Chapter 6

Nian Qi followed behind Ruan Qing, watching as she opened a door in the hallway. She stepped inside, reached out to tap the wall, and suddenly the pitch-black room was flooded with light, as bright as daylight, just like in the hospital. By now, Nian Qi was no longer surprised by such brilliant lights. He only glanced at the spot where Ruan Qing had placed her hand. There was a square object there, apparently controlling the lights.

Ruan Qing noticed his glance and explained, “It’s a switch,” she pointed to the light above the entrance. “It’s for turning the lights on and off.” She demonstrated it again, then gestured for Nian Qi to try.

Nian Qi found Ruan Qing quite interesting—communicating with her was almost effortless. In this strange and unsettling environment, meeting someone like her felt like a stroke of luck. He reached out, turned the light off and on, then nodded to show he understood.

Ruan Qing glanced down and grimaced slightly. To be honest, the entrance was a mess—thanks to the commotion earlier that afternoon when she caught her boyfriend, correction, ex-boyfriend, red-handed at her place. She nudged a pair of slippers toward Nian Qi with her foot, saying, “Put these on. In our house, we switch to slippers so we don’t bring in dirt or mud from outside.”

Though Nian Qi hadn’t been outdoors long, he had already noticed that the roads—whether the black asphalt for cars or the light-colored stone walkways—were completely devoid of any mud. These people have high standards, he thought.

He looked down at the smooth, reflective stone floor, which was far more luxurious than the gray hospital floors. Given the pristine condition, their standards seemed justified. Following local customs, Nian Qi took off his black cloth boots and replaced them with the strange-material slippers, which fit quite well. Judging by their size, they were unmistakably a man’s shoes.

Ruan Qing smiled, “I figured you were about the same height as my ex… well, my former partner, and they fit perfectly.”

Nian Qi paused at the unfamiliar term. Ex? Did she mean her former husband? Although Ruan Qing appeared quite young, it wouldn’t be strange for someone her age to have been married for seven or eight years. Perhaps she was a widow? Her hair was tied up in a somewhat peculiar style, but it resembled a married woman’s hairstyle.

Mentally preparing himself to meet Ruan Qing’s in-laws, Nian Qi was caught off guard when she suddenly stumbled as she turned to lead him further inside. She nearly face-planted! Fortunately, Nian Qi’s quick reflexes allowed him to grab her arm and steady her.

She was still holding a knife! That was terrifying! He quickly released her smooth arm and apologized, “My apologies, I was too forward.”

Ruan Qing had intended to thank him but hesitated upon hearing his apology. Thanks to her extensive reading of historical novels, she understood. She glanced at her bare arm and realized why he had apologized—because they had made physical contact. I should teach him later that the Qing Dynasty ended a few hundred years ago, she thought.

“It’s fine, I should be thanking you,” she said. “I almost fell flat on my face.”

Though she didn’t smile, Nian Qi sensed the same hint of amusement that the hospital staff had when they heard him speak. He wasn’t sure what he had said wrong this time.

Looking down, he saw the scattered clothes on the floor, leading deeper into the room in a chaotic trail.

Ruan Qing quickly bent down to gather the clothes, all of which belonged to her ex, and bundled them into a pile before leading Nian Qi inside. “Come on, let’s go to the living room.”

The living room was just as messy. Honestly, Ruan Qing had never been this disheveled before, but this was a one-off incident, and of all people, Nian Qi had to witness it. She felt a bit embarrassed, losing the sense of superiority she had earlier when interacting with him.

She swiftly gathered up the clothes from the floor and stuffed them into the corner of the long sofa, then placed her long knife on the coffee table. She pointed to the empty space on the sofa, “Have a seat.”

Instead of sitting, Nian Qi surveyed the living room and asked, “Excuse me, may I trouble you for a glass of water?”

After a bloody battle, his strength was drained. In the hospital, he had been too overwhelmed by the strange and fantastical environment to remember to ask for water. Now, his mouth and throat were unbearably dry.

Ruan Qing handed him a glass of water. He observed how she operated the water dispenser—simple enough that it required no explanation. However, when he brought the glass to his lips, he was shocked to find the water was ice-cold. Ruan Qing’s water dispenser had both cooling and heating functions, and she couldn’t survive the summer without cold water.

As the cold water slid down his throat, it soothed the burning sensation in his chest and stomach, bringing an immense sense of relief.

He glanced at the water dispenser again, baffled by how such ice-cold water could come from a transparent tank with no ice inside. There are too many strange things in this place, he thought, completely beyond my understanding. Yet, strangely enough, all of these unfamiliar things seemed… quite pleasant. For example, the speedy cars, the bright lights, and this ice-cold water that felt like a blessing to his body.

