Chapter 31

Chapter 30: Mountains and Seas 8

He Zhen said, “First, let’s find out what happened with Cen Qianshan, then we can think about the next step.

“I agree, we should find an internet café first. One that doesn’t require ID. In this era, there should be quite a few like that; the checks aren’t strict.”

With that, He Zhen took the lead and walked toward the street.

“I’ll first find a pawnshop to exchange some of my belongings for cash. You go find an internet café. If you find one, leave a message on this wall, and I’ll come to you as soon as I get the money.”

“Wait.”

Shi Zong called after him, bracing against the unpleasant smell, and stepped back into the alley.

He lifted his chin toward a window of a nearby house. Following his gaze, He Zhen saw some coins on a square table inside.

Most families living in this alley were poor.

The house was roughly one bedroom and one living room; the whole family had to squeeze into one room to sleep.

The living room was very small, but even so, it was used as efficiently as possible.

It was divided into three parts: one for dining, one for watching TV, and one with a small desk. At the desk, a little girl with a ponytail was doing her homework.

It was early morning, and she wasn’t at school. Considering the hot weather, she was probably on summer vacation.

Next to her desk was half a steamed bun, which she hadn’t finished.

The living room was messy, filled with things everywhere. Breakfast was just a cold bun, yet the girl worked diligently on her homework.

It was clear she was very hardworking and obedient.

Her parents had left early, probably to earn money.

Their life must be very difficult.

But fortunately, the girl was well-behaved. That was probably the greatest comfort for them.

Shi Zong looked at the girl through the window but spoke to He Zhen:

“This little girl’s hairstyle is very similar to your fourth sister’s back then.”

He Zhen: “……”

Shi Zong turned his head to look at him with a faint smile and said, “You go distract the little girl, and I’ll climb through the window to get some money.”

Hearing this, He Zhen’s expression darkened.

So Shi Zong said, “Then I’ll distract her, and you go get the money.”

He Zhen’s eyes showed clear disapproval and he did not immediately agree.

Shi Zong thought he roughly understood the problem.

Despite not being fully welcome in the He family, and despite his father being illegitimate, He Zhen was not lacking in money.

His mother, who had dreams of high society, lived extravagantly and was very proud.

He Zhen had been influenced by this upbringing and carried himself with high posture.

Of course, perhaps his character was genuinely good.

In short, he wouldn’t do something like steal, especially from poor people.

Shi Zong said, “This isn’t stealing; it’s borrowing. Once we get to Cen Qianshan’s house, we’ll return the money to her.

“That’s reasonable, right? We are Cen Qianshan. We can use our own money.”

Then Shi Zong heard He Zhen ask, “You really will return the money?”

He Zhen’s expression was strange, his eyes full of probing curiosity.

Seeing this, Shi Zong suddenly felt his previous judgment was wrong—

He Zhen wasn’t worried about whether he should “steal” or not; he cared more about Shi Zong’s attitude toward such things.

He seemed eager to use small matters like this to gauge Shi Zong’s character.

Shi Zong didn’t care about such matters at all.

Earlier at the inn, he would casually leave some coins at the front desk or on any table in the lounge.

Most of that money would disappear after a while, probably taken by some guest.

But Shi Zong never thought to track it down.

Money could be earned; to him, it was just a tool.

Whoever needed it could use it; it didn’t matter to him.

A tool is meant for use; it doesn’t matter who uses it.

That’s why when Zuo Sanqiu became an inn worker, he always followed Shi Zong around.

Wherever Shi Zong left money, Zuo Sanqiu would collect it, complaining the whole time.

“Are you so rich that you live like this? Our inn isn’t wealthy! Don’t be a spendthrift!!!”

Realizing He Zhen’s true intention, Shi Zong raised an eyebrow, slightly displeased.

He didn’t like being observed so closely.

So far, he wasn’t interested in learning about others, and certainly didn’t like others learning about him.

Besides, this was just a mission in a virtual copy; why the fuss?

Shi Zong ignored He Zhen, turned, and gently knocked on the window, smiling as sweetly as possible.

