Chapter 267: Extra (4)
“This is Earth Star?”
Su Ci surveyed the bustling streets around him. The sights of civilizations that had perished countless millennia ago now reappeared before his eyes, giving him a sense of disoriented nostalgia.
He could confirm that this wasn’t an illusion. It was the real, physical Earth Star, but…
“This is Earth Star from tens of millions of years ago,” A-Yan said with a nod.
Su Ci looked at him, puzzled. Time’s flow was irreversible—he had tried to reverse it before but found it utterly impossible.
Techniques like the divine art of reviving withered wood weren’t true resurrection but rather exploited the last remnants of life hidden within the wood, injecting it with earth’s vitality to temporarily restore it.
Yet now, they had returned to Earth Star from millions of years ago.
This completely defied Su Ci’s understanding.
Seeing Su Ci’s astonishment, A-Yan couldn’t help but smile faintly. Just as he was about to explain, he noticed the curious gazes of passersby.
In this ancient era filled with cultivators, their sudden appearance in the middle of a bustling market wasn’t particularly strange.
However, their attire—clearly from the interstellar era—stood out in stark contrast to the traditional clothing of the people around them.
Sensing the growing curiosity, A-Yan hesitated briefly before taking Su Ci’s hand. In a flash, they disappeared from the marketplace and reappeared in an empty room at an inn.
A-Yan retrieved two sets of robes and handed one to Su Ci. “I made this myself. See if it fits.”
It was evident he had been planning this for quite some time—even preparing clothing in advance.
Su Ci glanced at him for a moment before taking the robes. There was plenty of time to get an explanation, so there was no rush.
He unfolded the garment, draped it over himself, and with a flick of his wrist, he was fully dressed. His interstellar clothes fell neatly into his hands.
A-Yan, who had been watching him the entire time, felt a tinge of regret that Su Ci had used magic to change. But when he looked up and saw Su Ci in the new attire, he froze momentarily.
The man in crimson robes, with his dark hair flowing freely, stood casually yet radiated an irresistible allure.
The ancient-style robe seemed to have been made for him, fitting so naturally that it was as if he were born to wear such clothing.
A-Yan gazed deeply at Su Ci, momentarily transported back to the countless years he had spent watching this figure.
Although Su Lü had worn similar clothing, his upright and formal demeanor always made it easy for A-Yan to distinguish him from Su Ci.
Taking a deep breath, A-Yan hastily donned his own robe and approached Su Ci, adjusting the folds and placing a jade pendant at his waist.
The atmosphere grew quiet, a subtle tension filling the air as A-Yan worked.
Su Ci watched A-Yan, noticing for the first time how he looked in ancient attire. Dressed in a long robe of pale moonlight, embroidered with golden patterns like his own, A-Yan exuded an ethereal elegance and noble charm.
“Turn around,” Su Ci said suddenly.
Blinking in confusion, A-Yan complied, turning his back to him. He then felt Su Ci’s fingers lightly comb through his hair, and in an instant, his platinum locks cascaded down to his waist.
Su Ci’s lips curved into a satisfied smile.
Long hair suits this look better.
“Hairpin,” he said, holding out his hand.
A-Yan hesitated briefly before silently pulling a jade hairpin from his storage pouch and placing it in Su Ci’s hand. He didn’t ask how Su Ci knew he had one.
Su Ci always had a sharp intuition.
He gathered A-Yan’s hair at the back, styled it into a simple half-up bun, and secured it with the jade hairpin.
“Not bad,” Su Ci said, taking a step back to admire his work.
“And you?”
A-Yan’s gaze fell on Su Ci’s loose, dark hair, his fingers itching to style it. But Su Ci shook his head.
“No need.”
He preferred his hair loose—it felt more comfortable that way.
“Alright, now can you explain what’s going on?” Su Ci walked to the window, opening it with ease despite the protective spell cast on it.
He leaned against the frame, observing the cultivators outside. He began gauging their cultivation levels and the surrounding spiritual energy to deduce the era they were in.
A-Yan joined him, standing by the window to take in the bustling, ancient street scene. In a soft voice, he said, “This is Earth Star from millions of years ago, but it’s not from our timeline.”
Su Ci blinked and turned to look at him.
“When I was learning about human knowledge on the star network, I came across the concept of parallel worlds,” A-Yan explained.
Su Ci had once told him that humans were an incredibly clever species. Despite their natural frailty and short lifespans, they were not to be underestimated.
A-Yan had to admit that Su Ci’s assessment was spot on.
During the age of declining magic, humans had built a prosperous interstellar civilization, achieving remarkable feats despite their limitations. It was something truly worth learning from.
