I am cautiously cultivating immortals in a strange world

Chapter 2160 A different life

"Longing Vine, are you sure?"

Yue Yingxian's words startled Chen Lin.

He immediately pressed on, "As far as I know, the long-lasting vine should be non-invasive, and isn't it covered with long-lasting bells? That doesn't match up with this."

"I'm not entirely sure either."

Yue Yingxian shook her head.

He continued, "But the Long-Loving Vine is not without its aggressiveness; it just doesn't attack proactively. As for the Long-Loving Bell, it is indeed the Vine's symbol, but since the vine is only a section long, it's hard to say whether there's a bell on the main body."

Speaking of it.

She looked at it again, this time with a sharper gaze.

After turning his gaze away, he said to Chen Lin, "Fellow Daoist Chen, look closely. The patterns on this vine look like two people drinking from the same cup. Apart from the Everlasting Love Vine, I have never heard of any spiritual plant with a similar pattern."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lin looked over.

Just as the other party had said, there were two intertwined patterns on the protruding vine, as if two people were drinking from the same cup.

Because the patterns shimmered with luster, they were fairly clear under the light.

"How come there are love vines here?"

He frowned and muttered to himself.

"Nothing is impossible."

Zhou Anshi spoke up from the side.

"Since the Long-lasting Vine is a naturally growing species, there can't possibly be only one plant. Although I haven't heard of it in other places in the Star Ruins, it's not surprising that it exists here."

"but."

He pondered for a moment.

With a solemn expression, he said, "The Long-lasting Vine is a spiritual plant of extremely high grade. The fact that it can grow inside this tower indicates the presence of extraordinary energy. I wonder if there might be powerful demons among them."

Chen Lin did not speak.

Those vines were demonic creatures in themselves, and if Tie Zhu hadn't been full at the time, he wouldn't have been able to deal with them at all.

He tried hard to recall the scene of the vine-covered room in his mind.

Although I didn't see the whole picture at the time, I did see part of it. There were indeed no wind chimes on those vines, but I did see a red rope on the vine that connected to Lin Xinyi.

If there is more than one love vine, then the way to form a contract may not be limited to wind chimes.

The red rope is one of them.

Or perhaps...

This is not a love vine; it only looks similar but has a different function.

I thought about it for a while but couldn't figure it out.

Chen Lin looked at the two of them and asked, "What do you two mean? Do you want to go in and explore now, or wait and see for a while longer?"

"There's no need to wait and see."

Zhou Anshi responded immediately.

He took a deep breath and said firmly, "We have already checked all the places that need to be checked. We cannot go any deeper into the sea, and my lifespan will not last much longer. Continuing to observe will only be a waste of time. We might as well go all out and find out what's going on."

"We really can't wait any longer."

Yue Yingxian also chimed in.

"We have now lost our extraordinary abilities and cannot accurately measure the rate at which our lifespan is being consumed. If we miscalculate, it will be too late when we are too old to move."

"Alright, let's go in and explore."

Both of them made sense, so Chen Lin nodded and took the lead without further hesitation.

The journey was uneventful.

We arrived at the entrance to the first floor without any problems.

After glancing at the plaque above again, Chen Lin tried to push open the tower door.

But he pushed the button and missed.

Suddenly, everything blurred before my eyes, and I was no longer at the foot of the tower.

The surrounding lights were bright, and soothing music played in the air. In front of me was a wooden table, and across from me sat a girl with average looks but a good temperament.

Chen Lin was stunned.

This scene had long been buried in his memory.

It seemed to be a scene from when he was on Earth, where he was introduced to a blind date. If the scene hadn't been recreated, he would never have remembered it.

Fantasy?

Or is it an inner demon?

Chen Lin tried to reach out and test it, but found that he couldn't succeed; this body didn't seem to be of any use to him.

What is your monthly income?

At this time.

The girl across from me spoke; her voice was very refined.

"A little over five thousand."

The voice of "myself" rang out, but it lacked confidence.

Chen Lin instantly understood.

This body is not his; rather, he has returned to the scene from the past in a special way.

It's highly likely that this is an illusion created by the tower.

But what Chen Lin couldn't understand was the meaning of such an illusion.

If he is just an observer, it won't have much impact on him. Even if it's an inner demon, it can't have an offensive effect.

and.

This level of inner demon is far too weak to deal with an Eternal-level cultivator.

Is it a screening mechanism?
Chen Lin had an idea: perhaps the Shadow Scholar wanted to use this method to select those who could inherit the Wordless Heavenly Book, but he didn't know what the conditions were for achieving this.