The little girl inside wasn’t shy. She quickly pulled back her chair, opened the window, and asked, “Hello, what’s the matter?”

Shi Zong smiled: “I drank too much last night and slept in this alley. I just woke up and found my money was gone. Can I borrow some money for the way home? I’ll definitely return it.

“You can leave your home address and phone number so I can find you. Or if you don’t trust me, you can follow me.”

“I have to watch the house; I can’t go with you. You…”

The little girl looked at Shi Zong again. “I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

She felt familiar, probably because he resembled the recently reported murderer Cen Qianshan.

He Zhen, who looked nothing like Cen Qianshan, quickly stepped forward, placing himself between Shi Zong and the girl.

“He’s an actor. Sorry for troubling you. Don’t tell anyone you’ve seen him.”

“Oh, I understand.” The girl pouted. “A big star sleeping drunk in the street—if that gets out, people will laugh at him!”

“Yes.” He Zhen handed her a candlestick. “It’s pure gold. Exchange it for some coins.”

“Ah? So valuable? I’m not daring enough to just take it. Then, let’s treat it as collateral. When you return the money, remember to take it back!”

After saying this, the girl left the window, returned to the corner of the living room, and took the coins from the table.

Then she went to the bedroom, brought out a cookie box, and took all the money inside.

Perhaps afraid the star would dislike it, she carefully smoothed the wrinkled bills and handed them to He Zhen with care.

“The star surely won’t take the bus, right? I heard taxis are expensive, so here’s a bit extra.”

After giving the money, she took the candlestick, bit it to confirm it was gold, and emphasized again, “Remember to return this when you pay back. My parents said, ‘No reward without merit!’”

Shi Zong watched this with interest and said to He Zhen, “Not bad, you even know to take a decorative candlestick from the banquet hall. I thought you were so—”

His words stopped abruptly. He noticed He Zhen’s ears had slightly reddened when receiving the stack of money from the girl.

Hmm? What kind of upbringing did He Zhen have?

In some ways, he could almost be described as “pure and virtuous.”

If the online news was true, his parents shouldn’t have produced someone like him.

Shi Zong felt this scene could be likened to—

A high-ranking, almost divine being comes to the mortal world to endure trials.

Feeling ashamed and embarrassed to depend on the charity of poor people to survive, his face flushed awkwardly.

Shi Zong found it amusing. To the slightly awkward He Zhen, he said, “Let’s go, to the internet café.”

Ten minutes later.

Shi Zong and He Zhen arrived at a small internet café, each took a computer, and sat side by side to search for information.

Before entering Cen Qianshan’s blog, Shi Zong went to a site dedicated to rating movies and searched for Cen Qianshan’s films.

Cen Qianshan’s debut was indeed called Puzzle.

It was a low-budget art film. Though flawed in story cohesion and cinematography, as his first work as director and screenwriter, netizens gave it a composite rating of 8.2—quite high.

Many commenters were amazed that his first film reached such a level and claimed it gave hope for Chinese cinema. They believed that with further practice, Cen Qianshan could become a master.

The public idolized Cen Qianshan, praising his talent as almost divine.

But for Cen Qianshan, Puzzle might have been just a flash of inspiration.

Because the scores of his subsequent works kept dropping—

The Schoolgirl is Both Beautiful and Fierce: 3.2

My Date with a Rich Woman: 2.9

Falling in Love with a Domineering CEO: 2.5

…

If he had started with such low-level films, he would have only been laughed at.

He started too high; people’s expectations were too great, which amplified the backlash.

Some said Puzzle was ghostwritten.

Some blamed him for failing because he

However, Cen Qianshan’s debut work was Puzzle.

He did indeed kill Liang Yuyan.

These facts also matched his memory.

What is going on?

The Six Realms of Reincarnation is a Buddhist concept.

The worldview of this copy should also be similar to Buddhism—

The world is composed of countless small worlds.

In this case, if the two Cen Qianshans from two reincarnations were born in the same world, they would not appear in the same time period, nor would they have the same name.

Normally, the first Cen Qianshan created Puzzle, and decades or even a hundred years later, there wouldn’t be a second Cen Qianshan creating Puzzle again.

