"I don't understand," Du Yu said firmly, his words as decisive as a blade cutting through iron. "Even if everyone in this world is lying to me, countless lessons will naturally be waiting for me. Why do I need you telling me what to do? What is all this for?"
"Time" fell silent for a moment at that, but instead of answering Du Yu's question directly, he asked:
"Du Yu, what do you think 'time' is?"
"'Time'?" Du Yu felt the question strayed into philosophy, so he thought for a while before answering, "I think time is a great river rushing forward."
"Many people in this world believe time is a river, flowing endlessly in one direction." "Time" gave Du Yu a meaningful look. "But that view is too one-sided. If 'time' were a 'river,' how could you return to the past? Which drop of water in a river can flow upstream?"
Du Yu asked without betraying any emotion, "Then what do you say time is?"
"Those who have grasped 'time' completely believe that 'time' is a 'line.' It doesn't flow. It has been there from the very beginning. You can stand outside the line and examine the contents of any segment."
Du Yu frowned and fell silent.
"Time" continued, "But is 'time' really a line? To me, time is a 'net,' made up of countless such 'lines,' forever interwoven and connected."
As though he had understood something, Du Yu couldn't help asking, "Even if time is a river, a line, a net, or something else, what does that make you?"
"Time" shook his head with a bitter smile. "Me...? You think I am 'time,' but in truth, there is no such concept as 'time' in this world. Everything humans call 'time' is a fallacy. Do you know how humans