Volume 13
Chapter 6: The Closed Loop of Fate
There has never been love or hatred without a reason. The people he loved, and the people who loved him, all gathered together because of their personalities, backgrounds, and actions, until they were entangled and inseparable. The backtracking should have ended. If Lu Li hadn’t guessed wrong, the reason he could see the experiences of his first life was because Hupo still remembered—she said she was afraid of being replaced by another version of herself. She was already so afraid, so why did she unhesitatingly bear the power of the crystal for Lu Li? To sacrifice for love is certainly a respectable and clichéd drama, but Lu Li would rather no one sacrifice, no one get hurt.
The backtracking should have ended.
He thought.
He could no longer even maintain a human form now; he was a completely floating mass of gas. He had heard that after losing the physical body, a human’s memory can only be stored for seven seconds. He didn’t know how many seconds had passed in the real world—maybe five, maybe six.
After the memories of his first life revived, Lu Li’s thoughts wavered. He began to long to return to his home in Chuanhai. After returning home, the first thing would be to change into slippers, run to the living room, and tightly hug Baili and Hupo, who were watching TV. Hupo would complain that he was hugging too tightly, and Baili would rub against him like a cat. Then he would pour a cup of tea, with roses and longans in it, and bring it to the sullen Little Tiger. While the Annoying Ghost wasn’t looking, he would give her a peck. She would definitely blush and chase after him to kill him. Finally, as they were fooling around, the doorbell would ring. It should be his sister, back with the champion’s trophy.
So good, Lu Li said to himself. So good. It would be even better if Jingyi were also there, and Little Qiao, and Zhu Xi… if Zhu Xi were also there.
It was strange. He and the woman he was most wary of had been through life and death together several times. At the last moment of his life, he actually thought of Zhu Xi. If he hadn’t sent Zhu Xi away, would they have been reborn by now? Reborn to when? Hmm, but he still couldn’t bear to part with the girls. Sure enough, he still didn’t want to be reborn with Zhu Xi.
The world grew dimmer and dimmer, and all the scenery faded away. Lu Li’s heart was exceptionally calm. He was no longer fazed by his own death.
However, in the next second, the scene flashed. A new vista appeared. Lush grasslands, wide fields, and buildings with a rustic atmosphere appeared in his vision. Lu Li was very familiar with this place. This was the Shanzhu Village that had disappeared from his memory. At this time, Shanzhu Village was full of life. Villagers gathered in twos and threes, chatting about whose children had made something of themselves, who had gone to university, and whose son still couldn’t find a wife.
This did not belong to Hupo’s memory.
Lu Li stared blankly at Mei Xiuzheng in front of him—he was young and strong at this time, full of vigor. He was Mei Jinliu’s father, An Baili’s maternal grandfather, a man who should have died long ago.
“Yo, my girl’s out of school. I’m going to pick her up. You guys take your time chatting, Old Li!”
“Meizi, remember to come over for cards tonight.”
“Alright!”
Mei Xiuzheng chuckled as he walked out of the crowd, put on his straw hat, and, under the evening glow, walked along the road full of round stones. Lu Li passed Mei Xiuzheng and floated forward. He had a premonition that all his questions would be answered at the end of this road. The disembodied Lu Li was very fast. He left Mei Xiuzheng far behind and finally arrived at the crossroads connecting the village and the town’s elementary school.
At this time, Mei Jinliu looked particularly naive. The elementary school student Mei Jinliu was counting the pebbles on the ground as she walked slowly toward home. Perhaps the villagers hadn’t expected that this innocent child would, in the future, be the main culprit behind the ruin of so many families.
“Mei Jinliu,” someone called out to her. It wasn’t Lu Li, nor was it her father.
Lu Li and Mei Jinliu’s gazes fell on the old man who had emerged from the other side of the road. He hadn’t noticed when he had gotten close to Mei Jinliu. Rather than getting close, it was more like he had suddenly appeared. This old man’s features were ordinary, perhaps looking more tired than a usual old man. He was wearing a faded yellow robe, and the patterns embroidered on it were so worn out they were hard to distinguish—a robe. What person in Shenzhou would still wear a robe now? Perhaps an old master in a martial arts hall would, but Lu Li had never seen anyone wear a robe in his life.
Mei Jinliu at this time was clearly lacking in vigilance toward strangers. Of course, in the village, everyone was an acquaintance, so perhaps there was no need to be too cautious. “Old grandpa, who are you?”
“I’m a friend of your grandpa’s. My surname is… what was it again? I’m getting old, can’t remember things. Haha.” The old man’s speech was clear. It was possible he wasn’t that old.
“Old grandpa, my grandpa has already passed away. You can be a guest at my house,” little Mei Jinliu said.
“Haha, little one, thank you. I know your grandpa has already passed away. I was just passing by Shanzhu Village and wanted to bring a little gift for my good friend’s granddaughter.” The old man took out a cheap-looking pendant from his yellow robe, opened the heart-shaped locket, and inside were four intact crystals.
Lu Li’s pupils constricted. He was all too familiar with this pendant. This was the Reincarnation Crystal that Mei Jinliu had passed on to An Baili, and which had finally fallen into his hands.
The old man put the pendant on the unsuspecting Mei Jinliu. “Little Mei, do grandpa a favor. You keep this pendant safe for grandpa and give it to a person named Lu Li, okay? Promise grandpa you won’t use it casually yourself.”
“Old grandpa, what is this?”
“This is called a Colored Stone. It’s the most precious thing grandpa has found in the world.” The old man didn’t seem to be talking to the babbling Mei Jinliu, but rather to Lu Li. “It can rewrite all the misfortune in the world, but it will also make people pay an unbearable price. Grandpa giving this to you is itself a part of the Price.”
She won’t understand any of this, Lu Li thought. This little girl will probably forget everything by tomorrow.
Little Mei Jinliu was very fond of the pendant and smiled, showing her teeth. “Thank you, grandpa~”
“Jinliu! Jinliu!” Mei Xiuzheng had already appeared in their vision. He was waving at his daughter with a smile. Strangely, Mei Xiuzheng didn’t seem to see this strange, hunched-over old man in the eye-catching yellow robe.
Mei Jinliu waved at the old man. “Grandpa, you should be a guest at my house!”
“No, grandpa has another guest to accompany,” the old man said, shaking his head with a smile. “You go on, go on.”
“Then goodbye, grandpa.”
“Goodbye.”
At her age, Mei Jinliu didn’t have so many worries. After saying goodbye to the old man, she ran off toward her dad. She wouldn’t have to wait until tomorrow; in the next second, she would have forgotten everything the old man had said.
“Children are forgetful, aren’t they?” the old man said.
Lu Li was stunned for a moment and looked around. Who was he talking to?
“Lu Li, walk with me for a bit.” His cloudy eyes turned and fell on the incorporeal Lu Li. “I’ve been waiting for you for a long, long time…”
