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【ding dong】

[Host has completed the "Peaceful Years" instance world quest]

[The host is rewarded with the recovery of 1% of their memories]

[Current host's memory recovered by 5%]

[Because 5% of the memories have been restored, the system rewards the host with a chance to experience the past.]

When the system's cold notification sounded in his mind, Su Ning was standing in the Imperial Study in the capital city's palace.

The sun shines brightly outside the window; it is autumn in the thirtieth year of a prosperous era.

In the distance, the faint sound of a train whistle could be heard, coming from the industrial area in the east of the city. The whistle was long and short, a time signal according to the Great Zhou standard.

A thick stack of memorials was piled on the desk, some from Europe, some from the Middle East, some from Southeast Asia, and some from Japan.

The vermilion brush rested on the inkstone, the ink not yet completely dry.

Su Ning was just reviewing a memorial from France. In the memorial, the seventh prince, Han Wang Guo Wan, said that the Paris railway hub had been completed and the first railway line from Paris to Vienna had been opened.

Guo Wan also said that the local indigenous people have learned to speak Mandarin, and the children recite the Analects of Confucius in the school with great enthusiasm.

Suning was about to write his reply.

Then everything went blurry.

When I opened my eyes again, everything had changed.

This is a vast and boundless world.

There was no sky, no earth, no sun, moon, stars, mountains, or rivers.

There was only an endless void, with a faint mist floating in it.

The mist was silvery-white, like flowing mercury or solidified moonlight, slowly surging in this void.

But this fog is no ordinary fog.

Suning took a deep breath, his whole body trembling.

Reiki.

This is spiritual energy.

An aura so intense it's almost outrageous.

It was a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand times more potent than anything I had ever heard of in any legend.

With each breath, it felt as if countless tiny warm currents flowed into my limbs and bones, along my meridians, leaving me feeling completely comfortable and blissful.

The feeling was like someone who had been thirsty in the desert for three days and three nights suddenly jumping into a clear spring.

Suning lowered his head and looked at his body.

It was not a physical entity, but a ball of light.

Or rather, it is a soul formed from light.

The light was a warm white, like moonlight or jade, flowing slowly within his body.

Through the light, one can vaguely see the location of the heart, where a small point of light, brighter than the surrounding light, is slowly pulsating.

"here it is……"

Before he could finish speaking, a strong pulling force came from ahead.

The pull came from the depths of his soul, as if something was calling to him, summoning Su Ning, and guiding him back.

It's not sound, it's not images, but an instinct etched into our very bones.

It's like a wanderer returning home, like a weary bird returning to its forest, like a fish swimming back to the stream where it was born.

Suning did not resist; instead, it flew forward along with the pulling force.

This flight lasted for an unknown period of time.

In this world, time seems to have lost its meaning.

Perhaps it will last for a moment, or perhaps for a thousand years.

The surrounding void remained unchanged, with only a faint silvery-white mist slowly flowing.

As Su Ning flew, she suddenly had a strange feeling...

I've walked this road myself, and I know it very well.

Not in this lifetime, but a long, long time ago, long enough that Suning hadn't forgotten everything.

……

Finally, something appeared ahead.

云雾。

The boundless sea of ​​clouds surges and stretches for thousands of miles.

That sea of ​​clouds was not ordinary clouds; it was clouds formed from spiritual energy, each cloud containing immense power.

Above the sea of ​​clouds, something is faintly glowing.

The light was golden, dazzling, piercing through layers of clouds and illuminating the entire void.

Suning sped up its pace.

Nearly.

closer.

He was stunned when those things finally appeared before his eyes.

palace.

A vast expanse of palaces and pavilions stands above the sea of ​​clouds.

Golden roofs and jade pillars, carved beams and painted rafters, flying eaves and brackets, multi-story buildings and pavilions.

Those palaces were not built on the ground, but floated on a sea of ​​clouds.

Each palace was supported by a massive jade stone, covered with intricate runes that flowed slowly and emitted a soft light.

Sunlight shines on it, refracting into countless rays of light.

Golden, silver, purple, cyan, and red light intertwined, dazzling and beautiful.

This is no ordinary building.
This is clearly a fairy's abode.

It is a genuine heavenly palace.

Su Ning slowly approached and landed on the platform in front of the largest palace.

The platform, paved with white jade, was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting his blurry figure.

The figure was a ball of light; its face was obscured, but its outline was visible…

It was the silhouette of a person, standing there, motionless.

Around the platform stood twelve enormous jade pillars, each a hundred feet tall, requiring dozens of people to encircle it.

Each pillar is carved with lifelike mythical beasts...

