“I’ve had my fill,” Vivian said after she wolfed down the last piece of barbecue. She then wiped her mouth and nodded to Hao Ren as well as Lily in a graceful and polite manner. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
Lily was stunned and looked at the empty skewer in front of her eyes. She managed a few words after some time, “Whoa, she’s a big eater like me. Do you also want to be a great eating artist?”
Hao Ren thought the same. When did Vivian acquire such a huge appetite? Has she been starving herself at home the entire time? Hao Ren thought.
After she heard what Lily said, Vivian blushed and explained embarrassedly, “I’ve been sleeping for a long time, and I’m afraid I didn’t eat anything before I slept, so… so I needed a little more food to recover my strength.”
“Oh, I totally understand that.” Hao Ren quickly smoothed things out. “Your appetite isn’t particularly big when putting things into perspective. You only eat like this once in decades. On average, you eat like a bird.”
Vivian was even more embarrassed to hear that.
The three of them had already completed their introductions of each other during the meal. A dog, a man, and a woman, who came to know each other as brother and sisters, had become strangers in that messed-up space and time. The only person who knew the truth, Hao Ren, felt particularly uncomfortable. So he quickly found something to say. “Vivian, moving forward, what are your plans?”
Vivian glanced at Hao Ren. She still had no clue who these two people were, but a free meal did make a good impression. At least for now, she found that anyone who could be so generous to treat her a meal was likely not her enemy. After all, the stakes were high, so she did not keep her thoughts a secret. “I’m a little confused now. I can’t remember many things about my past. I don’t even know what year it is and how the outside world looks now. Hence, I plan to find a human settlement to collect some intelligence, then decide how I should live. Hao Ren, since you’re my friend, you surely know my past. What was my arrangement before I went into hibernation?”
Hao Ren knew that the question was both an inquiry and a test, so he came prepared. “You didn’t have any arrangement. When have you ever planned forward each time you hibernate? All I know is that you were fighting with someone in Siberia before you hibernated. But I don’t know the details.”
“Oh, I see.” Vivian looked up. “What about the two of you? What are your arrangements?”
“I’m going to the south to find a big city of humans!” Lily could not hide her excitement. “There are many kinds of delicious food in the big city! I want to be a—”
Before Lily could finish, Hao Ren smacked his hand over her mouth; the husky did not need to keep emphasizing her great dream again and again.
Vivian frowned very subtly when she saw Lily’s innocence and naivety. “You’re too innocent for the human world. Do you know that there are many hidden dangers there?”
“Hao Ren has told me about that!” Lily proudly said. “He also says that there are other otherworldlings hidden in the human world. Plus, there are some guys called ‘demon hunters’ who look for trouble with us. I’ve been living with humans since I was little. I know how to disguise myself.”
Earlier, Lily had lunged out of the woods with her pointed ears and tail exposed. How could she have the guts to claim that she knew how to camouflage…
“Demon hunters? Those madmen are still roaming around?” Vivian’s face appeared a little gloomy now. “They haunt me like a ghost no matter which era I’m in. Little werewolf, you better not be so confident, as those demon hunters have a better nose than yours. To them, the scent of your body is as noticeable as the moon in the night sky. If you ever bump into them, there will be nowhere to hide no matter how good your camouflage is.”
“Oh, I know!” Lily nodded happily.
Vivian suddenly found Lily a little pathetic. She looked at Hao Ren with a puzzled look. “Does your new friend have some mental problems?”
Vivian secretly pointed her fingers at her head without Lily noticing.
Hao Ren’s mouth twitched. “Don’t be bothered. That’s just how she is. By the way, don’t you recognize me?”
It had been a few hours since Hao Ren found Vivian, but she showed no signs of recovering her memory. That began to worry Hao Ren. He could plan and foresee every aspect of the entire backtracking journey, except how to wake Vivian up. No one knew how; not even Raven 12345. Seeing that Vivian was still treating him like a complete stranger, he was beginning to fret.
Vivian was a little doubtful. She looked at the man in front of her carefully. “Speaking of which, I do have a slight impression you. It’s as if I’ve known you for a long time, and it seems like our relationship is a trusting one. But I can’t really recall anything.”
