Love letters are not allowed in the exorcism notebook!-Chapter 796 - 43 Can We Meet Again on the Other Side

There is a demon in West Spring Mountain, named Chu Jiang.

In order to successfully advance along the Demon Demon Dao, Li Mumu reconstructed her perception of reality.

This time, it was an uncompromising reconstruction, disassembling every facet of personality and memory, discarding the superfluous, and merging them into one whole.

Once again, she sought an answer to the question: "Who am I?"

Neither a mythological Immortal Spirit, nor an Exotic Beast recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

I am simply myself.

Chu Jiang—’Chu’ as in the dual woods, ’Jiang’ as in the deep crimson.

During the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, the Chu people often offered sacrifices to ghosts and gods, composing poems like the Chu Ci, distinct from others.

Li Mumu opened her eyes, and in her mind, scenes from the past resurfaced.

The past, the present, and the future.

This is not a virtual reality game; to me, this is utterly the Real World.

I am within this realm, but my soul is beyond it.

At the moment of ascension, her gaze pierced through the barriers of countless dimensions and the confines of space-time, glimpsing a fragment of destiny pertinent to her existence.

"The Ancient Dragon Court project has concluded; you may all take your rest..."

The brilliant sunlight streamed through the window, yet she felt not a trace of warmth.

It is said that back then, the nation trained thousands of astronauts for manned space exploration, absorbing fresh talent every year. These astronauts represented the pinnacle of human selection, with every individual reaching the highest standards in physical metrics, determination, and faith.

But ultimately, only a select few of the best were able to board the spacecraft and venture into space.

"Will the project succeed?"

"Only those who come after that point in time will know."

A response filled with both hope and despair.

The July sun beat down fervently and relentlessly, while the cicadas in the trees droned on noisily.

Four people stood silently at the school gate, watching as it slowly closed. The security uncle began fastening the lock.

An inexplicable unease and irritation sprouted in their hearts.

"Will Daylily still recruit new students in the future?"

"Of course they will, it’s not like the world’s ending tomorrow. But we’ll probably be the last batch of Dragon Maiden reserves."

"Stop standing around like fools; I feel like my brain is about to melt... let’s go to Golden Arches!"

"Not eating. I’m dieting."

"Indulge a little."

"We’re just retiring, not dying tomorrow. What’s there to indulge in? Besides, as the nation’s pillars, and esteemed women of destiny, is the most indulgent thing you can think of really just eating burgers and drinking cola?"

"Then how about... Burger King?"

"There’s no saving you."

By the time they snapped out of their daze, they were already seated in the restaurant, holding watered-down iced cola.

The fool beside them gleefully played with a small toy car from a kids’ meal.

"I am... Bumblebee! Transform!"

So ridiculously childish.

Li Mumu instinctively burped, raising her head to see the silver-haired girl across from her staring with a playful yet enigmatic gaze.

"Long time no see."

"You..."

"I’ve already registered for Project Ten. If all goes as planned, the next time we meet I should be a Sentinel by then."

"Sentinel?"

"Meat scout, basically. First, they’ll send us to the end of time, then to the beginning. Something along those lines..."

"Does time even have a beginning?"

"Time doesn’t have a starting point, since it’s merely a subjective concept defined by humans. Talking about the beginning of civilization might be more accurate."

"There definitely won’t be any iced cola there."

"True."

The silver-haired girl bit down on her straw, taking a fierce gulp of cola before raising her gaze toward Li Mumu.

"Ask your questions now; who knows when or at which point in time we’ll meet again."

"Uh... Part of my memory’s been blocked."

"Normal. It means you’ve participated in some project involving timelines later on. If you were to carry those details back to an earlier point in time, it could lead to unforeseeable risks. But the main reason is—"

"As a component of the entire project, you don’t need to have your own thoughts."

"The subjective will of an individual is far too feeble when compared to the collective will of a civilization. Only the collective will can overthrow mountains, fill oceans, build an indestructible levee to halt the surging flood."

"But if I have no memory, how would I know what I’m capable of doing?"

"That, I wouldn’t know. I have no idea which project you’ll eventually participate in... Want to cheat?"

"Cheat? How?"

"Set a secret code. That way, if we encounter each other again along the river of time, even if we don’t recognize one another’s identities, we can establish preliminary trust through the code."

"But if we can’t recognize each other’s identities, how do we verify the code? Do we just go around testing it on everyone we meet?"

"You could use a simple marker for indication, like sticking a feather on your head or something..."

"Hilarious. Wouldn’t they just lock you up for being mentally unstable?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"It’s simple enough, like a tokusatsu squad differentiating members by color!"

The fool playing with the toy car suddenly turned and injected themselves into the conversation.

"Red, yellow, blue—the primary colors. Anyone who possesses those must be squadmates!"

Red, yellow, blue?

Li Mumu turned her head to clearly see her face, but her vision grew increasingly blurry.

Her gaze rapidly retreated from the river of time back to reality.

It was an alert in her heart that awakened her consciousness.

Atop West Spring Mountain, the two goddess statues enshrined in the temple were silently undergoing changes.

One statue grew increasingly lifelike, vivid and realistic, while the surface of the other began to crack inch by inch, emanating an ominous aura.

You’ve finally found yourself, but... what about me?

In the bleak sky, it seemed an indescribable colossal entity slithered and crawled, hidden within the layers of clouds.

A girl cloaked in a tattered cape, her face obscured beneath a hood, approached Li Mumu. Beneath her cloak, writhing tentacles twitched and stirred.

Wendy...

Li Mumu gazed calmly at the inhuman figure before her, fragments of memory flickering in her mind.

These were truths she had no desire to confront or understand.

But upon stepping into this new realm, she had no choice but to resolve this issue.

"Wendy Freud has long been dead, perishing in that fire at four years old. And you—you’re the monster dragged from memory by a Li Mumu unwilling to face that reality, resurrected through a Curse after striking a deal with the Evil God."

"You don’t truly exist; you’re merely Li Mumu’s Heart Demon."

In the distance, jesting laughter faintly rang out—the God of Credit, Nyarlathotep... An Ancient Evil God, sent waves of joy across endless voids.

Trust shattered, the contract failed.

That fragile yet beautiful friendship, like a delicate glass vase, had been toppled and shattered upon the ground, bringing immense delight to It.