A Return to Earth, A Familiar Face in a Foreign World

Qing City.

It was late evening, and heavy, dark clouds hung low, shedding rain upon the city. During the evening rush hour, the streets teemed with bustling traffic. Pedestrians flowed like a river. Neon lights shimmered vaguely through the downpour. A cacophony of sounds echoed all around.

A young woman, clad in a black dress and with an iron ruler strapped to her back, navigated the sidewalk. Surrounded by pedestrians holding colorful umbrellas, her frantic demeanor inevitably drew curious glances.

‘What is this place?’

Xiao Miao gazed in alarm at the towering buildings around her, structures that seemed to pierce the very clouds. She observed the passersby, their attire starkly different from her own, and the steel boxes hurtling down the street.

‘Are those some kind of puppets?’

Faced with this inexplicable scene, a profound dread settled deep within Xiao Miao’s heart.

“Beep-beep—”

A sound echoed from above, and strangely, everyone around her halted. The steel boxes on the wide thoroughfare in the middle of the road continued to advance with increased speed. Xiao Miao gasped for air, mimicking the other pedestrians by stopping at the street corner. She secretly gathered her strength, bracing herself for whatever might unfold next.

‘Shizun, Shizun—’

She glanced at the ring on her left hand, calling out inwardly. However, this only intensified the young woman’s panic. Not only did the old woman within the ring fail to respond, but Xiao Miao also realized that this realm utterly lacked spiritual energy!

‘What in the world is this place!!!!’

“Beep-beep—”

Another strange sound rang out, and all the steel boxes on the wide thoroughfare eerily came to a stop. The surrounding crowd began to surge forward, sweeping Xiao Miao along with them. Carried by the flow of people, she continued to move, yet the young woman gradually calmed herself. There seemed to be no immediate danger, provided she remained wary of those peculiar steel boxes. As she crossed the pedestrian street, Xiao Miao even noticed that actual people were seated inside these strange boxes.

These incomprehensible sights overwhelmed the young woman’s mind. Currently, all she desired was a quiet place to process her situation; Xiao Miao’s reaction was remarkably calm.

“Sister, sister, are you playing a game?

“Can I send you a message?”

Having finally navigated the crosswalk, a small girl suddenly darted in front of Xiao Miao. In her hand, she held a small box that Xiao Miao couldn’t comprehend, aiming it towards her. Behind the little girl, Xiao Miao noticed two adults following. The man leaned against the woman beside him, both watching the child with smiling faces.

‘Is this… a family of three?!’

However, the events unfolding before her were truly beyond Xiao Miao’s comprehension.

She watched the little girl, still holding the small box, turn and run off in a random direction without a backward glance, leaving the trio looking bewildered.

The rain continued to fall, drenching the young woman’s clothes as she ran. With no spiritual energy present in her surroundings, the cold caused her to shiver uncontrollably.

She kept running, on and on, until the bustling crowds gradually thinned, and a sense of quiet settled.

Observing the now slightly shorter high-rise buildings, Xiao Miao turned and ducked into one of the narrow alleys.

****

“Beep-beep…”

An electric scooter navigated the narrow alley, carrying a man whose brow was furrowed in thought.

‘Yanqing Sect disciples?’

‘Over the years, how many Yanqing Sect disciples had pursued the so-called immortal path…’

These memories echoed incessantly within the man’s mind. This man was Qin Yan, and at this moment, the memories in his mind felt like a grand dream after a midday nap. Yet, instinctively, he also sensed their undeniable truth.

‘He had transmigrated to a Xianxia world, and then… transmigrated back?’

Suddenly, Qin Yan squeezed the brakes of his electric scooter, his gaze fixed on the young woman huddled in the corner of the alley. He had almost, in a moment of inattention, collided with her. The young woman seemed startled as well, turning her head to look at Qin Yan. The familiar face caused the young woman’s eyes to brighten. In this utterly foreign world, the sudden appearance of a familiar person was truly one of life’s four great joys: ‘meeting an old friend in a distant land.’

“Qin Yan?”

“Xiao Miao?”

Both exclaimed in surprise simultaneously, their voices tinged with a tentative question. If Qin Yan had previously dismissed his memories as a mere dream, gazing at the young woman before him—a face so intimately familiar—it was clear this was far more than a simple dream.

Only one possibility remained: he had indeed transmigrated to a Xianxia world and had now returned, bringing this young woman along with him.

This scenario inexplicably carried shades of The Matrix, ultimately proving to be utterly mind-bending.

What exactly had transpired remained hazy to Qin Yan, like trying to see flowers through a thick fog. Like a drowning person clutching a lifeline, Xiao Miao’s weary body rose to her feet, her gaze fixed on Qin Yan.

“Where… is this place?”

She questioned, observing Qin Yan’s unfamiliar attire.

“This… is Earth.”

Qin Yan looked at the young woman, then extended his hand, adding, “No time to explain, get on.”

Xiao Miao did not hesitate. She took Qin Yan’s hand and settled onto the back seat of the electric scooter. As Qin Yan twisted the switch, the small scooter sped away through the rain. Soon, Qin Yan brought Xiao Miao back to his home.

It was a modest rented apartment in Qing City, comprising one bedroom, one living room, and one bathroom.

Truth be told, for Qin Yan to live alone in such a place felt a touch extravagant, though the rent was manageable.

Qin Yan watched Xiao Miao standing bewildered in the living room, then turned and walked into the bathroom. He gazed at his reflection in the mirror, feeling nothing out of the ordinary.

Instead, after marveling at his own handsomeness, he reached for the towel hanging on the wall beside him. Living alone, he naturally didn’t possess extra towels or similar items. Thus, he could only offer his own for her to use. He then emerged, extending the towel in his hand to the young woman. Xiao Miao awkwardly accepted the towel and began to dry her damp hair. She looked at the short-haired Qin Yan standing before her; seeing a familiar face brought her a measure of comfort.

‘What exactly had happened to cause all this?’

She couldn’t quite grasp it, and she wasn’t alone; Qin Yan, now seated on a nearby stool, was also deep in thought.

****

Within the cave.

The roots of the Ghost Grass and the Little Pink Mushroom were intertwined, allowing both plants to clearly perceive everything unfolding within.

“What is going on with this strange world?”

“I do not know either.

“This is a shared dream they both created.

“I have also set up some restrictions according to your wishes, Little Ghost, hoping you can find the answers you seek within them.”