Chapter 32: The Blood Test

Eileen’s talent for hurling insults was only matched by the headache-inducing volume of her shrieking. Yu Sheng found himself wondering how she managed to generate such a racket through an oil painting—was the entire canvas acting as an amplifier?

"Don't ask me for the mechanics; I have no idea how it works myself," Yu Sheng said, digging a finger into his ear and spreading his hands toward Eileen with a helpless expression. "What I do know is that I can open 'doors,' and these doors lead to all sorts of places. They could be exotic realms, or somewhere far away like what you just saw. Of course, it’s still unclear if those are alternate worlds, distant planets, or something like parallel dimensions."

He paused, then added, "Maybe I should try asking the people on the other side? But that female elf didn't seem to be in the best of moods..."

Eileen was half-stupefied, and it took a moment for Yu Sheng’s rambling explanation to sink in. After some deliberation, she asked, "And... what about the activation conditions? Like, under what circumstances can you open a door?"

"Not entirely sure yet. I feel like I can do it whenever," Yu Sheng replied, sharing his current understanding honestly. "As for the method, it seems there are two ways. One is simply opening a physical door that already exists in reality. That’s incredibly easy—sometimes I don't even realize I’ve done it before the door leads 'elsewhere.' The second way is what you just saw."

Yu Sheng mimicked the motion of pulling a door open in mid-air.

"A door created out of thin air. It’s more taxing; it requires intense concentration and imagination. If I get distracted while opening it, the door might suddenly vanish. The upside is that I won't accidentally stumble into an exotic realm."

Eileen stared at his movements with her scarlet eyes, her gaze tracking his arm back and forth several times before she finally broke the silence. "...Are you even human?"

Yu Sheng was immediately offended. "What kind of question is that!"

"At a time like this, you still have the nerve to use that line? You know the one—you said it to me not long ago," Eileen muttered, recalling the moment and mimicking Yu Sheng’s tone and demeanor. "—'If I’m not human, are you?'"

She straightened her posture, looking him directly in the eyes.

"Some humans can master supernatural powers, but I have never seen one like you."

"Maybe you have and you just forgot," Yu Sheng insisted, stubborn. "Your brain isn't exactly reliable, is it?"

Eileen blinked. "...Wait, is that true?"

This time, it was Yu Sheng’s turn to feel awkward. He had only been playing the contrarian, habituated to bickering with the doll, never expecting Eileen to have such clear self-awareness. Her first instinct was to actually concede... she conceded...

He quickly adjusted his expression, coughed twice, and steered the conversation back. "So, it seems my falling into that valley had nothing to do with the strange properties of this house. It was likely a path I opened myself the moment I created the door. Theoretically, if I can replicate that operation, I can return to that exotic realm."

The discussion turned serious, and Eileen’s expression followed suit. "Is this ability controllable?"

"...Semi-controllable," Yu Sheng said uncertainly. "I can basically control when to open a passage to 'elsewhere' and when to just open a regular door, but I can't determine the destination at all. For all I know, I could open a door and drop straight into a volcano. However... there is one thing I just confirmed."

Eileen asked hurriedly, "What?"

"The passages can indeed be replicated. Under specific circumstances, opening a door twice can lead to the same place," Yu Sheng said. "Like that elf you saw earlier—that was already my second encounter with her."

Eileen replied, "...Oh, no wonder she reacted that way."

Yu Sheng looked a bit embarrassed. "I’m not sure how it happened, but I’ve vaguely memorized that 'feeling.' I think if I practice enough, I should be able to consistently open those 'doors' that have been connected once. The biggest problem now is... I was completely unprepared when I first entered that valley, and I’ve almost forgotten the feeling I had when I opened that door, which makes replicating it very difficult."

"But at least you finally have a lead, don't you?" Eileen offered, attempting to comfort him. "I used to think your idea of running back to save that fox was just a pipe dream, but now it’s becoming a feasible plan, right? Right?"

