- The Bianjing Morning Banquet
The Spring Revelry was held at the Cao family's villa by the Jinming Pond.
Qian Yiyan stood on the outer corridor of the waterside pavilion, staring blankly at the new lotus shoots breaking the pond's surface. Today she wore a pale jade-green jacket over a moon-white long skirt, her hair fastened with only a simple silver hairpin—the absolute limit of balance between propriety and invisibility she could manage.
Her mother, Lady Liu, approached, voice lowered. "A maid from the Cao matriarch just relayed a message. The Liao Deputy Envoy, Yelü Yixin, has arrived. The matriarch's wish... if the opportunity arises during the banquet, for you to inquire of the Deputy Envoy about the celestial divisions of the northern starfields."
The tips of Qian Yiyan's fingers turned cold. "Mother, starfield division is a weighty matter of state and military. How can it be discussed with a Liao envoy at a banquet?"
"Lord Cao's intention is for you to probe the Liao perspective on celestial phenomena under the guise of routine Astrological Bureau verification." Lady Liu's voice dropped even lower. "Comets have appeared frequently over the northern border recently. The Bureau of Military Affairs fears the Liao are planning something unusual."
Qian Yiyan fell silent.
She was a pawn again—a pawn for her family's attachment to the Caos, a pawn for the court to test the Liao.
"Your daughter understands."
Guests were gradually taking their seats within the pavilion.
Qian Yiyan was placed at a forward position among the female guests, an empty seat to her right—reportedly reserved for an honored guest.
Music began, the feast commenced.
After three rounds of wine, an attendant announced: "Deputy Envoy Yelü Yixin arrives—"
The pavilion quieted.
A middle-aged man in Liao official attire, with shaved forehead and braided hair, strode in. Yelü Yixin, Deputy of the Liao Forest Teeth Academy, effectively in charge of intelligence.
His gaze swept the room and settled on Qian Yiyan. He approached with large steps. "This must be Supervisor Qian? I have long heard of your reputation—I heard the capital witnessed a meteor shower-like anomaly the other day. The Astrological Bureau's report called it 'Mars approaching the Heart.' What is your opinion?"
Straight to the point, and hitting a critical spot. 'Mars guarding the Heart' was an extremely inauspicious omen.
Qian Yiyan slowly rose and gave a slight bow in return. "The Deputy Envoy is well-informed. However, the Bureau's report stated 'Mars approaching the Heart,' not 'guarding' it. A single character's difference signifies vastly different heavenly intent."
"Oh? I would be glad to hear the details."
"'Mars approaching the Heart' presages border alerts; 'Mars guarding the Heart' presages internal strife." Qian Yiyan's tone was placid. "This spring, stellar energy indeed encroached upon the Purple Forbidden Enclosure over the northern border, but the three stars of the Heart constellation remain unshakable. This portent applies to the outside, not the inside. Since the Deputy Envoy is well-versed in starfields, you must know I speak truly."
Yelü Yixin narrowed his eyes, then suddenly laughed loudly. "Good! Well said! 'Applies to the outside, not the inside!' Supervisor Qian, are you saying my Great Liao will face military calamity this year?"
"The celestial signs serve as warning, to take precautions before trouble arises." Qian Yiyan met his gaze. "Just as the Deputy Envoy's visit to Bianjing is also to observe the heavens and secure the borders, is it not?"
Their eyes locked, the air grew tense.
The Cao matriarch laughed and raised her cup at the opportune moment. "Both of you are masters of astronomy. Today is a spring feast; let us not speak of military matters."
The atmosphere eased slightly.
By the time Qian Yiyan sat down, fine sweat had dampened her palms. Half her words had been clever debate, half probing—Yelü Yixin's reaction confirmed her suspicion: the Liao were indeed watching the anomalies within Song territory.
The banquet continued.
But Qian Yiyan could no longer taste the food. The An Le Pendant in her sleeve grew faintly warm; fragmented images flashed sporadically in her ears: swaying cerulean light, a metallic wall, a man's low voice...
"...Yanjin..."
That voice again.
She suppressed the urge to react.
"Sister Qian." A soft call sounded beside her.
Qian Yiyan turned. A young woman of seventeen or eighteen had taken the seat to her right without her noticing. She wore a goose-yellow jacket, her face delicate and lovely—Cao Yunxiu, the Cao family's legitimate daughter.
