Kong Rong

Yesterday, Xiao Hong shared some juicy gossip with him, and today Chen Miemie started pestering Xiao Shuang.

“Xiao Shuang, what have you been busy with lately?”

[There was a widespread cold wave in the northern part of the continent, and quite a few people were killed or injured. I went over to take a look.]

“Just a look?”

[I couldn’t look for too long. My second glance made the cold wave even worse.]

“Then we really should thank you for showing some mercy with that second glance. Xiao Shuang, I’d like to discuss something with you.”

[Go ahead.]

“The six nights a week in March appear at random. Do you think the three of us could decide the order ourselves? Two nights each, with no changes.”

[We can decide the nighttime arrangements ourselves, but I oppose doing so.]

“Huh? Why?”

[The alternating cycle of the sun and moon is one of the world’s fundamental laws. There can be no mistakes. Leaving it to random patterns means we don’t need to worry about it.]

[If you create a schedule yourself, an unforeseen event or a handoff error could lead to a ‘moonless’ incident. It would only take one such incident to seriously damage the world.]

[And a ‘moonless’ incident would merely cause damage. If a ‘double moon’ were to appear, the consequences would be simply unimaginable.]

Even the usually aloof Xiao Shuang had spoken three sentences in a row. Clearly, the consequences really were severe.

Chen Miemie thought it over. Xiao Shuang did have a point. Human intervention could genuinely lead to mistakes. Even if the odds were low, there was only a small benefit to be gained, while the potential danger was enormous. It would be far too risky.

“All right. You make a good point.”

Chen Miemie then asked Xiao Shuang the same questions he had asked Xiao Hong the night before.

Xiao Shuang was very reliable.

[You want to bring the small stones from the body of the Eternal Moon itself into this world?]

“Yes. I’m counting on them for my later advancements.”

[As far as I know, that is unlikely to be possible.]

“Xiao Hong said the same thing, but why?”

[Because we and the Hundred Cities Continent are, in reality, not in the same dimension. The barriers between worlds block foreign objects.]

“Aren’t we the five great rulers of the world? If I personally intervene, can’t I do something about the barrier?”

[The barrier has no consciousness. It is similar to a natural law and recognizes only rigid principles.]

“Where does the barrier get its power from?”

[From us at this very moment. If we exist, the barrier exists.]

With that, Chen Miemie chatted until he drifted off to sleep.

For the entire following day, Chen Miemie was listless because he had failed to find a solution to the problem of materials for his advancement.

He drank a large cup of the [Preserved Egg Latte] made by Qiu Tian, then played chess with Old Man Yu, who kept taking back his moves. After that one-two combination, he felt even more dispirited. Even the cowlick on top of his head drooped weakly.

Fortunately, it was the Eternal Moon’s turn that night, which restored some of his energy.

Not long after the shop opened, a customer walked in.

The newcomer was dressed like a scholar and looked somewhere between a young man and a middle-aged man.

The Huangyi that Chen Miemie had transformed into lit up at the sight of him.

This was an old acquaintance.

A younger version of Mr. Kong, the Leader of the Book Chasers.

“Thank you. May I ask what this place is?” Mr. Kong asked politely. After sitting down, he first thanked Loop for bringing him tea before voicing his question.

“A shop that helps people resolve the confusion in their hearts. I’m the owner.”

“Hello, shopkeeper. My name is Kong Rong. I’m a teacher at a school.”

“A teacher? Not a Book Chaser?”

“That’s right, I’m a teacher—a full-time one who actually teaches students. Do you think I have something to do with the Book Chasers?”

“Oh, I was just making a casual remark. Well then, Mr. Kong Rong, as someone who usually answers children’s questions, what is it that confuses you?”

Kong Rong took a sip of tea.

“Excellent tea!

“It’s like this. I’m not even sure whether this counts as a question. I happened to come across your shop, so let’s just call it casual conversation.

“I’ve been teaching for many years, and I’ve always taught my students that hard work can make up for a lack of talent, and that effort will always bring rewards.

“But among the students I taught last year, there were two particularly unusual ones.

“One was named Xia Chong. He was extraordinarily talented and had remarkable comprehension. No matter what he studied, he understood it immediately. He only needed to spend half an hour a day to achieve what would take others several days of study.

“The other was Shi Buyi. That wasn’t his original name; he changed it himself. He was the complete opposite. Studying was incredibly difficult for him. It took him several days to catch up to what an ordinary person could learn in one day.

“They were the top student and the bottom student in my class, and that remained the case right up until their graduation examination.

“The two of them were very good friends. Shi Buyi was always trying to tutor Xia Chong, but Xia Chong constantly resisted.”

“Wait a moment. Shi Buyi was trying to tutor Xia Chong? Unless I’ve got it wrong, wasn’t Xia Chong the talented one?”

“Ah, yes, perhaps I didn’t explain it clearly.

“Shi Buyi was always the top student. He was unbelievably diligent. If other people studied one point, he studied ten, forcing his way ahead of everyone through sheer effort.

“Xia Chong was the opposite. Despite possessing astonishing talent, he had absolutely no interest in studying. He spent his days playing around. Even if he was forced to sit in the classroom, he could still space out and let his mind wander. He steadily held the position of last place.”

Chen Miemie leaned back slightly into the sofa, signaling for him to continue.

“Fate played its cruelest joke during the graduation examination.

“Shi Buyi had accumulated six years of study. He gave the exam everything he had and even performed beyond his usual ability, yet he still failed. He didn’t die, but he suffered injuries that were neither particularly serious nor completely minor.

“As for Xia Chong, who had been playing around even the day before the exam, he passed with ease and became a mystic.

“The examination dealt a heavy blow to Shi Buyi. Xia Chong smoothly entered the mystic world, while he remained an ordinary person.

“To make a living, he found a job as a bus driver.”

While Kong Rong paused to drink his tea, Chen Miemie raised a question.

“The graduation examination already has a low passing rate. Personality, one’s mystical prototype, equipment, and even luck have a greater influence on the result. Hard work doesn’t account for much of it in the first place, does it?”

Kong Rong set down his teacup.

“Heh. The shopkeeper probably wasn’t raised in the Book-Sealing Library.”

“That’s right. I wasn’t.”

“The Book-Sealing Library differs from other cities in one respect. Most of the anomalies outside our city are related to knowledge, books, or school supplies. They generally don’t attack scholars. Those with a strong grasp of theoretical knowledge have a major advantage against them.”

“I see.”

“Shi Buyi was a bit slow, but once he decided on a goal, he would formulate a plan and carry it out with strict precision.

“As a bus driver, he was conscientious and responsible. He believed that since he had chosen this line of work, he had to become the best bus driver there was.

“Then, just as he was nearing the end of his first year on the job and was about to be named an outstanding member of the industry, an accident occurred.

“He quit.

“After that, he left the city alone. When he returned, he had become a mystic.”

Chen Miemie failed to grasp the point for quite some time and could only ask:

“Mr. Kong Rong, everything you’ve told me concerns those two students. What does any of this have to do with you?”

“At first, I had a personal motive. They were the most representative students I had encountered in my teaching career, embodying two different beliefs of mine. I wanted to see which of them would ultimately go farther.

“Later, as I interacted with them more, I came to regard them as my disciples. And now, Xia Chong is critically ill.”

“What illness?”

“Haunted by nightmares. His mind is extremely weak, and he often can’t distinguish reality from dreams.”

“So, Mr. Kong Rong, what is it you want to commission me to do?”

If possible, I’d be grateful if you could step in and cure him.