Chapter 26 Looking Forward to Next Time

Chapter 26: Until We Meet Again

"You've hidden many things." Lin Juangui didn't answer Fan Meiyi, instead abruptly changing the subject.

Fan Meiyi knew she had been too impatient; she should have first earned Lin Juangui's trust.

But the soul of Cuigu had already endured prolonged torment. Fan Meiyi had expended considerable soul energy to influence Lin Juangui, and when recounting her story, she was bound by "the rules" not to lie. Lin Juangui's current demeanor compelled Fan Meiyi to seize the moment and beg for his forgiveness.

Lin Juangui rose from the rocking chair, observing Fan Meiyi's expression: "Since it was a bet between you and that man, and you became my mother, living with me for so many years, then who around me is he? I'll hazard a guess: your bet wasn't about whether Cicada would forgive those who tried to offer him to the mirror, was it?"

Fan Meiyi didn't know what Lin Juangui had experienced after her death. She only knew he had been deeply attached to her.

After all, Lin Juangui had wept bitterly at her bedside when she was dying. She thought it was a sure thing, but she hadn't expected Lin Juangui to be so detached.

"Deception"—Lin Juangui had used that word. Had he figured something out?

Seeing the worried look on Fan Meiyi’s face and her prolonged silence, Lin Juangui didn't press further. "Since you won’t say, I’ll find out for myself."

"Can you really stand by and watch those who came with you die?!"

Fan Meiyi finally showed her true colors. Lin Juangui stopped in his tracks and let out a soft laugh. "I don’t know what grudge that man has against you, but based on my inference, it’s jealousy, isn't it? You seem so capable—even after death, you can use your soul to achieve your desires. So you must resent those smarter than you, and you'll do everything in your power to destroy them, so you can take their place. Am I right?"

"..."

Indeed, the clan leader’s son was born with the bloodline to communicate with the Holy Mirror. No matter how hard Fan Meiyi tried, she could never even approach the lower limit of his innate talent.

But how could she accept it? She had been poised to become the high priestess, but the man’s act of patricide delayed it indefinitely, even knocking her out of the running for the position.

So she had to create chaos—only then could she seize power from the turmoil.

While Fan Meiyi remained silent, Lin Juangui had already pushed aside the vines in the room. These plants seemed sentient, automatically retreating as Lin Juangui’s hands approached.

He sat on the spacious bed, his mind blank, feeling only peace.

Throughout his conversation with Fan Meiyi, Lin Juangui had been on the offensive. He needed to extract more information from her, but now it seemed Fan Meiyi had given up due to his lack of cooperation. The parts that touched on her interests were something she would never reveal to Lin Juangui, no matter what.

So after sitting on the bed for a while, Lin Juangui began searching through the drawers and cabinets.

Even after all these years, traces of life here were still imprinted everywhere.

From Fan Meiyi’s account, Lin Juangui could sense the man’s obsession and longing for Cicada, but now, seeing it with his own eyes, he found it laughable.

The feeling was all too familiar. Not only did it not discomfort Lin Juangui in the slightest, but it also brought a sense of resigned bitterness.

Whether it was behavioral habits or the small details of hiding daily necessities, everything reminded Lin Juangui of someone.

After looking around the room, Lin Juangui decided to explore elsewhere.

The reason he wasn’t worried about the safety of his companions was simply that if Fan Meiyi couldn’t harm him, other souls certainly couldn’t either.

As Lin Juangui left, Fan Meiyi’s spirit followed closely behind, muttering to herself: "I raised you to adulthood, after all. You can’t ignore all that I've done for you. I’ve told you everything I know—why won’t you forgive them for my sake…"

"Using past favors to pressure me is pointless. I remember you said you would bless me—does that no longer count? I bought you the best burial plot in the country and placed a bouquet at your grave every year. You deceived a child’s sincere affection for twenty years. He held back his true self for you, worked hard, and did everything he could to earn money for your treatment. Isn’t that filial enough? It’s just that the script you chose for yourself wasn’t particularly good, otherwise I wouldn’t feel this sense of relief, as if I’ve repaid everything I owed. And…"

Lin Juangui suddenly stopped and turned to look at the murmuring Fan Meiyi. "I am not Cicada. I am Lin Juangui. Why should I be the one to forgive Bada and its past? What does any of this have to do with me?"

