First Hearing of Terrible News

So-called masters were experts who had reached the Dark Jin realm in the National Arts.

Bright Jin, Dark Jin, and Transforming Jin were the three major external martial realms. Each realm represented a vast leap in combat power.

A Bright Jin practitioner could unleash two to three hundred kilograms of force through their hands and feet. Against an ordinary person, a Bright Jin expert could kill with a single punch or kick.

A Dark Jin practitioner, however, could unleash immense force within a tiny space. A palm strike might look light and effortless, yet the force within it could reach seven or eight hundred kilograms. That was why, when Wu Pifu had merely brushed against the Tiger Form martial artist, the man's tiger claw had twisted out of shape. It was like being struck in the hand by a battering ram. Forget flesh and bone—even armor and steel would have been dented.

The only flaw was that such explosive force could not be sustained. With his improved physical foundation, Wu Pifu now possessed physical abilities comparable to an all-around Olympic champion, yet he could still only unleash it around ten times in a single battle. Any more would damage his foundation and leave countless hidden injuries within his body.

Transforming Jin practitioners had nearly returned to simplicity. They did not need to explosively exert force with every punch or palm; Dark Jin force could erupt from anywhere on their bodies in an endless, sustained flow. There was even a saying that not even mosquitoes could land on them. The moment any insect touched a Transforming Jin practitioner's skin, it would be shaken to death. This eliminated Dark Jin's weakness of being impossible to sustain.

Bright Jin practitioners were martial artists, experts within the martial world. Dark Jin practitioners were called masters, often leaders of certain forces. The Red Flower Twin Batons were Dark Jin practitioners. As for Transforming Jin practitioners, they were as elusive as dragons, top experts of the age with legendary auras around them. There were probably only four or five alive in the world.

Above that were the three inner martial stages: Dan Jin, Gang Qi, and Seeing God Without Destruction. Those belonged to mythic levels beyond ordinary humans. For example, the legendary Buddha Shakyamuni was said to have reached Seeing God Without Destruction. Such earthly immortals appeared only once in countless years.

Once they learned that Wu Pifu was a Dark Jin master, the dozen or so believers, the women in red, the two half-crippled martial artists, and even the previously arrogant young master all became obedient and respectful. Whatever they were asked, they answered without daring to hide anything.

"By my father's orders, I came to Xuanhua Prefecture to meet the senior sister of the Red Lantern Society and discuss the grand plan of Support Qing, Destroy the Foreigners," Xu Rongyu said, still carrying a trace of pride.

Support Qing, Destroy the Foreigners was the Boxer Movement's public slogan. It carried the sentiments of family and country, and for these utterly rotten bandits and gangsters, it was indeed an opportunity to cleanse their reputations. Especially now, when the Qing Court was in its honeymoon period with the Boxer Movement—if things went smoothly, they might even be incorporated into the Qing Court and receive the emperor's pay.

Wu Pifu truly dismissed this with contempt. He sneered. "If it were Lin Heier, I might think a little more highly of her. What are you? What is your father? Forget it, there's no point talking to you. Hand over all the money on you."

Xu Rongyu's face turned red. Usually, he was the one leading people in robbery and plunder, yet now he was being robbed himself. But a man had to bow under another's roof, so he obediently brought out the silver, silver dollars, and a stack of banknotes on him. Even the loose silver on the two martial artists and several women in red was taken.

There were probably several hundred taels of silver here alone, but Wu Pifu, Yamadai, and Xu Shilan remained calm and utterly unconcerned.

After taking the silver, Wu Pifu lifted Xu Rongyu with one hand and said to the martial artists and the women in red, "I'm taking him hostage. You have five days to deliver the ransom. One price: ten thousand taels of silver. If I don't receive the money within five days, I'll kill him."

Xu Rongyu did not dare say a word. The two martial artists hesitated briefly, then the Tiger Form martial artist asked, "Where may we find you, Master?"

Wu Pifu thought for a moment, then asked Xu Rongyu, "Where do you think would make a good place for you to be buried?"

Xu Rongyu was shocked and furious. At last, he could not help shouting, "You're trying to extort us!?"

Wu Pifu smiled and shook his head. "No. I just think they probably won't be willing to part with ten thousand taels of silver, so I'm making things clear in advance. Go on, where do you want to be buried?"

Xu Rongyu stared fixedly at Wu Pifu, then said to the two martial artists, "Please report this to my father, gentlemen. At the charitable cemetery beside the official road, thirty li outside the city. If I die, dying in that cemetery will save everyone the trouble!"

The two martial artists looked at each other and cupped their fists. The Crane Form martial artist said to Wu Pifu, "Master, a man of your standing would not go back on his word. Please spare our young master's life. We will certainly carry the message to the chief."

After saying that, the two left without looking back.

The dozen or so believers were wounded or crippled, and they all knelt in silence, trembling. Only the women in red did not react as intensely as Xu Rongyu or the two martial artists had, because Wu Pifu had said that he would think more highly of Lin Heier if she were here.

One of the women in red performed a hand gesture used within their sect. "Could it be that Master has some prior connection with our senior sister? Or are you one of our brothers or sisters?"

