Bizarre Honkai, a Wife-Chasing Crematorium

"What should I do?" Changle asked.

Li Mo paused for a moment, then slowly replied, "Do nothing. Stay where you are, point this firearm at me, and look as scared as possible."

"That way, when I forget you, I'll immediately consider two possibilities: you're either a Bizzare Entity or an ordinary person trembling in fear."

"After I question you, immediately prove your identity. You should know what to say: your background, your relationship to me, the current situation…"

"Finally, and most importantly," Li Mo leaned in close, their eyes meeting, Changle's warm breath brushing against his face, yet all she felt was an icy coldness emanating from him. "Observe me."

Their faces were barely a fist apart. At this distance, Changle saw it clearly.

Mingyue's skin was deathly pale, his eyes clouded and unfocused, his expression blank, like a recently reanimated corpse.

He looked at her with the same indifference he would a blade of grass.

"Observe… you?" Changle was puzzled but nodded firmly. "I understand. I'll pay close attention to what's happening around you."

Li Mo added, "Not just around me, but also me myself. After the danger has passed, I need you to tell me anything I might have missed."

"Okay," Changle replied. "I can do that."

"Good. One more thing: absolutely do not make eye contact with any demon, especially not with me. It's best if we avoid eye contact altogether," Li Mo emphasized the eye contact rule again.

He didn't want to deal with another ghost inside after finally getting rid of the ones outside.

The notebook only told him what he needed to do to survive, not what would actually happen, only hinting at a mysterious "He."

"I…"

Before Changle could assure him she wouldn't make any mistakes, Li Mo turned and walked towards the crumbling door.

He had been mentally counting the time during their conversation.

Two minutes after making eye contact, he would completely forget Changle.

If, after forgetting, he saw an unfamiliar woman he had no memory of, his instincts would take over, and he would attack.

So, averting his gaze and his attention was crucial.

He had to keep a safe distance from Changle and keep her out of his sight.

Li Mo counted down in his mind.

Two minutes.

The time came, precisely.

"Ugh…"

A wave of dizziness washed over him, a slight discomfort.

His mind felt like it was filled with cotton, a sense of pressure building in his head.

This sensation didn't last long, quickly fading away.

After the pressure subsided, Li Mo felt an unprecedented lightness, his mind seemingly empty.

But he was completely unaware of this peculiarity, even forgetting the act of forgetting itself.

He only felt a strange weight on his shoulders.

Changle's eyes widened in the corner, the horrifying sight almost making her drop the Bizzare Handgun. She covered her mouth with both hands, her breath catching in her throat.

She didn't dare to make a sound. Only the terror etched on her face revealed her fear.

Suddenly, a woman in a bright red wedding dress appeared, sitting on Mingyue's shoulders. Her face was hidden by a red veil, her hair a mix of black and white, cascading down her back like a waterfall.

She parted her lips slightly, revealing pearly white teeth, her lips as red as blood.

The wedding dress was torn… with patches of an unknown, yellowish leather.

The patterns were mainly dragons and phoenixes, along with auspicious characters, butterflies, mandarin ducks, pomegranates, goldfish… but all the patterns were incomplete.

The magnificent phoenix was missing half its body, the characters were halved, the butterflies had broken wings, the mandarin ducks were dying…

Her exposed feet were deathly pale, whiter than Mingyue's face.

The woman on Mingyue's shoulders slowly reached her hands into his head.

Changle had expected her to be like the "spirits" in books, intangible.

But her hands entered Mingyue's head as if it were nothing, and he didn't seem to react at all.

Her slender, pale arms moved within his skull. Changle couldn't imagine what she was doing.

Probably scrambling his brains.

Was this… a being beyond even demons?

Changle swallowed, thinking that the woman on Mingyue's shoulders was probably the reason he kept forgetting her.

But why would she do this? It made no sense.

No…

This woman in the wedding dress must be a being beyond the realm of demons. She had to wait for Mingyue to regain his senses and ask him.

"..."

"Chang… Le…"

A gentle, melodious voice came from beneath the red veil.

Changle's nerves tightened. She quickly lowered her gaze, avoiding eye contact.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the woman on Mingyue's shoulders turn her head, seemingly looking at her.

Changle gripped the Bizzare Handgun, her heart pounding. She wanted to shoot the woman.

Li Mo's repeated warnings took effect. Changle held her breath, forcing herself to calm down.

She couldn't shoot. She had to trust Mingyue.

Since the woman hadn't killed her, there was still room for negotiation.

"Hee…"

The woman's laughter was bizarre and unsettling.

She slowly withdrew her hands from Li Mo's head, raising a delicate index finger to her lips in a gesture of silence.

Changle's unease lessened slightly.

At least the woman could communicate. This was good news.

However…

Was she warning her not to reveal her presence?

Changle pursed her lips, nodding at the woman.

Clearly, she had to comply for now. Otherwise, something terrible might happen.

A woman appearing on Mingyue's shoulders out of nowhere…

She would discuss this with Mingyue later, Changle thought to herself.

If Li Mo knew what she was thinking, he definitely wouldn't agree.

Bizzare Entities with residual human consciousness were far more unpredictable than purely Bizzare ones. No one knew what twisted changes could occur at the intersection of rules and human nature.