After gulping down three glasses, both of them finally sat down. Ruan Qing’s sofa had no chaise, just a straight-backed seat. The two of them sat on opposite ends, with a space in between. They turned slightly to face each other for conversation. Ruan Qing propped the pile of clothes behind her back and looked up at Nian Qi, who was already looking at her.

“Lady Ruan, can you explain things to me now?”

“First, stop using that word,” Ruan Qing said. “I already explained at the hospital,this place is Jiangcheng.”

At the time, Nian Qi had said nothing, merely holding his breath as he absorbed the information she gave him. But now, he said, “That’s impossible.”

He had spent over a month in Jiangcheng preparing for a business deal. How could he not know what Jiangcheng looked like? It was nothing like the towering buildings and brilliant lights he had seen tonight.

“This is really Jiangcheng, I’m not lying to you,” Ruan Qing said. “Geographically, it truly is Jiangcheng. It might even be the Jiangcheng you know. There’s no issue with the location.”

“What’s wrong, then?” Nian Qi asked, confused.

“The problem might be with the time.”

“Time?” He couldn’t comprehend.

“You appeared out of thin air,” Ruan Qing explained. “You said you were on a mountain in Jiangcheng, right? But my car was parked by the river. There wasn’t a mountain—there wasn’t even a tree nearby. Then, all of a sudden, a blinding white light appeared right above my car, and you fell out of it. You landed on my car and dented the roof.”

Nian Qi held his breath.

“When I saw you…” Ruan Qing sighed. “Do you know why everyone in the hospital kept laughing at you?”

“Because the clothes you’re wearing, the way you style your hair, and even the way you speak—everything about you is… very ‘ancient’.”

Nian Qi knew that his attire was different from what people like Ruan Qing wore. The nightwear itself wasn’t particularly strange—just a black short outfit as long as his face wasn’t covered. However, the cut and design were entirely different. None of the people he saw at the hospital wore garments with overlapping collars and right-folding fronts. Still, the word “ancient” puzzled him.

For the first time, he dropped his pretense of calm and allowed his genuine emotions to show—confusion and bewilderment.

Ruan Qing said, “From what I’ve observed, there’s definitely some supernatural force at play that brought you here. You say you came from Jiang City, and this place is also Jiang City. Since the location matches, it seems like the problem lies in time.”

She offered an analogy, “Think of it this way. Imagine you jump from a rooftop into a courtyard. In the courtyard, there’s a one-year-old child and a forty-year-old adult. But while you’re mid-jump, some supernatural force—let’s call it a ‘heavenly phenomenon,’ to make it easier to understand—suddenly acts upon you.”

She continued, “So, when you land, you realize you’re still in the same courtyard. But now, thirty years have passed. That one-year-old child is now thirty-one, and the forty-year-old adult has become seventy. For you, though, no time has passed—you’ve only just jumped down from the roof.”

She paused, watching him carefully, and asked, “Does that make sense now?”

Nian Qi stared at her for a moment before speaking. “A day in the heavens is a thousand years on earth?”

He understood. Ruan Qing exhaled lightly, relieved. “Exactly.”

Nian Qi said nothing more. He stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and pressed his hand against the clear glass, gazing outside. The entire city was full of these large, flat panes of glass.

It was late, and though most windows in the high-rises were dark, a few still glimmered with lights. Yet, the city streets remained brightly illuminated, making the entire nightscape seem as bright as day to him.

Ruan Qing knew he needed time to process everything, so she sat quietly on the sofa, watching him and giving him space.

After a long silence, Nian Qi turned around and asked, “How many years have passed?”

Ruan Qing blinked. “I don’t know.”

“That’s a relative question. I need to know what era you came from to figure out how many years separate us.”

She asked, “In your time, what was the name of your dynasty? Who was the emperor? You’ll need to tell me, or I won’t be able to calculate the difference.”

He realized she was right. It was foolish of him not to think of that sooner.

He walked back to the sofa and sat down again, explaining, “The name of my dynasty is the Great Mu. The imperial family’s surname is Qiao, and the current emperor’s personal name is Wei. The reigning era is called Mingqi.”

Because the emperor’s name contained the character “Wei,” words like “heroic” and “majestic” had to be avoided in writing—a fact well-known to anyone who had studied.

Nian Qi thought the information he provided was clear enough for Ruan Qing to determine the current time.

However, after hearing this, Ruan Qing simply blinked a few times, her mouth slightly agape, before finally muttering, “Goodness… it’s a parallel timeline after all!”

“…?”

Nian Qi was silent. He couldn’t understand what she meant, but he had the distinct impression that things were about to get much more complicated.