I've always wanted to test just how strong a person's hair really is. Second Brother, you're not in a hurry, are you?"
Lin Fan spoke before Ma Ershao could, saying that if they continued to torment him like this, he didn't know when it would end.
Lin Fan cried out in a soft voice, "Stop making a fuss! You're all dead already. You're nothing but puppets in the hands of the Curse King!"
This sentence seemed to possess magical power; even the voice was very different from before, now a neutral tone that could not distinguish between male and female.
The second young master and the fourth young lady of the Ma family were both stunned, with the fourth young lady reacting faster and more intensely.
She clutched her head in anguish, as if remembering something, and said in a trembling voice, "Brother, I... I think I remember, I think I really am dead."
"Ah, ah!" Ma Si Niang screamed shrilly, disregarding her image. "No, I don't want to, I want to get out."
Ignoring the man who had gone mad, Lin Fan stared intently at Ma Ershao, who, despite being covered in cold sweat, remained calm.
Young Master Ma pulled his younger sister, who was about to run out the door, to his side, and gently hugged her, comforting her softly.
Lin Fan couldn't hear what they were saying, but he saw that the originally crazed Ma Siniang gradually calmed down and was enveloped by her brother.
A slight smile curved the corners of Ma Ershao's lips as he chuckled and took the scalpel from his sister's hand.
He gently stroked 'Lin Fan's' fair skin with the blade covered in blood and flesh. 'Lin Fan' was just a little ugly, but his skin was excellent.
"So that's how it is. This is the Cursed and Ghostly Realm that Master Yufeng spoke of. This is the first time I've ever seen one. It's truly fascinating. It's a pity I'm no longer my true self." Ma Er had completely calmed down. He possessed extraordinary insight and wisdom, and quickly accepted his situation.
“Beautiful lady,” Ma Er said to Lin Fan with a slightly excited tremor in his voice, “what is your true self like? I’m very curious about what kind of interesting person lives inside this beautiful exterior?”
Lin Fan was surprised by his calmness. This was the master of the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart. Even if it was just a simulation created by the Red-Clothed Curse, it was not easy to deal with.
Perhaps his body wasn't strong; normally, if he hadn't been given a chance to speak, his physical body could have been easily killed. But the problem now is that he no longer has a physical body.
“Ma Er, I know you’re a smart man. Don’t waste your time here. Your body has rotted, your soul has dissipated, you’re already dead beyond any doubt. You are just the version of yourself in the Red-Clothed Curse’s memories now.”
"My beauty, you're such a silly little thing." Young Master Ma dropped the knife and touched Lin Fan's face directly, leaving bloody handprints. "I have memories of the past and beyond. I have all the books I've read and all the knowledge I've learned in my mind. Has she seen or known about this Red-Clothed Curse you mentioned? Can she know what I'm thinking?"
I am neither the true self nor not the other self; I am myself, so what does it matter whether I am the true self or not?
Lin Fan felt a wave of dizziness from what he said. He had also wondered how the curse could create identical characters from memory; it seemed illogical. However, the question was too profound for Lin Fan to ponder in detail.
Ma Si Niang looked up at her very happy brother. She became a little more sober and asked for help, "Second brother, are we already dead? Jiao'er doesn't want to die, Jiao'er is scared, second brother loves Jiao'er the most..." As she spoke, she started sobbing again.
Young Master Ma gently stroked Ma Si Niang's head and whispered, "It's alright, little sister, your brother will take you out."
After saying that, he pressed his sister's head into his chest and continued to say to Lin Fan, "My beauty, think again, think again. Actually, we are all trapped here. Think! Thinking is the sword in our hands. Think about how you got in? Where did you come from?"
You say we're all dead, but what about you? Are you really still alive?
"I've heard that powerful spells can create multiple layers of mystery. This place is a mystery, but isn't the outside world one too? Think carefully, where did you come from? And how much suffering have you endured?"
Lin Fan was stunned. These words might not have much effect on others, but for Lin Fan, it was like being doused with a bucket of ice water in the dead of winter.
Lin Fan was never really Lin Fan; he was a modern person. Could the essence of his time travel actually be entering the underworld after death?
Lin Fan's rationality prevented him from thinking this way, but this idea was like a Pandora's box; once opened, it could never be stopped.