Section 19
Luna Wu's account was lengthy, spanning two realms of time. As she concluded her narrative, Leo Lee unexpectedly rose to pour her a glass of water.
"Could it be that the place I visited is that green seed, the beehive?" The vision of the oval chamber lingered in Luna's mind, leaving her in a daze.
Upon returning to their rented room, it was Luna who shared her thoughts while Leo remained silent. At last, he spoke, "Miss Wu, you previously asked me why it is you."
"Indeed," Luna responded, following his lead. "You mentioned your curiosity."
"A month ago, my master divined an omen predicting your arrival, Miss Wu. Subsequently, I was dispatched to assist you," Leo explained calmly. "My master indicated that my existence is to await your presence."
Luna Wu couldn't help but let out a small gasp at his calm declaration.
"As for the Nanhai County bee incident, I have thoroughly investigated its origins and am well aware, Miss Wu. However, there is one detail I have yet to explain. There are some unverified rumors concerning this extraordinary bee."
"An ancient poisonous bee?" Luna recalled Aria's words. "Is it an ancient poisonous bee or an extraordinary bee? I can't quite remember."
"The distinction between poisonous and extraordinary is irrelevant. What matters is the rumor that it possesses divine lineage."
"Divine lineage... what does that imply?"
Leaning back against the couch, Leo Lee sat with composure, while Luna positioned herself upright beside him. Maintaining her turned posture, she finally recognized the awkwardness and slumped into a more relaxed stance.
"Have you ever read ancient texts on the supernatural, Miss Wu?"
"The Classic of Mountains and Seas?"
"Something of that nature."
"I haven't studied it in depth, but I have a general understanding."
"In my era, there are numerous ancient texts concerning the supernatural, as well as many illustrated volumes detailing a host of ancient beings. It is said that the extraordinary bee of Nanhai County existed before Pangu separated heaven and earth. This bee is considered divine, and its beehive is a rare treasure. The wax, honey, and royal jelly within hold immense value; ordinary individuals consuming them could prolong their lives, while practitioners of the arcane arts could experience significant advancement."
"Is this merely a legend?" Luna harbored skepticism towards notions of the arcane.
"Unverified," Leo acknowledged, pausing for a moment before adding, "Moreover, the beehive is said to contain another treasure: propolis."
"Propolis?"
"Very few ancient texts mention this substance. The propolis of this ancient extraordinary bee can adhere to any object in the world, including the human body—even if the body is dismembered."
Suddenly, the headlights of a passing vehicle illuminated the room, casting fleeting shadows against the white walls. Luna gazed at Leo's face, and in that moment, she truly grasped that she and this man belonged to entirely different worlds.
"So, you, Aria Hu, and Victor Ward are all here for the beehive?" Luna inquired.
"I was sent by my master to Nanhai County, not intentionally for the beehive," Leo replied. "As for Victor and the spirit, they likely have heard some of these legends."
"Regarding the spirit, what precisely is it?" Luna questioned. "In my dictionary, it's merely an adjective."
"There are many descriptions of spirits in ancient texts, all differing and without consensus. They are often collectively referred to as ghosts; they can signify the souls of the deceased or evolved beings that ordinary people cannot see."
"By the way, the entities summoned by that sorcerer—were you unable to see them as well?"
"Indeed," Leo nodded. "Prohibited spells summon spirits invisible to ordinary people."
Luna quietly processed the information he had provided, musing, "But why can only I see them?"
"I too wish to understand why."
They both fell into silence.
"I observed that Aria, the spirit, easily outmatched the sorcerer, yet she could not produce the beehive. Does this mean the ancient divine lineage is more formidable than the spirit?"
"Ancient texts state that different types of divine lineages possess various abilities. Spirits are merely one form and do not possess unique powers," Leo replied.
"Aria mentioned that the ancient extraordinary bee fears me…" Luna hesitated, unsure whether to continue.
"Miss Wu, you may speak freely."
Luna guessed that he shared her reasoning. She had hoped he would elaborate, but instead, he returned the question to her. Reluctantly, she pressed on, "Could it be that I possess some special ability, perhaps belonging to a certain kind of ancient divine lineage…"
"That possibility cannot be ruled out."
Detecting a hint of amusement in his tone, Luna felt a blush creep across her cheeks. Turning to him, she saw that he was indeed smiling slightly, causing her embarrassment to swell. She was grateful for the dimly lit room; otherwise, confessing to being an ancient divine lineage would feel undeniably foolish.
Leo abruptly stood. "It's getting late, Miss Wu. You have work tomorrow, so I won't impose further."
"Ah, oh, alright." Luna stood up slowly, escorting him to the door as before.
As they shifted positions, Luna noticed the injury on the right side of Leo's neck—a long scar. Remembering the first-aid kit at home, she immediately asked, "Shouldn't we tend to your wound?"
Leo seemed to recall his injury for the first time, momentarily furrowing his brow before relaxing. "It's just a minor injury; please don't trouble yourself, Miss Wu." With that, he turned to leave.
Luna stood at the door for a moment, watching until he disappeared around the corner of the stairs, before closing the door. Suddenly, her curiosity about his next destination piqued:
Where would he go next?
Would he remain in this era or return to the Tang Dynasty?
If he stayed in this era, where would he reside?
If he returned to the Tang Dynasty, how would he manage it?
Section 20
The academic environment is straightforward, with Luna Wu's social circle consisting mainly of students and teachers. Despite her shift in identity, she has not entirely transitioned into a "member of society" in her mindset.
Her choice to attend university was initially motivated by her mother's wishes; however, with the upheaval in her life, she now feels grateful for that decision. Thanks to her relatively light workload, Luna has begun to investigate the possibility of possessing "ancient divine lineage."
