Chapter 845
, Section 77: I've finally found you.
Upon their first meeting, the courteous Xingqiu and the witty and inquisitive Hutao began their poetic exchange in the tranquil courtyard of the Rebirth Hall, where a few pine and cypress trees stood.
Xingqiu Yin is a poem in seven-character verse, with elegant diction and exquisite allusions. It reveals the refinement of a scion of a noble family and the romantic feelings of a young knight-errant, as if it were a gentle breeze and bright moon that have stepped out of an ancient book.
After hearing this, Hu Tao blinked and immediately recited her signature doggerel.
Unrestrained by rules of prosody or tonal patterns, her words and phrases are imaginative and unrestrained. She breaks down matters of life and death, daily trivialities, and even the elegant imagery in Xingqiu's poems, and kneads them into her quirky yet vibrant banter.
The rhymes, such as "Ancient knights-errant stepping on watermelon rinds" and "The bright moon and gentle breeze are not as good as my almond tofu," all rely on a flash of inspiration, yet they possess a fresh and cunning quality that breaks with convention.
Xingqiu was first taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh, and then burst into laughter.
He had never encountered such a "poet friend" before. The traditional poetic framework was completely ineffective with Hu Tao. The perfect antithesis collided with the bizarre ideas, like a carefully woven brocade encountering wildly growing vines. The result was not that the vines were bound, but that the brocade was entangled into another kind of vibrant and strange pattern.
"Master Hu...you...sigh!" Xingqiu was both amused and exasperated, shaking his head in admiration, but his eyes gleamed with the light of an interesting challenge.
Walnut, hands on her hips, said smugly, "How about it? Isn't my poem particularly 'down-to-earth' and 'resonates with people'?"
Over time, the two became frequent friends and fellow poets.
Whenever Xingqiu had a spare moment, he would bring his newly acquired poems or interesting ideas to the Rebirth Hall. Hu Tao was happy to temporarily put aside her duties at the hall, or she would think of whimsical poems while dealing with them, and banter and exchange poems with him.
In the courtyard, the gentle recitation of Xingqiu, the crisp and quirky recitation of Hutao, and the heated debate between the two over a certain word or image often echoed.
Su Chen would often be nearby, either wiping the furnishings in the hall or simply sitting quietly by the corridor, watching this scene.
Sunlight streamed through the eaves, casting dappled shadows onto the bluestone slabs.
The figures of young men and women swayed in the light and shadow, and verses intertwined in the air, one as elegant as a meticulous landscape painting, the other as unrestrained as a freehand ink painting.
Time seems to be stretched out and frozen in this small courtyard, yet it flows with the rise and fall of the verses.
As Su Chen watched, the long-standing sense of alienation in his heart became exceptionally clear and serene at this moment.
This scene was merely amusing to him; he found himself immersing himself in his own identity.
He was like a person standing on a high riverbank, watching the river of time flow endlessly beneath his feet, in which all living beings rise and fall, meet, part, and create.
The poetic exchange between Xingqiu and Hutao is but a small, interesting ripple in this vast river, fleeting yet incredibly vivid in the instant it occurs.
He was in it, yet he seemed to be detached from it.
His existence, his perception, and every unconscious "shift" in time separated him from this orderly, flowing world by a transparent yet incredibly resilient membrane.
Observer.
The word naturally came to mind.
Yes, more often than not, he acts like an observer.
Observing Hu Tao's growth and laughter, observing Xing Qiu's refined tastes and chivalrous spirit, observing the daily life and death in the Hall of Rebirth, observing the prosperity and changes of Liyue Harbor.
He participates, invests his emotions, and takes responsibility, but deep in his soul, there is always a corner that is clearly aware of it.
I don't completely belong here.
His "time" is fragmented and fluid, which gives his perspective a detached quality.
He wasn't indifferent; he had simply seen too many "possibilities," witnessed the embryonic form of the "past" and the lingering shadow of the "future," like Old Man Chen and Xiao Yu.
They deeply understand that the certainty and preciousness of every moment are built upon the fragile and singular flow of the river of time.
All he can do is cherish this vibrant flame in the present moment while he is "staying," and quietly appreciate this poetry gathering that transcends both highbrow and lowbrow tastes.
He truly couldn't control his own abilities; he could go to the future at any time, or he could go to the past at any time.
There is no true anchor point.
