He could not help but look up at Liu Zun, his profile sharp, beautiful, and captivating.
“Liu Zun, if, I mean if, you believe in the existence of ghosts, do you believe in them?”
Qingyao looked up at him. Speaking of such things, ordinary people might not believe it. Her question was entirely unnecessary. She slowly lowered her head.
Liu Zun’s long arm, however, reached out, encircling her body. His soft voice, like flowing water, echoed in the night.
“The world is vast and full of wonders. In the unseen realms, there must be things that human understanding cannot grasp. Therefore, it is not surprising.”
“You mean?”
Qingyao looked up in surprise, about to speak. At that moment, a hearty laugh rang out from behind them. Both turned to look.
Chixia Old Man, clad in white, with a head full of silver hair, appeared like an immortal from beyond the heavens, stepping through the moonlight. He stopped beside Qingyao, smiling at her.
“In this great universe, everything exists, including ghosts, including alternate dimensions.”
Upon hearing Chixia Old Man’s words, Qingyao couldn’t help but recall his abilities.
Foreseeing five hundred years into the past and five hundred years into the future, his words now held a deep hidden meaning. Did this imply that he actually knew she did not belong here?
Rather, she was from another world. Qingyao’s eyes gleamed, and she stared intently at Chixia Old Man.
“Can I ask for your help with something?”
“Speak, as long as I can assist, I will surely help you fulfill this wish.”
“Let me dream of the past. I want to see if they are living well, if they are happy.”
This was her long-held hidden regret, wanting to see if they were doing well. Was her grandmother’s health still good?
Were her parents still apart more often than together? Had Xiao Rui perhaps found love again? Her only wish was for each of them to be happy.
“This, I will try.”
Chixia Old Man hesitated for a moment, but ultimately agreed to Qingyao’s request. Normally, such matters were difficult to handle, but she was different from others.
Her magnetic sensing ability was extremely strong. Therefore, it was quite possible that by the power of her will, she might return to the past.
Liu Zun said nothing throughout the exchange, merely holding her hand tightly, offering his support. He did not seem surprised by what she said, as if he had already understood.
The group sat down in the pavilion. Chixia Old Man produced a gleaming instrument, a crystal ball. They had broken one in the study last time, and he hadn’t expected to find another here.
The crystal ball emitted a vibrant glow in the night. Chixia Old Man placed it on the stone table, beckoned Qingyao closer, took her hand, and placed it on the crystal ball, softly murmuring.
“Crystal ball, benevolent deity, please help her return to the past, to where she wishes to go.”
Qingyao’s eyes slowly began to close. Her body leaned to one side. Liu Zun’s large hand reached out and caught her. She was breathing evenly, as if asleep. Liu Zun looked up at his master with concern. “Will she be alright?”
“She will be fine. However, whether she can return to the past depends on the strength of her will.”
Qingyao drifted, floating along the bright light, moving forward. A powerful gravitational pull seemed to guide her through the gate of time, back to the modern world.
Familiar streets, familiar tall buildings. The sky was dark, but the street was still bustling. Qingyao made her way towards the new house she had shared with Xiao Rui.
She stopped at the foot of the building, expecting no one to be there. However, she saw that a light was on on the second floor. Moving quietly, she approached, and her body automatically passed through the door, going upstairs to their new home.
Inside the new house, a large, stark black and white photograph. The person in the photo was herself, with a faint smile on her face. The photo had yellowed slightly, but it was still wiped very clean, indicating the extreme care of the person who cleaned it.
Qingyao’s gaze slowly swept around the room. Nothing in the new house had changed, only that many things were old, yet they were still perfectly preserved, and it seemed someone had always lived there.
Could it be that Xiao Rui had always lived here? If so, how much pain must he be enduring, constantly reminded that the woman he loved deeply had died because of him.
What kind of torment was that? Qingyao couldn’t help but feel heartache for him. In the past, he had loved her dearly. Perhaps everything was fated, not his fault, nor hers.
Her footsteps shifted as she moved towards the adjacent computer room.
She saw Xiao Rui. He was very thin and his complexion was pale.
He was sleeping peacefully at that moment. Qingyao walked over. She now appeared as she did in life, that is, Su Chen. She held Xiao Rui’s hand and gently called out to him, “Xiao Rui, Xiao Rui.”
Xiao Rui slowly opened his eyes, looking at Qingyao, or rather Su Chen. His large eyes, full of disbelief, rubbed and rubbed again. Finally, he murmured.
“Su Chen, you have finally come to me in my dreams. Do you know? It’s been years. I’ve been living here. I believed you would come back to find me. You’re finally back.”
Listening to his words, Qingyao’s nose stung. After a long while, she finally spoke.
“Xiao Rui, let yourself go. Everything was destined. I am alive, living well, and I have a man who loves me deeply, my child. Forget me. Live your life well. Everything is destined by fate.”
“Chen Chen, what are you saying?”
Xiao Rui was confused. He opened his eyes wide. She said she was alive, but he had seen her die with his own eyes.
Years had passed, and he still couldn’t forgive himself. If she was alive, why didn’t she see him? Didn’t she know how much he missed her?
“Xiao Rui, it turns out that time has parallel lines. In fact, you and I are living on the same parallel line, just not intersecting. But I am living well. I hope you can let yourself go.”
“Chen Chen.”
On Xiao Rui’s handsome and resolute face, a look of release flashed in his dark eyes, as if he had truly let go.
For several years, he had been consumed by sorrow, causing many to feel sad and suffer.
Now that he knew Chen Chen was alive and had found someone who loved her deeply, he was very happy. Even though he knew this was a dream, he preferred to believe it.
“Chen Chen, you must be happy. Be truly happy. I will forever bless you.”
Xiao Rui waved his hand, and Qingyao’s silhouette blurred, slowly disappearing. He did not call out, instead smiling happily in the light. As long as she was happy, that was enough.
Qingyao, fearing that time would run out, and driven by a force from her heart, went to visit her grandmother. Her grandmother was very old.
But she was still as elegant as before and accepted her explanation with great composure. She talked with her and finally smiled softly, “Chen Chen, to be able to see you before I die is grandmother’s greatest joy.”
“Grandmother.”
Qingyao reached out and held her grandmother tightly. Tears fell like raindrops, melting into a pool of familial affection…
However, there was still a slight regret, because no matter how hard she tried, she could not enter her parents’ dreams.
Perhaps her connection with them was too thin, so no matter how hard she tried, she did not succeed. Finally, she was brought back by a ripple of light. Qingyao let out a soft cry, and Liu Zun, holding her hand anxiously, called out to her.
“Yao’er, Yao’er, what’s wrong? What’s wrong?”