Xie Zhi had a dream.
In the dream, he was attending the Queen Mother's peach party.
It was really a banquet full of guests. The Jade Emperor, wearing a glazed imperial crown, was sitting at the head of the table, his face could not be seen clearly. The Queen Mother was sitting next to the Emperor of Heaven, smiling and greeting all the immortals to take their seats.
The fairies pushed a dazzling array of dishes past him, placing preserved fruits, candied fruits, drinks, and food on the tables from the inside to the outside.
What surprised him was that no one seemed to see him. They passed by him and passed through his body like passing through a gust of wind.
But this strange feeling soon disappeared, because Xie Zhi realized that he was in a dream.
What is so strange about these things happening in dreams?
Maybe I was having a dream related to "Journey to the West", and I happened to dream that I was Sun Wukong, preparing to cause havoc in heaven?
Xie Zhi noticed that all the seats in the Pantao Club were in the shape of a staircase from the inside out. The tables at the outermost edge were all large round tables. Sixteen people were busy on one table, and dozens of tables were crowded together. The guests among them were laughing and chatting so lively;
The second echelon, which is slightly inside, is one level higher than the dozens of tables on the outermost edge. It has been changed from a large table to a small table. There are eight people evenly spread out on the table. They are also laughing and laughing, but that There are some politeness and calculations in the laughter and laughter, and there is inevitably a lot of talk between glasses and cups;
And further inside is the third step, which is a higher level. The guests on the steps in this episode are even more different. The round table for the small gathering has been replaced by a long table with one person and one seat. Each table has Their respective dishes, delicacies and delicacies were all served in small cups and placed neatly on the trays.
There are ten single tables on the third step, and those sitting there are all immortals from heaven.
There are businessmen playing with coins, Confucian scholars who can’t let go of their scrolls, beautiful women decorating flowers in front of the mirror, and children obsessed with studying the mechanics of building blocks;
There are neighborhood knights dozing off with heavy dark circles under their eyes, and there is a girl holding an erhu, twirling it lightly and slowly, and vibrating the strings of the instrument;
There are middle-aged academics with thick glasses pressed on the bridge of their noses like beer bottle caps, a Taoist priest with an ox-nosed face blowing his beard and staring at a chessboard, and a red-faced monk opposite the Taoist priest who bares his chest and holds a wine cup high to pour wine into his mouth;
In addition to this, there was another person, whose figure was similar to that of a lake. His face could not be seen clearly. He could only see that he was wearing golden armor and golden boots, and a three-pointed two-edged knife leaning against the corner of the table. This shocked Xie Zhi and shocked him. He was able to bring weapons to such an important banquet. The three-pointed two-edged sword was cold and cold. It was obviously not only sharp, but also extremely sharp.
Xie Zhi suddenly thought of a sentence in his mind, "Go to the palace with swords and shoes, enter the court without following, and praise and worship without fame." Xie Zhi remembered this sentence, which was the description of Cao Cao in the Three Kingdoms.
For some reason, the figure of the man wearing golden armor and golden boots is not as clear as the others, but faint flickering and unnatural shaking can be seen, and occasionally becomes transparent, as if it will disappear when the wind blows.
But he didn't do anything. He just sat upright, sitting in his seat with his eyes closed and concentrating.
The fairies pushed the carts in, prepared dishes for all the guests, and then retreated in an orderly manner. The smiling Queen Mother greeted the fairies to start the banquet.
During the banquet, the guests of honor had a great conversation. The immortals paid tribute to the Queen Mother and the Emperor of Heaven from a distance, and wished that the foundation of the Heavenly Court would last forever, that the shadow of the Heavenly Court would spread across the five continents, and that the descendants would be infinitely noble.
After one round of meals, there was another round. Fairies pushed carts in from outside the venue. This time, they brought the highlight of the feast, flat peaches.
Large and small peaches were put into trays and dishes that shone with cold light and distributed to the fairy houses where they were supposed to go.
The immortals in the third row ate a peach at each table. At the large round table for sixteen people, the flat peach the size of a fist was cut into sixteen thin slices. As the round table rotated, it was evenly delivered to each immortal. ;
The fairy family in the second row has two peaches on each table. It is a small round table for eight people. The diameter of the flat peach is about a fist and a half. Each peach is cut into four parts and delivered to the fairy family. The fairy family nods and thanks;
When it comes to the ten immortals in the first row, there is a two-punch-sized one on each table.
Flat peaches, those flat peaches look tender and juicy, and they make people salivate even when they look at them from a distance.
After the fairies distributed all the peaches, only the Emperor of Heaven and the Queen Mother, who were sitting in the first place, were left without peaches.
