Chapter 288: Another World
Just like she had confessed to Pei Chunzheng before, Qiao Wan didn't plan on hiding anything this time either.
Even though it was smart for Qiao Wan to keep her origins a secret, considering she had friends, teachers, and possibly a lover from the previous owner's life, the education she received growing up didn't allow her to feel at ease with taking advantage of someone else's place.
But it was better than living as a fake person.
It actually felt relieving to finally say it out loud.
Surprisingly, after Qi Feidao quietly listened to her story, his eyes flickered with interest and he suddenly came up with a groundbreaking idea.
"A long time ago, Little Fang and I noticed that you, Taoist Friend Qiao, were different from other people."
"I can't pinpoint it exactly, but it was like during that debate on Lisheng Peak many years ago. Let me explain the question to Taoist Friend Qiao again." Qi Feidao took out a blank piece of paper, prepared the ink, and drew a symbol that made Qiao Wan stand up in shock.
In a land far away, there lived a powerful person who owned two immortal turtles. One turtle was called Wuwu, and the other was called Guigui. They both started crawling along a straight line. Wuwu could crawl 1 yard forward with the first incense stick, 12 yards with the second incense stick, and 12^2 yards with the third incense stick, and so on (for the nth incense stick, Wuwu could crawl 12^n-1 yards). Guigui, on the other hand, could crawl 1n yards with each incense stick. The question was, how far could Wuwu and Guigui crawl in the end?
Qiao Wan was suddenly filled with surprise and her eyes widened in shock. She stuttered, "I-is... Is it possible that there are other people who can time travel in this world?"
Or perhaps, the person in front of her, Taoist Friend Qi, was a time traveler?!
Qi Feidao shook his head slightly and smiled, his white teeth shining brightly. "From what I know, Taoist Friend Qiao, you are the first person to use this symbol."
And this Taoist Friend Qiao, of course, referred to the original owner, Qiao Wan.
Qiao Wan hesitated for a moment, and it seemed like she understood Qi Feidao's hint vaguely. Her poker face completely cracked.
"What I mean is, Taoist Friend Qiao, you were originally Qiao Wan. You 'traveled through time' to this world, made a name for yourself, and then lost your memory. Your memories are all jumbled up."
The young man smiled brightly and hit the nail on the head, "Because of the confusion in your memories, you feel like you 'traveled through time' after class."
So, she really is Qiao Wan?
The famous "Mary Sue" Qiao Wan?
Qiao Wan was startled for a moment, suddenly feeling like she had won a jackpot in an instant but couldn't accept it silently.
This wasn't a stroke of luck, it was more like a stroke of bad luck falling from the sky!
Qiao Wan stared intently at the words on the paper, the friendly symbols - "n" and "n1". Even though the black letters were right in front of her, she felt a sense of confusion as if she was in a dream.
Was she really that "Qiao Wan"?
"That... Taoist Friend Qi, what are you basing your belief on that I am the... original Qiao Wan ?"
Qi Feidao looked at her with his beautiful eyes and his gaze fell calmly on her face, his pupils calm. This look contained a serious appraisal.
Thanks to Elder Martial Brother's keen observation from the Mathematics Department, it seemed like under his gaze, he didn't miss any tiny differences in her.
"Because of personality," Qi Feidao finally spoke, "Even if you have lost that memory, your personality is almost identical to the previous 'Qiao Wan .'"
"The subtle habits, changes in actions, and subconscious movements when fighting, these things don't lie."
Qiao Wan frowned, "Maybe it's the muscle memory of this body."
"But personality doesn't get inherited, it doesn't lie."
Looking at the words written on the page, Qiao Wan once again felt bewildered.
Actually, she already had some thoughts in her heart. Same name, same surname, almost the same appearance. Those vague memories that appeared in her mind, the strong desire to fight when killing someone, all of these cannot deceive anyone.
Thinking about this, Qiao Wan tightened her lips.
