I want to just drift through life in Type-Moon.

Page 123

Chord's words were like a shot of adrenaline, gradually calming Lingling down. With such a promise, she finally mustered the courage to look at the corridor strewn with bones.

"Those things won't move anymore, right?" Lingling stared at the skeletons for a long time, and only after confirming that they really wouldn't move did she dare to stroll into the passage.

"Don't worry, they won't move. They're just maintaining the way they entered here. Whether it's an emperor or a treacherous minister, a child or an old man, it's all meaningless here."

Chord, who was following behind Lingling, explained in a very calm tone.

Lingling approached the skeletons cautiously, listening intently to the chords to avoid feeling too afraid.

"This place is neither this shore nor the other shore, and these people are not the chosen ones. No matter what their initial wishes were when they entered here, or whether they were brought here by others, they are destined not to get the result they want."

As she passed the first corpse, Lingling froze, then saw a strange sight.

As a young child, he had just learned to walk and recognize people when someone held up a picture in front of him and told him to remember it well. Then they led him to an altar. He didn't know what was happening; he just felt everything go black and he found himself in another place. When he wanted to cry, he knew nothing more.

Lingling stepped out of the child's perspective in the picture and gasped for breath. Although he didn't find it scary, it made him feel very uncomfortable.

She looked at the small skeleton that had just passed by with complicated emotions, and gently bit her lip.

Next, she passed a frail, elderly skeleton dressed in a blue scholar's robe, clutching something tightly in his hand—presumably a bamboo scroll not far from his feet.

Having prepared herself mentally, Lingling slowly overtook him, and then saw another scene.

This is a huge cave, with small compartments carved out inside to store bamboo slips. Countless people are flipping through these books, and even more people are arguing about something around a large wooden table.

"Nonsense! What can grant any wish? It's just the nonsense of sorcerers! Instead of wasting time searching for these unrealistic things in ancient books recorded by who-knows-who, you should be thinking about how to resolve the Qin state's alliances and counter-alliances!" an old man with a full head of white hair and a ruddy face shouted.

“I believe this is not nonsense. It is a record found in the Zhou royal family.” Another old man with a long beard but sharp eyes stared intently at the bamboo slip. “According to what is said here, as long as we can enter that place, we can obtain unimaginable power. Even if we cannot have everything we want, we may still be able to overthrow the Qin people.”

"Absurd! Absurd!"

"I think it's worth a try."

"No, no! It would require too much manpower and would slow down the progress of the Mo family's project."

This debate lasted a long time. In the end, those who persisted overruled the objections and built an altar according to the ancient scrolls. They chose a date and the elder who had led the group from the beginning was chosen as the sacrifice, and the gamble began.

“We have no way out. Qin is growing stronger and stronger. For the sake of Yan, I have no choice but to take a gamble. Yongyuan, if I fail, you should have Prince Dan find an assassin to kill the Qin Emperor.”

Filled with unease and anticipation, the old man walked up to the altar and smashed the jade plate carved according to ancient texts in front of everyone's eyes. With a flash of starlight, the old man appeared in front of the hall, but before he could feel surprise and joy, the world stopped abruptly.

When Lingling regained consciousness, she found that these memories were not as terrible as she had imagined. Although she felt sad, she did not have a strong emotional fluctuation because they had all died before they noticed that death was coming.

Seeing that Lingling had suddenly relaxed, He Xian reminded her, "Don't relax, there are only two. There are still dozens more to come."

Upon hearing this, Lingting immediately became anxious and said, "I understand, Sister He Xian!"

Next to pass by was a person dressed in a dragon robe. When Lingling regained consciousness, her face was completely pale, and cold sweat kept pouring out of her body.

"Why? Why would this person do this?"

Her vision was filled with crimson, a scene of mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.

The time was during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, before the fall of the Later Han Dynasty. The ruler of the Later Zhou Dynasty massacred 200,000 people as a sacrifice to open a path to "Heaven" and ultimately destroy the Later Zhou.

He stood coldly at the highest point of the altar, watching his soldiers continuously stab their people to death and push them into the deep pit. Finally, he picked up the jade plate and threw it into the blood pool formed by the blood of two hundred thousand people. Amidst the nauseatingly thick smell of blood, he entered another place. However, as his eyes revealed wild joy, his time immediately came to a standstill.

