Chapter 1

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

It was an afternoon ten years before.

Chu Ge sat in a newly-opened café with his Uncle Xie Tiankong. They sat by the window, sipping on coffee while watching passersby.

Xie Tiankong was probably the person Chu Ge admired the most in his life. Ever since he could remember, Xie Tiankong was always shrouded in mystery. He rarely came around and was always running here and there, and was always busy. Until now, Chu Ge had no idea what his uncle did for a living, only that his job paid well and he had a lot of time on his hands. Every time he came back, he would always introduce new and exciting things to him. He would take him out to play, impart some of his life’s philosophy, and even relate to him fascinating adventure stories. Those stories were all very out-of-this-world and exciting, more fantastic and exciting than the detective novels Chu Ge read.

Those stories, according to Xie Tiankong, were the adventures that he had personally experienced. When he was little, Chu Ge would hear the stories and believed them to be true. But as he grew older, he realized that the escapades his uncle told him about couldn’t be real. In this world, there was no way that there could monkeys that could speak like humans, no merpeople in an underwater city, and certainly, it was impossible that there were any “Atmospheric Organisms.”

Despite it all, Chu Ge and Xie Tiankong were still very close. He had always felt that Xie Tiankong had a unique aura that no sane person had. When they were together, he kept feeling that something amazing was going to happen at any moment. Xie Tiankong always carried a cynical smile on his face, as if there was nothing in the world that could challenge or frighten him. And, by the way Xie Tiankong treated Chu Ge, it also seemed that he thought highly of him.

To put it simply, Chu Ge and Xie Tiankong were very close—they were relatives and friends.

So, when Chu Ge saw Xie Tiankong dressed as if he was prepared to set out on a long journey because Xie Tiankong would not return for months or even a couple of years, he took the last opportunity to ask about something he had been pondering about.

“Uncle, why would I feel like I’m suffering? My life is going well. I have no worries about feeding or clothing myself. Even my job is going alright, and nothing at work is too difficult or out of my abilities. My work-life balance is good, and I face no pressure in life. Theoretically speaking, I should be feeling very happy. But why do I feel that life is meaningless and boring, so much so that I feel like I’m suffering?”

Xie Tiankong thought for a while, then continued with a small smile, “That’s nothing strange. Most people living in the modern world have a mindset like yours. The only difference is whether that mindset is mild or strong. Especially so for chaps like you, who do not have to worry about their basic needs. If you had to work your hardest to make ends meet, you would probably not have such thoughts.”

Chu Ge thought his uncle would laugh at him, but the calm and casual reply he got from Xie Tiankong was a bit unexpected and surprising. “What? Why would it be that way?”

“Simple. You are unable to gain satisfaction and a sense of achievement from your daily life. The gauge of a human’s sense of satisfaction is decided by two factors:

First, what is the depth of your ambition for something you yearn for, and how satisfied are you after achieving what you set out to do?

Second, what is the sense of satisfaction after meeting and overcoming an obstacle, and the difficulty of that obstacle?

Let’s start with the first one. Do you know what the biggest problem for a person living in modern times is? They are too worldly, and the gains they received are too meager. In ancient times, where there was no technology, an average person’s entire life would be spent in a village. The most beautiful woman they saw was most probably the belle of the village. The best food they could afford and eat was perhaps the few pieces of pork they had during the festive period. The most ambitious achievement they could aim for was probably becoming the leader of the village or taking the county-level examinations to become a scholar so that they could become the envy of the other villagers. Occasionally, they could pay a visit to the nearby town, and that would be a highlight of their lives and would excite them greatly. To gain the fancy of the village belle, and marry a “beautiful wife” was most likely their greatest satisfaction in life.

That was the life of the majority during those times. The few who ever made it to the top of the pecking order, the things they came into contact with, and their ambitions only differentiated in quality and quantity when compared to the ordinary folks. The basic principles of life back then between people were not much different. Compared to the lives of modern people, whose beliefs are vastly different.

It would be hard to think of something outside of a human’s basic need because of their mediocre imagination. Hence, most people would not have too many expectations in life. Without expectations, humans are more satisfied with life.

But the people in the modern world live in a changed time. Compared to humans in ancient society, we have been exposed to an overload of information. Everyone wakes up to an ocean of information every day—whether it be from the news or television dramas, people can feast their eyes on the most good-looking people, men and women. They could also peek into the extravagant lifestyles of the world’s wealthiest people, look at exhilarating, thrilling, and very realistic adventures, and also immerse themselves into the exciting lives of those who had been awarded great powers. When humans return to their real lives, they find that reality is so ordinary and boring, and nothing is exciting anymore.

