Extra 2
Xue Heng called out the names again in a softer voice, his gaze averted. Li Rong couldn't quite see his eyes, and Xue Heng didn't give him time to react, nodding or shaking his head at the names.
"Li Rong, your name is exactly the same as Ziqu's." Li Rong heard a soft sigh and continued to listen to what Xue Heng wanted to say. "One month isn't enough for me to look back on my life. It will be even harder for you." Xue Heng stood up and walked behind the wheelchair, gently pushing it so that Li Rong could see the facilities more clearly.
"To describe it as hard work is probably an understatement. Those things were painful for you," he said slowly. Li Rong cooperated with him as he looked at the equipment inside. "I was the one who first proposed this meeting. You—or perhaps I should say their research—is facing a major problem now—"
Xue Heng paused and used a more familiar analogy, "Just like the factional struggles in the imperial court, after I woke up, I've met many different people. They sometimes mentioned human rights, experiments, and you?"
"Although we still can't figure out what happened, they agreed to one of my requests," Li Rong glanced at the complicated instruments, which were still running non-stop, as if the remaining research had nothing to do with him.
"Perhaps you would like to come with me to visit those places I haven't seen for a long time?" Xue Heng spoke slowly, choosing words that were extremely simplified compared to that era. "They asked me to inform you that the potion you used before can no longer be used."
So it's no longer usable. Li Rong withdrew his gaze, digesting this fact he had vaguely guessed long ago. Problem? He could no longer quite remember the purpose of the principle he kept repeating himself, but the last four words inexplicably came to mind.
Escape... paradox? Counting from what he experienced upon waking up, apart from Xue Heng, he was the only one who was unusual.
Li Rong heard the question clearly from Xue Heng, and stroked the smooth surface of the armrest with his fingertips, wondering whether he should agree to it.
It was an easy excuse to say that he had not been away for a long time. Even if he could completely separate himself from those memories, those were places that Xue Heng had personally visited.
The Later Shang Dynasty - it has been a thousand years since then. The places he can recognize may not be recognized by Xue Heng anymore.
He thought, Xue Heng hadn't failed to understand this, but he was still hesitant, unable to clearly define who he was. Since his parents passed away, his daily life had been about saving money to support the two of them, and he didn't have many friends.
It was only when I saw Xue Heng today that I felt a sense of reality, a sense that I had returned, and also a sense that I was still alive.
The constantly operating instruments made subtle noises from time to time. Li Rong was still hesitating whether to agree to this request. Xue Heng did not say anything else, just waiting for an answer, waiting for a result.
Longxi, Jiangnan, and even Chang'an, Li Rong thought of those names that only existed in books, and compared them with the information he saw and heard in his memory.
Compared to staying in the small but empty room every day, walking with Xue Heng seemed to be a good choice for him.
Regardless of whether he could accept those complicated memories in the end, he should go and see them, even if it was just to see the old place for them. Of course, it was a place he was extremely familiar with, but it was also a place he had never been to before.
From the moment he met Xue Heng, he had a premonition that the various things he remembered and the pain he experienced in the past month were no longer insignificant memories to him.
However, Li Rong did not intend to figure these things out immediately, as he already had a deadline in his mind.
Just as Xue Heng didn't say anything more specific, he agreed to this request which had little background and seemed to have no purpose.
Li Rong nodded, feeling that calling him by any other name would be a bit strange, so he omitted the name. "It would be great if we could go and take a look. If they agree to this, then I'll have to trouble you to continue pushing the wheelchair for a while."
As he spoke, he reached out and touched his calf, where the muscles had atrophied. This month's rehabilitation wasn't enough for his body to fully recover. Li Rong hesitated and tried to call the person behind him according to modern customs, "Xue Heng."
Fortunately, the other party didn't let him hesitate for too long and naturally agreed to his request. "I will discuss the remaining minor matters with them in advance. You can rest up well. You don't have to wait too long this time."
When it comes to the issue of time, they seem to have an unspoken understanding - they all know that this long period refers to the complicated examinations and time alone in this month.
Li Rong responded lightly without hearing what Xue Heng said next. In fact, he himself didn't know what else to say to each other.
At least here, they all know that they are under strict surveillance at all times, and there will be researchers they know or don’t know behind the screen, so there is no way to talk about anything.
Fortunately, an unfamiliar researcher took over the task of pushing the wheelchair, bringing Li Rong out of the silent atmosphere. The sound of the wheels still echoed in the empty corridor, and most of the instruments were still on and running continuously.