Yu Sheng looked at the doll in the painting with surprise. This gaze made her shrink back on her chair in discomfort. "What are you looking at? I told you, you and a paper-thin drawing won't—"

Yu Sheng interrupted before she could finish her nonsense. "This is the first time I've heard a few kind words from you. I always thought you were nothing but trash talk. I never imagined you knew how to comfort someone."

Eileen fell silent.

Eileen’s insults were usually quite nasty. But Yu Sheng was in such a good mood now that he could take her vitriol as background music for his life.

He looked at his hands, waved them in the air, stood up from the dining table, and began pacing the room, looking full of energy.

Eileen stopped her verbal abuse, her eyes tracking his movements. "You aren't planning on starting your... uh, 'training' right now, are you?"

"Better early than late. I slept all day, so I’m wide awake," Yu Sheng said as if it were obvious. "Besides, this practice doesn't take up much space."

"Well, watch yourself. You might open a door and find that elf ready to blast you with a giant fireball—and then you'll splatter blood all over me."

That trash talk felt just right.

Yu Sheng waved it off dismissively, his gaze landing on the kitchen door nearby.

Creating a door out of thin air required extra energy. For practice, using a "solid door" that didn't drain him was much better.

But before that, Yu Sheng thought of something else.

"What did you say just now?" He turned back to look at the doll in the painting on the table.

Eileen thought for a moment. "...To watch myself? To prevent that elf from blasting you with a fireball?"

"I meant the part that was more irritating."

Eileen’s mouth twitched. "Don't splatter blood all over me!"

"Right, that’s the one. I want to test this first," Yu Sheng grinned, walked over to the table, and picked up a small fruit knife. "My blood."

Eileen was visibly startled, jumping up from her chair while hugging her teddy bear. "Hey! What are you doing? I was just saying that! Is it worth pulling a knife over? I’m warning you, I’m not someone to be trifled with! You don't need to use a knife! Put that thing down! If you scratch the canvas, I might tear..."

The doll blathered on in a panic, and Yu Sheng frowned. "Why are you so nervous? I didn't say I was going to cut you."

Before he could finish, he pressed the blade against his finger—but after a moment of hesitation, he moved it to the back of his hand, gritted his teeth, and made a quick cut.

It barely even hurt.

Eileen watched, dumbfounded, and backed away as Yu Sheng brought his bleeding hand toward her. "What are you doing? Wait... don't tell me you believe in that 'blood oath' nonsense from novels? I told you to read less—"

"First, I am a novelist, even if I’m not doing very well, so I have an issue with your issue with novels," Yu Sheng glanced at the terrified doll in the painting. "Second, this has nothing to do with blood oaths. I’m just testing a hypothesis. In that valley, Hu Li came into contact with my blood, and afterward, we both underwent some changes. I want to see if something similar happens to you."

Yu Sheng was referring to how Hu Li suddenly became able to perceive his "death" after touching his blood, and how he could sense parts of her thoughts and memories. He also suspected that the appearance of the silver-white fox projection in his dream world was linked to this "blood connection."

Eileen froze upon hearing this, then sensed his sincerity. Though she didn't know exactly what was going on, she gradually quieted down. Even if she still seemed reluctant (mainly due to a lack of trust in Yu Sheng’s suspicious procedure), she cooperated.

Of course, the main reason she cooperated was that she couldn't run away. Being sealed in an oil painting, she couldn't do much besides shriek, and Yu Sheng had already grown accustomed to her shrieking...

But in truth, Eileen wasn't a suitable "test subject." Her nature was simply too peculiar.

Yu Sheng found it hard to determine whether his blood was acting on Eileen or merely on the oil painting that served as the seal. He smeared his blood on the frame and, while the wound was still open, dripped some onto the canvas. Regardless of the method, he couldn't make his blood come into direct contact with the doll herself, as he had with Hu Li.

Eileen looked up, though he didn't know what her perspective was like from inside the painting—but she clearly sensed the contact.

Yet, that was all.

The oil painting didn't "absorb" his blood the way Hu Li had licked it up.

"Do you feel anything?" Yu Sheng asked after a long wait, feeling uncertain.

Eileen thought about it. "...Warm? But it’s cold now."

Yu Sheng: "...So, it seems it didn't work."