Lingling, who finally couldn't hold it in any longer and vomited, looked at the other person's bright and shiny dragon robe and suddenly felt that it should be bright red.

He Xian knew what Lingling had seen, but she made no move. The original purpose of this path was to let the Ji family know how lucky they were to have entered this place unharmed.

This good fortune serves as a warning, advising those who are unprepared not to open the doors of the Mingtang Hall.

The journey of less than fifty meters took Lingling almost four hours. When the moon was high in the sky, she finally arrived at the gate of Mingtang.

Completely exhausted, she supported herself with her hands on her vulva, her whole body soaked as if she had just been pulled out of the water, while He Xian silently patted her back to help her catch her breath.

"Chord—Sister, I did it! Come on, I'm here!" Lingling said, swallowing hard, her voice trembling with a mix of laughter and tears.

“Yes, those who are not qualified are all misled by the legends, just so that beings like Lingling can experience joy, anger, worry, thought, grief, fear, and shock. So, Lingling, who has overcome all of that, is really, really amazing.” He Xian said, seemingly happy, yet also sighing. “As expected of my destined master, Lingling, you are really, really amazing.”

Chapter 274 Hearing Things I Don't Know - Part 8

Chord knows that there is no fairness in this world. Some people are born superior to others. As for the question, "Are kings and generals born with a special destiny?", she would answer you with certainty, "Yes, they are."

Since the beginning of time and the beginning of destiny, who will become what kind of person and what kind of life they will have is actually predetermined.

Even after the fall of the Zhou Dynasty following the Investiture of the Gods, its bloodline continued to influence the entire world. The Ji (姬) are special because they exist as vessels.

As Lingling pushed open the door of the Mingtang, a sense of ancient vicissitudes greeted her.

Stepping into this quiet and spacious hall, the solid and flat crystal floor emits a soft white light, which then shines out in a rainbow of colors, creating a dazzling display.

Streaks of colorful light streaked through the air, and dozens of rainbows shifted and changed in the air before finally rising into the sky.

Looking up at the ceiling, Lingling saw the entire universe and starry sky even clearer than outside.

The towering pillars, representing the celestial and terrestrial elements, supported this space of over a thousand square meters. Each pillar required approximately ten people to encircle it. These pillars were adorned with numerous micro-carvings, but before she could clearly discern what these micro-carvings depicted, a voice suddenly rang out in this open space.

"Welcome to this pinnacle of affection, my lovely, pitiful, and tragic daughter." A melodious female voice echoed in the vast emptiness of the space. Startled by the voice, Lingling looked around nervously.

Following behind Lingling, Hexian remained silent, instead gazing at the hall with a complex expression. He then answered on behalf of the bewildered Lingling, "You are the previous [vessel], Lingling's mother?"

"Being called a 'vessel' by an object is quite a unique experience. Now, let me ask you, 'Boundary Ring,' I had the Jiang family awaken you so that my daughter wouldn't suffer sorrow, but you tricked her into coming here. Do you really intend to seal her away forever?"

The voice sounded devoid of any emotion, simply stating the facts, making the speaker seem like a deity sitting atop a cloud.

"No, although you are the [vessel] of this generation, I have already acknowledged Lingling as my master. And except for the time when your soul is pierced by the wedges every day, you only have your own true will. At other times, you are just a mechanical being."

Chord revealed a confident smile, "I haven't violated any of the rules here, nor do I intend to break my promise to the [World], so how could you possibly punish me?"

The voice didn't respond, clearly indicating that it had been correctly predicted.

"My mother?" From their conversation, Lingling learned the identity of the person who had just spoken. To her, "mother" was probably just a symbol. Even though she had met her friends' mothers, the concept was still too unfamiliar to her.

"Yes, my Lingling, I am your mother." A beautiful woman stood before Lingling, her voice filled with a warm fragrance and an irrepressible laugh.

She had bright eyes and white teeth, willow-leaf eyebrows and a delicate nose, and skin so white it looked like it could be squeezed to release water. Her long, black hair was tied back with an elegant red jade dragon and phoenix hairpin. She wore a magnificent and radiant purple cheongsam, with a seven-star cloud shoulder cape draped over her shoulders.

