Simultaneous Travel: Becoming a Legend in the Heavens.

Chapter 292 True Form
"Perhaps it is because of ignorance of dreams that wandering people chase phantoms."

The bus was traveling through the woods. The light and shadow of the branches became the main theme of the scenery along the way. Old Tang was wearing simple sportswear, and a strange woman was sitting opposite him.

The woman was wearing a loose grey dress, looking exceptionally gentle, with a somewhat resentful expression and sadness in her eyes. She sang the sad lyrics in a low, slightly hoarse voice, like plucking a dusty xylophone, sexy and seductive.

Just like her amazing figure that couldn't be concealed even by her baggy clothes.

There was a faint, peculiar fragrance in the bus. It smelled very pleasant and made Old Tang feel a little familiar, but he could not remember the specific brand or where he had smelled it before.

The source of the smell was the aromatherapy placed in front of the woman. It was a small black and gray box with liquid flowing inside, giving off a transparent luster.

For some reason, Old Tang felt a little hot, his heartbeat quickened, his blood rushed, and he had an inexplicable restlessness in his heart.

Old Tang looked at the woman's legs outlined by her clothes and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

These legs can be used for fun for a year!
If he didn't have a mission to accomplish, he really wanted to strike up a conversation with her, even if the other person didn't seem to be in the right mental state and even if nothing might really happen.

But we will soon reach our destination and there is really no time.

No matter how beautiful a beauty is, she is not his after all. But five million US dollars can actually allow him to live a retirement life. Comparing the two, Old Tang really likes money more.

He turned his eyes away with difficulty, took out his mobile phone, took a few photos of the scenery outside, added his own silly and unsophisticated scissor hands, and sent them to his gaming partner.

Lao Tang: It would be better if you had started school a few months later. It’s a rare opportunity for me to come to China, but you went to Chicago. Otherwise, we could have met in person.

Mingming: !!!!!!

Mingming: Where are you?

Lao Tang: Yichang City, Hubei Province. I want to visit the Three Gorges Dam.

Mingming: What a coincidence?! We are going to the Three Gorges Dam soon... er... for a school trip. We may meet in person when we get a chance!
Old Tang: Okay, then you can take me around.

Mingming: Just wandering around... I thought our itinerary was to go to the Internet cafe together to play games.

Lao Tang: That’s fine, of course, but you can’t just play games all day long.

Mingming: I can! But I’ll listen to you. We’ll set off soon and we’ll definitely arrive tomorrow. Please wait for me.

Old Tang thought about it carefully. Although the correct way to deal with it is to stay away from the mission location after completing the mission, it seems that it is not a big problem to act foolishly occasionally.

Lao Tang: Sure, I’ll wait for you.

Mingming: Ok, I will introduce you to the boss I know in school then.

Boss?

Old Tang frowned. It sounded a bit like school bullying. Could his gaming partner be bullied at school?

Mingming: There are many things to prepare before we set off. We’ll talk about it in detail when we meet.

Old Tang put down his phone with a subtle worry. When he was bored, he saw a novel in the storage bag in front of him. He took it out and saw that the title was "Secret". He opened the cover and saw the words "Higashino Keigo" written on the title page.

He seems to be a famous writer of Japanese mystery novels.

Old Tang vaguely remembered the name. Even someone like him who didn't like reading could remember the name, which meant that he was indeed a very powerful guy.

He looked at his watch and saw the time. There were still three hours before the bus arrived. He needed to kill some time, so he flipped through a novel out of boredom.

"Secret" tells a bizarre story. The protagonist, Heisuke Yamada, saw on the news that the bus his wife Naoko and daughter Monami were riding in had an accident due to the driver's fatigue driving. When he rushed to the hospital, his wife was seriously injured and dying, and his daughter was unconscious and became a vegetable.

Before her death, his wife held her daughter's hand and gave her a few words of advice before passing away. Heisuke endured the grief and took care of the funeral. Suddenly, he found that his daughter woke up and called him "husband" in the tone of his wife.

The wife's soul was reborn in her daughter's body.

Then conflicts arise, and the two become in a contradictory relationship of being both husband and wife and not husband and wife, both father and daughter and not father and daughter. They cannot have an intimate relationship because it goes against ethics, and they also cannot be intimate with other people because they are still husband and wife.

The author's literary skills are indeed excellent, and the plot is also very innovative. Old Tang was fascinated by it. The moving words in the book even made him pay less attention to the exquisite curves and proud long legs of the woman in front of him.

When touched by a certain plot, Lao Tang couldn't help but let out a sigh. This subtle movement woke the woman opposite from her melancholy. She looked at the book in Lao Tang's hand with a gentle gaze and a light tone.

"Excuse me, do you like this book too?"

"Ah, yes, Higashino Keigo's books make you forget the time and can't stop reading."

