Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
On the 19th year of Xuan Wei, flowers bloomed, the birds flew over the Lotus Throne Mountain, and the sky was blue and clear.
There was a ripple of light followed by the appearance of a green silhouette. Meng Qi stood under a big tree outside the Shaolin Temple. He blended into the void and became one with heaven and earth, careful not to disturb the Restrictive Spell.
His gaze landed on the path that led to the peak of the mountain, only to see a horse-faced man rapidly weave his way up the mountain as he carried an ill-looking child on his back.
The scene in front of him made him nostalgic. He found himself at a loss for words as he looked at his former self. He gently furrowed his brows and the Dao Yi Glaze Lamp appeared in the bottom of his eyes. The lamp enlightened the illusion, revealing the karma world.
As they approached Shaolin, the child’s aura grew weaker. All of a sudden, he released a cry of pain and passed out. His vitality was exhausted in an instant.
It only lasted for a fraction of a second before his vitality began to recover, slowly and weakly. Everything appeared normal again.
At that exact moment, Meng Qi’s Principles of Karma showed a subtle change. The link of the child’s soul elevated to the sky and it instantly turned to where Shen Du resided, no longer different from before.
“I’ve caught you!”
The black and white in Meng Qi’s eyes spun as the layers of silk thread was continuously dismantled and rearranged, replicating the karma link.
“Second Young Master, you’re awake?” concerned and anxious, the horse-faced man asked hurriedly as he removed the child from his back. The past experiences were projected before Meng Qi’s eyes. However, his time was up. Engulfed by the light that shone out of the Seven-Kill Tablet, he was brought back to the future.
At the Jade Palace on Kunlun Mountain, light shimmered and water rippled. Meng Qi’s silhouette appeared before it abruptly vanished again. With the help of the link, he arrived on Earth with the advent of air.
He went past the layers of Space and Time Barrier that were as thick as the crystal wall and penetrated the intangible Heavenly Mystery Fog. All of a sudden, a bright light shone at Meng Qi’s eyes and a beautiful blue planet came into sight.
The many years of history had finally repeated itself.
…
The sky was dark when a violent storm raged on. Meng Qi transformed into his old self. He was dressed casually. With his hands in his pocket, he gazed at the shabby building in front of him in melancholy.
The link brought him to the rented room he died in. As time passed by, there was a new tenant. The decoration of the room had completely changed and it no longer brought any sentiment to him.
He gazed through the window at the ground floor and saw the calendar that was hung inside. Meng Qi nodded as he pondered on his question, “The time is relatively different. It has only been three years.”
In fact, three years was not a short period of time. After all, how many three year periods were there in one’s life?
Visiting this old place had significantly touched Meng Qi. He steadily exited the area, intending to apply the Air-Conveyance Technique to return home and visit his parents. He wondered how they were currently doing, three years after they lost their son.
Just when the thought flashed across his mind, a bitter smile surfaced. He almost had no idea about his exact location. Back then, he used to go home by the long-haul rides. There was no need for him to memorize the routes. He only knew that it was somewhere south to the city he worked in. He was not sure if it was at the southeast, southwest or somewhere even further.
Without knowing his exact location, what use was there for the Air-Conveyance Technique?
Being a fairy man, he could not believe that he was actually terrible with directions… the corner of his mouth twitched as he clutched his right hand, directly deriving the directions.
“Ugh,” he let out a low moan. Due to the blurry mysteries of heaven, he failed to obtain an accurate reading.
Although his Jade Spirit Calculation was not as good as professionals like the Grand Wang Trickster, it was almost impossible for him to fail to derive a fixed geographical location when there was no intervention from any powerful figure.
Meng Qi gently furrowed his brows as he tried to derive some other matters. But, the more he tried, the more puzzled he got. As the mysteries of heaven were blurred, the results were confusing. For instance, he was able to clearly derive the fate of the middle-aged woman who walked past him. But, for the rest of her fate, it was too chaotic for him to read. He could only tell the general direction of her future.
The earth is more unique than I thought. It seems like the Devil Buddha did not randomly choose this place to hide the reflected self. Meng Qi nodded as he calmed his mind. He intended to follow the route he used to take and observe along his way home.
Leaving the area, he entered a nearby subway station. He was toying with the leaf in his right hand that he casually plucked just now. For a fraction of a second, a lightning flashed across his palm, turning the leaf into a money note. It was completed with all the security printings, looking exactly like a real money note. Maybe it was a real money note. But, of course, the energy he consumed could easily destroy this entire city.
While he was waiting to buy a ticket, he suddenly recognized a familiar figure. With her shoulder length hair, she was wearing a checkered skirt. Her features were delicate and her attire was decent. She was his ex-colleague Cai Yang whom he had a crush on years ago. Unfortunately, she had resigned from her job before he mustered up his courage to pursue her. Both of them had lost touch ever since her departure from the company. He did not expect to bump into her after all those years and stories he had been through.
“Cai Yang,” Meng Qi was no longer his old self. He greeted her in a natural and graceful manner.
Surprised, Cai Yang tilted her head. Her eyes were as beautiful as before. After a brief moment of confusion, she was hit by realization, “You… are you Meng Qi?”
“That’s not bad. You can still remember me,” Meng Qi said with a smile on his face. He was nothing like before, the boy who was too shy and constrained to talk to the goddess.