Not everyone can pull off a cheongsam; it requires a refined temperament cultivated through life experience and inner cultivation. The elegant woman before me, however, wore a simple cheongsam that accentuated her slender figure. Every gesture she made exuded a unique charm. Her light makeup was both clear and profound, and her allure was pure and captivating.

Looking at the face that resembled hers by seven parts, Lingling unconsciously took two steps back. The other person's eyes seemed unusually gentle, but she keenly sensed that this gentleness was just an illusion.

The other person's expression, movements, and eyes were like a fixed painting, seemingly affectionate but actually heartless.

Lingling looked at this person with a complicated expression and said softly, "Hello, Mother, I'm here to liberate you."

The other person still had that smiling look on their face. "If that's really what you think, I don't object, but you're not ready."

Her words were not a rejection, but a statement of fact. Without emotions or desires, she would neither oppose nor approve of anything.

“No, I’m ready.” Lingling shook her head stubbornly, brushed past the person, and strolled toward the pillar steps in the center of the room. Her goal was the altar at the top of the huge pillar.

Ji Qiaoqiao did not stop her, but stood quietly in place, watching Lingling's departing figure.

"Get ready, you'll be free soon." Chord revealed a faint, ethereal smile. "The dream is over, and you're free. Congratulations."

“There’s nothing to congratulate me on. I’ve already foreseen how sad I’ll be when I regain my senses.” Ji Qiaoqiao turned to look at He Xian. “I don’t want to know what your purpose is, but as the guardian and bearer of this place, I still have the right to expel you.”

"But you won't do that, will you?"

"Yes, you took advantage of the situation and became a witness to this handover ceremony, so I can't send you away now, otherwise the ceremony wouldn't be complete. So let's go upstairs and wait for her."

After saying that, Ji Qiaoqiao waved to He Xian, and the two of them disappeared from the spot. They then stood on two other pillars that were next to the huge pillar that Lingling was climbing.

These 108 enormous cylinders are all different colors, and are arranged in a circle with the thickest one as the center.

Ji Qiaoqiao and He Xian, who appeared at the top of the cylinder, stood on the three cylinders closest to the center.

Looking towards the central stone pillar, the first thing that catches the eye is a crystal.

This crystal is like a small mountain, made up of countless prisms. At the very top, the tallest transparent crystal has a bead floating on it like a lotus flower.

“That is—” Chord stared intently at the quietly floating transparent bead, his voice filled with excitement.

After Ji Qiaoqiao brought her own chords, she closed her eyes and waited patiently.

On the pillar she stood was a huge stone carving, inscribed with names, but all of them were surnamed Ji and followed by a repeated character in their given name.

From the top to the bottom, without exception, each name represents a person who, throughout history, served as the vessel for this Mingtang (Hall of Brightness).

Beside He Xian was a huge stone carving knife, its name—Spring and Autumn Period—engraved in oracle bone script on the hilt.

The next task for the witness is to inform the princess of the mission that this [historical pen] will inherit from the [vessel], and then watch as this [historical pen] carves that name on the stone tablet.

Lingling had already traveled over a hundred meters above the ground, stepping on these heavy jade steps, and she felt an unprecedented sense of ease in her mind.

The steps beneath her feet were not actually physical objects, but rather a manifestation of human history. With each new step she took, she would see a century of human history represented within them.

From the birth of humankind in the Age of Gods to the beginning of the Stone Age, from the use of fire to the casting of bronze, and then came war, war, and war—an endless war.

Gods versus gods, gods versus outsiders, gods versus human beings who transcend, mountains and rivers collapse, heaven and earth change color. Lingling, with the perspective of a third party, saw these scenes, saw how humanity barely survived these wars, how they united to defend themselves, and how they finally accumulated advantages to become the victors.

After Lingling reached the top, she witnessed the end of the mythological era and the beginning of the human era. Standing on the cylindrical platform, she felt a sense of lingering satisfaction.

Looking at the height of about 300 meters above the ground, even though she didn't have a fear of heights, Lingling still felt her heart racing.

