Chapter 914 - 272: Who Is Shen Seventeen?
Chapter 272 [Who is Shen Shiqi] (6000)
Three days later, at night.
In the mountain grave outside a rural village near Hengdian.
Chen Yan stood before a dirt grave, personally using a shovel to open the mound, placing a small white porcelain jar into the grave, alongside the original two urns.
Chen Yan covered the grave with earth, then burned some paper money in front of it.
Afterward, he gently brushed the dust off the tombstone and inserted a fresh willow branch into the mound.
Having done all this, Chen Yan took out a bottle of cola, pouring it onto the soil before the grave.
"Little guy, you’re just a kid and can’t drink alcohol. I’ll pour some cola, which kids like, for you. You’re a strange one, I don’t know how many secrets you’re hiding, but... knowing you is a kind of fate."
Chen Yan squatted to pour the can of cola, then slowly stood up.
What he didn’t know was that from right before his eyes, a cluster of light slowly emerged from the grave, gradually transforming into a ball of virtual shadow and light.
With a swoosh, it flew into the sky, slowly drifting northward!
But this thing, Chen Yan could not see it at all...
·
The north end of the Thre Eastern States, Golden Summit Mountain!
Mountain ranges stretched out, a scene of black mountains and white waters, an endless-looking dense forest!
Here was precisely the location of the World Wall!
·
Deep in the forest, where no one was, a point of light came from the south, streaking across the sky, landing in the forest!
After the light landed, it transformed into a semi-transparent human shape, its body swaying, appearing as a frail child.
If Chen Yan were here, he would instantly recognize that the silhouette of this light shadow was exactly the deceased Shen Shiqi!
After Shen Shiqi landed and formed, he slowly stretched lazily, looked up at the dense forest before him, and let out a long breath.
As he exhaled, shadows swayed in the forest as a figure emerged from behind a big tree, coming towards him.
This figure, like a phantom, stood before Shen Shiqi, face indistinct and unclear.
Shen Shiqi looked at the figure, seemingly smiling, walked over slowly, cupping his hands in greeting, speaking calmly: "Greetings to the true self!"
The figure returned the greeting: "Greetings to my incarnation!"
Then, the figure laughed: "This trial, it went faster than expected. Seeing you full of spirit, it seems your experiences and encounters were quite rewarding."
Shen Shiqi replied indifferently: "Human experiences can indeed fill a gap in the true self’s mental realm."
The figure chuckled, asking: "Any particular insights?"
Shen Shiqi lowered his head in thought, saying: "It’s just the usual grievances and emotions; each encounter brings more understanding and enlightenment. However..."
The figure nodded: "Seems like there was something extraordinary."
"This time I met an interesting fellow daoist."
The figure was taken aback, then asked: "In a world at the end of the Dharma, even if cultivators exist, they are mere trivialities. Could there really be someone worthy of my incarnation’s attention?"
"His cultivation isn’t high, but he is indeed quite interesting."
The figure seemed intrigued: "If you say he is extraordinary, then he truly must be. How about... I create another body to meet him?"
Shen Shiqi shook his head: "Fortune and fate cannot be forced; to pursue intentionally would be less beautiful. If destined, we will naturally meet again. For now, let’s return, since the true self has awakened, let’s first digest this experience to supplement the mental realm."
The figure pondered for a moment, then nodded: "That’s fine."
Upon finishing speaking, the two exchanged smiles, suddenly stepping forward simultaneously, merging into one body!
Then, this figure twisted its neck, looked up at the sky, gave a gentle smile, turned, and disappeared into the dense forest.
·
At Sunflower Welfare Institute, Chen Yan arrived with a truckload of goods he had procured.
This visit not only included Chen Yan but also Lin Xianyu’s assistant.
Once delivered, Lin Xianyu’s donations for the year were complete.
Chen Yan used the excuse to come by, seeing that the institute operated normally, but it wasn’t without incident.
The biggest issue being: Shen Shiqi was missing.
When Shen Shiqi left initially, he left a letter in the courtyard.
In the letter, Shen Shiqi simply stated he no longer wished to study and wanted to go out into the world.
But for a child just eleven in age, leaving such a letter and running away naturally left Dean Shen shocked.
So she sought help, followed procedures, and reported to the police.
Searches, naturally, were futile.
And despite searching, all traces were gone.
In rural areas such as this, surveillance cameras are far less common than in big cities.
Back then, when Shen Shiqi left with Chen Yan, they deliberately avoided these, leaving no trace.
Now, ordinary people want to find him, but where to search?
Dean Shen was so frantic, dragging her already poor health, searching everywhere for days until she fell ill again.
Luckily, it was nothing serious, just old ailments combined with exhaustion.
Chen Yan took the opportunity to have the assistant arrange for Dean Shen to get a check-up in a city hospital, letting her stay for a couple of days before bringing her back.
Dean Shen was naturally still worried about Shen Shiqi’s whereabouts, but with many children in the large welfare institute, she couldn’t keep searching outside.
This search, in the end, became a headless case, ending inconclusively.