Chapter 29: Hidden Clouds

  In the vast desert, the temperature difference between day and night is extremely large. Even wearing those clothes stripped from corpses, they still can't withstand the cold. Perhaps they were weak to the extreme. It was Warm Jade that gave Qi Xian her last warmth. Qi Xian only felt her body getting warmer and warmer, gradually having the strength to open her eyes. However, when she opened her eyes, it had already become a completely different world. There was no endless yellow sand, nor were there sand snakes that might pop out of the sand at any moment.

  When she woke up, she found herself sleeping on a bed. Just the previous second, she had seen a crystal palace, thinking she had finally arrived in Cloud City. But where was this place? The Simmons bed, floor mirror, glass window, and flushing toilet... these things were both unfamiliar and familiar, leaving Qi Xian dazed for a moment, wondering which one was the dream.

  Has she crossed over again? Although she hasn't had time to do anything in that era yet, spending the same amount of money twice seems like a good deal, but where did the little stone and the others go? Nanami stood at the window, staring blankly at the courtyard outside.

  "Woke up so soon?" Outside the door, someone had been standing there for some time, and it wasn't until Qiuxi saw his attire that she realized she might not have returned to modern times after all. The man was wearing a high-quality, wide robe with a style similar to Western Qin clothing. He looked around thirty years old, but when Qiuxi met his gaze, she was shocked to discover that those eyes, which hid so many complex emotions, were the same pair of eyes that had appeared countless times in her dreams. She couldn't wait to resolve the doubts in her mind, but the other person didn't give her a chance to speak, instead pulling her into his arms. Qiuxi only felt a warmth flowing through her neck, was he crying?

  "I knew, I always knew, I knew that one day you would come back to me." His voice was a little choked, sounding like he was trying hard to suppress the joy in his heart, but couldn't help wanting to pour out the years of repression. But he didn't recognize her, was he waiting for his loved one to return? Well, she had to disappoint him then. Maybe his reaction was because of the painting on the wall, the woman in it looked just like herself.

  "Uncle, aren't you mistaken? I don't know you." It's strange that when being hugged by such a stranger, one would feel an inexplicable warmth in their heart, feeling protected and loved. Or perhaps this body had some connection with this man before? How is that possible? Even now, I'm just a 14-year-old kid. Although this body was born a bit unusual, it's still taller than my peers. Could I have known this uncle since I was 12 years old? Damn it, I don't remember anything at all! Unfortunately, I didn't inherit the memories of that girl from before she was 12 years old. It must have been quite an interesting experience."

  "What did they do to you, don't you remember? Cangyun, Cangyun, can you still recall if it wasn't for her, how could you have arrived at this place?" Qiuxi was almost in tears. This old man, although not good-looking, was absolutely a stubborn fanatic, once he made up his mind about something, there would be no doubt. Crazy, otherwise how could he possibly mistake someone so much younger than him as his lover? But she wasn't an old man control freak, after all."

  Seven strands struggled to break free from that kind of embrace, and was staring at the uncle with a puffed up face. But unexpectedly, the uncle let go of his hands, and Seven Strands noticed that the uncle's gaze gradually fell on the warm jade pendant. Originally, she had always carefully hidden it under her collar, perhaps it had accidentally fallen out just now. The uncle's smile suddenly turned bitter, but his eyes softened a lot: "Right, you're not her... I really didn't think that in this world there would be someone like you... Heaven has pity on me, in this world there is actually someone like you... What's your name, child?" Is the uncle misunderstanding something again? Why else would he be so excited? But this tone seems... Could it be that the person in the painting is her never-before-met mother? And the person in front of her is... Seven Strands was shocked by her own speculation. If this person is the real deal, then who is her old father? There seem to be too many things she doesn't understand, and because of this, she feels uneasy.

  "Li Qiuxian, I'm Li Qiuxian. My father said that when I was 12 years old, I fell in the courtyard and forgot everything from before. I don't even remember my mother's face. Father only said that she died soon after giving birth to me. My home is in Heishui Village, do you know that place, Uncle?"

  After having this thought, Qiuxian no longer held any hostility towards the person in front of her. It was as if she had already acknowledged something in her heart, and when she saw that painting, she had guessed a bit. But she wanted to hear words from her uncle's mouth that could confirm her guesses, so she kept probing, using things from before to test him. The uncle only slightly hesitated when he heard the word "father", then immediately recovered his gentle expression, as if nothing had happened. He lightly patted Qiuxian's little head and left the room.

  Standing in front of the painting for a long time, who are you? Are you my mom? Actually, I guessed it was you at first glance. Nice to meet you, Mom. She muttered to herself in front of the painting, sometimes smiling foolishly and sometimes feeling a little sad. In her past life, she had only seen her mother in photos. Since childhood, people would mock her for being a child without a mom, and she would cry uncontrollably when singing "Lü Bing Hua". Her dad was a gambler who lost everything, including his life, after going bankrupt. Actually, from her past life on, she had been a lonely shadow. For a moment, she felt a little sentimental. Although in this life, she still didn't have a mom, but she had two dads, and it seemed like she had gained something. Her second dad was strange but handsome and gentle. Qi Xi tried to calm down the sadness that arose from seeing the painting. Yun Zhong Cheng, is this really Yun Zhong Cheng? Coming to such an unusual place, how could I not take a good look around?

  The memories in the desert are so profound, those cannibalistic and corpse-wearing incidents still make me want to vomit when I think about them now. What can't humans do for survival? Qiuxi wandered aimlessly and discovered that her living quarters were just a backyard. Passing through the small courtyard by the pond, another scene unfolded before her eyes - Yunzhong City. It wasn't an imagined crystal palace or some sort of ancient city, but... a massive workshop.

  The people passing by seemed to have not seen her, no one greeted her, and no one stopped her from visiting. They treated her as if she were air. However, Qi Yue was already captivated by the scene in front of her. She crouched beside a master who was blowing glass. This thing was so familiar. In her previous life, she was a liberal arts student and wasn't familiar with these craftsmanship processes. She felt regretful, wondering why others who crossed over could become so awesome, knowing how to make glass and cannons, and wished she could be the same in this era.

  After several days, Qi Xian discovered that this place was hiding many strange and unusual things, such as wooden pencils and exquisite small crossbows. During this time, Cang Yun treated Qi Xian with great care, seemingly having already regarded Little Qi Xian as her own daughter, but she never asked about the word "father" that Qi Xian had mentioned.

  "Second uncle, did you also make this wooden horse carriage? Don't brag, are you capable of making a merry-go-round?"

  "You can say it and I'll do it, this wooden horse cart is made for you to play with. By the way, that glass ball you asked Master Feng to make a few days ago is already done, what's it for?"

  Although they didn't explicitly mention the relationship between them, everyone was tacitly aware of it. Cang Yun himself also acknowledged the title of "Second Father", and he was delighted to discover that his daughter's brain was not inferior to her mother's in terms of cleverness. Qi Mei later gradually came to know that many things here were actually designed by her own mother, and she also learned from Second Father that the mystery of Yun Zhong City lay in a small array set up outside the city.

  Suddenly, I feel like I'm not alone. Since I can travel through time and space with my backpack, maybe someone has been here before me. This place is great, and Er Ye is good to her too, but she can't stay here forever. In her past life, Qi Mei was born on a Wednesday, and the fortune teller said that children born on Wednesdays are destined to leave home far away, wandering aimlessly for their whole lives.