Dragon, Phoenix, Qilin, Black Tortoise, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Azure Dragon, Taotie, Chaos, Qiongqi, Taowu, Xiezhi.

The eyes of those mythical beasts were inlaid with gemstones, sparkling in the light, as if they might come to life at any moment.

Su Ning raised her head and looked at the plaque above the main gate of the palace.

The plaque was three zhang long and one zhang wide, and it was carved from a single piece of jade.

The jade is bluish-green, and three large characters are engraved on it, simple and vigorous, as if containing the ultimate truth of heaven and earth.

Taixu Hall.

Suning shuddered.

Taixu Hall.

Taixu...

The moment those three words came into view, countless fragments surged from the depths of my soul.

Su Ning saw himself sitting in this palace, with many people standing in front of him, men and women, old and young, all smiling at him.

Those people were dressed in clothes of various colors, some in white, some in blue, some in purple, and some in red.

They were all gathered around him, chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.

Su Ning saw a woman in white standing beside him, smiling at him with eyes full of indescribable tenderness.

And this woman looks exactly like his wife, Chen Xiaojun…

Su Ning saw herself walk out of the palace and stand on the edge of the cloud sea, with those people following behind her.

They pointed to the distant void and discussed something.

Su Ning saw a young man in blue clothes tugging at her sleeve and pointing to something in the distance, urging her to look.

Su Ning followed the boy's finger and saw a streak of light flash in the distance.

Su Ning saw himself leading those people through the sea of ​​clouds, flying into the distance, heading to one unfamiliar world after another.

Those worlds vary in size, in light and in darkness; some are teeming with life, while others are utterly desolate.

They stayed in one world after another, and then left.

Su Ning watched as those people left one by one, disappearing one by one.

Some of them looked back at Suning as they left, their eyes filled with tears.

Some left without looking back, their backs showing resolute determination.

Some waved goodbye with smiles as they left, saying they would come back.

In the end, he was all alone.

Su Ning saw herself sitting alone in the palace, surrounded by churning clouds.

It's beautiful here, really beautiful, but right now I'm all alone.

Looking at the empty surroundings, Su Ning remained silent for a very long time.

Su Ning saw herself stand up, walk to the edge of the clouds, and stand motionless for a very long time, gazing at the directions where they had disappeared.

Then, everything went dark.

Su Ning suddenly came to his senses and found himself standing in front of the Taixu Palace, with no one around.

Those fragments of memory come quickly and go quickly.

The impact it left behind lingered for a long time.

This is where I used to live.

Those people were my former relatives.

But where have they all gone now?

……

A bewildered Suning stepped into the Taixu Palace.

The interior of the hall is larger than it appears from the outside.

The dome is extremely high, its top invisible, with only a thin mist flowing around it.

The ground was paved with jade, smooth as a mirror, and every step on it created a ripple.

The furnishings in the hall were simple: a jade table, a few futons, and several paintings hanging on the wall.

The jade table was carved from green jade, and on it were placed several jade scrolls, as well as some bottles and jars.

The bottles and jars were made of jade, porcelain, and glass; some were transparent, some were translucent, and some were completely opaque.

Some contained pills, some contained liquids, and some were empty.

Su Ning casually picked up a jade slip and unfolded it.

The jade slips are thin slices made of white jade, each as thin as a cicada's wing, and are engraved with dense seal script.

The seal script was golden and flowed slowly on the jade slip. He recognized each character, but when they were put together, they were like a book written in the heavens, and he couldn't understand them at all.

Suning picked up another book, but still couldn't understand it.

He put down the jade slip and instead looked at the painting on the wall.

The painting depicts a person dressed in white, standing by the sea of ​​clouds, with their back to the viewer, so their face is not visible.

The man was tall and slender, his clothes fluttering in the wind. He stood by the sea of ​​clouds, gazing into the distance.

The sea of ​​clouds surged beneath my feet, and in the distant void, I could vaguely see a few stars.

Behind that person, many people stood indistinctly, their faces obscured.

Those people stood in the distance; some were tall, some were short, some were fat, and some were thin.

They were all looking at the man in white, their eyes filled with an indescribable emotion and faith.

But Su Ning knew that person was himself.

Those people were his relatives, Su Ning's relatives.

Su Ning stood there, looking at the painting for a long time.

Then he turned around and walked out of the Taixu Palace.

Standing on the edge of the cloud sea, gazing at this boundless world.

The sea of ​​clouds surged beneath my feet, and occasionally a streak of light flashed across the distant void.

I don't know what those streaks of light were; maybe they were shooting stars, or maybe something else entirely.

“System,” Su Ning called out in his mind. “…” There was no response.

"system?"

There was still no response.

