CHAPTER 392: 0334 TURNING BACK IS NOT AN EASY PATH (PART 2)_1

After noticing the non-existent embrace, Leon couldn’t help but turn his head slightly, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the little girl.

Although the dead little girl didn’t linger, the tears on her face had disappeared. Her once terrified expression had become somewhat calmer, and her eyes, red and swollen from crying, opened again, quietly shedding fear and sadness as she curiously looked at the road ahead.

"In the world of the living, flesh is real, and the soul is untouchable. But in the Realm of the Dead, there’s no flesh, only souls are acknowledged, and the body becomes an untouchable entity."

Spreading open her palm, showing Leon the tear stains on it, Emma softly explained,

"The souls and bodies of the living are inseparable, so in the Realm of the Dead, they become almost non-existent. Only things like will, belief, or emotions can affect other dead.

As long as there’s no particularly strong desire to touch a certain dead, we in the Realm of the Dead are just gusts of wind with a fixed form."

After explaining the earlier situation, Senior Emma turned slightly to look at Leon and seriously advised,

"Also, your soul’s strength is not high yet. Remember not to contact the dead who seem special, like those full of resentment, regretful, or crying painfully.

The emotions carried by these dead souls are too intense. If you interact with them too much, it will affect your soul’s stability. After leaving the Realm of the Dead, you might still feel uncomfortable for a long time."

"I got it."

Seeing that Senior Emma still had a pale complexion but patiently explained the precautions to him, Leon couldn’t help but nod slightly. Then he gripped her hand a little tighter.

He wanted to be like Emma, who had just embraced the little girl and wiped away her tears, to bring Emma courage to fight against the No Return Path by warming her cold hand.

*"Don’t worry, I’m here," was it?*

Feeling Leon’s inner thoughts through their tightly held hands, Emma’s gaze softened slightly. Then she took a deep breath, firmly grasping Leon’s determined hand and stepping toward the Black and White Bridge not far away.

...

[Name: Black and White Bridge (Memory, Memory)]

[Appearance: A long archaic bridge paved with black and white bricks spanning over the Yellow Springs of the Realm of the Dead. Upon stepping onto the bridge, every new brick will reflect a portion of one’s life.]

[Ability: Happy Memories, Painful Memories]

[Cost: None]

[File: After the Overlords of the Dead Realm, the Faceless Man, died, they extracted all memories of their long life and classified them into happiness and pain, crafting them into black and white bricks.

These ever-changing black and white bricks have completely different effects. Stepping on a white brick will recall happy experiences from one’s life, while stepping on a black brick will recall painful experiences...]

[Evaluation: Just as one cannot know whether the following days will be joyous or sorrowful, no one can tell if a brick is black or white until they truly step on it.

No one’s life is filled with tears forever, and no one’s life can be filled with laughter forever. Only by experiencing all the joys and sorrows personally has one truly lived life.]

[Contamination Value: Same as the user’s]

*A memory player?*

Habitually reaching out to touch the stone bridge’s railing, after obtaining intelligence on the Black and White Bridge, Leon couldn’t help but look worriedly at Emma beside him.

If his guess wasn’t wrong, the reading range of the Black and White Bridge should be limited to the user’s memory, while his memory of this world was only of the past three years.

Although after recovering from his illness, he began to rush around for a living, encountering many ugly and filthy situations, with many distressing and unbearable memories, thanks to his younger siblings, overall, it was barely happy. Those pains were unforgettable, but they couldn’t overshadow the warmth in his heart.

The only time he found unbearably painful was when Anna unexpectedly coughed up blood in the middle of the night, urging him to conceal her death so they could continue "cheating" a pension. Because of his joining the Purification Bureau, this result was avoided.

So for him, the effect of the Black and White Bridge wouldn’t be too difficult. Even if he couldn’t withstand it, just thinking about the present days should help him barely get by.

But Senior Emma...

Thinking of the large tree at Treasure Flower Manor’s entrance, Leon fell into deep silence.

Given her whole clan had been executed, leaving only her and her daughter, even if she fortunately steps on white bricks every time, reliving only those beautiful memories, recalling the final outcome would bring deeper torment.

And Emma, beside him, obviously knew this too. She hadn’t even stepped onto the Black and White Bridge yet, but just imagining the possible scenes made her lips turn pale from biting them.

"How about... I go first?"

After a moment of silence, Leon suggested,

"I just touched the railing, and it seems that the bricks someone steps on won’t change anymore. I can go onto the Black and White Bridge first to step on those white bricks for you. That might make it a bit easier for you."

Hearing Leon’s suggestion, Emma’s pale lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to refuse, not letting Leon endure painful memories on her behalf.

But before she could voice her refusal, a feeling of relief mixed with intense guilt transmitted straightforwardly into Leon’s heart through their tightly clasped hands.

"Then it’s decided!"

Gripping Emma’s hand tightly, conveying back the thoughts of "It’s okay" and "I’m willing to do this for you," Leon took a deep breath and stepped purposefully onto the stone bridge paved in black and white.

White brick.

As Leon’s foot landed, the once misty bridge surface of the Black and White Bridge became clear. A white brick, just large enough for an adult to barely set foot, emerged quietly and warmly beneath Leon’s foot.

*Thank you, truly thank you!*

Gripping Leon’s hand firmly, Emma, with a particularly soft gaze, tiptoed to take a step forward, gently landing on the edge of the white brick that Leon had cleared.

"Brother, you’re back!"

As her toes touched the ground, the world in front of Emma suddenly darkened. She found herself standing in a pitch-black alley, with every muscle that could exert force fiercely twitching in pain from fatigue that made her feel dead tired, tormenting her eyes into blackouts.

And in this world, filled to the brim with both reality and bodily darkness, the only thing still shining was the distant dim oil lamp and the pale, delicate face of a young girl, full of surprise and illuminated by the lamp.