Another "Him"

The mysterious formation was still operating normally, and the disguise I had left at the cave entrance when I departed all those years ago was just as it had been. In fact, the giant boulder I had raised back then was now covered in moss.

After looking it over a couple more times, I had no intention of damaging the boulder. I teleported straight into the cave, then sped up to the limit, quickly passing the temple inside and entering Bauhinia Village.

World Authority unfolded, bringing all of Bauhinia Village into view.

"Grandpa Fang... Hmm? Has he got another grandchild?"

"And Uncle Du—his daughter got married? To that brat Xiao Liu, of all people."

"And Sister Yun... Huh? Sister Yun is at the Old Temple? Mm, is she studying the Rhino Emperor Game?"

I was surprised. I hadn't expected Sister Yun, who had never seemed very interested in the Rhino Emperor Game, to start studying it after I left.

"Good thing the Celestial Master Palace has so many texts that could help Sister Yun." I was delighted, and prepared to teleport straight to the Old Temple.

But just then, I suddenly stopped. The smile vanished from my face, replaced by a look of horror.

"What... what's going on? Who is he?"

When I returned this time, I noticed quite a few unfamiliar auras in Bauhinia Village. That was perfectly normal. The villagers had to carry on their lives and have children; after five years away, it was only natural that some babies had been born.

I hadn't paid it any mind, but just now I suddenly noticed an unfamiliar aura in my own house.

Or, more precisely, it was an aura both familiar and unfamiliar—nine-tenths identical to mine, with only a few subtle differences.

I was certain I had no siblings, let alone children. So who was this person whose aura was nine-tenths identical to mine?

I hurriedly examined that aura, only to grow even more shocked. "This is..."

Through the perspective of the "Observation" Authority, I saw someone who looked exactly like me: short gray hair, even the same age. If we stood together, we'd be impossible to tell apart without looking at our clothes.

My expression darkened.

Had someone impersonated me in Bauhinia Village after I left?

"I'll see for myself just who you are!"

I teleported straight back to my house.

"Whoosh!"

I appeared inside my home. The man who looked exactly like me was cooking at the stove. Watching him, I suddenly felt disoriented.

Back then, I had always studied the Rhino Emperor Game at the Old Temple while Sister Yun looked after my daily needs. I hadn't expected this impostor to reverse things after taking my place.

The impostor, busy at the stove, seemed to sense someone had appeared in the room.

His body stiffened. Then he turned around, and for a moment, two identical faces stared at each other as the air seemed to freeze.

"Who are you, exactly? Why are you impersonating me here?" I demanded, my face dark.

At the same time, Space Lockdown had already sealed off the area around the impostor. If his answer was even slightly off, I could tear him to pieces in an instant with countless spatial rifts.

I was brimming with murderous intent, but the impostor suddenly smiled. "Do you really not know what 'my' name is?"

He deliberately stressed the word "my." I noticed, of course, but didn't understand what he meant. His attitude only deepened my killing intent. "Stop dodging the question. If you don't tell me the truth... you won't get the chance to speak again!"

The impostor still showed no sign of nervousness. Instead, he chuckled softly. After a long pause, when I looked ready to attack, he said, "After all these years, I didn't expect you to still be so hotheaded. And your memories still haven't returned at all... What a truly awe-inspiring power."

I couldn't tell what he meant by that last remark, but his words before it gave me plenty to go on.

That identical face, that nearly identical aura, and that tone of voice...

"Are you that White-Gold Horned Lizard?"

"White-Gold Horned Lizard?!"

The impostor raised his voice and widened his eyes, looking utterly shocked. "Can you come up with any stranger names? Last time it was 'Zhou,' and now you've gone with White-Gold Horned Lizard... Hey, does it really sound okay to call yourself that?"

"Myself?" I ignored his strange complaints and focused on the key point in what he'd said.

"That's right. You." The impostor sat back down at his leisure, glancing at the Space Lockdown around him before saying, "Let me out first, and then we can talk. The food I made for Sister Yun is going to burn... Don't worry. I don't have a single bit of Authority left in me. You can see that, can't you?"

