WBICDPH Chapter 83

Chapter 83 — Dappled and Dreamlike

Lin Jin didn’t wake up until the sun was high in the sky the next day.

Even after getting up, his head still felt a little dizzy.

He hadn’t expected Miss Hua’s fruit wine to taste like juice at first—so smooth it didn’t even feel alcoholic—yet have such a powerful aftereffect. It was so strong that he couldn’t remember how he’d gotten out of the tub, how he’d cleaned up the water and tidied the room, or how he’d ended up lying neatly in bed.

More importantly, when Lin Jin woke up, he discovered he was naked under the blanket. The only thing on the floor was his wrinkled outer robe.

Just how drunk had he been last night?

Did he really climb out of the tub, throw on a robe, and go outside to dump the water like that?

How was that any different from streaking?!

What time had he finished bathing? It must’ve been late. No one saw him like that… right?

Countless questions crowded Lin Jin’s small, overwhelmed brain. He sat blankly on the bed for a long time, but couldn’t find a single answer—not even a fragment of memory.

In a panic, he grabbed the puppy’s little head and anxiously asked,
“I didn’t go streaking last night, did I? I didn’t run around naked everywhere, right?”

Of course, the puppy couldn’t answer him. It only gave him a lofty, disdainful look, as if looking down on the world.

“… ”

Was there even a point in asking? Unless some magical river-snail maiden had helped him clean up in the middle of the night, the only remaining possibility was that he’d run around naked himself.

But were there river snails on Misty Rain Mountain?

Obviously not.

Lin Jin let out a heavy sigh, set the puppy down, and got dressed in despair.

He had just tied his inner robe and was slowly fastening his belt when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps rushing into his courtyard.

With his memory of last night completely blank—and the terrifying possibilities he’d pieced together from the evidence—Lin Jin was now jumpy at the slightest sound.

Who came in?
Had someone reported him to the Elders’ Council for streaking?
Or had someone witnessed his “glorious feat” and come to laugh at him once he woke up?

His thoughts were in chaos. Before he could react, the footsteps reached his door—

Bang! The door was kicked open.

The one who burst in was Hua Nanzhi. She froze at the sight of Lin Jin fumbling with his belt and shrieked,
“AHHH! What are you doing?! You’re getting dressed—why didn’t you say so earlier?!”

Lin Jin felt like he was the one who should be losing it.
“You’re asking me?! How many seconds did it take you to go from my courtyard to kicking the door open?! Did you give me a chance to say anything?!”

“What do you mean by ‘seconds’? How was I supposed to know you were getting dressed? It’s almost noon! Who’s still dressing at this hour? What were you doing before—streaking?!”

The word streaking stabbed straight into Lin Jin’s fragile nerves.
“I just woke up, okay?!”

“You lazy bum!!”

“I…”
Lin Jin silently accepted the title, rubbing his aching head.
“I’m fastening my belt. I’m basically dressed—nothing’s showing. If you’ve got something to say, come in. If you stand out there yelling, people will think I bullied you.”

He glanced back at Hua Nanzhi.
“You’re in such a rush—what happened?”

Only then did Hua Nanzhi remember why she’d come.

She frowned.
“I came to tell you—Han Ao came back last night.”

“Hm?”
Lin Jin raised a brow and calculated the timing.

Han Ao’s year-end assessment had taken about as long as the novel’s original male lead. Things must’ve gone smoothly.

He didn’t think much of it.
“So he’s back. You rushed over just to tell me that? Ohhh—I get it. You want roast chicken at the welcome feast, right?”

“What? There’s roast chicken—”
Hua Nanzhi’s eyes lit up, but she quickly shook her head.
“What are you thinking?! I came for something serious! Han Ao’s in a really bad state. He didn’t even greet Master when he returned. This morning, Master sent Senior Sister to remind him to submit his mission slip, and that’s when she found out he never went back to his room. After asking around, they learned that he locked himself in the Cliff of Reflection the moment he returned last night. Senior Sister tried to call him out, but he drove her away! No one can get through to him—I even got blasted out myself. They say his emotions are in turmoil and he’s showing signs of qi deviation. Aren’t you closest to him? Go check on him!”

“What?!”

Lin Jin froze.

He struggled to process everything she said, then grabbed his outer robe with one hand and the puppy with the other.
“Where? Lead the way.”

Hua Nanzhi didn’t waste another word and ran toward the back mountain with him.

Misty Rain Mountain was vast. Lin Jin had never fully explored it. He only knew the training fields and arenas were on the main front peak, while the back mountains housed quiet places for secluded cultivation.

This was his first time here. He slapped a Cloud-Riding Talisman onto himself just to keep up with Hua Nanzhi’s spirit flight speed. After weaving past multiple peaks, they finally arrived before a towering cliff that pierced the clouds.

Mist swirled around it. The cliff face was dotted with caves of all sizes.

Hua Nanzhi scanned the wall and pointed.
“There.”

“Got it.” Lin Jin nodded.

“Hey!” She called out. “Want me to come with you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Be careful. He’s not in his right mind—probably won’t recognize anyone. Don’t get hurt.”

“Got it. Thanks, Miss.”

