Chapter 503: Intersecting Memories (Two-in-One)

Hearing Wen Qiao's tone, a strange feeling crept into Yan Jing's heart.

The woman's voice sounded a little too lively.

He frequently reviewed memories and was no stranger to the scenes within them.

Logically, the people inside a memory shouldn't display such rich emotions.

Just as he was about to investigate further, Wen Qiao chuckled and pulled her head back.

Yan Jing rubbed his brow.

The woman's movements reminded him of a certain someone.

Of all times, it had to be now...

Suppressing the strange feeling, he continued sifting through the memories in Wen Xu's mind.

As long as he found the continuation of this segment, he would know for sure if something had gone wrong.

Soon, his eyebrows rose.

Sure enough...

According to the progression of Wen Xu's memories, after Wen Qiao said, "It must be because I scolded them last time that they made up this excuse," Wen Xu's reaction should have been disappointment and sadness.

Then Wen Qiao would offer her comfort.

Then Wen Xu would tell her to stop seeking out his friends in the future.

Then Wen Qiao's face would stiffen slightly as she forced a smile...

But now, everything had changed.

Was it because his own response hadn't followed the memory?

Yan Jing's eyes flickered.

"Time to eat, Xiao Xu!"

Wen Qiao walked out of the kitchen carrying a pot.

Yan Jing walked over to the dining table, preparing to arrange the bowls and chopsticks as usual.

"Rest up, Xiao Xu. Let me do it."

The woman hurriedly placed the pot on the table and reached out to stop Yan Jing.

The pot landed on the table with a violent shudder.

A steaming drop of broth splashed from the pot, landing right in Yan Jing's eye.

A bone-deep agony spread from his pupil, shooting straight to his brain.

Yan Jing jerked from the sheer pain, his thoughts instinctively going blank.

Such agony was impossible for a child to bear. It was hard to imagine how Wen Xu had managed to live into his twenties in this condition. The woman's face changed instantly, and she reached out to rub his eye.

Following Wen Xu's memory, Yan Jing smoothly swatted the woman's hand away.

"Don't touch me!"

A low growl tore from Yan Jing's throat.

Then he looked up, taking in the woman's bewildered expression.

Wrong. It was still wrong.

According to the memory's progression, the woman should have been accustomed to Wen Xu batting her hand away, while remaining deeply worried. But now, she just looked entirely bewildered.

There was something wrong with this Crystal Ball...

Yan Jing sighed inwardly.

Now he had two choices:

Either continue following the memory as it originally happened.

The benefit of this was that the Crystal Ball would most likely correct the "errors" on its own.

If the Crystal Ball ultimately lost its effect because of too many bugs, all his efforts would be wasted.

Or follow his own mindset.

The benefit here was that he could substitute his own mindset into the scenario.

After a moment of thought, he chose the latter.

His goal was to reach the Summit.

Experiencing a trial run of Wen Xu's life held no meaning for him.

More importantly, one look was enough to tell that this guy's life had been utterly miserable.

It reminded him of a certain camera.

It gave him a bit of PTSD.

"I'm fine now."

He rubbed his stinging eye, stood up, and naturally took hold of the woman's hand he had just swatted away:

"Sorry, Sister Wen Qiao."

"It's... it's fine..."

Wen Qiao snapped back to her senses and hurriedly pulled Yan Jing into her embrace. She placed her palm near his eye, letting her weird energy ripple gently.

A cooling sensation rippled out, gradually soothing the burning pain.

"Buzz."

Just as Wen Qiao breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly froze.

Weird energy was rippling from Yan Jing's palm as well, forming shimmering runes that fell onto the back of the hand he had struck earlier.

"Xiao Xu..."

Wen Qiao stared blankly.

Yan Jing said softly, "I'm sorry."

It was a bold probe. In Wen Xu's memories, that foolish boy had never once apologized to the woman.

"It's fine, it's fine."

The woman suddenly wrapped Yan Jing in a tight hug:

"It doesn't matter, none of it matters anymore."

"Everything will get better from now on, Xiao Xu."

"Mhm."

Yan Jing nodded.

The two of them ate normally.

Throughout the entire process, Yan Jing completely ignored the script.

He served the food, cleared the plates, and washed the dishes.

"You must be tired too, Sister Wen Qiao."

"Let me handle all of this."

Ignoring Wen Qiao's deeply moved expression, Yan Jing briskly tidied everything up.

"Class starts now."

The two walked over to the sofa, and Wen Qiao brought out a small chalkboard they used for lessons.

The house the two lived in was very small.

Aside from the bedroom, the kitchen, dining room, living room, and study were all crammed into a single room.

"Today, we're covering the Pathway of Flame."

Wen Qiao said.

"Alright."

Yan Jing's expression was calm.

In Wen Xu's memories, Wen Qiao had only ever taught him a Wizardry simulation for this Pathway once.

It was because Wen Xu was highly sensitive to high temperatures.

