Chapter 193: 193. Chapter 191: Discussing Immortals at the Cosmic Space Station, Ye Qin Flies Back to Longyuan

193. Chapter 191: Discussing Immortals at the Cosmic Space Station, Ye Qin Flies Back to Longyuan

Four directions up and down are called 'yu'; ancient times to present are called 'zhou'. I once thought that beyond the universe there still exists vast heavens and earth. One day a guest suddenly arrived, bringing hearsay from a dream, saying: In the wilds of Huanyu, there is a spherical body named Earth. On this earth they built a treasure tower for cultivators to communicate and stay in contact; therefore this star may be removed or relocated.

The general meaning of the content recorded in the ancient text is: One day, Wu Cheng'en was creating when a visitor happened to call; that visitor said he had had a dream.

There are two perspectives in total: one is Wu Cheng'en himself, and the other is a mysterious guest.

With just a few strokes he sketched the wondrous dream story, employing a technique that blends fiction and reality, running two lines in parallel, making it hard to tell whether it is a dream or reality.

It draws one in, making it impossible not to become immersed, wandering within the world he weaves.

Qi Xueqing and the others were quickly attracted to this story, their faces showing a hint of surprise, especially at the several terms mentioned in the ancient text.

It seems to be speaking of Earth, which is somewhat beyond that era, inevitably giving a feeling of incongruity; such knowledge should not have appeared in society at that time.

You must have misheard.

As for the name Wu Cheng'en, everyone had certainly heard of it, yet they never expected he had also written such a short piece.

Qi Xueqing also thought, but the fragmentary content of the ancient text ends here.

Village Head congratulated, 'Today I finally got my son a wife; that counts as settling a major matter in my heart, from now on I just wait to hold a grandchild.'

You upstairs really shouldn't say that; it's simply got that flavor, okay?

Strange, did you just hear any cries?

Humanity's steps in exploring the universe have never ceased; the universe is vast and boundless, holding too many mysteries waiting to be uncovered.

Is this really written by Wu Cheng'en? The one who wrote Journey to the West? Could it be a modern forgery?

Red characters for joy were posted everywhere in the village, all for good luck and an auspicious start.

Accompanied by the roars of strange creatures, the lake surface suddenly gusted fiercely, blowing the lake water into rippling green waves; amidst countless ripples, a faint green elongated object could be seen rising into the air and flying into the azure sky.

Why isn't it finished, or is it that the ancient text's record is not complete?

Although the piece is not long, it still leaves room for endless imagination; indeed, someone can truly use words as a brush to paint vivid, lifelike images.

Everyone laughed and teased, saying he had gone into qi deviation, 'I say, Old Wei, we haven't seen each other in ages—don't talk about your work.'

If it were Wu Cheng'en's fiction, there'd be no need for all this trouble; simply using a first-person perspective would save all those detours, making creation much easier.

In a daze, there was a feeling as if looking at some modern xianxia novel; Qi Xueqing spoke uncertainly.

……

The senior beside him couldn't help sighing, 'Alas, most of the Yu Ding Ji has been lost; we only found a tiny fragment, and it's still without an ending.'

Sometimes villagers gazing at the boundless mountains see the densely wooded hills like green jade inlaid in the deep forest, full of endless mystery; in a daze, past events seem to be their illusions.

Building a treasure tower in the universe for communication is actually quite interesting.

Even to build a signal base, they'd have to dismantle Earth—are these immortals really that interesting?

Old Li, do you think there could be life on other planets? Could there really be some cultivating civilizations planning to dismantle Earth?

Whether due to missing pages or the author not finishing the later creation, people stopped translating halfway; this story has no ending, but it does not affect everyone's reading of him.

Qi Xueqing was very interested in the above content, even copying a copy from the teacher and later posting it online.

Having been away so long, I don't know how those little demons are doing.

Recently, Longyuan Mountain has remained quiet, with no outsiders coming to disturb.

According to historical records, the Yu Ding Ji is a short-story collection created by Wu Cheng'en, recounting the tale of Dayu's treasure cauldron, yet composed of many different small stories.

All that could be seen was a corner of the originally azure sky obscured by ink-blackness, even the sunlight disappearing.

One must know that the concept of the telephone only existed in eighteenth-century Europe, used to facilitate communication between people.

