Hearing Erin's request, Yu Sheng felt a bit surprised.
He didn’t understand why she would bring this matter up so earnestly at this moment.
They had indeed discussed making a body for the doll in the painting more than once before, but they had never come to a conclusion.
Partly, it was due to the lack of trust and understanding between them.
On the other hand, there were just too many chaotic matters at hand, leaving Yu Sheng no time to think about Erin's physical form.
But now, seeing the serious expression on the doll’s face, he realized she wasn’t just being whimsical or acting on a whim when she brought it up.
He looked questioningly at Erin.
"I want to go with you," Erin replied simply, "just to have someone watching my back."
"Are you sure?" Yu Sheng’s expression turned a bit subtle.
"It's not that I doubt your abilities…"
"Listen," Erin interrupted Yu Sheng, leaning toward the edge of the frame, her face taking up almost two-thirds of the painting's surface, her tone very serious.
"I'm not joking—though I might not know exactly how you plan to deal with that 'entity,' just from the fact that you can bring back 'local specialties' from it, it seems you do have some capabilities. I won’t pry into what those might be, but you should understand that when dealing with otherworldly threats, being 'strong' isn’t enough—especially when confronting tricky entities like 'Hunger.'"
As she spoke, she stepped back slightly.
"Create a body for me and allow me some freedom of movement. It doesn’t have to be perfect; as long as I’m free from this damned painting, my options will increase significantly. While I might not regain all my strength, I can assure you I’ll be much stronger than a typical investigator or so-called spirit world detective or otherworld hunter. Even if I’ve forgotten much, I still possess the instincts of a living doll."
Yu Sheng stared at Erin, who also gazed back at him with her crimson eyes.
"I can help you, Yu Sheng," Erin said earnestly.
"We’ve already cooperated once before, during that incident in Hu Li’s dreamscape."
This time, Yu Sheng pondered longer than usual, and eventually, he had to concede to Erin's reasoning.
His mind was fixated on going back to that valley to eliminate the entity of 'Hunger.’ However, he knew that rushing in alone to destroy that monster unlikely had a high success rate—of course, he wasn’t afraid of death, and he was growing stronger while devouring 'Hunger,' yet this strengthening had its limits.
And 'Hunger'… it wouldn’t be easy to eliminate.
Relying on repeated deaths to exhaust that monster could be a method, but that was clearly a last resort.
If only he could have a capable helper who understood some extraordinary powers, it would definitely be beneficial.
He just needed to place some trust in Erin and free her from the painting.
That trust had begun to build long ago when they fell into Hu Li’s dream and met again after they were startled awake and ended up vomiting.
"It looks like I need to take a trip to the city center," Yu Sheng sighed lightly, leaning back in his chair.
"I need to buy some materials like clay and wig supplies—this old town doesn’t have those."
The doll girl in the painting blinked, her expression brightening with surprise.
"You… you agreed?!"
"If you don’t have high expectations for the quality of the body and trust my skills," Yu Sheng waved his hand, "I can give it a try."
"I’m not picky; just a human shape is fine, and I can reshape it myself—just don’t mess up the 'alchemy' part," Erin hurriedly chimed in, as if afraid Yu Sheng might change his mind if she didn’t speak quickly.
After a moment of thought, she tilted her head slightly, her expression a bit coy.
"And… if you can’t find any suitable materials…"
Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow, curious.
"What if I really can’t find anything suitable?"
"…You can use dough."
Yu Sheng paused for two to three seconds, finally showing the most shocked expression he had since meeting Erin.
"Huh?!"
Erin whispered an explanation.
"Materials are just a medium; what really matters is the alchemy part, your blood, and my soul…"
Yu Sheng was a bit flabbergasted.
"Wait a minute… I get that this is a backup plan, but isn’t this a bit too shabby?!"
Erin thought for a moment and decided to show Yu Sheng a harmless smile, hoping to win him over.
She succeeded.
But Yu Sheng still decided to go out to buy proper supplies.
"I’ll stick to buying proper clay. I’ll need a good amount to shape your body, and I don't want to make food out of it. Plus, I have other things to buy," Yu Sheng sighed, standing up as he casually spoke.
"You stay here and watch TV. If anything happens, just call me remotely—if the TV freezes again, wait for me to return."
