Chapter 10

On the way back to Hangzhou, Wu Xie gazed out the window at the bustling crowds. Everything looked just as it did in his memories—so real, as if constantly reminding him that all he had been through felt like a dream.

Had he really just been to the Queen Mother of the West’s palace? Had he only imagined everything in a near-death delirium while crossing the desert?

Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly—what was real and what was illusion? How could he be certain that what lay ahead was reality and not simply a rejection of the present as false?

Zhang Qiling had been watching Wu Xie the entire way, noticing his deepening melancholy. He didn’t know how to comfort him or how to convince him that this was the real world.

Because… he wasn’t sure himself.

The Bronze Gate—he had to go back again!

“Wu Xie,” Zhang Qiling lowered his gaze when he saw Wu Xie refusing to look at him. “Get some sleep. You’ll be home when you wake up.”

But Wu Xie refused to talk to anyone. He was desperate to find a flaw, a crack in the illusion, or a way to escape.

Maybe, when he got back, he would still be alive. Maybe he was still out there, dancing the sacrificial ritual. Maybe Xiao Ge and Fatty had found him. Maybe they had already gone home—to Rain Village.

Fatty leaned in and whispered to Xiao Ge, “Why is he acting like this? Normally, he looks like an idiot, but now his head is full of all these weird thoughts.”

Then, lowering his voice even more, he muttered, “Back when I was watching over him at the hospital, he kept mumbling about the Bronze Door. Damn it… what if something went wrong when we went to the Sky of the Cloud Top?”

Zhang Qiling shook his head, his lips tightening, then suddenly relaxed them. He gave Fatty a strange look—so intense that Fatty felt like he was being locked in place, unable to move his gaze away.

The next thing Fatty remembered after waking up was Xiao Ge’s voice ringing in his ears:

“If our souls came from ten years in the future, would you notice?”

Ten years in the future?

Xiao Tianzhen had said something similar before. Could it be that Fatty was the crazy one?

No way—was he caught in an illusion, and Wu Xie and Xiao Ge had come to rescue him?

Damn, thinking about this too much was dangerous. The more he thought, the more it felt wrong.

What did Xiao Ge mean by that? Was Wu Xie unable to tell reality from illusion, so he left it up to Fatty to decide? That was way too difficult!

Back at Wu Shanju, Wu Xie locked himself in his room, drew the curtains, bolted the door, and pulled out a notebook to analyze his options.

Fatty watched him disappear the moment they arrived home. “Xiao Ge, what now?”

If things followed the original course, they would soon go to Banai, find the entrance to the ancient building, and eventually, Wu Xie would regain his memories and head for the Bronze Gate.

But if things went that way, a lot of people were bound to die…

“Wait.”

Wait for Wu Xie to figure out the next move.

Fatty waited half a day for Xiao Ge to say more, but all he got was that one word. Worried about Wu Xie, he stomped off to the kitchen and started cooking, hoping to bring Tianzhen back with the power of good food.

“Whoa, Fatty, that smells amazing!” Wang Meng woke up, lured by the fragrance, and quickly offered to help.

“Go call your boss first. See if he even remembers you.”

Fatty struck a deal with Wang Meng—if he could get Wu Xie to come out, he’d get a bite to eat.

Bang, bang, bang—

“Boss~ time to eat! Boss~”

Wang Meng tried to push the door open, but it was locked. Dejected, he slunk back.

“Fatty, the boss locked the door… so, uh, what about that food?”

“No way! This is for Xiao Tianzhen. Go eat your instant noodles.”

Fatty elbowed Wang Meng aside, grabbed the food, and rushed off to find Xiao Ge.