The Yu Ding Ji itself is not a historical fog, but its content is full of doubts; later generations may know such a book exists, yet they do not know what it actually records.

Just thinking about it is terrifying—why no ending? I really want to see the novel's conclusion; who exactly is that mysterious guest, and will Earth really be dismantled in the end?

Everyone gathered together, laughter and cheer drifting at the mountain's base; even the nearby green leaves were stained with joy, fluttering in the wind, swaying continuously.

I used to think ancient people were limited by their environment, with narrow horizons, but seeing this article I realized their thoughts were actually so grand.

What?! Wu Cheng'en wrote about Earth—today really isn't April Fools' Day, is it?

……

The mountains form a world of their own, untouched by worldly dust; villagers' hearts are full of curiosity, yet they fear disturbing the Mountain God, so they dare not rashly go up to spy.

By rights, there shouldn't have been a word like 'Earth' back then; it must just be a coincidence!

In a daze he again saw the familiar broken thatched hut; the young man at the desk wrote furiously, swearing to let his name endure through the ages—in fact he did.

Good grief, did I not missee? Or did I just wake up fierce this morning—did Wu Cheng'en mention Earth in his novel? Is that the Earth I'm thinking of?

Although this story is very strange, it's also quite absurd.

One middle-aged man, however, had a flicker of interest in his eyes, listening especially intently…

The ancient text they discovered should be only one of them.

A mysterious time traveler brought news of later ages! It feels like we could write a whole novel! Is there any literary professor willing to give it a try?

Upon hearing this, the Village Head beamed even more, 'Then I'll take your auspicious words—everyone must eat and drink well today, and definitely don't stand on ceremony with me.'

Now Ye Qin has completed his training, successfully transformed into a flood dragon, and his primordial spirit has reached the Third Realm; he is not in a rush to advance to the next realm.

Next up is the ability to ride clouds and mist; unfortunately, he still lacks the necessary timing.

Because the heat of this matter keeps rising, many netizens have sent private messages to Qi Xueqing, hoping he can update the later content.

Everyone's faces slightly changed as they looked up at the sky, 'What's going on? How did it turn overcast all of a sudden?'

Someone drawn here by the commotion only saw the dark clouds in the sky racing at extreme speed, as if carrying something, leaving a faint trail in the air, with unimaginable speed.

And Ye Qin also did not know that Wu Cheng'en recorded this, even including it in the Yu Ding Ji, which sparked a series of associations among people regarding this matter.

It turned out to be the Village Head's son's wedding today, welcoming the bride into the family.

As the dark clouds departed, sunlight fell again on the ground; it seemed the black clouds just seen were merely people's illusion, they chatted a few words but didn't take it to heart, after all besides the dark clouds they saw nothing else.

As the spiritual energy around Longyuan Mountain steadily increased, the villagers' constitutions also continually improved; although the Village Head is of advanced age, he looks as if he were only in his forties or fifties.

When people encounter happy events, they feel refreshed; Village Head, you look as if you've become ten years younger all of a sudden.

Perhaps even the author themselves isn't entirely clear about this.

The banquet featured an abundance of cured fish and meat, laid out in full splendor, truly giving ample face.

First, the venue here is spacious enough to seat any number of guests; second, the Village Head hopes that, under the witness of the Mountain God, this new couple will tie the knot.

Around here, it's just like that—sometimes it rains on one side while the sun shines on the other; you just get used to it.

That's really rare; I've never heard such a fresh story before.

For Ye Qin, the vast, boundless universe is not yet his goal of exploration; there is nothing he wants there, but that dream left him somewhat dazed, so even after breaking free from the fragments of time, he was still savoring it.

The Village Head also feasted the entire village, setting up dozens of tables; since the number of attendees was truly too many, he simply moved the banquet to the foot of the mountain, which also counts as seeking good luck.

In fact, some netizens have inadvertently clarified the truth, but it's a pity that most people think this is Wu Cheng'en's imagination, as described in the book, making it hard to distinguish whether it's a dream or illusory content.

Yeah, judging from the content of this ancient text, their ideas about the cosmos are so wild they even surpass modern people—truly unbelievable.

Perhaps it's time to go back for a visit.

Now they have deciphered only a small part of it, but the mention of 'Earth' alone is enough to shock academia, so a heated discussion quickly erupted online.