Hao Ren managed to prevent himself from looking overly eager. He knew that the first half of Vivian’s sentence was not mentioned out of courtesy. She truly did have some impression of him. However, these impressions were too shallow and were not enough to awaken her memory.
It seemed that Hao Ren needed more than rapport building to trigger Vivian’s memory. He needed a crucial medium.
While he thought of that, Hao Ren made up his mind. “Since you’ve just woken up and your mind’s still a little topsy-turvy, you better rest for a few days. We have a place in the woods. Come with us… Lily, is that okay with you?”
Hao Ren suddenly realized that the hunter’s cabin belonged to the husky, so he needed her permission. He had been Lily’s landlord all this while; now, the reversal of roles with Lily being the landlord and he, the guest made him feel a little weird.
Of course, no problem.” Lily certainly did not mind. She admired Hao Ren for his combat skills, loved the Spicy Sticks he had given her, and treated him as a big brother. “I’m not in a hurry to go to the south anyway because I need a proper plan. I want to stock up more food in the next few days. So everyone can come and rest in my house.”
Vivian was a little hesitant when she saw how passionate the two of them were. “You should know that I bring bad luck to all, right? Are you sure you want me to be your guest?”
Vivian was worried that her “old friend” had forgotten that she was a jinx, hence the reminder.
“Don’t worry about that. I’m well prepared.” Hao Ren patted his chest. “I wasn’t even afraid of buying you dinner, what else would I be afraid of? Besides, this is Siberia. There isn’t a single human within the next several hundred kilometers or any existing economy. How broke could I become? At most, we’ll find hunting a little harder. But hey, Lily has an army of wolves.”
Vivian was very moved. “You and I must have sworn to live and die together in the past!”
Lily did not know what they were talking about, much less the risks of befriending Vivian. “What are you two talking about?”
“Nothing!” Hao Ren replied.
Soon, the three arrived at the hunter’s cabin in the forest.
The excellent weather from the first half of the day seemed to be over once the cold wind blew through the pine forest. It howled outside the wooden cabin.
Lily was preparing to make a fire in the pit. Meanwhile, Hao Ren noticed that Vivian had been playing with a small metal object ever since she settled down. He could not help but feel curious. “What is that?” he asked.
“I have no idea.” Vivian handed the metal object to Hao Ren. “It appears to be a strange key. It was on me when I woke up so I guess it must be important. But I can’t recall what it is.”
Hao Ren glanced at the object, and he was wide-eyed.
It was just as Vivian said. The thing was indeed a key but not a key that existed in that era.
It was a thin key of only a few centimeters long and it was severely oxidized. Even though its owner was subconsciously protective of it, the distorted space and time had eroded its surface. It was now rusty with black mildew growing all over it. Some parts were so worn out that they were out of shape, and the key itself was slightly bent. Nonetheless, Hao Ren found it extremely familiar.
He rubbed the key hard until he could faintly see the trademark and text under the rust.
It was the key to his house; the main door key.
Outside the hunter’s cabin, the howling wind grew louder and louder, while the snow that the wind rolled up slammed against the cottage and their surroundings. The wolves that were guarding the neighborhood began to whine uneasily.
“Do you know what it is?” Vivian looked at Hao Ren’s reaction curiously. From his expression, she knew that the man had an idea about the key and even had a special feeling for it.
“It’s definitely a key; the key to our home.”
“The key to ‘our’ home?” Vivian knitted her brows together. “You mean, we’re living together?”
Hao Ren did not reply. He now vaguely knew what medium he needed to wake Vivian up.
He reached into his Dimensional Pocket, fished out the exact same key, and handed both keys to Vivian.
At first, Vivian was still wondering and feeling suspicious about what Hao Ren had just said. But when she saw the two keys, she froze.
One of the keys was oxidized and worn out so much that it was almost out of shape, but she could still recognize at a glance that both keys were the same.
At least, Hao Ren could not have forged a duplicate before he met her.
The snow outside the cabin was about to turn into a snowstorm. The pine forest ruffled, and even the heavens and the earth whined in the thick of the snowstorm. The wolves had become completely silent, their howls drowned out by the storm perhaps. But inside the cabin, the sounds from the outside were almost inaudible, as though there was a thick layer of sound insulation around the cabin.
Vivian finally raised her head.
“How did I end up here?” What happened?”
