Zhu Zhengwei sat in the chair, and it was easy to see that his emotions were complicated.
In fact, how could Zhu Zhengwei himself not have complicated emotions?
He had never known how to face it.
"After all, in his impression, I was unfathomable, an immortal reincarnated into this world. But I really am just an ordinary mortal."
Zhu Zhengwei felt a faint sense of sorrow.
He felt that this was much like a fan's mindset.
It was like how fans of celebrities always assumed the idol they worshiped was an immortal fairy descended from heaven—perfect, never needing mortal food, never defecating, their whole body radiating immortal air, and every word they spoke containing the philosophies of heaven and earth and the classics of the Great Dao. Even when they took a dump, it would be strawberry ice cream, and when they had diarrhea, it would be cheese foam.
That feeling came from putting a filter over everything. Distance created beauty.
Although the reasons this had happened were most likely as follows:
1. When I was born, I wore a kasaya, held a divine brush, pointed one hand at the sky and the other at the ground, and declared, "Above heaven and below earth, I alone am supreme."
But if one traced the reason behind that, it was simply that I had casually put on a little act right after being born.
2. I was enshrined on the Kitchen God's altar by my parents?
The reason was simply that lying there was more comfortable.
3. I meditated in the courtyard when I was still a baby?
The reason for that was even simpler: I was exercising and trying to see whether a baby could practice breathing techniques.
4. Because there was nothing much to do for entertainment in the village, I would occasionally tell bedtime stories and brag to the two brothers playing with mud.
The reason? Anyone who understood, understood. Dreams didn't require paying taxes, anyway.
5
Honestly, Zhu Zhengwei felt that his behavior back then had been perfectly normal.
When rerolling an Initial Account, shouldn't one make it a little more awesome? Shouldn't one act a little more unrestrained?
Since things in dreams could affect the body in reality, when returning to childhood, shouldn't one max out one's stamina, combat power, reputation, and every other stat?
Any player who enjoyed playing character-development games would have done the same.
The problem was that people had taken it seriously.
"Ahem. A person must have confidence, after all. Perhaps in the future, I can reach the level of an immortal, consuming qi and farting up a storm. But right now, I'm still an honest, impoverished mortal."
Zhu Zhengwei kept his mindset in proper order.
"At present, I'm merely a college student starting a business, creating the new 'Dream Network' company while worrying about food, rice, oil, and salt. Although I do have some students working under me, the problem is that the company isn't making money in its early stages."
He still had a clear understanding of himself.
"Although my company's main business is simulating worlds of supernatural civilizations and researching future technology..."
However, as he continued reading the diary, Zhu Zhengwei discovered that Zhang Zhi had also been plagued by this same hesitation.
[When the Rosy Cloud Qi descended, I hesitated several times and ultimately did not rush over. For a moment, I had no idea how I should face it. I believed A Da would handle everything properly, so I played chess for money with an old man under the banyan tree by the roadside. Although I kept winning, I was distracted until the Rosy Cloud Qi completely dissipated and Immortal Herbs sang out across the sky.]
[In the autumn of 0376, I learned the entire sequence of events from the travelers, but I still went to the Royal Capital and saw him off before his grave.]
[In 0377, I began studying Three Questions Three Answers and benefited greatly. These were the three great questions that A Da and I organized. They contained the mysteries of heaven and earth and the natural order of humanity. I was utterly astonished by the three answers. My cultivation, which had been stagnant for a long time, showed faint signs of loosening. I sensed something in my heart. Given enough time, I would surely advance another step, just as one pole of a hundred-foot pole grows higher. As expected of my elder brother. And the Prehistoric Civilization had been so prosperous as well, inspiring boundless longing. It truly was the Ancient Heavenly Court.]
Zhu Zhengwei: "..."
You broke through just like that?
I don't think I even said much!
You're seriously outrageous!
Although he himself felt that his three answers back then had been perfect, they were works he was quite proud of.
After all, aside from the first question, which had involved his own thoughts, the remaining two answers had both drawn on the perspective and knowledge of the modern twenty-first century. Whether it was flesh and blood cells or the world and heaven and earth, he had relied on the vast foundation of modern civilization in the twenty-first century.
Even Zhang Zhi, who had seen the rural areas of the 1990s, had been utterly shocked.
"I managed to maintain my image as an expert, and even took it to another level!" Zhu Zhengwei's expression turned strange, but he also relaxed and secretly said, Luckily.
Zhu Zhengwei continued reading.
[In 0379, I returned to the City of a Hundred Stones. It had changed beyond recognition. The Spirit Appeasement Art had been officially put into use by the people, and cultivation and its systems had also been systematically classified. I even discovered a new tool for testing aptitude. It was actually the skull of Stone Light Emperor Changheng, the first emperor of the Slave Dynasty. I was extremely curious and went to test my aptitude that night. As a result, the skull shattered, and they could only put out the skull of Stone Light Emperor Changshou, the second emperor. I felt terribly ashamed.]
When Zhu Zhengwei read this, his expression suddenly became strange.
[In 0385, I once again traveled through the entire world as a traveler. Freedom and democracy—I seemed to see the dawn of a New Era setting sail, just like the emotions I felt when I sailed out to sea back then and, as a savage, returned to the mainland to witness the revival of human civilization. This was an entirely new era. People were no longer born slaves. Everyone was born equal, able to realize their ambitions and fulfill their dreams.]
[In 0386, I returned. Amid a winter snowfall, I saw that old house from afar once more. Before I knew it, I had spent countless Spring and Autumn in this Mortal World, looking down upon the history of civilization. The friends who had accompanied me along the way had passed away one after another. I do not know when, but a gray fog had settled over my heart. It was no longer as pure and flawless as when I first left. I sat down again in the chair in the old house. Cold snow fell from the clouds, wrapping me in a white coat. Suddenly, I remembered the scene of the child in the courtyard amid the swirling snow at the beginning: my elder brother, before he became disabled, wiping his runny nose while building a snowman, and my second brother meditating beside him.]
At the end of the diary, there was still a final letter.
"Second Brother, we haven't seen each other for so many years. I wonder if you've been well all this time?"
"After those three questions, I have had no other questions for the time being. As for what I said before, that the world would become like it was three thousand years ago, with the predators quietly crawling out of this ancient land—was the destruction of the old civilization related to them? I do not wish to ask. It would only add to my troubles. Perhaps the Zhu Shaman Era will face them in the future."
"On the night of the seventh day of the seventh month in the year 386, Zhang Zhi."
Click!
Zhu Zhengwei closed the Longevity Diary.
For a moment, his thoughts were filled with emotion. That little tagalong who had once followed behind him and his elder brother had already grown to such a level. He could not help feeling gratified.
He suddenly wanted to write a great many things to his third brother, but for a moment, he only felt a thousand words stuck in his throat.
In the end, he merely wrote an ordinary sentence:
"Everything is well. Don't worry about me."
He closed the diary. His reminiscence with his family had come to an end. It was time to deal with the matters concerning the Servers.
Before you continue