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

Page 9

He reached out his hand as instructed, and Guan Buzi's mother grasped it, feeling the lines on his palm.

"How is this possible, how is this possible..." she murmured, continuing to squeeze Yue Zhengling's hand tightly, as if she had seen something unbelievable.

"Just tell me straight, I'm prepared." Although it hurt a lot from her pinch, Yue Zhengling didn't pull her hand away.

Guan Buzi's mother paused, then said in a low voice, "Leaving aside the future, your past is too strange. Your past shouldn't have a future at all. How did you manage to survive until now?"

Le Zhengling remained silent and listened quietly.

“You are destined to die at birth. Even if you survive, every day of your growth will be filled with various fatal accidents. The fact that you have lived this long is the greatest miracle in the world.” Guan Buzi’s mother stared intently at Le Zhengling’s face. “If I hadn’t confirmed that you were alive, I would have suspected that you were a living dead.”

"You really are very knowledgeable. I only met the Dead Apostle for the first time yesterday," Yue Zhengling said with a wry smile.

"You've seen those things?!" Guan Buzi's mother stood up in surprise. Only then did Le Zhengling realize that her figure was really good, completely different from how she looked ten years later when she had gained weight.

"Yes, I saw him. I almost got killed." Le Zhengling didn't hide anything and recounted the events of last night in detail.

"You mean you only started encountering these accidents yesterday? What about today? What happened to you today?" Guan Buzi's mother asked anxiously.

"I met a monk today." And so, he told Kanbuko's mother everything that had happened that day without reservation, including the identities of the Aozaki sisters, Araya Sōren's identity, and the story that would happen to them in the future.

“No wonder, no wonder…” After hearing these things, Guan Buzi’s mother stared blankly at the sky.

After a long while, she lowered her head and stroked Yue Zhengling's head, "So you also know about the future."

"No, I've only read those stories." Yue Zhengling shook his head in denial. He knew his own limitations; what he knew wasn't the future at all, but simply a story that had already been recorded.

"I suspect the reason you've survived this long is because you have someone protecting you. During this time, something unusual happened that caused this protection to fail. Do you have any clues?"

Le Zhengling frowned and tried to think hard, but before yesterday, he had been living an ordinary life as usual, and nothing unexpected had happened.

Seeing him deep in thought, Guanbuzi's mother did not urge him, but silently encouraged him, because she knew that if he did not figure out the root of the anomaly, his hopeless future would remain unchanged.

"I can't remember. My life has been very ordinary from childhood to adulthood." In the end, this was the only answer Yue Zhengling could give.

Although that's what he said, the only special thing about him was that he had memories of his past life, but he didn't say that out loud.

So, are those death calamities that Guanbuzi's mother spoke of but were erased by others a means of suppressing force?

As he was thinking this, he seemed to suddenly hear two voices;

no no!

Don't dare!

He raised his head in confusion and asked Guan Buzi's mother, "What do you mean, 'not that I dare not'?"

Guan Buzi's mother looked back at him with a puzzled expression. "What did you say?"

Seeing her like this, Yue Zhengling knew it wasn't her speaking, and was about to ask her something, but she couldn't remember what she had just been thinking.

Chapter Twenty-One: Safety Preparations

“Alright, since we can’t recall any clues, let’s try a different approach.” Guan Buzi’s mother sat back down. “You’ve grown up safely and lived peacefully for over a decade, but what about your family?”

“I was raised by my grandfather. I have never seen what my parents look like, and my grandfather has never mentioned them. Also, I heard that I was born in a country across the sea, and that I settled in this country just a few days after I was born.”

"I see, this is it..." After hearing these words, Guan Buzi's mother suddenly became very tired, and her eyes dimmed. "Your family is indeed related to your ability to grow up safely."

"Even you need key information to see it?" Yue Zhengling blinked in confusion.

