Listening to the Night Demon Hero counting slowly, I was really confused. "Wait... wait! There are some places we haven't talked about yet, such as the stalactites on the first layer, or the ones connected to hell, the hungry ghost world, or some kind of barrier. These are not likely to be caused by humans, but rather some kind of natural mysterious power. But how can the dragon cave on the second layer be considered naturally formed?"
"Hehe! The reason is very simple," Auntie smiled and said, "When the Great Demon King and I first arrived in the dungeon, Old Red had already settled on the second floor here. We just got its permission and built dungeons below the third floor here. Have you seen the channel from the outside to the dungeon?"
Following my aunt's instructions, let me recall the slender channel I used to travel to the dungeon. Slender?
"The Huangquan Channel has also been preserved according to its original appearance, and we have never moved it. No! Perhaps it is more accurate to say that we cannot move, because when leaving the dungeon through that channel, we are not allowed to turn back. But think about how the big body of Old Red came down from such a small channel. Isn't this unbelievable?"
Looking at the Night Demon, my expression of questioning. And the Night Demon Warrior used an exaggerated expression and gestured a big circle with his hands, hinting at the body of the Red Dragon. This also reminds me that if this red dragon is an adult dragon, its body is indeed not within the capacity of that channel, and whether that channel can fit into a dragon's leg is a question. In addition, this dungeon began to take shape from the Red Dragon's lair, so this' Dragon's lair 'is qualified to be named' Incredible in the dungeon '.
"Huangquan channel? No turning back allowed?" Lehua repeated the words that had just raised our doubts in confusion.
"That's right!" The Night Demon Xia nodded vigorously and said, "It won't be much of a deal when you come down. But if you turn back when leaving the dungeon through the Yellow Spring channel, you will inexplicably disappear to an unknown place!"
"Unknown place?" Lehua repeated again.
"Yeah! Not well-known. Because the people who went there couldn't come back and talk about where they went, it's an unknown place." The Night Demon Warrior said seriously. This also made me burst into a cold sweat. If someone who was unaware was preparing to escape the dungeon and accidentally turned back while passing through the underworld channel that Night Demon Heroes and others referred to, they would immediately become a missing person. No wonder few people who come to this dungeon can go back.
"What about here? The Third Ancient Library, this is a standard artificial building." I nodded in agreement as the voice of flowers asking questions pulled me back to reality. I also looked at Aunt and the Night Demon Warrior, waiting for them to react.
The Night Demon Warrior, who was laughing loudly, said, "The Third Ancient Library is even more magical. That's right! It's indeed a completely artificial building. But this is the relic we dug up when we reached the thirteenth floor, not the one we built. I was the one who worked hard to dig it up at that time, so I can be considered a witness. Even that door sign is amazing."
This scared me again. Starting from the nest of the Red Dragon, you will dig down to a pile of strange floor spaces and even a library! Is there any connection between this?
"Is that all that?" Lehua asked. But I am thinking in my heart, it is already a great thing for a dungeon to have these, and how much more do I want.
Looking at my aunt with just a faint smile, she seemed to see a slight disapproval from me. She spoke up and said, "At this stage, there are only these ten unbelievable ones. But while Minotaur's maze maker is relentlessly digging down, it is estimated that they have reached the 89th floor, and there will be another unbelievable one. They are currently excavating the sixth and eleventh floors, and still need to work hard."
Eighty nine? Where did this number come from?
As a resident of the dungeon, the Night Demon Hero seemed to hold the same question: "Auntie, why haven't you heard about this? How did you know something strange would happen on the 89th floor?"
"Hehe! Use your brain to think about it, it's just a simple mathematical reasoning. Do you think the brain is really just for growing hair? Hehe!"
Looking at the stunned appearance of the five of us, Auntie just smiled and changed the topic, saying, "If you have any questions about this dungeon, you can ask me, because I am one of the people who co founded the dungeon with the XXX Demon King. We settled here before the Black Sheep Cataclysm. It was only when the mainland was being messed up by the Black Sheep that the construction of the dungeon was in full swing. There should be nothing in the dungeon that I didn't know."
My three companions and I looked at each other, because the dungeon had brought too much confusion in our hearts. If you really ask one question at a time, when should you ask. I sink into thinking, only by getting to the core of the problem can I get the most answers in the shortest possible time. Even asking how is a big question, after all, it should not be too impolite to provoke hostility. I don't want an angry incident that hasn't been killed to happen again.