"I've long heard Sister Qian is skilled in astrology and Daoist methods," Cao Yunxiu whispered, a cunning light in her eyes. "Sister's debate on the stars with the Deputy Envoy was excellent—though Yunxiu has heard that recently, besides celestial anomalies, there have been... stranger happenings in Bianjing? For instance... some ancient objects glowing on their own."
Qian Yiyan's heart tightened. "What does the young lady refer to?"
"I have an ancestral bronze mirror in my room. A few nights ago, at midnight, it suddenly reflected strange patterns." Cao Yunxiu blinked. "Later, we had a Daoist priest examine it. He said there was a haunting within the mirror and it must be sealed. But I always felt... the patterns reflected by the mirror resembled a certain kind of star chart. Sister Qian, do you think there truly are objects in this world that can commune with spirits?"
A bronze mirror.
The Cao family was also investigating the Shadow Devouring.
Just as Qian Yiyan was about to speak—
The pendant against her chest turned scalding hot!
The heat was violent, as if to burn through her clothes. Qian Yiyan stifled a groan. The scene before her instantly warped.
The pavilion, guests, music... all blurred and faded like a washed-out painting.
Replaced by another vision:
A cramped metal room, its walls flowing with cerulean data streams. Three figures stood before a holographic projection—the man she'd seen in the mirror vision was at the center, brows furrowed, fingers swiftly manipulating complex schematics in the air.
To the left, a young woman in close-fitting clothes spoke rapidly: "...Signal source confirmed, it's beneath Yanjin! But Metis has deployed seven layers of interference around the channel. If we force our way through..."
To the right, a middle-aged scholar in a blue robe stood with arms crossed, speaking calmly: "Not just Metis. Two other forces are prowling nearby. One reeks of iron and blood, the other... smells of copper."
The man looked up, faint bloodshot veins in his eyes: "Minister Li has given a final order: we must evacuate Yanjin within twelve shichen. But the Fisherman Protocol indicates the Door's next breath is in... eleven shichen."
He paused, voice hoarse: "If the key isn't present to stabilize the frequency during this breath, the Door's fluctuations might tear local reality. Then, for hundreds of li around Yanjin... it's hard to say."
The vision ended.
Qian Yiyan snapped back to awareness. Cao Yunxiu was looking at her with concern. "Sister Qian? Your face is so pale. Are you unwell?"
"It is nothing... just a slight breathlessness." Qian Yiyan forced a smile, her fingers whitening within her sleeves.
Eleven shichen. Yanjin. The Door.
The core message was clear: something major was about to happen at Yanjin, and she, the key—had to get there within eleven shichen, or disaster would follow.
But she was trapped at the Cao family's Spring Revelry. How to escape?
"Sister Qian," Cao Yunxiu leaned closer again, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, "If you wish to leave for some air, I know a small path leading to the rockery in the back garden. It's quiet there."
Qian Yiyan studied the girl. "Why help me?"
Cao Yunxiu pursed her lips into a smile. "Because I think Sister and I are the same kind of people—neither of us likes being caged."
- The Donghai Deadlock
The same moment, Ministry of Security Underground, Temporary Command Center, Level Seven.
The atmosphere was fouler than a full-scale server crash.
Lu Baoyi stared at the cascading data streams on the holographic screen, the blood vessels in his eyes dense enough to weave a fishing net. Thirty-six hours without a bed—running on caffeine and pure adrenaline.
At the screen's center, the point marking the ruins of the Yanjin Stargazing Cottage throbbed erratically like a cardiac patient, its ripples shifting from deep cerulean to a glaring crimson.
"The Door's heartbeat is tachycardic." Lin Wan's voice came through the speaker, hoarse from exhaustion. "Boss, the latest model run... the next active window is nine shichen from now. And the error bars are shrinking, meaning predictive certainty is increasing—not a good sign."
Lu Baoyi's fist struck the console silently.
Nine shichen.
This deadline was more tyrannical than a client hounding for a draft.
"Metis has laid down plenty of electronic smoke around the site." Gu Qingya leaned against the doorframe, an ancient copper coin spinning dazzlingly in his fingers. "Full-spectrum jamming plus localized spacetime curvature disruption fields. Recon drone signals go in like a stone sinking into the sea."
