Chapter 31: Yuzhou Laiqiang (I) Knowledge changes destiny.

Zhang Deng and Wei Yuanye landed in a deserted open space.

Wei Yuanye confirmed the status of his pager while saying, "It's usually like this. The initial landing point will be chosen in a place where no one passes by to reduce the risk of being witnessed."

Zhang Deng said, "Then how do we get out?"

He was a pure liberal arts student and was scared away by the desolate Gobi Desert. If he walked there, his legs would be broken.

Zhang Deng said fearfully, "I paid 200 yuan to hire someone to take the 800-meter physical education test at my school."

Wei Yuanye smiled and said, "Why are you so weak?"

"I've already gained ten pounds," Zhang Deng said. "But there's always a process, right? We can't just let the civil officials kill the enemy right away."

Wei Yuanye burst into laughter and said, "Forget it, I won't tease you anymore."

"Isn't this a stick?" Wei Yuanye took it out and spun it around like a pen. "When we were in school, we called it the Satisfying Stick. It could do anything."

Wei Yuanye pressed the button and waved it at the open space for a long time. The wooden stick seemed to be lit up and flashed with golden red light. The light and shadow passed between Wei Yuanye's eyebrows. The moment Wei Yuanye opened his eyes, the boulders on the ground slowly gathered together and turned into the shape of a convertible car.

Zhang Deng: “…”

Wei Yuanye opened the car door and invited, "Get in."

Zhang Deng asked, "You're using magic, so can't you fly with a sword or something like that?"

"In the Demonic Age," Wei Yuanye said, "don't draw too much attention."

Zhang Deng: "What exactly is a demon?"

He seemed to be asking questions all the time. Ever since coming to the World Tree, his entire worldview had to be reconstructed.

Wei Yuanye said, "It's just a popular term, using low magic, medium magic, and high magic to describe the degree to which magic affects the course of the world. Low magic means most ordinary people don't know about the existence of magic. Medium magic means everyone knows about it, but only some can master it. High magic is like the world of My Little Pony, where every pony has magic."

Zhang Deng: "You really have read a lot of films."

"I saw it in your favorites." Wei Yuanye said.

Zhang Deng: “…”

"What's wrong?" Zhang Deng said, "Grown men can't watch My Little Pony?"

Wei Yuanye: "Who said it can't be done?"

However, Zhang Deng always felt that there was an unspeakable sarcasm in Wei Yuanye's words.

Zhang Deng said, "My Little Pony is very inspiring. When I was little, I had a hard time because I didn't have my own cutie mark."

Wei Yuanye said, "Your cute mark is a pen."

Zhang Deng was so moved by his description that he was speechless for a long time.

After a long while, Zhang Deng said, "But... this car is too bumpy!"

"Just bear with it," Wei Yuanye said, "We're almost there."

Zhang Deng really didn't want to act too squeamish. He also wanted to be like a real man, saying what he meant and doing everything with a clear conscience. But he couldn't help it and said, "My butt is itchy."

He wanted to get off the car and walk for a while, but Wei Yuanye said, "Maybe he's going to grow a cutie mark."

Zhang Deng: “…”

"I'll kill you as soon as you get off the car," Zhang Deng announced.

They had only been walking for about two hours when they finally saw someone. At first, they turned on the lights and were not sure. They asked Wei Yuanye to see if the thing lying on the ground that looked like a pile of garbage was a person. Wei Yuanye threw a stone over. The person looked up from the garbage and when he saw them, he was like crazy and said, "Finally, I see someone!"

Zhang Deng said, "What do you mean?"

"I've been walking for three days and three nights," the man said, sitting up, dejected. "I haven't seen a single person. Are all the people on this continent dead?"

"Where are you from?"

"Leizhou, what about you guys?"

Zhang Deng: "Yuzhou."

Wei Yuanye: “…”

The man asked, "Where is Yuzhou?"

"Where is Leizhou?" asked Zhang Deng, a novelist known for his comedic and nonsensical stories. "We outsiders haven't even heard of it."

"Oh," the man no longer doubted anything and bowed, saying, "I'm Lin Yuzhou. Where are you two?"

After they introduced themselves, Lin Yuzhou got in and exclaimed, "This is a really nice car! Are you studying Qimen Dunjia?"

"That's right," Zhang Deng said. "This is my brother's new invention. It's called Stone Moving and Gathering. Not bad, isn't it?"

"Amazing, awesome."

Wei Yuanye was completely impressed by Zhang Deng.

Arriving in a completely new world where no one knew him, Zhang Deng seemed to have completely aroused his passion as a creator. He was no longer autistic or pessimistic, like a social terrorist.

Zhang Deng asked, "I wonder why Brother Lin has come all this way?"

"Oh, you're welcome," Lin Yuzhou said, "Just call me Yuzhou. I guess we're here for the same thing."

