Chapter 119, Rewinding the Past

After regaining her senses, Shen Mi turned her gaze to the area blocked by the illusory soldiers, where a huge thing was sleeping soundly.

No wonder they were so calm and kept their mouths shut. The tenth one was right under their noses.

What Shen Mi truly didn't expect was that they detonated the bomb by using themselves as the key.

There wasn't a single warning sign. The phrase they had just recited with their heads tilted back kept replaying in Shen Mi's mind. Luckily, she had been keeping an eye on her watch beforehand, otherwise she really wouldn't have realized it.

Shen Mi curiously turned his gaze inside, wanting to see what that thing really looked like.

Suddenly a figure appeared in front of him.

The cracking, hoarse sound, like sawing wood, rang out again: "What are you looking at?"

The synesthetic beacon sounded half a second late.

Upon hearing his own voice, Shen Mi blurted out without thinking, "Nothing, I was just wondering when we're leaving?"

Xu Zu snorted softly, knowing that when she said "departure," she meant going to the place where the bomb was planted. He glanced into the room and saw that Shen Mi was still acting as before, completely unaware of the truth.

"Don't worry about that, I'll take you there myself."

If it weren't for the fact that he had already had a second chance, Shen Mi probably wouldn't have been able to grasp the meaning behind his words at this moment.

Should we take her with us to our deaths? Not everyone likes "destruction."

Shen Mi quietly pressed a button on the watch hidden in his sleeve.

The hands of her watch trembled slightly, a faint blue light flashing briefly inside her sleeve. She held her breath, waiting.

If the watch Kyung-won gave her wasn't an exaggeration—hopefully, at this moment, aid is already on its way.

The watch's claim about the illegitimate child was exaggerated; even though he wasn't by her side, he had provided her with the greatest help, and security responded quickly.

Shen Mi watched them struggle against each other before him, the air thick with tension. Some whispered accusations, others gripped their weapons tightly. In the midst of this chaos, a phantom soldier, unnoticed, leaned forward slightly and whispered a sentence towards the closed door—

"——..."

The sound was strange, like a low hum tearing through the air.

Chen Mi's eyes widened, and he covered his ears in disbelief. What's going on? Why can't I translate it?

A nameless fear gripped her throat. Her body acted before her mind, her gaze fixed on the second hand of her watch.

— "8:20, 45 seconds."

The pointer jumped slightly.

The next second, the world suddenly brightened.

A scorching wave of wind exploded from the ground, accompanied by a hissing and tearing roar, instantly engulfing everyone's figures.

Shen Mi only had time to raise her hand before the light enveloped her entire body—

The view shattered into millions of white fragments at the center of the explosion.

*

Shen Mi covered his head, the pain of his body being torn apart by the impact still lingering under his skin.

She was panting, cold sweat trickling down her neck.

This time, Shen Mi learned her lesson.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she made an excuse to run out and hid far away, pressing the button on her watch.

As she expected, the people who came looking for her rushed in in an orderly fashion.

She held her breath and heard the sound of weapons coming from inside.

Then, another heat wave hit.

— "8:21, 30 seconds."

*

Shen Mi suddenly opened his eyes, his back against the cold outer wall, the watch in his palm still vibrating slightly.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the distant celebratory music carried by the wind and swallowed by the night, drifting and elusive.

--wrong.

This is not where she used to be.

Her breath hitched, and she felt as if something was stuck in her chest.

The backtracking process... went awry?

Shen Mi tried to calm himself down, took a deep breath, stared at the clock face, and silently noted the time.

Then, she activated the "key" backtracking button again.

The scene before my eyes instantly distorted, collapsed, and reversed.

When she opened her eyes again, a cold wind hit her face, and her first reaction was to look down at her watch—

The minute hand was abruptly stopped at the "twenty-two" mark, while the second hand continued its ticking.

Shen Mi's pupils suddenly contracted.

—The time is one minute less than last time.

