All Things Are Contracts

Stepping out of the hospital, the scorching sunlight on Zhanyue’s face made it hard for him to open his eyes. In a daze, he saw over a dozen people standing ahead, men and women, tall and short, holding flowers and smiling.

“Congratulations on your discharge,” they surrounded him.

Zhanyue then remembered these familiar faces – his college roommates, graduate juniors, and seniors. They had all come to welcome him out of the hospital.

“Bro Zhan, how are you? I was so scared when I heard you were in a coma,” a chubby man said.

“You are… Xun Yang?” Zhanyue searched his memory for a while before recalling the name.

The chubby guy put his hand on Zhanyue’s forehead, “Is your brain okay? Don’t you remember me, brother? Without your help back then, I might not have gotten such good results on that project. Come on, we must relax properly today. Your little brother here, though not talented, is quite well-off.”

Zhanyue then remembered this was a junior from his school, whom he had met due to certain circumstances. This chubby guy was a well-known rich second generation; his father was said to be the CEO of a steel factory.

The chubby guy waved his hand, and three cars drove over from nearby. “Everyone get in the cars. You’re all Bro Zhan’s friends, which means you’re my friends too. Today we’re going to have a lively celebration.”

Everyone happily got into the cars.

Gu Chengxi smiled as he saw them off. An old man like him had no business meddling. Better to leave time and space for the young people.

In the luxurious private room of a KTV, everyone raised their glasses to celebrate Zhanyue’s recovery and discharge.

“Bro Zhan, you’ve just recovered, so you can’t drink too much. Just have a couple of sips for the gesture. The rest of you, don’t be shy. We have red and white, drink as much as you want.”

Zhanyue sat on the sofa, listening to the music. Under the colorful dance lights, looking at these familiar yet strange friends, he felt a sense of being in another world. Those who could come to see him as soon as he was discharged were naturally close friends. He could slowly recall their faces, names, and past experiences. But Zhanyue’s mind was constantly plagued by a question: was it Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming of Zhuangzi?

In a daze, it was already late at night, and everyone dispersed. Zhanyue also took a taxi home. He hadn’t drunk much, so he was naturally sober. Sitting in the back seat of the taxi, he looked out at the neon lights through the window.

Zhanyue suddenly asked instinctively, “Driver, it’s so late, aren’t you afraid of nightmares?”

The driver, who was listening to music while driving, heard the passenger’s question and asked confusedly, “What are nightmares?”

Zhanyue then realized he had misspoken. There were no nightmares in this world.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Zhanyue said, seeming a bit lost.

Back home, he turned on the lights and lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, then looked at the family photo on the bedside table. His parents were forever frozen at that age, leaving him this house. He turned on the TV in the bedroom, which was playing boring dramas late at night. Zhanyue didn’t know what he was thinking.

“It was all just a dream.”

“So, Professor Zhang, what are the advantages of our prescription?” A commercial program interrupted the TV drama, promoting a new medicine.

“Our prescription combines Chinese and Western medicine. For example, Baizhi in this prescription is a widely used Chinese herb. It has the effects of dispersing cold, relieving pain, clearing the nasal passages, drying dampness, stopping discharge, reducing swelling, and draining pus…”

The TV droned on, but in Zhanyue’s mind, a strange yet familiar face appeared – a face more beautiful than a celebrity, with a gentle yet playful personality, and the days they spent fleeing together…

“No… how could all of this be fake!”

Zhanyue stood up and opened the window. The cold night wind brushed his cheeks, making him a bit more clearheaded. He looked up at the night moon by the window. It was a bright moon, without the blood moon, the sky clear and lucid.

“Sister…” Zhanyue looked at the moon and thought of the Illumination Goddess again. She was still waiting for him to solve her problem, to find freedom for her. At this moment, Zhanyue finally realized that all his previous experiences were real. This world was the fake one. He finally realized his consciousness was imprisoned in this world, but he couldn’t find a way out.

The next day, Zhanyue got up, a cold smile appearing on his lips. This world was quite real indeed. After all, everything was replayed based on the memories in his mind.

In the park, elderly men and women were up early exercising. Zhanyue walked up to an old man and said, “Grandpa, can I borrow your sword to take a look?”

The old man looked at Zhanyue curiously but still handed over the practice sword he was using.

Zhanyue took the sword, and with a thought, he actually flew away on it…

“Holy shit!” The old man on the ground widened his eyes in confusion. “Did I just see an immortal?”

Zhanyue flew high, far from the ground, straight towards the top of the sky. He wanted to see where the boundary of this false world was. Sure enough, he didn’t fly out of the Earth but came to the barrier of this illusory world. It was a transparent wall, through which he could see nothing but emptiness outside.

Zhanyue closed his eyes, meditating on something in his mind. Finally, with his meditation, a rotten sword like scrap metal appeared before him – it was the Sword of Courage. He held this dilapidated sword and slashed at the invisible barrier. The entire transparent barrier shattered like glass.

“Indeed, this is how to use the Sword of Courage.” Zhanyue faced the greatest fear deep in his heart and then used the Sword of Courage to break through this world’s prison, his consciousness returning to his body.

At this moment, Yunyao was still wiping the sweat from Zhanyue’s forehead when she saw him suddenly open his eyes, startling her.

“You… you’re awake.” Yunyao quickly stood up, putting away the handkerchief in her hand, resuming her cold demeanor.

“Thank you,” Zhanyue said gratefully. This woman might be a bit cold, but at least her nature was very kind.

“How are you?” Yunyao asked.

“Ready for the final battle,” Zhanyue smiled.

They then flew out of the cave.

“By the way, the Sword of Courage is still in the cave,” Yunyao reminded.

“It doesn’t matter. The Sword of Courage isn’t that thing. Let’s go… watch your brother chop up that ugly beast. Haha.” Zhanyue was full of confidence, flying straight towards the sea.

“Hmph, I’d like to see how you chop it up,” Yunyao had many doubts in her heart. Zhanyue had just had a nightmare, but after waking up, he seemed completely transformed. What did he dream about, and what did he understand?

One white and one red pair of wings sped across the sea surface. Finally, the two faced that huge sea demon for the third time.

“Same as last time, I’ll lead the attack, you support me to break through,” Zhanyue said, becoming serious again as he looked at this giant creature.

“Alright.”

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