Old Tang was a little surprised by the woman's initiative. He was too embarrassed to say that he just picked up a book to kill time and pretend, so he could only answer in Chinese, which was not particularly fluent.

"You meant to say 'linger and forget to return', but that's not quite the right word. It's usually used to describe someone who is reluctant to return to their 'original location' after visiting a place."

The woman chuckled and spoke softly, her tone carrying an innocence that didn't match her sexy figure.

"This word is very suitable to describe my current state. There are many places to visit in China and the food is also great. I like it very much."

Lao Tang knows that many people like to hear other countries praise things in their country. If they add a thumbs-up and a surprised expression, they can even attract tens of millions of fans on various platforms and realize traffic monetization.

"I'm Jiude Mai, may I ask your name?"

The woman spoke affectionately, with the gentleness of a Yamato Nadeshiko.

Japanese?
Old Tang was a little surprised at how fluent the Chinese of this woman who called herself "Jiude Mai" was.

"Just call me Tang, or Old Tang."

Jiude Mai placed her eyes on The Secret, her eyes moving, "Tang, have you finished reading this book?"

"Not yet. I just saw Naoko's consciousness dissipate and Manami came back again."

Old Tang answered truthfully.

"Oh, that one. That one is very sad."

Jiude Mai spoke softly, revealing a bit of loneliness.

The wife started a new life using her daughter's body, was admitted to a key high school, and lived a better life. She was determined to become a strong woman who could live independently without her husband. However, Heisuke could only suppress his own depression and support the family. The originally loving couple had conflicts, and Heisuke completely lost control after seeing his wife being confessed to by a male classmate.

The two had a big fight, and the wife became dazed and stopped going out. After seeing his haggard wife, Heisuke chose to let go after a painful ideological struggle, but at this moment, their daughter Manami regained consciousness.

The consciousness of his wife and daughter appeared in the same body, and the daughter, as the original owner of the body, gradually gained the upper hand until one day Naoko's consciousness completely disappeared.

In the part that Old Tang saw, his wife was saying a sad and touching farewell to Hei Jie, and the author spent a lot of time and effort describing the sincere love between the two.

He was not actually able to empathize with such deep love, but he was also touched by the delicate words.

"Heisuke lost his wife forever, but fortunately his daughter is back, and he no longer has to be tortured by two identities."

Jiude Mai didn't comment, but just smiled, "You...didn't finish reading the novel."

Before Old Tang could react, she quickly asked another question.

"What do you think? Regarding Naoko's soul entering a new body and living a different life, and being intoxicated by it, the text implicitly expresses that Naoko wants to get rid of her past life. Do you think this is wrong?"

"Theoretically, it's correct." Old Tang hesitated and answered uncertainly.

"Even if we don't talk about the ethical issues in the plot, since there is a chance to start a new life, why not do it, although I also sympathize with the husband's role."

"Is that what you think? Being alone for such a long time... Degrading yourself to integrate into the lives of ordinary people, loneliness is really a poison."

Jiude Mai smiled softly and said some ambiguous words, with an inexplicable luster in her seductive eyes. That look made Old Tang feel a little uncomfortable for the first time towards such a beautiful woman like her.

The aromatherapy smell in the air became stronger. Old Tang tugged at his collar and felt his mouth dry. It seemed that even his breath had a burning temperament and his head was a little dizzy.

"I actually don't like this development. If Naoko returned to her original identity, perhaps the development of the story would not be so despairing. If she doesn't put herself in the right position, it will be such a tragedy."

After saying that, Jiude Mai once again sang the previous lyrics and music, with a hint of sadness in her eyes again.

"Perhaps it is because of ignorance of dreams that wandering people chase phantoms."

Old Tang felt a little stuffy in his chest. Jiude Mai's words successfully aroused his curiosity. He raised his hand to check his watch. It would take about an hour to reach the destination, so he focused his mind and continued to read "The Secret".

As time passed slowly, Old Tang's expression became more and more relaxed. Although it was indeed a sad story, it was not unacceptable.

Until he saw the final reversal.

Old Tang closed the book, his facial muscles twitched, and he looked dazed.

"fake?"

The worry in Jiude Mai's eyes became more and more intense, and he let out a mournful sigh, the sound of which pierced through Old Tang's spirit like a sharp sword.

"Yes, it's all fake. The daughter's soul has never awakened. Everything is a disguise made by the wife to get rid of her husband but she doesn't want to bear the infamy, including that touching farewell."

"Naoko pretended for nine years, letting 'Monami' replace 'Naoko', and then used her daughter's identity to successfully complete her new life and marry another man. The man she married was even the illegitimate son of the bus driver who caused the traffic accident. The two unclean people walked together, but Heisuke had been drained of life at this time. He wanted to punch the groom, but at the last moment he stopped and squatted down helplessly and cried."

"His life is ruined."

Old Tang smiled bitterly. He really didn't like this story. Although the twist was very exciting, when he read a book he always put himself in the protagonist's perspective.

