This Body's True Home Is My True Self

The memories of "Xie Xie" and Lin Wanqing surged into his mind one after another, making his eyes sting with increasing intensity.

In the second before he lost control, Xie Xie abruptly stood up.

"I... I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back!"

His voice was tight, and he barely dared to look into the eyes of Tang Wulin and Gu Yue. Before his words had even faded, he turned and rushed out of the small shop.

His retreating figure was so hurried it was almost pathetic, his very footsteps betraying a sense of panic and helplessness.

Tang Wulin and Gu Yue instinctively moved to follow, but were stopped by Uncle Li, who had just emerged from the kitchen.

"Wait!"

As the two turned back, Uncle Li gently placed three steaming pots of beef brisket and rice on the table.

Looking in the direction where Xie Xie had disappeared, Uncle Li let out a helpless sigh: "Sigh, let him be for a while."

Xie Xie ran aimlessly for a long stretch of road.

Only when he was certain no one was following him did he slide down against the cold wall.

Even though he had long since merged with all the memories of the original owner, he still couldn't distinguish whose heart this turbulent, overwhelming pain belonged to.

Was it the lonely soul from another world, or the original Xie Xie of this body?

He had been a child raised in an orphanage, relying on sheer tenacity to force his way into a top-tier university.

Xie Xie had always believed that he had forged an impenetrable mental defense, long accustomed to a solitude where he was the only one to know his own warmth or cold.

Yet, in the original owner's memories, that single gentle smile from his mother, Lin Wanqing, had flashed for only a moment before shattering the hardened defenses he had built over the years.

His nose stung, and hot, wet moisture welled up in his eyes, uncontrollable.

He had never experienced such delicate, warm maternal love.

No one had ever brushed his stray hair aside for him, no one had ever lit a lamp for him at night, and certainly, no one had ever held him as if he were a precious treasure, cradled in the palm of their heart, like Lin Wanqing.

Those strange yet scorching tender moments were the past of the original owner, but to him, they were an extravagant hope he had never touched in his entire life.

He craved this maternal love from the memories, yet he was soberly aware that this love did not belong to him.

Xie Xie buried his face deep into his knees, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably, but he bit his lip hard, refusing to let even half a sob escape.

"Sigh..."

A low sigh suddenly echoed in his mind.

The voice was not loud, but it carried a composure that pierced the soul, instantly dispelling the chaos and confusion in Xie Xie's mind.

Xie Xie froze, lifting his head to look around through tear-blurred eyes, yet he saw no one.

"Who?"

He asked, his voice still hoarse from crying.

The voice did not respond; instead, his consciousness felt as if it were being pulled by an invisible force, suddenly sinking into a deathly silence of darkness.

It was not a terrifying gloom, but an ultimate, empty whiteness.

Right in the center of this white chaos, the space gently "cracked."

It was not a violent explosion, but rather like a seam being sliced into the surface of water, and a divine dragon, its entire body seemingly condensed from moonlight, slowly manifested.

Its body was massive and serene, its scales not of ordinary metallic color, but possessing the texture of jade flowing with a warm, silvery luster.

In the endless white space, its white dragon armor was neither blinding nor dull; instead, it stood like a pure white beast guarding the flow of time.

Its dragon wings were folded behind it, the wing membranes transparent, with silver-gray patterns of time and light faintly interwoven upon them.

Its eyes were as deep as a white night, two clusters of silent silver nebulae, quietly watching Xie Xie.

And deep within the dragon's pupils, Xie Xie could clearly see his own reflection, as well as every moment of his past life.

It was like a fast-forwarded movie.

From his solitary existence in his previous life to the trio's journey in this one, everything flowed before his eyes.

The shocking sight before him made Xie Xie instinctively forget his sorrow. His Adam's apple rolled slowly as he swallowed, and he spoke with difficulty: "You, who... are you?"

[I have had many names.]

A voice echoed in his mind without warning.

The voice was not the deep dragon roar typical of the dragon race; instead, it was clear, calm, and carried a sacred, distant quality that transcended all living things.

[Jormungandr, Zhu Jiuyin, Chronos... within the long river of time, I have had thousands of titles.]

[But to you, the most familiar and the most real one is only one—]

At this point, the voice paused before slowly continuing:

[Space-Time Dragon.]

[The only shadow guard under the Dragon God.]

"I... what the hell?" Xie Xie's brain CPU completely crashed.

He knew he would awaken the Space-Time Dragon martial soul in the future, but no one told him the Space-Time Dragon was still alive?!

Before Xie Xie could fully digest the information, the Space-Time Dragon dropped another bombshell.

[It was also me, using the origin of space-time as a conduit to cross the world barrier and bring your soul to this realm.]

"Huh?!" Xie Xie's eyes widened instantly.

"So, you're saying I didn't just choke on water and hit the jackpot of transmigration?"

[...Of course not.]

The pupils of the Space-Time Dragon now held a trace of human-like exasperation.

[No matter how fragile a human body may be, it is not so weak as to be choked to death by a mouthful of water.]

"Heh, haha... is, is that so?"

Xie Xie scratched his head with an awkward laugh, because it seemed that in many novels, choking on water was a rather common cause for transmigration.

"So, you really were the one who brought me to this, uh... plane?" Xie Xie confirmed once more.

[That is correct.]

The Space-Time Dragon nodded slowly, its dragon wings fluttering gently, causing streaks of silver-gray light to ripple across the transparent membranes.

After the shock subsided, complex emotions surged into Xie Xie's heart once again.

"The thing is, I transmigrated as a soul, which is a bit like seizing someone else's body, haha..." Xie Xie scratched his cheek, his tone carrying an indescribable weight as he forced a smile.

It wasn't just a bit like it; it was exactly that.

He was no Great Love Immortal Venerable; having transmigrated and taken over another's shell, he couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt.

[Sigh...]

The Space-Time Dragon let out another soft sigh.

[Do you know that every person's soul is unique?]

It extended a massive dragon claw, formed from the condensation of time, and pointed gently at Xie Xie's chest.

Xie Xie looked down, dazed.

There lay his heart, the dwelling place of his soul.

[Among the myriad living beings in this world, unless they share the same origin and roots, unless they were originally one and the same, it is impossible for souls to fuse perfectly.]

The voice of the Space-Time Dragon carried a stillness and solemnity that transcended the ages.

[By what right could you occupy this body?]

[And by what right could you experience the memories of this body?]

[You are able to integrate into this body, inherit its memories, feel the tenderness of your mother Lin Wanqing, and form genuine bonds with this world—]

[There is only one answer to all of this.]

The pure white giant dragon lowered its massive head slightly, the silver nebula in its eyes swirling, reflecting Xie Xie's figure with absolute clarity.

[You are Xie Xie, and Xie Xie is you.]