A terrible thought suddenly surged into my mind.

She pressed the rewind button again and held her breath.

Tinnitus, dizziness, and light distortion—everything was tearing at her nerves.

Open your eyes again.

She checked her watch almost immediately.

— Twenty-two minutes and fifty-five seconds.

Shen Mi was stunned.

She clearly started at "22 minutes past the hour," so why did she return at a later time than last time?

impossible.

This shouldn't be the case.

She tried again, but each time it was the same—time wouldn't obediently return to the initial twenty minutes. The fifteen-minute safety backtracking window was shrinking at a visible rate.

In other words, each time she rewinds, she loses the preceding time. This means she can no longer "go back to an earlier point," but the explosion time will not be postponed.

She leaned against the wall, her nails digging almost into her palms. Her mind was a mess, torn between reason and despair.

"Calm down, Shenmi, calm down... You can't panic..."

She almost whispered her prayers to herself.

But the hands of the watch seemed to be mocking her as they trembled.

*

Shen Mi ran out and shouted for help, but nothing changed.

He was even kidnapped, and his watch was almost snatched from his wrist.

...

— "8:24, ten seconds."

In less than two minutes, she had relived the events countless times.

She had tried everything, even shouting to attract others, but it was no use. The result was that she not only lost her ability to move, but also had to sit there helplessly watching them detonate the explosives.

Shen Mi took a deep breath, gripping her watch tightly with both hands, cold sweat trickling down her fingertips. Her heartbeat and the trembling of the watch hands created a strange resonance, each second seeming to urge her to make a decision.

"...If this continues, nothing can stop it." She muttered to herself, her voice almost carried away by the night wind.

A thought suddenly flashed through my mind—illusion.

Perhaps I should go find Huanlong and negotiate with her to persuade her to abandon the detonation or postpone it. Any little bit of time I can buy is welcome.

But wouldn't there be huge risks involved in directly contacting her? If I make a mistake, will I not even have a chance to turn back time?

Listening to the melodious music drifting from above, Chen Mi clenched his fist, exhaled softly, and made his decision—

"There's no other way... we have to take this gamble."

She strode forward, running through the dimly lit alleyways and steps, the wind whistling past, almost drowning out her rapid breathing. The phantom soldier followed closely behind, his hoarse voice shouting, "I knew you weren't so honest!"

Just as they were about to rush from the bottom to Changletian, Chen Mi glanced at the light that was right in front of him and thought, "Just hold on a little longer, and once we get to the top, they won't dare to chase us anymore."

Finally, the path to enlightenment was in sight. Shen Mi could no longer suppress his resentment and stubbornness. He raised a defiant gesture at the flanks behind him, venting all his frustrations and suppressed emotions, and blurted out a curse: "I can even outrun the Jurchens, what are you!"

Seeing that she had already run into the crowd, the soldier chasing behind stopped. He took out his communicator and reported to his superior in the courtyard.

"She ran inside, should we chase after her?"

"Come back. There's no need to chase after them. The Great Khan has given orders that we shouldn't expose ourselves."

"yes."

Panting, Shen Mi rushed to the back of the stage, leaning against the cold wall, her hand tightly clutching the watch. The hands trembled slightly in her palm, reminding her that only four minutes remained before the initial explosion.

She lifted the curtain backstage, and the deep drumbeats of the music were already getting denser—it would be Huanlong's turn to perform as soon as the show ended.

The person sitting at the vanity was finishing their makeup in the mirror when they looked up and saw a figure silently approaching. Before they could speak, the figure leaned close to their ear, their voice as soft as a whisper in the wind, yet utterly cold and hard: "Now, immediately inform your illusory soldiers—stop immediately, cease the planned bombing mission, and throw those things out of Luofu. If you disobey, I will expose your identity as the 'Great Lord of Annihilation' to the world."