Then the immortals in the second and third rows suddenly stood up together, raised their wine glasses and sang in unison, thanking the Emperor of Heaven and the Queen Mother for their kindness. Then they all bowed in unison, bowed their heads and sang in greeting, asking the Emperor of Heaven and the Queen Mother to live longer than the ministers, otherwise the ministers would not dare to overstep their bounds.
The ten immortals in the first row did not stand up, but they also raised their wine glasses and agreed with the suggestions of the immortals in the second and third rows.
The Emperor of Heaven under the crown could not see his face and expression clearly, but after hearing what the immortals said, the Queen Mother put her palms together and smiled, and said, "Okay, then I will follow what the immortals said."
Then all the eyes of the immortal family turned to the middle of the hall.
Xie Zhi, who was observing everything silently, was suddenly stunned.
He saw that all the immortals, the immortals in the second and third rows, the immortals in the first row, and even the Emperor of Heaven and the Queen Mother sitting at the top, everyone present, at this moment, all their eyes were on own.
The chills stood up in an instant, and the alarm suddenly sounded in Xie Zhi's mind.
At that moment, a seemingly absurd idea suddenly flashed through Xie Zhi's mind.
Could it be that……
No, how is it possible...
In my dream, how could I become...
Xie Zhi thought this way. He was frightened and surprised at the same time. At the same time, he saw that he was timid under the blazing eyes of hundreds of immortals. He was ready to run away, at least temporarily leaving the current place of right and wrong.
But then he finally discovered something even more wrong.
I actually have no feet!
No, not only do I have no feet, I don’t even have hands!
How did I become like this? Why do I have no arms or legs? ?
No, that's not right! That's not the point of the problem!
who I am? Who am I now? ?
In other words, what am I now? ? ?
Xie Zhi saw two fairies walking towards him. They walked towards each other, one on the left and the other on the right, and finally stopped in front of him.
Then, they bent down.
Xie Zhi finally met their eyes.
He looked into the fairy boy's hole on the left, and for just a moment, he was so frightened that he was stunned;
Then he looked into the fairy's hole on the right. For just a moment, he was so frightened that he couldn't control himself.
He saw a huge peach.
Suddenly, he finally realized that the flat peach he saw was himself.
He is being moved onto the stage by the fairies.
Under the table, all the immortals stood up at this moment, wishing the Emperor of Heaven and the Queen Mother happiness and longevity, and eternal transformation from mortal bodies.
Eternal transformation...
Eternal transformation...mortal body...
I get it, I get it!
In Xie Zhi's mind, tens of thousands of synapses danced wildly at this moment!
Those synapses began to grow wildly, and the thoughts that transcended illusions danced wildly into tens of thousands of tentacles in the heavenly hall!
I see! I know!
Emperor of Heaven! Queen Mother!
I know what you are doing!
You are not worthy at all!
You are not qualified!
You are stealing!
You are changing the sky under the eyes of the world's will!
You are not the next looper at all!
you! fundamental! no!
yes! I was indeed disqualified!
I was disqualified from the moment I left the giant moon world!
But you are lying to me!
I finally found it! finally, I understand! You are lying to me!
You're tricking me into thinking this is all true!
You're lying to me about breaking into that darkness
Then give up resistance!
But you are wrong!
You won't succeed!
You are so close to each other!
I can still be saved!
I can still be saved!
Emperor of Heaven, Queen Mother, I tell you two!
Even if you eat this flat peach!
Even if you change the mediation court into a heavenly court!
Even if you hand over everything related to me to all the immortal families in heaven!
But you keep a close eye on each other!
I will never die!
I, Xie Zhi! I will never die in your Li Daitao stiffness!
Wake me up!
I want to wake up!
Let me wake up!
Travel around! Can you hear me?
I know you're out there!
I know you're not dead yet!
At least at this moment, you are not completely dead!
This is my dream. This dream shows that my qualification as a cyclist has been deprived of me by the giant moon world!
But the people in heaven are not really the new will chosen by the giant moon!
They can't influence the will of the whole world, so they steal! They are robbing!
They want to cut off the inheritance of cycle power before the power of cycle can be separated from my roots, before this seed of cycle finds its new owner!
Travel around! I don't know who is next in line, but at least for this moment!
At least for this moment!
Even if the power of circulation that belongs to me turns into peaches and is distributed in front of all the immortal families, even if the Emperor of Heaven and the Queen Mother are already tasting the fruits of their victory!
But at least for this moment!
The person closest to the moon is actually you!
!
…
Zhou You woke up.
When his eyes opened, the sound of rushing water filled his ears.
But when he opened all his eyes, the sound of water became distant, faintly present.
The sun was dazzling, shining on him through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Zhou You turned his head and looked out the window. There was no huge pale moon outside the window, only a sun hanging in the cloudless sky.
This...is Earth.
Zhou You felt a severe headache, as if the air conditioner had been blown all night. His neck was also a little stiff, and he felt swelling and pain when he twisted it even slightly.