Back then, when Wen Qiao had manifested even the tiniest bit of flame, Wen Xu had reacted as if his entire body had been set ablaze.

After that, Wen Qiao had never taught him any related spells again.

Now... obviously because his roleplaying had gone off-script, the narrative was galloping in an uncontrollable direction and could no longer be stopped. "The rune for the Pathway of Flame—I've mentioned it to you before, Xiao Xu. It is this..."

An orange-red rune shaped like a flower petal materialized in Wen Qiao's palm.

"The temperature for this is very low. Give it a try, Xiao Xu."

Wen Qiao extended her palm, and Yan Jing reached his hand out.

But just as Yan Jing was about to touch it, Wen Qiao hurriedly pulled her hand back, as if worried about something.

"Never mind, let's teach something else today instead."

"That works."

Their lesson this time lasted for nearly several hours.

The woman didn't discuss any more Pathways, instead imparting methods for mobilizing overall Wizardry abilities.

Yan Jing benefited immensely from this.

Some of the issues had never even been mentioned in Wen Xu's memories.

This was quite astonishing.

Yan Jing had originally thought that Wen Xu's understanding of Wizardry had already reached its absolute pinnacle, but he never expected Wen Qiao to step in and fill the gaps in his knowledge like this. After the lesson concluded, the two of them brushed their teeth and washed their faces in their pajamas before walking into the bedroom to sleep.

There was only one bed in the bedroom.

Normally, Wen Xu slept on the bed, because his sense of touch was extremely acute; sleeping on a slightly harder surface would cause him pain and keep him awake all night.

Meanwhile, Wen Qiao slept on a floor pallet beside him.

The two of them lay down.

Starlight spilled through the homemade blinds, falling across the bedsheets they had sewn together.

The room was completely silent.

Several dozen minutes later.

Wen Qiao's voice rang out:

"Xiao Xu... are you asleep?"

Yan Jing didn't speak.

Just as Wen Qiao was about to stay silent, Yan Jing spoke up:

"No."

Hearing Yan Jing's voice, Wen Qiao's eyes lit up. She rolled over to face him:

"Xiao Xu... how... how are you feeling?"

"How am I feeling about what?"

"Just... how are you feeling today?"

Wen Qiao asked softly.

Yan Jing looked at the ceiling:

"Good."

"Really?" Wen Qiao's eyes grew even brighter.

"Mhm."

Yan Jing nodded.

"Nothing hurts."

"Oh, you meant that..." Wen Qiao could hardly hide her disappointment.

"What did you want me to talk about, Sister Wen Qiao?" Yan Jing also rolled over, turning to look at her.

Small eyes looked into large eyes as their gazes locked.

"I just meant... how did you feel about our day today?"

Yan Jing replied calmly, "It was good."

"Really?" Wen Qiao smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Mhm," Yan Jing nodded.

"Eating together, brushing our teeth together, washing our faces together, having class together..."

"All of it was very good."

"I think so too." Wen Qiao laughed.

"Mhm."

They both fell silent once more.

Ten or twenty minutes later.

Wen Qiao's voice rang out again:

"Xiao Xu, are you asleep?"

"Almost."

"Oh."

"Sister Wen Qiao, does the floor feel hard when you sleep on it?"

"Huh?"

"I used to think the floor felt hard when I slept on it," Yan Jing said calmly.

"No..." The words were already on the tip of her tongue, but Wen Qiao suddenly changed her tune, driven by some inexplicable impulse:

"Usually I don't feel it, but today... it does feel a little bit hard..."

Yan Jing shifted over to the far side of the bed and lifted a corner of the blanket.

A moment later, a warm mass burrowed under the covers.

Yan Jing naturally scooted a little closer.

"Good night, Sister Wen Qiao."

"Good night, Xiao Xu."

Yan Jing fell asleep very quickly.

In truth, he usually didn't fall asleep this fast.

It was just that upon reaching his current Tier, his need for sleep had decreased significantly, so he had just let nature take its course.

Unless he was exceptionally exhausted.

But today was a bit different.

He originally hadn't planned on sleeping at all today.

Because of everything that had happened with Wen Qiao today, he had been worried about falling into a dream, so he shouldn't have slept in the first place.

Yet, as if influenced by some irresistible force, he still fell asleep.

By the time he opened his eyes again, he saw a room covered in white tiles.

Along both sides were long, rectangular washbasins that looked like feeding troughs.

A figure stood beside him, though he couldn't quite see their face clearly.

It was a woman.

She was wearing a white caretaker's uniform, and a large red patch marked her face.

It looked like a rose.

"Time to brush your teeth, Xiao Jing."

The figure brought over a small stool and set it down beside her.

Yan Jing stepped onto it; this way, he could just reach the sink.

He sighed.

He knew it. He never should have slept.

"Up and down, left and right..."

The woman recited the secret to brushing teeth, and their bodies moved in sync.

