Bidding Farewell to the Old and Welcoming the New

If the victim were the protagonist, he would likewise receive enlightenment from a Daoist priest and then join some immortal cultivation sect. Only after ninety percent of the story had been devoted to his cultivation would he finally descend the mountain, kill the corrupt official with a single palm strike, and settle his worldly affairs. Then he would return to the mountain to cultivate and devote himself to pursuing the Dao of longevity.

If the Agricultural School made it instead, the protagonist would usually be framed by the corrupt official and reduced to a house with bare walls, with nothing left but a single field. He would then diligently till the land and tend it as carefully as his own son. After harvesting his crops, he would personally turn the food into a glowing dish and serve it to the corrupt official. As soon as the official ate it, he would burst into tears, repent and confess his crimes, turn over a new leaf, and realize that fine food was life's greatest pursuit, while fame and fortune were nothing but passing clouds before it.

Whether or not these dramas made any logical sense, Si Ming found them highly entertaining. Beyond their surface, he could see the ideas truly contained within them. For instance, in the eyes of the Daoist School's disciples, none of the myriad arts and laws mattered as much as longevity. They genuinely believed that, rather than deliberately exaggerating the plot to attract attention.

There was another way in which this world's television dramas surpassed those of Si Ming's previous life: special effects.

Martial arts existed in this world, so there was no need for gunpowder explosions or wire rigs when filming martial arts dramas. The actors' own abilities were enough to create a spectacular effects-filled production, and the effects were exceptionally realistic-because they were real to begin with.

Some directors with powerful connections could invite Spirit Transformation experts to make guest appearances, and when such experts acted, their abilities were more than enough even for a fantasy film. One Spirit Transformation expert who enjoyed showing off before others even wrote, directed, and starred in a film every few years, and every one of them was a box-office hit.

After unexpectedly finding something he enjoyed, Si Ming divided his daily life between practicing martial arts and watching television dramas. At night, while basking under the sunlamp in his room, he could absorb light and watch dramas at the same time, attending to both cultivation and entertainment without neglecting either. Other internal arts might not have allowed it, as dividing one's attention could easily send Qi into the wrong meridians, but the Blazing Yang Battle Art did not use the meridians. Its cultivation method was simple and brutal, so it was unaffected instead.

Before he knew it, half a month had flown by. Si Ming welcomed his first New Year since transmigrating, and the first New Year of his life without a Spring Festival Gala to watch.

Yan Jinghong had not returned. Si Ming had seen news of him in a report two days earlier. Apparently, signs of a large gathering of demonic beasts had appeared in the northern glaciers. The environment there was harsh and people were scarce, making the reconnaissance mission too much for ordinary martial artists, so Yan Jinghong had volunteered.

Yao Bilian had gone home for the New Year. Although her relationship with her family was quite poor and they rarely kept in touch, they still had to get together for the New Year.

Hongdou, who had been staying in the underground workshop all this time, had also left the orphanage to see her parents. She had never been an orphan; she and her parents simply spent more time apart than together.

Si Ming had recommended Ying Zhou to Auntie Liu. Thanks to his novel drum-kit skills, he had now signed with a music company, and that evening he was going to attend the company's annual party.

In the end, he was the only one left in the enormous orphanage.

Giving himself a break for the first time instead of staying inside to cultivate, Si Ming leaped onto the roof and sat by the eaves. He looked up at the moon, breathed out a puff of white vapor, and sighed softly.

"This really is loneliness, cold and vast as snow."

He had been extremely busy for the past six months. Cultivation, study, and fighting had filled almost all his time. In truth, he was not the sort of person who could tie his hair to a roof beam and stab his thigh with an awl to keep himself studying. If he had a hundred units of strength, he would only use sixty and slack off with the remaining forty.

Si Ming knew perfectly well why he had done it: he was avoiding the past, forcing himself to have no time for wandering thoughts. But on this one special day, he could no longer cover his ears while stealing a bell and pretend he could not hear it.

"I wonder how Mom, Dad, and my younger sister are doing? I worked for a government agency and drew a public salary, after all. If I had an accident, the agency wouldn't pocket the compensation, would it...? With the insurance payout on top of that, it should be enough..."

Could he still go back?

Si Ming had always resisted thinking about that question. He felt there was no point in worrying about it. Even if an ability to travel through time and space really existed, it was not something he could reach at his current level. Rather than letting his thoughts run wild and lamenting the changing seasons, he would be better off working to improve his cultivation. Once he reached that realm, the answer would come to him naturally.

"Just for tonight, let me be a little sad..."

Si Ming did not want anyone to see him looking weak. Tomorrow, he would go back to being a hot-blooded young goofball, fearless in the face of danger and able to find joy amid hardship. Only now was he willing to take off his heavy armor and face the memories hidden deep in his heart.

The distant city center was ablaze with lights, and he could faintly hear the laughter of happy families. Even without the Spring Festival Gala, people could find other ways to entertain themselves. The whole city seemed filled with a festive bustle, but the more it did, the colder and lonelier the orphanage appeared by contrast.

