See You in the Next Life

Liu Chang'an patted Qin Yanan's hand and gently pulled his arm out of her embrace. He felt something hard against his arm—it was her jade Guanyin.

It seemed that even the jade Guanyin statue brought from the Miyin Temple hadn't brought her true peace. Liu Chang'an looked at her suspiciously, "Do you really believe in ghosts?"

Qin Yanan nodded vigorously.

"If a dialectical materialist believes in ghosts, then he has probably actually seen them." People often don't take what Liu Chang'an says seriously, just thinking he's talking nonsense. But conversely, Liu Chang'an can easily find something in seemingly absurd behavior and language.

"No! I'm just scared. I believe in ghosts, but that doesn't mean I've actually seen one." Qin Yanan took two steps back, leaning against the carriage.

Liu Chang'an looked at Qin Yanan Qin Yanan, whose breathing was slightly rapid, but she didn't seem to be lying.

If you've never seen a ghost but believe in them, then you've at least sensed their existence.

"Ghost?"

Liu Chang'an looked at the coffin in front of him, then at Qin Yanan.

"You can sense what's inside the coffin?" Liu Chang'an asked curiously.

Qin Yanan was startled. "Ah, what do you mean...? What's in the coffin?"

"Didn't you sense there was a ghost in the coffin?"

"No!"

It wasn't because she sensed a ghost in the coffin that she believed it. So what happened that made her feel the presence of a ghost?

Sleepwalking.

Liu Chang'an felt that the only event that could be connected at this moment was sleepwalking. Zhu Juntang's description sounded like she had seen a ghost, which became the label for Liu Chang'an's association.

In other words, Qin Yanan did not consider her sleepwalking as just ordinary sleepwalking as she claimed; she most likely believed she was possessed by a ghost.

She claims to be a dialectical materialist, so she must believe in scientific explanations. Even if she is distressed about sleepwalking, she should never think that she is possessed by a ghost.

Unless her sleepwalking is so unusual that it cannot be explained by sleepwalking.

She lived alone, and Zhu Juntang stopped sleeping with her. If Zhu Juntang noticed anything unusual, she would definitely come to find Liu Chang'an.

How did she realize her abnormality? Was she aware that she was sleepwalking, and fully conscious of her words, actions, and expressions?

The possibility of this happening during sleepwalking is very small, but she installed a camera... Afterwards, she learned about the strange things that happened during her sleepwalking by reviewing the camera footage.

This possibility is very high. Considering that when I first went to her house, she happened to destroy the video recorded by the surveillance camera, it means that it was most likely not an accident, but something she did on purpose... She didn't want others to see the strange situation when she was sleepwalking, and Zhu Juntang's description is actually the truth, rather than the impression given by Qin Yanan's casual explanation.

It seems that Qin Yanan's computer is a key point, but she probably won't easily agree to let Liu Chang'an tinker with it, and Liu Chang'an is too lazy to make up an excuse to lie to her.

Liu Chang'an felt it was inappropriate for him to do this himself, so he decided to let Zhu Juntang do it.

"The Book of Rites says, 'All living beings must die, and when they die, they return to the earth; this is what is meant by ghosts.'" Liu Chang'an grasped Qin Yanan's hand, which had unconsciously reached out to tug at his arm, and led her to the coffin, placing her hand on it. "Inside is a living person, so of course it's not a ghost; at most, it's a zombie."

Qin Yanan's fingers trembled slightly. Even in the sweltering summer heat of Junsha, the bronze coffin had a cool, almost chilling feel, as if one had stepped into an ancient, secluded chamber. Even if the person fetching the ice was dressed in thick clothes, they would still feel the cold seep into their body and shiver.

Qin Yanan's fingertips seemed to tremble for a moment from the chill before falling back down. What puzzled her was that, despite the unchanged lighting in the carriage, the painted patterns she saw seemed to shift in light and shadow under her fingertips, revealing the beauty of the lifelike lines and designs before her eyes... And there were other sounds and images as well:

"What a pity, if only we had more time..."

"You still have the mind to think about this?"

"Bury it immediately!"

"Look at her, still glaring at us fiercely like a little bitch, haha, you idiot!"

The voices of several men, speaking a mix of Chinese and Japanese in a Kansai dialect, carried a fierce and brutal tone, yet also a mixture of courage and unwavering conviction, instantly surfaced in Qin Yanan's mind.

What kind of scene was it?

Or it could be a very common scenario.

One person is about to sacrifice themselves.

She was dressed in simple local villager clothing. To carry out her mission, her pretty face was painted red and black, and her hair was messy. Despite being a clean person, she hadn't washed the coat she bought from a villager, which she had probably worn all winter without washing.

Her eyes, however, still shone brightly, whether they were filled with hatred or resentment, they shone with a resolute light, her face full of stubbornness and fearlessness.

A pit was dug in the ground. Her enemies certainly didn't have the good intentions of collecting corpses, but they were happy to bury someone alive.

She dug the hole herself, and after digging for a while, she would pat it down to level the soil at the bottom.

She was about to die, but she would maintain her dignity even in death, refusing to show any ugly struggle or submission to satisfy their brutal expectations.

"Take care while I'm gone, and whatever you do, don't die."

But... some things, though known to be dangerous, still have to be done by someone. He didn't want to die, but did that mean the other comrades should die too?

Today, she is truly going to sacrifice herself, but she has few regrets, because the sacrifices of countless others have forged the final victory, which is just around the corner. She is also a splash of red in the river of blood flowing through this land.

Unfortunately, I won't live to see victory, nor will I see the future of this land... Perhaps the future won't be as perfect as I imagine, but it will certainly be better than the present. I will never regret the sacrifices I've made.

Just like life, nothing is eternally beautiful, but we will never give up the pursuit of our ideals.

She could no longer see him. From childhood, she had been used to relying on him and being protected by him. Even in more dangerous situations, he would protect her safety. Perhaps that was why she always felt that she would not die and was not afraid of death.

But she never imagined that one day he would leave, and she would have to face these most heinous scum in human history alone.

She still remembered the boy she met when she was a child; her uncle pulled him to her side. "He's your brother."

That boy, his features still seem so clear, as if he were right before my eyes; perhaps only he is an eternal being.

Brother, we all know there's no afterlife, but I really, really want to see you one more time...

Various Requests.