Chapter 123

Zhou Shuo slowly came to his senses, unable to help squinting his eyes because the light was blindingly bright; in the distance within the light source, a vague figure stood, but the hand patting his shoulder made him shift his gaze from that figure in the light to the handsome youth standing before him, smiling and raising an eyebrow at him.

"Han Fei?" Zhou Shuo looked at the handsome young noble of the turbid world, dressed in purple‑blue robes, tall and adorned with jade, and could hardly believe his own eyes.

"Perhaps you could add a 'zi' at the end." Han Fei smiled, making a "little bit" gesture.

"You aren't dead, are you?" Zhou Shuo narrowed his eyes and glanced at the distant light source; the figure there swayed, seeming to be a woman, and why is Han Fei here—this brat isn't dead, is he!

"Human life in the world is but a grand dream of fleeting existence; life and death are likewise. On the contrary, you, Brother Zhou, your descent into this world nearly brought trouble upon the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady!" Han Fei raised his right eyebrow slightly, smiling as he gestured toward the figure in the light lake and said to Zhou Shuo.

"Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady?" Zhou Shuo looked at the figure in the light that Han Fei pointed to, not quite understanding; this title sounded lofty, but who exactly is she!

"Idiot, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady!" Han Fei, seeing Zhou Shuo's clueless look, couldn't help reminding him.

"Oh, so it's the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady—what, what kind of salute should I offer?" Zhou Shuo somewhat suddenly realized; the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady, he knew her as China's Athena—this lady basically ensures victory for whichever side she supports in war, such an awesome figure; how should I greet her—do I have to kowtow?

"No need." A thought transmitted from the figure in the light.

"Um, uh, Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady, what I just saw wasn't an illusion, right?" Zhou Shuo looked at the figure in the light transmitting thoughts to him, blinked his eyes at Han Fei beside him, always feeling he was a bit like dreaming.

"Forget about that! Don't casually step into this world again." Han Fei reached out and patted Zhou Shuo's shoulder, drawing his attention.

"Hmm, can't inquire, then I'll just drop it." Zhou Shuo looked at the guy telling him not to inquire further, and couldn't help raising his eyebrows.

"Actually, if you think about it, you can figure out who that guy is—copper head, iron forehead, horns growing on his head. Well, I won't say more; I don't know much either, so you'd better not inquire further and avoid provoking that guy." Han Fei, seeing the guy's eyebrows rise as if understanding, couldn't help pounding his forehead.

"Chiyou?" Zhou Shuo, hearing Han Fei's words, instinctively glanced at the figure in the light—related to the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady, copper head, iron forehead, horns growing on his head—that's none other than the Chiyou defeated by the Yellow Emperor.

"I already said, don't ask about this—sigh, I originally wanted to ask you about my true form, but seeing you like this, you probably couldn't answer either." Han Fei looked at the guy unable to curb his curiosity, not knowing what to say.

"Your true form—what do you mean?" Zhou Shuo felt he was getting more and more confused.

"It's that Han Feizi from your history books; I am one of his many incarnations. Don't look at me like that—just as you just experienced, the four directions of heaven and earth, past and future merge into one cosmos; how vast the cosmos between heaven and earth is, no one knows, and I can only know whose incarnation I am and what my duty is upon coming here!" Han Fei looked at Zhou Shuo, giving a wry smile as he explained.

"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce you—this Lady of the Nine Heavens and the Chiyou you just saw are divine spirits of this realm; they may not be the same individuals you know of."

"I understand, but there's one thing: you know you're an incarnation—what is your duty here? Has it been fulfilled? If so, will you go back?" Zhou Shuo looked at the wry‑smiling guy, feeling a strange sensation; Han Feizi, who received great rewards from touring with the First Emperor, was framed by Li Si and Yao Jia and died; the First Emperor's great goal of unifying the six states is said to have been inspired by Han Feizi—is that Han Feizi's mission?

"I don't know either." Han Fei gave a wry smile; he considered himself a heaven‑sent talent, but in the end discovered he was merely an incarnation of some great figure—he is himself yet not himself, a feeling truly hard to put into words.

"Then how do you know you're an incarnation of Han Feizi?" Zhou Shuo felt a bit curious; the Legalist Han Feizi among the Hundred Schools of Sages, in modern times still exists in some state, just like the present Han Fei; the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady and Chiyou are divine spirits, native to the world—these words carry too much information.

"That's just how I know." Han Fei shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"Looks like that's all you can know." Zhou Shuo looked at the shoulder‑shrugging guy with a look of contempt, and facing that contemptuous gaze, Han Fei could only nod with a wry smile.

"After that night in the Qin dynasty's heavenly prison, I found myself existing here, knowing my identity, understanding what I must do, the rest……" Han Fei explained with a wry smile, meanwhile letting out a long sigh.

"Just wait patiently for the day you can return!" Zhou Shuo patted Han Fei.

"Why do you think I would look forward to returning?" Han Fei's expression turned strange.

