Chapter 00037: Past Events
# Past Events
Chapter 37
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 37: Past Events
Lan Xiaobu desperately wished to stop his body, but his tumble had already triggered a small-scale avalanche. His best course of action was to protect himself and avoid being dragged into the depths of the cliff by the snow.
A massive boulder came to a halt, blocking the rolling Lan Xiaobu. Although he felt several ribs nearly crack from the impact, he finally stopped.
Lan Xiaobu felt incredibly fortunate. He had not fallen into the abyss, and his backpack was still on his back. That palace was truly formidable; if he hadn’t taken advantage of the situation to sever one of the opponent’s hands, his fate today might have been much more tragic—he might not have escaped at all.
Using his uninjured hand, he took out a bandage from his pack and carefully set his fractured bones straight before binding them up.
A dull ache throbbed in his chest, and breathing was difficult, but Lan Xiaobu had no intention of venturing out. Ever since entering Kunlun Mountain, he had been thinking only of staying alive—not even of escaping. If he couldn't find the flying saucer, he could only blame himself for doing his best.
After several hours, Lan Xiaobu finally reached the base of the mountain. At this moment, he was utterly lost. He had lost even his compass during the battle with Gong, leaving him unsure of which direction to go. After snacking on some dry food, he relied on his instincts and quickly left the area.
He worried that Gong might come back. Even if it wasn’t Gong, he would struggle against several of Gong’s disciples.
A few more days passed, and Lan Xiaobu sighed in relief that Gong had not returned. What brought him even more joy was that the bones fractured by Gong’s punch were healing rapidly.
The saying about injuries to bones taking a hundred days to mend was no idle talk, yet his fractures began to heal within just a few days. This led Lan Xiaobu to speculate that it might have something to do with his realm. Having crossed the Bone Tempering Stage, he was now a genuine Meridian Opening Realm martial artist.
With his supplies running low, Lan Xiaobu attempted to hunt some wild game to satiate his hunger.
Fortunately, the depths of Kunlun Mountain were not short of wildlife; it was a rarely-trodden area, and wild animals could often be encountered. After half a month of searching, Lan Xiaobu was now in ragged clothing. Yet, he felt an increasing calmness. Kunlun Mountain was vast, and searching for a flying saucer could not be rushed.
Moreover, he had discovered a better method: every time he traveled a certain distance, he would practice for a while. Through this practice, he could sense the density of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. The more concentrated the Spiritual Qi, the more likely it was that this was the direction he needed to pursue.
As long as he persisted with this method, Lan Xiaobu was confident he could find that flying saucer.
...
Su Cen sat anxiously before an elderly monk with white hair and a beard. This was Master Pingshan, the abbot of Xingjian Temple, who was said to be over a hundred years old.
After she recounted her circumstances, Master Pingshan remained with his eyes closed, and both Su Cen and her mother, Wei Nan, dared not speak freely. A full seven to eight minutes passed before Master Pingshan opened his eyes and looked at Su Cen, asking, "Can you recall when you started having these dreams?"
Su Cen replied almost instantly without thinking, "It was the day I ran out of class to find my classmate, the one at the Lone Tree Mountain near school."
The Lone Tree Mountain at Haiyang Medical University had become even more ironically named; it was originally just a small hill. However, because there had been a tree on top of that hill, it was called Lone Tree Mountain. Since that day when the tree atop the hill was struck by lightning, the hill was now utterly bare.
"Was there anything particularly unusual that day? No need to hurry, take your time to remember," Master Pingshan's voice was gentle.
Su Cen furrowed her brows, carefully reflecting on the events of that day. Her mother comforted her from the side, saying, "Cen Cen, whatever happens, your dad and I are by your side."
Su Cen responded with a soft "Mm," and soon she recalled something, saying, "Right, there were many loud thunderclaps that day, but curiously, it didn’t rain. And... there were also sudden appearances of many white light beams, and I thought it was an earthquake at the time."
