CHAPTER 403: CHAPTER 402: RECOLLECTION

"What?"

Under the parasol, Li Ang’s face changed slightly as he pressed, "When did you tell me you had a dream about the King of Shengnan?"

"Some day in the second year of junior high, I can’t quite remember the specific date," Wang Congshan said with a furrowed brow. "That morning, I rode my bike to school with you. When we got to the riverside, just like always, I bought a five-yuan meat floss rice ball and a two-yuan hot soy milk from a breakfast stand on the side of the road.

"My appetite was off that day, so I didn’t finish the meat floss rice ball. It wasn’t until we went to do our assigned cleaning duty, sweeping the flower beds in front of the science building, that I ate the remaining half. You were beside the flower bed, riding a broom and pretending to be a Witch.

"While I was eating the rice ball, you rode the broom and told me that one day you would become a scientist. You also said that, so far, you had discovered many scientific laws that were yet to be discovered by others.

"For instance, people who hold their urine every day have a very high probability of dying within 120 years.

"Water is highly poisonous because everyone who has ever drunk water has died.

"When a butterfly in the Southern Hemisphere flaps its wings twice, it flies a little higher than before.

"The majority of people who get pregnant before marriage are female.

"If you save a pack of cigarettes every day, in ten days you’ll have saved ten packs.

"A fourteen-year-old boy was actually just ten years old only four years prior."

Wang Congshan recounted these as if listing treasures. Even Li Ang himself couldn’t help but feel a twinge of discomfort.

Maybe, possibly, it seemed, he really had said these things.

Li Ang scratched his eyebrow. "I think I vaguely remember. Keep going."

Wang Congshan nodded and continued, "Then, I told you that I had a weird dream the previous night.

"I dreamed I turned into a child, wearing the clothes I used to wear, standing alone on the mountainside of Sheshan, on the west side of Yin City."

At the mention of "Sheshan," Li Ang’s expression changed abruptly, but he quickly masked it.

That mountain was where he first met Wang Congshan.

Li Ang didn’t interrupt Wang Congshan’s story, but his fist, imperceptibly, tightened slightly.

"I was standing on a steep stone staircase. Next to it was a large wooden sign. To the right, there was a detailed map of the Sheshan Tourist Area marked with various points. To the left, nearby attractions, toilets, and shops were marked in multiple languages.

"Next to the big sign, there was also a trash can painted brown, camouflaged as a tree stump."

Wang Congshan described with a frown, "The mountain was shrouded in thick fog. There was no sign of any people, and I couldn’t hear any sounds. I felt a bit scared, so I called out for my parents and for you, but there was no response.

"In my fear, I heard a very clear sound of gongs and drums coming from down the mountain, like the sound that plays in historical dramas when a person of high status travels in a sedan chair.

"I hastily hid, scrambling behind a small slope above the stairs, concealing myself in the tall grass to peek out.

"And I saw a procession of very small children dressed in colorful clothes. There were boys and girls; the oldest were about five or six years old, and the youngest only two or three. Even younger babies were carried on the backs of the five or six-year-old children.

"They were beating gongs, striking drums, and playing suonas, chaotically surrounding a lotus-shaped sedan chair that resembled a float. On it was a black sphere. They were heading up the mountain.

"As they walked, they were chanting in very childish voices something like ’The Great King Shengnan.’

"A cold wind blew over from the group of children. I felt especially afraid and desperately shrank into the grass.

"Unexpectedly, the group of children suddenly stopped in unison. They looked in my direction, and creepy smiles appeared on their faces.

"’There’s another one here.’

"As they said this, they dropped the gongs, drums, and suonas they were holding and ran up the slope towards me.

"Then, I woke up."

As she spoke, Wang Congshan seemed to be affected by the fear in her memories and subconsciously shuddered. "That dream was particularly, particularly real. It didn’t feel like a dream at all. I can still recall the scent of the grass and trees on the mountain path’s steps, the humid air, the smell of rotten fruit in the trash can, and the itchy sensation of my skin being scraped by leaves as I lay in the tall grass."

"..."

Li Ang did not rush to comment. As Wang Congshan spoke, he, too, seemed to recall that a long time ago, she had indeed mentioned having this dream...

What was going on?

Li Ang was very certain that his mind was clear right now. Throughout the entire day, he hadn’t felt any abnormal phenomena suggesting his mind had been invaded.

He quietly asked Miss Chai in his mind. She also claimed that she had not observed anything strange from morning until now.

In recent days, Li Ang had only taken out the Abyssal Magic Mirror inside the Automated Pet Box to conduct some experiments on Worms and insects. He was extremely cautious during its use, manipulating the Worms to come into contact with the Abyssal Magic Mirror, without touching the mirror himself. After using it, he would carefully observe his own state and even take some psychological tests to check if his mind was clear.

It shouldn’t be a problem with the Abyssal Magic Mirror.

So, the urban legends currently circulating among netizens and Wang Congshan’s sudden recollection of her old, strange dream overlapped in some parts. Was it just a coincidence, a misunderstanding due to fuzzy memory, or an anomalous event?

Li Ang’s right hand twirled his phone while his left fingertips tapped gently on the table. He made no judgment.

Thinking that Li Ang didn’t believe her, Wang Congshan hastily added, "Believe me! That morning, after I told you about the strange dream, you even laughed at me. You said I should have waited a bit longer for you to descend on a multicolored cloud and save me.

"During the first break after our morning duties, you continued to talk about becoming a scientist. You claimed that, theoretically, as long as a person is strong enough, they could fly by flapping their arms. If their reflex arc is long enough, they could eat a packet of potassium cyanide and only die fifty years later. If they’re fast enough, running around a tree could allow them to pick their own chrysanthemums. And if their fart is big enough, it could reach the first cosmic velocity, allowing them to orbit the Earth and become an artificial satellite..."

"Okay, I believe you. I believe you," Li Ang said with a smile, interrupting Wang Congshan. "It’s just a dream, nothing more."

Despite his words, Miss Chai clearly saw Li Ang quietly move his hand under the table, hiding his sweat-drenched palm.

With every sentence Wang Congshan spoke, Li Ang’s vague memories of that morning became more real, more clear.