Barrier of Light

The evening breeze blew across the rooftop of the orphanage.

Today's rooftop is extremely beautifully renovated, with red bricks and white tiles. The old man sitting in the rocking chair looks toward the direction of the distant wind.

"Mother-in-law! Mother-in-law!"

Sanpao trotted away, sniffing hard, and said seriously: "Look! I'll show you a unique stunt!"

Take a deep breath.

Hold your breath.

Then... exhale these gases from the nasal cavity. This unique skill is commonly known as blowing snot bubbles.

The mother-in-law looked complicated.

Why is this child getting more and more confused as he grows older?

She silently admired this talent show. First there was a knock on the door, and then there were exclamations and cheers.

Sanpao kept blowing bubbles on his back, like an acrobat with a water tank above his head.

He heard laughter outside the orphanage and was a little confused.

"It's Xiao Gu who's back..."

The mother-in-law smiled and asked: "With your unique skills, can you persist until you go downstairs?"

"What's so hard about this?"

San Pao swaggered downstairs with his back on his back.

Then there was the sound of the snot bubbles breaking... Seeing Gu Shen through the snot bubbles was the most regretful thing San Pao had done this year.

Because Gu Shen did not come back alone, he was accompanied by a beautiful sister, a beautiful sister who was much more beautiful than the last time he came to the orphanage.

The children in the orphanage all widened their eyes and gathered around this heavenly sister who was as beautiful as an earthly fairy. Chu Ling was wearing the red and white sacrificial robes, and her aura was so extraordinary that even the extraordinary ones with good concentration could not stand it. I can't help but look at them more, not to mention these simple-minded children.

Everyone was stunned.

Chu Ling smiled.

In fact, she had met these children two years ago, but at that time she was still an orange cat.

Now Gu Shen returns to the orphanage.

For me, it’s like revisiting my old place.

"Xiao Gu..."

The old man's cry came from a distance.

The mother-in-law was leaning on a cane and walking lightly. After seeing Gu Shen and Chu Ling, she looked excited. In the end, she just said a series of "good" meaningfully.

"Good...good...so good..."

In fact, she only glanced at Gu Shen.

Most of the eyes were on Chu Ling.

This girl looks so lovely.

The last time Xiao Gu came back, he said that he already had a girlfriend. At that time, he thought it was just a perfunctory statement.

I didn’t expect that everything Xiao Gu said was true!

This girl is really more beautiful than those stars on the screen, much more beautiful!

…

…

evening.

Smoke was rising from the kitchen outside the orphanage. Her mother-in-law was watching Chu Ling chopping vegetables in front of the stove. The joy on her face could not be described more than "love".

This girl's fingers look white and tender.

She is obviously the daughter of a wealthy family, and her fingers are completely clean.

did not expect--

The work is so neat!

Cutting vegetables, preparing vegetables, making a fire... not many people know how to use this old-fashioned large stove anymore. I heard that in urban areas, they all use the same side dishes and robots cook. I didn't expect Miss Chu to know this?

The mother-in-law who was originally planning to cook a sumptuous dinner was at a loss at this time. All the work was taken care of, and she became a idle person. In addition to dealing with these trivial matters, Miss Chu Ling also chatted with her without delay. thing.

This girl is extremely smart.

Her mother-in-law knew very well that she had not been to the city much, so she didn't know many things, and most of the trivial things she talked about were meaningless. But Chu Ling listened very carefully, and no matter what she said, she could always provide a few words of support.

at last.

The mother-in-law said sincerely: "Miss Xiaoling, although Gu Shen is the smartest kid here, I always feel that he is more lucky if you meet him."

Gu Shen was not idle either.

He had been squatting under the stove to add firewood, and chopped more firewood from time to time. At this moment, he laughed loudly: "That's natural!"

Chu Ling also smiled.

Most of the time, she had a calm expression.

If it weren't for this extremely beautiful skin, which played a key role in covering up...then her usually calm expression could best be described as "facial paralysis".

She is not yet familiar with joy, anger, sorrow, and how to express these emotions.

If anything, these are the spices of life.

Then the seasonings she has are naturally less than others.

Many times, everyone was laughing, but she wasn't there...not because she didn't want to laugh, but because she didn't find these things funny, so she couldn't laugh.

But after arriving at Wulaoshan, she felt relaxed and happy from the bottom of her heart.

It's a very strange feeling.

[Source Code], who lives in Ling Ling Yao, monitors thousands of corners of the five continents through her [Sky Eye]. She has seen countless sunrises and sunsets, and watched countless dinners of people in the city.