Or.

The other person wants to trigger his latent memories and learn about his past?

While thinking.

The girl spoke again.

He bombarded us with questions: "Five thousand is too little. Do you own a house and a car? Do your parents have a pension? Are you an only child?"

This topic left Chen Lin speechless.

He has cultivated immortality for so many years and is now at the Eternal Realm, yet the Illusionary Realm still asks such a question, which is truly both laughable and absurd.

Is this my obsession?

What was my answer back then?

Chen Lin tried hard to recall.

correct.

Distant memories resurfaced.

He seemed quite annoyed at the time, and his reply was rather impolite, which led to the meeting ending on bad terms.

It seems that after this blind date, I attended a drinking party and drank a few more glasses because I was upset.

And then.

He vomited on the street, was possessed by the fleeing Star Emperor's light sphere, and was then carried by half of the World Annihilation Talisman, transmigrating into the body of the old cultivator Chen Lin.

Everything has a cause and effect.

Having learned all this, Chen Lin put aside his thoughts and quietly became an observer.

He felt that the hexagonal tower's creation of this illusion was not meant to make him relive the past; he suspected there would be some new changes.

really.

This time, 'myself' did not confront them directly.

Instead, she said gently, "We don't have a motorhome, but I can try my best to buy one. My parents are both healthy and won't affect us. They can also help take care of the children. If you're willing, I definitely will..."

Chen Lin discovered it.

After saying all this, the girl smiled, her already small eyes curving into crescents.

Then things will fall into place naturally.

After finishing their meal, the two strolled around for a while, then went to see a movie, thus confirming their romantic relationship.

He didn't go out to drink alone or vomit in the street, so there was no time travel and no subsequent events.

Next.

After only six months of getting to know each other, they got engaged and married, and soon had a child, leading a simple yet fulfilling life.

Although there were some bumps along the way, there was also love and happiness.

Decades have passed in the blink of an eye.

At the bedside.

The aging girl lay in her hospital bed, her family members standing by her side, their eyes filled with tears.

I sat to one side and gently held the other person's hand.

The girl was just like she was back then, her eyes curving into crescents. "Old man, tell me the truth, do you regret spending your life with me? Maybe without me, you would have had a more wonderful life."

"This……"

Chen Lin drew out the sound.

The girl's eyes widened immediately.

"Hehe, no regrets. Get well soon, I'm still waiting for you to take care of me. I feel uncomfortable if I don't hear you yelling at me for a day."

Chen Lin answered with a smile.

"That's pretty much it."

The girl laughed again, raised her hand as if to say something more, but then let it fall limply to her sides.

The ward was filled with deafening cries.

Chen Lin felt a wave of dizziness, and the scenery in front of him rushed away.

When it reappeared, it was an infant in swaddling clothes, living in a mud-brick house. Judging from the simple furniture, it was not a wealthy family.

"Hao'er is awake. Are you hungry? Let me feed you rice porridge."

A woman dressed in old clothes picked him up and then fed him rice porridge spoonful by spoonful.

Still the same as last time.

I am still an observer, but I am spiritually connected to the 'host' and can empathize with everything the host does.

A few days later.

Chen Lin confirmed the situation here.

It is an ancient world, and there are no supernatural powers.

Some time passed.

After learning more, Chen Lin discovered that this was the Ming Dynasty on Earth, and the place he was in was Chengjia Village, named after a scholar.

His name is Cheng Hao.

The days passed by.

Life in this life was very hard because the family was destitute. He only studied at the clan school for a year before starting to farm.

His mother died before he reached adulthood.

Although he had great ambitions, he was overwhelmed by his environment. Like a fish trapped in a hoofprint, he could not escape his predicament no matter how hard he struggled. When he finally made up his mind to fight for it, he found that he did not have the ability to survive in the outside world.

He never got married and died in despair before he turned thirty.

Chen Lin calculated the time and realized that the day he died and the day he traveled through time seemed to be the same day.

Whether it was a coincidence or an arrangement of an illusion, I don't know.

The scenery changes again.

This time, Chen Lin has arrived in another world.

Moreover, it was a familiar interface, and the people were familiar.

Lin Ergou!
Chen Lin never expected that he would become Lin Ergou again in this way.

My heart was full of surprise and uncertainty.

Because the other person is his 'other self', in the mission of life's letter, he has already merged with the other person and should no longer exist in this world.

