“Xijue, how long are you going to stand there for like a fool? Are you coming?” Ning Xuemo turned her head and called to him seeing that he hadn’t caught up to her yet.

  As if Xijue had awoken from a dream, he hurriedly ran to Ning Xuemo and followed behind her as she walked further on.

  “Did you see something earlier? What made you so lost in thought?” Ning Xuemo was puzzled since Xijue was normally quite focused on his tasks and was rarely distracted this much.

  “I saw someone. A strange person……” Xijue replied, then turned his head back in the direction where he saw the man.

  ‘A strange person?’


  Ning Xuemo followed his gaze, but saw no one. “What strange person? Where is he?”


  She turned to Xijue, but discovered that he was staring with widened eyes, “He di-disappeared!”


  The ancient-looking pavillon and the picturesque young man had vanished in an instant. In its place, there was a clothes store with many people bustling in front of it.

  Did his eyesight get dazzled and he saw wrong?

  Xijue rubbed his eyes and looked again, but he still couldn’t spot that man nor that pavillon again.

  He was bewildered and uncertain. It was broad daylight, he couldn’t have seen a ghost, right?! Or was it a mirage?

  “What did you see in the end?” Ning Xuemo asked with curiosity since there weren’t many things that could make Xijue turn pale or lose his countenance.

  “A……” Xijue spoke a word but stopped himself. He had been quite diligent with his training and cultivation recently, perhaps his eyes were just dimmed from fatigue. He didn’t want to say something that would make Ning Xuemo worried.

  “Nothing, I must be too tense and saw wrong.”


  Ning Xuemo watched him in doubt, but didn’t inquire further.

  This adolescent child had a very tight mouth. If he didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t utter a word even if she threatened him with a sword.

  Besides, she wasn’t too interested in that strange person he saw. Ever since she came to this strange world, she had encountered countless strange people, so by now she could keep calm in the face of unexpected encounters.

  “Good then. Let’s go.” Ning Xuemo raised her head and looked at the sky. It was almost noon from the sky color.

  “Little Apple, what do you want to eat today?” She asked the little blue cat on her shoulder.

  The little qilin immediately opened its eyes and replied with excitement, “Today let’s go to Drunk Immortal restaurant and eat roast duck!”


  Drunk Immortal restaurant was indeed pretty good. Ning Xuemo nodded and walked towards the Drunk Immortal restaurant……

  The azure ocean, the freely rolling white clouds……

  The ocean waves, in ebbs, striked the banks of a verdant and lush island. The island was shrouded in mist and clouds, which congregated and scattered in intermittence, rendering the island as illusory as the legendary Fangzhang Island.

  The island itself was covered in odd flowers and strange trees. Hidden within the shade of the vegetation, there were many cornices interlocked amongst the trees. A clear sign of a human settlement.

  On the highest peak of this immortal island, there was a small pavilion. The small pavilion was made of agarwood trees and had an ancient feeling and fragrance, giving out an antique charm. Inside the pavilion sat three people : two played Go while the other watched.

  The person who sat on the left side of the Go board had black hair like satin loosely scattered on his back, long to the point it was almost falling to the floor. He was wearing an azure gown with the painting of a landscape covering in mist. His appearance was bright. In his right hand, he held a white Go piece and was muttering to himself.

  Faced against him sat another man, wearing a wide silver gown. His countenance was outstanding and his looks splendid. His right hand lazily waved a fan with a beauty drawn on top. He appeared romantic and unrestrained.

  As for the spectator on the side, it was an elegant and pure woman.

  She wore snow white muslin clothes. Her long hair were curly like ocean seaweed, rolled and pinned with a flower branch. On the flower branch, there were tiny pale yellow flower buds on the verge of blooming. Her moisted eyes were like a pair of undulating lakes. She held a circular fan in her hand and was quietly sitting on the side. She kept smiling while watching the game of Go.

  [1] In China legends, Fangzhang Island (方丈瀛台) is one of the mythical islands from the Eastern sea that housed countless immortals.

  Grenn's Rants Corner

  I started reading The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu. It's quite interesting. It's not often that we get to read a story where the premises started during the cultural revolution in China (bloody years) and continued to the present times.