After midnight

One evening in early May, An Yan and his group finally left the island and the lake and successfully landed. After stepping on the shore, Su Ziling looked over and saw that the thick and hard wasteland was flat.

"Brother, how are you going to leave later?"

"I'm going north, and Ye will meet me in Xidu. Before I leave, there is one more thing I want to tell you, and I think I have an obligation to explain it clearly to Anyan." Yin looked at Anyan.

"An Yan, maybe you still don't know why you predicted wrongly."

Su Ziling held his breath when he heard the voice. Fourteen years ago, he didn't know how he ended up in the new world. If that was a cause and effect that had already been planted, then his return was another beginning.

"I did it. The barrier placed on Zi Ling must be removed before he turns eighteen. I used my intelligence network to add Su Zi Ling's name to the list of death prophecies I gave you. In such a complex network of interests, any tricks will not be discovered at all."

"Then, I went to the new world. In order to make the prophecy come true, I did intend to take action against Zi Ling, but the strange thing was that before I could do anything, Zi Ling fell into the water by himself. I think this is also God's will. I stayed with Zi Ling after rescuing him. I know everything that happened later. If Zi Ling had not found the letter that night and had not come here with the spirit stone I left behind, I would have planned to bring Zi Ling here directly. As for what will happen after bringing him here, that is another plan of mine."

"But I promise, it will end the same as it does now."

Su Ziling was speechless for a long time after listening to this. He looked at Yin, then at Anyan. Anyan stared at Yin's face, his expression uncertain, and he didn't seem to have too many negative emotions.

"An Yan, if I hadn't adopted this plan, you wouldn't..." Yin Yan didn't know what to say next.

"I understand. Now that things have come to this, there's nothing wrong with it." An Yan quickly took over his words and said, "Your plan is very thorough. This will allow me to directly contact Su Ziling. And, you also took measures to rescue me in the end."

During those days in the 'Death Prison', An Yan figured out a lot of things, but he would not tell anyone what he had figured out or what he had decided to do.

"That's good." Yin breathed a sigh of relief and felt a lot more relaxed.

"Then can you explain to me, An Yan, how did you predict my future? Do you have such ability?" Su Ziling was really curious. If Yin hadn't brought up this topic, Su Ziling probably wouldn't have thought of asking.

"I don't have that ability. However, there is a gap in time and space between the two parallel worlds. We can use the spirit stone and our abilities to go into the gap in time and space."

"In the cracks of time and space, there are miniatures and fragments of everyone in the new world from birth to death. When a person is about to die, his miniature and fragments will become restless like a foreshadowing, and the scene before his death will flash strangely, like a memorial service. I made the prophecy based on this. But it is very dangerous there, and it can only be entered from the new world."

Su Ziling was stunned when he heard this.

"Actually, I thought you were very suspicious at that time." An Yan said.

"Why why?" Su Ziling asked with interest.

"Because the gaps in time and space cannot record us." Yin first explained briefly.

"Yes, we have the ability to go to that place, so naturally we cannot see ourselves. I was very surprised at the time why your things were so rare in there. It was not until you awakened that I found the reason, because you are not from the new world at all. But because you have lived in the new world for too long, you have left traces in other people's worlds. I think what I saw in the gap in time and space is probably you in the eyes of others. If one day in the future, you are forgotten, those miniatures and fragments will disappear." An Yan continued.

"Is that so? There's nothing that can be done about being forgotten and disappearing." Su Ziling said lightly. He didn't really care about it.

"Actually, if you think about it carefully, the people in that world are very happy, aren't they? Even though they themselves don't know it, as long as they are not forgotten, there will be a place in this world that proves that they are living well." Yin suddenly felt a little emotional.

"Perhaps we in this world also have such a place that has not yet been discovered."

"Okay, let's get off topic. Um, Zi Ling, Anyan, I'm leaving first."

"Yeah. Brother, I will take good care of myself. I will become very, very powerful next time we meet." Su Ziling assured him energetically.

"Okay, I'll wait." Yin smiled and nodded at Su Ziling just like when he was a child.

"See you later, Anyan."

"See you later."

An Yan and Su Ziling left together. Yin felt reluctant but more happy. It was a feeling of looking forward to their growth together, as if they were walking towards hope instead of the sunset.

After Su Ziling walked a few meters away, he seemed to remember something, turned around, stretched out his arms and waved vigorously at Yin, smiling happily. Su Ziyin couldn't help but wave his hands in response.

As the sun sets, An Yan and Su Ziling walk further and further away, and Su Ziyan also decides to turn around and leave.

