Wang Lin's absent-minded state as he stared at the fire was interrupted by the sound of saliva being swallowed. He turned his head around and saw a middle-aged man not too far away from him. The man was staring at the rations in his hands and licking his lips. There was a pitiful look in his eyes.
When Wang Lin saw the man's expression, he smiled. At that moment, he no longer felt like the man was a stranger to him. Instead, he felt pity for him.
"For you." Wang Lin took out some rations from the bamboo raft and handed them to the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man's eyes widened. He gulped down his saliva and quickly ran over. He grabbed the rations and put them in his mouth before swallowing them in two bites.
"Delicious, delicious. This king hasn't eaten for a few days … Eh, this king?
Why would I say 'this king'? "The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment. He shook his head and stopped thinking about it. Instead, he stared at Wang Lin.
"What's your name?
Why are you here? Where's your family? "Wang Lin took out a few more rations and handed them to the man.
The middle-aged man gave him an indescribable feeling. The more he came into contact with the man, the stronger the feeling became. It was as if he had met this man somewhere in the past, and there was a vague feeling of guilt in his heart.
The middle-aged man took the rations and was about to put them to his mouth when he heard Wang Lin's words. He was stunned for a moment before he looked at the rations in his hands and started crying again.
"I don't know what my name is … When I woke up, I was in the mountains. I don't want to come back … Golden Light, I remember that when I woke up, there was golden light around me, and there were many people who wanted to capture me. Heh heh, but they couldn't find me." As the middle-aged man cried, his voice became indistinct.
Wang Lin's gaze became gentler. When he saw the man swallow what little rations he had in a few bites, he shook his head and laughed. He took out a canteen from the bamboo raft and handed it to the man.
The middle-aged man drank a few mouthfuls and burped. He looked at Wang Lin with a wide smile and handed him the drumstick he had been holding.
"Here, this drumstick doesn't taste good anymore."
Wang Lin laughed and took the drumstick, but he didn't eat it. Instead, he wrapped it up and put it in his bamboo backpack.
The rain outside the temple grew heavier. Thunder and lightning bolts intertwined, causing the temple door to sway continuously. Occasionally, it would slam against the wall beside it. At the same time, there was a creaking sound as well as a banging sound.
The entire world was pitch-black. Only the faint light from the fire in the temple could be seen. In this gloomy world, it emitted a weak light.
Wang Lin and the middle-aged man sat by the fire. Their wet clothes slowly warmed up.
"Perhaps not knowing who you are is also a good thing.
Sometimes, even if I know, I'll wonder if I'm just someone else's dream … I've been dreaming a lot lately, and the world in my dreams is so real that I can't tell the difference, "Wang Lin said softly as he gazed at the bonfire.
The middle-aged man drank a mouthful of water and shook his head.
"Who said that? Go and see how painful it is to not know who you are. Hmph hmph. If you ask me, it doesn't matter if it's a dream or not. As long as you're happy, as long as you feel happy, it doesn't matter if it's a dream or not. It's all good."
Wang Lin's eyes narrowed. The man's words had moved him.
"As long as you're happy, as long as you feel happy, it's all good …. My dream is to pass the imperial examinations and become an official. I want my parents to live a good life, so they won't have to look at the faces of their relatives …." After a long moment of silence, Wang Lin nodded.
Wang Lin raised his head as he threw some dry branches into the fire and asked, "What about you? What are your ideals?"
The middle-aged man yawned. He seemed a bit sleepy, but when he heard Meng Hao's question, his face lit up with pride.
"I have a lot of dreams. I want lots and lots of spirit stones. I want lots and lots of silver. I want lots and lots of delicious food …." As he spoke, he swallowed hard.
"What are spirit stones?" Wang Lin asked, gaping.
"Spirit stones?
Eee? Did I say spirit stones? What are spirit stones? "The middle-aged man looked at Wang Lin in shock, scratching his head.
Wang Lin was silent for a moment, then laughed. He didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he began to chat with the madman in the rainy night inside the temple.
The two of them seemed to have endless things to talk about. At first, the madman was a bit sleepy, but as they talked, he became more and more energetic. He didn't know why, but when he saw Wang Lin, his heart felt warm. Wang Lin made him feel like a family member.
The wind howled outside, occasionally blowing in, causing the bonfire to sway violently. Cold, damp air filled the air, but it no longer made the two of them feel cold.
Even the enigmatic smile on the face of the enormous earthen statue behind them began to soften. It enveloped the entire temple, dispelling the cold.
It was late at night, but the rain didn't lessen. Instead, it became even heavier, wreaking havoc outside the temple.
The bonfire in front of Wang Lin slowly weakened because there were no more branches to add to it. It seemed like it could be extinguished at any moment.
The middle-aged man mysteriously whispered to Wang Lin, "I'll tell you a secret. I haven't told anyone about this secret."
Wang Lin looked at him and nodded with a smile. His eyes revealed a look of interest.
The middle-aged man proudly stretched out his right hand and placed it in front of Wang Lin.
"Look, look here. What do you see?" The middle-aged man pointed at his right wrist, looking even more proud.
However, aside from being dirty, there was nothing on his right wrist. Wang Lin looked at it for a while, then bitterly smiled and shook his head.
"Eh?
What part of your wrist didn't you see?
