Chapter 528: River of Time (Two-in-One)

Hearing Rabbit's words, Yan Jing stopped in his tracks.

"Who is he?"

"Someone who forged a path for all living beings."

Rabbit looked up, his face as expressionless as ever.

"But even someone like that doesn't make the right decision every time."

"Time and the years are the most formidable things in this world. They can wear down stubborn rocks by the sea and wash away mud in the rivers."

"You will have a day like that eventually."

Yan Jing walked over to Rabbit.

"So when you told me to believe half of what he said and doubt the rest, which half should I believe, and which should I doubt?"

Rabbit shook his head.

"I don't know. At most, I can only tell that he's lying."

"Also... you truly cannot step into the River of Time again."

"The aura of time on you already carries the stench of decay."

"I even suspect you've exceeded the limit for entering and are just holding on by sheer willpower."

Yan Jing's eyes flickered.

"In other words, I really have stepped into the River of Time before?"

Yet he had absolutely no memory of it.

"More accurately, you might still be in that river right now."

Rabbit seemed to see through Yan Jing's thoughts.

"Don't think about it. The vast majority of people who step into the River of Time don't remember a single thing."

Yan Jing froze.

"Then... how would I remember if I went back to the past and managed to fish her out?"

"Why do you need to remember?" Rabbit said mildly.

"As long as the person comes back, isn't that enough?"

"This is the river's protection mechanism. In this world, space has many layers, and Domains are split into many fragments, but there is only one River of Time."

"If you fish something out of that river, this world will change once."

"If more memories of that river remain, more people will enter it. The world will grow increasingly chaotic, and one day, the river itself will collapse under the burden."

"In truth, that river has a limit. A mighty figure once tried to test it. In the end, though he died, he used every conceivable method to send a message back, stating that the river's limit is 6. Of course, nobody can say for sure what this 6 actually means."

"Then..." Yan Jing frowned. "Is it possible for someone to have stepped into that river and still retain their memory?"

"It is possible." Rabbit nodded.

"Even gods make mistakes, and the same goes for that river."

"There will always be people the river misses. Such individuals are called 'Anomalies'."

"They possess some sort of special fortune or immense strength that causes the river to overlook them."

"Similar to them is another type of person. The river favors certain traits within them and grants them special abilities."

"These people are called 'River Envoys,' and they too retain their own memories."

"These memories don't manifest at first. But the longer they stay within the river, the more those memories awaken." Rabbit finished speaking and looked at the contemplative Yan Jing.

"You know someone like that?"

"...Yeah, probably."

Yan Jing was wondering which category Wen Qiao belonged to.

If he could no longer step into the River of Time, perhaps he needed to find someone else to help him...

But Wen Qiao didn't seem to fit the profile of going against the River of Time into the past, nor traveling down it into the future.

If he had to describe it, she was merely moving forward alongside the River of Time, because Wu Xu was also moving forward with it. And she was quietly waiting for Wu Xu to awaken.

He explained this to Rabbit, but Rabbit shook his head.

"I don't know either. That river is deeply mysterious. I haven't truly set foot in it; much of what I know is just hearsay."

Yan Jing nodded and didn't ask further.

Rabbit looked a bit tired and needed to rest.

The two continued walking toward the First Building. Before they had taken many steps, several figures streaked down from the sky like meteors, landing right in front of them.

"Domain Lord Yan."

Wang Yu stood at the forefront, cupping her fists in greeting to Yan Jing.

Long Quezhou stood beside her.

Behind them followed the Wanli domain lord, Ma Jiangyao; the Qitian domain lord, Tang Tian; the Weiyang domain lord, Zhong Xu; and... the Dongcang domain lord, Tian Fangfei, who was entirely wrapped in bandages.

"Greetings, everyone."

Yan Jing returned the gesture.

"While I was away from Yueyin, I have you all to thank for looking after the place."

"Did anything happen over the past few days?"

Before the others could answer, Wang Yu quickly spoke up. "No, everything has been normal."

But subtly, she shot Yan Jing a look, hinting that there were other developments.

Yan Jing nodded.

"Then thank you all for coming out to welcome me."

"We are the ones who should be congratulating Domain Lord Yan on successfully passing Stage A of the Dungeon," Long Quezhou said slowly.

Yan Jing smiled and said no more.

During their exchange, the remaining domain lords all stepped forward to offer their congratulations.

This included Tian Fangfei. Though extremely reluctant, she was pulled along by the sharp-featured domain lord Tang Tian and forced to offer her congratulations.