The Cen Qianshan of the second reincarnation would have a new name, a new life, not repeating the life trajectory of the previous Cen Qianshan.

So if the Cen Qianshan Shi Zong was playing and the Cen Qianshan in the world beyond the door came from two different mortal paths, they should be born in different worlds.

Yet this still presents a problem—

One reincarnation is essentially a new birth. In a sense, they are already different people.

In countless worlds, two worlds simultaneously having a Cen Qianshan, both screenwriters, both creating Puzzle, both encountering Liang Yuyan…

Two people who should have been different, yet doing so many identical things—how likely is that? The probability is extremely low.

That said, the Cen Qianshan Shi Zong saw in the world beyond the door was greasy, flamboyant, lacking the qualities of an artist…

These were merely superficial character details.

Simply put, the Cen Qianshan in Shi Zong’s memory had a different character design from the Cen Qianshan in the world beyond the door, but their life trajectories were highly consistent.

Therefore, Shi Zong tended to believe that he and the Cen Qianshan in the world beyond the door were the same person.

Shi Zong believed the role he was playing was that of the person who, after finishing the debut Puzzle, wrote numerous bad films, and eventually killed Liang Yuyan.

His only two problems now were—

First, as Cen Qianshan, why was the character in his memory so different from the actual character?

Second, in his memory, he had only created Puzzle and Mountains and Seas.

Yet in reality, he had created many films, all of which were bad. Why was that?

Soon, after Shi Zong read Cen Qianshan’s blog, both questions were answered.

Cen Qianshan’s blog was divided into several sections.

First, he posted the script outline titled Mountains and Seas (Revised Edition), and at the beginning, stated that he personally considered it a timeless masterpiece.

This work combined his real-life experiences, expressing the modern person’s life struggles.

When a person is constrained by work, by family, by a spouse, by responsibility, what should they do? Should they abandon everything to pursue their own path?

Cen Qianshan felt the theme of his work was very high-minded.

Second, he wrote his creative afterword, revealing the reason why he killed Liang Yuyan.

In the afterword, he first explained the origins of the bad films.

He claimed they were works written by a friend in the entertainment industry under his name.

Back when he was hiding in the basement creating his debut Puzzle, almost starving to death, that friend saved him.

Without that friend, there would be no him, and no Puzzle.

Cen Qianshan stated that, although he was dissatisfied with his friend’s actions, he didn’t expose him because he owed him.

Now, before going to prison, he decided to reveal this matter, just to tell everyone that in his life he only wrote Puzzle and Mountains and Seas.

At the same time, he said that out of past friendship, he would not reveal the friend’s name, only wishing them a bright future.

Finally, Cen Qianshan revealed his motive for killing Liang Yuyan.

He said he had spent twenty years painstakingly researching to create Mountains and Seas.

For this, he didn’t care about fame or money; no matter how hard life was, creating art made him feel fulfilled.

However, Liang Yuyan ruined the perfection in his heart, so he killed the female lead who did not meet his expectations.

Additionally, he wanted to use the act of killing Liang Yuyan to physically embody the meaning of the male lead’s actions in Mountains and Seas—

For the sake of the Dao, for ideals, he would not hesitate to kill the woman he loved most.

Reading Cen Qianshan’s blog, Shi Zong almost laughed.

Why were the two Cen Qianshans’ character designs different?

It was simply because he had an overinflated perception of himself.

He deceived others so much and played the pretentious artist in front of outsiders for so long that he eventually deceived himself.

Cen Qianshan was merely lucky—his debut became popular, and the critics’ praise inflated his ego, making him believe he was a prodigy.

On one hand, he overestimated himself, claiming he was a hardworking artist who did not fear poverty; on the other, he impatiently entered the entertainment industry, using the fame from his debut to create commercial films.

He wrote countless 2- and 3-point bad films for money, yet still thought he was just unlucky to encounter bad directors and actors.

He blamed all his mistakes on others.

Moreover, in the blog, he shifted the blame for these bad films onto “that friend.”

Why didn’t he reveal the friend’s name?