Old Chen entered, expression grim. "Just decrypted an internal circular. The Eternal Cosmos Group has formally submitted a proposal for cooperative development of the Yanjin anomalous energy zone. Attached are... endorsements from twenty-seven academicians. Minister Li's pressure gauge is about to burst."
Xiao Zhao added the finishing touch. "Inspectors from Director Zhao's department came by. A friendly reminder: if we can't provide evidence of harmless controllability within twelve hours, the Seventh Technical Support Division will lawfully take over the site—including all equipment, data, and subsequent research on relevant historically-linked personnel."
"'Relevant historically-linked personnel'..." Lu Baoyi repeated slowly, pulling a humorless smile. "Such elegant phrasing. They just want to add Qian Yiyan to the recyclable research specimen list, don't they?"
Silence.
The air grew thick enough to be used as glue.
Lu Baoyi walked to the panoramic simulation window—a technology his father, Lu Yuan, had helped design the core algorithms for. Father...
An image flashed in his mind: in the crevice of the Door, Lu Yuan's half-human, half-data residual consciousness roaring: "Run! Don't let them get the key!"
"Boss." Lin Wan pulled him from the memory. "I tried reverse-tracing using the An Le Pendant's resonance frequency. Captured some... intense, fragmented signals. Source: Northern Song. Emotional spectrum analysis: high anxiety, determination to burn the boats, and... profound loneliness."
She paused, pulling up a violently fluctuating spectrogram. "This is the peak signal from ten minutes ago. Coordinates near Bianjing's Jinming Pond. Qian Yiyan is most likely at the Cao family Spring Revelry right now, trapped in a social cage."
Lu Baoyi closed his eyes.
He could imagine the scene.
"Nine shichen..." he murmured.
"From Donghai to Yanjin, theoretically the fastest is a military transport, but that requires Minister Li's special approval for the flight path." Old Chen's voice was heavy. "And Minister Li's current stance..."
"Is for us to be politically minded and consider the bigger picture." Lu Baoyi finished the sentence, sarcasm unmasked. "The bigger picture is not to offend the wealth deity that is Eternal Cosmos, not to poke the hornet's nest, and best to gift-wrap this hot potato—along with the possible thousand-year ginseng—and hand it over with a bow."
Gu Qingya suddenly let out a laugh, cold and crisp. "Section Chief Lu, did your father face the same multiple-choice question back then—listen to the leadership for the greater good, or do what he thought needed doing?"
Lu Baoyi turned. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying," Gu Qingya slapped the copper coin into his palm, "Xihe Tech has a modified Gulfstream, ready for takeoff. There are... unofficial green channels for flight paths. But—"
He looked directly at Lu Baoyi. "Once you step onto that plane, you're effectively tearing up your Ministry ID card. The Ministry will declare you a defector, Metis will upgrade you to a primary target, Eternal Cosmos will see you as an obstacle. Even with Qian Yiyan... we might not make it in time at all."
"Have to go even if we can't make it." Lu Baoyi's voice wasn't loud, but each word was like a rivet driven into steel. "This isn't a multiple-choice question. I didn't sign a non-disclosure agreement to be a turtle hiding in its shell before bureaucracy and capital."
"Alright." Gu Qingya nodded. "Then I'll arrange the departure. But before we go, there's a little party favor to handle."
"What?"
"Metis was considerate enough to prepare a send-off party on the rooftop." Gu Qingya gestured towards the ceiling with his chin. "Three Cleaner PLUS models, with new toys. Probably figure if they delay us a few hours, the Yanjin trap will snap shut."
Lu Baoyi exchanged looks with Old Chen and Xiao Zhao.
"Then," Lu Baoyi cracked his neck, "let's give them a crash course in efficiency."
- Rooftop Confrontation
Ministry of Security Building Rooftop. The night wind was biting.
Three figures stood in a tactical triangle formation. These three were on a completely different level from the previous batch. They wore lab coats over faintly visible tactical vests. Each held a peculiar-looking instrument—the main body resembled a shortened trekking pole, the tip embedded with a crystal that cycled through various RGB colors like a cheap LED light.