Si Ming lay on the roof in the icy night wind, recalling his fond memories of spending New Year's Eve with his family: complaining that the Spring Festival Gala was getting worse and worse, regretting that he could no longer receive New Year's money after starting work, teasing his younger sister about whether she had found a boyfriend...

The warmer the memories were, the lower his spirits sank. Si Ming did not dare look at the moon, because its light was too dazzling.

He pressed his lips tightly together to hold back his voice and laid an arm across his face to cover his eyes, but he could not stop the tears from flowing.

He did not know how much time had passed when the whole city suddenly came alive. Children shouted, "It's New Year!" Then countless fireworks bloomed in the night sky, one after another, their brilliant sparks outshining the stars.

Si Ming wiped the tears from his face and sprang up. His sorrowful expression gradually faded, and the corners of his mouth rose into a smile, as though an invisible hand were forcibly pulling them apart.

"I've done all the grieving I needed to. Lamenting the passing seasons isn't my style. The future is so splendid; how could I keep wallowing in the past? The stars and the sea are where a man's journey lies."

He circulated his art and clapped his hands, using the Kui Drum Thunder Sound to send out rolls of drumming. He sang loudly toward the sky:

"Let poetry soar, let Sword Qi rage; a hero cares not for fortune or failure. Slay a flood dragon in the river, shoot an eagle amid the clouds, swing a blade beyond the frontier. When he finds success, he laughs at the idle; when he loses his way, the idle laugh at him!"

Chapter 46: Bidding Farewell to the Old and Welcoming the New

"Happy New Year! Were you lonely at home all by yourself? Big sister's here to comfort you now!"

Yao Bilian returned to Minggui Orphanage early in the morning. She secretly used the administrator's key to unlock Si Ming's room and pushed the door open, only to have her vision turn white from the intense light.

"Wow, it's so bright! It's blinding!"

Si Ming, who had cultivated all night, hooked the undershirt and underpants beside him with his foot and slipped into them like a loach before turning off the artificial sunlamp. He glanced at his uninvited guest and sighed. "You're invading the bedroom of someone of the opposite sex on the first day of the New Year? The police are pretty unlucky too, having to come arrest a female pervert during the holiday."

"You're the pervert here, aren't you? I was wondering why you shut yourself in your room every night and never came out. Turns out you have a nudity fetish. You're afraid people would call you a pervert if you ran naked through the streets, but you still crave the thrill of being openly naked under the sun, so you hide in your room and secretly bask under a bright light, right?" Yao Bilian nodded as she reasoned it out, looking thoroughly convinced. "I understand. That's called a sun-nudity fetish."

"Stop making up words! Who would do something so pointless? This is cultivation!"

Yao Bilian clapped her hands as realization dawned. "Oh-ho, I get it. You want to tan yourself black, then go walking naked at night, right? Enjoying the thrill of strolling around naked right in front of people without them seeing you, along with the danger of being discovered. What a special way to play—I'm impressed you thought of it, kid. You've got some talent!"

Si Ming wailed, "Attacked by dirty jokes on the first day of the New Year! This is terrible. Is it a sign I'm going to have bad luck all year?"

"Quite the opposite. It means you'll have plenty of peach blossom luck this year," Yao Bilian said with a smile. "A word of advice: wear shoes when you streak. Otherwise, it'll really hurt the soles of your feet if you step on a rock."

"I don't need useless advice like that! And why are you so experienced with this sort of thing, anyway?"

Si Ming felt a headache coming on. He had not felt tired after cultivating all night, yet a few words from Yao Bilian had left him exhausted in body and mind.

"You tell me." Yao Bilian laughed, looking as though she had thrown all her sense of propriety away. She took out a red envelope and said, "Here. Keep growing up strong in the new year."

Si Ming froze for a moment. Remembering his sadness the night before, he felt an inexplicable warmth well up inside him. He accepted the red envelope and let out a breath. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Hurry up and grow into a handsome man. Just thinking about a young man's body makes me drool." Wearing the expression of a sleazy middle-aged man, Yao Bilian patted Si Ming on the shoulder, turned, and left the room.

Si Ming sighed helplessly and put the red envelope away without making any retort. Originally, Yao Bilian's family had planned to call her back in the latter half of the previous year and force her to find a partner. Fortunately, she had Jiang Zhengtai as a shield. The two seemed to have reached some kind of agreement, buying themselves quite a bit of time and allowing them to continue enjoying the freedom of single life.

Jiang Zhengtai had benefited as well. Someone had anonymously reported him the previous year. Homosexuality was considered a moral stain in a government organization: if no one reported it, people turned a blind eye, but once a report was made, it had to be investigated. Although there would be no substantive punishment, he would be stripped of his position, sent down to the grassroots, and lose any chance of advancement. Fortunately, with Yao Bilian vouching for him, he had been able to continue working at the Mohist Knight Guard base.

Neither of the two people involved minded pretending to be a couple, so naturally Si Ming was not bored enough to try to talk them out of it. It was fortunate they had found each other. Otherwise, one would definitely have been forced to quit and go home, while the other would have been stripped of his position and sent to see out his days at the grassroots. He wondered whether that might happen in some parallel world.