"Life and death... the boundary?"
Hearing the boy's reminder, Su Yuan immediately recalled.
When he did Hu Tao's legendary quest in the game before, he seemed to have been to this place...
It is said that those who still have lingering attachments and regrets in the mortal world will wander at this boundary between life and death, unwilling to move on...
"Just like in Inazuma, those who died on Inazuma's land—their memories get absorbed by the roots of the Sacred Sakura tree, turning into what's called the Defilement..."
The boy continued:
"And Liyue's boundary between life and death is basically something similar to that Sacred Sakura tree, right?"
"After all, both use the power of the ley lines to preserve what has already passed away..."
"Su Yuan, judging by your expression, you should understand what I mean now, right?"
"Do you think that Tartaglia and Hu Tao would depart for the afterlife without any regrets?"
Hearing the mysterious boy say this, Su Yuan furrowed his brows slightly and said:
"So, you mean that if I go to Wuwang Hill, to that boundary between life and death, I could see Tartaglia and Hu Tao lingering there?"
"Isn't that so?" The boy smiled faintly.
"But the boundary between life and death at Wuwang Hill isn't something anyone can just enter casually…"
Su Yuan said with some worry:
"Without a professional guide like Hu Tao, can I even get in there?"
"Don't worry, Su Yuan, I know the way to enter. As long as you come to Wuwang Hill, I can take you inside!"
The boy's answer made Su Yuan feel even more surprised and curious about the boy's true identity…
Why would this secret about entering the boundary between life and death—a secret that should only be known and passed down by the Funeral Parlor—be known by this little boy as well?
"Alright, then I'll go tell Zhongli, Qiqi, and the others, and go with him to Wuwang Hill…" Su Yuan replied.
He didn't expect, like what Dottore did in Inazuma, to forcibly resurrect those who had already passed away…
But at least, if he could speak a few words with Tartaglia and Hu Tao, express his apologies to them, and ask if they had any messages they wanted him to pass on to their loved ones…
That would at least help to ease some regrets.
"Don't tell anyone, and don't go with anyone else,"
The boy suddenly reminded him,
"I can only take you in alone."
"Hm? So there's a limit on the number of people after all?"
Su Yuan asked with some doubt:
"If that's the case, can I go in alone while the others wait at Wuwang Hill?"
"No, Su Yuan, you must go alone," the boy said firmly.
"Alright then, I'll go alone…"
After thinking it over, Su Yuan agreed to the boy's condition.
This mysterious boy had the disturbing ability to stop time—if he wanted to harm Su Yuan, he could have done so long ago.
Moreover, he had given Su Yuan warnings and hints multiple times, which was, in a way, helping him.
Since that's the case, Su Yuan decided to take the trip to Wuwang Hill alone.
"Then, Su Yuan, see you at Wuwang Hill!"
The little boy spoke, then disappeared from Su Yuan's sight, and time around him immediately resumed its normal flow.
Su Yuan stepped out of his guest room and happened to run into Ganyu at the door.
Ganyu asked,
"Mr. Su Yuan, are you heading out now? Should I accompany you?"
"No need, Miss Ganyu," Su Yuan replied with a smile.
"I want to go out alone to clear my mind. Don't worry about me."
"I might come back late tonight, or maybe not come back at all… You don't have to wait for me to have dinner."
Although Ganyu didn't know where Su Yuan was going or why he said that, she still nodded.
"Alright, I understand, Mr. Su Yuan."
.............
On the way to Wuwang Slope, whenever Su Yuan didn't recognize the path, the mysterious little boy would suddenly appear and point him in the right direction.
With the boy's help, Su Yuan successfully arrived near Wuwang Slope by dusk.
The moment he stepped into the area, Su Yuan felt a piercing chill, an indescribable eerie sensation…
No wonder Wuwang Slope is the boundary between life and death — the aura of gloom was thick.
"Well then, now that I've arrived at Wuwang Slope as promised…"
Su Yuan looked at the little boy beside him and asked,
"How do I enter the boundary between life and death? And where are Tartaglia and Hu Tao?"
"Don't be in such a hurry, big brother Su Yuan …"
The little boy said this, then suddenly grabbed a large stone from the roadside and swung it straight at Su Yuan's forehead!
Su Yuan was caught completely off guard by this sudden blow.
He immediately felt blood gushing from his forehead, and his consciousness began to fade away...
In his last moments of clarity, Su Yuan couldn't understand what the little boy was really up to.
After all the effort to bring him to Wuwang Slope, was it just to hit him on the head like this?
............
When Su Yuan opened his eyes again, he found himself in a completely new place...
The area was shrouded in mist and filled with an ethereal aura.
The ground was paved with yellow bricks, and there stood an ancient tree with yellow leaves...
Many ghostly figures walked back and forth here, talking to one another...
Suddenly, everything came back to Su Yuan's mind—this was exactly the boundary between life and death from Hu Tao's legend quest.
"Big brother Su Yuan, you don't really think I called you to Wuwang Slope just to smash a stone on your head, do you?"
"Since this is the boundary between life and death, the quickest way to enter is to beat you half to death, right?"
"In Liyue's words, it's like taking a stroll through the gates of hell!"
At that moment, the little boy's voice came from beside Su Yuan.
When Su Yuan looked over, he saw the boy's body had also become ghostly and ethereal...
Su Yuan then looked at his own body and found it was still solid, not turning ethereal like the boy's.
"Your body… could it be…" Su Yuan began to speak.
"Yes, Big brother Su Yuan, I've actually been dead for a long time," the little boy replied with a smile.
"What you saw outside was just my ghost…"
"So… who exactly are you?" Su Yuan frowned deeply, looking at the boy.
"It's come to this point, and I still have no idea who you really are, why you're helping me, or what your true purpose is…"
"Alright, maybe the way I look now is quite different from how I'll look later…"
"I wasn't planning to keep it a secret forever anyway. Now is the time to tell you everything, big brother Su Yuan…"
The little boy said this as he gently touched his eyes with both hands, and then his eyes turned red…
"So, big brother Su Yuan, have you remembered now?"
---------------
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