"Section Chief Lu, an honor." The middle one spoke, his Mandarin flawless. "Metis East Asia Division Technical Supervisor, codename Ferryman. These are Observer and Recorder."
Lu Baoyi assessed him. Around fifty, hair graying and meticulously combed, eyes behind gold-rimmed glasses calm as if in a routine team meeting.
"Skip the pleasantries. What do you want?"
"Simple." Ferryman smiled. "We request your team temporarily withdraw from the Yanjin project for nine hours. In exchange, we provide the complete Door monitoring data and the key-Door interaction experiment analysis report."
"Experiment report?" Lu Baoyi's molars clenched. "You really treat Yanjin as an open-air lab and Qian Yiyan as a lab rat?"
"Please avoid emotional phrasing." Ferryman adjusted his glasses. "The key is a natural phenomenon, the Door another, their interaction an observable physical process. We objectively record and analyze—the necessary path of scientific exploration."
"Science doesn't include setting traps for people!"
"That is called establishing controlled experimental conditions to obtain reliable data." Ferryman spoke unhurriedly. "Your father, Dr. Lu Yuan, was deeply involved in similar research in his early years. Wasn't the original intent of Project Chiyou also to understand and utilize the Door's laws? Our ultimate goals align; our methodology is merely more... systematic and efficient."
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Mention of his father stoked the fire in Lu Baoyi's eyes.
But Gu Qingya moved faster.
He took a step forward, his gait casual yet subtly tracing the positions of the eight trigrams. The copper coin was now held between his fingers, gleaming with a cold, hard light under the moon.
"Finished chatting?" Gu Qingya's tone was flat. "If we're fighting, make it quick. I have a plane to catch."
Ferryman sighed. "Mr. Gu, we are aware of your background. Celestial Stem I, Branch 1, No. 7, affiliated with the Office for the Ecological Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Special Talent Cultivation—a most intriguing institution. The ancient martial and mystical arts your lineage preserves are, in essence, another interpretation and application of the world's foundational laws. We actually have vast potential for collaboration..."
Before he finished, the copper coin between Gu Qingya's fingers shot out like a golden thread!
Its target wasn't a person, but the crystal core at the tip of Ferryman's short staff!
Clang——!
A piercingly sharp metallic clash erupted! The coin struck the crystal dead-on, bursting into brilliant sparks! The staff shuddered violently; Ferryman stumbled back three steps before steadying himself, genuine surprise flashing across his face for the first time.
"Using a physical object to channel qi, disrupting an energy structure at the juncture of form and essence... Impressive."
"The more impressive part comes next." Before the words faded, Gu Qingya closed in like a phantom. He didn't draw his sword, merely extended his right hand, index and middle fingers together in a sword-seal gesture, slashing swiftly through the air before him!
Sss-rip——!
Three faint cyan, semi-transparent gas-like trails materialized in the air!
The trails seemed substantial, tearing through the air with a shriek, aimed directly at the short staves in the hands of the three Metis members.
Observer and Recorder reacted swiftly, raising their staves to weave two diamond-shaped shields of light.
Zzz——!
The gas trails collided with the light shields, producing the violent sizzle of a red-hot branding iron plunged into water. The shield surfaces rippled violently, crawling with spider-web cracks.
"Energy confrontation! Output to level three!" Observer barked urgently.
The crystals in their staves shifted from deep blue to dark red, the light shields thickening, barely holding against the gas trails.
That momentary stalemate was exactly what Gu Qingya wanted.
His form flickered, moving so fast it left afterimages, as if simultaneously attacking the two on the sides.
Lu Baoyi's team wasn't idle either. The moment Gu Qingya moved, Lu Baoyi signaled Old Chen and Xiao Zhao. The three agreed to take out three palm-sized, grey matte-finish metal discs.
On cue, Lu Baoyi signaled Old Chen and Xiao Zhao. As one, they produced three palm-sized, grey matte-finish metal discs.
"High-frequency harmonic resonators, full power output, blanket them!" Lu Baoyi commanded in a low voice.
The discs were tossed into the air, automatically unfolding into flat, levitating rings, spinning madly. With each rotation, they released an intangible, imperceptible sympathetic resonance wave capable of driving precision instruments insane.
"They're destabilizing the equipment's energy field!" Recorder's voice held a note of panic.
