The dead were quickly taken to a cemetery in the east and buried, but no one showed any sadness on their faces. Something was deeply wrong with this place.
I waited quietly. After the crowd left, I looked around—no one was there. The cemetery held many graves, and I checked them one by one. Still, no one was in sight. Now, the small houses in the trees glowed with light, and there were few people on the forest paths. The street vendors were already packing up.
I swallowed, then stretched out a hand. My Deathbane Aura slowly formed into a shovel, and I began to dig.
"No corpse?"
I stared in disbelief. The grave was empty—though I’d just watched the burial, the coffin held nothing but a scattered set of clothes. I started inspecting with my Specter Web, but aside from traces of Yin energy, I sensed nothing.
Confused, I dug open several more graves. The results were the same: all were empty. After refilling the graves, I left. Walking through the woods, I saw not a single person—only those glowing, round houses above, where everyone must have returned.
I picked up the milky-white, round Joyfruit given to me earlier that afternoon and examined it closely. I brought it to my nose and sniffed—it made me happy. Instantly, my mood lifted and the gloom in my heart vanished.
After a while, my joyful mood finally settled down. I swallowed hard—this thing had a nearly fatal allure, as if a voice in my head whispered: Eat it, and you'll be truly happy.
Yet such temptation had no effect on me. My self-control had been honed over more than two years in the Forest of Desire.
I knocked casually on a family's door. As expected, they welcomed me warmly. The household had four members: a couple around thirty, a thirteen-year-old son, and a ten-year-old daughter. The whole family treated me kindly. Seeing their happiness, I smiled and asked about today's events.
"Oh, you must be new here. Just settle in and live peacefully. Here, everything is joyful and happy—there’s no conflict, and everyone can be with the ones they love."
"By the way, do you eat this Joyfruit every day?"
As I spoke, I took out the milky-white fruit called Joyfruit. Instantly, I noticed the expressions of the four family members change—they gazed at the fruit in my hand with extreme envy.
"Uncle, if you’re not going to eat it, let me have it!"
The little girl came over first, her voice sweet, her smile pure, her eyes crystal clear. I let out an 'oh' and was about to hand her the Joyfruit when suddenly her older brother snatched at it, trying to grab it from my hand. I quickly pulled back, foiling his attempt.
The atmosphere turned subtly tense. I realized all four of them wanted the fruit in my hand, and their faces showed impulsive desire—their smiles had vanished. I swallowed hard.
"How about you all share it?"
I suggested, but the father immediately rejected the idea, saying the children shouldn’t eat too much. Using that excuse, he tried to persuade me to give him the Joyfruit.
Even though it was just a little, I finally saw the other side of their smiles. Holding the Joyfruit, I said I’d split it into four, but suddenly all four of them—two adults and two children—reached out to snatch it. I kept dodging, and they couldn’t catch me. In the small living room, I saw their expressions growing more anxious, even twisted.
"Give it to me, give it to me..."
Suddenly, the little girl screamed. Looking at her frail figure, I felt a pang of pity and stopped, handing her the fruit. In an instant, she opened her mouth wide and bit down on my hand, swallowing the Joyfruit whole with a gulp.
I quickly pulled my hand back, wearing a look of happiness. After the girl finished eating, she burst into gleeful laughter, and the other three suddenly started laughing too—their faces returned to normal.
The little girl who had just eaten the Joyfruit looked rosy and cheerful, chatting about all sorts of things. Her family surrounded her, laughing happily.
"Do you remember what just happened?"
I asked, but they replied that the family had just eaten dinner together, then talked about happy things. I left their home, feeling uneasy inside.
It seemed I’d have to wait until tomorrow to get another Joyfruit. I asked them where it came from, but all they knew was that someone handed one out to each person every day.
Just then, as I walked down the stairs, halfway down I saw the family come out. The father held the little girl in his arms, and the whole family looked very happy.
"Dead?"
My eyes widened—the little girl showed no signs of life. At that moment, people from the round houses started coming out, all still smiling, offering blessings. They were all mad, abnormal. Who wouldn’t grieve the loss of a loved one?
"Don’t you feel even a little sad?"
I asked. The father, holding his daughter’s corpse, turned and smiled at me.
"My daughter was happy in life, and happy in death. That’s enough."
He spoke lightly, as if nothing had happened. Neighbors and some who’d been woken up came out and went to the eastern cemetery to hold a funeral for the girl.
The countless, densely packed graves sent chills down my spine. Smiling faces flashed through my mind like a curse. I clutched my head, feeling utterly uncomfortable.
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The people here only have the emotion called joy. Other feelings—anger, grief, sorrow—don’t exist.
"Is it because of that fruit?"
Suddenly, I seemed to understand. I watched those attending the funeral—they knew someone had died the moment the girl passed. I asked many people, but they stammered, unable to explain what was happening.
The woods were empty; everyone had gone home. The girl’s grave held nothing but the clothes she’d worn.
Human emotions are the foundation of desire. Meng Po once said that her soup washes away the soul, erasing the seven emotions and six desires, and what’s washed away becomes part of the Forest of Desire. But in this world...
Suddenly, I stood up.
"This world also has something that can wash away emotions."
Thinking carefully, the world is full of wonders, but it’s governed by unchanging laws. All emotions except joy have been washed away from their bodies. I recalled when I first entered the forest, how Wu Xiaoli immediately recognized me—unlike now.
Looking at a pool of water reflecting my image, I suddenly seemed to understand—I had a way to make Wu Xiaoli remember me.
I wasn’t sure what Xiao Yan had done to me, but my appearance couldn’t change. Even when I used Deathbane Aura to alter my looks, nothing in the water’s reflection changed.
I decided to try the Joyfruit myself to see what it really was. After waiting several hours, people in the forest began to come out and go about their orderly routines.
After anxiously waiting all day, I finally saw those with baskets full of milky-white Joyfruit. They handed out the fruit to everyone in the crowd.
After eating the Joyfruit, everyone became extremely happy and joyful. One of the distributors came up to me and offered me a Joyfruit. I took it, smiling.
When one man’s basket was empty, I hurried after him, following through a crowd of blissful people, heading north through the forest.
The man ahead wore modern clothes and walked quickly. When he reached an uninhabited area, he sped up. I turned into mist and drifted after him, sticking close.
For a moment, everything vanished before my eyes, except for this white world. Then, the mist reformed into a human shape. My appearance hadn’t changed at all.
"How did he disappear?"
I muttered, looking around. It was silent, no trace of life. I sniffed the Joyfruit in my hand; the sense of joy immediately filled my heart.
I carefully checked with my Specter Web. This milky-white Joyfruit’s aura could pass through my web—it was a condensation of emotion.
I’d investigated it yesterday, and today was the same. This thing truly lived up to its name: Joyfruit, made from pure joy. If you eat it, all your emotions will be filled with happiness.
"Live or die, let’s find out."
I said, opening my mouth wide and swallowing the Joyfruit whole. Suddenly, a vision flashed in my mind—my father, my mother, our happy family, and one more person: Lan Ruoxi.
Something kept rushing through my mind—painful memories. I tilted my head back, a blissful smile spreading across my face. I had never felt so happy before.
"Qingyuan, dinner’s ready."
Lan Ruoxi called softly. I smiled, walked over step by step, and sat down at a table full of delicious food.
"Mm, dinner—my wife, my parents..."