She had been severely injured during her last clash with Yan Jing. Her eyes peeked out from behind the bandages, looking Yan Jing up and down with a mix of hatred and fear.

It seemed she had come specifically to see if there were any issues with his physical condition.

It was hard to say whether she was hoping he was injured or hoping he was fine.

Yan Jing took it all in but didn't say much.

The pleasantries were quickly concluded. Yan Jing called for someone to lead Rabbit to a prepared room to rest.

Wang Yu watched Rabbit's receding back with a puzzled look in her eyes.

"Domain Lord Yan, this is...?"

"A senior."

Yan Jing smiled. "And also a friend of mine."

"Domain Lord Yan is truly resourceful, making friends with inner world residents."

The bandaged Tian Fangfei spoke up, her voice eerie and laced with implication.

Yan Jing laughed.

"I generally only make friends with people I appreciate. If there's nothing about a person that I appreciate, then they're just a passerby. If a person has many traits I despise, and they also happen to constantly provoke me, then they're an enemy."

As he spoke, Yan Jing smiled at Tian Fangfei, frightening her so much she unconsciously shuddered.

"Alright now. It's a good thing Domain Lord Yan is out of seclusion. We hope everything goes smoothly for you in Stage B of the Dungeon as well." Tang Tian stepped forward, grabbing Tian Fangfei's arm and pulling her back slightly.

"We'll take our leave first then."

Once they left, Wang Yu and Long Quezhou immediately pulled Yan Jing aside, moving to a different location to speak privately.

"Domain Lord Yan, earlier your aura appeared and then vanished. Was it..."

Long Quezhou's eyes flickered.

Yan Jing smiled.

"I made some breakthroughs and progress with my Tier."

"Really?!" Wang Yu's eyes lit up.

"Congratulations, Domain Lord Yan! Doesn't that mean your combat power is now on par with the Ninth Tier?"

"Well... I haven't tested it since advancing," Yan Jing replied with a chuckle.

"Even if it's not quite there, it definitely shouldn't be far off. This is great, just in time." Wang Yu let out a long breath, as if a heavy stone had finally been lifted from her heart.

She looked at Yan Jing, her smile carrying a hint of bitterness.

"Domain Lord Yan, Little Long and I honored our agreement this time, but..."

Soon, Wang Yu laid out the entire situation.

Originally, everything had been normal after Yan Jing entered the Dungeon.

After witnessing Yan Jing's strength, the rest of them had fundamentally acknowledged his leadership position. They were just waiting for their other companions to arrive in Yueyin before acting as persuaders.

Even people like Ma Jiangyao had already written letters ahead of time to the domain lord of the Hui Domain, explaining the situation.

But just two days ago, things took a sudden turn for the worse.

The domain lord of Maori wrote a letter informing everyone that a major faction over in the Central Region had decided to support Zodiac in advancing into the Central Region.

They requested the information of everyone in Zodiac, claiming it was for a round of screening.

And after the screening, the other side informed them that everyone else was approved.

Only Yan Jing's profile did not meet their qualifications.

If they kicked Yan Jing out of Zodiac, the faction would still provide their assistance.

And they were exceedingly generous.

"The moment they reached out, they provided a type of Crystal. After Tang Tian tried consuming this Crystal, within half an hour, he successfully found his own path."

Wang Yu's expression was odd.

Even thinking back on it now, she still found it a bit unbelievable.

She looked at Yan Jing with complex eyes.

"Domain Lord Yan, did you offend someone in the Central Region?"

She didn't believe for a second that Yan Jing's profile simply "didn't pass." In her eyes, Yan Jing must have surely formed a grudge with someone in the Central Region.

"Did I?"

Yan Jing carefully thought back but couldn't recall any specific individuals.

He had always taken a conservative approach; he shouldn't have provoked anyone over there.

Beside them, Long Quezhou, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up.

"Anyway, Zodiac has now decided to hold a meeting to vote you out, Domain Lord Yan. Even if Wang Yu and I both stand by your side, that's only two of us. We need to secure at least four more votes."

"You might need to think of a solution."

Yan Jing blinked.

"If I withdraw from the organization, will it have any impact on me?"

"Well..." Wang Yu thought for a moment.