Honestly, this is already quite long, much longer than the old man's before.
Occasionally, when Xingqiu and Hutao get into a heated argument, or when Hutao develops some new fire element "acrobatics" that are both hilarious and absurd, Su Chen's lips will curl into a very faint smile.
At that moment, the observer's sense of alienation will recede slightly, and the warmth of the moment will seep in.
He knew that after some moment of carelessness, he might be thrown by time to another unknown "shore".
But before that, during this relatively stable "stay," watching these interesting people and experiencing these vivid things, is perhaps the most authentic "life" that he, a traveler from another time, can have.
In the courtyard of the Hall of Rebirth, the pines and cypresses stand silently, while verses soar freely.
The blue-haired boy and the fiery-red girl, one elegant and the other lively, create a vivid and humorous picture.
In the shadows of the corridor, the silent guest elder was quietly collecting all of this with his timeless gaze, like collecting a unique piece of amber that shimmers faintly in the long river of time.
The days when Hu Tao worked at the ancestral hall were made more elegant and lively by the addition of Xing Qiu.
Su Chen's tranquil observer's mind was often interrupted by the elegant yet popular verses in the courtyard, bringing a touch of warmth from everyday life.
Until that figure, carrying the cool scent of herbs, stepped into this place where life and death meet, both bewildered and resolute.
Qiqi, a herb-gathering girl from Bubulu, has a special constitution; her memories are like glass shrouded in mist, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.
Her acquaintance with Hu Tao was somewhat of a dramatic twist of fate; one was passionately pursuing the boundary between life and death, while the other lingered in the mists of memory, yet they miraculously found common ground.
Hu Tao always tries to get Qi Qi into "heat-boosting training" or "poetry edification." Although Qi Qi is often confused, she gradually gets used to it and even becomes dependent on this overly lively warmth.
One day, Qiqi came to the Hall of Rebirth with Hu Tao as a guest.
When her gaze passed through the courtyard and landed on Su Chen, who was quietly wiping an ancient soul lamp under the eaves, his usually somewhat vacant purple eyes suddenly lit up with an extremely vivid and almost fiery light.
Her small body paused for a moment, and then, under Hu Tao's surprised gaze and Su Chen's slightly raised eyes, she walked straight towards Su Chen with somewhat hurried but still steady steps.
Then, she opened her arms and gently hugged Su Chen's waist, pressed her cheek against his dark fabric, and let out a satisfied sigh, as if she had finally arrived home after a long journey.
"I've finally... found you."
The sound wasn't loud, but it was so clear that it silenced the entire courtyard for a moment.
Hu Tao's eyes widened as she looked at Qi Qi, then at Su Chen, whose body was slightly stiff, her face filled with curiosity and surprise, as if asking, "What happened?"
She knew Su Chen was no ordinary man, but this… “finally found”? It sounded like a long-lost relative!
Su Chen lowered his eyes and looked at the tiny Qi Qi in his arms.
The way they clung to each other was so natural, as if they had rehearsed it a thousand times.
There was no unfamiliarity, only a familiarity that had traversed the long years and settled into a peaceful state. He wasn't too surprised.
The ripples of time have never ceased on him.
Since he can glide between the past and future of Qixia Village and "observe" stories at different points in time, it is entirely possible, even... predestined, for him to encounter Qiqi, who has just gained sentience and has a blank understanding of the world, in a fragment of the "past" that he has not yet clearly remembered or whose memory has been blurred by time itself, and to leave a trace.
He raised his hand and gently patted Qi Qi's thin back. The movement was a little awkward, but it carried a clear understanding.
"Ah."
He responded in a low voice, without asking "when did you see me?" or explaining "I may have forgotten".
In a meeting that occurs at a misaligned time, cause and effect are already entangled and unclear.
Although Hu Tao was full of doubts, seeing Qi Qi showing such bright and happy emotions for the first time, Su Chen accepted it calmly, and even had a vague sense of "I knew it".
She cheered up, assuming it was some unknown past connection with Su Chen, and happily leaned closer, saying, "Wow! Qiqi, you and Su Chen knew each other a long time ago? That's great! Then we're all family!"
Since then, Qiqi has visited Laishengtang more frequently.
She was still not very talkative, but when she was by Su Chen's side, she always seemed exceptionally peaceful. Sometimes she would quietly watch him do things, and sometimes she would hand him a piece of refreshing grass that she thought was pretty.