Li Yu'an's gaze fell on the space‑station footage displayed on the big screen—only to see the universe as dark as ever, most of it shrouded in black.

The Village Head wore a red Chinese‑style jacket, welcoming everyone's arrival; beside him stood his son and new daughter‑in‑law, both well‑matched, truly a perfect couple.

Besides, we don't understand these antique fragments at all.

The universe depicted in the book is truly breathtaking, opening the door to a new world—its language is splendid, its imagination exhaustive, making one cannot help but yearn for it.

Just as everyone was drinking to their heart's content, the sky showed no sign, suddenly turned overcast, and a gust of wind blew, causing the flowers on the new daughter‑in‑law's chest to sway wildly.

Nothing much; during a holiday break I had a meal with old classmates and heard an interesting story from him.

His gaze fell on the not‑far‑off lake, where the vast, misty waters rippled lightly, the light shimmering, wave after wave, like a silk banner dancing in the wind.

Although everyone found it astonishing, they didn't take it to heart, after all it was just a story.

Just one of those stories is already this fascinating, mind‑blowing; I can't imagine what the other tales might be like.

I was getting into it, and then it stopped— I suggest the blogger release the entire contents of 《Yuding Ji》 all at once.

It's like chasing updates halfway through when the text suddenly cuts off— it's utterly maddening.

Just like someone who has left home to travel far, one day they must return to their hometown; they can't wander forever outside, no matter how beautiful the scenery, the hometown remains the loveliest.

The blend of fantasy and sci‑fi seems absurdly strange, yet oddly harmonious; one can't help but admire Mr. Wu Cheng'en for actually managing to fuse the two.

Li Yu'an smiled and said, 'My old classmate specializes in this; there's no way he could be wrong.'

I wonder if it's going to rain later.

Earth's history is long, already spanning thousands of years, but in the face of the eternal universe it's merely a snap of the fingers.

Not only him, but even Wei Zhong and several other senior scholars wore looks of astonishment and uncertainty.

Ah, if it rains on this joyous day, wouldn't that—

It's truly beyond imagination!

Perhaps because of this mottled fragment of time, Ye Qin dreamed of wandering the universe, and it also gained some insight.

If it were complete, I would definitely keep following it!

Even this lake, because of his existence, has been commemorated by later generations with a stele.

Alright, stop fantasizing— if such a thing really existed, the space station would have detected it by now. We've gone all these years without finding any pagoda, and Voyager is practically leaving the solar system!

I just want to know whether that mysterious guest he spoke of really isn't a time traveler— it feels like one; if so, it would reasonably explain why such avant‑garde ideas appeared back then.

Afterward, whether it was his teacher Wei Zhong or other senior scholars and research professors, they tried every possible means to locate the remaining fragments of 《Yuding Ji》, but came up empty‑handed.

At the foot of Longyuan Mountain, however, things were bustling to the extreme— red cloth stretched from the Village Head's home all the way to the village entrance, and the crackling of firecrackers never ceased.

Hurry up and update, blogger, or I'll send you razor blades!

The Village Head grew a little anxious, 'Impossible—I carefully selected several days, even had someone calculate it, and these past days have all been good weather.'

And as Ye Qin drifted away, the accumulated thunderclouds naturally became eager to stir.

In the deep cosmos, magnificent galactic stars sparkle, dancing freely against the dark backdrop, while a sapphire‑blue planet exudes a rich aura of life.

That day.

The ancient text ultimately had no clear ending, so no one knew the story's final direction, yet it didn't hinder their speculation.

Just now the weather was really strange—the sky suddenly darkened, and I thought it was going to rain.

The villagers are simple and honest, so they don't follow Western wedding customs; they stick to the traditional way, which also includes many local practices.

Wu Cheng'en lived in the Ming dynasty, and this progressive idea of his is simply far ahead of the world.

There actually exists such a novel— it's truly beyond our expectations.

And the cultivators mentioned in the story— are they immortals or extraordinary talents? They wanted to build pagodas to communicate; did ancient people already possess such rich imagination?

Just moments ago the sky was bright sunshine, but now it suddenly darkened, a huge mass of black clouds looming over Sheyang Lake, as if ink had been spilled, turning the lake water dark green.

