In the cracks of time, in the shadows of the world, Zhang Qiling was as ethereal as a phantom.
He no longer even realized how much time had passed, his long-silent throat growing dry and rough like rusted iron, a slight friction causing a sharp pain.
But as he slowly walked through the ruined streets, a specific point in time caught his attention.
[Year 3181, Host requested the system to record a piece of relevant information]
[January 19, 3182, 10:37 AM, Forbidden Land Emei Mountain, find Xie Lianhuan]
...Xie Lianhuan.
To be honest, for the current Zhang Qiling, this name felt as unfamiliar as if he were hearing it for the first time.
He didn't know why he had left such a message, but for Zhang Qiling, who was now wandering without a place to belong, it didn't matter where he went.
So, he paused, then stepped forward, slowly moving in the direction indicated by the system.
He wasn't sure where he was starting from, but a year was just enough time for him to reach Emei.
And when he arrived, he saw a giant bronze door and a person, covered in blood and in an unknown state of life or death, lying before the door.
This was perhaps Xie Lianhuan.
Xie Lianhuan's pulse still had a faint beat. He had just emerged from the bronze door but had fortunately survived the impact of its power.
Zhang Qiling squatted down and used the knife on Xie Lianhuan to cut open his own wrist.
His blood once possessed only the power to suppress evil spirits, but now, with his fate line being reshaped, his body also carried a purifying power against the contamination of the bronze door.
Drop by drop, his hot blood dripped into Xie Lianhuan's pale lips, like a clear stream rushing in, washing away all impurities and toxins.
Xie Lianhuan's body trembled, and the blood that gushed out gradually solidified at the wounds, signifying the return of his normal life functions.
And when he opened his eyes, he saw Zhang Qiling leaning blankly beside him.
In that instant, he thought he saw an emotionless statue, but soon, he saw Zhang Qiling's half-exposed pale arm.
...The carvings on it, deepened and repeated over and over, had formed scars that could no longer fade, clinging to it like ugly earthworms.
It evoked a sense of regret and pity, as if a treasure were flawed, a bright pearl smudged with dust.
Xie Lianhuan had just escaped death, and his body was devoid of strength. To put it humorously, he felt like a noodle that couldn't stand up straight.
But he still managed a smile, revealing a slow but clear, determined expression.
"...You are Zhang Qiling."
Having not interacted with anyone for such a long time, Zhang Qiling was momentarily unsure if he was being spoken to. He paused for a long time before slowly turning his head.
...He had just remembered his own name.
Seeing Zhang Qiling in this state, Xie Lianhuan inexplicably smiled even more happily.
He spread his arm out like a rogue, sprawling himself on the ground, watching the giant bronze door in front of him gradually dissipate.
"...I never expected there to be lines of fate inside the bronze door. That everyone's destiny is fixed, it's simply too damn absurd."
He spoke profanities with a smile, but his tone carried an indelible sadness and bitterness.
Zhang Qiling remained silent. He merely glanced at Xie Lianhuan before turning his head back to the distant bushes, as if his purpose here was to simply stare blankly.
But Xie Lianhuan didn't expect Zhang Qiling's comfort. He understood Zhang Qiling better than he should have.
So, he continued:
"Guess what I saw inside the bronze door just now?"
Without waiting for Zhang Qiling to answer, he immediately followed up with the answer: "I saw myself entering the bronze door, you saving me, and then me faking my death and running away, leaving all the mess at home and the wolves and tigers outside to that seven or eight-year-old child in my family!"
"Isn't it ridiculous? What kind of plot is this? This is something only a brain-kicked donkey could come up with, right?"
"Oh, do you know who that child I mentioned is?" Xie Lianhuan suddenly became excited.
He lunged to get up from the ground but overestimated his physical condition, falling headfirst back to the ground with a crack, almost reopening his just-healed wounds.
He grimaced and howled a few times, but still couldn't resist showing off his child: "His name is Xie Yuchen. You have no idea how well-behaved and cute he is. It's a shame my personal computer is broken, or I could show you photos..."
Hearing the cry, Zhang Qiling glanced at him, still appearing like a block of wood, with no inclination to help.
"Hey, don't look so uninterested now," Xie Lianhuan was disheartened by his indifferent demeanor. He lay back down, finding a comfortable position. "You'll have a pretty good relationship with my child in the future. What do you call it, a close relationship like a creditor and a debtor."
"You'll also have some closer friends. Hey, you'll be very different from how you are now~"
Xie Lianhuan was unaware of the struggle between the bronze door and the world consciousness, nor did he know about the decisions Zhang Qiling had made. He believed Zhang Qiling was merely an ordinary and powerful immortal, who one day, unexpectedly, was pulled down from his pedestal by a few warm people.
"It's really nice to see the future..." he sighed.
Then he fell silent, as if suddenly losing his ability to speak, leaving the area extremely quiet.
...Is seeing one's fate a good thing?
A fate that can only be seen but not changed, even if known, is merely a lucid nightmare.
Xie Lianhuan saw his own death within the bronze door.
He was supposed to die in the bronze door, but the moment Zhang Qiling appeared, the clash of powerful forces caused his line of fate to deviate.
He survived.
But what of it?
His line of fate had changed, but the lines of fate for everyone else had not. Therefore, in their destinies, he, Xie Lianhuan, was essentially no different from being dead.
Xie Lianhuan imagined his future after returning home within the bronze door, but the endings were all more tragic than the last.
If he had died quietly, Xie Yuchen would have taken over the family early. Though difficult, he could have grown up well and supported the family.
But now that he was alive, if he returned safely, he would only disrupt the fates of all his loved ones, turning their meticulously planned bright futures into a chaotic hell.
In his simulations, he saw Xie Yuchen's death, the downfall of the family, and he watched it again and again, until the fearless Xie Lianhuan finally gave up.
... "Xie Lianhuan," let today be the day you truly die.
He couldn't gamble with Xie Yuchen's fate.
He didn't explain these psychological struggles in detail to Zhang Qiling, nor could he blame Zhang Qiling for saving him and leaving him with such a desolate outcome.
But as he dragged his body to set up the scene of his feigned death, the always-blank Zhang Qiling finally looked over.
"...Was it worth it." The voice was rough, and Xie Lianhuan couldn't quite hear it at first.
He paused his actions, then quickly resumed, smiling, "What does it matter if it's worth it or not?"
"Fate, ah, fate," he sighed. "Perhaps it's because I never believed in fate my whole life, and now I'm finally being punished. Alas, in the face of fate, no one can do anything~"
He stopped and watched Zhang Qiling walk over. After gazing at him for a moment, he left a string of carved characters on the coffin. Unsure of what he was thinking, his tone carried a hint of melancholy.
"Even you, can you stop fate?"