Chapter 844
Walnuts and the Hall of Rebirth
Su Chen asked for directions and chatted with the old man for a few minutes.
The old man was very talkative. When he mentioned his grandson, Xiaoyu, he said that the boy was tough, but sometimes he would say strange things. For example, a few days ago he insisted that he saw a figure wearing "strange clothes" under the banyan tree at the entrance of the village, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Su Chen felt a chill run down his spine.
He paused briefly under the banyan tree when he left the village a few days ago.
He thanked the old man and left, almost staggering.
Back in his little hut at the edge of the village, he closed the door, and the world seemed to fall silent instantly, leaving only his pounding heartbeat and heavy breathing.
It's not an illusion.
That inexplicable ability... was neither an attack, nor a defense, nor even a direct influence on the outside world.
It's time.
He's "back".
We returned to the past of this village.
It wasn't something he chose voluntarily; it was more like an unconscious touch that occurred at some point in the deep mountains, perhaps when his spirit was exploring its own power, that triggered this... "deviation."
He was like a swimmer who accidentally slipped into a countercurrent and was carried upstream.
And the old man Chen who recognized him as an "immortal"... Xiao Yu... the future old man Chen...
Su Chen walked to the blurry bronze mirror in the room and looked at the face in the mirror, which had become more defined and sharper due to six months of training, but was indeed that of a young man.
When Old Man Chen first met him, the complicated look in his eyes and the word "immortal"... what the old man saw was not the Su Chen who had just transmigrated and was naive and vulnerable.
What the old man saw was "himself" who had perhaps appeared in this village in the distant past, and whose appearance had not changed much!
“I…” Su Chen spoke slowly to himself in the mirror, his voice hoarse, “I don’t belong to this timeline…at least, not entirely.”
His existence, his time travel, seemed to have thrown him into a strange dimension.
His anchor point in this river of time is unstable and will unconsciously "drift" due to some inner force that he has not yet mastered.
He cannot precisely control when and where he goes, but this "drift" is not entirely random. It seems to have an obscure connection with his own state and certain "nodes" in this world.
Just like this time, he returned from the "future" to the "past" of this village and met Old Man Chen from his childhood.
So, in the future, or rather, in the "present" where he originally was, where is that old man Chen?
Did he "disappear" at that point in time because of his "departure"?
Or is it that time corrects and fills itself in some way that he cannot understand?
My head is splitting with pain.
The vortex of time paradox nearly consumed his sanity.
But a colder, clearer feeling emerged from the chaos of thoughts.
If he can unconsciously travel from the "future" back to the "past," does this ability mean that... he is independent of the normal, linear flow of time in this world?
He is a variable, a loophole, an “foreign object” that can inadvertently slide on the fabric of time.
Fairy?
No, not an immortal.
He is a lost soul trapped in the cracks of time.
Outside the window, the setting sun sank completely into the mountain ridge, and the last ray of afterglow swept across the window frame, casting a long, trembling shadow on the dim wall, like a serpent of time that kept twisting and trying to connect its head and tail.
Su Chen clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body from the training, as well as the deeper, more obscure "undercurrent" about time.
His first task was to figure out how to stop being tossed about by time. And then... how to take control of it.
As night falls, the lights of Qixia Village are scattered. In a small house at the edge of the village, a soul from another world is gazing for the first time at the forbidden power it carries, a power far beyond its imagination.
Time flows like the stream at the entrance of Qixia Village, seemingly calm, yet quietly slipping away unnoticed.
Su Chen would still inexplicably feel the "ripples" of time, that sense of disorientation that was slightly out of sync with the rhythm of the world, but the triggers were still uncontrollable. He gradually learned to coexist with it, regarding it as a peculiar "sense" that belonged only to him.
He continued to hone his body, and the Eight Pieces of Brocade and Tai Chi had long been integrated into his breathing and movements. The warm energy within his body grew stronger day by day, giving him a physique and agility far beyond that of ordinary people, but that was all.
He is like someone who possesses a treasure trove but cannot find the specific key, and can only continuously strengthen the foundation of the treasure trove.
Until that misty, rainy afternoon.
He didn't go there on purpose; rather, he was strolling in the mountains outside Liyue Harbor when he was drawn by something in the dark, passing through a quiet bamboo forest, and suddenly a solemn and dignified hall built against the mountain appeared before him, exuding a sense of the passage of time.
