Chapter 1283: None of My Fucking Business

Chen Changsheng stepped into the Dream Method. Across that vast span of time, he found the mortal emotions Jiuxiaozi had severed.

Jiuxiaozi's six desires and seven emotions had incarnated as an ordinary mortal within this Dream Method world.

He studied, entered the civil service, and navigated the political arena. In a chaotic world, he walked his own path. No weariness showed in his eyes—only pure interest.

Just like Chen Changsheng when he first arrived in this world, he was always curious, always brimming with enthusiasm.

Looking at the radiant, high-spirited man, Chen Changsheng fell into a daze.

Watching him was like looking at his past self.

Chen Changsheng stared blankly, and in that moment, understanding finally dawned on him.

Wasn't that exactly himself? His past self.

He watched from outside for a long time, until the man inside finally looked up and noticed him standing by the window.

Their eyes met. Surprise flashed in the man's gaze; he had never seen anyone who looked so much like himself. It was like staring into a mirror.

Believing his eyes were playing tricks on him, he quickly rubbed them. When he looked again, the figure outside the window was gone.

Startled, he glanced around but couldn't see anyone.

Convinced he had simply imagined it, he shook his head and brushed the matter aside.

Chen Changsheng watched all of this unfold. After the man fell asleep, he slipped into the study and looked at the Four Treasures of the Study laid out on the desk, alongside an unfinished memorial.

After a moment of silence, Chen Changsheng wrote down the doubt weighing on his mind.

"The affairs of the world are impermanent. If family and friends doubt you, and explanations fail, what should one do?"

He simply left the paper on the desk.

Early the next morning, when the man returned to his desk, he found an extra sentence written on the paper.

Seeing it, he sat down and carefully examined the handwriting before him.

After a long hesitation, he picked up his brush and wrote a reply.

"None of my fucking business!"

When Chen Changsheng saw this answer, he was taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter.

At that moment, the figure hiding in the dark stepped out into the open.

"Who's there?!"

"Why do you look so much like me?!"

"Who are you? Are you the one who snuck into my study and left that message? You—"

Chen Changsheng looked at him, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you!"

As his words faded, Chen Changsheng's figure vanished from the study once more.

The man's eyes widened. He chased him outside, but still couldn't catch sight of a single soul.

He scoured the room for clues, desperate to find out who had snuck into his study and left those words behind.

In the end, however, his search yielded nothing.

He paced back and forth, entirely dazed.

Arriving so suddenly, leaving just as abruptly.

Leaving behind a baffling message, and bearing a face so identical to his own.

"Who was that?"

He furrowed his brows, unable to wrap his head around it.

...

Chen Changsheng awoke from the Dream Method.

He opened his eyes again, and his suspended foot finally stepped down.

He thought the man was right. It was nothing more than a couple of trivial matters; either way, what the hell did it have to do with him?

The Great Dao was right beneath his feet—it was meant to be walked, after all.

"Why bother worrying about it?" he murmured.

Chen Changsheng strode forward, step by step, until he arrived at the banks of the Tongtian River.

The moment he approached, the river waters suddenly surged and churned.

Before his eyes, a figure leapt from the depths of the river.

Mo Yuan looked at the person before him and was suddenly taken aback.

He hurried forward, cupping his hands. "Mo Yuan greets Mister!"

Chen Changsheng quickly reached out to support him and asked, "Weren't you in the Desolate Sea? Why are you here in the Tongtian River?"

Mo Yuan offered a brief explanation, then asked in turn, "When did Mister return? The world has seen so many changes over these years. Where did you go?"

Mo Yuan felt somewhat confused. He had sensed a trace of the Dragon Lord's aura, but when he rushed out to investigate, all he saw was Mister Chen.

So where had that aura come from?

"I was trapped in a certain place for the past couple of years, and I only just got out."

Chen Changsheng gave his answer, and Mo Yuan immediately said, "Mister, I sensed the Dragon Lord's aura just now. Did you happen to see the Dragon Lord anywhere? This matter is of utmost importance!"

Chen Changsheng paused at the question.

After a moment of silence, Chen Changsheng raised his hand. A totem surfaced in the center of his palm.

When Mo Yuan saw the totem, his eyes instantly widened.

...

After Chen Changsheng offered an explanation, Mo Yuan fell unusually silent.

Chen Changsheng said nothing more. He patted Mo Yuan's shoulder and said, "This Chen only made this trip to inform you of the matter. I will be leaving shortly."

Mo Yuan had not yet recovered from his shock. Hearing these words, he blanked once more.

"Since Mister is already here, why not stay for a few days? After all..."

"No need for the trouble."

Chen Changsheng reached out. The totem suddenly shifted, transferring from his palm into Mo Yuan's.

"I must trouble you to pass this totem to the three of them on my behalf. This item shouldn't remain with this Chen."

Mo Yuan stared blankly, only to hear Mister speak again, "This Chen will be taking his leave now. I won't overstay."

Mo Yuan gazed at him in a daze. He wanted to speak up and urge him to stay.

But looking at the totem, he ultimately only managed to say, "Mister..."

"Take care."

Chen Changsheng smiled warmly and nodded.

Mister Qingshan boarded a boat to cross the river. The small skiff bobbed and swayed as it ferried him across the vast Tongtian River.

The path was so deeply familiar.

Mo Yuan watched from afar, the totem in his palm faintly burning with heat.

It left him completely bewildered.

...

Chen Changsheng walked along the road until he arrived at the Demon Market.

The place had changed drastically. Numerous Restrictive Seals and Formations now populated the mountain forests. In the early years, martial artists and cultivators from the Mortal World had come to provoke them, leading to a period of conflict. However, no one had been able to best the Demon Market. Ultimately, a truce was struck, and the Demon Market laid down Restrictive Seals and Formations to completely isolate itself from the Mortal World.

Chen Changsheng arrived at the site to find it shrouded in heavy mist.

Turning his gaze, he spotted the withered scholar tree by the river.

He didn't know when life had left it.

Chen Changsheng reached out and pressed his hand against the scholar tree. The withered bark had long lost every trace of Spiritual Energy. Moss and weeds clung to its dead branches, and small blades of grass sprouted from its crevices.

One tree withers, ten thousand plants thrive.

He clearly remembered that back then, this very scholar tree had been here selling Lanterns.

Where was he supposed to buy a Lantern now?

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment, then reached out and snapped off a branch.

Chanting a spell, he softly commanded, "Transform!"

The branch shifted. Right before his eyes, it transformed into a Lantern, dangling gracefully from Chen Changsheng's hand.

He pointed a finger at the Lantern.

"Ignite."

A bright light flared to life inside the Lantern.

Chen Changsheng carried the Lantern and walked forward. The thick fog parted, revealing the path ahead.

Yet, within this dense fog, Chen Changsheng sensed something out of the ordinary.

It seemed as though fierce ghosts and dark spirits were wandering through the mist.

What was going on here?