Fan Meiyi cracked.

A crack at the soul level, one that could not be mended.

Her figure gradually faded and disappeared.

Lin Juangui let out a deep sigh.

To him, Fan Meiyi’s story was just that—a story. He had wandered through Cuigu for so long, yet not a single memory surfaced in his mind.

If this were following the tropes of those transmigration novels, he should now be clutching his head in agony, kneeling on the ground in tears, and saying: "So I am Cicada."

But nothing of the sort happened.

Lin Juangui would not forget why he had come here. He returned to the temple, hoping to find the legendary Holy Mirror.

Fan Meiyi said the mirror had once shattered but was later pieced back together by Cicada. Did the mirror still possess its former power?

But as Lin Juangui arrived outside the temple and pushed the door open again, a white light flashed before his eyes.

He finally saw the man’s appearance.

The man was kneeling on one knee, his face haggard, his clothes tattered from numerous battles, revealing his sturdy shoulders and arms. Lin Juangui heard him say: "Fine. If you win, all the imprisoned souls of Bada will be released. But I will not allow you to enter the cycle of reincarnation—I will only grant you release. If I win, all of you must…"

Before the man could finish, a burst of static came from the communicator. Lin Juangui jolted awake and found himself kneeling exactly where he had first stood up—outside the temple.

"Lin Juangui! Can you hear me? Where are you now?" Mu Zhang’s voice came through the earpiece, and Lin Juangui frowned, shaking his head helplessly.

He rubbed his temples, taking a moment to collect himself before replying: "This should be the end of all the suspension bridges. I’m a bit disoriented—I’m not sure how long I’ve been here."

Mu Zhang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "The main ship just reported that your signal was lost for a long time. Are you injured?"

Lin Juangui looked himself over. "No injuries, but I think I’ve run into a ghost wall. There’s a temple in front of me, but every time I reach the entrance, I blink and find myself back where I first fell."

"Stop moving around. Conserve your strength as much as possible. I’ll send those closest to you to your coordinates to regroup."

"Okay."

Lin Juangui knew that was all the information he could get. From Mu Zhang’s words, he gathered that the earlier conversation with Fan Meiyi and the scenes he had witnessed had not been captured by the recorder in his goggles. This, ironically, relieved him.

It seemed Bada did not reject him—it was even protecting him in its own way.

This added a layer of credibility to Fan Meiyi’s story.

While waiting for his companions, Lin Juangui pondered carefully: Why was he able to transmigrate into a book after his death? Why did the [Lin Juangui] in the book look exactly like him, asking him to fulfill his wishes, and even allowing him to bring along a system?

All of this must be related to the bet between Fan Meiyi and that man.

Fan Meiyi was unwilling to reveal anything about the bet—its contents, how victory or defeat was determined, and so on. But based on Lin Juangui’s speculation, the price Cicada paid for sharing his power with the man was that he himself became part of the cycle of reincarnation.

Once, Lin Juangui believed the world was fictional, that everyone was struggling painfully with their circumstances, and that death was the only escape.

Back then, his psychologist had issued him a hospitalization order, suggesting he stay in a psychiatric hospital for a while and reminding him to take his medication on time. If things worsened, it might affect his daily life.

Lin Juangui tore up the hospitalization order on the spot and returned to work.

What kind of doctor was that? Utterly useless, only capable of speaking in circles and urging him to be hospitalized and medicated.

Now, Lin Juangui no longer doubted his own reality.

Just as he had told Fan Meiyi, he was not Cicada, nor was he [Lin Juangui]—he was simply himself.

The people he encountered and the experiences he underwent were integral to who he was; he would neither deny nor fear them.

