Unconsciousness erased the concept of time. Eons could pass, yet for Li Fan, it was merely the difference between closing his eyes and opening them.
He awoke to a pulsating light rune, blinking insistently as if urging him to action. Though the frequency remained constant, Li Fan sensed an underlying urgency, an emotion that infected him, forcing a decision even before his mind fully cleared.
He stared at the rune, deciphering its meaning:
[Simulation Complete]
[Choose one of the following to retain:
A single item from the simulation.Your cultivation level from the simulation.The simulated memories of a close associate. These memories can be inherited by the associate.Forgo the above choices to accelerate energy recharge.]
"Simulation…"
"Retain…"
The words, familiar yet foreign, stirred distant memories. But as he reached for them, a sharp pain pierced his head. Countless images flooded his mind, overwhelming him. His true memories vanished beneath a tidal wave of sensations, and he cried out, falling unconscious once more.
"Don't worry, it's just a chill in the head. This talisman water will help him recover. But for a complete cure, he needs to take it continuously. Shu Juan, you know how many in the village rely on this talisman water. We were close once, but giving you a couple of bowls for free is already generous. If you want more…"
"It depends on your sincerity."
"Xiao Yue… Master Li Wu, please rest assured, even if I have to sell everything, I will save Fan'er."
Two women's voices drifted in and out of Li Fan's unconsciousness. He felt a strange, murky liquid forced down his throat, tasting like stagnant water from a ditch. Nausea overwhelmed him.
"Ugh!" He retched violently.
"Shu Juan, see? I told you the talisman water works! He needs a few more bowls to fully recover…"
"Fan'er!" A woman, ignoring his vomit, rushed to his side, her face alight with joy.
Li Fan's mind was a chaotic jumble. He only registered the shrill voice insisting on more of the foul liquid. The mere thought of its smell filled him with rage.
"Charlatan!" he rasped, his voice cold and harsh, startling the two women.
Silence descended upon the small room. Li Fan instinctively reached towards the woman he perceived as a witch, his hand trembling with weakness. His stomach churned, and he vomited again.
"Shu Juan, I think… your nephew's delusion is quite severe. He needs several more bowls."
"Yes, yes."
"Don't you dare!" Li Fan roared, but his weakened body offered little resistance. He was easily restrained by the two women and forced to drink the talisman water.
A month later, Li Fan ate his simple meal of vegetables, tofu, and fish soup.
"Though we had to sell most of our land, you are recovering," the woman beside him said. "I asked Scholar Qian in the village. He said you were afflicted by a disease and then caught a chill, causing these delusions. Read more of the sages' writings, and your righteous qi will dispel them."
Li Fan nodded along, his mind sifting through the fragmented visions.
After his meal, he went for his usual walk, ignoring the greetings of passersby. Reaching a secluded spot, he focused on the pulsating light rune.
"Simulation, inheritance…" he muttered. "What does it mean?"
Every time he looked at the blinking text, he felt its urgency. It had even disturbed his sleep. He was tempted to choose randomly, but caution held him back. He had a premonition that none of the options offered a favorable outcome.
With a sigh, he pushed the rune to the back of his mind, focusing instead on the chaotic memories.
"Are these visions real or fake?" A month had passed, and he still had no answer.
The images came from different people, different times, even different worlds, a bizarre tapestry of experiences, some firsthand, some observed, some viewed from a celestial perspective. It was impossible to distinguish truth from illusion.
"Perhaps… they are all real," Li Fan thought, closing his eyes and suppressing the swirling visions. "Perhaps these are all events I experienced in these 'simulations.'"
"But if these are my memories, I couldn't be this weak."
"Something must have gone wrong during the simulation."
"Cultivation…"
His gaze returned to the second option. He had made discreet inquiries and, combined with the visions, concluded that only true cultivators possessed "cultivation."
"Regardless of what I experienced or what realm I reached in the simulation, it must be better than my current state. Choosing to inherit this cultivation seems like the best option," he reasoned. "The ability to fly, to live forever…"
The thought stirred a mixture of longing and fear within him. But after so long, he wasn't about to rush a decision. He compared the options.
"A single item won't change my current predicament. Besides, in my weakened state, I can barely hold chopsticks. Even a celestial treasure would be useless."