After Yin walked a few steps to the northwest, he suddenly stopped. He turned around and the two men were gone. Yin had no choice but to shout at their backs: "I forgot to tell you, Shangguan Can and Zhang Dong are still chasing you. If you meet in the pavilion, be careful."

After Yin shouted, regardless of whether they heard it or not, he continued to walk towards the northwest without any burden in his heart. If they really met, they would face it together.

On this side, Su Ziling was in a good mood, humming a tune and walking forward. An Yan was a little puzzled and asked him, "Don't you feel sad to be separated from Yin?"

"No~" Feeling An Yan's slightly caring gaze, Su Ziling explained: "Okay, I admit that when I first found out, I was really reluctant and sad. But no matter how reluctant or sad we are, we have to separate. I have things I want to do, and my brother has things he has to do. In that case, cherish each other before we separate, and don't let my brother worry when we separate. And most importantly, I believe we will meet again soon."

"What about you, An Yan? Is there anyone you don't want to be separated from?"

"...I don't know. Su Ziling, you seem to have changed a lot."

"That's for sure. I admit that I had an ostrich mentality before, but that was before I thought about it. Now this strange place has become my hometown. I have my brother, you, and abilities. I have become more complete and I know what I want to do. Besides, before I left, I had already promised my brother that I would become powerful, so I must make changes."

"Yeah." An Yan responded.

"You're still talking about me. I feel like you're not so indifferent and aloof anymore. You did care about my safety before, but in the final analysis, you would be the same no matter who it was. You don't care about who I am." Su Ziling's voice became lower and lower until the last sentence. He spoke very carefully, fearing that An Yan would get angry.

But who would have thought that after hearing this, An Yan gently curled his lips. Su Ziling was somewhat happy to see this, but then he became depressed again.

"I can't accept everything. I'm afraid I can't adapt... When can I handle various crises as rationally and calmly as you and my brother?" Can he really adapt to this so-called hometown now? Su Ziling thought worriedly.

"That's good of you."

"What? An Yan, what did you just say? Your voice was too soft and I couldn't hear it clearly."

Su Ziling was so immersed in his own emotions that he didn't hear clearly what An Yan had just said. But his intuition told him that it was a very important sentence.

"…Nothing, it's going to be dark soon."

"Oh." Su Ziling curled his lips secretly. They walked slowly and a few days later, they saw the town called Tingzhong.

At this time, in a single room in a hotel in Tingzhong, Shangguan Can was leaning on the head of the bed, crossing his legs, and resting leisurely. In the trash can beside the bed were thrown all kinds of fruits and vegetables he had eaten.

After a series of knocks on the door, Zhang Dong pushed open the door and walked in, standing beside the bed. "Shangguan Can, when are we leaving?"

"Why rush? We finally have a chance to rest. The two hundred miles of desert from here to Sand City is far from any village or shop. Tomorrow, tomorrow will be fine."

"Then I'll go back to my room."

"Wait, let's go out for a walk together when the sun goes down?"

"No, go by yourself."

After Zhang Dong closed the door and walked away, Shangguan Can complained quietly, "How boring."

"It was called a town before, so I thought it would be quite lively. I didn't expect it to be just a small village. Anyan, how are we going to spend the night? Are there any hotels here?" Su Ziling asked while standing on a relatively open road. There were only houses next to him, and he didn't see any busy commercial streets.

"Of course there are. Tingzhong is a town that developed by connecting the trade between Xidu and Sand City. Although it is small, it has everything you need. It will only become lively at night, and we have to walk a little further to the center of the town."

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Su Ziling and An Yan shuttled through the streets and headed towards the town center.

Suddenly, when passing through a narrow street, the sound of a bamboo basket falling to the ground attracted Su Ziling's attention. Su Ziling saw the damaged flower basket, which rolled a few times and just rolled under his feet. He bent down and picked it up. It was a handmade, very beautiful flower basket, but it was a little dirty.

The flower basket was empty, and the flowers inside were held high in the hands of a boy, while the girl whose flowers were snatched stood aside and looked on. The boy saw that he could not provoke the girl's anger, so he threw the flowers under his feet and stepped on them fiercely. This made the flowers that were originally in full bloom be trampled to pieces and look miserable.

Seeing this, the boys surrounding the girl grinned at her, and they couldn't be more proud.

These kids really need to be taught a lesson! Su Ziling was about to step forward when he saw the little girl suddenly step forward and push the boy back two steps. Then, she slowly squatted down and put her hands on the crushed flowers. After a few seconds, when she removed her hands, the flowers returned to their original appearance, fresh and beautiful.

What a magical ability, Su Ziling thought. But her action instantly caused an uproar among the boys.

"Monster! It really is a monster!"

"No wonder those flowers are so beautiful, they must be poisonous!"