Lin Juangui took a deep breath, his face relaxing—like the pleasant, slightly intoxicating lightness one feels after a glass of white wine on a Friday evening.

After an indeterminate stretch of time, Mu Zhang finally reached the temple’s entrance.

At the same time, Rong Rui and his subordinates dashed over, panting, having crossed from another suspension bridge.

“We only gained directional bearings once we received your coordinates. Many phenomena here are bizarre—laced with traps defying scientific explanation. Still, we managed to construct a three-dimensional map and located the library, the treasure vault, and more.”

Lin Juangui nodded absently, barely listening.

Mu Zhang was even less attentive; his gaze remained fixed solely on the temple before him. Was the legendary mirror—capable of traversing time and space—truly inside?

“How many times have you entered?” Mu Zhang asked Lin Juangui.

Still seated on the ground, Lin Juangui pushed himself upright. “Twice. Each time I pushed the door open, blinding white light flooded my vision—and when I opened my eyes again, I was back here. I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone, but I won’t risk it again.”

So far, Lin Juangui had withheld most of what he’d experienced in Bada—not merely out of self-preservation. After all, Mu Zhang coveted Bada’s sacred artifacts, and Lin Juangui had every reason to remain vigilant.

Several surveyors had already extracted information from the library. They stepped forward to brief Lin Juangui: “This temple houses the Bada Tribe’s sacred relics. According to their records, only the tribal chief may commune with the Holy Mirror enshrined here. You likely cannot enter because this place inherently rejects outsiders.”

Mu Zhang frowned. If they couldn’t enter the temple, wouldn’t all their efforts be rendered meaningless?

He pointed to one of his subordinates. “You—go in and take a look.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the subordinate pushed open the temple door, blinding white light erupted from within—just as Lin Juangui had described. But this time, instead of reappearing before everyone, he was pulled inside.

A piercing scream tore through the air—growing fainter and fainter, echoing as though from the depths of a distant valley.

Lin Juangui’s brow furrowed. Silence fell over everyone present.

For Lin Juangui, the books uncovered by the surveyors and the treasures in the vault were already enough to secure his fortune. Given his original purpose for coming to Planet Bada, he could very well pack up and leave.

Yet Mu Zhang persisted stubbornly, sending three more people into the temple—one after another. Without exception, their screams reverberated across the emerald valley, rendering the crumbling temple even more unnerving.

Knowing he couldn’t stop Mu Zhang, Lin Juangui turned to Rong Rui. “Have your people retrieve whatever valuables from the treasure vault can be sold. For me, the mere fact that P-L79 holds value is already a pleasant surprise. Even if we uncover further secrets here, nothing will change. I’d rather walk away alive.”

Rong Rui understood Lin Juangui’s concerns—but still had questions: How, exactly, had Lin Juangui known the method to enter P-L79?

Lin Juangui didn’t appear cowardly. Rather, it was as if he’d already found his answers—and was now withdrawing, having lost interest in the unfolding situation.

As employer, Rong Rui ought to heed Lin Juangui’s advice. His approach was prudent—but too many mysteries about Bada remained unsolved, and the surveyors were unwilling to halt their work.

“Based on our findings, the Bada Tribe perished a thousand years ago—long before humanity had split into Alphas, Betas, and Omegas. Documenting their rise and fall would fill critical gaps in the Federation’s historical record—a value beyond measure. Mr. Lin, are you truly giving up now?”

Lin Juangui offered a regretful smile. “I’m a businessman. If you’re interested, feel free to stay and continue exploring. But per my contract with Mr. Rong, all discoveries belong exclusively to me—that may not be particularly worthwhile for you.”

“If it’s possible—we won’t let you down!”

“Very well, then I’ll—”

Before Lin Juangui could finish saying “leave,” Mu Zhang cut him off. “You intend to leave before this is resolved? How irresponsible. Or should I call you… Cicada?”

