Chapter 158 I've arrived too late...
Why are you only thinking about him and not me?
The demon scolded her, half-jokingly and half-seriously.
Pingyu lowered her head guiltily after hearing Ba's reply. She had promised Ba she would go to the village to rescue her, but on her second day back in the modern world, she encountered him at Bureau 749. His first words weren't a question or a show of concern; instead, he talked about men.
But judging from this incident, even Ping Yu himself felt that he was a heartless man.
Ba didn't mean anything by it; she was just teasing. She took Pingyu's hand in return and softly replied, "Okay."
Ping Yu didn't react for a moment, his eyes widening instantly. Not only Ping Yu, Ling Quan was also stunned.
Why do Pingyu and the boss seem so familiar with each other?
Why did the only person present who could counter Pingyu, Ba, turn against her before she could even ask for help?
She brought people back to the station to report, not to receive a punishment!
"Really!"
Ping Yu's question broke Ling Quan's mental lapse. She immediately spoke up, trying to rouse Ba's ambition: "Um, boss. We need to..."
"Xiao Ling, tell the director we'll be here in a bit." Ba interrupted Ling Quan and put her arm around Ping Yu.
"Um, okay... no, wait!"
Ling Quan subconsciously agreed, but halfway through her sentence, she suddenly realized something was wrong. Before she could react and stop her, Ba was already smiling and waving at her.
With her sleeves fluttering, Ba took a step forward. The goddess could shrink distances, so she first led Pingyu away from Penglai, back to the antique-style street where Lingquan had used as a transit point. Ba asked her curiously, "Didn't you just arrive today? How did you know Nezha was on duty at the Third Prince Temple recently? Did you two already meet?"
"Um?"
Pingyu did not understand the meaning of Ba.
Why did Ba sound like she'd been waiting for her for a long time, as if she already knew she'd be joining Bureau 749? And why did she sound so familiar with Nezha? Ba had been eager to gossip, but seeing the anxiety and confusion on Ping Yu's face, she slowly composed herself. She gently lifted Ping Yu's face, scrutinizing her closely. Ping Yu let Ba do as she pleased, completely bewildered. Even with all her anxiety, she could only suppress it for now. Ba asked, "You don't know anything?"
Ping Yu, completely bewildered, asked, "What should I know?"
"ah...."
Ba released her hands from Ping Yu's face, covering her mouth in surprise. A few breaths later, Ba realized what was happening. She nodded to herself, muttering, "No wonder, so it was you at this time. I understand..."
Pingyu could understand each word the celestial maiden spoke individually, but when they were put together, she was completely bewildered. She quickly interrupted Ba, "What do you understand?"
"That's right, you're dead."
From the other person's words, Ba vaguely guessed what had happened. A thousand years had passed since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and the events that had occurred during that time could not be fully explained in a short time. Looking into her eyes, Ba gave a serious answer: "After Nezha returned, your body died there. Logically, all the meritorious officials who participated in the overthrow of Zhou should have been listed on the Investiture of the Gods, but because of your destiny, you couldn't even have your soul recalled during the Investiture of the Gods."
"Nezha said you were alright, and just told us to wait for you. He burned your body with fire, saying that as long as we wait long enough, you will come back one day."
“Go find him,” the demon said, her hands forming a hand seal, each word striking Pingyu’s heart with a heavy thud. She said, “These things are not for us to say; he should tell you.”
"Pingyu, you should be able to find him."
.
With the ability to shrink distances, one can travel a thousand miles a day. From the neighborhood to the Temple of the Third Prince, it's a matter of a blink of an eye.
Pingyu had just arrived at the temple when he turned and nodded to Ba Nu before hurrying off. It was daytime, and the Third Prince Temple was bustling with worshippers, unlike the desolate scene they had witnessed the previous night. After Nezha returned, time, which had been disrupted by destiny, returned to its normal course. Whether in the Shang and Zhou dynasties or in modern times, time began to flow again according to its normal trajectory. If what Ba Nu said was indeed true, then her and Nezha's guess in the Xiqi camp was entirely correct.
Pingyu, at the finish line.
Nezha, stay at the starting line.
Her wait was only a fleeting moment, but Nezha's had to endure for a thousand years.
Pingyu squeezed through the crowded throng and arrived at the main hall. Children were busy placing offerings before the statue of Nezha, and packets of soft candy were being piled up on the platform. Ever since this body was revealed by Qingti, Pingyu's third eye had been opened.
Ba said that Nezha was on duty at the Third Prince Temple today.
She can see things invisible to the naked eye, the true forms of ghosts and spirits, and naturally, she can see if Nezha is in this temple.
Pingyu searched the entire Third Prince Temple, from the main hall to the side halls, but couldn't find Nezha among any of the statues. It wasn't until she returned to the main hall, raised her head, and gazed once more at the ceramic statue in the central hall.
Pingyu confirmed that Nezha was not inside.
She gazed into the eyes of the statue for a long time, and her anxious heart gradually calmed down. Pingyu took a deep breath and then exhaled heavily.
It's okay, you'll recover.
She told herself that Nezha was already here.
He is in this world, and even if he is not at the Third Prince Temple, he can meet the other party again through Bureau 749 in the future.
But Nezha has been waiting for her for a thousand years, and Pingyu doesn't want Nezha to wait any longer.
After a while, Pingyu's feverish nerves finally cooled down. In this temple, listening to the pilgrims coming and going, and smelling the sandalwood incense that was extinguished and then rekindled, a thought slowly rose in her heart.