Hall of Rebirth.
A faint scent of incense mingled with the fresh aroma of damp earth after the rain, creating a unique and tranquil atmosphere that evoked the cycle of life and death.
Inside the hall was an elderly man on his deathbed, his hair and beard all white, his breath weak, but his eyes still wise and clear.
He dismissed everyone else, leaving only Su Chen.
They didn't ask Su Chen where he came from or why he came, as if they had been waiting for him all along.
"My days are numbered, and there is only one thing I worry about..." The old man's voice was hoarse yet clear, his gaze fixed on Su Chen, seemingly piercing through his present to see certain blurry traces, "My granddaughter... Hu Tao. She's spirited and exceptionally intelligent, but... the responsibilities of the Hall of Rebirth, the weight of life and death, she still needs time to understand."
Judging from your appearance... you are no ordinary person. You possess a sense of detachment that comes with the passage of time, as well as a steadfastness like a rock. Could you... look after her for a while after I am gone?
No need for excessive restrictions; I only hope that when she occasionally feels lost and needs support, she can have a reliable haven.
Su Chen was stunned.
Taking care of a little girl? Or the heir to a special institution like the Hall of Rebirth? He instinctively wanted to refuse; he was still an outsider in the timeline, how could he take care of others?
But looking at the deep plea and almost prophetic certainty in the old man's eyes, and thinking about his own aimless, drifting life, he realized that he was also living a life of wandering aimlessly.
Perhaps, a sense of responsibility, a foothold, would allow him to more truly integrate into this world, rather than just being a bystander.
Moreover, he could feel the growing power within him. Although it wasn't as dazzling as elemental power, it should be enough to protect a child and handle ordinary matters.
"I... will do my best." He finally nodded and solemnly agreed.
A relieved smile appeared on the old man's lips, as if he had finally laid down his last burden, and he peacefully closed his eyes. Thus, Su Chen became a special guest of the Hall of Rebirth.
The affairs within the hall were handled by the ritual attendants; he existed more as a symbolic guardian.
Hu Tao, still young at the time, wore pigtails and had a bright and mischievous look in her eyes. Just as her grandfather had said, she was indeed clever and quirky, with unique insights into life and death beyond her years, yet she was also inevitably tinged with the innocence and playfulness of a child.
Su Chen's "job" is very leisurely: occasionally he helps the ritual officiants deal with some "special" clients that they find troublesome or are unwilling to deal with, such as certain spirits with strong obsessions or peculiar ways of existence, and gets rid of some guys who do not understand the business of the funeral hall, are prejudiced, or are trying to cause trouble. This is easy for Su Chen, who has super physical strength.
More often than not, he is a listener and a limited participant in Hu Tao's quirky ideas and behaviors.
Hu Tao is passionate about creating her "doggerel," with wildly imaginative content ranging from praising Liyue Harbor's breakfast to teasing the legend of the Geo Archon. Her rhymes are quirky yet have their own unique charm.
The others in the hall often found themselves at a loss for words, either laughing or crying, or saying bluntly, "Hall Master, this... is not appropriate."
Only Su Chen would actually sit down and listen attentively to her recitation, occasionally offering suggestions for adjusting a word or two, or simply discussing whether it sounded smooth and interesting.
He wasn't just being perfunctory; he felt that these quirky poems, full of vitality and childlike fun, were perhaps closer to a certain open-mindedness about life and death than many rigid eulogies.
Hu Tao soon discovered that this taciturn and incredibly strong Su Chen was "the only kindred spirit" in her poetry writing career, even though his aesthetic sense might be a bit off.
With Su Chen's calm yet steadfast companionship, the little girl gradually emerged from the grief of her grandfather's passing and regained her lively and carefree nature.
In the Hall of Rebirth, one could often hear her clear voice reciting poetry and Su Chen's occasional low response, and the atmosphere was no longer always so heavy.
When Hu Tao was thirteen, on an ordinary night, she was in the courtyard trying to recite her newly written requiem for a flickering "customer" lantern. The poem was about the friendship between the lantern ghost and almond tofu. Suddenly, she felt a surge of emotion, and her understanding of the passion of life and the tranquility of death intertwined and rose within her.