After he finished speaking, he observed the expressions of Zhang Deng and Wei Yuanye, but seeing that neither of them had any intention of continuing the conversation, he had no choice but to continue: "I came here for the martial soul's true body."

Zhang Deng didn't understand, but said, "Well, since it's on our way, get in the car."

Lin Yuzhou was very happy, but he looked at Wei Yuanye's expression awkwardly. Zhang Deng guessed that he might be afraid to get in the car because Wei Yuanye hadn't said anything yet. Zhang Deng said, "My friend is a quiet person. It's okay. He's very friendly."

Wei Yuanye said: "I love to talk a lot, but you didn't give me the chance."

Zhang Deng said to Lin Yuzhou, "See, I told you he was very friendly."

The tone of this introduction is like introducing a puppy at home.

Lin Yuzhou got in the car. Zhang Deng found that although he was dressed shabbily, he looked good. The most special thing about him was that there was a mole between his eyebrows, which broke the gentle and jade-like atmosphere of his temperament and made him look like a god. Zhang Deng might still be superstitious and always felt that people who look like this might have some luck.

Zhang Deng asked, "How long have you been gone?"

"How long have we been walking?" Lin Yuzhou said, "I don't remember, but I've been in this desert for three days. I'm really exhausted and can't get out."

"Why don't you use your magic?"

Lin Yuzhou said: "To be honest, I have forgotten all my magic skills."

Seeing that neither of them understood, he explained, "I actually lost my memory. I heard that after refining the martial soul's true body, the three souls and six spirits can be reshaped. I should be able to regain my lost memories and magic power, so I came here."

Zhang Deng: "But you're alone. Isn't it dangerous?"

"I don't seem to have many friends," Lin Yuzhou said calmly, "I must have been practicing for a long time, so all my relatives and friends are dead."

Zhang Deng said, "You are so pitiful."

"What's the big deal?" Lin Yuzhou said, "All cultivators have to go through this. You must have been cultivating for a long time. How fortunate it is to have a close friend accompanying you on this journey."

"And I haven't actually forgotten all my skills," Lin Yuzhou said, "I still have a life-saving trick."

"What is it?"

Lin Yuzhou pinched his fingers and made some hand gestures, then muttered something. Then he suddenly opened his eyes. Zhang Deng felt a darkness in front of his eyes. When he opened his eyes, Lin Yuzhou and Wei Yuanye were looking at him with sharp eyes.

Zhang Deng: "...What is this?"

"I call this technique the Crazy Sleeping Technique," Lin Yuzhou said, "It's the only technique I still remember. Anyone can sleep for two minutes, but it can only last two minutes at most. So if I encounter danger, I can at least run away."

"Well," Zhang Deng said, "two minutes is enough for anything."

Lin Yuzhou couldn't stop talking. He said, "Look at this martial soul's true body. Such a powerful person was trapped by love and died miserably. This attracted so many people to come and ask him to refine his bones. People like us, who always think we can cover the sky with one hand and control the sky with one hand, will also end up with nothing left if we are not careful."

Zhang Deng's mind moved, and he looked at Wei Yuanye.

Could it be that the person they are looking for who was affected by "evil" is related to this incident?

Zhang Deng pondered this while asking, "But you don't have any mana at all, how are you going to snatch the spirit's true body?"

"When you reach the mountain, there will always be a way," Lin Yuzhou said, not caring much. "There will be a way sooner or later."

The three of them walked until evening and finally saw the dawn of victory. They saw a dirt road and walked along it for a while before they met a group of people at a fork in the road.

The people walking around were not dressed like them. They were all dressed in a style similar to that of the Republic of China era, with a dusty air. Seeing their attire, the leader said, "Aliens?"

Before Zhang Deng could speak, Lin Yuzhou said, "It is indeed us."

Zhang Deng suddenly thought of something. Before leaving, Chi Xiaoxia told them that the world had been disrupted by the time machine. Does that mean that the world is full of time travelers like them?

Lin Yuzhou too?

Didn't he lose his memory?

Zhang Deng was filled with doubts, but the man said respectfully, "This is a desolate desert, and at night, there are dangers lurking everywhere. I think you three must be aliens to have such skills and to have survived this place unscathed."

Lin Yuzhou said, "It's almost time to count the balls. We're lost. Can I walk with you for a while?"

"Of course," the man said. "My name is Yuzhi, and this is my subordinate, Lixiao. May I know your names?"

The three people announced their names, and the man said, "So you are all honored guests. Please take a seat."

Zhang Deng observed that their team was very strange. There were only two horse-drawn carriages at the head, and more than a hundred people followed. They were all sitting on a very large wooden cart. The cart was more than two people tall, and the guardrails around it were as high as a person's neck. It was pulled by a very large animal, like a cow or a deer, and the breathing sound was very loud, like a large machine.