The quilt was kicked aside by him, and most of the quilt was wrinkled and drooped to the corner of the double bed and to the floor.
The giant moon world...is it a dream?
A nightmare.
Zhou You patted his temples with his wrist to wake himself up.
He felt that he had had a long dream, but he could not remember everything in the dream clearly. He only remembered that it was a land illuminated by a huge moon, and was full of dangers. Almost every hour, he lived in the state of being hunted and killed. In the shadow of being persecuted, framed, and plotted.
The alarm clock is ringing, the sound is dull.
Zhou You found the buzzing cell phone from under the pillow and opened the alarm button on the screen.
"Noon, 12:00."
A message appeared on the phone screen, from my mother.
"Today is your dad and I's wedding anniversary. We drove to the seaside park to spend time together. There are stews and cold dishes in the refrigerator. I will transfer 100 yuan to you, and you can also go and eat Kenda Chicken."
On their wedding anniversary, this old couple has a really good relationship.
Zhou You looked at the phone screen, laughed, and then pinched the screen off.
His haggard face was reflected in the black screen, with thick dark circles and bloodshot eyes. He obviously only slept for a day, but it seemed like he had slept for a century.
"That was really a...real dream."
Zhou You sighed, threw the phone aside, and then buried his face in the pillow.
It's great to be back.
Although
I no longer remember what happened in the dream.
But, it’s nice to be back.
He took another deep breath.
Dad, Mom, I miss you so much.
A dog barked outside the bedroom, and Zhou You remembered that dog. It was Da Huang who had been with him for nine years.
Dahuang is already an old dog. The veterinarian said it is equivalent to ninety human years.
But it's still alive, can eat, and can chew bones it doesn't want to eat.
Zhou You felt that Dahuang would definitely live another nine years and live to be 180 years old.
"Oh, Rhubarb, I miss you too."
"But I don't want to move now. I just want to bury myself in the bed. It's been too long since I slept on my own bed."
"I don't know, maybe I really only slept for one night, but I really feel like I haven't been back for too long."
"I miss you, and I miss my parents too... I feel like I've been on a far journey that I almost can't come back from."
Zhou You's voice sounded through the pillowcase.
He seemed to be falling asleep again, and heard the sound of rushing water again.
But Rhubarb's barking became more and more urgent, and the dog's barking became louder and louder.
The sound was mixed with the sound of rushing water. Xie Zhi couldn't understand its cry, but Xie Zhi could hear urgency, anger, panic, and... madness?
Zhou You suddenly opened his eyes. He opened his eyes wide and jumped up from the bed.
The sound of water.
The sound of water mixed with the sound of rhubarb.
But where did the sound of water come from?
Zhou You put on his clothes and opened the bedroom door.
From the bedroom door, Zhou You felt resistance, as if something, like water, was squeezing the door frame from the outside in.
But Zhou You finally pushed the door open.
He saw that there was water all over the ground. The moment he opened the door, the water covered his knees.
There was silt under the stagnant water, which entered the bedroom from outside the door and flowed over Xie Zhi's ankles.
The sound of rushing water suddenly increased. Looking towards the direction where the sound of water came from, Zhou You saw that the kitchen sink had turned into a waterfall, and dark, smelly mud kept pouring out of the faucet.
Zhou You didn't know when the faucet was opened, but Zhou You understood that the speed at which the mud flowed out of the faucet was definitely not normal, because during the few breaths he took to open the door, the water level on the ground was still there. It kept rising, never reaching Zhou You's knees, and quickly rising to cover half of his thighs!
"Woof!"
Zhou You heard Dahuang's cry again.
He saw Big Yellow standing on the dining table outside the kitchen, wagging its tail towards him.
But the next moment he lost sight again, Zhou You saw that the rhubarb turned into a pale yellow flat peach.
The dark waves crashed towards the dining table as the water level rose, and specks of mud fell on the fluff of the peaches.
Zhou You walked with difficulty in the muddy water, heading towards the flat peach.
He didn't know why the rhubarb turned into a flat peach, nor why he was walking towards the flat peach, nor what it meant when the flat peach appeared here.
But Zhou You vaguely understood one thing.
He must swallow it before the raging waves swallow him completely.
Even if you swallow a small part of it, or just bite off a little bit of its peel.
That flat peach belongs to me!
No one can snatch it from me until I take my first bite!
The black mud accumulated more and more, first on his knees, then on his thighs, and finally even covered his thighs and reached his waist!
In the living room, all the tables, chairs and sofas began to float, and the old wedding photos and TV sets were also floating in the dark muddy water. As the water level rose, they drifted with the current, getting higher and higher.
To travel around, you can only use your hands and feet to swim in the rising muddy water.