"Then I hope you just stay here slowly." Zhou Shuo blinked his eyes, switching to another way of saying it.

"I'm not actually here; I was merely summoned temporarily by the Lady of the Nine Heavens." Han Fei glanced at the figure in the light.

"Are there any others with you? Laozi, Liezi, Zhuangzi, Kongzi—their incarnations?" Zhou Shuo wondered slightly.

"Pretty much! In any case, it's a wondrous realm; I can't say it's that boring either, so let's stop talking here—don't go further, or I'll end up bringing you along too." Han Fei nodded without denying.

"All right! You're all great scholars, figures whose names will last through the ages; as for me, I'm afraid I'll just be making up the numbers. Well then, Lady of the Nine Heavens, do you have anything to say to me?" Zhou Shuo looked at Han Fei, who didn't deny it, felt relieved and nodded, also understanding not to ask further, and instead clasped his hands toward the figure in the light before him as a salute.

"Don't come to this world at will; you are a dangerous figure who will disturb the world's balance." The consciousness transmitted from the light's figure made Zhou Shuo feel a bit embarrassed—he found himself listed by the world's deities as an unwelcome person.

"From now on I definitely won't cause trouble; this time it was just an accident, I've caused you trouble—could you send me off?" Zhou Shuo, besides feeling embarrassed, also had to apologize; this really was an accident, he hadn't expected such an experience at all.

"Go!" The thought transmitted into his heart; Zhou Shuo once again felt that familiar sensation, space losing its meaning, himself enveloped by a force and hurtling through at extreme speed.

"Quantum field." Zhou Shuo maintained his form, watching colors, shapes, and sounds constantly flash before his eyes; in his mind he recalled the academic term for this environment— in scientific circles it's called the quantum field, the smallest microscopic world, but unfortunately, size, space, and even time have lost all meaning within this field.

The flight speed was extremely fast; Zhou Shuo was merely a moment of thought, his bodily sensations and motor abilities restored, that impact force acting only on perception during the flight caused his primordial spirit, even after returning to the body, to instinctively fly sideways, rolling several times on the ground before he clumsily clambered to his feet.

"Was I dreaming?" Zhou Shuo climbed up from the ground, first thing he touched his face; nothing on him was missing, his cultivation remained intact, but that feeling of spacetime losing its meaning was all too real.

Clatter, a clear crystal sphere like a luminous pearl rolled across the ground; Zhou Shuo stopped checking his body, staring wide-eyed at the crystal spheres scattered all over the floor—are these my thoughts? Thoughts solidified into astral crystal stones—this is a level only reached after a tribulation‑transcending expert's death, and I certainly haven't……

"So my thoughts haven't disappeared." Zhou Shuo sensed his soul and spirit; the original corporeal spirit's thoughts had already vanished, although the primordial spirit could emerge from the orifice, but the primordial spirit is not like the yin spirit and can't do anything; he had thought his corporeal spirit's thoughts had been worn away by spacetime forces, but they weren't worn away—rather, his memories were temporarily pulled out and turned into something like astral crystal stones.

"This time I've gained." Zhou Shuo picked up a crystal sphere like a luminous pearl and examined it; this was indeed his thought—it had not only not disappeared, but had also been strengthened by the tempering of spacetime, the sphere suffused with yang‑harmony qi and faintly containing a tiny space within; this is a thought that has undergone at least four heavenly tribulations.

"Gain, gain." Zhou Shuo gathered all the luminous‑pearl‑like crystal spheres scattered across the floor of the room; after a careful count, there were one hundred and eight thoughts, not a single one missing, each being a thought that had endured four heavenly tribulations, and all he needed to do was lightly refine them to vastly increase his soul and spirit cultivation—this trip was truly worthwhile; at this rate, if he came a few more times, wouldn't his soul spirit soar straight to the yang spirit?

"What to think… …" Zhou Shuo's thought just rose when he inexplicably recalled that terrifying face that could cover heaven and earth, causing him to shudder, almost wanting to slap his own face; although he had profited this time, this was indeed an unexpected joy—if it weren't for the timely rescue by the Lady of the Nine Heavens, falling into Chiyou's hands would likely mean death is not a simple outcome.

"But on the contrary, the mysterious connection between universes is rather interesting…" Zhou Shuo embraced a heap of thoughts, cast aside the giant face with iron forehead and horns, recalled his conversation with Han Fei, and couldn't help but ponder: Han Fei is an incarnation of Han Feizi, sent here with a mission, which shows that this world is linked to the modern one—what kind of link? A manifestation from anime? Which came first, the modern world or this one?

"Forget it, I won't think about it; even if I think, I can't figure it out. Better to cultivate first; when I become stronger later and have that opportunity, all problems will be readily solved." Zhou Shuo patted his head, then lowered his head to look at the night pearl-like thought in his arms, pouring his innate true qi into it; the thought immediately emitted a warm light, then turned from substance to emptiness.