Mu Zhang clearly knew much—but Lin Juangui maintained a puzzled, faintly amused expression. “What do you mean?”

“Stop pretending ignorance. I’ve gathered intelligence—everyone who came to Planet Bada has seen you walking alone toward the altar in their dreams. How else do you explain how you knew the way in?”

Thankfully, it wasn’t anything more shocking. Lin Juangui felt a slight sense of relief. He glanced at Rong Rui, seeking confirmation with his eyes—and Rong Rui nodded.

Everyone had likely been passive spectators, helplessly watching the man cloaked in golden light, clad in exquisite, flowing robes, walk barefoot onto the altar.

But the Lin Juangui standing before them now was unmistakably different—far more approachable. So even if Rong Rui harbored doubts, he chose not to voice them.

Lin Juangui’s expression remained calm. “I don’t deny Bada’s significance to me—but I refuse to acknowledge being the ‘Cicada’ you claim to have seen. Mu Zhang, I trust you’ve reviewed my full file—from birth to our partnership. I suggest your suspicions end here. Wouldn’t it be simpler to tell me plainly what you want me to do—rather than orchestrate all this?”

Lin Juangui’s words carried double meaning. He saw no point in explaining something fundamentally unverifiable to Mu Zhang.

Mu Zhang narrowed his eyes, drew a sharp breath—and a flash of anger flickered across his face. “I know you’re silver-tongued and adept at twisting words. You said you pushed open the temple door. We’ve all witnessed what happened to my men. Try it again.”

In the end, Mu Zhang simply refused to give up. He’d worked too hard to get here—to depart empty-handed.

Lin Juangui stared intently at Mu Zhang. “What’s in it for me?”

Since Mu Zhang had dropped all pretense, why should Lin Juangui maintain any façade of courtesy? Their interests no longer aligned—and they could part ways at any moment.

Moreover, P-L79 now belonged to Lin Juangui. He’d already refrained from interfering with Mu Zhang’s uninvited presence—yet Mu Zhang now made demands upon him. Ridiculous.

Mu Zhang finally grasped the truth—he’d long since lost all leverage over Lin Juangui. Now, Lin Juangui held the reins.

Rong Rui, observing from the side, could no longer contain himself. He found Mu Zhang utterly clueless. “What does an Omega desire most, if not gentleness and consideration? Mr. Mu—are you so newly married that you fail to recognize when an Omega is flirting with you? How can you be so dense?”

The tense atmosphere abruptly shifted—strangely ambiguous—because of Rong Rui’s words.

Mu Zhang felt as though he’d struck an immovable wall—utterly powerless.

“Since you refuse to admit you’re the Cicada—then, as an outsider, you will not leave Bada!”

A massive shadow suddenly loomed over the temple. Rong Rui recognized its shape and spoke up urgently. “When we arrived, a group of phantoms pursued us closely. Earlier, they merely followed—posing no threat—but now…”

The shadow’s true form gradually emerged. Everyone present instantly recognized it—the stone statue previously encircled by eternal blossoms at the temple’s entrance.

Her face was no longer serene and gentle. Instead, it radiated raw, unmasked hatred and despair.

As everyone scattered to flee, Mu Zhang suddenly seized Lin Juangui and dragged him to the temple door—forcing him to push it open!

Before Lin Juangui could call Mu Zhang insane, blinding white light flashed before both their eyes. When Lin Juangui opened them again, he stood frozen in the same spot—unable to escape his fate. The area around the temple was now completely empty. Mu Zhang had vanished.

Fan Meiyi continued wailing. Lin Juangui frowned and snapped angrily, “Enough! When will you stop this?”

Fan Meiyi paused—then launched an even fiercer assault!

The coalesced spirits shattered several mountain peaks across the emerald valley, and the suspension bridges collapsed entirely—leaving the already desolate landscape even more ruined.

Lin Juangui took a deep breath. In that moment, he felt no fear in the face of death—only unparalleled rage.

He lifted his head, gazing at Fan Meiyi—completely unhinged—and spoke words that cut straight to the core.