“Of course I can see through ordinary people at a glance, it’s just that your situation is too special.” Guan Buzi’s mother waved her hand, “But special as it may be, I can already see a glimmer of hope.”

"You need to find a necklace with a glass ball as a pendant, engraved with the sixty-four hexagrams. That's the key to your survival. It should be in your home. You must find it!"

After listening, Yue Zheng blinked again. Although he wanted to ask about the exact location of the necklace, seeing her exhausted look, he knew she had done her best.

He guessed that the mother of the cloth child's future vision was overused, and he was very moved that she would do such a thing for him, a complete stranger.

Le Zhengling racked his brains, but in the end, although he had no recollection of that thing, he did not continue to ask.

"I have some clues about the strange changes in you. Before, your family probably protected you, but now, they have all left you..." Guan Buzi's mother sighed.

Le Zhengling nodded. Although he thought his grandfather was just an ordinary person, it now seemed that he was not so simple.

Previously, her future vision had indeed allowed her to see through everything, but of all those futures, she could only see three days into the future at most, and they all ended with his death.

She could see all of his future during this period, but she couldn't help him escape death.

In other words, he was bound to die in three days, which confirmed her previous guess—that he was alive until now because someone was helping him or protecting him.

Among the deaths that are foreseeable to be experienced in the next three days, several things are most likely to occur:

He was killed by a heavy object falling from the sky on his way to school the day after tomorrow.

He was hit and killed by an out-of-control car on his way home from school the day after tomorrow.

He suffered cardiac arrest while going down the stairs and fell headfirst to his death.

He suffered a heart attack during swimming class and died despite emergency treatment.

He broke a bottle containing black liquid, and the substance inside pierced his heart. He collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely.

He was killed when the gas pipe in his home exploded while he was cooking with gas.

A man in black came at night, asked some questions, and when the man lied, he chopped off the man's head with a chop to the neck.

The most recent case involved someone who, because he couldn't go home that night and stayed at a hotel, was targeted, captured, and dismembered by a black market organ trafficking group.

Death by fright, rape and murder, dismemberment, car accidents, drowning, being crushed to death, poisoning, stray bullets, sudden illness—in short, all sorts of ways to die.

Even she, a fortune teller who had witnessed all sorts of tragic endings, felt genuinely horrified. What was even more terrifying was the fourth day, which was the inevitable death that all futures pointed to. If he didn't find the pendant within three days, he would die of a heart attack, and there was absolutely no escaping it.

“I don’t know if the world hates you or blesses you.” Guanbuzi’s mother looked at the child wearily. “If you survive the fourth day, come back to me and I will take another look at you then.”

"What's wrong? Didn't we find a way to survive? What else do we need to see?" Le Zhengling asked, puzzled.

"I can only see your future for the next three days, so come find me again if you survive. I'm very curious about what your future will be like."

"So, is there anything we should be careful about during these three days?"

"Of course, first of all, you must get home today and not stay out overnight. Then, take the next few days off from school, don't use the gas stove in the kitchen, don't go out, don't take cold showers, don't break the black bottle, and don't lie to the man in black. Of course, the most important thing is to find the pendant."

Guan Buzi's mother finished speaking in one breath, and finally looked at Le Zhengling with expectant eyes, "Survive, try your best to survive, you must survive."

Le Zhengling listened attentively and kept these words in mind. Then he bowed deeply to Guan Buzi's mother.

"Alright, I have nothing more to say. Time is of the essence, so hurry up and go. Remember to find the pendant I mentioned as soon as you get home." Guan Buzi's mother waved her hand, signaling him to leave quickly.

Without further hesitation, Yue Zhengling took out his wallet, pulled out the largest denomination banknote, and placed it on the crystal ball. "This is not a transaction, nor is it a thank you. It is a custom in my country that fortune tellers must accept a fee for their services, so please accept it."

After saying that, he left the alley without looking back.