As he spoke, he picked up the remote to turn on the TV for Erin, who obediently nodded.
"Oh… Come back quickly."
Yu Sheng replied, donned his coat, and stepped towards the door.
Before gripping the door handle, he took a moment to gather himself, ensuring that there wouldn’t be any flying rocks or little green aliens wielding lightsabers outside before taking a deep breath, opening the door, and stepping onto the old street of Wutong Road.
Suddenly, Yu Sheng found this situation very amusing.
It was easy for him to reach the ends of the world (not to mention whether or not he could come back, or if he would die out there), but now, pushing the door open to step onto the street felt much harder for him…
As Yu Sheng walked toward the bus station, he absent-mindedly scanned his surroundings.
He realized his mindset had subtly changed while walking through this enormous and unfamiliar city.
The previous feelings of oppression and anxiety had quietly faded, and now, as he walked down this street which couldn’t exactly be called his "hometown," he felt a heartwarming calm, along with a hint of... joy and anticipation.
Even the overly bright sky now appeared to him in a delightful, sunny hue.
Vendors were selling things at the corner, sporadic pedestrians passed by, and children who seemed to have gotten into trouble ran past shouting, a frustrated adult chasing behind reprimanding them.
Yu Sheng thought, could there be those "professionals" Erin mentioned among them? Those who protect this city from the shadows, fighting against the otherworldly? Have they noticed anything unusual hidden in this quiet and peaceful old town?
His thoughts wandered further, speculating on which passerby looked out of place, who might be an undercover agent, and who might be a spirit world detective or investigator.
The vendor making pancakes seemed a bit suspect; today he was using a different craft poorly.
The lady hanging clothes on the balcony across the street could also be suspicious; he hadn’t seen her before.
What about that shouting child? Erin said spirit world detectives could change their appearance; it was rather fascinating…
Anyway, the guy squatting in a tank top with dyed yellow hair, blasting music from his phone, definitely looked unremarkable.
Yu Sheng hummed a tune, crossing through the old street, brushing past the guy who was still squatting there.
Moments later, a nearly two-meter-tall Xu Jiali (male) came onto the street, glanced at the surveillance guy, and squatted down to light a cigarette, joining him like a curious fellow.
"Is that outfit reliable?" Xu Jiali asked.
"Very reliable," Li Lin replied casually.
"I used to wear this when tailing. None of those pancake vendors ever spotted me, even when they created a ruckus. I have an anime war suit as well; that one has even better concealment. I once caught someone involved in border smuggling, and they couldn’t believe an anime character was a special operations spy."
The muscular man blinked at him in confusion.
"What is an anime war suit? Sounds like some kind of powered armor? Aren’t you guys not allowed to use that down by the border?"
"…I can’t explain it to you," Li Lin said with contempt, shifting away.
"Keep your distance, you’re too big, and don’t expose me."
"Impossible. With my aura, I look more like a vagrant than you do," the muscular man retorted.
"You haven’t discovered anything all morning, have you? Honestly, I doubt even if something’s hidden here, it’s likely not a 'human'; more probable it's some bizarre entity or an otherworldly incursion point, matching the clues you’ve gathered so far. Damn it, there was such a ruckus in the city last night. Who knows what's happening there now? And we’re just sitting here like idiots, waiting for who-knows-what…"
Li Lin didn’t bother with the muscular man.
Instead, he pulled out a portable charger and plugged it into his phone, choosing to turn the volume up again.
A couple of hours later, Yu Sheng had returned to the shopping mall in the city area, collecting everything he needed.
Now, dragging a bag filled with supplies to a deserted area, he began to contemplate.
He had purchased quite a lot—weight wasn’t an issue for him now; it was just inconvenient to carry it all on the bus back home.
So, he had a bold idea.
He thought it was definitely worth a try.
Yu Sheng lifted his head, confirming once more that no one was around, then quietly reached toward the air beside him—opening a door that formed in his hand.
Three seconds later, in a hidden "depth" deep within the city, the special operations headquarters erupted with a sudden alarm, causing numerous employees, clerks, leaders, and even their director, Bai Liqing, to spring from their chairs in alarm…
Yu Sheng returned home with several large plastic bags.
(End of chapter)