Kaleidoscope of Death

Chapter 79: The World Outside the Doors

Li Dongyuan's death became an insignificant interlude; White Deer, with its new leader, quickly got back on track. But those who didn't care for Jin Yurui remained pernicious. Before long, Lin Qiushi heard that White Deer had split into two factions. The old one was still led by Jin Yurui. The new one took off from headquarters and called itself New White Deer.

About this, Ruan Nanzhu wasn't too shocked. He'd clearly seen it coming.

"This might actually be a good thing for Jin Yurui," was Ruan Nanzhu's judgment. "Her current support base isn't steady, and it's hard to keep an eye on everybody in White Deer. Rather than keeping unfaithful members around, why not let them start their own group."

Lin Qiushi replied, oh. Honestly he thought it absurd. They were all people who could die at any minute—why bother with these insignificant rankings? No matter how much they fought each other, it was all still dust to dust in the end.

Ruan Nanzhu actually wanted to laugh at Lin Qiushi's words. He shook his head and said lightly, "humans are always greedy."

However much they got, they were never satisfied.

Lin Qiushi thought he understood Ruan Nanzhu's meaning, but still found it hard to actually empathize with those people and their actions. With the world within the doors to compare reality against, he'd never before realized how wondrous it was to simply be alive. Whatever satisfaction anything else could bring simply paled in comparison.

It was like needing to come out of a desert to truly understand thirst and the treasure of water.

Chestnut's recent attitude toward Lin Qiushi had returned to before. He meowed all the time now, hopping up on Lin Qiushi's chest to purr and nuzzle. Today it butted its face up against Lin Qiushi's chin, looking all self-satisfied.

Faced with an affectionate Chestnut Lin Qiushi absolutely melted. He scritched under Chestnut's chin, cooing, "good baby, good baby."

Cheng Qianli saw Lin Qiushi like this and said, "hey Qiushi, did you know you become this doting mother when you're playing with your cat?"

Lin Qiushi paused. "Why not a doting father?"

Cheng Qianli, "..." Oh sure, that was the point.

Doting mother it was. Lin Qiushi could hardly be bothered with this sort of detail.

About three months after leaving the door, his body was mostly recovered. But Ruan Nanzhu still looked weak, though he was already far healthier than he'd been fresh out the door.

On a sunny afternoon, Ruan Nanzhu suddenly sought out Lin Qiushi, and said he wanted to talk.

Lin Qiushi went to Ruan Nanzhu's bedroom and saw him sitting in a chair beside the window. Warm sunlight spilled a faint layer of gold upon him, and he almost looked like he was softly glowing.

Lin Qiushi called, "Nanzhu."

Ruan Nanzhu's eyes opened, but they didn't look sleepy. They were still deep and still like lakewater. He said, "sit."

Lin Qiushi entered and sat beside Ruan Nanzhu.

"How are you feeling?" Ruan Nanzhu asked.

Lin Qiushi nodded, "mostly recovered."

Ruan Nanzhu's gaze on Lin Qiushi became more assessing, as if he was gauging Lin Qiushi's physical condition. Soon, he had an answer: "you can enter doors on your own now."

Lin Qiushi wasn't surprised by Ruan Nanzhu's words. He'd been considering it recently as well. Ever since he started entering the doors, he'd been with Ruan Nanzhu. Ruan Nanzhu was always guiding him and protecting him, but everybody else in the mansion, aside from Cheng Qianli, faced the doors on their own.