Master Pingshan's brows suddenly raised. "Was it on September 17 of last year?"
"Yes, it was September 17 of last year," Su Cen affirmed immediately.
Master Pingshan recited a Buddhist phrase, saying, "Good, good."
"Master Pingshan, do you know what’s wrong with my daughter?" Wei Nan asked worriedly, fearing that her daughter had fallen prey to some malevolent force.
Master Pingshan did not direct his inquiry at Su Cen this time but turned to Wei Nan, asking, "May I ask, has your daughter had any special circumstances or experiences throughout her life?"
Wei Nan fell silent, seemingly struggling to articulate something.
Master Pingshan once again closed his eyes, clearly not intending to rush Wei Nan into speaking. Wei Nan glanced at her daughter and sighed deeply, saying, "When my daughter was ten years old, something happened. While playing at her grandmother's house, she accidentally fell from a height of about seven or eight meters. It was a serious fall. We rushed her to the hospital, and then..."
Su Cen looked at her mother with confusion; she had never heard of this incident.
Wei Nan rubbed her eyes, saying, "After several hours of emergency treatment, the hospital announced that my daughter's heart had stopped beating. After checking her brainwaves, they declared her condition to be irreversible. I am not a competent mother; I failed Cen Cen."
For Wei Nan, she truly felt inadequate. At ten years old, her daughter had nearly died, and even after her daughter entered university, she still couldn't protect her. This was all without knowing that Su Cen had been kidnapped; had she known, Wei Nan's guilt would have grown even heavier.
Even Master Pingshan looked at Wei Nan with some confusion. Why, after being declared as having an irreversible condition, was Su Cen still well?
Wei Nan continued, "That night, I couldn’t bear to leave my daughter's side and stayed with her. Miraculously, my daughter woke up. Later, when the hospital reexamined her, they realized she had been in a state of suspended animation."
Wei Nan patted her chest, still feeling apprehensive about that incident. If she hadn’t refused to leave her daughter’s side, what would have happened if her daughter woke up and she wasn’t there?
"Mom." Su Cen hadn’t realized she had such a past and felt deeply moved. If her mother hadn’t stayed by her side, what would she have done after waking up?
Master Pingshan nodded, "Was there something unusual after that?"
Wei Nan responded, "Yes, after my daughter woke up, she had forgotten a lot of things from her past. The doctor said her head was injured and that she needed to recover slowly. Thankfully, under our guidance, my daughter gradually began to recall her past experiences, and she slowly recovered."
Once again, Master Pingshan recited a Buddhist chant, saying, "Although I am not certain of the reasons, I suspect that what you mentioned about your daughter frequently having dreams recently may be related to these two incidents. The matter of being dead and then coming back to life involves metaphysics, which I won’t elaborate on, as I may not explain it accurately. As for the second incident, the thunder and light beams—many people are aware of this. It has become clear now that this event led to an explosion of Earth’s spiritual energy. It seems that your daughter’s dreams may be connected to the spiritual energy explosion..."
Master Pingshan glanced at Su Cen, "Perhaps these memories have long existed, and the explosion of Earth’s spiritual energy has gradually awakened those memories. One day, you might piece together these fragmented memories and bring them to completion."
"Ah..." Su Cen stared at Master Pingshan in astonishment. "Master, but I’ve never experienced these things. How could I recollect them slowly?"
Su Cen doubted that the master was just trying to deceive her. How could something she hadn’t experienced become whole?
"Amitabha, good, good!" Master Pingshan simply chanted a Buddhist phrase and fell silent thereafter. He closed his eyes, his mouth moving slightly, as if reciting some scripture.
Wei Nan understood that this was Master Pingshan’s habit; when he acted like this, it meant he would not speak again.
She took her daughter’s hand and stood up, bowing respectfully to Master Pingshan and saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Master."
(Today's update ends here, good night, friends!)
(End of chapter)