He moved towards the drifting
The tables and chairs swam away, and wave after wave of waves were pushed from the kitchen. The waves rushed, pushing the swam away from the tables and chairs with difficulty.
Zhou You finally grabbed the back of the chair, and then grabbed part of the corner of the table.
That flat peach is already so close!
But the waves got higher and higher, turning into a tsunami in just a moment, roaring and hitting Zhou You, knocking Zhou You, the tables and chairs, and the peaches on the table over in an instant!
The endless sinking seemed like falling, Zhou You felt like he was falling into the abyss from a height of ten thousand feet.
The tables, chairs, and peaches were all hovering around him, and together with Zhou You, they fell from high altitude into hell and passed through the sea water.
Zhou You looked at the flat peach that was as big as his own head. The peach was turning dark little by little.
Is it... too late?
Xie Zhi looked at Zhou You beside him. Zhou You's body looked extremely thin in the endless deep sea.
He was falling into a sea of irreversible despair.
It's... too late.
The Mediation Court, the Dragon City Heavenly Emperor, the Peach Club, and the Queen Mother of the West have all laid out their plans since the beginning of the time-travel incident just to target me...
It seems that this time, I really have to give a thorough explanation.
Bubbles spit out from the dark flat peach, and the bubbles disintegrated into several pieces, and then quickly flew towards the sky.
Zhou You also looked overhead.
There is the water surface getting further and further away from me.
An arc-like light, maybe a fluorescent lamp.
"I can't go back."
Zhou You took a breath, and then slowly turned his head back.
At this moment, Zhou You seemed to have gained unprecedented peace.
what are you up to?
Zhou You himself doesn’t know.
He just suddenly realized that there were some things that could not be undone.
In other words, there are many things that are irreversible, and there is not even a ten thousandth chance left.
but……
Even if everything is irreversible, does it mean the end of the story?
Is the story really over?
Can’t you sit on tables and chairs soaked in water?
Can’t we eat dark flat peaches?
I fell from the sky, straight to hell.
I sank from the surface of the sea to the deep.
But...can't I live in an endless downward spiral?
Zhou You suddenly laughed.
He said, "Xie Zhi, do you know?"
"I just discovered that this peach turns out to be you."
"You want me to eat a flat peach so that I can take over from you before the mediation court succeeds."
"But, you lost. Before you could wake me up completely, they had already eaten the peach."
"This peach is now black from the inside out."
"From heartworm to epidermis."
The dark flat peach was silent.
Xie Zhi could no longer hear Zhou You's words. Zhou You was just talking to himself at the moment.
However, Zhou You also knew that he was talking to himself.
He just told himself some truth.
Not persuasion, not relief, not confession.
Just simply saying something.
Just like saying, there is a sun in the sky, rising from the east and setting from the west every day; there is a moon in the sky, its size is ten times the sun, at least it seems so - the moon rises twice a day.
Does the moon really rise twice a day?
Maybe.
Perhaps it rises twice on the giant moon world and only once on Earth.
Traveling around means that these things are not important.
It doesn't matter what the truth is.
Past, present, Future;
process, result, purpose;
Is everything really that important?
Can important things really be accomplished?
Do unimportant things have to be as irrelevant to your life as you think?
When you were thirteen or fourteen years old, you fired a shot into the sky. The gun did not go off, and there were no casualties. You thought you had fired a blank shot. When you are thirty years old, or even older, you are walking on the road full of enthusiasm and hear the faint sound of wind whistling behind you. You stopped and when you turned around, the whistling bullet hit your chest.
Do you think I am going to say that everyone must be responsible for everything they have done in the past?
No, I mean...
Even if one day in the future, all the decisions you make now will eventually defeat your future self...
But now, in every moment when you are not aware that you are making a decision, this day is still yours, an ordinary day.
You fall from a height of 10,000 feet, and beside you are a dining table, peaches, and a chair that can sit on.
"Then why don't I sit down and enjoy this beautiful afternoon?"
"I mean, I've never seen anything like this."
Zhou You laughed.
His smile had the calmness of looking across the river.
The fall is endless and so is the pain.
The confusion is endless, and so is despair.
Nothingness is endless, and so is loneliness.
But the table, chairs, and peach are real at this moment.
Zhou You turned the chair over, and in the endless fall, he sat on the chair that was soaked in water and swollen.
He reached out and tried to turn the table over, but there was no point of stress and he had a hard time turning it over.
So he put the black peach directly on the bottom of the table.
"Awesome, what a hearty lunch!"
Zhou You swallowed the dark flat peach into his stomach, as if it was the most delicious food he had ever eaten in his life.
"Mom! Thank you for the peach you prepared for me! It's so delicious!"
…
The floods are overflowing again,
From the collapsed chest of the dark giant, it surged out and turned into a river and a sea.
The sea level is getting higher and higher, higher and higher, reaching the horizon.