“I’ve had my fill,” Vivian said after she wolfed down the last piece of barbecue. She then wiped her mouth and nodded to Hao Ren as well as Lily in a graceful and polite manner. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
Lily was stunned and looked at the empty skewer in front of her eyes. She managed a few words after some time, “Whoa, she’s a big eater like me. Do you also want to be a great eating artist?”
Hao Ren thought the same. When did Vivian acquire such a huge appetite? Has she been starving herself at home the entire time? Hao Ren thought.
After she heard what Lily said, Vivian blushed and explained embarrassedly, “I’ve been sleeping for a long time, and I’m afraid I didn’t eat anything before I slept, so… so I needed a little more food to recover my strength.”
“Oh, I totally understand that.” Hao Ren quickly smoothed things out. “Your appetite isn’t particularly big when putting things into perspective. You only eat like this once in decades. On average, you eat like a bird.”
Vivian was even more embarrassed to hear that.
The three of them had already completed their introductions of each other during the meal. A dog, a man, and a woman, who came to know each other as brother and sisters, had become strangers in that messed-up space and time. The only person who knew the truth, Hao Ren, felt particularly uncomfortable. So he quickly found something to say. “Vivian, moving forward, what are your plans?”
Vivian glanced at Hao Ren. She still had no clue who these two people were, but a free meal did make a good impression. At least for now, she found that anyone who could be so generous to treat her a meal was likely not her enemy. After all, the stakes were high, so she did not keep her thoughts a secret. “I’m a little confused now. I can’t remember many things about my past. I don’t even know what year it is and how the outside world looks now. Hence, I plan to find a human settlement to collect some intelligence, then decide how I should live. Hao Ren, since you’re my friend, you surely know my past. What was my arrangement before I went into hibernation?”
Hao Ren knew that the question was both an inquiry and a test, so he came prepared. “You didn’t have any arrangement. When have you ever planned forward each time you hibernate? All I know is that you were fighting with someone in Siberia before you hibernated. But I don’t know the details.”
“Oh, I see.” Vivian looked up. “What about the two of you? What are your arrangements?”
“I’m going to the south to find a big city of humans!” Lily could not hide her excitement. “There are many kinds of delicious food in the big city! I want to be a—”
Before Lily could finish, Hao Ren smacked his hand over her mouth; the husky did not need to keep emphasizing her great dream again and again.
Vivian frowned very subtly when she saw Lily’s innocence and naivety. “You’re too innocent for the human world. Do you know that there are many hidden dangers there?”
“Hao Ren has told me about that!” Lily proudly said. “He also says that there are other otherworldlings hidden in the human world. Plus, there are some guys called ‘demon hunters’ who look for trouble with us. I’ve been living with humans since I was little. I know how to disguise myself.”
Earlier, Lily had lunged out of the woods with her pointed ears and tail exposed. How could she have the guts to claim that she knew how to camouflage…
“Demon hunters? Those madmen are still roaming around?” Vivian’s face appeared a little gloomy now. “They haunt me like a ghost no matter which era I’m in. Little werewolf, you better not be so confident, as those demon hunters have a better nose than yours. To them, the scent of your body is as noticeable as the moon in the night sky. If you ever bump into them, there will be nowhere to hide no matter how good your camouflage is.”
“Oh, I know!” Lily nodded happily.
Vivian suddenly found Lily a little pathetic. She looked at Hao Ren with a puzzled look. “Does your new friend have some mental problems?”
Vivian secretly pointed her fingers at her head without Lily noticing.
Hao Ren’s mouth twitched. “Don’t be bothered. That’s just how she is. By the way, don’t you recognize me?”
It had been a few hours since Hao Ren found Vivian, but she showed no signs of recovering her memory. That began to worry Hao Ren. He could plan and foresee every aspect of the entire backtracking journey, except how to wake Vivian up. No one knew how; not even Raven 12345. Seeing that Vivian was still treating him like a complete stranger, he was beginning to fret.
Vivian was a little doubtful. She looked at the man in front of her carefully. “Speaking of which, I do have a slight impression you. It’s as if I’ve known you for a long time, and it seems like our relationship is a trusting one. But I can’t really recall anything.”