The three crystal staves began flashing erratically, their light flickering like faulty lightbulbs.
Ferryman's expression finally changed. "This is... the frequency weapon prototype from Dr. Lu Yuan's theories? You actually materialized it?"
"My father left more than just hard drive data." Lu Baoyi said coldly.
But he knew perfectly well the resonators were consumables; at full power, they'd last five minutes at most. This had to end fast.
"Xiao Zhao, left flank containment! Old Chen, right flank suppression!" Lu Baoyi issued rapid orders, then took a deep breath and charged straight at Ferryman.
To catch rebels, first capture the chief.
Seeing Lu Baoyi's frontal charge, Ferryman showed no panic, instead wearing an expression of appreciation. "Commendable courage." He raised his staff with one hand, the other splayed open, fingers tracing complex mathematical formulae in the虚空中 before him.
Seeing Lu Baoyi's frontal charge, Ferryman showed no panic, instead wearing an expression of appreciation. "Commendable courage." He raised his staff with one hand, the other splayed open, fingers tracing complex mathematical formulae in the empty air before him.
The core crystal at the staff's tip suddenly transformed—like cell division, from one to two, then four... In the blink of an eye, eight smaller crystals orbited the staff, forming an ever-shifting polyhedral structure.
Each crystal facet reflected a different, dizzying image: deep starfields, microscopic particle clouds, distorted non-Euclidean geometries.
"Cognition Labyrinth, first layer initiated." Ferryman announced softly.
The world before Lu Baoyi's eyes instantly spun!
The rooftop vanished, replaced by boundless dark void, distant pinpricks of starlight. He felt bodiless, directionless, his sense of time blurred. Every sensory channel screamed in alarm: This is real! You are floating in deep space!
"Visual, auditory, vestibular, proprioceptive... full-spectrum, high-fidelity sensory deception." Ferryman's voice came from all directions, unlocatable. "Section Chief Lu, your father was trapped in this simulated labyrinth for seventy-two hours. Ultimately, he used topology to find an algorithmic flaw to escape. And you? How long will you take?"
Lu Baoyi forced himself to calm. He closed his eyes, completely severing the unreliable visual input, funneling all his attention into his remaining senses.
The wind—the real, city-scented wind on the rooftop, faint but still there.
The feel underfoot—though his brain screamed he was weightless, his soles确确实实 felt the solid hardness of cement.
The feel underfoot—though his brain screamed he was weightless, his soles unquestionably felt the solid hardness of cement.
And... the stable, clear warmth emanating from the green jade ring against his chest. That heat penetrated all illusory signal interference, utterly real.
He understood.
"Your labyrinth can't override this." Lu Baoyi snapped his eyes open, taking the green jade ring left by his father from his chest, gripping it tightly.
The ring abruptly emitted a gentle yet resolute white light. The glow wasn't blinding, but like the first rays of dawn piercing thick fog. Where it touched, the false starfield peeled and crumbled like fading paint.
"Impossible?!" Ferryman's voice cracked for the first time, laced with disbelief.
"Because this ring and Qian Yiyan's An Le Pendant share the same origin." Lu Baoyi stepped forward, the ring's light expanding with his steps like a self-contained dispelling field. "They are both directly derived from the Door's own laws. No matter how advanced your tech, it's merely imitation, replication of the rules. But this—is part of the original rule template!"
As the words fell, the entire false starfield collapsed thunderously!
Lu Baoyi stood once more on the rooftop, three steps from Ferryman. The latter's intricate crystal polyhedron was now covered in fine cracks, its light dim.
On the other side, Observer and Recorder were also at their limit. Gu Qingya, fighting two alone, still hadn't drawn his sword, but with flips of his fingers and palms, Every strike lands precisely the weakest acupoints in their opponents' energy fields. Their staves' lights grew dimmer, movements sluggish.
On the other side, Observer and Recorder were also at their limit. Gu Qingya, fighting two alone, still hadn't drawn his sword, but with flips of his fingers and palms, every strike unerringly found the weakest nodal points in their opponents' energy fields. Their staves' lights grew dimmer, movements sluggish.
Old Chen and Xiao Zhao maneuvered on the periphery, using the resonators for continuous interference, occasionally supplementing with stun guns.
The outcome was decided.