Unfortunately, some people have never thought so much. For example: Lehua
"The people outside say that the dungeon often catches some children, is it true or false?"
"Did the people outside spread it like this?" Aunt showed a hint of sadness, but then changed to a forced smile and said, "That's true, it's also fake."
It's true... it's also false... I repeated it in a low voice. There are too many facts to be included in these two sentences.
"Let me put it this way," the aunt teased her long hair and continued, "People who come to the dungeon have an unbearable sad past, and the children are the same. The people who go to lead the children back will naturally resist because they are not trusted, and our methods will be a bit rough."
In the past? The people who come here all bear the heaviest burden
Watching the aunt slowly get up, she placed the books on the table back on the bookshelf and took down another book. She spread it out and looked at it as she said, "Any normal person has a primary personality, two distinct sub personalities, namely the id, and the persona and shadow. When self-awareness emerges, the id is abandoned in the unconscious. The product of cultural influence, education, and adaptation to the physical and social environment is the persona. Shadow can be seen as a super personality, wanting to obtain things that the persona does not allow. People cannot tear off the persona to survive because it is like being exposed naked in a storm. As long as they live, they will wrap themselves in a layer of protection."
I looked at the talking aunt in confusion, because I didn't understand why she mentioned these things at such a moment, but I vaguely felt that there was a certain correlation between them.
"If an individual avoids the shadow, although their life is in accordance with norms, they are incomplete and pitiful, and even suffer from strong persecution as a result. The experience of opening up to the shadow may lead to immoral contamination, but it can achieve a greater sense of wholeness. That person will embrace the shadow and liberate the dark side of human nature."
After closing the book and exhaling heavily, the old lady continued, "I am afraid of being hurt again because I am incomplete. So I freeze myself, and even indulge myself. Unfortunately, the consequences of such actions are the most uncomfortable, that feeling of loneliness. But in loneliness, I hope someone can pay attention to me and remind others through repeated self harm. That pain is a warning to others and myself, but in fact, I just want to find a companion. But how many people can discover such things, and how many of them are willing to lend a helping hand."
At this moment, Lehua interjected unconsciously, "Can't we heal such psychological scars?"
I looked at my aunt and smiled lightly, but there was a hint of sourness in her smile. She replied, "The wounds of the soul are not as healing as the wounds of the body. Because the past that exists cannot be erased, and the fact is the fact. The injured can only choose one thing from avoidance or coexistence. How do you heal it and erase that fact?"
Is everyone in the dungeon? As I asked, I confirmed again with a skeptical mood, because I vaguely felt that this was the key I was pursuing.
The gesture of nodding answered my question, and the aunt continued with a slightly sour smile, "All the humans in the dungeon are, including the Night Demon and myself."
"Really?" Lehua beside him looked at the Night Demon Warrior and questioned.
Surprisingly, the Night Demon Warrior looked back at us in confusion. After thinking for a long time with his head tilted, he looked at his aunt and said suspiciously, "Did it mean that when I was a child, I watched my companions who were also caught, being eaten as human meat by a group of bandits who occupied the mountain, and the next one was mine?"
Hearing this makes my scalp tingle. I have witnessed the tragedy of cannibalism since I was young, and even have to endure the torment of waiting for death. How unbearable it is. Just imagining makes my stomach churn, and I almost vomited the food I had for lunch. But the Night Demon Hero has personally experienced it, and I can't even imagine how deep and long the scars on his heart are.
But what was even more surprising was that the Night Demon Warrior jumped up excitedly after watching his aunt's nod, shouting, "What! It really refers to that! It's not that serious, is it? Is that really miserable? Why don't I think so?"
Listening to his indifferent statement of "nothing serious", I just gave a bitter smile or two as an accompaniment. And the aunt also smiled bitterly and looked at Lehua, saying, "Men like him, whose nerves are connected by super alloy New-Z, are an extreme form of coexistence that doesn't care about what happened in the past. Perhaps this is what you call the ultimate form of healing scars."
Upon hearing Auntie's description, the Night Demon Hero innocently hid aside and crouched on the ground, drawing the floor with his fingers while muttering to himself, "Is it that serious? Is it that serious?"
Upon seeing the appearance of the Night Demon Warrior, Lehua, who had been named, just withdrew his cheeks and cried or laughed once or twice. But the old lady raised her hand and stared at her trembling limbs, saying, "Like me, just mentioning the past makes me tremble like this. But in fact, I'm already pretty good, at least I dare to mention it. There are more people in the dungeon who dare not even think about it."
