Chapter 1717
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Chapter 1717 Abandoned Baby
[Distance to the Eastern Emperor’s Bell: 23 years]
“Waaah——!!”
Torrential rain poured down from the sky. Next to a foul-smelling garbage bin, an abandoned baby wrapped in a tattered towel was wailing loudly.
But no matter how miserably the baby cried, the sound was drowned out by the heavy rain and thunder. Moreover, this place was extremely remote, and nobody noticed the abandoned baby’s existence. As time passed, the baby’s cries grew weaker.
The cold rainwater beat against his skin, and an unnatural flush appeared on his face. His hoarse crying finally stopped, and he lay motionless in the pile of garbage, as if he had fainted.
At that moment, a figure slowly walked to his side.
It was a monk wearing a muddy kasaya. He reached out with both hands and picked up the abandoned baby who had fainted from high fever. His eyes, like autumn waters, showed no emotional fluctuation, but he still held the baby under his body to shield him from the wind and rain.
Carrying the baby, he walked through the deserted streets and finally stopped in front of an iron gate.
He looked up and saw five large characters:
—Hanshan Orphanage.
The Destiny Monk placed the abandoned baby in front of the iron gate, bit his fingertip, and gently wrote three characters on the tattered towel wrapping the baby.
After doing all this, he turned and left, his figure disappearing into the heavy rain.
“Woof—Woof—!”
Dog barks came from inside the orphanage. A black dog rushed to the iron gate and barked furiously at the abandoned baby. An old man carrying a stick hurriedly walked out of the building.
“What are you barking at! Bark again and I’ll beat you!”
The old man threatened the black dog a few times and was about to return inside when his peripheral vision caught something by the iron gate, causing him to freeze in place.
He quickly opened the iron gate and picked up the baby wrapped in the towel. He looked around at the entrance but couldn’t find anyone… his brows immediately furrowed.
“Such heavy rain… those heartless bastards, aren’t they afraid the child might freeze to death?”
The old man cursed, then quickly felt the child’s forehead—indeed, it was burning hot!
He turned to take the abandoned baby inside, and at that moment, the tattered towel fell to the ground. The old man looked down and saw three blood-colored characters being washed away by the heavy rain, gradually blurring, and finally disappearing into the night along with the flowing rainwater.
“Shen Qingzhu?”
The old man remembered those three characters and muttered softly.
At the same time, a causal paradox connected its head and tail in the void, quietly vanishing without a trace…
…
[Distance to the Eastern Emperor’s Bell: 58 minutes]
Mount Olympus.
Inside the temple at the mountain peak, a hunched and frail figure was leaning against a bed, weakly coughing.
Zeus, once the king of gods, now looked like an elderly man on his last legs. The blood hole in his back had dried up and blackened, with only a few remnants of life’s fire barely burning within him.
“Bia…” he spoke hoarsely.
“My Lord.” Si Xiaonan, transformed into the minor deity, respectfully stepped forward.
“How is… everything outside?”
Si Xiaonan opened her mouth, seeming quite conflicted.
“Speak!” Zeus glared at her. “How is everything outside?!”
“My Lord… I’ve been gathering information among the divine peaks these past few days, and it seems… several of your offspring are already stirring with ambition.” Si Xiaonan reluctantly replied.
Zeus’s aged eyes flashed with anger. He snorted coldly, but before he could say anything, he began coughing violently.
“Cough, cough, cough… these ungrateful wretches… seeing me weaker than before, each one wants to sit on that golden sacred throne… I fear they’re already working together, trying to find ways to finish off this old bag of bones.”
Seeing this, Si Xiaonan quickly walked to Zeus’s side and thoughtfully offered him spring water.
“My Lord, please don’t be angry. Your health is more important… Since your return, you’ve been recuperating in this palace without seeing outsiders. As you instructed, I’ve been spreading news of your imminent recovery among the divine peaks. They won’t dare to make any moves in the short term.”
Hearing these words, Zeus’s expression softened somewhat.
He glanced at Si Xiaonan and slowly said, “You’re very clever… having you assist me was indeed the right choice.”
“It’s my honor to serve at your side, my Lord.”
“In my current state, I cannot let those outside see me… Some matters can only be handled by you on my behalf.” Zeus paused for a moment. “They may not believe the news you’ve spread, and might try to enter this forbidden area to test me. You must stop them for me.”
“Yes.”
Si Xiaonan respectfully bowed to Zeus and slowly withdrew from the forbidden hall.
Once the palace doors closed, the respect on Si Xiaonan’s face instantly vanished. She glanced at the magnificent palace, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Whether Zeus, that old fox, was truly as fragile as he appeared, she couldn’t yet tell. Even though she had become Zeus’s closest confidant, she couldn’t act rashly. Even a withered, dying tiger was still a tiger…
A moment later, she turned and walked down the mountain.
She found a relatively flat boulder, casually lay down on it, and closed her eyes pretending to sleep. Her two ears strangely detached from her head and disappeared into the mountain.
With her ability, except for the forbidden hall where Zeus resided, the entire Mount Olympus was within her monitoring range. She listened to all the secrets of this divine realm while gradually falling asleep…
In her hazy state, she had a dream.
It was an ancient house, and a young man dressed in Han dynasty Confucian attire was leaning against the wall, holding a basket full of white Go pieces, smiling at her.
“Si Xiaonan, Goddess of Trickery.” His voice sounded.
Si Xiaonan was momentarily confused, then her consciousness suddenly became clear within the dream. She looked vigilantly at the unfamiliar man before her and frowned:
“You’ve invaded my dream? Who are you?”
“My name is Yan Zhong.” The scholar took out a jade tablet from his waist. “A former member of the Demon Suppression Bureau, but now… just a wandering soul.”
“Demon Suppression Bureau? You’re from Great Xia?”
“You could say that. Finding you among the dreams of billions of living beings in the world wasn’t easy… I can only stay here for a while, so let’s get to the point.” Yan Zhong took out a white Go piece from his basket and handed it to Si Xiaonan.
“What is this?” Si Xiaonan asked in confusion.
“Something Lin Qiye asked me to pass on to you.”
“Lin Qiye?”
“To avoid creating causality with his past self, he has been asleep for over fifty years… He can only use my ability as a medium to transfer these Go pieces to you all.” Yan Zhong calmly said.
“When the Eastern Emperor’s Bell rings, the [Sacred Covenant] shall respond, causality will reverse, and life will emerge from death… The purpose of this Go piece, you will naturally understand when the time comes.”