Because that person did not exist.

The “friend” he referred to was himself.

Cen Qianshan was never a single-minded creator.

Seeing other male actors and directors easily get beautiful actresses, he was envious.

He thought he never had a girlfriend simply because he was awkward and didn’t know how to “pick up girls.”

So he learned many “pick-up” techniques and successfully wooed Liang Yuyan.

Later, because of strong jealousy and possessiveness, he became pathological and killed Liang Yuyan after her affair.

But in his blog, through self-analysis, he portrayed himself as a “single-minded, ideal-seeking, obsessive artist.”

The woman only lost her life.

But he lost the perfection of his work.

He claimed it was all for the pursuit of art.

This was the content of Cen Qianshan’s blog.

He was vile, pathological, vain, hypocritical, yet extremely skilled at self-deception.

And, surprisingly, many young people were fooled into becoming his fans, leaving comments like—

“I want to visit my idol in prison!”

“This is a true artist!!”

“Liang Yuyan rose by selling herself. If she hadn’t wanted fame through film, if she hadn’t pushed out the original actress, how would she have died?”

“The person upstairs is right, this is the consequence of taking what doesn’t belong to you.”

“And you know what, she was super promiscuous.”

“She’s just a slut. In my opinion, Cen Qianshan did the right thing!”

…

Because the victim wasn’t perfect.

So she drew public condemnation.

Fortunately, there were still people with clarity—

“Cen Qianshan, you scumbag, the friend you mentioned is yourself, isn’t it?

“That stupid My Date with a Rich Woman was clearly written by you. I was the executive director. I didn’t want to admit it, but I really can’t stand your hypocritical face!”

“No one is perfect. Yuyan may have made mistakes, but she was kind and generous to friends. During the Peng City earthquake, she donated a large sum without hesitation. What right do you bystanders have to judge her?

“In my opinion, Cen Qianshan deserves the death penalty! I’ll write a petition, let’s all sign and share!”

“Ridiculous, he even thinks Mountains and Seas is a masterpiece? Trash like this from a scumbag is meaningless. Mountains and Seas is just a confusing, nonsensical, and morally warped piece of garbage!”

…

After scanning many comments, Shi Zong’s eyes stopped on one—

“Cen Qianshan is hypocritical, disgusting, and pathological. I sincerely hope Liang Yuyan can be reincarnated, and then kill him!!!”

Shi Zong stared at this comment for several seconds.

Then, without a word, he glanced at He Zhen beside him, noticed his gaze wasn’t on the screen, and quickly opened a small window to search for Liang Yuyan’s information.

On Shi Zong’s computer screen, the main window still showed Cen Qianshan’s blog.

Shi Zong even kept scrolling through comments in this window, pretending to continue studying Cen Qianshan.

This was to prevent He Zhen from seeing any information Shi Zong didn’t want him to see.

Shi Zong was checking Liang Yuyan’s information through the small window.

After a while, he found what he wanted.

It was an entertainment news article published several years ago—

“Exclusive: The new Liang Yuyan’s original name was Liang Haiwa. A goddess truly needs an elegant stage name to go far. Guess if she had used her original name, would she have been chosen as a ‘goddess’…”

So, Mountains and Seas referred not only to the copy, not only to the

Leaving the internet café, Shi Zong walked with He Zhen to the nearest bus stop, their ultimate destination Cen Qianshan’s home.

His residence wasn’t far; after about twenty minutes, the two arrived.

This wasn’t the scene where Cen Qianshan killed Liang Yuyan, so the police hadn’t set up any cordons, and the two walked in easily.

During this time, Shi Zong’s speculation was confirmed—

His fingerprints could open Cen Qianshan’s door.

He and this timeline’s Cen Qianshan were indeed the same person.

