It's you again!
Huaishu stopped in his tracks, but before he could ask more, the child had already run far ahead.
Liushān called from ahead, "Huaishu, hurry up!"
Huaishu quickened his pace, but the child's words stuck in his throat like a fishbone.
He wanted answers, yet didn't know whom to ask.
They turned into a narrow alley, its walls covered in dark purple vines.
At the end stood a heavy black wooden door, above which hung a plaque: Cloth Shop.
A woman stood before the door.
She wore moon-white robes, her jet-black hair cascading like a waterfall. Barefoot, her feet were strewn with fallen petals, a blend of withered and blooming.
"Lady Lanqi." Liu Shan released Huaixu's hand and bowed respectfully.
Huaixu gazed at the woman before him, a sense of familiarity stirring within him, though he couldn't place where he'd seen her.
"Hmm." Lanqi's gaze settled on Huaixu beside her. "Still the same. Every time you wake, it's like the first time."
Before Huaixu could press further, a sudden warmth surged in his embrace.
He bent low, drawing the Flower Compendium from his bosom.
The Compendium turned its pages automatically:
[Liu Shan]
[Shanyi Workshop]
[Obsession: Dignity]
[Countdown: Sixteen Hours]
[Countdown Initiated]
The characters lingered for three breaths before fading away.
The Flower Compendium transformed into a streak of light and flew back into Huai Xu's embrace.
Lan Qi stared at the spot where the text had appeared, her gaze growing even more desolate.
"The countdown has begun. This time it's earlier than usual." She watched Liu Shan's retreating back as he opened the door.
The wooden door swung open.
Beyond it lay a workshop spanning roughly five to six hundred square meters.
On the left, wooden racks soared to the ceiling, three stories high. Finished garments were neatly stacked by color: moon-white, indigo-blue, jet-black...
To the right stood the Spirit Ironing Station, where robes unfolded themselves, queuing for pressing.
Before the spirit ironing table lay a long workbench laden with unfinished garments.
In the warehouse's center stood over thirty spirit sewing machines. Threads weaved autonomously across fabrics, crafting intricate patterns.
Above the warehouse, dozens of pale blue parcels hovered midair. Following predetermined spirit energy trajectories, they advanced, rotated, and transformed into streaks of light piercing through the ceiling.
"Spirit-Patterned Garments. Emotional pollen spun into thread, memory fragments used for dyeing, and garment threads woven into garments." Liu Shan walked to the long table and picked up a half-finished piece.
"The customer only needs to provide the garment thread," Liu Shan added. "That is, a profound memory—be it beautiful, nostalgic, heartbreaking, or something they wish to forget—anything is acceptable."
Liu Shan described it with animated enthusiasm, his eyes brimming with passion for the Shirt Workshop.
"What does 'countdown' mean?" Huai Xu leaned closer to Lan Qi, lowering his voice.
"Death. When the flower clock chimes, the countdown begins. When it chimes again, someone must die!" Lan Qi opened his palm, revealing a purple-gold petal.
"Take this. Crush it when your resolve weakens." He handed the petal to Huai Xu and walked deeper into the workshop.
Huai Xu accepted the purple-gold petal, watching Liu Shan stand before the workbench, eyes focused, fingers dancing.
"Hui-ge, come see! This garment is 'Mother's Lullaby.' The woven patterns are unprecedented—they soothe anxiety and improve sleep quality for the wearer." Liu Shan beckoned to Hui Xu.
"Is that so?" Footsteps echoed from the doorway as a man in a dark crimson robe entered.
"Shizhu." Liu Shan's excitement vanished instantly, replaced by fear.
"Guess what? Will wearing this improve my sleep quality?" Shizhu approached Huai Xu. "Oh! New hire? Big Boss Liu's business is booming—enough spirit stones to hire staff, yet none to pay debts?"
"I'll repay the spirit stones soon. Get out!" Liu Shan issued his order to leave.
"No need to rush!" Shi Zhu smiled rather than grew annoyed, pulling out a white glass bottle and placing it on the long table. "This is Spirit Sparkle Powder. A client wants to order fifty banquet series gowns."
He glanced up at Liu Shan. "This event is crucial—it's at Fangyao Pool. The client demands the gowns be dazzling, radiant, and utterly breathtaking."