Lin Jin gave her a small smile and flew toward the cave she’d indicated.

If he remembered correctly, this place was called the Cliff of Reflection—a place for disciples to face the wall and repent. It didn’t have strict entry barriers like the Seclusion Pavilion, so it was relatively free to access. Many disciples came here for quiet cultivation.

Right now, spiritual energy rippled from nearly half the caves—but Han Ao’s cave emitted the most violent, chaotic flow.

He really wasn’t okay.

Lin Jin landed outside and cautiously stepped in.

The cave ran deep, pitch-black ahead. He couldn’t see inside but could feel the raging spiritual currents.

Suddenly—
Something shot out from the darkness with a sharp, untouchable aura. It didn’t aim to harm him. With a metallic clang, it embedded itself inches from his toes.

Boundarybreaker.

“Get out! I said no one comes near me!!”

Han Ao’s hoarse, rage-suppressed voice echoed from deep inside.

Lin Jin frowned.
“Ah Han. It’s me.”

“… ”

After a long pause, Han Ao spoke again. The threat was gone, replaced with exhaustion so heavy it felt crushing. His voice trembled faintly.

“…Lin Lin.”

“What’s wrong? Why come here to reflect?”
Lin Jin kept his tone as light as possible.

He set the puppy down to wait, then drew a low-level Light-Gathering Talisman on the wall. A faint glow pushed back the darkness.

In the dim light, he finally saw Han Ao.

He still wore the same dark, fitted outfit from before—but now it was filthy and torn. His hair was messy, his face pale, eyes bloodshot, jaw covered in stubble. He looked utterly spent.

Han Ao glanced at him and forced a faint smile.
“I just… can’t figure something out.”

“What is it? If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’ll think it through with you.”

Lin Jin sat cross-legged in front of him.

“Lin Lin…”

Han Ao suddenly grabbed his hand, tight, like a drowning man clutching driftwood.

With trembling lips and bloodshot eyes, he said:
“I… I killed someone…”

Those four simple words exploded like a bell tolling in Lin Jin’s ears.

His whole body jolted. A heavy helplessness surged through him.

Anyone else would probably scoff: That’s it? Are you this shaken over killing someone?

This was the brutal cultivation world. Whether a demon died or a person died, it was commonplace.

But Lin Jin understood.

Only Lin Jin could understand.

Because they came from another world—
A peaceful place with no cultivators, no demons. Most people could live decades without witnessing violence, let alone committing it.

Of course, Han Ao would break down.

How had he forgotten that?

They’d been here a year, sheltered in Misty Rain Mountain’s ivory tower. The harshness of this world hadn’t truly touched them.

Han Ao’s mission this time was to eliminate a low-level evil cultivator who practiced with infant sacrifices. The task wasn’t hard, but he had to personally kill the cultivator and hundreds of ghost infants.

But Han Ao wasn’t the novel’s cold, iron-willed protagonist. He was a well-educated modern student, protected by his family for nearly twenty years.

Lin Jin knew his background. An only child, well-off family, raised in love. Gentle-hearted. He’d never suffered hardship. Even his crush on a “paper person” was pure—still carrying her token for half a year, taking it out to grin at.

Lin Jin should’ve known he couldn’t face this alone.

He should’ve known.

Even Lin Jin himself hadn’t killed anyone yet. And Han Ao had to endure all that alone.

“I’m sorry…”

Lin Jin pulled him into a hug.

“Lin Lin, I’m scared. I really didn’t want to kill anyone. But if I didn’t kill him, I would’ve died. I didn’t mean to… His blood splashed all over me. And those kids—they felt so real. They were crying. Crawling on me…”

His tears quickly soaked Lin Jin’s shoulder.

“Thank God you’re here. If you weren’t, I’d go insane. Tell me it’s all fake. Tell me we’ll go back, okay?”

“We can…”

…can we?

Lin Jin didn’t know.

Everything here felt real. Every person had a story. Even plants had lives of their own. How could this be fake?

How could they go back when they didn’t even know how they came?

“I hate it here. I want to leave. I want to go home…”

Han Ao sobbed like a wronged child.

“My name’s Han Ao—Ao as in profound. Not ‘arrogant Ao.’ Being the protagonist isn’t fun. This isn’t like the novel. It’s not what I imagined. If anyone wants to be the hero, they can have it. Just let me go home.

“I’m so tired. Lin Lin, I miss home. I miss my dad. I miss my mom.

“I’ve got finals. If I fail, I’ll flunk. My dorm buddies will roast me. I promised my basketball team I’d show up—if I don’t, I’ll never live it down. And… I fought with my mom before I came. I said she nagged too much. I didn’t mean it. I just lost my temper. I really miss her. When I go home next time, I want her pork tripe chicken soup so bad…”

He cried so hard he could barely speak.

“I don’t want to kill people…
“I want to go home…
“I miss my mom…”

Lin Jin lowered his eyes, wiped his tears, and patted his back like comforting a child.

“Okay… I’ll take you home.”

“Really?”

Lin Jin froze for a moment. Then he forced a small smile and made a promise he didn’t know how to keep.

“…Really.”