Just in the past years.

Even [Deep Sea] ignored a quiet and remote place like Wulao Mountain.

This place is far away from the hustle and bustle, and far away from the radiance of the spiritual network... Human beings are purified here.

The same goes for her.

As long as she is in the urban area, she is receiving a lot of information every moment.

Every glance.

High-rise buildings, hundreds and thousands of people, and countless data flowing past.

But at this moment, those trivial and confusing information disappeared.

peaceful.

She found true peace.

…

…

After the dinner, the children from the orphanage performed a show.

Of course...it's not a show like blowing snot bubbles.

"Cui Zhongcheng did a really beautiful job."

Gu Shen said softly: "I saw that my mother-in-law collected a lot of fake photos... They were photos of my work at the research institute provided by Cui Zhongcheng."

When he said these words, his expression was a little complicated.

Because [Deep Sea] has "balanced" the information from the five continents, he is not worried that his mother-in-law has learned about the existence of the extraordinary world.

It’s just that my mother-in-law always thought that she worked in a research institute in the metropolitan area.

Looking back suddenly, Gu Shen realized that he had come a long way without knowing it. When he was in Wulao Mountain, he had an ordinary dream, but now that dream has been thrown far, far away.

Perhaps, in another world, there really is a "researcher" Gu Shen?

He smiled.

This is actually a good thing.

Extraordinary beings guard the five continents.

And he is destined to become a leader among the extraordinary in the future, fighting against the collapse of order.

This quiet mountain is my birthplace. Being able to use my own power to protect this land from the collapse of the external order... is actually a very lucky thing.

It’s just that in the future, the times I come back will become less and less.

Late at night.

Mother-in-law and children all went to sleep.

Gu Shen and Chu Ling left the orphanage and walked on the path in the mountains. The mountain wind blew gently into their faces. After climbing over the mountain, they could see a distant river.

That's Qinghe.

The two of them stood on the top of the mountain. There was no moon in the sky tonight, and the stars were so bright that they seemed like they could reach out and pick them up.

The mountain breeze blew Chu Ling's clothes, and the red dress swayed in the wind.

"I know what you are thinking."

Chu Ling suddenly turned his back and faced Gu Shen.

She stood on the top of the mountain, with behind her the wisps of clouds hanging in the night sky and the twinkling stars.

But with a slight smile, the mountains in the distance dimmed.

"The avenue..."

Chu Ling softly uttered two words.

These two words sound irrelevant to this era. They sound like things written in ancient picture book stories. However, when they were spoken by Chu Ling, who was wearing red and white sacrificial clothes, there was no sense of violation at all.

"The road is ruthless."

After a slight pause, Chu Ling said seriously.

Whether ordinary people or extraordinary people, they are all pursuing their own path.

Those who have mastered the "Divination Technique" have the ability to peer into their destiny. Regardless of the special existence enveloped by the power of fire, every living being has its own golden thread of destiny on its head.

That is the great road.

Everyone has a path.

Everyone pursues the high road.

It's just that...the path of the extraordinary is different from that of the ordinary.

The God's Throne that smelts fire is also different from other extraordinary beings.

"Are you thinking about the next time you see them? Are the old friends still alive?"

Chu Ling said calmly: "You don't need divination to see that my mother-in-law's spirit is very weak. It is a natural death. Birth, old age, illness and death are the iron laws. Even if you are 'Pluto', you cannot change all this."

"yes."

Gu Shen did not deny what Chu Ling said.

He looked sadly at the orphanage at the foot of the mountain and said softly: "Mother-in-law... she will not live long."

The moment I met my mother-in-law.

He actually thought about whether he could use the power of the "Pure Land" to do things that defy the iron law of life and death?

If Gu Changzhi can't be kept, can't he also keep an ordinary mortal?

But... once he uses the power of "Pure Land", how can he explain all this to his mother-in-law?

Chu Ling asked softly: "So, what are you going to do?"

She did not interfere with Gu Shen's choice, but looked at him quietly, wanting to hear Gu Shen's thoughts.

"I might...not do anything."

After a long time, Gu Shen spoke.

He said softly: "Here, I am not 'Pluto', I am just Xiao Gu who grew up at the foot of the mountain. My mother-in-law's life has reached its end. She is different from Tie Wu."

Chu Ling listened quietly.

"The road is ruthless, and the road also has feelings." Gu Shen said: "For me... keeping her may be a cruel ending. She does not live for me, and I should not decide whether to die."