Seeing Lehua next to me with a look of wanting to ask a question, I quickly tugged at her robe to stop her, which finally dispelled her thoughts. However, such a small gesture still couldn't hide from others. Aunt smiled at me knowingly, and I could only awkwardly respond.
After retracting her hand, adjusting her mood, and taking a breath, Aunt continued, "It is precisely because loneliness is the most painful that the Great Demon King forces everyone to act in groups. Regardless of whether there is overlap in the mind, at least there is not only her own shadow accompanying her. Only those who have been injured understand how painful the wound is, and only then do they know not to create scars on others or themselves. Also, because everyone's situation is different, the Great Demon King has imagined different methods for everyone and taught everyone how to control themselves."
So the talents appearing in the dungeons will be one-on-one. I speak the facts from my impression, but there is an exception in my mind. I continued, what about hyacinths? That quite strange girl.
Upon hearing the name I mentioned, my aunt was a bit surprised. She asked, "Have you met the hyacinth?" The Night Demon Warrior who replied still squatted on the ground, but also nodded in response to my aunt's question. After taking a breath, the aunt said, "The hyacinth is an exception. The Great Demon King once told people who were not aware not to approach her."
"What about the Night Demon Xia? Does he have what you call consciousness?" Lehua pointed to the Night Demon Xia beside him and asked. "The Night Demon Hero never gives up and asks for trouble, which is also a special case," said Auntie confidently
"Is it my fault again? Is it my fault again?" Upon hearing Auntie's answer, the Night Demon Hero once again fell into that self deprecating mood with a normal expression.
"Why don't you approach hyacinth without realizing it?" Lehua continued to ask. But I have already thought of the key point, assuming that the Night Demon is the kind of person who no longer cares about psychological scars, then the hyacinth is the one who still seals himself off and protects himself.
And Auntie's answer was also very close to my inference: "Because when you realize that you can't cooperate with her and no longer approach her, it will only make her hurt even more. And hyacinth has experienced things that neither you nor I can imagine. When she first arrived in the dungeon, that was called 'keep away from humans and animals.' As soon as she approached the radius of the storm, almost no one could walk straight out. It was thanks to the efforts of the Great Demon King and a group of martyrs that she became more stable."
With her head lowered and her face lifted, the aunt still smiled lightly and said, "But she still can't get along well with people like this, so the Great Demon King is also worried. Speaking of which, Ah Er's breathing method is truly the credit of the dungeon. Without her help, we really don't know how to start taking care of these children."
"Breathing method?" Kayed, who had been silent beside him, repeated the term. Auntie also smiled and began to say, "Do you know the hint?"
Hint? What is the connection between this and breathing techniques? Although we nodded as a gesture, the doubts on our faces remained unchanged. Auntie continued with a smile, "Hints can be roughly divided into two types: deep hints and shallow hints. Deep hints are widely known hypnosis techniques that give instructions of different intensities when a person is in a state of unconsciousness. According to the hypnotist's ability, the intensity of the hints that can be given will naturally increase."
Kayed nodded in agreement and said, "That's right! But I remember it's quite dangerous if used improperly."
"Hmm! If the hypnotized person's mental strength is strong enough, and even the other person's ability is stronger than the hypnotizer, the suggestion will be feedback to the hypnotizer. But there is one profession that is an exception, which is the legendary title profession: 'Hinder'."
Hinders? I have never heard of such a profession. But since it's a title profession, I think there aren't many people who know about it. However, in implying that this field is a major exception, there must be something exceptional about him.
Auntie continued, "The hinter can make deep hints at any time and anywhere, to others or to oneself, without causing the hypnotized person to fall into a state of unconsciousness. However, his biggest fatal injury is also here. As long as he accidentally says the wrong thing in daily life, it can be very bad. Therefore, there has always been only one hinter at the same time, which is one of the characteristics of the title profession."
When Auntie said this, it made me unconsciously smile bitterly. Indeed, if there are such people, speaking is not very convenient. Anything can come true, that's so scary.
The aunt, who stopped to catch her breath, continued, "There are many types of shallow cues that can be seen everywhere in our lives. One of the shallow cues we use is actually just a rhythm."
"Rhythm?" Kayed repeated inexplicably.
