Unconventional blind dates

Chapter 106 The Human World

"What was the pass like back then?"

"It's not that tall, not that big, and certainly not that neat."

Wearing a fitted, off-white knit turtleneck sweater and skinny jeans, Li Tingchan looked up at Hangu Pass in front of her.

She wasn't particularly moved by Hangu Pass.

Just as she herself said, having experienced too many separations and deaths, she no longer needs friends, nor enemies, nor does she need to understand or integrate into this era.

In any case, whether they are friends or enemies, they will all wake up the next time to find that they have long since turned into dust.

And the times.

It was rare for her to wake up to find the world still in the same dynasty.

The only closest would be the Spring and Autumn Period and the end of the Warring States Period.

As long as Master is always there, that's enough.

But Master has changed so much too.

She actually understood that her master and she were two different choices.

The master's choice is to integrate into every era.

So every time he wakes up, Master becomes more and more down-to-earth.

The composed and always preoccupied master I first met was rarely seen later on.

However, she still prefers how she looks now.

Each time I wake up, I travel the world with my master, just as a pure spectator.

If you encounter injustice on the road, draw your sword.

Afterwards, having accomplished his task, he left without a trace, concealing his merits and fame.

Then, after a year, it will ascend to immortality and fall into slumber, waiting to awaken again and see its master once more.

The reason she still had some impression of Hangu Pass was mainly because of the conversation between her master and that old man.

And the feeling she got from her master at that time was one of particular distance.

It seems like they don't care about anything, yet it also seems like they care about everything.

However, after that, every time I woke up and saw my master again, I no longer had that transcendent feeling.

So she didn't think much of it.

"Master, let's hurry over there."

She took a step to leave, but Lu Li stopped her. "Wait."

Seeing the female knight give him a puzzled look, Lu Li couldn't help but facepalm. "You need to buy tickets first, female knight."

"Buy a ticket?" Li Tingchan asked thoughtfully. "Do we still need a travel permit and a checkpoint fee to enter the city now? You never used to give those, Master."

Lu Li was speechless.

What can I say?

That must be my future self, no doubt about it.

How did I, a kind and decent young person with normal values, degenerate into such a despicable person?

Lu Li was quite curious.

However, you still need to buy the tickets.

"It's not about travel permits or border fees; this checkpoint isn't as useful as it used to be. It's just a tourist attraction now."

Lu Li didn't waste any more words and directly led her to buy tickets and go inside.

There is already a museum here.

That is where the true remains of the ruins are.

In addition to fragments of inscriptions from the Spring and Autumn Period, there are also inscriptions and carvings left from various dynasties.

Lu Li and Li Tingchan stayed with the other tourists, mainly to get a feel for the guide's explanations.

"It is said that this piece contains fragments of an inscription left by Guan Yinzi, but unfortunately it was destroyed in later wars, so we have no way of knowing the true meaning of the inscription."

Lu Li didn't hear what was said next.

The sound suddenly became muffled and indistinct in his ears, as if he were immersed in the deep sea.

His left eye suddenly felt hot, and even his "eye of lust" was automatically activated.

Lu Li's expression froze, and he took off the sunglasses hanging on his collar and put them on.

Then he looked at the fragments of the stone tablet again.

There are indeed writings on it.

It's simplified Chinese characters written in a scrawled, dog-like handwriting.

It even sparkles.

At the very front are fragments of a stone tablet from the Spring and Autumn Period.

There is a long paragraph above.

"I will never forget the seventh day of the seventh lunar month that year."

That day, I sat in the second seat by the window in the coffee shop downstairs in Wangfujing and ordered a milk candy macchiato, which I didn't really like.

"Three minutes and twenty-seven seconds later, I made the biggest mistake of my life—I impulsively downloaded that free dating app."

"It wasn't until many days later that I realized it wasn't a mistake, but an accident that led to the story."

"I once heard of a bird in the world that has no feet. It can fly as soon as it is born and never stops flying until the day it dies. It has been to many places but has no attachments, so it can fly in the sky forever."

"I think that statement is wrong, because if they have no attachments, then they are already dead at birth."

Life is like a game of chess; once a move is made, there's no going back.

"I'm leaving. This is my final choice."

"Actually, I could explain everything clearly, but this place isn't big enough for me to write it all down."

"Of course, actually it's because I want to see you frustrated and frantic, just like I did when I first saw you."

"After reading the message I left for myself, I felt so frustrated that I ended up doing the same thing. Does that mean I brought this on myself?"

Lu Li's expression was very serious.

He recognized the handwriting.

This is his handwriting.

So, is it information left to the present self by the future self who traveled to the past?

You're even cutting out the story?!

Still trying to act like Wong Kar-wai?!

Human trash!

Suppressing the urge to smash the artifact with his fist, Lu Li continued reading.

There is nothing on the stone tablets from later periods.

"Master?"

Lu Li frowned.

"Master?"

Lu Li suddenly realized that the noisy chatter of tourists and the guides' explanations seemed to have come back to him from the horizon.

He seemed to emerge from the deep sea.

Turning around, I saw Li Tingchan's somewhat curious expression.

Lu Li pointed to the fragment of the Spring and Autumn Period stone tablet and asked, "Achan, can you see the glowing characters on it?"

Li Tingchan shook her head, "The words are visible, but there are no glowing ones."

Lu Li nodded.

It really is a message left by my future self to my present self.

And sure enough, I achieved my goal—I'm now feeling very agitated.

"There's not much left to see here. Our next stop is Xi'an, then we'll circle back to Kaifeng, then Shanghai, then Nanjing, and finally Beijing."

Lu Li turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

Li Tingchan, following behind him, was a little confused. "Master, is Xi'an another city?"

Lu Li nodded. "That place used to be called Chang'an."

Lu Li: "Look, isn't everyone living a good life?"

Li Tingchan: "It's good, but I feel the pace is a bit too fast, as if everyone is being rushed along with their heads down."

Lu Li: "It's all for the sake of making a living, but at least there are no people so poor that they have no clothes to wear, and no people so hungry that they can only eat dirt. Although such things still happen in some small countries overseas, they are almost never seen on the land of China."

Li Tingchan: "Yeah, we didn't see any wolves or human bones by the roadside along the way. Those used to be quite common."

Lu Li: "So give up your unrealistic fantasies. There are professionals who can handle things like punishing the wicked and upholding justice. Let's just live our own lives. These days, making more money is the most important thing."

"Look at the people taking the bus ahead, they're all queuing up properly. They won't go hungry before they start thinking about moral issues, that's proof."

Li Tingchan: "Master, was that person putting their hand into the old man's pocket to put back what had fallen out? Master was right after all."

Lu Li: "That's a thief! Holy crap! Catch the thief!!!"

Li Tingchan: "???"

As expected, Master was lying.

(End of this chapter)