She might really be that Qiao Wan .
Looking at Qiao Wan again, Qi Feidao felt a little complicated inside.
To be honest, he didn't expect to ask such... um... a mind-blowing secret.
What he and Hall Master Ma thought at most was that Qiao Wan had betrayed them, that she had been used in this way.
Turns out, Qiao Wan is actually a 'traveler'! She came from another world! And it seems like that world is even more developed than theirs?
Qi Feidao quickly controlled his shock. He had a sharp mind and could think quickly. Even Ma Huaizhen, who was very knowledgeable, probably couldn't figure out what was really going on. But Qi Feidao could sense it almost immediately. This woman, Qiao Wan, who had lost her memory, might bring new changes to the cultivation world which was being driven back by the demon realm.
In that moment, Qi Feidao felt his aged heart beat fiercely once again.
Qiu Ergou, on the other hand, was completely confused. "Wait, what are you all talking about?"
Qi Feidao glanced at Qiu Ergou and then looked at Qiao Wan. He asked solemnly, "Taoist Friend Qiao, can you tell me more about your world?"
Qiao Wan paused for a moment and nodded. "Sure, what aspects do you want to know? Military? Politics? Culture? Economy?"
There were three cups of tea placed in front of them. Qiao Wan and Qi Feidao sat facing each other, with Qiu Ergou also present. The two of them silently listened as Qiao Wan narrated everything about her world.
"In our world, the military is very advanced and there are many types of soldiers. We have the air force, army, navy...
We have an air force that can fight in the sky... Bombers can completely destroy a city... As a result, people have also dug air-raid shelters...
Missiles... Anti-missile systems... Radar... High-tech information...
Tanks... A powerful force that can plow through everything.
The navy... Submarines... Torpedoes... Aircraft carriers...
And there are hydrogen and nuclear bombs..." Qiao Wan paused for a moment, trying to explain with her limited knowledge of the military. Looking up, she added, "Nuclear bombs have a terrible power... They can destroy everything... A long time ago, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on two cities in a country called... umm... Neon."
"In addition... nuclear leakage... nuclear radiation..."
"In terms of politics, the political system of the country I am in is different from other countries... capitalism... socialism..."
"In terms of culture..." When talking about culture, Qiao Wan deliberately picked out some concepts that the other party clearly preferred to hear, such as 'cultural soft power' and 'cultural invasion'.
Actually, based on Qiao Wan's experience in the demon realm, she slightly frowned, feeling a taste of the "total war" during the fascist era, where the entire nation, including the military, people, and the spiritual and economic aspects, were mobilized for battle.
That's why Western capitalist countries have always been wary of the Heavenly Empire, always feeling that the Heavenly Empire wants to establish fascist hegemony. This terrifying level of mobilization can often be transformed into a formidable force during times of war.
With this terrifying level of mobilization in the demon realm, it's no wonder that the scattered and divided cultivation world appears weak and powerless in its presence.
"Fascist? Total war?" This new and unfamiliar term made even the knowledgeable Qi Feidao stop and stare in astonishment.
As he discreetly communicated with Ma Huaizhen through a jade scroll, Qi Feidao tried to suppress his overwhelming shock and continued his inquiry.
Ma Huaizhen on the other end of the jade scroll was equally shocked, if not more.
Far away on the Dragon Stone Path, a man dressed in a black outfit with patches of white snow and blood gazed deeply at the chaotic battlefield not far ahead.
Under the crimson sky in the distance, a massive beast wreaked havoc in the snowy terrain.
The man, amidst the icy and snowy landscape, with the backdrop of flashing blades and shining swords, firmly gripped the armrests of his wheelchair. Despite his seasoned and battle-hardened demeanor, he struggled to contain his childlike excitement and immediately gave an order.
"Keep asking, ask until we have clarity."
Clutching the jade scroll tightly, Ma Huaizhen wiped the blood off his face, his eyes filled with mixed emotions.