"That's right! Rhythm! This rhythm refers to all the sounds you hear in your daily life. It's like the sound of drums, why do two sides always start a war with the sound of drums? The continuous and passionate drumbeats can make people's mood excited, and in that situation, it's easy for them to exert even greater power than usual. However, this type of low pitched heavy hitting sound without warning and chaotic will only make people angry, just like how Maru quickly kills its neighbors."
"Maru? Who is it?"
"That's not the point, the point is the rhythm closest to the person."
"The rhythm closest to humans?" Kayed repeated the sentence as he focused his eyes on the ceiling, unconsciously stroking his heart with his hand. I also vaguely sensed what Aunt referred to as rhythm.
The aunt, who watched Kayed's movements, showed a approving expression and said, "That's right! It's just a heartbeat. Another thing is breathing."
Close your eyes, exhale deeply, and then inhale. Auntie kept doing this action repeatedly, while I unconsciously followed her breathing rate beside her. Close your eyes, exhale and inhale.
Between these breaths, my mood is faster and calmer than when I usually self adjust. The pulse of blood seemed to reach my ears, and my person seemed to blend in between heaven and earth.
Suddenly, the sound of my breathing that followed me stopped. In this moment, I felt as if I had forgotten the frequency of my original breathing and panicked my hands and feet. A feeling of sadness surged from my chest to my head, and I struggled to open my big mouth but didn't know how to inhale. The heavy blow on my back made me catch back a little bit of a feeling, and I gasped for breath in embarrassment. I peeked at my companions, none of whom were any better than me.
Looking behind him, the Night Demon Warrior stood with a mocking smile. When I was a little focused and listening, I vaguely heard the Night Demon say, "Remember next time, don't be foolishly thrown into a trap without knowing. If you were an enemy, you would have died a few times just now."
After calming down my breathing, I asked, "What was that just now?"?
"This is one of the suggestive effects of using breathing techniques, which is the ability of breathing. If you encounter some skilled and powerful Indian mages who can suffocate and die with just this move, and you won't even notice it," said the Night Demon Warrior standing behind.
After we all returned to normal, Aunt finally spoke up and said, "Maintaining and controlling the most important life energy in the human body, which we call Qi. The operation of Qi relies on heartbeat and breathing, which is why these two rhythms are so important. But heartbeat is not so easy to control, and the easiest to control is breathing."
Auntie closed her eyes again, calmed down, and used the same breathing rate as before. This time I have learned well, I am not foolish enough to forget myself and follow. But instead, more consciousness was used on autonomy, and the frequency of breathing was carefully learned.
Slowly opening my eyes, the feeling my aunt gave me was even more dazzling than before. The whole person is like a rebirth, elevated from an elegant lady to a holy goddess. That pair of clear eyes stared at me, like a clear mirror, reflecting me in it. But in the next moment, she returned to her original form. Everything that just happened seemed like a dream.
After a slight smile, the aunt continued, "By using the suggestive ability of breathing rhythm, we can easily change our mood. Gentle and regular breathing can calm our mood; chaotic breathing only makes us more irritable. We rely on this breathing method to calm the hearts of everyone in the dungeon. We need to calm down first before we can see anything else. In the fog, ordinary people only get lost on the way."
After thinking for a moment, the aunt said, "Of course, breathing techniques can be used in other places. It's like the Seal Mage and Qi Mage mentioned to us just now. These two advanced professions are martial artists who specialize in breathing techniques. They both use the suggestive ability of breathing techniques to influence enemies or themselves. Moreover, they have mastered the ability to control Qi, so they can do more things."
The flower beside her asked a rare question, "Is that all? Can this help you take good care of every injured heart?"
"Of course not enough," the aunt shook her head slowly.
Not enough! Thinking about it is also correct. No matter what, breathing techniques can only achieve calmness and do not actually help one's own thoughts. At most, it's just about freeing up some free time, complaining less, and thinking more.
"We just use breathing techniques to calm everyone down, give ourselves space to think, and communicate with others. We strive to teach everyone to live in the present and seize all the time in front of us. But memories are still like a sharp blade, and when they come to mind, they mercilessly cut open the once wounded soul." The aunt said somewhat helplessly.
Turning her gaze to the empty stone wall beside her, Aunt continued with the same mood, "Even though some people are in good condition, there are still some people who cannot survive solely on this. They cannot coexist with memories, so they have to choose to escape along the way. Although this is not a good method, sometimes they have to escape. Not everyone is so strong. If everyone dares to admit their mistakes and face them, how could the world be so chaotic?"