"Blend this bottle of Spirit Sparkle Powder into the spun thread and weave it into the gowns. Half your debt will be cleared." He tapped the table.
Liu Shan ignored him, his hands flying as he spun thread.
Shizhu grew even more smug. "You can't refuse. It's the rule."
With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.
Lan Qi emerged just in time to catch Shizhu's retreating figure and the gleaming Spirit Sparkle Powder on the table.
Liu Shan stormed to the door and tore off a piece of black cloth.
He raised his hand, ready to burn it.
Lan Qi hurriedly stopped him. "It's useless. Burning it will only make you suffer more."
Liu Shan pointed at the Spirit Flash Powder on the table. "That bastard never did a single good deed. This powder looks beautiful, but its essence is distilled from countless resentments and emotions. Once you put it on, how could you ever take it off?"
Lan Qi looked at him. "So what if it's distilled resentment? Can you change that?" She paused. "When you took out that first spirit stone loan, you knew you'd be mortgaging your life and the workshop. In the end, you still signed those terms."
"But I didn't know this spirit stone debt would keep coming back, no matter how much I paid off!" Liu Shan slammed the black cloth onto the table.
Only then did Huai Xu clearly see the text on the cloth:
High-Priced Buyback: Joy, Liberation, and Peace—Double Spirit Stones.
Contact: Xizhu Workshop, Shizhu.
Middlemen.
Even emotions can be dissected and traded? This is madness!
"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. I refuse to believe I can't break this dead rule." Liu Shan grabbed the spirit spark powder on the table, ready to hurl it.
Boom—!
The workshop began shaking, wooden shelves creaking.
Liu Shan remained frozen in his throwing stance, unable to move a muscle except his eyes.
Lan Qi stood by the window, clutching his stomach as cold sweat beaded on his forehead and trickled down his cheeks.
Everything happened so suddenly.
He rushed over to steady Lan Qi. "What's going on?"
Veins bulged on Lan Qi's face as he struggled to lift his right hand, pointing toward Liu Shan's shadow.
Liu Shan's shadow stretched impossibly long. Upon closer inspection, it was a living, pulsing inkblot.
Countless tiny buds erupted from the shadow, devouring Liu Shan's form. Some had already crawled up to his feet.
Hua Xu moved with the swaying rhythm to Liu Shan's side. The flesh buds within the shadow paused momentarily upon sensing Hua Xu's presence.
Then they resumed devouring it, faster than before.
The shadow's head suffered the worst damage; the cypress's eyes bulged out.
"Cypress!" Lan Qi screamed, lunging forward to yank the cypress free from the shadow's grasp.
Hua Xu raised his right hand, fingers splayed, and clenched it fiercely toward the shadow.
Buzz!
The flesh-eating mass devouring the shadow instantly exploded, dissipating into black smoke.
Everything returned to normal, save for Huaixu's arm—veins bulging and skin cracking from the immense force unleashed.
Lanqi and Liushan sat on the ground, gasping for breath.
Huaixu supported his arm. A warmth spread through his embrace as a stream of light shot out, slowly forming words:
[Liu Shan]
[Rule Violation]
[Countdown: Ten Hours]
[Punishment: Strip away 'Joy' within fifteen minutes. Failure results in bodily explosion.]
Hua Xu trembled all over as he read the penalty.
He lifted his eyes and met Lan Qi's gaze.
It was a gaze filled with despair and shock—for her, for Liu Shan, and for Huai Xu himself.
"Do we have any other choice?" Huai Xu looked at Lan Qi. "Or another way?"
"No!" Lan Qi tilted her head back weakly, staring at the ceiling.
"Every moment of weakness is progress toward awakening the Abyss."
"Every moment of hesitation only deepens the suffering of the living."
"We've tried all of this in the first twenty-seven times."
"Stripping away emotions is painful, but having ten more hours is still a kind of joy."
"This time, I'll do it." She pushed herself up, her body light and unsteady, swaying left and right.
Liu Shan reached out to steady her, but she pushed him away.
"Hey, what are you afraid of?" Liu Shan looked at Huai Xu, puzzled.
Lan Qi closed his eyes and slowly raised his hand behind him.