Just like Qi Feidao, he also noticed that Qiao Wan was different from anyone else in the world.
This little girl actually hid her background and kept it a secret for so many years.
The man couldn't help but curl up his lips, and the nearby cultivator was shocked to see that the fierce and merciless god of Kunshan was actually smiling.
"Oh, Qiao Wan, Qiao Wan," Ma Huaizhen chuckled, "how many more surprises are you going to bring us?"
From sunrise, Qiao Wan talked all the way until sunset, speaking until her mouth was dry, with several pots of tea down her throat.
The civilization of a whole world cannot be explained in just one day.
By the end, Qiu Ergou's worldview had been completely overturned, and he muttered to himself, "I can't believe... there's still a world like this."
As he continued to recite.suddenly covered his face and sat down on the chair and cried.
A grown man crying like a child, with snot and tears streaming down his face, wailing loudly.
"If... if only our place could be as good as theirs."
Qiao Wan gently touched Qiu Ergou's shoulder and said softly, "In this world, there is no Utopia. As long as there are people, the dark side of human nature will exist, and war will never stop. Haven't you heard the saying that everyone's life is a battle?"
Pausing for a moment, Qiao Wan added, "It's just about who is worse off than the other."
Qiu Ergou widened his eyes, tears glistening, and asked with a tremble, "What's Utopia?"
"Well... it's an ideal place that is purely imaginary, where there is no oppression and everyone is happy. It's similar to the Western concept of paradise, I guess?"
So she never thought about becoming immortal.
Wait a minute...
As Qiao Wan pondered, she immediately sensed that something was wrong.
When did she ever consider becoming immortal?
In that moment, Qiao Wan felt confused once again.
She thought, maybe she truly is the legendary "Qiao Wan."
On the Dragon Stone Path, Ma Huaizhen sighed with closed eyes and said, "Ask her, ask her how likely it is for us to get hold of these weapons."
Qi Feidao furrowed his brow and recounted everything solemnly.
Qiao Wan shook her head gently, expressing in a polite way that it was not possible.
"Without a foundation in theoretical science, talking about creating a nuclear bomb is just empty talk," Qiao Wan said. "Perhaps you can learn something from it."
"After all, this world has a perfect and renewable energy source called 'spiritual power'."
Qi Feidao pondered thoughtfully.
"There's too much information here, let's agree to continue discussing it tomorrow," Qi Feidao stood up and left Qiao Wan and Qiu Ergou.
Just as he stepped out of the house, Qiao Wan suddenly heard a loud howl, and a massive shadow rose up accompanied by a piercing screech from behind her.
The screech was sharp and piercing, and as Qiao Wan looked up, she saw a flock of strange birds flying towards them from the distant twilight sky.
Countless strange birds crowded together, almost blocking out the sun, as they eagerly swarmed into the city.
Qi Feidao's face remained unchanged, but he quickly tapped a jade tablet, contacting the cultivators stationed throughout the city.
"Hurry, tell the people to scatter."
And the sparse crowd on the long street all started running in the same direction.
"See?" Qi Feidao sighed and pointed his hand. "These strange birds from the demon realm. They come back every few days. We've also found something similar to the 'air raid shelter' you mentioned."
"Too slow," Qiao Wan fell silent for a moment.
Qi Feidao was taken aback.
Qiao Wan said, "The communication with the jade tablet is not as fast as the air raid alarm."
Air raid alarm? What's that?
Anyway, Qi Feidao probably understood what Qiao Wan meant and smiled, asking, "Do you want to go up and see?"
"See how we deal with it?"
The army quickly gathered, and soon, sword cultivators hurriedly flew into the air, fighting against these strange birds.
There were also many formation cultivators on the ground, casting fire spells into the sky, the red flames burning and stretching for miles, illuminating the sky as if it were daytime.
Amidst the flashing of swords and the shadows of blades, bird corpses and the bodies of sword cultivators would occasionally fall from the sky.