The more you are exposed to such information, the more you would dream of gaining things that are out of reach. But the reality is, most people would find their dreams dashed, and not even come close to reaching them. That vast diaspora would result in a massive sense of disappointment and feeling emptiness. That was why you would feel as if you were suffering. You will have seen too much and yearned for too much, but your abilities could not help you achieve what you wanted.

Now, let’s move on to the second point—sense of achievement.

Life is like a game, and there are always various kinds of challenges. In a game, the greater the difficulty of the game, and the more effort you put into overcoming that challenge, the higher the sense of satisfaction is when you’ve achieved victory. The amount of risk and reward goes hand-in-hand. If a game is too easy and doesn’t require much effort, there is no challenge to it. If you can clear the game with your eyes closed, even if you defeat the leader and clear the plot, you wouldn’t feel any sense of achievement.

That’s why newbie players are always able to enjoy playing games more than an experienced player. When you’ve explored everything about the game, the game is no longer a challenge to you, and so playing the game doesn’t have the same enjoyment as before.

Now, your reality has become such a brainless and straightforward game. Your life is too comfortable. You lack adventures and challenges. Every day, you eat, sleep, work, and play. These, to you, are just dull routines. It is not an adventure or a challenge. You did not have to sacrifice anything, put in the effort, or take any risks. Therefore, when you complete such tasks, you are not able to feel any sense of achievement, so there would is no feeling of satisfaction.

In fact, many people are faced with the same problem as you. That’s why there are so many people who love extreme sports, so many people who are addicted to gambling, as well as so many gamers who are addicted to gaming.

Everyone has different ways to try to fill the void in their hearts and search for the sense of achievement that is lacking in their lives.

Of course, you could also choose to become a person who blocks out everything from now on. Be less exposed to all sorts of information, or learn to become free from desires and become a hermit living in the secular world. Naturally, your yearning for more will become lesser with time.”

Chu Ge got a sense of revelation. It was as if the troubles he had been pondering about seemed to have been completely answered by Xie Tiankong.

“So, you’re saying that people get into extreme sports because they want a challenge. And people play games because they want to experience a different life? To experience the thrill of an adventure, people resort to gambling? And these are signs of unhappiness that people have with reality?”

“That is correct,” Xie Tiankong nodded. “Spot on. My advice to you would be to start playing games. In games, people can experience a whole new life. You could become a hero or a demon king; you could also be rewarded with unlimited power or get all types and kinds of pretty girls. The thrills that you yearn for, and only exist in your imagination, could all be found within a game.

Although such an experience would be empty and artificial, it could bring about some form of comfort. To put it crudely, it would be like ‘scratching an itch.’ But at least when you go for such adventures, it would be safe, and you would not have to risk your life for it.”

“Of course, if you had the financial ability and guts, you could go for extreme sports—get a sense of satisfaction through walking the fine line between life and death. Or you could gamble. Experience the sense of satisfaction with all-or-nothing to soothe your need for thrills. However, I wouldn’t recommend doing so. If my sister knew I had encouraged you to go into extreme sports or gambling, she would kill me. You had better stick to playing games since it’s safer. You’d only need to spend a little money, and there was no need for you to get out of the house.”

Chu Ge didn’t know if he should laugh or cry after hearing his uncle’s words.

“I don’t want to ‘scratch an itch.’ I want a real adventure,” he continued after sighing, “But I also don’t want to go into extreme sports or gambling.”

“I know,” Xie Tiankong told him. He looked at Chu Ge with an approving gaze. “Among everyone in the younger generation in the Chu and Xie family, you are the one with the greatest thirst for adventure. I could tell that you are not satisfied with being normal. That is the most important point. If there was a chance for an encounter, who knows, you might be able to carve a successful career.”

“What if I worked for you from now on?” Chu Ge asked suddenly. Uncle Xie Tiankong had never mentioned anything about his life outside and away from them. Although it might not be as amazing as the stories, he related, but it would be much more exciting than his mundane life here. As he thought about it, Chu Ge felt his hopes rising in yearning towards the excitement of going on adventures with his uncle.

Xie Tiankong shook his head, “That isn’t possible. My upcoming journey would be too dangerous. It isn’t suitable for youngsters like you.”

Here, he kept silent for a while, as if contemplating something. His gaze was sweeping across Chu Ge, looking hesitant about something. But somehow, at that moment, Chu Ge had a nagging feeling that he was at a crossroads with the very first chance encounter of his life. He unconsciously started feeling nervous.

After a long while, Xie Tiankong finally ended his contemplation, “What about this? When I return, if you still wish for an adventure and you still wish to come with me, perhaps I could take you along then?”

“How long would you be away for this time?”

Xie Tiankong thought for a moment, “If all goes well, about a year or so.”

“That’s set then,” Chu Ge said his heart yearning for the adventures he had imagined in his mind.