Taking advantage of the other worshippers' inattention, Pingyu went around to the back of the statue.
She quickly crawled behind the statue and began groping around inside.
Ping Yu was tall and slender, and her actions were quickly noticed. The Taoist priests maintaining order arrived and pulled her away, asking, "Young lady, what are you doing?"
"Sorry," Ping Yu raised his hands, revealing the hair tie on his wrist: "When I was retying my braids, the hair tie accidentally came loose. I just found it behind the statue."
Although the Taoist priest had some doubts, he still told her not to do it and let the person go. Pingyu, still looking like she had done something wrong, slunk out of the Prince's Temple. Stepping out of the temple gate, she could no longer hide her excitement.
There is no space behind the statue.
Her phone, which she had put inside, is missing.
Is it Nezha?
Pingyu knew where to look for him.
As the field operations manager of Bureau 749, Ba was very busy. After dropping Pingyu off at the Temple of the Third Prince, she left, and Pingyu embarked on his journey to find Nezha.
She told Nezha yesterday which vehicle to take and which stop to get off at.
The bus wasn't crowded during off-peak hours. Pingyu sat near the door, watching the scenery outside the window quickly recede. The sunlight was perfect today, making the greenery on both sides of the road appear to melt, shimmering like the faceted edges of emeralds in the light. The announcements inside the bus played at each stop as the journey progressed.
As familiar buildings gradually came into view, Pingyu couldn't help but press his hand to steady his racing heart. His heart pounded so fast it felt like an engine was starting up. It was violent and alarming, as if another version of himself was about to leave this body, his soul about to drift away to Nezha's side.
What should you say when you see Nezha?
Will he still look the same a thousand years later?
Will I not recognize him...?
The announcement rang out.
The station has been reached.
Because she was lost in thought, she almost fell to the ground when she got off the bus.
Ping Yu steadied herself by holding onto the signboard, but there was no one else there. Undeterred, she looked around: the only other people at the bus stop besides the nearby shared bicycles were middle-aged people riding bicycles back from grocery shopping.
Where are they?
Where is Nezha?
Pingyu did not see the other party at the last stop.
Has Nezha already gone home?
But if I go home, my mother will call.
Pingyu's mood became flustered again.
She was afraid she had guessed wrong.
They worried that the phone hadn't been taken by Nezha, but rather stolen by a thief among the worshippers, or kept as lost property by a Taoist priest who came to clean the house.
Pingyu, utterly distraught, slowly squatted down on the spot. She clutched her head, her eyes stinging with tears. The pain that had been frozen during her conversation with Lingquan burst forth like a gushing soda. A sob, like a hiccup, rose to the back of her tongue, opening up her previously muffled hearing as well.
In that instant, everything around me became exceptionally clear.
A voice came from not far away: "Could you please wrap a bouquet of flowers for me? Thank you."
Pingyu's sobs stopped.
She thought she was hallucinating. She imagined herself as a spinning top, slowly turning in different directions. The little mushroom poked its head out of the soil formed by her arms, revealing its eyes, and looked in the direction of the sound.
Behind the bus stop, there is a row of shops.
The first one is a convenience store, the second one is a stationery store, and the third one is a flower shop.
There is a non-motorized vehicle lane between the bus stop sign and the storefront.
A bicycle sped past, dust and sand stinging Pingyu's eyes. Her already sore eyes became even more watery. The tears provided a temporary respite for Pingyu's nearsightedness. Through her tears, she saw a young man selecting flowers in front of a florist.
The boy was wearing an outdated white T-shirt and long, wide-legged jeans. His high ponytail was swept to one side, revealing an earlobe adorned with a gold hoop.
Noticing the gaze, the young man turned around.
Nezha: Ah.
Pingyu: TT
She blinked blankly, and tears streamed down her face.
Nezha watched Pingyu's tears but didn't approach. His eyes gradually curved into a smile: "Pingyu, why aren't you getting up?"
Pingyu was surprised by Nezha's first words. She stuffed her nose and obediently replied, "My legs are numb."
Nezha burst out laughing.
He made no attempt to hide his laughter, laughing heartily until he was doubled over. Pingyu also saw glimmers of light falling from the young man's eyes, tears and laughter merging into one, indistinguishable from each other. Pingyu was infected by his laughter and couldn't help but laugh too.
After a while, they all stopped laughing.
Pingyu's lips gradually straightened, parallel to the non-motorized vehicle lane that blocked their way. With a heart full of unease, she asked softly, "Am I late?"
Nezha paused for a moment, then shook his head: "No."
After saying that, he pointed into the flower shop and spread his hands.
I didn't want to go to see you empty-handed, so I bought flowers.
"The flowers haven't arrived yet, but you've already come."
Under the scorching sun, cicadas chirped among the treetops. Nezha died at the end of summer in Chentang Pass, their childhood ending in the dying sunlight. At the beginning of the middle of summer a thousand years later, the cicadas that died at the end of summer should have sprouted again at this time, and they would have been reunited.
"It came too fast, Pingyu."
-over-
Author's Note: This is the end!!!
I will write many, many side stories; basically everything you requested will be included!! If possible, I hope you can help complete and rate the series of Xiaoping and Nezha [starry eyes][starry eyes][starry eyes][starry eyes]
Thank you all for your encouragement and support. My next book will be a crossover of British and American literature.
The main character of "[Marvel/DC Crossover] Bat-chan is always on the verge of his true identity being revealed" is a Kamen Rider!
See you in the next book!
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