After exploring the apartment for about ten minutes, Shi Zong hadn’t yet gathered enough clues when suddenly a system message arrived—

【Cen Qianshan discovered Liang Yuyan’s affair; Cen Qianshan killed Liang Yuyan; Cen Qianshan was arrested and imprisoned】

【These are three critical life moments for him, and you witnessed them all】

【You are him, so you feel a mixture of emotions】

【What did that “director” from the Heavenly Path say again? He said he believed that as long as he punished his former self, he could prove to heaven that he repented and thus gain a chance to escape the Six Realms】

【Thinking about this, you can’t help but find it somewhat ridiculous. He went to the Heavenly Path, experienced so much, and still believed this could free him from the Six Realms?】

【Could it be that being flooded with memories of multiple lives, his mind couldn’t bear it, and he went nearly insane, leading to such thoughts?】

【In any case, you think the “director” is crazy. In your view, your greatest sin is killing Liang Yuyan. So if you can save her, rewrite her fate, perhaps heaven will truly consider you repentant】

【Player Shi Zong, your side quest has started: save Liang Yuyan in this timeline】

【Side quest reward points: 150】

【There is a green public phone at No. 27 Huaihai Road, provided by the system as your “temporal phone.” You can contact Liang Yuyan on March 3, 2001 through this phone】

【Your only chance to change her fate is through this phone】

【Call time limit: three minutes】

【Call opportunity: once】

【Friendly reminder one: you only have 30 minutes left to explore this timeline. Good luck finding the solution】

【Friendly reminder two: you may also abandon the side quest; your decision may influence the ending】

The system message then disappeared.

Shi Zong could no longer return to the first two doors.

He needed to use the information from the first two doors combined with his memory to find, in the next thirty minutes in this vast city, the clue that could save Liang Yuyan with just a three-minute phone call.

What could that crucial clue be?

It didn’t take Shi Zong long to figure it out.

He was now exploring Cen Qianshan’s bedroom. Thinking of something, he walked to the door and glanced outside—

He Zhen was in the study, searching carefully and with focus, clearly knowing what he was looking for or having a target in mind.

Squinting slightly, Shi Zong quietly retreated to the bedroom.

After scanning the room, he looked at the wardrobe.

Quickly moving to it, he opened it and successfully found several bedsheets.

He glanced outside the bedroom door; He Zhen was still carefully searching the study and hadn’t looked toward the bedroom.

Shi Zong quickly returned to the bedroom and tied the bedsheets together as fast as possible.

Three minutes later, Shi Zong called out to He Zhen, his voice tinged with urgency.

He Zhen quickly walked from the study to the bedroom and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Shi Zong said, “I received a new side quest. What about you? Do you have a task?

“Since the system arranged us to explore together, we should have a shared goal.”

“Is that so?” He Zhen’s face, sharp as if carved from stone, revealed no expression.

He stepped toward Shi Zong. “So what task did you receive?”

“Find a way to save Liang Yuyan.”

Shi Zong briefly recounted the system message and continued, “See, our goals align. In the previous voting session, you chose to escape the Six Realms, and so did I.

“And saving Liang Yuyan, making amends and starting anew, in this copy’s setting, is one way to escape the Six Realms. Shall we cooperate?”

“Is that so?”

He Zhen’s voice was slightly deep, and he looked into Shi Zong’s eyes. “What else did the system say?”

Shi Zong said, “The system also said—”

“Wait—”

He Zhen suddenly interrupted, his face serious. “Have you ever considered this question?”

Shi Zong countered, “What question?”

“Although I’m not sure which Hell Realm I came from, if I am the Cen Qianshan who killed and went to the Hell Realm, and then was reincarnated—”

He Zhen’s gaze became strange.

He stared at Shi Zong, seemingly unwilling to miss a single expression.

“Then perhaps if you save Liang Yuyan and stop killing, it means you won’t descend into Hell. Have you considered that maybe I would disappear because of this?”

Hearing this, Shi Zong looked nonchalant, as if he didn’t care that completing the side quest might cause He Zhen to die in the game.

Seeing Shi Zong’s expression, He Zhen’s brows furrowed, his gaze sharpening.

The next moment, a cold glint flashed from his sleeve—

He Zhen actually drew a dagger!

“Boss Shi, I don’t want to die yet, so I can’t let you complete this side quest.

“Let’s make a deal. You abandon the side quest, I let you go.”

He Zhen’s eyes were cold and sharp, and his words merciless.

