As soon as I entered the river, my entire body felt as if it were being scorched—sizzling sounds echoed around me. In an instant, my skin caught fire, dissolving away. At that moment, I saw a shadow: Isabelle Frost. She hovered silently on the opposite bank, watching me.
The black-green river water had already risen above my neck, and I could feel it slowly climbing higher. Isabelle Frost watched me wordlessly. My body was a ruin, every inch corroded, and the decay continued as I pressed on toward the far bank.
The river water rose to my cheeks, and even the flesh of my face began to rot away. My body’s flesh gradually disappeared, leaving only white bone.
Slowly, I started to climb upward, enduring the searing pain. I reached the opposite bank, grinned, and said:
"I’ve made it."
As I spoke, the pain vanished instantly. Aside from my shoes being soaked, my body was completely unscathed. Looking back, the black-green river, once billowing with acrid smoke, had transformed into a shimmering silver stream under the moonlight.
I wiped the water from my hands and laughed with joy.
"Not bad, but still a bit green. When John Chou came here on his first day, he already managed to suppress his desires and could use his powers."
Isabelle Frost said this. I chuckled.
"Don’t compare me to him. I’m nowhere near his level."
I smiled, and even Isabelle Frost’s cold expression softened into a faint smile.
"It’s not that simple, Ethan Zhang. You may have learned how to control your desires, but..."
"It takes daily practice. I know."
You can’t just pretend it never happened. Every reversed desire in this place is real. Just now, everything I endured in the river—the total corrosion of my body—actually happened, only moments ago.
I’m still shaken by this. You must never treat the onslaught of desires here as fake; they are real. You must face every desire honestly, then use powerful self-restraint to suppress the desires that arise within you. That’s how you resist them, without fear of being overtaken.
Next, you need to imprint the Forest of Desire you see during the day into your mind. Even if you see this toxic, corrosive river, treat it as the ordinary stream from daylight. Face everything with calm acceptance.
"So that’s all there is to it. Is that how it feels, Miss Frost?"
Isabelle Frost nodded.
"Let’s head back for tonight. Otherwise, if you’re too tired tomorrow to wake up, you’ll die in your sleep."
I nodded. With a whoosh, Isabelle Frost transformed into a streak of green light and flew away.
On the way back, a sudden gale whipped up. With a sharp crack, I felt a gash open on my arm—the wind was like blades, slicing my body with countless cuts.
Smiling, I walked toward the Octagon Tower. Everything happening here was real, yet inside I remained calm, crossing through the wind blades with a steady heart.
"The wind blades of ghost spirits are far more vicious than these."
I said lightly, smiling again. By now, my body was covered in countless cuts, but I pressed forward with firm steps.
As I neared the Octagon Tower, the gale died down, replaced by a gentle breeze. The night wind felt pleasant, and all those tiny wounds vanished from my body.
I returned to my little nest. As I crawled inside, I clenched my fists, turned my head, and roared upward.
"Who are you, really? If you keep playing games with me, once I find you, I’ll beat you so hard you won’t be able to get up."
My tone was a mix of passion and calm as I spoke, then crawled into my nest. Now I was even more certain—someone here could manipulate desires. Whenever they wished, they could attack you with any desire, defeat you, and make you part of this place.
Early the next morning, though I was exhausted, I got up before sunrise and went to get breakfast.
I jogged off. After everything I’d been through last night, I felt a marked change—I could run now, and my feet no longer felt rooted in place.
When I arrived at the breakfast spot, I happily sat by the stone table. A wisp of mist floated up, and a basket of steamed buns along with a bowl of thick soy milk appeared. I began to eat, leaving behind the days of porridge.
After eating, I walked contentedly along the riverside. I still planned to check on Yvonne Yang.
Beside the small table, I saw Yvonne Yang, just as always. She was still eating the same woman. Though I still found it unsettling, I had no extra thoughts this time. Instead, I kept my distance, waiting for her to finish. When she was done, she wandered in the woods for a while, then stopped and sat beneath a tree, her hollow black eyes staring vacantly.
"Yvonne Yang, do you still remember who you are?"
I walked over and asked her, but she didn’t respond for a long time.
"By the way, the sister you keep muttering about—who is she, really?"
As soon as I finished speaking, Yvonne Yang seemed to react. She lifted her head and glanced at me. I looked at her, puzzled, as she started muttering 'sister' again.
My heart skipped a beat. Then I remembered the female corpse she was eating—could it be her sister?
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Just thinking about it sent chills down my spine. After watching for a while and seeing no further reaction from her, I decided to head back and look around some more. I could already control my daytime desires—the key was nighttime. I resolved to practice every night until I fully adapted to everything here, so I’d finally be able to use my powers.
After returning to the Octagon Tower, Isabelle Frost was nowhere to be seen. I was curious about where this tower came from, and she’d said her powers weren’t affected by the desires here. I walked to the entrance, wanting to see inside.
But then I thought, this wasn’t proper behavior for a man. I quickly dismissed the idea.
With a creak, the door opened. I stared in surprise at Isabelle Frost, her red eyes cold as ever. Looking inside the first floor, I saw nothing unusual—just many cabinets filled with books and beautiful ancient dresses in various colors hanging up.
"Sorry, I wasn’t..."
"Come up for tea, Ethan Zhang."
Isabelle Frost said, and I nervously followed her upstairs. In each corner of the second floor stood a differently colored Lycoris flower—I’d never seen any but red before, but here were white, purple, warm yellow, and red ones.
A small soft couch sat beside a low table. A steaming teapot was ready, along with several books, ink, brush, and paper.
I sat down and thanked her. Isabelle Frost poured me a cup of tea. I took a sip—it was bitter, but tasted good. The temperature and flavor were just right. It had been ages since I’d tasted tea.
"You keep going to see that woman. What exactly are you planning?"
Isabelle Frost asked coldly. I nodded.
"Miss Frost, you might not know all the details about last time, but I do. I believe she’s being used by whoever’s behind this, trying to get rid of the other five."
I’d thought about this earlier today. There’s a reason the Forest of Desire is changing: Tun Jiu and the others managed to control their desires and freely use their powers. In this place, they’re like foreign objects, and to get rid of them, someone would have to use another’s hand.
Tun Jiu and the others can’t leave, but they also won’t be consumed by desire. So that person used Yvonne Yang, giving her power. After I arrived and managed to control my desires, maybe it made him angry—because the Forest of Desire began to mutate. At night, we had to go out and fight the Desire Fiend, but during the day, desires weren’t nearly as intense. I managed it easily back then.
But even if it was simple, it still took me many days to fully adapt.
In the end, Lord Yan Shen came and took us out. Thinking back, we didn’t encounter any obstacles leaving—in fact, it was smooth and easy. On the way out, the corridor of desire was filled with hope and joy.
It felt like that guy finally got rid of a hot potato. The pit and the stones Tun Jiu and the others moved every day didn’t exist at first—they only appeared after they entered this place.
I shared all my thoughts with Isabelle Frost, and she gave a faint smile.
"Miss Frost, this is just my guess, for now..."
"Heh, Ethan Zhang, I didn’t expect you to figure it out. Not bad. Take some time to adjust—then I’ll start teaching you. I don’t want to stay here forever. I can handle a year or two, but a hundred or two hundred years? No way."