"System, I know you're here. Come out."

silence.

Suning waited a long time.

Then he laughed.

Suddenly, I realized that this place was just a dream that the system had given me to experience for a short time.

To look back on one's past.

I came to visit my former home.

Come and see those you've forgotten.

But where did all those people go?

What exactly happened here?

Suning doesn't know.

Perhaps Suning will only know when more of his memories are restored.

Perhaps we'll never know.

Standing on the edge of the cloud sea, gazing into the distance.

……

Just then, the heavens and earth suddenly trembled.

It wasn't a minor earthquake; the entire space was shaking.

The sea of ​​clouds surged and churned, like boiling water, creating towering waves.

The floating palaces swayed and creaked.

A deafening roar echoed from the distant void, like countless bolts of lightning thundering.

Suning steadied himself and looked up.

In the distance, a crack appeared in the gray void.

The gap grew larger and larger until it became a door-like rift.

The edges of the crack were golden, like burning flames dancing in the void.

A strange light emanated from the crack, flickering and dimming.

The light had seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet, appearing alternately, as if something was about to burst out from within it.

Then, Suning saw something fall out of the crack.

A raft.

The small, dilapidated raft was made of several bamboo poles tied together, with a tattered cloth tied to it as a sail.

A person was sitting on the raft—no, wait! It was a monkey.

An exceptionally cute golden snub-nosed monkey.

Its fur is golden and shimmers in the light.

Her eyes were round and bright, like two black gems, radiating intelligence and curiosity.

It was perched on the raft, its two paws gripping the bamboo pole tightly, looking around with a bewildered expression.

Upon seeing Su Ning, the monkey's eyes widened instantly.

It opened its mouth and let out a scream.

"squeak!"

Suning was also stunned at this moment.

How could a monkey appear in one's own space, or rather, in one's own dream?
Su Ning raised his hand and beckoned gently.

The next instant, the monkey disappeared from the raft and appeared directly in Su Ning's palm.

Small, soft, and fluffy, it fits perfectly in your hand.

It curled up in Suning's hand, trembling all over, but its eyes were still wide open, staring at Suning.

Suning couldn't help but laugh.

It's been so many years, so many years since I've felt this kind of surprise.

Su Ning reached out and touched the monkey's head; its fur was soft and smooth, and felt wonderful to the touch.

The monkey squinted its eyes as it was being touched, and its body stopped trembling; it looked like it was enjoying it.

"Little one," Su Ning asked with a smile, "how did you end up here?"

The monkey suddenly opened its eyes, looked at Su Ning, and opened and closed its mouth, actually speaking human language, "A deity? You must be a deity?"

Suning was stunned.

This monkey can actually talk?
"Haha!" Su Ning couldn't help but burst into laughter, his voice echoing through the air. "Interesting! Very interesting!"

Seeing Su Ning smile, the monkey grew bolder and stood up in Su Ning's palm, even making a seemingly respectful bow.

With its two paws clasped together and its body leaning forward in a respectful manner, it said, "Immortal, I am the Monkey King of Flower Fruit Mountain in the Eastern Continent of Divine Victory. I have crossed oceans to seek immortality and ask for guidance on cultivating immortality. Can you teach me how to cultivate immortality?"

Suning's smile froze.

Dongsheng Shenzhou?

Flower and Fruit Mountain?
The Monkey King?
If Su Ning still didn't understand what these words meant when put together, then he had truly lived in vain. "What did you say? Flower and Fruit Mountain in Dongsheng Divine Continent?"

"Exactly! Exactly!" The monkey nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining. "I was sailing on the ocean, originally intending to seek immortality and enlightenment, but suddenly I encountered a storm and ended up here. You must be the master that heaven has sent to me!"

Looking at the tiny golden monkey in his palm, Su Ning felt a strange sensation welling up inside him.

Could this monkey be the legendary Monkey King?
Is that Sun Wukong who caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace?

But it's so small now, so cute, so...

"Haha!" Su Ning laughed again, "I'm not your master."

"..." The monkey's face fell, and the light in its eyes dimmed.

“However,” Su Ning said, “the fact that you are here shows that we are indeed destined to meet. So I will bestow upon you a great fortune.”

The monkey's eyes lit up instantly, even brighter than before, like two small suns. "A great fortune? Can it grant me immortality?"

"It's even more important than immortality."

"what is that?"

Suning did not respond.

He held the adorable little monkey in his hands, looking into its round eyes, and suddenly remembered a story he had heard long ago: "Before bestowing great fortune upon you, let me tell you a story first."

"..." The monkey obediently squatted in Su Ning's palm, pricked up its ears to listen.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy. He first tried to learn to write, but gave up before he finished. He then turned to learning swordsmanship, but failed to master that as well."

