Chapter 200 - Dong Lan's After Story (2)

This happened a few years after Jiang Li left the last trial world. Ye Xinya had died shortly, leaving all her and her husband's wealth to the Zuckerberg, Ye, and their children. The leads had so many dramas and misunderstandings in their lives yet they still ended up living up to old age and being a legend in Huaxia.

Meanwhile, Dong Lan had a colorful story with the girl who once asked for his fortune. Of course, in the end, they still came together and got married. The fortune-teller then disappeared. At least, she no longer set up stalls in the night market near the capital. And nope, Dong Lan did not become so rich that he could force her to leave that place.

She just moved to another country, probably worrying that her unaging appearance would be found out, or maybe she just got bored of Huaxia. Anyway, the world was big but in it, whether in the past or the present, there was nobody qualified to confine her in one place.

Decades passed since then.

And she became bored with life or maybe... of this world.          

"Perhaps, I should leave too." She sighed, one evening, sitting inside her tent in another night market in some country in the west. This time, she was not wearing her veil, revealing a country-toppling appearance only a point inferior to Ye Xinya.

The fortune-teller had never aged. For hundreds of years, she already looked like this. In her youth which she used to brag to her adopted son, countless men sought her hand for marriage, few even gifted her a country or city.

She retained that same appearance. However, even though the outside didn't age, it didn't mean nothing change within. Time never failed to mold one's temperament.

Before Dong Lan's life expectancy ended, she returned to Huaxia. She arrived just when her son who had become an old frail man only had one breath left. Through a method Dong Lan never managed to fathom in his life, she seized his soul and then brought it with her when she exited the world.

...

Before choosing a new place for her and her son, the fortune-teller came to a place that only Jiang Li could access before.

The woman resumed her usual getup when telling fortunes at Huaxia. Everything from head to toe was covered, apart from her eyes and hands of course. In the darkness, she casually walked, as if she was strolling in the park. Her steps were light. And her posture in walking was like a cat, graceful and elegant, but in a manner that no normal human could emulate. 

She was supposed to see nothing ahead since the scope of the light her earrings were emitting was no more than a meter radius. Yet here she was, acting as if she had a clear destination in mind. And it seemed she really did have. After all, she stopped by a certain point, looking into the darkness like her eyes could glimpse at something there.

Inside the blue gem dangling on her left ear, a voice rang and echoed. "Hey. What are you looking at there?"

The voice was from Dong Lan, seemingly like what he used to sound when he was still in his twenties. Apparently, that was where the fortune-teller temporarily put his soul into. As it glowed in the darkness with a gentle blue hue, it also gave off a feeling that it was not a simple earring.

The woman briefly sneered and replied, "I'm looking at a poor existence pretending to be some black technology just to please his master."

"Huh?" The soul form couldn't see anything in the darkness so he was already confused. But what was more confusing was what his mysterious adoptive mother spat out to him.

What existence? Black technology? Come again?

Dong Lan's mind worked furiously. However, no answer came to him. He reluctantly opened his imaginary mouth to ask. "Hey, mom. To be honest, I don't get what you said. However, there is one thing I need to know to maybe get some idea. Regarding that master you mentioned, is he like some sort of shady god? Coz if so, why does your tone suggest he is as mysterious as you? Also, he has a servant in a place like this which sounds a bit amazing. So what is he? A god? Then, I want also to know if you are the same as him. I mean, same, as in, a god-like existence."

He was hoping to get a definite answer this time. They were no longer in the modern world where talks of gods and ghosts could not be easily done. His mother then was reluctant to say anything. But maybe now that they were outside, she would finally share stuff outside of fortune-telling.

"The owner of the spirit?" A small smile graced her lips. This time it seemed she had no plans to conceal some matters to him anymore. "Well... Yeah. He is indeed a special existence. He's like me and maybe you can really call us gods. True gods, in fact. We are not under the confines of these low-level mortal worlds."

For some time, the soul could not speak as the revelation just sounded too ridiculous and grand in his ears.

But well, at least he recovered fast and did not do all sorts of denial acts. It greatly helped that he himself now possessed an ability which not many had, the ability to pry on one's past and future.

He knew the woman who adopted him was a lot more powerful, so it became a bit easier to accept.

Now that he thought about it though, wasn't he too lucky then? After all, his mom now was an awesome existence. As an extension, wouldn't he destine to a more awesome life?

"Hey," oddly in a serious tone, he called out. Dong Lan had thought of something and became solemn. "To be honest, I still don't get it. There are many other children out there who you can adopt or pitied. So why me? I'm not narcissistic enough to say I'm the most handsome, most charming, or most intelligent. At most I can qualify in the middle. So yeah. What made you take me as your son and apprentice?"

To this question, she crossed her arm and scoffed, "Do you think I'll just snatch a kid somewhere for no reason? Dong Lan, you really need some brain transplant."

"..." He didn't see her until his death, but as he could hear, she was still as poisonous as ever. Thankfully, his cheek had been trained to be thick, and his brain that needed transplant could at least process a poisonous remark into something with a nicer mean. "In other words, mom, you're mean, ooops, you mean that I'm still somehow special?"