"Inheriting the memories of a close associate…" He considered this for a long time. "Perhaps they would help me if they knew of my situation."
As he focused on this option, several figures appeared in his mind. He scanned them one by one, pausing at the image of a white-haired old man. This figure evoked a sense of comfort, unlike the others.
"They don't seem… benevolent," Li Fan thought, puzzled. "Did I associate with such people in the simulation?"
After studying the old man's image, he turned to the final option: "Accelerate energy recharge."
He had deduced that "recharge" was a prerequisite for initiating a simulation.
"This means I can simulate again."
Li Fan opened his eyes. He had been sitting outside the village for a long time. As dusk approached, he hurried home.
He maintained his routine, feigning recovery while diligently studying, patiently waiting for the "recharge" to complete.
Finally, the day arrived. He sensed the simulation was ready. With a silent command, he plunged into darkness.
He awoke in the same familiar room, seemingly unchanged.
"Was it all a delusion?" he wondered, his disappointment profound.
But he quickly noticed subtle differences.
"I've used most of this ink," he observed. Then, with a sudden realization, he flipped through the pages of his books.
"I've returned to a month ago!"
He rushed out to find his aunt, who indeed appeared younger, with less gray in her hair.
"So this is the simulation!" His excitement quickly subsided, replaced by the body's ingrained calmness.
"Returning to the past, with foreknowledge… I can go anywhere in this world."
"But I must be cautious. I must avoid whatever caused my injuries in the simulation." An aura of power, incongruous with his youthful scholar's appearance, emanated from him.
Twenty years later, Li Fan, the Grand Tutor, raised his cup to the assembled officials of the Great Xuan Dynasty, a faint smile on his face. Despite the flattering words, his mind was elsewhere.
"What is true cultivation?" he wondered.
In twenty years, he had risen from an insignificant scholar to the most powerful official in the land. But he hadn't forgotten he was in a simulation, nor his purpose: to uncover the truth behind his lost memories.
"After years of contemplation, I've finally grasped some principles. But without spiritual qi, I can't put my plans into action."
After the banquet, alone in his chambers, he studied his reflection, stroking his beard before removing his disguise.
"No change in twenty years," he observed. "Not even this body." He stretched, feeling not the weight of age, but a growing vitality. He hadn't even begun cultivating.
"I am definitely not ordinary."
To conceal his agelessness, he rarely slept with his wives and concubines, citing pressing matters of state. They conveniently died of illnesses every few years. Though rumors spread, they ceased after he orchestrated the previous emperor's death and installed the young crown prince on the throne.
His position as Grand Tutor wasn't about power, but about finding a way out of this world. His ageless body was otherwise mortal. Traversing the world in search of cultivation was difficult, but as Grand Tutor, he established a secret organization dedicated to finding immortals, simplifying his task.
Another decade passed. The young emperor, chafing under Li Fan's control, plotted his assassination.
The plan went smoothly. Li Fan walked into the emperor's trap, surrounded by assassins.
"Grand Tutor, do you remember whipping me when you were supposed to be teaching me?" the emperor gloated.
Li Fan's expression remained unchanged. "And today? What about today?" he asked calmly.
"Still defiant on the verge of death?" the emperor sneered, signaling the assassins to attack.
What followed was beyond his comprehension. Blades struck Li Fan, but only sparks flew. The seemingly frail scholar's every blow sent the emperor's handpicked warriors flying, their bodies exploding in showers of blood. The trap had become a gruesome slaughterhouse.
When a blood-soaked Li Fan reached the emperor, the young man was paralyzed with fear.
Li Fan frowned, looking at his bloodstained clothes. "Inconvenient without divine abilities, relying solely on this mortal body. But strangely, I don't feel repulsed by the blood. It seems my experiences in the simulation…"
"Grand Tutor, spare me!" the emperor wailed. Li Fan snorted and crushed him beneath his foot.
One emperor died, another took his place. Only the Grand Tutor remained, an unchanging fixture. The Great Xuan Dynasty changed hands several times, and the world grew accustomed to these shifts in power.
On the day of the Grand Tutor's seventieth birthday celebration, officials from across the land gathered in the capital.
Suddenly, a roar echoed through the city.
"Daoist Xuan, don't push me too far!"
(End of chapter)