Chapter 884: The Cycle of Memory

At the same time,

The lion, surrounded by the crowd, seemed to sense something. At the end of the bustling street, it suddenly looked back.

Two gazes crossed the sea of people and the beaming faces, touching for an instant... In that moment, an inexplicable feeling sprouted in Chen Ling’s heart.

Chen Ling couldn't describe this feeling. He felt as if he had forgotten something very important. After seeing those eyes, it was as if some sealed memory began to loosen—a past shared between him and the owner of those eyes.

Before Chen Ling could recall it carefully, the lion turned its head back and walked alone into the depths of the alley amidst the applause of the crowd.

Chen Ling stood stunned for a moment, then suddenly snapped back to reality. He immediately pushed hard through the crowded street, trying to catch up with the lion figure...

He used all his strength to weave through the crowd, past the fire-breathers, hoop-jumpers, and magic performers on the street, then turned into the alley where the lion had vanished, running at full speed!

Hoo—hoo—

Chen Ling was running with difficulty.

The cheers and applause gradually faded behind him, and loneliness and emptiness surged toward him like a tide;

The narrow alleyway gradually blurred, as if he weren't running through an alley, but through someone’s long, inner journey... Chen Ling realized that this was not his memory.

He had entered the depths of another person’s memory.

Chen Ling ran through the alley for a long time until, finally, a glimmer of light appeared at the end of the darkness... Chen Ling rushed into that light without hesitation.

His vision suddenly opened up.

It was a desolate, empty space. Looking around, there was nothing but yellow earth and a few occasional withered trees;

The noise and bustle came from behind. An ancient city, decorated with lanterns and filled with the sound of firecrackers, sat not far away, as if immersed in a New Year’s Eve celebration.

Chen Ling didn't know which dynasty this was, but he could feel that it must be quite distant from his own era...

But what remained unchanged was that, just like the street from before, everyone inside the city was immersed in joy.

"Master... is it time?"

A voice came from behind. Chen Ling turned to look and saw that, at some point, two figures were already standing on the desolate land.

One was the young man who had been wearing the lion dance costume; he was drenched in sweat, as if he had just finished a performance, and was holding a tattered lion head in his arms. The other figure was blurred, but by the looks of it, it was an old man.

"Yes, it is time." The old man reached out, patted Sun Bumian’s head, and said softly,

"Bumian... you must die amidst the sound of gongs and drums."

Sun Bumian asked with concern: "Will I really die?"

"You will die amidst the gongs and drums, and you will be reborn amidst beautiful prayers... Bumian, your path is different from everyone else’s. You are the embodiment of auspiciousness in this world." The old man stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the city celebrating in the distance, and said earnestly,

"As long as there are people in this world praying for happiness, you will exist eternally."

"Oh..."

Sun Bumian nodded, half-understanding. "Then will I be able to see Master again?"

The old man laughed heartily. "Although you will not die of old age, you are ultimately in a human body. Every sixty years, you must fall into a death-like slumber... until one year later, when someone nearby prays for auspiciousness and happiness from the bottom of their heart, you will awaken from those prayers.

Master’s body is still quite sturdy; one year is a wait Master can afford."

"That’s good."

Sun Bumian breathed a sigh of relief.

The old man brushed his sleeves. "Then Master will be going now."

Sun Bumian nodded obediently. The old man walked a few steps, hesitated for a moment, then turned back and said:

"Bumian."

"What is it, Master?"

"You are the embodiment of good fortune and auspiciousness, capable of avoiding disaster and seeking luck. As long as you wish, you can spend every lifetime without calamity... No matter what happens in the future, take care of yourself... do you understand?"

"I understand."

The old man took one last look at Sun Bumian, walked alone toward the bustling city, and gradually disappeared at the edge of the horizon.

After watching him leave, Sun Bumian walked around the area, took a shovel from under a withered tree, and began to dig into the ground bit by bit...

Bang bang bang bang—

Fireworks and firecrackers went off incessantly.

The city was celebrating, and Sun Bumian, while gazing at the noise in the distance, quietly dug his own grave... Chen Ling watched this scene silently. He didn't know what Sun Bumian was thinking, but a sense of loneliness washed over him.

After an unknown amount of time, a level pit appeared in the earth.

Sun Bumian took one last look at the city in the distance, then lay down in the pit with lingering attachment, his hands folded over his chest.

With a thought, the lion head that had been sitting nearby seemed to come alive. Colorful flames wove together to form the body of a lion, and with a gentle nudge of its head, the piled-up earth began to submerge Sun Bumian’s figure bit by bit.

In the end, Sun Bumian vanished from the desolate land.

The colorful flames dissipated from the lion, and it turned back into a headpiece, rolling onto Sun Bumian’s grave, covered in dust, silent and dead.

Only then did Chen Ling step forward. He walked slowly to the level ground, bent down, and picked up the lion head...

He patted the dust off it, looking at the familiar headpiece, and a struggle appeared in his eyes, as if a memory were about to break through the surface.

"You have to wait for him." A voice came from behind.

Chen Ling turned around and saw a white-haired figure wrapped in bandages standing silently behind a withered tree.

"Who are you?" Chen Ling asked.

"My name is Jiang Xiaohua."

"What is this place? What exactly have I forgotten?"

Jiang Xiaohua was silent for a moment, then pointed to the ground beneath his feet. "When he awakens, you will know."

Chen Ling looked down at his feet in a daze, his mind a blank... But after hesitating for a long time, he gritted his teeth and sat cross-legged right beside the grave.

"An auspicious embodiment that cycles every sixty years..." Chen Ling muttered to himself.

"Who... exactly are you?"

……

Sun Bumian slowly opened his eyes.

Bone-chilling wind mixed with cold rain fell upon his thin Tang suit, and a shiver ran through him.

"Where is this?"

Sun Bumian looked around and found himself in front of the gate of a luxurious manor. On both sides were northern-style houses stretching into the distance, and blue-green auroras moved silently above his head like ribbons.

Sun Bumian looked at the auroras, feeling as if he should know where this was, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall...

Just then, the manor gate suddenly opened.

A figure stumbled out, losing balance as if kicked, and fell headlong in front of Sun Bumian, sending dust flying.

"You dog, a mere servant, and you dare to talk back to me??"