Conversation

Before he knew it, it was the end of January, and winter break was just around the corner. Zhang Shuai finished his last class, bringing the semester to a close.

He'd initially thought deciphering the Small Heavenly Cycle Art wouldn't be too difficult. But the more he learned about paleography, the more he realized that at his current level, he had no chance of truly deciphering it.

It seemed he would have to become a true expert in paleography before he could decipher the Small Heavenly Cycle Art. He had no idea how long that would take.

Before the break, Sun Xiaoya messaged Zhang Shuai to ask when he planned to return to Qingshui. She wanted to hitch a ride with him.

Zhang Shuai told her they could leave for Qingshui whenever she was ready.

So, the day before the school officially closed for break, Sun Xiaoya packed her things. Zhang Shuai picked her up outside her dorm, and the two of them set off for home.

There had been three of them at the start of the semester. Now that break had begun, only two were left.

Lin Xiuwen had joined the 749 Bureau, so she might not be able to go home for the New Year. And no one knew how long she would have to stay there.

After driving Sun Xiaoya to her apartment, Zhang Shuai stopped by Wang Qiang's place. Unfortunately, Wang Qiang wasn't home; only Jing Fengqin was there.

To avoid any awkwardness, Zhang Shuai didn't stay long. He chatted with Jing Fengqin for a bit and gave Lele an 800-yuan red envelope. Then, despite Jing Fengqin's attempts to get him to stay, he made an excuse that he had something else to do and drove home.

For the rest of the break, Zhang Shuai went nowhere. He devoted himself to studying paleography at home.

The Spring Festival was the most important holiday for the people of the Dragon Kingdom, a time for families to reunite. But to Zhang Shuai, it was no different from any other day. In past years, when he still lived in the countryside, he could spend the holiday with his grandfather. After his grandfather died, though, he had to spend it alone.

On New Year's Eve, Zhang Shuai got a call from Wang Qiang, who invited him to celebrate the holiday at his home.

Zhang Shuai hadn't wanted to go, but Wang Qiang insisted again and again. In the end, Zhang Shuai agreed to spend the holiday with him.

Zhang Shuai bought a few holiday gifts and drove to Wang Qiang's home. Jing Fengqin had prepared a big spread of food and drink. As Zhang Shuai and Wang Qiang drank and reminisced about their childhood, his mood gradually lifted.

"Zhang Shuai, do you really not remember anything from before you turned twelve?"

"I really don't."

"Then what did the aliens look like?"

"Actually, apart from their clothes and appearance, the aliens weren't noticeably different from humans, especially people from the Dragon Kingdom."

"What about the language they spoke? I remember you once telling me that the aliens had a strange language, and that they sounded like they were chanting when they spoke. Was that really true?"

At Wang Qiang's question, Zhang Shuai suddenly froze.

Although he'd lost his memory, he could still vividly recall the language spoken by the two aliens who had captured him aboard the spaceship. Zhang Shuai used to dream about the day they took him. Every time, the events in the dream felt as real as if they were happening all over again. The conversation between the two aliens, especially, remained clear in his memory.

In that moment, a bold idea suddenly struck him. He didn't know how to read alien writing, but he remembered something of the sounds and intonation of their spoken language. Could he use its pronunciation to decipher the alien script?

If the Dragon Kingdom's civilization really had come from an alien civilization, then the alien language might share similarities with the dialects spoken in some parts of the Dragon Kingdom today. If he researched those dialects and drew on his memories of the two aliens' conversation, he might actually be able to decipher the alien writing.

The thought excited Zhang Shuai. He hadn't expected that a sudden flash of inspiration over dinner at Wang Qiang's home would give him a way to decipher the alien script. If he really succeeded, he would have to thank Wang Qiang. Without his question, Zhang Shuai might never have thought to approach the problem this way.

After returning from Wang Qiang's home, Zhang Shuai began searching online for dialects from all over the country. He played recordings of dialects from different provinces and cities, comparing them with the alien language in his memory. He wanted to find the dialect closest to it, then translate the two aliens' conversation from memory and compare it with the alien writing on the diagram of human acupoints. Comparing all three might give him a chance to decipher the alien script in the Small Heavenly Cycle Art.

While other families gathered together on New Year's Eve, Zhang Shuai spent the entire night painstakingly studying dialects from all over the country.

He didn't know how many dialects he listened to, but he couldn't find one that closely resembled the alien language in his memory.

Then, while browsing online, Zhang Shuai stumbled across Cantonese from Guangdong Province, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

Cantonese sounded a lot like the alien language!

Zhang Shuai looked up information about Cantonese. It had nine distinct tones and preserved many pronunciation features of ancient Dragon language. Of all the dialects spoken in the Dragon Kingdom today, it was the only one that retained the characteristics of ancient Dragon language.

Then Cantonese had to be it!

Zhang Shuai began downloading materials online and studying Cantonese in earnest.

From the first to the seventh day of the New Year, Zhang Shuai spent seven full days learning Cantonese, studying day and night without stopping to eat or sleep.

Starting on the eighth day, Zhang Shuai watched a number of Cantonese films until he was sure he could understand Cantonese perfectly without subtitles.

On the ninth day, Zhang Shuai began slowly recalling the conversation between the two aliens and translating it into Cantonese.

The aliens' speech differed somewhat from Cantonese in its intonation and speed, and especially in its accent. Otherwise, Cantonese was the most famous dialect in the Dragon Kingdom. Although Zhang Shuai wasn't from Guangdong, if the languages had been exactly alike, he would have recognized Cantonese long ago.

It took Zhang Shuai several days to painstakingly work out a rough translation of the conversation in his memory, because of that strange Cantonese-like accent.

"In this boy's memories, there are no cultivators left on this planet. These Dragon Kingdom people must be descendants left behind by some unknown elder of our Yan Clan. Unfortunately, who knows how many years have passed? Their writing and language have both changed."

"This planet has no spiritual energy left, so of course there are no cultivators. That means the treasure we're looking for probably isn't on this planet?"

"Then what should we do with this boy? He has decent talent—a Water, Wood, Fire, and Metal Four-Element Spirit Root. Should we take him back and train him?"

"Why take him back? His Spirit Root talent is decent, but he doesn't understand our language. Besides, our Yan Clan is facing extinction. How could we have time to train a disciple? Still, he is one of our descendants, with our Yan Clan's blood running through his veins. Don't hurt him. Leave him on the mountaintop."

"Since we've crossed paths, it must be fate. I used the Soul Search Technique on him, so I'm afraid it may seriously affect his health. He might not live more than a few years. To make it up to him, I'll give him a Lesser Creation Pill. That should let him live out his life in good health."

"You and your Lesser Creation Pill. Why give one to a mortal? It's a seventh-rank pill—is there any need to give it to a mortal? Never mind. You made the pill, so if you want to give it to him, go ahead."

The conversation ended abruptly there.

After successfully translating the conversation between the two aliens from his memory, Zhang Shuai was so shaken that he couldn't put it into words.