The fortune-teller wanted to facepalm, a feeling she not had for a few decades ever since he parted ways with the dorky man. After a sigh, she replied, "It's not easy to break away from the influence of the world's chosen ones."

"But didn't you explain to me I only managed to realize that Han Su and Ren Lian are weird, like some sort of protagonists from third rate dramas or comics, because of my accidental contact with you?" Confusion laced the man's voice.

"I've brushed shoulders and held the hands of many people handing me money or asking me for fortunes. A few of them were directly or indirectly related to those two. Do you get my meaning?"

"Oh..." Within the blue gem, Dong Lan nodded. "I see. So indeed, I am special. But how is that useful to you or me? Is it the reason I can learn your craft?"

"No."

The fortune teller was already annoyed by his barrage of questions so she momentarily ignored her. In any case, she was also done waiting for the spirit housed in the middle of the dark void to come out and greet her.

She stepped forward a few times and then lightly knocked. Dong Lan got weirded out by her action since there was nothing in front of them but obscurity. Where was she knocking, an invisible door? So were they in an invisible box and he was just not informed?

"Who are you?" A child-like voice suddenly echoed from nowhere, scaring the heck out of the young man. He never knew the cute voice of a boy could make him want to look for a blanket to wrap around him and bury his eyes in. What the hell? No, in the first place, what caused it to be full of so dragged out, and full of resentment, anger, and hopelessness?

"I'm the fortune teller from the most recent world you just visited. I'm here to seek an audience with your master."

Silence took over before the voice gasped and made an 'aha' sound. "Ah, you're that one who pissed off my master so much! I see. So why are you here? Shouldn't you go away and not interfere with the affairs of this universe?"

"I already told you my goal," she simply replied.

The child-like voice harrumphed and arrogantly said, "Sorry. My master has no time to see you! He's busy! Go away!"

"Wow, this kid has guts." Dong Lan whispered to himself softly, amazed that somebody dared to raise his voice and refuse his overbearing adoptive mother.

When he was expecting her to flip out though, he was surprised to see her still looking unperturbed, as if she was not the one scolded.

She calmly said, "I won't stay long though. Since you can still contact him directly, just tell him my advice. Finish his business as soon as possible. After all, the supreme laws would be changing hands again. Just to remind you, I'm the kind of existence who can neither lie nor make mistakes about my predictions."

The other party remained hidden in the endless darkness. Feeling like her business there had been completed, she said, "I've told you what I should. What happens next, whether you appreciate my kindness or not is up to you and no longer my concern."

Afterward, the woman turned around and started to walk away. When she got outside the confine of that absolute blackness, the sea of stars which should be the normal scenery outside of a planet finally entered their sight.

Dong Lan sighed, feeling mixed emotions in his heart. He then hesitantly asked, "Hey, mom. After all, the swimming in the inky darkness? That's it?"

"What else are you expecting?" She snorted in disdain. "I merely did my duties. Now, stay quiet."

"Wait, before I keep my peace, what's going to happen to us after? Where are we going?"

"Didn't I tell you we'll be going to another world?"

"Uh... Mom, even if you use your powers to look to the past, I can confidently say, you didn't!"

"Oh?"

The mother and son pair had a talk, no, a banter, as the woman flew towards a certain star and then landed on it's rocky but luminous surface. She then looked around for a while and then walked over a relatively clear and flat space. The male spirit trapped in the gem wanted to inquire about the weird things she scribbled here and there. However, the woman specially warned him not to disturb her as she did things. So even though the curiosity was killing him, he resisted the urge to speak.

"Dong Lan, you asked earlier where to go, right?" When the woman seemingly finished with what she should do, dusting her hands and clothes, she started taking her earrings off.

While the gem containing his soul was being placed down on the ground, he replied, "Yeah. I want to know where we're going. Also, you haven't told me much about the real universe. Why don't you educate your illiterate son lest my lack of knowledge ends up embarrassing you in our future journeys?"

The fortune-teller coldly laughed. "No need. You won't ever have the chance to embarrass me."

As if feeling shy, Dong Lan replied, "I didn't know you have that much faith in me, mom."

The woman who now felt so irritated at being called mom numerous times rolled her eyes and gestured in the air. "Whatever. Just wanna inform you, the answer to your question earlier... Well, you'll have many destinations later."

"Huh?" The male spirit exclaimed in both exasperation and panic. The ground around the gem was gradually lighting up, forming a mysterious pattern, two snakes intertwined, where he was at the center.

He noticed that the fortune-teller was not inside the circle. Then remembered that she kept saying 'you'. A bad feeling arose from within his incorporeal heart. "You've got to be kidding me..."

While he was busy denying reality, the woman mercilessly said to him, "I won't be going with you so treasure my earrings well. Good bye, Dong Lan. Safe trips."

With that said, a bright light engulfed Dong Lan. Before he lost consciousness and woke up as a different person in a world he didn't know, the last thing he remembered was him cursing out to the woman who was smilingly waving a hand at him.

....