Zhang Deng got on the carriage in front and asked, "Where are you going?"

"We're heading towards Yingzhou," Yuzhi said, "coming from Yuzhou."

Lin Yuzhou looked at Zhang Deng and said in disbelief, "You're from the same hometown."

Zhang Deng: “…”

Yuzhi said in surprise, "Oh? Are you also from Yuzhou?"

"Ah," Zhang Deng said, "I live in the suburbs and I'm not very familiar with the city."

He noticed that Wei Yuanye smiled secretly, so he gave him a slap and said, "What do you think?"

Wei Yuanye said: "I have lost my memory."

Zhang Deng: “…”

Lin Yuzhou was very tactful and stopped asking questions. He said, "So, you are also going to look for your spirit body?"

"It's related to the Martial Soul's True Body," Yu Zhi said, "but I'm not trying to snatch the Martial Soul's True Body from you. I'm just following orders to pay tribute to the Qiang from Yuzhou."

Yu Zhi said, "This is a vast desert with few people. We still need to go two more days to reach Yingzhou. Please be patient and just tell us what to eat and drink. Dinner will be served shortly."

After Yu Zhi finished speaking, he didn't intend to exchange pleasantries anymore and simply retreated, leaving the few people looking at each other in bewilderment.

Lin Yuzhou said: "It's okay, his attitude is normal."

"Because we're 'aliens,'" Lin Yuzhou explained, seeming to have noticed that the two had only recently arrived in this world. "We came here in a time machine, from the future. We're bound to have a significant impact here. Many of the officials here are people like us, so they don't dare to offend us."

Wei Yuanye asked, "How long have you been here?"

"I don't remember," Lin Yuzhou smiled and said, "I only know that I was wearing this outfit when I came here, so everyone thought I was an 'alien' and treated me with great respect. Why not?"

Zhang Deng said, "But you don't remember anything. What a pity."

"So what if they remember?" Lin Yuzhou said, "If everyone remembers, it's the same as if no one remembers. They've painstakingly planned, but in the end they sabotage each other and it's all for nothing. It's better for me to not remember anything."

Lin Yuzhou looked at the two of them and said, "I think you are very interesting. You are very different from those 'aliens'."

Zhang Deng said: "We are very similar to them."

Lin Yuzhou laughed and said, "Never mind. It's up to you."

"I heard," Lin Yuzhou said, lifting the curtain and looking outside, "that all these 'aliens' came from a train that runs every seven days. I don't know who's the sorcerer who can travel through time and space. Perhaps in the future, the era we live in now is very famous, a time when heroes emerge in troubled times. That's why many people secretly boarded the train and came here, carrying their memories with them."

Zhang Deng: "If too many people come, it will be boring."

"That's the truth," Lin Yuzhou said, "If there are heroes everywhere, doesn't that mean there are no heroes at all?"

Zhang Deng felt that Lin Yuzhou was a smart man and not someone who would be easily deceived. He became somewhat wary.

Before dark, Yuzhi brought over a few pieces of pasta. It was hard to tell what the flavor was, but it didn't taste bad. Zhang Deng ate one with pickles and cold water. It was very filling and he was full with just one.

This night was spent in the carriage, and he slept very comfortably because Zhang Deng knew that Lin Yuzhou and Wei Yuanye would not sleep. They were wary of each other and were all pretending to sleep.

When I woke up in the morning, it was already bright outside. I turned on the light and stretched, and found that there was no one around me.

He pulled open the curtain and looked out. Wei Yuanye and Lin Yuzhou were both standing outside. Wei Yuanye was washing himself with a ladle, while Lin Yuzhou was peeing by a tree.

Zhang Deng also got off the car. Wei Yuanye glanced at him and handed him the water scoop. After Zhang Deng finished washing up, he saw that the people in the huge carriage behind also got off. They were either sitting or standing, and his eyes occasionally glanced at them.

There was a child kneeling on the ground, playing with a bone joint. As he was shaking it, the bone fell under Zhang Deng's feet. Zhang Deng picked it up for him. The boy didn't say anything and reached out to take it.

Zhang Deng said, "Say thank you."

The boy gave him a sick look.

Zhang gave it to him a little boringly.

"Excuse me," the boy's mother said, "Aping, thank you."

Ah Ping said, "Thank you."

Zhang Deng said, "Oh, what a cool kid, very unique."

Mom gave a quick laugh and lowered her head. Zhang Deng also felt like a scoundrel, so he said, "I was just kidding."

"Are you going to Yingzhou too?" Zhang Deng asked.

He was too unfamiliar with this world, and he wanted to ask everyone something indirectly when he met them.

The woman nodded, pushed Ah Ping out, and said, "You can play with your brother."