Although the Hall of Rebirth does not need this.
Hu Tao was keen to dig into this "strange encounter," but Su Chen casually brushed her off, saying, "It's been too long, I can't remember."
However, the distortion of time did not subside with the tranquility of daily life.
Once, when Su Chen was handling a soul-summoning matter near Wuwang Slope that the ritual masters dared not delve into, the surrounding environment suddenly resembled a watercolor painting immersed in water, with blurred boundaries and flowing colors.
When he came to his senses, he found himself standing in an even more desolate and ancient hilly area, with the air filled with the atmosphere of a distant era. The outline of Liyue Harbor was faint in the distance, but it seemed unfamiliar.
He knew that he had been thrown out of the original timeline once again.
Just as he was trying to determine his location, he heard faint, stumbling footsteps.
Following the sound, one could see a small figure dressed in worn-out clothes, with empty and blank eyes, stumbling along the mountain path while carrying a huge notebook.
It's 77.
More accurately, it was the first seven-seven who had just been revived by the power of the immortals, whose intelligence was just beginning to awaken, whose memories were almost completely chaotic, and whose actions were maintained by the instructions in their notebooks.
She looked so small, so helpless, out of place in the world, like a leaf left behind at the wrong time.
Su Chen watched in silence.
He thought of the future, or rather, of the Qiqi in his original timeline who would hug him and say, "I've found you."
The thread of cause and effect became clear for a moment at that moment.
He did not show up, nor did he disturb them.
It turned out to be the case.
From the shadows, Su Chen watched the small figure fall and get up again and again, and understood.
Why did the future Qiqi so naturally rush into his arms?
In the primordial chaos, in the most bewildered and helpless time, perhaps it was not through sight or memory, but through some more fundamental perception.
His perception of "kind gaze," his reliance on "invisible protection," and even the unique aura he exudes, dancing with time.
She had already memorized him deep in her soul.
The so-called "finding" is not about recovering lost memories, but about recognizing that consistent frequency of protection that runs through different time periods.
He observed quietly for a while, without making any rash moves, and then immediately went over to do something.
He watched as the other person's small figure, wrapped in an obviously ill-fitting coarse cloth robe, stood barefoot by the icy water, motionless.
She clutched tightly to an old notebook that was almost half her body size; the cover was worn and the pages were yellowed.
Her eyes were so empty it was unsettling. It wasn't sadness or confusion, but a complete "nothingness," as if a vessel for the soul had just been filled and hadn't yet learned to react.
A gust of wind blew by, and the reeds rustled.
She seemed to receive the sound; her neck turned very slowly toward the source of the sound, and then she remained still.
Like a well-made but flawed doll.
Su Chen's heart tightened slightly.
This is the "newborn" Qi Qi. Her physical form is maintained by immortal power, but her soul is like a flickering candle in the wind. Her memory is almost blank, and she relies entirely on that "edict" notebook to maintain the most basic behavioral logic.
He had originally intended to continue being a silent guardian, but seeing her so confused that even taking a step seemed like a mistake, and how she might stumble into deep water or danger at any moment, his observer's composure was shaken.
Because the thought that the future timeline had already been completely altered by him, and that he himself was just a guy who could freely travel between different timelines, he was the biggest surprise.
There was nothing more to say, so I walked out from behind the ancient tree where I had been hiding.
The footsteps startled her, and she turned her head very slowly, her empty purple eyes reflecting his figure.
There was no fear, no curiosity, only a silent "reception".
Su Chen stopped a few steps away from her, squatted down, and brought his line of sight to hers.
"Qiqi." He tried to call out the name, his voice clear and peaceful in the wilderness.
Her eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly, as if she were reacting very faintly to the syllable, but quickly fell silent again.
She lowered her head, stiffly flipping through the notebook in her arms, her fingertips tracing a line of blurry handwriting, as if searching for the corresponding instruction.
"You don't need to look at that," Su Chen said gently, lightly pressing the edge of the notebook with his hand.
"Look at me. I'll take care of you from now on, Qiqi."
He watched as the initial lifelessness and emptiness in her eyes were slowly replaced by subtle reactions to her surroundings.
The process was heartbreakingly slow, yet incredibly moving.
He thought taking care of the children was a good idea. (End of Chapter)