Compared to that, the space station looks like a slow‑crawling firefly.

Wei Zhong shook his head, 'You don't understand; if you saw this story, you'd also marvel at the author's imagination and all those whimsical ideas.'

Faced with everyone's congratulations, the Village Head grinned so wide his mouth couldn't close, 'All thanks to the blessing of the Mountain God.'

For example, the flood dragon itself possesses the divine ability—flight!

But back when Ye Qin turned into a flood dragon, he hadn't undergone the tribulation, still had many flaws and defects, so his divine abilities were incomplete and he couldn't cultivate.

Those nearby wanted to say more, but the villagers beside them tugged their sleeves and gave a look, saying, 'You'd better not say that.'

Yet this mottled‑time journey instead let it, by a twist of fate, prematurely grasp this divine ability.

The Village Head's esteemed reputation, plus his contributions to the village, prompted all the villagers to come and help.

Having said that, Li Yu'an began recounting what Wei Zhong had said at the banquet.

Since last year's Mountain God grand ceremony, the Mountain God hasn't appeared for over a year, and those miraculous animals have likewise vanished without a trace.

At the space station ground docking base, staff carried out their daily work in an orderly manner; during a break, a middle-aged man looked at the glass window, his gaze somewhat vacant.

At the dinner table he recounted this matter; for a moment everyone fell silent, not speaking for a long time, and looks of surprise appeared in their eyes.

The Record of the Yu Cauldron has been lost for a long time; trying to restore it is extremely difficult, and everyone couldn't help but feel regret and sigh.

A colleague beside him patted his shoulder, 'Old Li, what are you thinking about? You're so absorbed.'

'Liu Cixin is Wu Cheng'en's reincarnation, right?'

'It mentions Earth here, and also a pagoda? The meaning of this pagoda is actually like a signal tower—could it be contact for cultivators like Fang Baini? Did they already have such avant-garde concepts back then?'

Netizens' discussion was in full swing; there were many guesses about the identity of the mysterious guest mentioned by Wu Cheng'en, and some even wildly speculated that this person was a time traveler, giving rise to a series of stories.

Most importantly, because they wanted to build this pagoda, the Earth had to be demolished!

Their imaginations ran wild, simply breathtaking!

'The content in the ancient texts says this story was brought by the mysterious guest; is this guest actually a fabrication of Wu Cheng'en, or does such a person really exist?'

'Roar!'

Wu Cheng'en also said he wanted to write a novel with the flood dragon as the protagonist; I don't know whether in his later stories he would leave his own shadow.

For a moment Ye Qin's thoughts drifted, the lake breeze gentle; his thoughts crossed the long river of history, things remained the same, only the people of before are no more.

A feeling of the vicissitudes of life welled up in Ye Qin's heart, making him sigh with emotion; unintentionally he thought of Longyuan Mountain.

Although Ye Qin's flight speed, time, and altitude are limited, he can at least be considered able to fly, capable of short flights for an hour or so.

Many senior scholars and professors were discussing in there; young people like Qi Xueqing gradually withdrew, leaving the space for them.

Many cultural relics of the Great Xia have been lost in the long river of history; take the Record of the Yu Cauldron as an example—this incomplete ancient text without an ending was obtained only after great effort.

The village chief brought his son and daughter-in-law, offering toast after toast; they could be described as having faces flushed red from drinking, but his alcohol tolerance was good—although his cheeks were flushed, his eyes were clear and sober, showing no signs of intoxication.

……

Experiencing the world is Ye Qin's way of cultivation; likewise returning to Longyuan Mountain can temporarily let his mind find ease and peace, after all he cannot remain immersed in the mundane world forever.

Wei Zhong could neither eat nor sleep peacefully; even when meeting old friends he hadn't seen in years for a meal, they discussed this matter.

This middle-aged man was Li Yu'an, Wei Zhong's old classmate.

'But if such a person really existed, Wu Cheng'en learned of it from him, gaining inspiration and thus writing this short piece; then who would this person be?'

Such a sudden change unsettled everyone, making them feel uneasy; moreover, it happened on the auspicious day chosen by the village chief.

Rural areas inevitably have some superstitions, considering this a bad omen.

The new daughter-in-law's face suddenly changed; such talk behind her back would cause gossip, and if she were said to be a husband-killing family, that would not be good.