Why would the hexagonal tower need to be conjured up?
Unable to find an answer immediately, Chen Lin suppressed his doubts and observed Lin Ergou's situation.

The node is still Wild Dog Alley.

It was still that dilapidated house.

But he didn't appear in this life, and Lin Ergou continued to live a life of oppression, emptying chamber pots for others every day.

However, things soon took a turn for the better.

Lin Ergou discovered a secret cave in the Black Stone Mountains, the one that connects to the entrance of the True Yang Treasure.

Not only did he receive Shinyoko's inheritance, but he also unexpectedly obtained a mask.

It's the legendary riddle mask!
Lin Ergou answered the riddle by accident, but he thought it was a prank by an ancient powerful being, so he made a request that he thought was impossible.

He demanded that Nana fall in love with him regardless of everything!
then.

He had a dream.

In his dream, he and Nana arrived in front of a huge, dark red vine, where blood dripped onto the wind chimes, as if they had made some kind of pact.

But when he woke up, he didn't see Nana.

The mask also disappeared.

Lin Ergou thought it was just a prank and ignored it. He then began to cultivate the techniques left behind by Zhenyangzi and became a minor expert.

But the weird thing is.

He was surrounded by beautiful women, yet he could no longer muster any interest in them. Whenever he wanted to find a woman, Nana's image would come to mind.

He didn't think much of it, assuming it was because he had mastered the cultivation techniques and was free from worldly desires.

after that.

Lin Ergou was seriously injured in another fight.

During their escape, they entered a cave left behind by an ancient powerful being, but found no healing elixirs, only items related to a personal letter.

However, this time Lin Ergou was not in a playful mood. After careful consideration, he wrote down the goals that needed to be achieved most.

He wasn't the one who accepted the mission.

After successfully completing the mission, Lin Ergou received feedback: not only were his injuries healed, but his cultivation level also increased dramatically. He also discovered a teleportation channel in the cave and entered a higher-dimensional interface.

Chen Lin sighed sadly.

Seeing all living beings is like seeing yourself.

Different choices lead to different lives, but once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. Even if you had the chance to live again, it would never be the same as before.

But he quickly became determined.

Life is like chess, never regret your moves.

Now that you've embarked on this path of spiritual practice, you should face it with a peaceful mind, without yearning for paths you've never walked before, and without regretting your choices.

"very good."

A deep voice interrupted Chen Lin's thoughts.

He immediately composed himself.

His expression immediately changed.

I don't know when, but I found myself in that vine-covered room, with the main trunk of the vines right in front of me.

"Hehe, don't be afraid."

The deep voice sounded again, and it turned out to be coming from the vines.

"Who are you? Are you the Shadow Scholar?"

While tentatively asking questions, Chen Lin observed the environment inside the room and slowly backed away.

"No."

The deep voice sounded again.

Meanwhile, Chen Lin had also made a general observation.

This is the room he saw in Lin Xinyi's picture. The vine is the same vine, and even the marks he made with the ghost head knife are still there.

And that red rope.

However, his previous observation was correct. There was only this one red rope on the countless branches of the vine. Apart from this red rope, there was nothing special about it, and there was no so-called "long-lasting love bell".

However, his situation remained the same; he was unable to use his supernatural powers.

"I am the page left here by Lord Shadow."

The vines opened again.

Chen Lin felt a little relieved upon hearing this.

It's not the Shadow Scholar, but just a spiritual object left behind by the other party, so it shouldn't be able to break through the rules of the Life Treasure Chest.

Then you wouldn't recognize him.

It seems they didn't sense Lin Xinyi in the Fruit Core Cave either.

It's relatively safe for now.

"Alright, I was injured earlier and am very weak now. Now that you have completed Lord Shadow's test, go and choose a book. But I must remind you that you can only choose one, and once you choose, you cannot change it. What you get depends on your luck."

"Thank you."

Chen Lin thanked him.

But they didn't make a choice immediately.

Instead, he clasped his hands in a fist and asked, "Sir, could you please give me some pointers on how to leave this place? Where are my two companions now?"

"You can leave after you've chosen your books."

The vines answered casually.

He then added, "As for your two companions, they haven't completed the assessment yet. If they do, they will appear here. If they fail, they will have to fend for themselves."

This answer made Chen Lin's heart sink.

He hesitated.

He still managed to ask, "Sir, you must be the Everlasting Vine, right? May I ask if it's possible to dissolve an already formed Everlasting Vine contract when one is alone?"