"Huh?"

Li Mo looked at the four shadowy figures outside the door in confusion. Their knocking had stopped. They tilted their heads, seemingly puzzled by their own actions.

He couldn't even feel their gazes, as if they were suddenly blind.

Soon, the four ghosts turned and walked towards the forest outside, like wandering spirits, their journey without end.

"Did it work? But… what happened?"

"Why did they suddenly stop trying to enter?"

Li Mo was puzzled.

He tried to find clues in the smallest details.

The four ghosts' sudden shift in attention must have been caused by something he hadn't considered.

This unknown change had achieved a similar effect to the combination of the main hall and the grave incense, blocking the ghosts' perception, making them ignore the living inside the room.

Ghosts were ghosts; they rarely had memories. If they perceived no living beings, they would simply leave.

"Mingyue…"

A soft voice came from behind him. Li Mo whirled around, his eyes sharp.

Changle huddled in the corner, pointing the Bizzare Handgun at him, her lips pursed, her eyes soft, looking terrified.

"Who are you?" Li Mo demanded, his gaze shifting to the Bizzare Handgun in her hand.

Why was that gun in her hand?

Theoretically, Bizzare Entities could touch and use the gun without any cost, but how had she taken it from him?

He had no memory of it.

Changle remained motionless. Mingyue had warned her not to make any sudden movements lest he instinctively attack her.

"I'm Changle. You've forgotten me many times. We met on the Taixu Heavenly Path. You brought us safely to the summit. The two unconscious men beside me are my assassins," Changle quickly relayed the basic information.

Li Mo paused. He remembered the assassins. The woman calling herself "Changle" was speaking logically.

If he regularly forgot her, then her explanation and her current cautious behavior were clearly based on his own instructions.

"I need proof," Li Mo said, his wariness easing slightly. If he truly forgot her repeatedly, then there must be physical evidence.

"There's a message we left on your left sleeve, turned inside out," Changle replied, her anxiety fading.

If Mingyue saw the message on his sleeve, it would prove her identity.

It seemed they had narrowly avoided disaster tonight.

"I was right, wasn't I, Mingyue? I really am the Changle you know…"

Before she could finish, Li Mo glared at her menacingly, his left hand clenching, as if ready to strike.

In an instant, he was upon her, snatching the Bizzare Handgun.

His Bizzare Bud left hand grabbed her throat, lifting her off the ground.

Changle clawed at his hand, trying to push him away, but her strength was insignificant to him.

"Ugh… uh…"

Changle hadn't expected this sudden attack. Her head spun, her throat constricting.

"..."

"..."

Li Mo watched her struggle silently, his eyes unfocused.

"Mei… Mei…" Changle gasped, uttering the name Mingyue had mentioned.

Li Mo instantly released his grip. Changle collapsed to the ground, coughing violently.

"Cough… cough!"

"Min… Mingyue, you…"

Changle was about to demand an explanation for his sudden attack.

Li Mo understood. Before she could finish, he showed her his left sleeve.

It was blank, without a trace of writing.

"Unfortunately, I haven't found the proof you mentioned."

"No ghosts… no demons are allowed in this room. If one enters, I will immediately expel or suppress it."

"Although I don't know who you are, since you know that name, it means you weren't lying earlier. As for the message on my sleeve…"

Li Mo hesitated, his calm face showing no remorse.

The message might have been there, but something had erased it.

This was the most logical explanation Li Mo could think of.

Otherwise, fabricating such an easily disproven lie would be pointless. Neither humans nor ghosts were that stupid.

Humans, needless to say. As for ghosts, they would leave misleading information, not nothing at all.

So there should have been a message on his sleeve.

"I apologize."

Li Mo's voice remained cold. He extended a hand, a seemingly gentle gesture, yet devoid of warmth.

There was a fundamental difference between humans and ghosts.

"I almost died!" Changle exclaimed, recovering.

"I didn't use my full strength," Li Mo said flatly. Due to uncertainty and suspicion, and because she hadn't reacted in time, he hadn't killed her.

Instead, he had waited, observing, waiting for her crucial self-identification as she neared death.

"...Fine, I'm magnanimous enough to forgive you, as long as you can keep me alive," Changle said, regaining her composure.

"Princess?"

Li Mo glanced at the two unconscious assassins on the ground. They were indeed assassins, and it made sense for them to accompany a princess.

"I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"How did I make the demons outside leave? I mean, before I lost that specific memory, what did I do?" Li Mo asked patiently.

Changle averted her gaze, staring at her toes.

"Nothing…"

"Are you sure you want to lie to me? Perhaps it's better to just kill you."

"Wait, wait, wait! I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"

Changle hadn't expected Mingyue to threaten her so readily. Was this normal human behavior? It was so strange!

"We… we were staring at each other for a long time…"

"And before that? Did I do anything unusual?"

"You… you seemed to be talking to the demons outside, saying things… I couldn't understand. It was a language I've never heard before."

A language I've never heard before? Li Mo paused.

This must have been when he was interacting with the notebook. He had used another language to prevent Changle from hearing crucial information.

He couldn't remember at all. Had he forgotten that completely? Not a single trace of memory remained.

Even his memory of using the notebook had been erased.