After Chu Ling listened, he slowly said: "Actually...if I were you, I would do the same thing. However, the reason why I do these things is based on the calculations of the [source code]. I don't think that using The power of fire to interfere with secular laws is a good thing. Regardless of your relationship with the 'dead', this may cause hidden damage to the Pure Land."

For now.

There are strict conditions for retaining the dead in the Pure Land.

To maintain this "Pluto World" that defies the rules, a large amount of extraordinary source matter must be consumed.

The growth of Suxuanmu, the evolution of the four seasons, the rules of this world, everything is based on this foundation... and retaining the spirit of Iron Five is also a kind of consumption.

However, Iron Five also made a return to Pure Land.

He has grown up with the Pure Land world this year. In addition to spiritual cultivation, he has also indirectly helped the Pure Land world and "produced" extraordinary source matter.

And once the soul of "Disorder" is adopted.

This clean world will become "dirty"... This world is a miraculous existence that makes even the gods sigh. If you want to expand the pure land, you need to make every move correctly.

"Perhaps...after a long time, you can save any 'dead', but not now."

Chu Ling gave a very rational answer.

The answer Gu Shen gave previously was a very subjective answer.

Fortunately, the two answers overlap and do not require painful tangles and decisions.

“Heaven and earth are like journeys against each other, you and I are both travelers.”

Chu Ling's expression became serious.

She looked at Gu Shen and asked, "I've always been curious...what does it feel like to die?"

She is now alive.

If we say that the feeling of being alive is joy, luck, and excitement...

What about death?

She couldn't understand, couldn't understand the reluctance of people in the world when facing death, nor could she understand those crazy people who escaped, retreated, struggled.

It's just death.

Why be afraid?

She took a step back slightly, stood on the top of the mountain, opened her arms, and just took one more step back, and she would fall to the top of the mountain... Unfortunately, she would not die from this. The divine fetus has no flesh and blood, and some It's just the extraordinary source of matter, and she won't even feel real pain.

If you don't take any defensive measures.

Under the violent impact of hitting the ground, the extraordinary source of energy will be greatly lost due to this fall... After she falls, she will not suffer any damage, and she does not even need to rest. She only needs to pat the scars on her dress. Dust, you can stand up gracefully again.

Gu Shen did not stop this action.

Not only because he knew that Chu Ling would not "fall to death", but also because he had a hundred ways to rescue Chu Ling before she fell.

"You can find the answer to any question in books, but unfortunately, you can't find this one."

Chu Ling smiled regretfully.

What does it feel like to die? Only the dead know.

"If you are curious... I can ask Tie Wu for you. Maybe he can give an answer." Gu Shen thought for a while and said, "It should be considered a half-standard answer."

Chu Ling nodded seriously.

After a while.

Tiewu, who was sitting cross-legged on the pure land, scratched his head and asked awkwardly: "Lord God, are you serious?"

His memory of death remains at the moment of "God's arrival".

"The feeling of death...is probably that with a 'bang', the person is gone, just like setting off fireworks."

Tie Wu looked complicated, paused, and said, "It's just that I'm the firework."

This answer is somewhat ironic.

Gu Shen looked at Chu Ling and asked understandingly.

"Does it hurt?"

"Does it hurt..."

Tie Wu recalled it carefully and said with a wry smile: "It hurt a little, but they are already dead. Does it matter whether it hurts or not?"

This is the semi-standard answer provided by a "dead man".

That makes sense.

They are already dead, does it matter whether it hurts or not?

"Actually, it's still very important...because I don't know what pain feels like yet."

Chu Ling looked at Gu Shen and explained seriously.

Gu Shen nodded to express his understanding, and then ended the spiritual dialogue in the Pure Land.

"Actually...my time is almost up."

Chu Ling stretched out his palm and said with a smile: "I'm a little worried. I don't know what it will be like when the time is up."

The blood color on the palm gradually became dim.

She looks less and less like a person.

Because she is not human at all.

Theoretically speaking, when the essence of life in the womb of the god completely overflows, she will "die". No one has seen such a death, and no one knows how this death will appear.

"Actually, I don't have much reluctance."

"On the contrary... I'm a little happy."

Chu Ling chuckled and asked: "If I die too, is this enough to prove...that I have truly lived?"

…

…

(Volume 2, Pure Land, End of Volume~Spreading Flowers~)

(PS: 1. There will be an end-of-volume summary later. 2. There will be an update on time at 2 p.m. tomorrow.)