Li Rong, however, was no longer as nervous as when he arrived. He had already confirmed the fact he wanted to confirm. Didn't even Xue Heng know why he was here?
He relaxed for a rare moment, his fingers resting loosely on the armrest, feeling an unexpected peace. He knew exactly where this peace came from, perhaps because he knew the days ahead would no longer be a waste of time.
Or perhaps a more direct reason is that, for whatever reason, he would let down his guard when he saw Xue Heng was also here.
Actually, to be more specific, before he had completed his self-identification, this body would have nothing to do with Xue Heng. Li Rong, who stood before Xue Heng today, should also have nothing to do with Xue Heng.
He thought of the principle. The situation that none of them could figure out now might be the inescapable paradox of the second half of the principle—a paradox that existed without anyone knowing why.
Even this experimental research, which should have been a huge success, had run into new problems. But before meeting Xue Heng, no one else had ever mentioned the current progress to him. He hesitated, wondering why all this was being kept from him, but he had no other choice. He only heard a few brief summaries from Xue Heng, and it was hard to tell whether they were true or false.
But for him now, Xue Heng is really enough. It is enough for him to slowly calm down his complicated emotions and slowly sort out what happened in the past and present.
Li Rong returned to his room and mechanically followed their instructions to complete today's rehabilitation tasks. The rain outside the window had stopped. If you looked closely, you could vaguely glimpse a line of green in the distance, which looked like a tree or a mountain.
He lay in bed, unable to sleep as usual. The problems that had troubled him in the past still troubled him, but from the tangled web of memories, he suddenly saw something he had not been able to remember.
It didn't seem to matter whose memories those were. He had simply stolen the identities of many people and was able to experience a little warmth.
The clouds in the sky were dark, and the ever-burning smoke of war illuminated a corner of the city wall. He stayed there quietly, listening to the movements in the tent. Only two or three days remained, and the military supervisors delivering food would soon reach Yumen.
Sporadic sparks fell on the frosted surface of the armor, and the accumulated snow was about to melt. He knew that he remembered it clearly, remembering every curved stroke of the word "river", and also remembering what he had decided.
The river in the dream will always flow out and flow to a very, very far place.
He tasted the sweet cakes that Xu had made herself in the kitchen, a rare treat. His own portion was naturally less sweet. The soft, fragrant glutinous rice paired with last year's freshly brewed fruit wine was fragrant even before he took a sip.
The scenery of Jiangnan is naturally beautiful, and Luzhou, with its proximity to the region, has also been imbued with the warmth of a water town. A stream that never freezes gurgles past the bridge, and hatched fish swarm along the current, forming thin black lines.
The spring breeze still brought a hint of coolness, blowing across the folding fan with its powerful brushstrokes and the thin ropes holding the bamboo scrolls together, swaying again and again...
Pigeons landed in the courtyard, folded their wings, and pecked at the scattered rice grains. He caught the most cheerful one, opened his palm, and let the white pigeon that landed on the wooden frame swallow the grains one by one into his red beak.
Chen Qian usually accompanied Mrs. Huo, getting up early to rest in the courtyard when the autumn wind was not too cold. From time to time, she would look at the cloth samples sent by the housekeeper, choosing the most popular colors in Chang'an this year.
Sometimes they would quietly watch him feed himself, and gently persuade him to stand up and not dirty his new robe, otherwise the laundry servants would not be able to wash it clean.
His wide crimson sleeves drooped to the ground, rubbing against the down feathers dropped by pigeons fighting for food, as well as the gravel on the ground. He lowered his eyebrows and nodded repeatedly, but he was still playful and reluctant to stand up.
There was still much to think about. Li Rong's body slowly relaxed, and he lay on his side, sinking into the warmth. He gradually fell asleep, his chest rising and falling steadily, and he thought of many things vaguely related to Xue Heng.
The daily fatigue should not be carried into dreams. The lights in the room were off, and the white light from the window came in through the curtains. He heard the voices of himself and Xue Zhuzhi discussing Taoism.
I sat there until midnight without even noticing I was hungry, and just let the waiter keep adding tea and water.
Or they could sit and drink, the falling snow on the ground reflecting off the newly charcoaled stove in the house, and they could make out for themselves that everything in front of them was blurry, yet so clear.
It was within his reach, arguing and arguing about who was drunk.
Faintly, you could hear a chuckle, or perhaps a joke or two.
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