Ferryman looked at Lu Baoyi now before him and suddenly smiled, the smile carrying a touch of relief. "Fine. Lu Yuan's son is indeed qualified to go to Yanjin." He voluntarily lowered his extinguished staff; the crystal polyhedron faded and dissipated.
"No more obstruction?"
"My orders were to test and assess the target team's determination and capability limits." Ferryman removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose, looking weary. "Test results: determination beyond doubt; capability... exceeds expectations. In that case,强行阻拦 is meaningless."
"My orders were to test and assess the target team's determination and capability limits." Ferryman removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose, looking weary. "Test results: determination beyond doubt; capability... exceeds expectations. In that case, further obstruction is meaningless."
He paused, taking a micro data chip from inside his lab coat and tossing it to Lu Baoyi. "High-precision monitoring data pack for the Yanjin region over the past seventy-two hours. Consider it my personal追加的投资."
He paused, taking a micro data chip from inside his lab coat and tossing it to Lu Baoyi. "High-precision monitoring data pack for the Yanjin region over the past seventy-two hours. Consider it my personal additional investment."
Lu Baoyi caught the chip. "Why help us?"
Ferryman was silent for a moment before replacing his glasses. "Your father was one of the few who could understand the significance of our observations back then. Before he left, he left me a message—if my son ever reached this point one day, don't let him fight alone." He looked up. "Certain waveforms in this chip... he was familiar with. Consider it returning something to its rightful owner."
He offered no further explanation, turned, and left with his people.
Lu Baoyi gripped the chip, his knuckles whitening.
Gu Qingya walked over and patted his shoulder. "Time."
Lu Baoyi took a deep breath, looking towards the lightening horizon in the east. "Let's go."
- Oath Across the Void
The modified Gulfstream business jet tore through the cloud layer, streaking inland.
In the cabin, Lu Baoyi inserted the chip into a terminal. A holographic screen lit up, displaying a 3D model of Yanjin. The central red dot marking the Stargazing Cottage ruins pulsed with increasingly violent expansions and contractions, like a heart on the verge of fibrillation.
"The Door's respiratory amplitude and frequency are both spiking." Lin Wan's remote signal came through, her voice serious over the engine noise. "Boss, I cross-verified the data Ferryman provided with our model. Found a nastier trend—the Door's active cycle isn't accelerating linearly, it's exponentially accelerating. Extrapolating this curve, nine shichen is an optimistic estimate. The actual safe window might be... only six shichen."
Six shichen. Twelve hours.
Lu Baoyi felt his heart sink further.
"More bad news." Gu Qingya pointed at several blinking blue markers on the 3D model's periphery. "Eternal Cosmos's on-site sampling vanguard has already reached Yanjin's outskirts, set up three temporary forward camps. Judging by this deployment pattern, they intend to conduct high-intensity, highly invasive contact sampling when the Door's breath peaks—might even attempt... forced triggering."
"Forced intervention?" Old Chen's brows knitted into a knot. "Aren't they afraid of triggering a chain collapse? Dragging the entire region in?"
"In their risk assessment model, high risk corresponds to super-high returns." Lu Baoyi's lips twisted into a cold smile. "If they can capture even a single fragment of the underlying rules during the Door's active phase, it's enough to let them develop technology that could overturn the entire existing tech tree. Wealth, power, even imagined leaps in life forms... all get a ticket."
Xiao Zhao couldn't help but curse under his breath.
"Whether they value life is another matter," Gu Qingya said gravely, "but their preparations are indeed thorough. Look at this—"
He zoomed in on the surveillance feed near one blue marker. Several bizarre devices, resembling metal spiders scaled up dozens of times, with eight thick mechanical legs supporting a central spherical main capsule. The capsule's surface was covered with dense sensor arrays and... clearly energy weapon ports.
"Rule Harvesters, Eternal Cosmos's latest trump card toys." Gu Qingya explained. "They can briefly solidify local anomalous rule fields and peel them from the fabric of reality, encapsulating them in specially shielded containers. If one of these gets close to an active Door..."
"Qian Yiyan is in extreme danger." Lu Baoyi finished, his throat tight. "The key-Door resonance is, in essence, deep interaction with those same rules. Once a Harvester activates, she could be caught in the effect, becoming part of the encapsulated sample."