Wu Pifu waved a hand. "What connection could I have with her? I simply admire how she would become a hero and martyr afterward, unafraid even of death. Though her path was wrong, that kind of unwavering heroic spirit is truly admirable. If I have the time, meeting her would not be bad. All right, go."

The women in red did not understand, but they all remembered his words. The leading woman cupped her hands. "We will certainly convey Master's words to our senior sister."

With that, the women in red also departed, leaving only the dozen or so believers trembling where they were.

Wu Pifu ignored them completely. Still carrying Xu Rongyu, he led the two newcomers toward the city. All three were already starving.

Though it was a prefectural city, by the standards of this era—and especially the Qing Court's standards—it was not particularly prosperous. Carrying one man between them, the three casually found a passable restaurant and entered. They settled into a private room upstairs and waited for the food to arrive.

Yamadai then asked, "You seem very familiar with this place?"

Xu Shilan looked over as well. Wu Pifu had nothing to hide, so he nodded directly. "That's right. I'm a Future One frozen in the twenty-first century. This place isn't far from the era I came from, and we learned about it in school, so naturally I know quite a lot."

Yamadai and Xu Shilan were both stunned. Complex expressions appeared on their faces.

Wu Pifu's heart skipped a beat. He had seen that baffling expression again.

During the one hundred and fifty-six days since his awakening, there had still been seven or eight seniors around at the beginning. When he told them he was a Future One frozen in the twenty-first century, they had worn the same expressions. Yet despite his repeated questions, he had never received an answer. It had become a source of deep unease for him.

At that moment, the waiter and several assistants began bringing up the dishes. Since all three were starving, and Wu Pifu and Yamadai in particular had enormous appetites, there were more than twenty dishes, all of them rich with fish and meat. Wu Pifu had even paid three silver dollars in advance at the counter.

Seeing the food arrive, Yamadai gave an awkward laugh. "Eat, eat. We're all starving."

Xu Shilan nodded silently. Only Wu Pifu felt an increasingly ominous sense of unease.

Before, he had been dealing with seniors. Those seniors had helped him greatly and saved his life several times. Otherwise, he would have died during his first few entries into the Dream World. Since they had not wished to speak, he naturally could not force them. But these two were newcomers. He was the one keeping them alive now.

Wu Pifu's expression darkened. He flicked the table with a finger, and a burst of Dark Jin erupted. Their hands, reaching for their chopsticks, were jolted away as if shocked by electricity. The meaning could not have been clearer.

The two sighed. Xu Shilan looked at Yamadai, and Yamadai nodded. "Fine. But don't regret making me tell you... All Future Ones from before the Third War go mad and die not long after awakening. Around a year or so. Without a single exception... Every Future One from before the Third War ends up like that."

Wu Pifu's heart turned icy. He looked at Xu Shilan, and she nodded as well.

Wu Pifu immediately asked, "Why? On what grounds? Weren't all my illnesses cured? Or did the Unified Human Government install something inside me? A miniature bomb, perhaps!?"

Both shook their heads. Yamadai looked at Wu Pifu with helplessness and sorrow. "They go mad. They don't die from illness, explosions, or anything like that... Do you know why the Dream Network was originally created?"

Wu Pifu said, "Because after fifty years in cryogenic hibernation, consciousness begins to awaken. Even in a frozen state, it cannot..."

At that point, Wu Pifu suddenly could not continue. Xu Shilan gently poured him a cup of wine and said, "You already knew the answer. You simply didn't dare face it."

"During the Third War, technology finally developed virtual reality methods. So Future Ones frozen from the Third War onward all had personal consciousness-based virtual realities. When their consciousness awakened, they could continue sleeping in virtual reality instead of being locked in a little black room. But before that... every Future One was trapped in that little black room for a hundred years, two hundred years, five hundred years, even seven or eight hundred years like you. Do you know what that means?"

Wu Pifu silently picked up the wine cup and drained it in one gulp. Xu Shilan gracefully reached out, placed food into his bowl, and poured him more wine.

Yamadai continued, "An ordinary person locked in darkness without any sensory input would probably collapse in a dozen hours. Even someone with a strong will would go mad after several days. It was the most terrifying torture imaginable. And you... you may have remained there for hundreds of years. Do you know? In the era when I was born and grew up, you ancient Future Ones were all regarded as dead—or rather, as some kind of 'thing' wearing human skin, monsters of consciousness. No one knew what your minds had truly become. After hundreds of years in the Void of that little black room, it would not have been impossible for you to become something inhuman."

Xu Shilan took over. "In my era, thirteen Singularity Technology companies thawed Future Ones from the twenty-first and twenty-second centuries. The experiment's initial purpose was to discover the limits of living consciousness. But you who awakened seemed no different from ordinary people. Some scholars believed it was a self-protection mechanism of the brain—that you had completely forgotten pain too indescribable to bear, which was why you could appear normal. But... every Future One from before the Third War became insane after around a year, then died. Without exception. Only then did we understand."

"You—you all had actually gone mad long ago, or your consciousnesses had already died. What you are now is merely some kind of outward appearance. You may not even be the original Wu Pifu, but an appearance pieced together from fragments of Wu Pifu's consciousness. The torment accumulated through hundreds of years in the Void has always been there. It simply has not erupted yet. But as you awaken, that terrifying suffering will surface bit by bit. One year... After one year, you'll be gone."

"Without a single exception!"