That's impossible. Wait here, I'll go wash it. "
The middle aged man quickly got up and ran to the temple to wash his right arm. Then he returned to Wang Lin's side and raised his right arm again. Shen Mi whispered to himself, "Wang Lin, Wang Lin.
"You saw it this time, right?"
Wang Lin had a strange expression and shook his head again. He really didn't see anything.
The middle-aged man was angry and loudly roared at Wang Lin.
"Look carefully, open your eyes wide. You … You … How could you not see it? You're cheating, you clearly saw it."
Wang Lin rubbed his forehead and carefully looked at the middle-aged man's right hand. He bitterly smiled and nodded. "I saw it, I really saw it.
"Hehe, what do you think? I'm amazing, right? Hmph, hmph, I want to find this person. I think he should know me." The middle-aged man sat to the side with satisfaction. He looked at his right arm and slowly fell into a daze.
"I want to find him. I have a vague feeling that he promised to take care of me. He promised to take me to play, but he left … No one cares about me, I'm the only one left … I want to find him, I must find him."
As he muttered, his expression became bleak. He curled up and stared blankly at his right arm. His voice became weaker and weaker until he finally fell asleep.
Wang Lin let out a sigh. He got up and took out a thick robe. He didn't mind the man's dirty appearance and covered his body with it.
Perhaps the act of covering the robe disturbed the middle-aged man. He reached out with his right hand and bent over to sleep. His right hand was facing Wang Lin.
Wang Lin sat next to the fire and looked at the fire that was getting weaker and weaker. He silently pondered in the silent temple and the sound of the rain outside.
His heart was no longer confused. A dream was a dream, and it couldn't change anything. Even if this life was really just a dream, he had to be happy in this dream, and he had to be determined to move forward.
"Just think of that dream as another life for me, Wang Lin!
That life might be wonderful, it might be magnificent, but the loneliness and loneliness brought about by that dream, that sadness, it makes my heart palpitate, it makes my heart ache … "Wang Lin seemed to understand a little.
At this moment, the light from the fire dimmed and the fire was completely extinguished. A wisp of green smoke rose up and darkness once again shrouded the temple. Wang Lin leaned against a pillar in the temple. He was about to close his eyes and sleep when he suddenly opened his eyes and turned to look at the middle-aged man.
On the man's right arm, when the temple was pitch-black, there was a faint golden light flickering faintly. The golden light came from the man's arm, and there, there was a blurry handprint!
It was as if an invisible hand had grabbed the madman's right wrist and left this mark.
Looking at the handprint, a very familiar feeling rose in Wang Lin's heart. He was stunned for a long time before looking down at his own hand. However, because the handprint was vague, he couldn't identify it from the fingerprints. Wang Lin was stunned for a long time before he shook his head.
The rain continued for the entire night and only slowly stopped when dawn arrived. The fragrance of the soil after the rain filled the air and floated into the temple.
There were no dreams during the night.
Wang Lin opened his eyes and stretched his body. He looked at the sky outside the temple and stood up to move his slightly stiff body. He turned around and saw that the middle-aged man was still snoring. His right arm had already returned to normal, and the golden handprint from last night could no longer be seen.
Hiding his doubts in his heart, Wang Lin packed up his luggage and changed into a clean robe. He walked up to the middle-aged man and saw that the middle-aged man opened his eyes. Wang Lin smiled and cupped his hands.
"Meeting each other in one night can be considered fate. I am Wang Lin, and I still have to go to the county to take the imperial examination. He said if I can …" Wang Lin slowly stopped speaking. The madman lowered his head and looked very lonely.
After a moment of silence, Wang Lin only left one day's worth of dry rations. He took out the rest and placed them in front of the madman. He said in a low voice, "I'm leaving. You will definitely find that person. You will."
He didn't know why, but his heart was filled with reluctance. He looked at the madman and let out a sigh. He turned around and walked out of the temple. However, before he stepped out of the temple, he heard the madman crying behind him.
"No one cares about me. He is gone, you are gone, no one cares about me …" Wang Lin stopped and looked at the sky after the rain. A moment later, he turned around and looked at the crying middle-aged man inside the temple and softly said, "No one cares about me.
"I … I'm missing a page boy. Although you are a bit old, it shouldn't be a problem …"
At this moment, Wang Lin didn't know that his words were a reincarnation cycle. Back then, he saw that the madman vaguely resembled a person. That person was the other version of himself he saw in Rosefinch's Human Trial in the Fallen Land. That person was like a steward.
That person held the osmanthus wine in Su City and constantly felt heartache over the money.
Many fellow cultivators could see the karma between the Human Trial and Meng Fan. This was a foreshadowing.
He remembered that when he wrote about the madman, Xu Liguo, and Liu Jinbiao's three treasures, some fellow cultivators thought it was too shallow and inappropriate. However, they didn't know when that plot was also part of the foreshadowing.
Please read to the end.
How could he know that there was no foreshadowing in the first few pages of Meng Fan?
Writing a book through the ear is for a fellow cultivator to have a feeling of enlightenment when they read a certain chapter.
This feeling, in my opinion, can't be exchanged for gold.
Do you still remember the second time you turned into a mortal, the life of Wang Lin and his son? At that time, many people said that they hated Wang Lin and were angry at Wang Lin for not letting Wang Lin cultivate. They felt that Wang Lin was selfish and unforgivable.
But in the end, did you have that feeling of enlightenment?
That's all I have to say. Any more would be spoilers, hehe.