A point of intense red light emanated from her embrace and quickly coalesced into a form.
A fire-attribute divine eye, with the emblem of the Hall of Rebirth on its edge, lay quietly in her palm.
This is what she has since returned.
Walnut quickly mastered the basics of fire element manipulation, and sparks danced at her fingertips, illuminating her excited face.
"Brother Su Chen! Look! Isn't it amazing!" She couldn't wait to show Su Chen a small flame that was swirling in her palm, forming the shape of a butterfly.
Su Chen looked at the leaping flames, his eyes revealing undisguised amazement and admiration.
The light was warm and full of vitality, perfectly matching Walnut's character.
"Yes, very impressive." He nodded, his tone sincere. "This power to control the elements... is amazing, and very cool."
He genuinely believed this.
Compared to the "simple" enhancements he received, such as being physically stronger, faster, and stronger, this ability to directly invoke the world's fundamental forces and display dazzling effects was indeed more in line with his memory of the "extraordinary," possessing a direct and breathtaking aesthetic appeal.
His affirmation, especially the comment "very cool," made Hu Tao, who initially thought the Eye of God was just fun and might be helpful for her work, develop a deeper appreciation for this power.
So this ability is considered "cool" by Su Chen! He wasn't just being polite; he genuinely thinks it's awesome!
From then on, in addition to studying her profession, Hu Tao added another item to her daily routine, albeit in a unique way, to creating limericks.
Develop the "acrobatic performance art" of the fire element.
She controlled her elemental power with exquisite precision, not for combat, but to create more dazzling and visually appealing effects.
The flames transformed into fluttering plum blossoms, forming fleeting verses in the night sky.
Tiny fire butterflies danced around the lantern.
They even tried to simulate clouds and flowing water with flames, although it often ended up burning a small patch of grass.
Su Chen is her most loyal, and only, regular viewer.
He would always sit quietly to the side, watching her excitedly demonstrate her newly conceived "spark trick," applauding earnestly when she succeeded, and handing her a wet towel when she accidentally burned her bangs, his eyes always filled with that pure appreciation that he thought was "really cool."
In the courtyard of the Hall of Rebirth, amidst the solemn atmosphere of life and death, warm and lively firelight often leaps and dances, accompanied by the clear laughter of young girls and the occasional low comments of young men.
Su Chen could still feel the elusive ripples of time washing over him, but now, in this concrete protection and companionship, he seemed to have found a relatively stable anchor point in the river of time.
Walnut, and this hall of rebirth that carries life and death, memories and inheritance.
His power is still growing.
During this process, Hu Tao also discovered some strange things, perhaps her secret: she found that she had met Su Chen a long time ago.
It was as if this familiar yet unfamiliar presence in front of her had accompanied her through some period of time.
I grew up with her since I was little, in some inconspicuous corner.
Hu Tao's intuition is very sharp. Su Chen also discovered that he seemed to have stumbled into some time fragments while spending time with Hu Tao. He had been to this place before and, not far away, seemed to see Hu Tao as a child, but at different time periods, such as first at age nine, then at age three, and then jumping to age seven.
If this experience were told to others, they probably wouldn't believe it; it's unheard of, and his special ability is something he can't figure out.
Days are like the tireless tides outside Liyue Harbor, wave after wave washing over the banks of time.
Su Chen's life at the Hall of Rebirth gradually took on a fixed rhythm, with the flames of walnuts and poetry being the vibrant highlights within it.
His own sense of detachment from time did not disappear; instead, it settled into a clearer perspective in a relatively stable environment.
Until that afternoon, a blue-haired boy, exuding a scholarly air, stepped into the somewhat solemn threshold of the Hall of Rebirth.
Xingqiu, the second young master of the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild, is a regular at bookstores large and small in Liyue Harbor, and is equally familiar with popular stories and ancient classics.
Having heard of the unique "poetic talent" of the young master of the Rebirth Hall from somewhere, I suddenly had the idea of visiting him to exchange ideas.
As Su Chen watched this scene, he was unsure whether he had returned to the past or the future.
Whether in the past or the future, Hu Tao knows herself, and she has known herself for a long time.
Therefore, it was quite natural for the old man to entrust his care to him. (End of Chapter)