A New World and Old Beliefs

Despite Xiao Miao sitting primly on the stool, Qin Yan, no matter how he pondered, couldn’t discern the crucial issue at hand.

He had transmigrated into a world of cultivation, spending sixteen years there, a period filled with both tears and laughter, akin to living an entirely separate life.

Then, this life had dissolved like a grand dream, and he had awakened to find himself back in the modern era.

A question then arose: if it truly had been a dream, what explained the presence of the young woman before him? Could she have somehow found him from within that dream, much like the trope in novels where a game’s heroine appears at the protagonist’s doorstep?

If that were indeed the case, then everything would bear a striking resemblance to a simulator-type novel.

Typically, the protagonist in such narratives would awaken an ability related to a simulator, set in either a Xianxia or fantasy world. Upon the simulation’s conclusion, the heroine from within the simulator would then appear at their doorstep.

Should this truly be the explanation, then everything would fall into place, however preposterous the conclusion might sound. After all, with Xiao Miao physically present before him, could anything possibly be more outlandish?

As Qin Yan delved into his thoughts, Xiao Miao, in turn, observed him intently.

She refrained from interrupting, yet the mere presence of a familiar face brought her a profound sense of reassurance.

With matters having reached this point, perhaps it was best to simply eat first…

Qin Yan retrieved his phone, then opened the Jingdong app.

Why not Meituan? Because only their group-purchase meals offered any real value.

However, Jingdong’s recent ‘Ten Billion Subsidy’ campaign was so incredibly cost-effective that it compelled one to use it.

Xiao Miao observed the metallic box Qin Yan pulled from his trousers, a device she had previously glimpsed with the little girl.

A surge of curiosity prompted her to inquire,

“Qin Yan, what manner of object is this?”

Noting Xiao Miao’s inquisitive gaze, Qin Yan held up the device.

“This object is called a mobile phone. It can access the internet – you understand what that means, right? No, perhaps you don’t,” he conceded, seeing her blank expression.

“Think of it as a type of communication artifact, like a talisman, but this ‘mobile phone’ artifact possesses a far greater array of functions…”

Qin Yan launched into a detailed explanation, but Xiao Miao merely listened with a bewildered expression.

“Alright, you don’t really need to concern yourself with these intricacies,” Qin Yan reassured her, observing Xiao Miao’s utterly perplexed gaze.

“From this point forward, I will look after you. After all, having arrived in this world, you know no one here apart from me…”

As he spoke these words, a flicker of profound sympathy involuntarily emerged in Qin Yan’s eyes.

Having experienced transmigration himself, he understood intimately the sentiment of those who found themselves in such a predicament.

“Is this not the Northern Lands?”

Xiao Miao asked, a profound astonishment blooming in her heart, causing her to spring to her feet with an abrupt, almost explosive motion.

“Do you truly believe this to be… the Northern Lands?”

Qin Yan moved to the young woman’s side, gently patting her shoulder in an attempt to soothe her agitation.

“The distance between this place and what you refer to as the Northern Lands is likely as vast as the heavens are from the earth,” he explained softly.

“To put it in terms you might comprehend, we have, in essence, ascended to an entirely different world – a world devoid of the vibrant, dazzling spiritual energy you once knew…”

Through Qin Yan’s carefully chosen words, Xiao Miao, the young woman, at last grasped the full extent of her predicament.

“Moreover, as an undocumented individual, you possess no legal standing and are akin to a vagrant,” Qin Yan continued, his tone grave.

“Should you venture outside unsupervised and encounter the police, there’s a significant chance you would be apprehended for investigation.”

“Three possibilities typically arise: first, they might identify you as a transmigrator, leading to your placement in specialized institutions, potentially for scientific research; second, you could be confined to a detention center; and most likely, you would be classified as a wandering psychiatric patient and committed to a mental hospital.”

Qin Yan was not attempting to frighten the young woman; rather, he was merely stating the stark realities of what could genuinely transpire.