“Of course. You were the most comedic among our old colleagues,” Cai Yang pursed her lips as she chuckled. She could not explain why the present Meng Qi made her feel exceptionally comfortable. Without much contemplation, she shared her inner thoughts with him.
It was only at this moment that she got a good look at Meng Qi. She noticed that his appearance had not changed much, but age had left apparent traces on his face. There was no more youthful sparkle in his eyes and his smile had turned amicable and courteous. He carried the maturity that one could only gain from time and experience. He was no longer nervous and clumsy when he faced her like before.
“You, you’ve matured,” she said without much thought.
Meng Qi replied with a grin, “It’s been a couple of years. If I’m still not a grown man, I’ve spent all my years in vain.”
This encounter with Cai Yang made him realize that the feeling he previously had toward her had dissipated without a trace. It was as though he merely met an acquaintance.
“Which company are you working for currently?” Cai Yang asked casually.
The changes in Meng Qi’s character were so significant. He was more composed and well-mannered, appearing like a true successful man.
Meng Qi gave a quick thought before he laughed and answered, “Myriad World Knowledge Company.”
“What a strange name. What kind of business do they do?” Cai Yang asked curiously.
“Hmm, it’s a big online company that deals with electronics, courier services, and telecommunications, all in one,” Meng Qi said matter-of-factly.
Cai Yang responded, “That’s great. Companies like this have a great future ahead. I reckon you’re one of the department managers.”
“Chairman of the board cum CEO,” Meng Qi replied as he secretly mocked himself, I am also the online administrator and delivery man, it’s basically a multidisciplinary position.
“Oh…” Cai Yang was speechless as his answer caught her off guard.
“I was just joking,” Meng Qi quipped. “Anyways, I’ll catch you later. I have something else to settle.”
After saying his words, he gazed at her sincerely, “Remember, don’t stop at the river today.”
His resonating voice tickled her ears. As Cai Yang began to feel sentimental, she saw Meng Qi as he passed the turnstile gate, went on the escalator and disappeared from her sight.
She snapped out of her thoughts a short while later as she suddenly realized,
“He didn’t buy a ticket… neither did he use an access card… yet, he went straight in!”
Is this a premium service? Cai Yang shook her head, trying to clear her sluggish mind. She left the subway station and headed for her rendezvous.
The river babbled. There were tea houses and coffee shops on both sides of the shores. It was a perfect place for one to relax. Cai Yang walked toward the tree by the river and waited for the arrival of her friend under the tree.
At this moment, she suddenly recalled what Meng Qi said to her before they parted, “Don’t stop at the river.” Somehow, she started to feel uneasy and anxious. She was afraid. After some consideration, she decided to take the crosswalk and wait on the other side of the road.
When she came to a stop, she heard a squeaking noise from vehicle brakes. A delivery truck had lost its balance when it was making a turn. The truck overturned and collided into the tree where she stood under just a moment ago. The dust swirled as the tree was wrecked. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
Witnessing the crash, Cai Yang was left in shock. The phrase echoed in her head,
“Don’t stop at the river, don’t stop at the river, don’t stop at the river…”
She quickly turned to look at the subway station. What power does Meng Qi have?
On a long haul ride, Meng Qi was leisurely reading the newspaper, trying to reconnect himself with current issues while a middle-aged man slumbered next to him.
The middle-aged man sat up all of a sudden, gasping for air. His face was painted with shock, taking him a long while to finally recollect himself. He noticed that Meng Qi was staring at him. Hence, he sheepishly said, “I had a bad dream. It must be the horror movie I watched last night that talked about ghosts on public transport. Now that I’m taking public transport, I’m dreaming about it.”
“I have watched similar horror movies, too,” Meng Qi was not bothered at all.
After a brief chat, the middle-aged man took out a book, planning to read it as a pastime. Meng Qi nonchalantly threw a glimpse at the book and read the title.
From God Hao Tian to the Jade Emperor.
God Hao Tian, Jade Emperor… Meng Qi recited.
The middle-aged man noticed Meng Qi’s interest and said with a smile, “I am interested in national offerings and local folktales. This book talks about how the Jade Emperor slowly overtook God Hao Tian.”
“I’m interested as well. Can you tell me more about it?” Meng Qi asked, intrigued.
Seeing that there was someone who shared the same interest, the middle-aged man was passionate in sharing his opinions, all the way until the bus arrived at the city Meng Qi parents lived in.
At this point, Meng Qi could finally recognize the route. On the other hand, the middle-aged man’s stories started to fade into the background. His sentences no longer made sense.
There was an abrupt change in his emotion. Meng Qi subconsciously shifted his body and appeared right in the middle of his parents’ house.
“Since the era of the Three Sovereigners and Five Emperors, the myth has been amended multiple times…” the middle-aged man tilted his head as he spoke. He then noticed the empty seats and tightly shut windows.
… he gasped as he recalled the scenes in the horror film he watched last night. The one that talked about the supernatural encounter on public transport.
Am I seeing ghosts…
…
The decoration in the house had not changed at all and the aura remained. Meng Qi was overwhelmed by a familiar sense of warmth. His mother was busy cooking in the kitchen while his father was wiping and setting up the dining table. The black and white cat sat on the couch like an old man, watching the television very attentively.
His eyes were suddenly blurred. As he prepared to show himself, he heard the sound made by the door as it was pushed open.
The door swung open and a familiar silhouette entered the house. He greeted energetically,
“Mom, Dad, I’m home!”
That was another Meng Qi, and it seemed like he had never left.