"The impact shouldn't be that massive. Our organization is primarily for exchanging information, jointly defending against enemies, and striving to progress together in events like this one. At most, there's also the import and export of goods between the various domains, but Yueyin's resource exchanges have always just been with us in Beast Lord and Tianzi—"

Mid-sentence, seemingly realizing something was wrong, Wang Yu hastily added, "Of course, rest assured, Domain Lord Yan, Little Long and I are definitely standing on your side."

Following that, Wang Yu also confessed her true thoughts.

She felt that there was something off about those Crystals.

Even though everyone had used multiple methods to verify them, she still couldn't set her mind at ease.

Furthermore, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Even if the Crystals were fine, once they relied on the Central Region's power to pass the trials, they would definitely end up under the thumb of the Central Region's factions.

Yan Jing's expression remained calm.

"Can you manage to get a little bit of this Crystal on your end?"

"I should be able to. Each of us was given a small sample. How long until your Dungeon Stage B? I should be able to bring it to you tomorrow."

"Time..."

Yan Jing looked at his System Panel.

"It's fine, I still have plenty of time. Two more days. As for the matter of withdrawing from Zodiac, you don't need to take it to heart. Just let things play out as they will."

"Alright, then it's settled. We'll take our leave first."

After Wang Yu and Long Quezhou left, Yan Jing continued walking forward. At a corner, he saw Shen Youran standing by a tree, waiting for him.

Today, Shen Youran was wearing a white dress and no makeup. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, making her look like an unadorned gardenia flower.

Upon seeing Yan Jing, she smiled.

"Domain Lord Yan!"

Hearing this title, Yan Jing also broke into a smile.

"Secretary Shen, why are you dressed so beautifully today?"

"You're just humoring me."

Even though Shen Youran said that, she was smiling very sweetly.

She walked over to Yan Jing, and the two headed side by side toward the First Building.

"How was the Dungeon this time? Was it dangerous?"

"It was alright. A little bit thrilling, but overall quite smooth."

"Was the task difficulty high?"

"It was fine. It took a little effort, but I resolved it."

"Are there any figures whose information needs to be investigated?"

"Nothing like that. Everyone treated me very well..."

The two chatted casually as they walked.

Yan Jing told Shen Youran about many interesting things from the Great Prison, such as the Special Prison Cell, the Desolate Forest, and the ice-bound Wizard Tribe, but he left out the dangers involved. He didn't want to put too much pressure on her.

For many things, talking about them only turned one person's stress into two people's stress. For Yan Jing, simply chatting with Shen Youran was a form of relaxation in itself.

Yan Jing planned to give himself half a day off today. Shen Youran originally intended to go prepare the Dungeon materials for him, but Yan Jing pulled her back.

The two had dinner together and watched a movie.

When the movie ended and Shen Youran was about to leave, Yan Jing suddenly called out to Teacher Shen:

"Teacher Shen."

"What is it?"

Shen Youran's makeup-less face looked rosy against the contrast of her white dress.

"Have we met before? I mean, a long, long time ago... like in a past life?"

Yan Jing asked, looking into Shen Youran's fox-like eyes.

Shen Youran's face turned even redder, the flush spreading all the way down to her neck.

"Xiao Yanzi, where did you learn to say things like that?"

She turned around.

"I'm leaving now. I'm not going to joke around with you anymore. Xiao Yanzi, when you have the time, you should seriously find yourself a girlfriend."

After saying that, Shen Youran immediately scampered off.

Yan Jing smiled as he watched Shen Youran run away, his gaze gradually returning to its usual calm.

He tapped his chest with his fingers, but Fei Yu gave no response.

He didn't know if she had fallen asleep.

Lying in bed, he carefully sorted through his thoughts.

There were two types of people who retained their memories in the river: "Anomalies" and "River Envoys." He had no memories, so he shouldn't be either of the two.

Of course, there was another possibility.

That was that his complete memories simply hadn't fully recovered yet.

Rabbit had said that even for Anomalies and River Envoys, memories recovered gradually within the river; they didn't retain them from the very start. As for the words spoken by the voice Within the Great Curtain, Rabbit said he could only believe half of them.

But regardless, their viewpoints overlapped on one point.

He first had to figure out if he was still in the river, and he absolutely could not enter it again.

Just how many times had he entered the River of Time before... and who had he gone in to fish out...?

If that was the case... then were his past memories even real...?

Did this aura of time refer to his body, or his soul? If it was his body, could it be that the one who entered the river was the previous owner of this body?

But if it was his soul...

Yan Jing's gaze couldn't help but tremble, his thoughts drifting toward an even deeper abyss.

Had he truly transmigrated here?