Jian Yumei gazed at his master, "Am I Li Yuanhao?" he dared not believe.
"Yes, you are Li Yuanhao!" the master affirmed.
"How do we explain last night then? Could it be that I saw myself? Or perhaps he returned to find me?" Jian Yumei pondered.
"I believe you left your own body to observe yourself," the master suggested.
"I left my own body to observe myself, an out-of-body experience!" Jian Yumei regarded the master.
The master nodded.
Jian Yumei remained skeptical, "But where did this jade pendant come from? It can't be that I already possessed it! But that doesn't make sense! If I had it all along, I should have seen it before!"
"I suspect it wasn't carried by you, but by someone else. Perhaps another person visited last night and left it there!" the master opined.
Perhaps due to experiencing countless peculiar events, the master remained remarkably composed in the face of this situation.
However, Jian Yumei found it challenging to maintain calmness. Though generally composed for his age, he struggled to remain serene.
"Someone else came last night!" he mused repeatedly, pondering their identity.
"Someone did come, a woman. I seem to recall seeing her, and I found it quite perplexing at the time!" the master revealed.
"Ah, who is she then?" Jian Yumei inquired.
"Strictly speaking, she is not a person!" the master disclosed.
"Not a person? Then what is she? Could it be?" Jian Yumei queried.
"The celestial secret must not be revealed!" the master cautioned.
Upon hearing this, Jian Yumei refrained from further inquiries, understanding his master's character. If he chose not to divulge, there must be good reason.
So, he resolved to wait patiently, knowing that some truths would eventually surface.
Since he was indeed Li Yuanhao, the story behind it would eventually emerge. For now, he focused on handling the present matters competently.
However, if she were a woman, could she be the one in the golden coffin? But she wasn't confined to that ancient tomb; she resided under the protection of the Longevity Herb. So, why did she come here?
After Jian Yumei's last dream, he realized that if that woman truly existed, her body would not decay, aided by the coffins, gold, and especially the Cold Jade within.
He was certain the layer beneath the coffin was Cold Jade because he had witnessed the faint frost emanating from the golden coffin. When he saw the translucent jade bed beneath the woman, it must have been the legendary Cold Jade. It was said that Cold Jade was only found in the far north, where the jade's material had been frozen for millions of years, absorbing the extreme cold of the northern regions, resulting in its unique properties!
Such Cold Jade, when placed under a deceased body, naturally prevented decay for millennia.
However, this alone was not sufficient. To maintain the lifelike appearance of the deceased, the influence of the Longevity Herb was necessary!
The vitality of the Longevity Herb allowed the woman to remain so lively and beautiful after a thousand years of death, just as she had been in the past!
With such a woman in such an extraordinary environment for a millennium, why did she come to him and leave behind such an ancient jade? What did this portend?
"Zi'er, Zi'er!" Jian Yumei repeated to himself.
"That's it!" Jian Yumei exclaimed to himself, recalling the inscriptions he had seen in the mural in the ancient tomb, some of which bore the name Zi'er.
Though many characters were unclear to him at the time, the name Zi'er left an impression.
"Zi'er, Zi'er!" The owner of this jade is Zi'er. Her delivery of the jade to me is itself a miraculous event.
Jian Yumei noticed the master's reluctance to speak further, understanding that it was for his own good.
"Master, I understand a little now. Let's allow this matter to unfold naturally. I will focus on the tasks at hand!" Jian Yumei remarked.
"Yes, everything shall unfold naturally! However, your fortune differs greatly from your father's. I believe this," the master remarked.
"Indeed? How does my fortune differ from my father's?" Jian Yumei inquired.
"Everything is predetermined. Your father's lack of fortune prevented him from attaining what he desired. Instead, he became entangled in emotions, leading to his demise. Even after reincarnation, tragedy followed. However, it will be different for you. Though some aspects of fate may intertwine, your potential is great, ensuring your fate won't be tragic. You may encounter imperfections, but you are far from tragedy!" the master explained.
"Imperfections, isn't that still tragic?" Jian Yumei questioned.
"If you can let go of certain things and seek what you truly desire, you will achieve perfection! Isn't that so? Life is never perfect; gaining something here means losing something there. It's fate! I hope you achieve perfection in this lifetime!" the master stated.
"Well, let's hope so! I feel my desires in this lifetime are simple!" Jian Yumei remarked.
"Time passes, and everything changes. The world of former kings and nobles can transform into a republic. Although there are still many issues in the republic, the hearts of the people lean toward democracy! Everything will change, and so will
you!" the master remarked.
"Understood, Master!" Jian Yumei acknowledged.
At that moment, Wang Laishun knocked on the door.
"Please come in!" the master welcomed.
"Master Lin, Jian Yumei is here too. I've come to bid you farewell; I must leave!" Wang Laishun announced with a smile.
"Stay a few more days, won't you? The surroundings here are serene and beautiful. You can rest well," the master suggested.
"No, I came to teach Jian Yumei and the others properly during these few days. I believe these two children are very talented and will become outstanding individuals in the future. I really wanted to take Jian Yumei to the Whampoa Military Academy, but unfortunately, he doesn't want to go!" Wang Laishun lamented.
"Haha, this child has become obsessed with martial arts lately. If it were before, I reckon he would have gone!" the master remarked.
Jian Yumei felt a bit embarrassed; why did the master know so much about him? Of course, whether the master knew the other reasons, it was hard to say. Perhaps the master knew but chose not to complicate matters in front of guests.
"Well then, I hope to see you again in the future. Jian Yumei, originally, I was invited to Whampoa by President Jiang. When he was in Shanghai, I once inadvertently saved him, so he wanted me to join the military as an instructor! If Maier goes, I think he will become a general within a few years, without a doubt! He can save the country and the people and achieve his ideals and career. Isn't that great?"
"In fact, I also want to go!" Jian Yumei