With these three grim possibilities laid bare before her, Xiao Miao shook her head, a wave of profound discouragement washing over her.

None of the scenarios were ones she wished to confront, particularly the latter two.

“Can we ever return?”

Xiao Miao inquired, her voice tinged with a palpable sense of bewilderment.

“Perhaps if we stumble upon a great stroke of luck,” Qin Yan offered, shrugging his shoulders dismissively.

“Of course, I jest. The matter of returning is something that will require extensive research on our part.”

“And how, precisely, do we research it?” Xiao Miao pressed.

“I honestly don’t know…”

Qin Yan admitted candidly. If he possessed the knowledge to freely traverse between worlds, he would have long since become wealthy as a merchant, given how frequently such a premise appeared in various works of fiction.

Xiao Miao’s spirits, upon hearing Qin Yan’s frank admission, plummeted into a state of immediate despondency.

“The boat will naturally straighten when it reaches the bridge; there’s no need to fret so intensely,” Qin Yan reassured her, observing the young woman’s downcast demeanor.

“What would you like to eat? On second thought, posing such a question will only heighten your anxiety. Let’s do this: you’ll simply join us. We’ll all share some Maocai.”

“Maocai?”

Xiao Miao echoed, a question in her tone.

“Indeed, it’s regarded as a local specialty dish here,” Qin Yan replied.

He then proceeded to place an order on his mobile phone, completing the transaction swiftly.

As Xiao Miao observed Qin Yan’s practiced handling of the device, a peculiar expression dawned in her eyes.

She had suddenly realized a crucial blind spot in her understanding, prompting her to voice a question.

“Qin Yan, why are you so remarkably familiar with this world?”

“Perhaps in a previous life, I spent an entire lifetime within this very world,” Qin Yan mused.

Qin Yan found himself truly at a loss for a suitable explanation, yet to his surprise, Xiao Miao nodded in earnest agreement.

As someone hailing from a world of cultivation, she genuinely and wholeheartedly accepted the concept of reincarnation and rebirth.

This, in turn, rather astonished Qin Yan; he had not anticipated Xiao Miao’s immediate and profound acceptance of his flippant remark.

As if discerning the surprise in Qin Yan’s gaze, Xiao Miao offered an explanation.

“I have heard tales,” she began, “of certain reincarnated great powers, some of whom even originate from other worlds, arriving in the Northern Lands with memories of their previous lives.”

“These individuals, whether good or ill, invariably rise to become formidable figures. Some are renowned as Outer Realm Heavenly Demons, while others are hailed as Sky-Flying Immortals…”

Xiao Miao’s unexpected explanation, surprisingly, untangled an inexplicable knot that had long resided within Qin Yan’s heart.

He recalled how, during his time in the Northern Lands, he had desperately striven to conceal his identity as a transmigrator.

Now, it appeared that in that flourishing world of cultivation, such individuals were far from uncommon, and the populace seemed to accept such phenomena with remarkable equanimity, exhibiting no trace of astonishment.

After all, it was a world where one could cultivate to achieve immortality, and true immortals, by their very nature, paid no heed to their transient mortal forms.

“You can largely comprehend it in that manner,” Qin Yan replied.

What more could he possibly add, now that Xiao Miao, standing before him, seemed entirely unconcerned by the notion?

To his utter surprise, the young woman suddenly leaned in close, her eyes wide with unfeigned astonishment, before earnestly inquiring, “Qin Yan, are you truly a Sky-Flying Immortal?”

‘Ah, so she can still be surprised after all…’

“And why could I not be an Outer Realm Heavenly Demon instead?”

A faint, rare smile played upon Qin Yan’s lips as he responded to her question, indulging in a moment of levity.

“You eradicated the tiger demons and dismantled the demon city,” Xiao Miao countered, her expression earnest.

“If such Outer Realm Heavenly Demons truly exist, then let many more arrive. Perhaps the Northern Lands would become far more harmonious than they are now.”

Xiao Miao responded to Qin Yan’s words, her delicate features set in an expression of profound earnestness.