A heavy silence fell in the cabin, filled only by the engine's roar.
Lu Baoyi leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. His brain shifted into overdrive, countless variables, paths, probabilities scrolling like frantic code. Every extrapolated path ended in a dead end.
He suddenly remembered a sentence his father had circled heavily in red on a lab whiteboard:
"When mathematics offers no solution, the answer lies outside mathematics."
He'd thought it pretentious nonsense back then. Now he seemed to understand a little.
"Lin Wan," he opened his eyes, his voice calm but carrying undeniable force, "using the An Le Pendant's known resonance band, maximum safe power, send a定向发送 message. The content doesn't need to be complex, just two words—"
"Lin Wan," he opened his eyes, his voice calm but carrying undeniable force, "using the An Le Pendant's known resonance band, maximum safe power, send a directed message. The content doesn't need to be complex, just two words—"
He paused, enunciating clearly:
"Trust me."
"I'll wait."
On the comms, Lin Wan was momentarily stunned. "Boss, that's... isn't it too简略? And Qian Yiyan's side, her era's cognitive framework... will she understand? Her time is now..."
On the comms, Lin Wan was momentarily stunned. "Boss, that's... isn't it too brief? And Qian Yiyan's side, her era's cognitive framework... will she understand? Her time is now..."
"She will." Lu Baoyi cut her off, his tone certain. "Because if I were her, trapped in that mire of powerlessness, facing a completely unknown, potentially fatal invitation, what I'd need wouldn't be a冗长的可行性报告 or a complex action plan. What I'd need would be a promise."
"She will." Lu Baoyi cut her off, his tone certain. "Because if I were her, trapped in that mire of powerlessness, facing a completely unknown, potentially fatal invitation, what I'd need wouldn't be a lengthy feasibility report or a complex action plan. What I'd need would be a promise."
A promise transmitted across the despair of time and distance, from another陌生世界, the simplest and most direct promise possible.
A promise transmitted across the despair of time and distance, From another strange world. the simplest and most direct promise possible.
The moment the transmission order was given, Lu Baoyi suddenly felt the ring against his chest turn fiercely hot—
Not ordinary warmth, but a powerful echo.
A fragment of vision flashed before his eyes without warning:
A bony, well-defined hand (his own hand), With force, the heavy hatch was pulled down. The background was a blinding crimson alarm light flashing wildly.
A fragment of vision flashed before his eyes without warning:
A bony, well-defined hand (his own hand), pulling down the sealing lever of a heavy bulkhead door with force. The background was blinding crimson alarm lights flashing frenetically.
Immediately, another image superimposed:
A woman's hand, inside a dim carriage compartment, clutching a faintly glowing pendant so tightly her knuckles were white. The pendant's edge was already showing fine, web-like cracks.
Finally, a soundless yet clear inner voice,不知来自 him or her, or perhaps an echo generated by the resonance between pendant and ring:
"Once you jump, there's no turning back."
Finally, a soundless yet clear inner voice, impossible to tell whether from him or her, or perhaps an echo generated by the resonance between pendant and ring:
"Once you jump, there's no turning back."
The vision lasted only an instant, then vanished.
Lu Baoyi's eyes snapped open, his palms sweaty.
He understood—that wasn't a hallucination. It was the mutual sight generated by the Door's rules between the key and the key-bearer in a state of extreme determination.
She had received it. She had seen it. She had also... made the same choice.
Meanwhile, in the Cao Family Mansion's Back Garden, Bianjing.
Qian Yiyan stood inside a rockery cave, the banquet's noise faintly audible outside. The pendant in her hand was hot, her palm already reddened from the heat.
Suddenly, the pendant's light blazed!
The light was not dazzling. It was gentle and soft, like the moonlight., yet at its center, two clear characters materialized—
Trust me.
I'll wait.
Suddenly, the pendant's light blazed!
The light wasn't blinding, gentle as moonbeam, yet at its center, two clear characters materialized—
Trust me.
I'll wait.
The characters lasted only three breaths before slowly fading.
But Qian Yiyan had seen them clearly. She stared blankly at the now-normal pendant, her eyes suddenly misting.
How many years had it been? Since her father's passing, she had shouldered the Astrological Bureau's burdens alone, navigating between court, family, and anomalies. Everyone wanted to use her.