The final step was to tilt their heads back, let the water swirl in their throats, and then spit it out.

"Great job, Xiao Jing!!!"

After brushing, the woman's body gradually became illusory.

Yan Jing remained expressionless.

It was because Wen Qiao had made similar movements when she brushed her teeth, so his subconscious had substituted her in, causing him to dream about his past life.

If his guess was right...

"You aren't allowed to bully Xiao Jing like this!"

The scene shifted instantly.

This time, Yan Jing was sprawled on the ground, his knees bleeding.

It was yet another scene from his past life's memories.

And the woman with the birthmark stood in front of Yan Jing, looking at several children opposite who were much taller and sturdier than him.

"If you do this again, I'm telling the director!"

The woman stood with her hands on her hips, her face full of sternness.

But what she received in return were the opposing kids' jeers of "ugly freak."

Hearing their jeers, Yan Jing charged forward, grabbed a nearby rock, and cracked the ringleader's head open.

But soon, he fell flat on his back, surrounded by the group as they punched and kicked him.

His consciousness gradually blurred amidst the woman's shouts.

When he opened his eyes again, a sea of fire lay before him.

The three white buildings from his memories had now turned into a swathe of crimson. Billowing thick smoke soon gushed from the windows, overwhelming and swallowing everything.

The temperature was skyrocketing.

Yan Jing's palms quickly broke out in sweat. He turned around, wanting to distance himself from the area, only to find black smoke rising behind him as well.

The air felt like it was boiling. The searing heat on his skin spiked drastically before slowly fading to numbness. The black smoke surged into his throat, feeling like a hand had seized his lungs and windpipe, frantically pouring cement down them.

His body was growing heavier and heavier.

I'm done for... Yan Jing slowly closed his eyes.

Ever since the incident where he'd been trapped by a dream in the Heavenly Kingdom, he had been very careful, trying his best not to think of his past life's memories. But this time, he had been careless.

According to Pops' theory, once he sank in, he wouldn't awaken from the dream on his own unless his body suffered a severe injury.

To have his current body suffer a severe injury...

He could already imagine how agonizing that would be.

Yet, just as he was quietly waiting for death to arrive...

Suddenly, a voice drifted into his ears.

"Hot... it's so hot..."

"Hot..."

This voice drilled into Yan Jing's mind, desperately dragging at his consciousness.

It was like dragging a drowning man back up to the surface of the sea.

Yan Jing's eyes snapped open, and he saw Wen Qiao sleeping beside him.

By now, Wen Qiao's face was covered in sweat, and her dinosaur pajamas were completely soaked. Her brows were knit tightly as she continuously muttered, "Hot... so hot... so dry... where are you... Xiao... where are you..."

Subconsciously, Yan Jing immediately threw off the covers and got out of bed.

Just as Papa Rat had done last time, he readied a wet towel and a bathtub full of water. He slowly pulled Wen Qiao's scorching body from the bed into the water, then began wiping her down bit by bit with the wet towel.

White steam swirled through the bedroom.

Yan Jing frowned, looking at Wen Qiao's face over and over.

"Why isn't there a birthmark...?"

He murmured in confusion:

"If there was a birthmark right here, she would probably look a lot better."

After wiping one side, he prepared to roll the woman over.

But Wen Xu's body was simply far too frail.

The woman also had a relatively large frame. It took an immense amount of effort for him to succeed.

"Too heavy..."

Yan Jing grumbled.

After wiping both sides, the woman's body temperature gradually dropped.

Yan Jing breathed a sigh of relief. Leaning against the tub, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and felt a long-forgotten sense of exhaustion.

He felt like he was losing his mind too.

This was just a Crystal Ball...

Looking at the faintly brightening sky outside, Yan Jing walked to the bed and gazed out the window.

In the sky, appearing alongside the rising sun, there was not only the morning mist but also... lines of spiderweb-like cracks.

Yan Jing's face darkened.

This illusion was about to shatter.

He looked at Wen Qiao lying in the tub, and after a moment of thought, walked out the door.

He hurried along the street and soon found his way to a certain house's doorway.

Feeling his way to the back door, he picked up some pebbles.

A clattering sound rang out.

A child sat up in bed, looking out the window in confusion.

But there was nothing.

"Who is it?" the child said.

But still, there was nothing.

His only response was pebble after pebble striking the window.

After thinking for a moment, he gathered his courage, pushed open the back door, and stepped outside.

He was met head-on by a fist.

With a thud, the boy's nose bled.

"Fuck you for cursing my sister!"

The boy stared in shock at Yan Jing, who was standing opposite him holding a rock.

The person across from him was completely different from the timid, silent piece of trash in his memory.

An instant later, Yan Jing closed the distance in a few strides, grabbed a brick, and smashed it down on him.

"Thud!"

The illusion shattered completely.

"Who are you calling heavy...?" In the prison, the woman pouted her lips and looked down at her own waist.

Then, she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and broke into a happy laugh.