"His uncle was very angry and asked him what he wanted to learn. The boy said that writing only required remembering names, and swordsmanship could only fight one person, so it was not worth learning. If he wanted to learn something, he should learn military strategy that could defeat ten thousand people."

"His uncle was very pleased to hear this and began to teach him military strategy."

The monkey blinked. "Master, are you going to teach me military strategy?"

Su Ning shook his head. "No. I'm going to teach you how to awaken your spirit."

"Opening the spirit?"

The monkey looked completely bewildered.

Suning remained silent.

He raised his hand and gently pressed it on the monkey's crown.

A surge of spiritual energy flowed from his palm and slowly seeped into the monkey's body.

The spiritual energy was white, warm and smooth like jade, flowing along the monkey's meridians and throughout its entire body.

The monkey's eyes widened suddenly, its pupils reflecting a myriad of images.

Then she slowly closed her eyes, her body went limp and she fell into Su Ning's palm, unconscious.

While unconscious, the monkey had countless dreams.

In its dream, it experienced different lives.

Sometimes he was a businessman, traveling all over the country and witnessing all walks of life.

It learned how to deal with people, how to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and how to survive in a world of deceit and treachery.

Sometimes it is a general who leads troops into battle and understands strategy and calculation.

It learned how to deploy troops, how to assess the enemy situation, and how to make decisions in life-or-death situations.

Sometimes it is a scholar who studies diligently for years and understands the ways of the world.

It learned how to think about problems, how to analyze things, and how to see the essence from the phenomena.

Sometimes it is a farmer, working from sunrise to sunset, experiencing the hardships of life.

It learned how to live in harmony with nature, how to be kind to others, and how to find joy in the ordinary.

It dreamed that it was deceived, betrayed, and abandoned time and time again.

From initial anger to later calm, it learned to distinguish truth from falsehood and to protect itself.

It dreamed that it was hurt, bullied, and trampled on again and again.

From its initial crying to its later resilience, it learned to stand up and to fight back.

It dreamed that it stood on the edge of life and death time and time again, faced desperate situations time and time again, and fell into despair time and time again.

From initial fear to later acceptance, it learned to contemplate life and confront death.

It dreamed that it looked up at the starry sky again and again, watching the twinkling stars and pondering the mysteries of the universe.

From initial confusion to later enlightenment, it began to ponder the origins of how this world works.

Countless dreams, countless lives, countless experiences.

Each time it wakes up, its gaze becomes a little more composed.

Each time it wakes up, its mind matures a little more.

When the last dream ended, it was no longer that simple, foolish monkey.

I don't know how much time passed.

Su Ning looked at the sleeping monkey in his palm and nodded in satisfaction.

The monkey's fur was glowing slightly, a sign that spiritual energy was flowing within its body.

Its brow furrowed and relaxed intermittently, clearly still experiencing something in its dream.

Its claws clenched and unclenched at times, as if it were struggling in a dream.

"Little monkey," Su Ning said softly, "that's all I can do to help you. I hope you can live a wonderful and extraordinary life."

He withdrew his hand and waited quietly.

The monkey's eyelids twitched, and it slowly opened its eyes.

It looked at Su Ning, and the initial innocence and naivety were gone from its eyes.

Yes, it is profound, wise, and a kind of indescribable complexity.

In those eyes, there was a calmness that comes from experiencing life's vicissitudes, a clarity that comes from seeing through the ways of the world, and an enlightenment that comes from experiencing countless lives.

It looked down at its own hand, then looked up at Su Ning, and then knelt down in Su Ning's palm with a "plop," saying, "Thank you for your generous gift, Master!"

It kowtowed heavily, its forehead touching Su Ning's palm again and again, "Please tell me your name, Master, I will remember it forever."

Su Ning looked at it and smiled, "We're from different worlds, so why bother with this? We're not master and disciple, and there's no such thing as a master-disciple relationship between us."

The monkey raised its head, its eyes slightly red, "Master..."

"Go!" Su Ning raised her hand and waved it gently. "Make your life more exciting."

The sky cracked open once again.

The golden crack reappeared, emitting seven-colored light.

The monkey, along with the tattered raft, floated up and flew towards the crack.

"master--"

The monkey's cries grew fainter and fainter into the distance.

The crack closed.

Everything returned to calm.

Su Ning stood on the sea of ​​clouds, gazing at the spot where the crack had disappeared, and remained silent for a long time.

"Sun Wukong, don't let me down!"

Su Ning turned around and then left the space.

Because I need to continue to work hard and pursue the memories that rightfully belong to me.

...(End of this chapter)