No one had ever said to her: Trust me.
No one had ever promised: I'll wait.
She took a deep breath, pressing the pendant close to her chest. The heat penetrated her clothing, reaching straight to her heart.
Just as she prepared to turn—
The pendant in her palm turned scalding hot once more!
This time, it wasn't gentle light, but a vision:
A pair of hands clad in black tactical gloves, bony and well-defined, pulling down the handle of a heavy metal舱门 with force. The background was a wild and rapid flashing of scarlet warning lights. dyeing the entire scene bloody.
This time, it wasn't gentle light, but a vision:
A pair of hands clad in black tactical gloves, bony and well-defined, pulling down the handle of a heavy metal bulkhead door with force. The background was madly spinning, flashing crimson alarm lights, dyeing the entire scene bloody.
Immediately following, a man's low voice, carrying self-mocking amusement, resonated directly in her heart:
"...Even if, after jumping in, you might not even see clearly what the other person looks like..."
The vision vanished.
Qian Yiyan stood rooted, her whole body turning cold, followed by a more surging wave of heat from her heart rushing to her limbs.
She understood.
The one who said he'd wait wasn't waiting in safety. He was also rushing towards the same abyss, pulling down the bulkhead door of his own world with the same determination.
This wasn't a one-way charge.
This was a mutual leap into the abyss.
"Alright." She said softly to the void, her voice steady without a tremor. "I trust you."
With those words, she turned and walked out of the rockery, Her face is now free from confusion and hesitation, filled only with determination of one who burns their boats.
With those words, she turned and walked out of the rockery, her face now free of hesitation and doubt, filled only with the resolve of one who burns their boats.
- Portents of the Storm
On the business jet, Lu Baoyi suddenly sensed something and looked out at the churning sea of clouds.
The ring against his chest was indeed faintly warm, like an antique cell phone set to silent but vibrating wildly in his pocket.
“The signal’s connected.” He said softly, the corner of his mouth quirking into a somewhat odd curve.
Gu Qingya shot him a sidelong glance. “Win the lottery? Smiling so… meaningfully.”
“Smiling at the two of us.” Lu Baoyi closed his eyes, slumping into his seat, his voice languid yet clear. “One living in the Northern Song where the ‘client’ is the emperor and the KPI is called heavenly will; the other stuck writing endless reports and drowning in office politics. And the result? With nearly a thousand years of server latency between us, we’ve somehow teamed up as a random pick-up group about to tackle a dungeon with a high probability of a total party kill. On a gaming forum, we’d be laughed at for a plot this contrived.”
Gu Qingya raised an eyebrow. “So, regret teaming up?”
“Regret?” Lu Baoyi opened one eye to look at him. “What’s regret worth? I just suddenly think… this script might be trash, but at least it’s not boring.” He paused, looking out the window, his voice lower but distinct. “Vast spacetime, boundless universe. The odds of finding another fool willing to jump into a fire pit with you are lower than winning the lottery. Even if the pit might be too deep to ever climb out of. Even if, after jumping in, you might not even see clearly what the other person looks like.”
At least in this damned, grand, and absurd drama, there was one person at the other end of the timeline who had chosen the same action—send, confirm.
Even if they never meet.
The cabin fell silent again, only the steady roar of the engines filling the space.
On the holographic screen, the red dot representing Yanjin jumped with increasing urgency, like a heart racing on drugs.
—And around the red dot, viscous, squirming shadows began to seep out. That was the visualization of the Door’s radiation polluting reality’s data, like ink dripping into clear water, spreading slowly and irreversibly.
The cabin’s illumination lights flickered once, almost imperceptibly yet rhythmically.
Not a voltage fluctuation. That rhythm… was synchronized with the pulse of some distant, massive existence, flashing in unison with the throbbing red dot on the screen.
Everyone felt it—
Old Chen looked up. Xiao Zhao set down his data pad. Gu Qingya’s fingers came to rest on his sword hilt.
That was no illusion.
That thing was awake.
And it was approaching.
On the screen, the countdown flashed relentlessly. With each tick of the digits, another wave of shadow spread around the red dot:
Time until the Door’s next deep breath—
Five shichen remaining.
The storm couldn’t even be bothered with a starting whistle. Its breath was already breathing down their necks.