Chapter 1001 Lotus Leaves, Mountains, and You
The carp's brain cannot carry the complex memories of humans, so after I was reincarnated as a carp, the memories of my human life were only sparsely scattered in my mind, and among those scattered memories, there was no death.
I don't know how I died. When I woke up, I was submerged in water. At first, I thought I was in amniotic fluid, struggling desperately to be born. But then I saw riverbed creatures like shrimp and snails, and I realized I wasn't in amniotic fluid.
I seemed to have been reincarnated as a river bottom creature.
As for when I realized I was a carp, it was on a rainy day. I tried to jump out of the water, and although I couldn't always jump high, I managed to do so a few times. And then, by sheer coincidence, I saw my own face in the dewdrops on the lotus leaf.
A fish face.
Ah, an ordinary long-tailed carp.
I can’t tell whether it’s disappointment or something else, but if I were given a chance, I would probably prefer to be a cat, any breed of cat would be fine, because cats of all breeds are cute.
Anyway, it's pretty magical. I, a human, was reborn as a carp.
So why? You can't just say it was a wish I made on my birthday, "I don't want to be a human in my next life," that came true, right? That's ridiculous. There are dozens of birthday wishes, like becoming rich, achieving academic success... but it's the wish of not being a human that got fulfilled.
It's really outrageous.
While not being human is fine, it doesn't mean I want to be a carp. I feel like fish don't live very long. My only real joy is that I don't have the legendary "fish memory of only seven seconds." But given my current situation, I can't say for sure whether this is a blessing or a curse.
Now that I think about it, I always feel like I missed a good opportunity to be a cat.
But since I have become a fish, there is nothing I can do about it.
After catching the fish, put it at peace.
I've heard that if a carp jumps over the Dragon Gate, it transforms into a dragon instantly. I don't know if this is true, and I don't have any previous fish to testify. So for now, I can only consider it my ultimate fantasy. Besides, I'm not someone who aspires to achieve great things, so even if I become a fish, it'll be an ordinary one.
The ordinary fish was swimming around in an ordinary way today.
With the arrival of spring, I'm hesitant to leave the lotus pond. Even with my scales protecting me, the sun would still burn me. As a human, I was weak, but as a fish, I'd still be so fragile. Life is hard, and being a fish isn't much better.
But being a fish has its advantages. In my previous life, I was a landlubber, but now I've become a skilled swimmer. I can swim up and down, left and right, and I won't drown. It's a blissful experience. It's like experiencing a joy I never experienced in my previous life.
But sometimes I have a question.
In other words, am I the only carp in this lotus pond?
I don't think I've ever seen any fish other than myself.
This lotus pond is quite large. Am I the only fish enjoying such a large lotus pond? That would be too happy!
I'm secretly delighted, but also a little disappointed. Now that I'm a fish, I want to chat with my fellow fish. When I was a human, I couldn't understand the language of fish. Now that I'm a fish, I'm curious to know how fish communicate.
"Little carp, little carp..."
A voice coming from nowhere brought me back from my thoughts. I wagged my tail in surprise. There were other fish like me. I thought I was the only fish in the lotus pond!
"I'm here, I'm here. Where are you?" I swam around happily.
"I'm on top of you, look up."
look up?
I instinctively looked up, but then I remembered that fish don't have necks. Alas, I couldn't do that. I could only swim upwards. But even after I almost reached the surface, I still couldn't find any of my kind.
Where is it?
"I still can't find you..." I said a little frustrated.
The voice said, "Don't worry, little carp, just wait, I'll come find you."
Hearing it say this, I suddenly felt a sense of relief. But after turning around and around, I still didn't see any creatures that looked like me. Okay, maybe my kind aren't fish. That's how I had to comfort myself.
As I was thinking this, a lotus stem gently wrapped around my body. I experienced the thrill of being a trapeze artist. Before I could even scream, my body was already immersed in water.
The water pooled between the lotus leaves, more than enough for a tiny carp like me. Before I could react—my brain wasn't very sharp as a human, and a fish's brain was even smaller—it was even more disastrous.
I blew a bubble of frustration.
"My friend, where are you?"
The lotus leaf that held me shook, "I'm here, little carp."
Now I understand.
My new friend is not a fish, but a lotus - to be more precise, a lotus that has not yet bloomed.
"Little Lotus, have you just awakened your spiritual wisdom?"
I spent the period from late winter to early spring in the lotus pond, but never heard the sound of the little lotus flowers.
Little Lotus paused and said, "I was sleeping and just woke up."
Sleep...