Mia Wu gave birth to Luna at the age of twenty-three and divorced at twenty-five, embarking on a solitary journey with her daughter to a distant place. Due to a strained relationship with her parents, Mia rarely maintained contact with relatives after her divorce.
Luna recalls that during her childhood, her mother would take her back to visit, but her grandfather would always hide in his room. Only her grandmother struggled to sustain the familial bond.
After Luna turned ten, Mia never brought her back to their hometown again. Mia's explanation was casual: "Wherever your mother is, that is our hometown."
Although Mia's education ended at high school, her approach to life was remarkably avant-garde.
In Luna's memories, her mother rarely experienced a period of emotional unavailability, often having numerous boyfriends. However, she never engaged in indiscriminate affairs; each relationship had a beginning and an end, and she neither intruded upon others' relationships nor allowed herself to be intruded upon. Most importantly, the men Mia chose were generally kind to Luna.
"That's why I say, when you look for a partner, let me help you filter them," Mia often asserted. "The men your mother has known outnumber those you've met."
Perhaps due to the constant comings and goings of her mother's lovers, Luna had little romantic fantasy during her adolescence and, unlike her peers, lacked curiosity about the opposite sex. This led to her remaining single until the age of twenty-five, prompting her mother's concern that she might never marry, resulting in a flurry of matchmaking attempts.
"…Our ancestors were all ordinary people?" Following Mia's excuse that her workplace required a background check, Luna received a disheartening answer.
"What's wrong with being ordinary? Would you prefer to be born into a wealthy and powerful family?"
"…Not exactly."
"Let me tell you, by the time you reach my age, you'll have encountered nearly everything and everyone, and you'll realize that being ordinary is the way to live."
As Mia began to drift toward mystical explanations of fate, Luna lost interest and decided to end the call. But then she remembered something else: "Did you read my fortune before I came to Shenzhen?"
"Not just before you left; I read your fortune every year."
Luna paused. "What did the fortune teller say this year?"
Mia reflected for a moment, "She said you are of the water element and that you should go to places of great water. It might be a small stream entering a vast river, tracing back to its source, returning home. There's also the possibility of having a different origin, needing to be expelled and constrained."
Mia's explanation seemed borrowed, yet it resonated with Luna in an unexpected way. Luna had never believed in fortune-telling; even when Leo Lee took her through the jade pillow a few times, she remained skeptical about the predictability of fate. However, this time, it appeared that her mother's divination might have some merit?
With a multitude of questions in her mind, Luna felt increasingly curious about that world. She messaged Leo on WeChat to ask when he would come again, knowing he might not be in this realm. Not expecting a quick reply, she was taken aback when he responded almost instantly: "Miss Wu, is something the matter?"
After a moment of deliberation, she replied: "I have a private matter."
She quickly added: "It's not urgent. If it's inconvenient for you, we can discuss it over the phone."
Leo called her.
Luna conveyed the recent inquiries she had made about her background to Leo, of course omitting details about her family life. What concerned her most was, "You mentioned your master also predicted my arrival. Do you all believe in fate?"
"My master has always delved into such matters."
"And you? Do you believe in fate?"
Leo fell silent for a moment before saying, "Did you come to me to share your findings?"
His avoidance of her question left Luna feeling somewhat awkward, realizing she might have overstepped in their conversation. However, having spent time in front of a classroom, she had developed the ability to quickly defuse tension, and she composed herself, replying, "Yes."
"From what you've said, it seems you have abandoned the notion of being of ancient divine lineage."
"I am indeed an ordinary person. I've not only asked my mother but also investigated my father's background," Luna stated. "Unfortunately, I truly am not."
"There's no need for you to give up so quickly," Leo replied. "Strictly speaking, anyone could potentially possess ancient divine lineage. Regardless of whether humanity's origins stem from mythology or evolution, we all ultimately belong to the same ancestral line. Ancient divine lineage may be akin to a gene, possessing both dominant and recessive traits."
Listening to him, Luna found it easy to remain patient and absorb his words. Perhaps because he was not physically present, she was able to reflect on other thoughts while listening, such as: "You mentioned being from the Tang Dynasty and receiving your master's directive to find me just a month ago. How is it that you know so much about modern science?"
Leo fell silent again.
His pause lingered longer than usual, and Luna initially wondered if she had crossed a line. However, she soon reassured herself that her question was not inappropriate.
"Is Miss Wu's observational acuity always this sharp?"
"It's not innate; when I was young, I helped my mother sell fish at the market, so I had to learn to distinguish between genuine buyers and those just looking to resell to restaurants… I suppose it's a skill I developed over time."
"Selling fish?"
"Yes, my mother has a low level of education and no business acumen, so she could only manage small ventures."
Leo remained silent for a while before saying, "When Miss Wu asked why I know about modern science, I must confess it's related to my childhood experiences. I entered my master's tutelage at the age of eight, and he possesses certain skills that allowed me to receive education in two locations."
"Receiving education in two locations?" Luna exclaimed, intrigued. "How is that possible?"
"It's a secret technique of my master's; I'm afraid he did not pass it on to me."
"Is your master a Taoist, or is he a sorcerer like Victor Ward?"
"My master is… perhaps a spirit."
Intuitively, Luna recognized that further probing might lead her to overstep boundaries. In the brief time they had known each other, she had come to appreciate his distinctive qualities—both his striking appearance and his unique demeanor. Initially, she had not focused on his personal background, but hearing him describe his education across two eras helped her finally understand the source of his singular aura.
Moreover, Luna vaguely sensed that Leo's period of "observation" regarding her was likely coming to an end.