“Your ‘upbringing’ of me was nothing but a deception—to win your bet! It seems you still don’t realize—after you died, I felt my entire life had lost all meaning. I once tried to end it all by jumping into a river. Have you ever considered how heartbroken I was—when I realized my filial devotion had been trampled underfoot?!

Thankfully, I survived. Otherwise, my blood relatives would never have found me.

After you entered my world, you went to extraordinary lengths to abduct me—and took me north to evade search parties.

Fan Meiyi—you always taught me not to cause trouble for you, to endure even when bullied. Were you afraid I’d make a scene—and someone would discover I wasn’t your biological child?! Or did you take pleasure in watching me suffer?!”

Yet even then, I didn’t hold much hatred for you. Though I couldn’t fathom why you did what you did, I knew life had been hard for you, and I still laid a bouquet for you every year.

But looking back now, you never deserved any of it. How dare you claim to be my mother and take advantage of me!

After everything you’ve done to me, how could you ever ask for my forgiveness? Don’t even dream of it! Since you want me to spell it out, I’ll tell you clearly—in my past life, in this life, I will never forgive you for anything you’ve done!”

As Lin Juangui shouted these words with a hoarse voice, a tear slipped from the corner of his eye.

After Fan Meiyi’s death, he spent a long time seeing a therapist.

He couldn’t move on, as if all vitality had been drained from him.

A child who grew up receiving little affection would feel an overwhelming sense of loneliness after losing his mother—a feeling that nearly crushed Lin Juangui.

Even now, looking back, he could still feel that piercing fear.

But Fan Meiyi only laughed more wildly upon hearing this. “You deserve it! This is karma! I’ve given back all the pain you brought upon me! Hahahaha! What satisfaction! Such relief!”

Lin Juangui took a deep breath and sighed heavily. The shadow that had haunted him for years was finally lifted. He no longer had to live his life burdened by guilt and a so-called sense of obligation.

Whoever Fan Meiyi was, however she had treated Lin Juangui—it was all in the past now. Lin Juangui had repaid any debt he owed her. He didn’t owe Fan Meiyi anything.

Just as Fan Meiyi raised her arm again, ready to strike Lin Juangui, a sharp blade pierced straight through her chest. Her spirit dissipated into pieces, dissolving into nothingness.

Lin Juangui lifted his head, tears still glistening in his eyes. An unseen hand seemed to lift him and bring him before the Temple, pushing the door open for him.

This time, Lin Juangui finally saw what lay inside the Temple.

Lampstands lay overturned, the altar was in ruins, and shards of the mirror were scattered everywhere. Lin Juangui crouched down and picked up a piece of the mirror, his finger cut by its sharp edge, a drop of blood welling up.

A strong wind suddenly swept through Emerald Valley. Lin Juangui heard a clap of thunder. He pursed his lips and ventured to ask, “Are you there?”

This time, he wasn’t asking [Lin Juangui]—but the one he couldn’t see.

There was still no response, but the mirror shard in Lin Juangui’s hand suddenly emitted a golden light.

“The wager—is not over. Those who break the rules—deserve punishment.”

The wager Fan Meiyi mentioned clearly had nothing to do with whether Lin Juangui forgave her—it was just her personal grudge. Lin Juangui breathed a sigh of relief.

Clutching the mirror shard, Lin Juangui pushed himself up. He didn’t ask any more questions—survival was paramount now.

But as he stepped out of the Temple, he found that the mountains and suspension bridge destroyed by Fan Meiyi had been restored to their original state, as if no catastrophe had ever occurred. Lin Juangui was stunned.

Before he could react, he was lifted into the air again, as if perched on empty air. This time, he was brought to the small cabin Fan Meiyi had once shown him.

Lin Juangui bit his lip, feeling both excitement and melancholy. He asked cautiously, “I’ve been here before and examined all its contents. Since you’re so powerful, can you help the companions who came with me leave this place?”