I studied his calm expression, hesitated, then said slowly, "If you try anything, I'll kill you immediately."

Only then did I wave my hand and lift the Space Lockdown around the impostor.

He picked up the spatula and tossed the vegetables in the pan twice. Without turning around, he said, "You must have plenty of questions right now. That's fine. I can tell you everything I know. Then you'll understand our relationship, as well as... the truth about this world."

"What exactly is going on?" The impostor didn't seem to harbor any ill intent, so I relaxed a little and pulled over a chair.

"First, I need to tell you that you and I are indeed one and the same. More precisely, I'm the 'past' you."

"The past me?" I was a little dumbfounded.

The impostor sprinkled some salt into the pan, then continued, "That's right. You haven't mastered the Authority of Time, so you don't understand. The three most important concepts in time are the past, the present, and the future. Together, they form a complete timeline. But since the present is the only true point in time, both the past and the future exist in dependence on it."

At this, the impostor—or rather, the Past Self—paused before continuing. "...That's how it is under normal circumstances. But powerful experts who specialize in time often travel through different timelines, and even borrow their past and future selves to fight. Though the past and future depend on the present, if they intersect too often, problems can arise, and the boundaries between the three can become blurred."

Listening to the Past Self's lengthy explanation, I gradually began to understand. Frowning, I asked, "You mean I was once a powerful expert who specialized in time, and I often manipulated time in battle, which caused problems with my own perception of time?"

"Not exactly." The Past Self shook his head. "We do specialize in time, but with our level of cultivation, we were nowhere near the point where that would happen. The reason we ended up like this was actually a fortuitous encounter that caused our Past Self, the Present Self who is the main body now, and our Future Self to separate prematurely."

"A fortuitous encounter?" I only partly understood, but then noticed something else. "You said... Future Self? So there's another me in this world?"

"You noticed?" The Past Self, who had been concentrating on cooking, finally glanced back at me with a teasing look. "That's right. There's another version of you in this world: your Future Self. He was the first of the three of us to arrive here, inherited the greatest share of the main body's power, and is also... your greatest threat."

"Your greatest threat? What do you mean?" My expression grew solemn.

"Exactly what it sounds like." The Past Self sneered, his expression mocking. "What did you think we separated into past and future selves for? To have a friendly chat with you? Don't make me laugh! We split off to fight you for control... We're all the same person, so why should you be the one ruling over us?"

The Past Self's expression darkened for an instant. I could tell those were his genuine feelings. The Future Self I hadn't met yet probably felt the same way.

"If you want to fight me for control, why are you helping me now?" I looked at the Past Self calmly.

"Because you defeated me before. I barely escaped that time, but the body I inherited from the main body was destroyed while it was in my possession. You took it from me, so I've basically lost any chance of fighting for control." The Past Self shrugged helplessly.

"Is that all? Then why not help the Future Self?" I fixed him with a sidelong stare, not believing a word of it.

At my question, the Past Self fell silent for a moment, but said nothing.

Seeing that, I had a few suspicions, so I stopped pressing him and asked about something else instead. "According to you, the Future Self inherited the main body's power. As for you... you inherited the body, and perhaps the memories too? What did I inherit?"

"I did inherit the main body's memories and body. As for you, you inherited the main body's comprehension and wisdom, which is why you were able to solve the Rhino Emperor Game, while the Future Self and I couldn't and had to rely on other methods." The Past Self glanced at me as he spoke. "Besides, as the Present Self, you're the true one in control. If certain conditions are met, you can awaken the memories and power in some form—everything but the body, since there's only one."

"Certain conditions? What conditions?" I was curious.

"I don't know either. The main body's memories only told me that when it entered this world, it once received a message like that." The Past Self shook his head, making it clear that he didn't know any more details.

"All right." I was a little disappointed, but immediately asked another question. "Then tell me more about the Future Self. You said he was the first to arrive here, so you, the Past Self, must have arrived last, right? When we fought back then, you were so strong. Did he help you?"

At my question, the Past Self's expression suddenly stiffened.