"This place belongs to both land and water, and it holds a significant amount of food. It is an important grain depot for the Northern armies."
While Qi Feidao spoke, he commanded the battle, clearly accustomed to such scenes. However, Qiao Wan still frowned slightly, feeling uneasy at the sight of the sharp beaks and claws of these strange birds tearing open the cultivators' bellies, with blood-stained pieces occasionally falling from the sky.
Qiao Wan immediately unstrung the "Red Sun Bow" and shot arrow after arrow.
Many cultivators, with obvious lack of battle experience, were quickly devoured by these strange birds shortly after encountering them.
"These creatures Mei Kangping created are unlike anything we've seen or heard before. In the beginning, they caused us a lot of trouble."
Qiao Wan paused and asked, "Are all the disciples on the battlefield in the Qi Refining stage?"
Qi Feidao's face grew serious. "There's no other option. The war is intensifying, and we are short of manpower."
"Why not use arrows?"
"Their skin is too thick, arrows won't penetrate," Qi Feidao paused for a moment, "Not everyone has your strength."
"What about training a group of people?"
"Same answer, no time, not enough manpower."
After that, the two of them fell silent and started killing enemies in sync.
Soon, the sword cultivators in the sky noticed a "sharpshooter" below, hitting every arrow right in the vulnerable belly of the strange birds.
Another arrow hit the surprised sword cultivator in the back of his head, and he elatedly exclaimed, "Taoist friend, thank you!"
Upon closer look, he was startled.
It turned out to be a girl wearing a pink dress?
She felt the rain of red falling heavily on her face.
Too slow... Qiao Wan felt heavy-hearted.
This is too slow.
If only they could use something like a flying boat or a cannon to shoot these creatures out.
After the battle ended, and they were tallying their losses, Qi Feidao let out a sigh of relief, saying, "Luckily."
Qiao Wan smiled slightly and said, "There are fewer casualties than I expected."
The young man stared at her intently and asked, "Do you have any ideas?"
Qiao Wan was covered in blood, sticky all over. She nodded firmly and said, "Why don't we make some spiritual power bombs?"
"Since everyone is not familiar with this combat technique yet, we were dragged onto the battlefield," Qiao Wan pondered and continued, "Why don't we create an illusion?"
"An illusion?" the young man asked.
"We can use holographic training, create illusions for training. We can import the information of these encountered monsters into the illusion, allowing everyone to adapt in advance. If in our world, we can even use this information to make predictions and build models," Qiao Wan explained.
"Build models?" This peculiar word immediately caught the attention of Elder Martial Brother Qi Feidao from the Mathematics Department.
Qi Feidao's eyes suddenly lit up!
*
In Cangwu State, in Bao Yi Village
A thin and pale-faced girl peeped out from outside the temple.
She was obviously very scared, trembling like a leaf, but she mustered up the courage to lift her eyes and asked, "Sister... can I cut some meat?"
Mu Xiaoxiao was taken aback, instinctively showing a warm smile, "Of course you can."
The little girl widened her eyes in delight, quickly said thank you, and squatted in front of Li Sancai's lifeless body, struggling to cut the meat piece by piece.
After hiding it under her clothes, she thanked them again and left.
She felt strange now, Mu Xiaoxiao lowered her eyes and thought deeply.
So this is her true self, she unexpectedly felt relaxed, her whole body eased.
This naked feeling seemed to return to the time when she was still in her mother's womb. She bent her body and calmly shared the room with the lifeless body.
Until the little girl returned again, this time accompanied by a thin and worn out woman.
The woman held a bundle of dirty coarse cloth clothes, timidly stepping into this dilapidated temple.
"Excuse me... is the fairy still here?"
Mu Xiaoxiao paused for a moment, sat up, and her dark and smooth hair fell over her clean and shiny skin.
The little girl, who was being led by a woman, caught a glimpse of Mu Xiaoxiao and slightly pursed her lips with delight, then ran over in a few steps.