Watching his departing figure, Guanbuzi's mother picked up the Yukichi scroll, shook her head with a smile, and murmured, "You must survive. I still want to see you grow up..."

It took him five minutes to walk back along the way he came and see the construction steel lying on the ground. There were already workers and police inspecting the scene, so he had to go to the other side. It took him half an hour to finally get out of the area.

He took a bus back to Kanbuko Station on the JR line, and then, dragging his tired body, boarded the train. He almost fell asleep during the journey, but thankfully, he made it home safely in the end.

Standing in front of the store, looking at the familiar building, he couldn't help but feel as if he had been transported to another world. He opened the door, went inside, took a shower, and changed his clothes. By the time he finally felt refreshed and went downstairs, it was already nine o'clock in the evening.

He habitually went to the kitchen to cook something simple, but remembering Guan Buzi's mother's reminder, he stopped abruptly and went to the backyard.

Over there, there is a stove that uses firewood.

He simply cooked some minced meat and millet porridge and ate it. It was already 10 p.m. Then he called his teacher and asked to take a few days of sick leave.

His teacher didn't ask any further questions, just said a few words like "take care of yourself" and "recover as soon as possible" before hanging up.

"What a troublesome guy." His teacher said this while the call was still going on, perhaps not really paying attention.

Le Zheng wasn't angry when he heard this. After all, they were just strangers in a teacher-student relationship. Japanese society is just this indifferent now. No, you could say that every country's society will be this indifferent in the future.

A smile on the outside, but a 'wTF' in the inside; maintaining a polite facade is enough.

"Well, the first landmine is cleared. Let's clear the others next."

He went to the backyard, turned off the main gas valve, then took a roll of pearl cotton from the warehouse and returned to his room. He opened the drawer, wrapped the bottle of "Creation Soil" tightly with the pearl cotton, put it back, and locked it.

After finishing these tasks, he sat on the bed and began to think. "That's all I can do for now. There's plenty of food, so I can use firewood to cook. The gas is off, so I'll need to heat water for showering. I need to be careful going up and down the stairs, so starting tomorrow, I might as well sleep in the guest room in the backyard."

"In other words, all that's left is to find the pendant. Tomorrow, we'll search the entire second floor and attic. Then we'll move on to the warehouse and the first floor. Okay, that's settled."

After planning everything, he turned on the electric fan, lay down on the bed, reached out and pulled the light cord to turn off the light, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Half Found

The next morning, when he woke up, it was already noon. Le Zhengling glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table and got up in annoyance.

"Damn it, I wasted so much time. Why did I oversleep when it was a matter of life and death?" He scolded himself and quickly went into the bathroom to wash up.

Five minutes later, he took a bite of beef jerky, filled his stomach, and took out gloves, a mask, and a flashlight, preparing to search every corner of the second floor.

First, he checked his own room, since he knew best what was in the drawers. As usual, he opened all the drawers and checked them. Next, he checked under the bed, the closet, the bookcase, and finally the ceiling.

I spent almost half an hour in my room and got nothing.

Next is Grandpa's room. If the thing that Guanbuzi's mother mentioned really exists, then it's very likely to be in this room.

He spent nearly two hours and still couldn't find what he was looking for, but he did gain something else.

There is a family genealogy book of the Lezheng family. Flipping through this old genealogy book, the first page records the pendant that Guanbuzi's mother mentioned. However, it is just a picture. There is no record of what it is called or what its function is.

The family tree records the names of many people. His name is on the page before the blank page, but his parents' names are blacked out. The name above that is undoubtedly his grandfather's name—Le Zhengtu.

Yes, although the surname is Yue Zheng, the combination of Zheng Tu still gives people a strange feeling.

"The proper path does indeed fit Grandpa's impression, but if you see the last instructions he left me, then it has a slightly improper flavor."

In daily life, Grandpa was always cool and aloof, often spouting lofty ideals like "be an upright person and do things honestly." Yet, after his death, he left his grandson with such a profound instruction—

Be a good person, live a good life!