"That's it. Wild girl! Little monster!"

The boy who was pushed away angrily picked up a small stone on the ground and was about to throw it at the girl. Seeing that the stone was about to hit someone, Su Ziling was about to scream, but the stone was easily caught by someone. It was An Yan who stood in front of her.

When the boys saw someone coming to interfere, they ran away quickly. After they ran away, Su Ziling walked quickly to An Yan's side. He and An Yan turned around and looked at the little girl. The little girl stood there, staring at An Yan with her big eyes.

Only then did An Yan and Su Ziling see her appearance clearly. She was very cute.

Su Ziling handed over the flower basket. She took it, bowed, and said in a very clear voice, "Thank you, big brothers."

"You're welcome." Su Ziling laughed and turned to An Yan and said, "Let's go."

An Yan nodded, and they left together. When Su Ziling felt that they were far enough away, he asked An Yan: "Isn't that the ability of that girl? Why is she called a monster? Don't they know that the girl has very powerful abilities?"

"Not everyone has excellent abilities. Su Ziling, you have seen a lot of abilities since you came to this world. What do you feel?"

Water, fire, lightning, ice, earth, wood, flowers. Su Ziling went through them carefully in his mind, "How should I put it? The abilities I have seen seem to be elements that exist in nature."

"You're right. There are high and low abilities. Some high-level abilities, which are the ones you've seen before, are naturally very powerful, so they become weapons, and the people who use them become ability users. But there are also some low-level abilities, such as movement. It's not instant movement like Wuying, but it's a movement that moves an object to another place after a period of time. We call it 'specialized movement'. And 'specialized movement' can also be used as a profession to make profits with this ability. Even if this ability is mastered more precisely, it will not have a strong combat power."

"Of course, there are some advanced abilities, like Shangguan Can's sand and Zhang Dong's wood. They are actually most often used as building materials. Whether or not you can become a person with abilities depends on your acquired abilities. Many people's abilities cannot be well developed because they do not receive good guidance. This is probably a very important reason why you must come back before you are eighteen."

"I know, what next?"

"Not everyone has abilities, you know that, right? Almost all the educational resources in the country are concentrated in Jiudu. But Jiudu's schools actually only teach children with abilities in Jiudu and the noble children in Xidu. In a small town like Tingzhong, where merchants and civilians gather, even if a child is very talented, it is impossible for him to enter Jiudu's school. If he stays here, he will naturally be regarded as a monster."

"So that's why. It's because that girl is so outstanding. A genius from a backward place will be ostracized."

An Yan nodded in agreement, but hesitated to speak.

Su Ziling noticed his actions and said, "You still have a lot to tell me. I will listen carefully."

An Yan continued, "Jiuguo is a country with a very complex structure. If Tingzhong is a backward post station, then Xindu is undoubtedly an advanced metropolis. As for Jiudu and Xidu, they are connected together and look more like cities ruled by ancient nobles."

"So, the contradictions become increasingly irreconcilable, to the point where one will inevitably be replaced by another. That's why there are conflicts and wars," Su Ziling concluded.

"Yes, and there is much more than that. You must have noticed that there are no modern tools here, including transportation, because the government disdains the power of the new world. As a special group of people with abilities, they naturally despise the people of the new world and everything they create. The people trained in the school will eventually be used by the government and become a huge force to support the government's rule. Those people with abilities maintain the dignity of the so-called capable people and reject the ideas of the rulers of the new capital."

"In this world, ability has become the biggest class distinction, and people themselves have become different beings."

"I always feel that a person's fate is determined when he is born." Su Ziling was melancholy and didn't know how to explain it. This was not the education he received since he was a child.

Yes, Su Ziling had awakened his abilities and recovered his memories, but he was only three years old at the time. He had not received the orthodox education of this world and had no concept of the common sense of this world. The memories he had awakened only made him less repulsive to this place.

Su Ziling lowered his head and thought, and did not notice An Yan's gloomy expression.

The two continued to walk forward, and when Su Ziling was about to turn into the main road, he was suddenly caught by An Yan. He was forced to stick to the wall, and carefully leaned over to follow An Yan's gaze.

The man standing on the street seemed familiar to him. His name seemed to be Shangguan Can, and his ability was sand.

Shangguan Can stood in front of the vendor, looking at some small things with interest. Not far behind him was an inn. Why was he here? Was he alone? Was he here to hunt down An Yan?

"Let's go." An Yan said softly. After that, he pushed Su Ziling and turned back.

Su Ziling turned his head and saw a half-grown face without any preparation. He was so scared that he quickly squeezed towards An Yan, pushing An Yan away one step.

He saw that the little girl they had helped not long ago was standing behind them with an expressionless face.