Looking around at everything under the starry sky, she found that the stars were really within reach. With the help of the bright starlight, she could clearly see the things on the 108 cylinders.

In the very center is the five-colored crystal mountain of "Heaven's Will", beside He Xian is the stone carving knife, behind "Mother" is the stone tablet, and in front of him is the small pavilion.

Beyond that are nine large cauldrons, each with a different shape: some are made of gold, some of iron, some are square, some are round, some have wide mouths, some have straight bodies, some have double handles, and some have huge handles. They are incredibly large, and the cauldrons are decorated with ancient characters and incomprehensible patterns.

It seems to describe the fierce battle scene she just witnessed, or it seems to be a myth or legend about the creation of immortals.

Further away are some strange and unusual objects, including xylophones, bronze swords, jade pots, yellow bells, iron axes, animal hides, red bows, and other ancient-style artifacts.

Further away are small items like jade pendants, gold bells, hairpins, and daggers.

That was the last trace left in this world by her predecessors, or rather, her ancestors.

"Sister He Xian, have you seen what you're looking for?" Lingling knew the fate that had befallen her, and she remained very calm, even concerned about He Xian's situation.

He Xian nodded to her, then shook his head. When Lingling officially ascended to the top of the pillar, he was unable to utter a sound, because as a spectator, he had no right to speak.

This is to prevent the new vessel from being shaken during the ceremony; spectators are not allowed to speak until the transfer of responsibility is complete.

Lingling didn't understand what it meant, but at this point, nothing else mattered. She walked towards the small pavilion and vaguely saw a woman sitting inside through the lattice door. When she placed her hand on the doorknob, Ji Qiaoqiao opened her eyes.

"Have you thought this through? What awaits you is eternal torment." These words were spoken without any inflection or cadence.

"It's alright, I'm willing to exchange this pain for a moment of happiness." He gently opened the dark wooden door a crack.

However, when Lingling opened the door a crack, a melodious singing voice drifted out from inside—

Xiao Long Bao, Char Siu Bao, Custard Sesame Red Bean Buns

Large meat buns, vegetable buns, and soup dumplings

Man proposes, God disposes; the ages have passed in the blink of an eye.

Only at this feast, the abundance will remain unchanged for a thousand years.

Because Lingling was facing away from her, He Xian didn't know what had happened, but the moment Lingling opened the wooden door, she had a premonition that something was wrong.

After the singing started, Lingling stopped pulling the door open, and her expression turned strange.

Not only her, but also He Xian felt the same way. Although no one knew who the owner of the voice was, anyone could tell that the singing tone was very cheerful, which did not match the solemn and heavy atmosphere of this Mingtang at all.

He Xian looked at Ji Qiaoqiao, who still had that same smile, seemingly unsurprised by the situation. However, He Xian realized that she wasn't as calm as she appeared; rather than her expression remaining unchanged, she was frozen in place.

If even an emotionless vessel malfunctions, it means that something has happened in this mourning hall that even the vessel cannot be controlled.

The world is vast and chaotic; the earth keeps turning, and countless joys and sorrows unfold.

Instead of overthinking, it's better not to think about anything at all.

A simple meal, then another, and their eyes shone with delight.

Then exercise to burn off the excess fat.

—The singing continued, and Lingling took a deep breath and suddenly pulled open the lattice door.

Five thousand years of civilization, how splendid! Leaving behind the world's longest collection of recipes.

Flowers fall, hearts break; unable to enjoy them, that's true sorrow.

A simple meal, an extra meal—it's our shared little wish. Let's fight together to defeat that wicked fat!

Wow! Cold rice cake and hot dry noodles! Wow! Pork stew with vermicelli! Twice-cooked pork with sauerkraut, and Lanzhou sesame seed cakes!

Let's eat together, the whole world should eat! Stop struggling, eat it while it's hot!!

Just as Lingling opened the door, the singing stopped. Then, Lingling stared wide-eyed and opened her mouth wide as she looked at everything inside.

Inside, there sat a person who looked exactly like himself, and in this person's arms was a beautiful girl with gray hair and green eyes, wearing a light blue dress tied with a pure white ribbon in the middle.