Hao Ren managed to prevent himself from looking overly eager. He knew that the first half of Vivian’s sentence was not mentioned out of courtesy. She truly did have some impression of him. However, these impressions were too shallow and were not enough to awaken her memory.
It seemed that Hao Ren needed more than rapport building to trigger Vivian’s memory. He needed a crucial medium.
While he thought of that, Hao Ren made up his mind. “Since you’ve just woken up and your mind’s still a little topsy-turvy, you better rest for a few days. We have a place in the woods. Come with us… Lily, is that okay with you?”
Hao Ren suddenly realized that the hunter’s cabin belonged to the husky, so he needed her permission. He had been Lily’s landlord all this while; now, the reversal of roles with Lily being the landlord and he, the guest made him feel a little weird.
Of course, no problem.” Lily certainly did not mind. She admired Hao Ren for his combat skills, loved the Spicy Sticks he had given her, and treated him as a big brother. “I’m not in a hurry to go to the south anyway because I need a proper plan. I want to stock up more food in the next few days. So everyone can come and rest in my house.”
Vivian was a little hesitant when she saw how passionate the two of them were. “You should know that I bring bad luck to all, right? Are you sure you want me to be your guest?”
Vivian was worried that her “old friend” had forgotten that she was a jinx, hence the reminder.
“Don’t worry about that. I’m well prepared.” Hao Ren patted his chest. “I wasn’t even afraid of buying you dinner, what else would I be afraid of? Besides, this is Siberia. There isn’t a single human within the next several hundred kilometers or any existing economy. How broke could I become? At most, we’ll find hunting a little harder. But hey, Lily has an army of wolves.”
Vivian was very moved. “You and I must have sworn to live and die together in the past!”
Lily did not know what they were talking about, much less the risks of befriending Vivian. “What are you two talking about?”
“Nothing!” Hao Ren replied.
Soon, the three arrived at the hunter’s cabin in the forest.
The excellent weather from the first half of the day seemed to be over once the cold wind blew through the pine forest. It howled outside the wooden cabin.
Lily was preparing to make a fire in the pit. Meanwhile, Hao Ren noticed that Vivian had been playing with a small metal object ever since she settled down. He could not help but feel curious. “What is that?” he asked.
“I have no idea.” Vivian handed the metal object to Hao Ren. “It appears to be a strange key. It was on me when I woke up so I guess it must be important. But I can’t recall what it is.”
Hao Ren glanced at the object, and he was wide-eyed.
It was just as Vivian said. The thing was indeed a key but not a key that existed in that era.
It was a thin key of only a few centimeters long and it was severely oxidized. Even though its owner was subconsciously protective of it, the distorted space and time had eroded its surface. It was now rusty with black mildew growing all over it. Some parts were so worn out that they were out of shape, and the key itself was slightly bent. Nonetheless, Hao Ren found it extremely familiar.
He rubbed the key hard until he could faintly see the trademark and text under the rust.
It was the key to his house; the main door key.
Outside the hunter’s cabin, the howling wind grew louder and louder, while the snow that the wind rolled up slammed against the cottage and their surroundings. The wolves that were guarding the neighborhood began to whine uneasily.
“Do you know what it is?” Vivian looked at Hao Ren’s reaction curiously. From his expression, she knew that the man had an idea about the key and even had a special feeling for it.
“It’s definitely a key; the key to our home.”
“The key to ‘our’ home?” Vivian knitted her brows together. “You mean, we’re living together?”
Hao Ren did not reply. He now vaguely knew what medium he needed to wake Vivian up.
He reached into his Dimensional Pocket, fished out the exact same key, and handed both keys to Vivian.
At first, Vivian was still wondering and feeling suspicious about what Hao Ren had just said. But when she saw the two keys, she froze.
One of the keys was oxidized and worn out so much that it was almost out of shape, but she could still recognize at a glance that both keys were the same.
At least, Hao Ren could not have forged a duplicate before he met her.
The snow outside the cabin was about to turn into a snowstorm. The pine forest ruffled, and even the heavens and the earth whined in the thick of the snowstorm. The wolves had become completely silent, their howls drowned out by the storm perhaps. But inside the cabin, the sounds from the outside were almost inaudible, as though there was a thick layer of sound insulation around the cabin.
Vivian finally raised her head.
“How did I end up here?” What happened?”