Among those ideas were theories about parallel worlds and traveling to the past. However, as the Spirit of Rules, A-Yan instinctively understood the dangers of tampering with time.
Any disruption to time’s flow could cause catastrophic consequences, potentially leading to the collapse of entire worlds—something far beyond what he could bear.
Even the Earth Spirit, who had existed for tens of millions of years, had never developed a method to reverse time. A-Yan, with just over ten thousand years as a spirit, knew better than to meddle recklessly in such mysteries.
Upon learning the concept of parallel worlds, A-Yan began researching the laws of time and space. Over the years, he made gradual progress, eventually gaining some understanding.
Later, the ancient door, which had achieved its own sentience, returned to Earth Star.
The door’s unique attribute was its connection to space, allowing it to transport people to different dimensions. It could lead to any place it had previously visited, though the results were highly random and unpredictable.
As a natural embodiment of spatial laws, the ancient door had thrilled A-Yan the first time he saw it.
Over nearly ten years, he solved one challenge after another, and only recently succeeded in embedding temporal laws into the door.
The result amazed him—he had created a passageway to a parallel world! It also confirmed the human concept of parallel universes.
“I didn’t reverse time; I simply arrived in another world,” A-Yan explained to Su Ci. “In this parallel world, time flows much more slowly—it’s tens of millions of years behind our own world.”
Finally, he added, “Our actions in this world won’t affect our own, nor will they cause any temporal disturbances.”
Su Ci stared out the window for a moment, his expression thoughtful.
“So, in this world, there’s another version of you… and me?”
A-Yan nodded, his eyes filled with excitement.
“The you in this era has probably only recently become a spirit,” he said. “I’d love to meet you from that time.”
A-Yan’s consciousness had been born from Su Ci’s sorrow—the Earth Spirit’s first growth spurt, a time when his personality had shifted. But what about the Su Ci from before that change? Was he as innocent and carefree as the cubs at the nursery?
Su Ci didn’t respond. Instead, he reached out and flicked A-Yan’s forehead, just like he used to when A-Yan was Entity One.
“Ow!”
Though it didn’t hurt, A-Yan exaggeratedly cried out, rubbing his forehead while giving Su Ci a pitiful look.
Unfortunately for him, the attempt at garnering sympathy didn’t work this time.
Crossing his arms, Su Ci raised an eyebrow and said sternly, “No funny ideas.”
“What funny ideas?” A-Yan tried to feign ignorance.
Su Ci huffed softly. “Even if our actions here don’t affect this world, we should still act cautiously and not casually meddle in others’ fates.”
A-Yan mumbled, “I wasn’t going to change anyone’s fate—I just wanted to meet you…”
“You’re still talking!”
Su Ci raised his hand again, and this time, A-Yan quickly begged for mercy. “Okay, okay, I won’t go! Don’t be mad!”
It took quite a bit of coaxing, with A-Yan even resorting to his fluffy ears and tail, to finally placate Su Ci.
“So, why did you bring me to this world?” Su Ci asked, holding A-Yan’s tail and stroking it idly.
A-Yan smiled gently, his platinum eyes glowing with warmth.
“How about we hold our wedding here?” he suggested. “We can invite everyone you hold dear to witness it.”
Su Ci fell silent.
A-Yan grew nervous, reaching out to touch Su Ci’s cheek as he softly called, “Su Su?”
“This world’s you and me aren’t truly us,” Su Ci said calmly.
The people who had left their world weren’t truly here either.
While parallel worlds were real, to beings like them, they were little more than sophisticated illusions.
As A-Yan looked into Su Ci’s steady gaze, he understood the unspoken sentiment behind his words. For a moment, he was at a loss.
“I just… wanted to make you happy…” he murmured, his head lowering in dejection.
His fluffy tail drooped, and even his ears flattened, making him look like a scolded puppy. It was impossible to stay angry with him.
But Su Ci wasn’t angry.
In fact, he felt quite at peace.
Reaching out, Su Ci ruffled A-Yan’s hair, messing it up as he smiled warmly. “You didn’t do anything wrong, A-Yan. Thank you.”
It was at that moment Su Ci realized he was no longer the person trapped by his past.
He was no longer the one who wallowed in the pain of partings, rejecting connections and pushing others away. Unconsciously, he had moved beyond those old wounds.
Now, when he thought of those who had left, his heart was filled with fond memories rather than sorrow.
And it was all thanks to A-Yan—and this journey to the parallel world.
For the first time, Su Ci felt a profound sense of clarity. The sorrow that had weighed on him for years was finally gone.
“I really like this gift,” Su Ci said softly.
He cupped A-Yan’s face and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.
“Come on, let me treat you to something delicious.”
After all, this world had many delicacies from the past that they’d never get to taste again in their own time!