"So lotus flowers hibernate too..." I thought uncertainly. Do plants hibernate? I suppose they do. The withered lotus leaves of winter come alive again in spring, not unlike hibernation.
"Hibernation...well, it can indeed be called hibernation." said Little Lotus.
The sun didn't burn me at all. Lying in the middle of a lotus leaf, gazing at the cloudless blue sky, I felt like I was on vacation.
"Congratulations on waking up, little lotus. The sunshine is so comfortable, let's bask in the sun together."
Although we are not fish of the same species, it is at least someone I can talk to. I cherish the little lotus so much that I keep talking to it.
Little Lotus is quiet, just listening intently to me. Although I'm just a fish now, and a fish doesn't have any memorable memories, I, with a human soul, can always dig up some interesting and memorable things from my scattered memories.
"Little carp, do you want to be a human being?" Little Lotus suddenly asked me when I was taking a break because I was tired of talking.
I:……
How can a good fish become a human? Besides, I just changed from a human to a fish.
"I'd like to be a cat if I could," I said sheepishly.
"Cat?" Little Lotus asked in confusion, "What is that?"
I:……
Well, it's just a small lotus, it's normal that you haven't seen a cat.
So I explained to it what a cat is.
"...Anyway, it's just super cute. Much cuter than fish!"
It's not that I have a problem with fish, but even the most beautiful fish have ugly eyes. Fish are creatures that can't be scrutinized, and this statement also applies to most creatures in nature.
"But I think fish are cute too," said Little Lotus.
I think it comforts me.
"You don't have eyes... so where are your eyes? You can see me, so how do you see?"
It was strange that the lotus had eyes, but I was also very curious about how the little lotus could see me.
"I don't need my eyes to see." said Little Lotus.
I:……
My curiosity was piqued again.
Little Lotus continued, "I don't know what I use to see. As soon as I open my eyes, I can see everything."
What a magical setting. We are all not human, so why does Little Lotus seem to be more advanced than me?
I feel a little disappointed, but it doesn’t matter, the ordinary fish is also very good.
"Then can you see people?" I asked it.
It shook the lotus stem and said, "I don't see anyone."
"What about the cat?"
"Neither does the cat."
There was no one and no cat. "So what did you see?"
"Lotus leaves, mountains, and you."
My goodness, there are no people, no cats, only a pond of lotus leaves. What the hell is this place?
In fact, when I first came here, I also wondered what this place was, but after I found myself becoming a carp, such thinking seemed redundant.
Now, because of Xiao Lianhua’s words, this question is once again at the top of my mind.
But before I could ask, Little Lotus answered my question in advance.
"Little Carp, you can't see people in Qianyuan Mountain."
After saying that, the little lotus lifted me up and slightly lowered the edge of the lotus leaf so that I could see the continuous mist-shrouded mountains, but not enough to prevent me from falling.
"How can you be so sure... Wait, Qianyuan Mountain? I think I've heard that name somewhere before."
But I couldn't remember it after thinking for a long time. Well, I shouldn't have expected too much from the carp's little head.
However, Little Lotus's words also made me think of another question. "Little Lotus, are you familiar with this place?"
Little Lotus scooped up a handful of water and poured it over me.
"I guess so," it said.
"Mortals cannot climb Qianyuan Mountain."
I:……
A subtle kind of rebelliousness? Wait, I think I heard a rather ominous word.
"mortal?"
My long-held doubts were finally resolved, just like creatures in nature have their own unique biological language for communication. At first, I also thought that this was the case with me, that after being reborn as a carp, I could communicate with creatures other than humans, but the current situation is actually more complicated.
As long as there are mortals, there are immortals, so the talking carp and lotus are more than just a scientific explanation.
"So, I'm a carp spirit, and you're a lotus spirit?"
Little Lotus paused for a rare moment.
"My soul is merely nurtured within the lotus. I am not a lotus spirit."
OK, I am the carp spirit, right?
I finally accepted that I was reincarnated from a human into a carp, and now I have to accept that I have become a carp spirit from a carp.
"And little carp, you can't really be considered a carp spirit now. You've just gained some intelligence."
I:……
Oh, not the carp spirit.
The little lotus seemed to sense my frustration, and it lifted me up high again by holding up the lotus leaves. The feeling of depression suddenly turned into the excitement of weightlessness.
"Cheer up, little carp."
"Stop, stop—Little Lotus—I feel like I'm going to vomit!"
Oops! I'm about to become a dead fish...
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Well, I quit my job and stayed at home, taking advantage of this window period to put some pressure on myself [shy]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com