The man was taken aback. Her profile was reflected in the mirror—her makeup was exquisite, but her eyes seemed to conceal blades. After a moment, she merely narrowed her eyes slightly, raised her lips, and smiled sweetly, saying, "What are you saying? This humble woman doesn't understand."

Shen Mi did not back down, but took the initiative. Her voice was still very low as she repeated, "You are not Tingyun, you are Huanlong. Don't deny it, I know much more than you think. I even know that you impersonated Tingyun in order to bring a star core into Luofu a hundred years later, attempting to cause chaos in the Abundance."

"As long as you do as I say, I can help you keep it a secret."

Shen Mi had been thinking about these words all the way here, just so he could say them now as a bargaining chip to persuade Huan Long.

The person in front of the dressing table was silent for three seconds, somewhat surprised. How did she know?

However, Huanlong listened to her advice and took something out, saying to the people inside, "The plan is suspended. Move everything out of Luofu."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mi breathed a sigh of relief and distanced himself from Huan Long.

"Is it okay now?" Huanlong turned around and met the eyes of the person in front of her. When she saw that it was Shen Mi, she panicked for a moment, and countless possibilities flashed through her mind.

It was her. Had I been exposed? How much did the Shence Palace know? When did they discover me? Were the emotions I'd been sensing hers all along hers? Why was she hiding it for me?

Countless thoughts raced through her mind, and Huanlong was unsure how much information the other party actually possessed about her. She glanced at everyone working and at the seemingly calm person before her, and a bizarre thought crossed her mind: could this all be a trap specifically set for her?

But this thought was interrupted by Shen Mi just seconds later. Huanlong began to examine the person in front of him; his forehead was sweaty, and his chest was heaving rapidly, indicating that he had run a lot.

In what situations would an emergency occur?

Huanlong couldn't think of it right away, but this was definitely her breakthrough point.

Shen Mi watched as Huanlong's expression shifted several times, reading the subtle changes in her eyes and brows, and inwardly sighed at how difficult this person was to deal with.

Never mind—as long as we hold out until the moment of the initial explosion, and as long as we are safe and sound at that moment, the crisis will be over.

"Tingyun—Tingyun! It's your turn to perform!" The backstage staff had already begun to urge them on.

Huanlong still couldn't figure out Shen Mi's intentions, but for now, all she could do was remain still.

“Okay.” Huanlong responded and stood up.

Before leaving, she glanced back at Chen Mi. He stood behind the curtain, his expression almost eerily calm—not worried, nor wary, but with an unwavering focus. Huanlong followed her gaze and looked down, only to find that her eyes remained fixed on the clock face, as if counting down something.

Time passed by, second by second.

Shen Mi's heartbeat was almost synchronized with the second hand, each beat feeling like a gamble with his life. But even after Huanlong's performance ended and he returned backstage, all around remained calm. There was no roar, no fire—the calamity that should have come seemed to have been erased from existence.

Shen Mi barely dared to breathe. She slowly exhaled, and the string in her heart finally loosened—

Just then, Huanlong, who had just returned from her performance, leaned down, a faint smile playing on her lips, her voice so soft it almost blended into the clamor of the music—

"Little sister...you said you would keep it a secret, so how can I believe you?"

Shen Mi was startled, and before he could answer, a violent tremor suddenly came from beneath his feet. The stage supports were swaying, and the chandeliers were emitting an ominous hum.

She suddenly grabbed Huanlong's hand, her pupils shrinking sharply: "You're lying to me?!"

In that instant, the smile on Huanlong's face froze completely, as if even she herself hadn't expected such an outcome.

Shen Mi stared at her watch, urging the time to pass. In that blurry moment of rewinding, the last thing Shen Mi saw was the same astonishment in Huan Long's eyes.

She didn't know?

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Author's Note: The story will be finished tomorrow!!! [Starry eyes][Starry eyes][Starry eyes][Starry eyes] There will be a giveaway!!! Let me figure out how to do it!!!