Passing on the family line is everyone's responsibility!

Let your family flourish, starting with you!

"Grandpa, the meaning of 'being a person' changes a bit when combined with the following sentence. What exactly are you trying to say?" After closing the family genealogy book and packing up all his things, Yue Zhengling went up to the attic.

The second possible storage location is this attic that is piled up with things.

The place was filled with odds and ends: old furniture, rusty kitchenware, unopened bowls and plates, and many sealed books, most of which belonged to Yue Zhengling, but mostly in Japanese, with very few in Chinese.

Grandpa said that when he brought him here to avoid trouble, they left in a hurry and didn't bring many things from home. They never had the chance to bring them back later.

Ah, that era...

History will always mercilessly sweep everything away. He had never experienced what happened that year in either of his two lives. He couldn't say he hated it, but he also couldn't say he regretted it.

The search of the attic was faster than he expected, as he found something before even finding a quarter of it.

He found a box in the corner that was exactly the same as the one his grandfather had used to store the book "The Secret Record of Restoring Chinese Cuisine".

Inside were several photos, several letters, two books, and another jewelry box.

"This is your most treasured possession, Grandpa?"

There are five photos in total, taken in chronological order.

The first picture shows a couple with a small child. They look completely unfamiliar, but based on the photos that follow, he guessed that the couple were the young grandparents, and the child's identity was obvious. The photo was taken under a small tree in a courtyard house, suggesting it was summer, as everyone except the child was dressed very lightly.

The second picture should be from when the child was just starting school. The grandmother is holding a baby in her arms, but the baby's appearance is not clear. It should be his uncle or aunt. The location is still under the tree in the courtyard, but the tree has grown a lot. The time is probably spring, and the tree has just sprouted buds.

The third picture is a family photo of many people. The location should be a shrine or similar place. More than twenty people took the photo together. Le Zhengling can see his grandfather and his family in the middle left. His grandfather here can be seen to be old, and he should be over fifty years old.

The fourth picture shows the boy after he has grown up and gotten married. This is also the first time he has seen his parents. The man is very handsome and rugged, with a happy smile on his face. You can tell at a glance that he is from the north. Le Zhengling suspects that the Le Zheng family lives in Yanjing.

The woman in the photos was very beautiful, with a gentle smile on her face. However, she was not like a girl from a poor family; she was poised and elegant. Her hair was combed to the side and adorned with a Chinese knot. Although these photos were all in black and white, the Chinese knot should have been red.

The two stood under the same tree. Only when they got there did Yue Zhengling realize that it was an orange tree, and it was autumn, with oranges growing on it.

The fifth photo was taken in the hospital. It appears to be his mother holding a baby and kissing it affectionately. There is a large group of people around the bed, both men and women, but it's unclear what happened, as everyone looks unwell. It must be winter, as people are holding coats and there is frost on the windows.

He hasn't opened those letters and books yet. After all, what happened in his family wasn't pleasant, so there's no need to create trouble for himself.

If he couldn't find what he was looking for, these things could be a clue, he thought, and then focused his attention on which jewelry box.

It was a jewelry box about thirteen or fourteen centimeters long and less than eight centimeters high and wide. It was quite heavy and had an antique feel, unlike a modern product. The design was very exquisite. The jewelry box was opened by opening the clasps on both sides.

The first thing you see is a layer of crimson cushions. The box is divided into two layers, but unfortunately there isn't much inside. On the top layer is a familiar Chinese knot and a black pearl earring, while the bottom layer only contains a rope and a few orange seeds.

But looking at the rope, Yue Zhengling felt something was off, so he curiously took it out and discovered the problem.

This is not an ordinary rope, but the cord of a necklace. The clasp is a pair of silver cylindrical openwork snaps, but only a circle remains where the pendant should be; the central part has been removed.