As soon as he finished speaking, he watched as a group of people flew out of the valley, screaming as they rose into the sky and gradually disappeared.

How extraordinary!

Was Mu Zhang still alive then?

Though everything that happened on Planet Bada felt surreal to Lin Juangui, he hadn’t forgotten the task [Lin Juangui] had given him. If he failed, he might be forced into another rebirth cycle—something Lin Juangui definitely didn’t want to experience again.

“Where is the person who forced me to open the Temple door earlier?”

There was no response for a long time. Just as Lin Juangui thought Mu Zhang might not make it out of Bada, he was brought to the valley floor.

The valley floor was covered with terrifyingly poisonous plants and flowers, their eerie colors radiating menace. There were also bottomless caves and swamps.

The unseen hand brought Lin Juangui to a relatively high spot, safe from the toxic mist. Lin Juangui saw Mu Zhang frantically firing his laser gun in all directions and releasing high-potency pheromones, but it was useless—the vines kept constricting him like serpents.

Lin Juangui called out to [Lin Juangui] in his heart again.

"Look, the person you hate the most might die here. Aren’t you going to show yourself?"

It was unclear if Bada was completely cut off from the outside world, but [Lin Juangui] never made his dramatic appearance as he had before.

Lin Juangui sighed. So be it.

The wind in the valley grew stronger, and the vines around Mu Zhang attacked more fiercely, as if bent on his destruction.

Just as the vines completely enveloped Mu Zhang, Lin Juangui clenched the broken mirror shard in his hand and said, “Do you really want me to relive that agony?”

The vines suddenly stopped moving. Lin Juangui was lowered to the ground, surrounded by a protective barrier that kept the toxic mist at bay. The poisonous plants shriveled, unable to harm him.

The vines around Mu Zhang loosened as Lin Juangui approached. Lin Juangui marveled at his own mercy for still having the heart to spare Mu Zhang’s life in such a situation.

Lin Juangui reached out his hand, feeling the gentle breeze in the valley. He smiled softly, his eyes forming smiling crescents.

“Thank you. I look forward to seeing you again.”

-

Huo Zeshen had been having disturbing dreams lately.

In his dreams, he grew up in a place blanketed in greenery, leading a regimented life, his youthful impulses deliberately suppressed by the elders around him.

He also saw Lin Juangui.

He saw himself becoming utterly obsessed with him, charging into battle for him, razing planets for him.

He made a mistake and was punished by the Gods. That deranged woman kept taunting him incessantly.

“Let’s bet on whether he truly loves you or not! Huo Zeshen, you know the answer, don’t you? Do you dare to bet with me?”

In the dream, Huo Zeshen knew he didn’t dare to bet, but he still wanted to gamble on that slim possibility.

If Cicada didn’t love him, could he still obtain the power of reincarnation from him?

The Gods descended upon Bada once again, setting the rules. Before entering the mirror, Huo Zeshen completely isolated Bada. That frantic woman also made many demands.

To ensure the wager was fair, the Gods agreed.

The scene shifted abruptly. Huo Zeshen suddenly became a giant towering over the mountains. His consciousness slipped away, and he only saw Lin Juangui standing before the Temple. He helped Lin Juangui push open the Temple door and discovered that the mirror he had once entered was shattered.

His heart ached when Lin Juangui’s finger bled. He granted every wish Lin Juangui made.

After sending Lin Juangui away, Huo Zeshen opened his eyes.

It was still the middle of the night. Everyone in the children's home was asleep, and once again, he had been awakened by a dream.

The caretaker robot nearby approached and asked if Huo Zeshen needed water. Huo Zeshen murmured assent, lowering his head and scrubbing at his face vigorously.

Dreams had no logic, but the persistent emptiness left Huo Zeshen feeling profoundly disturbed.

After drinking some water, Huo Zeshen got up and went to the window. He pushed it open and took a deep breath of the chill night air.

Lin Juangui’s smile materialized in his mind's eye.

Huo Zeshen suddenly wanted to see him very much.