"I see, Fairy sister... you... you're not wearing clothes." She picked up a coarse linen outfit and said, "Here, this outfit is for you."
The woman also quickly smiled and said, "Little fairy, please change into it."
Mu Xiaoxiao fell silent, and her eyes suddenly felt a bit sour.
This... this was her first time looking at these ordinary mortals face to face.
Big and small, all in dusty clothes, but in this cannibalistic environment, they radiated kindness towards her.
After changing clothes.noticed the wound on her leg and helped her bandage it again.
"Little fairy, please forgive us. There isn't a single blade of grass left in this place, so naturally there are no herbs," the woman whispered, "we can only endure it for now."
So, Mu Xiaoxiao laughed again, just like before, with a slightly soft and sweet smile. She spoke in a soft voice, "Thank you, kind lady."
After doing all this.looked at the broken temple and nervously held onto the little girl's hand. She didn't have any intention of leaving.
Her... her husband had already passed away. She came here with Er Ya, on one hand to show her gratitude, and on the other hand, to find some support.
"We haven't been properly introduced to the fairy yet," the woman awkwardly laughed. "My last name is Wang, I take my husband's last name, and my name is Cui Ni." She clumsily tugged on the little girl beside her.
"This is Er Ya."
The timid little girl said, "Hello, Fairy... Fairy sister."
Although they had just met and she had cut off her flesh, the little girl, or "Er Ya," had clear eyes shining with admiration.
This sister... she's so beautiful, with long, black hair.
After Wang Cuini finished speaking, she anxiously waited for the fairy's response.
To her surprise, the fairy smiled in a kind manner and said, "My surname is Mu, Wang Cuini, you can call me Xiaoxiao, dear."
Wang Cuini's eyes lit up with joy and she eagerly replied, "Oh, okay!"
"Xiaoxiao, why don't you come with us? Staying in this dilapidated temple is not a good solution."
"It's better to go home with us."
Wang Cuini's "home" was desolate, consisting of two mud houses.
The owner of the house had either fled or died somewhere, so the mother and daughter from the Wang family decided to tidy it up and live there.
According to them, their male family member, Wang Yutian, was the only one left in their hometown in the south. Wang Yutian had become a monk, and in the past, the Wang family was quite prosperous. They had sent their son Wang Yutian to become a monk, but unfortunately, when the war broke out, Wang Yutian joined the battle on the southern front.
The mother and daughter had no other choice but to think about going to the battlefield to find their family. They believed that even if they died, they wanted to die together as a family. Unfortunately, halfway through their journey, they became trapped in Baoyi Mansion and couldn't escape.
That's why Wang Cuini could tell right away that Mu Xiaoxiao was a cultivator.
Not only that, but she was a "kind-hearted" cultivator.
Before leaving, Mu Xiaoxiao made sure to put Li Sancai into her storage bag and brought him along.
At night, Wang Cuini carefully closed the doors and windows of their home. She then prepared a large pot and cooked a stew using the remaining wild vegetables she had and the meat that Wang Erya had cut off.
The first bowl was blown on by Wang Erya and then given to Mu Xiaoxiao.
Looking at the meat floating in the bowl, Mu Xiaoxiao smiled but didn't take it. She sweetly said, without changing her expression, "Erya, I am a cultivator. I can go without eating for a few days."
In the Cloud Mist Fairy Mansion, Gongsun Bingzi and her mother tried a few times, but eventually gave up and drank from the bowls. They didn't look very happy, and halfway through, Wang Cuini had to cover her mouth and vomit twice.
"Mama, I can't drink anymore," Little Yaya said, her big eyes welling up with tears.
"Be a good girl, eat quickly or you'll starve."
But Li Sancai knew that one day he would finish eating.
This wouldn't do. As she watched the flickering candlelight reflected in her eyes, Mu Xiaoxiao realized she had to find some new food and a new way out.