He raised the dagger toward Shi Zong and stepped closer.

It seemed that if Shi Zong insisted on completing the side quest, He Zhen would truly not hesitate to kill him.

Seeing this, Shi Zong smiled. He seemed to have anticipated this scene.

“He Zhen, the reason you want to stop me from completing the side quest… it’s probably not what you just claimed, right? It’s because—”

Before he could finish, Shi Zong suddenly turned and leapt from the window.

The building was five stories high!

He Zhen ran to the window and saw the air-conditioning frame outside, already tied with the “rope” made from many bedsheets.

In no time, Shi Zong had descended to the ground using the “rope.”

From five stories up, their eyes met at a perfect distance.

Shi Zong looked up, smiling, waved to He Zhen, and mouthed: “Goodbye.”

Then, without hesitation, he turned and quickly left the complex.

In Shi Zong’s view, He Zhen’s attempt to stop the side quest wasn’t because he worried as a player that the character might die.

He Zhen did this simply because he wasn’t Cen Qianshan, but Liang Yuyan.

He was reincarnated from Liang Yuyan after her death in the Hell Realm.

This was a game.

All information was system-provided clues.

When Shi Zong first arrived, he heard a news broadcast mentioning Cen Qianshan’s blog, clearly guiding players to a computer to read it for clues.

Cen Qianshan’s blog contained a lot, including many comments. Among them was a crucial hint.

Shi Zong seized that important comment—

“Wish Liang Yuyan can be reincarnated, then kill him!”

The copy was called Mountains and Seas.

The core characters were two: Cen Qianshan, and Liang Yuyan, formerly named Liang Haiwa.

If so, why does the copy only have Cen Qianshan, and not Liang Yuyan?

Why does only Cen Qianshan enter the Six Realms, while Liang Yuyan does not?

But just the clue of Liang Yuyan’s name and that comment wasn’t enough for Shi Zong to determine He Zhen was Liang Yuyan.

He had a few other reasons—

Shi Zong had already suspected that this copy involved factional conflict, and that most likely he and He Zhen were on opposing sides, first.

When the two met in the third-floor corridor, before entering any door, He Zhen had asked Shi Zong which mortal path’s Cen Qianshan he was.

At that time, Shi Zong cautiously listened.

Later, after confirming he was the Cen Qianshan of the world beyond the door, he suspected He Zhen was deliberately misleading him.

He Zhen wanted him to think he was a Cen Qianshan from another mortal path, so he would stray in his exploration.

Besides these points, in the wardrobe behind the first door, when he saw Cen Qianshan leave for the first time through the wardrobe gap, Shi Zong tentatively asked He Zhen if he wanted to go out.

He Zhen firmly refused, without discussing any strategy.

This decisively raised Shi Zong’s suspicion.

Actually, even if they worried Cen Qianshan would return, they could have hidden in time.

Even if they encountered Liang Yuyan, it would be fine.

Liang Yuyan would surely worry that Cen Qianshan would think they were her lover

Shi Zong guessed that the prompts He Zhen received must be different from his own. His system prompt was probably—

【If you let Liang Yuyan of this timeline see you, the timeline will experience irreversible chaos…】

【Remember, do not let the Liang Yuyan here know of your existence】

Putting all these elements together, Shi Zong estimated that the probability of He Zhen’s true identity being Liang Yuyan exceeded 90%.

Then he carried out that final test just now.

Fortunately, he had prepared the “rope” in advance; otherwise, he might really have died at He Zhen’s hands.

By the way, did He Zhen get that dagger from Cen Qianshan’s kitchen?

Had he already planned to attack me?

He Zhen, as Liang Yuyan of the Hell Realm, why would he want to prevent Shi Zong from completing the side quest? Although Shi Zong wasn’t completely certain yet, the situation of the copy was becoming clearer to him—

Aside from the NPC director, there were six players in total.

Three of the players were Cen Qianshans from different reincarnations.

The other three players were Liang Yuyans from different reincarnations.

This should be the true faction division.

Author’s note:

Two people with a combined eight hundred scheming minds~