Then the woman left, stood among the crowd, and said something to those people.

Zhang Deng glanced at A Ping. The child was just reaching his chest. Zhang Deng asked, "How old are you?"

"17." Aping said.

Zhang Deng was a little surprised: "You are already 17?"

He looks about thirteen or fourteen years old.

Ah Ping looked at him as if he were mentally retarded. He sat on a large rock, holding the bone joint in his hand, and said, "How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-six," Zhang Deng said. "I'm nine years older than you. Where are you from?"

Ah Ping said, "In the car."

"I mean, where is your hometown?"

Ah Ping: "I don't know."

Zhang Deng said, "You've been in the car the whole time."

"Yeah," Ping said, "and you?"

Zhang Deng said, "I'm from Yuzhou."

"The last place I went to was also Yuzhou," Ah Ping said. "That place wasn't very interesting."

"What do you find interesting?"

"They're all average," Ah Ping said. "My friend said Quzhou is nice and the women there are beautiful."

Zhang Deng glanced at the people in the distance and said, "Your mother is also very beautiful."

"She's okay," Ah Ping said maturely, "but my friend said the women in Quzhou are prettier than my mother."

"Where is your friend?" Zhang Deng asked.

Ah Ping said as a matter of course: "Of course he's dead."

Zhang Deng: "Oh, sorry."

"What's the big deal?" Ah Ping said. "We're all going to die."

He was quite open-minded. Zhang Deng said, "You're right."

Zhang Deng found it very interesting and said, "Your personality is really interesting. You seem to be..."

Zhang Deng searched for an adjective for a long time, but ultimately came up with something irrelevant: "You're like the cactus I raise."

"What is cactus?" Aping had never heard of it.

Zhang Deng felt a little regretful that he hadn't brought Xiao Ai with him this time. He said, "It's a kind of plant that I particularly like. It doesn't need a lot of water, sunlight, care, or love. It can survive well on its own."

A Ping was stunned by what he heard, and Zhang Deng felt that he might have said it too abstractly.

Zhang Deng said, "Besides, cacti rarely bloom and have no smell. They are completely harmless, just a very mild plant. It's fine if they live or die. They have no impact on the world."

Ah Ping seemed a little bored. He stretched and said, "Let's go."

"I'll talk to you next time I get some fresh air," A Ping said. "I should go back now."

Zhang Deng also got in the car. Wei Yuanye and Lin Yuzhou were waiting for him in the car. Lin Yuzhou said, "Did you make a friend?"

"A child." Zhang Deng said.

Wei Yuanye glanced outside the carriage, as if thinking about something.

Zhang Deng moved closer to him, and Wei Yuanye whispered in his ear, "Be careful."

Zhang Deng didn't know what he meant to be careful about, but he nodded anyway. He sat next to Wei Yuanye and was actually not afraid of anything at all. Somehow, Wei Yuanye exuded an aura of "I am very strong".

Even the people here didn't dare to talk to Wei Yuanye, and discussed everything with Zhang Deng.

What followed was another full day of travel. I was so tired from sitting in the carriage with the lights on that I couldn't fall asleep even with my eyes closed. At first I could still maintain my human form, but later I couldn't bear it anymore and lay on Wei Yuanye's legs for the whole afternoon.

In the evening, the convoy stopped again to rest, and the drivers hurriedly got out of the cars to take a walk.

Aping broke his promise and didn't come to chat with him. Everyone in the car got off, and many of them went to the toilet not far away. After looking for a while with the lights on, he didn't see the child. He was sitting on a rock with a few young people around him. Those people were chatting, talking about the weather and other things.

"Winter is changing into spring," the man said, clutching a peach blossom with a small bud in its hand. "The world is changing."

Zhang Deng asked, "What is the Winter Spring Order?"

The man looked at him and said, "Who are you?"

"My name is Zhang Deng."

"I'm Feimao," the man said, "I've never seen you before."

"The winter is like spring, but it is warm like spring. Flowers are in full bloom and young willows are sprouting." A Ping said behind him.

Feimao asked, "Do you two know each other?"

Ah Ping sat on the ground: "He is a chatterbox."

Zhang Deng smiled and said, "I do talk a lot."

This was what Wei Yuanye told him.

Feimao said, "You'd better go back and not stay here."

"Why?" Zhang Deng looked around. It seemed someone was really looking at him, but he was already familiar with these gazes. He whispered, "I'm not familiar with Yuzhi and the others either."

Feimao glanced at him with a strange look in his eyes, but A Ping said, "Don't bother with him, he's just a weirdo."

Wei Yuanye called out to him from a distance, saying, "Liangliang."

Zhang Deng turned around and said, "Here I come."

He said goodbye to the two and said, "We will arrive in Yingzhou tomorrow morning. We will have a chance to play together then."

The two of them watched him leave without saying a word.