Mai Shude on the other side seemed to be able to hear his inner voice, and her voice had the power to soothe people, "If Naoko could recognize her own position and return to her original self, the story would not have ended like this, right?"

“But this raises ethical issues.”

"What if there are no ethical issues, for example, Naoko's soul is not in her daughter but in someone else?"

Jiude Mai stared straight at Old Tang.

"what do you want to say in the end."

"I mean, if you were given a chance, would you be willing to return to your true self?"

"……I do not understand."

Old Tang spoke hesitantly, as if something in his heart was inexplicably touched. Jiude Mai did not urge him, but just looked at him quietly, as if waiting for an answer.

"I think so. I can't really appreciate that kind of tragedy. Even if the story is profound and moving, I still can't like it."

Jiude Mai let out a long breath and relaxed a little. She slowly stood up, her loose clothes falling down, and Old Tang only then saw that there was a black dress at her collar.

"That's great. If you don't agree, I really won't be able to report to you. But it seems that everything is going as planned."

It was a tight-fitting bodysuit, and Jiude Mai's temperament changed all of a sudden, from a weak and sad dodder into a gorgeous and enchanting carnivorous plant.

Old Tang was startled and found himself falling into some inexplicable trap. He quickly stood up and looked at Jiude Mai vigilantly, only to find that the other's pupils had lit up against common sense!

The golden eyes had such a captivating magic that Old Tang left his seat and took a few steps back.

What kind of magic is this? What props are used? Colored contact lenses?
"Please don't worry. I can't deceive you or force you. I'm not qualified to do that. It's your heart, your subconscious mind, that should answer the question."

In the chaos, he heard the woman in front of him utter a series of rolled tongue sounds that he had never heard before. It was an unimaginable way of pronunciation, and her voice was filled with regal majesty, like the ringing of church bells.

Although he had never learned this language, Old Tang suddenly understood the meaning of this sentence.

"Praise the awakening of our king. Destruction is rebirth!"

This passage of text pried something into motion, just like lighting a stove in a room filled with gas, or like an active volcano being ignited by explosives, causing magma to erupt unstoppably!

hum-

Old Tang’s thoughts exploded instantly!

The bus and Jiude Mai in front of them disappeared, replaced by a bloody sky, a rain of arrows whistling in the sky, a city covered in fire, and a crowd of people turned into dry bones.

A scene that was countless times clearer than all his previous dreams unfolded before Old Tang's eyes. He let out a painful roar, fell to the ground, covering his head. A conversation forcefully squeezed out from the depths of his mind, and a pain that penetrated deep into his bones came over him.

"Brother, there are many people outside."

"We are going to die, Constantine, but don't be afraid."

"I'm not afraid. I'm with my brother. I'm not afraid...but why...don't you eat me? If you eat me, I can break through any kind of cage."

"You are good food, but that would be too lonely. For thousands of years, you and I are the only ones together."

What is this? What is this?!

An inexplicable and profound sadness suddenly welled up in Old Tang's heart. He raised his head and wanted to cry, but the tears evaporated as soon as they appeared, as if this body would not allow him to do such a weak act as shedding tears.

Blazing flames surrounded his body and the entire carriage was destroyed in an instant. It seemed as if a pair of wings spread out in the flames and terrifying pressure poured out of his body bit by bit, as heavy as a mountain.

Jiude Mai's face turned pale. She took out an injection with a transparent liquid in it, exactly the same as the aromatherapy on the table. Without hesitation, she inserted it into her thigh and pushed it all the way in. The light of her golden eyes became brighter and brighter.

The Ancient Dragon Serum can increase her bloodline dramatically in a short period of time, but if the serum is not injected in time, the Ancient Dragon Serum will engulf her and turn her into Deadpool!
She wasn't trying to fight, she was trying to run away!

The dragon limbs with grown cuticles exerted force, and Jiude Mai's figure was so fast that it was difficult to distinguish. She didn't even dare to look back, because a king was reviving!
"The so-called fate of abandoning one's family is to cross the wilderness, raise the battle flag again, and return to the hometown. Death is not terrible, it is just a long sleep. Before I can swallow this world, it is better to sleep peacefully than to trek alone. We will still wake up Come."

"Brother...if one day we raise a battle flag and can devour the world, will you eat me?"

"Yes, then you will join me and rule the world!"

The trembling stopped at the climax, and Lao Tang's body stopped abruptly.

He stood up little by little, the painful expression on his face faded away, replaced by a kind of superior majesty.

The pressure that makes people bow down to it!

He remembered that he was not Old Tang, but Norton.

The first generation, the King of Bronze and Fire - Norton!
Norton ignored the fleeing Jiude Mai, as if she was a weed not worth his attention. He turned around, looked at the Three Gorges Dam in the distance, and whispered his brother's name.

"Constantine."

(End of this chapter)