Time-Traveling Love

“I kept it locked in the utility room at the back of the garden.” “Oh.” Xu Caitong breathed a sigh of relief. “Make sure to take good care of it.” Xu Caitong turned back to her room. The black horse, it was the black horse that brought her back. Was that horse a divine steed? Very strange. Why did she have to return to ancient times? Are Xu Caihong and Xu Caitong really the same person? Xu Caitong sighed; she shouldn’t think about it anymore; she had to face reality. She lay down on the bed and soon fell into a dream. In her dream, she saw herself standing by the Moon River, watching the shimmering river water as if waiting for someone. Suddenly, she heard someone calling her; it was the person she longed for day and night. Overjoyed, she ran towards the voice… A knock on the door woke Xu Caitong up. She opened her eyes, thinking she was standing by the Moon River, and it took a while to realize she was actually lying in bed at home. “Who is it?” Xu Caitong asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes. The door creaked open, and a tall man entered her room. “Sister,” Xu Haiping called out. Xu Caitong sat up in bed. “Haiping.” “Sister,” Xu Haiping sat beside Caitong’s bed, looking at her, “You’re back? Mom, Dad, and I missed you so much. Dad searched everywhere for you when you were missing, but couldn’t find you.” “I’m sorry for worrying you all.” “Sister, we’re the closest family. Sister, did Mom and Dad tell you that you were lost in a time tunnel during those days?” Xu Haiping asked incredulously. “Yes.” “Really?” Xu Haiping jumped up excitedly. “Is there really a time tunnel?” “Yes, it’s unbelievable. If I hadn’t experienced it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it.” Ya Ping gently pushed the door open, interrupting their conversation. “Mom,” Caitong got out of bed. “It’s time for dinner,” Ya Ping said with a gentle smile. Despite being over forty, she didn’t look old but rather had a mature and noble air. “Caitong, freshen up and come downstairs.” Ya Ping led Haiping downstairs. By the time Caitong reached downstairs, the table was already set with dishes. At the dinner table, they talked about the time tunnel, and Caitong shared her experiences in the Five Dynasties period and how everyone there mistook her for Xu Caihong. “Dad, have you heard the story of the creation of the world?” Caitong asked while eating. “Isn’t it about Pangu splitting the world and Nüwa creating humans from clay?” Xu Guangsheng replied. “Yes, it’s said that when Nüwa opened the heavens and earth, she sent her warrior Mo Xie to split them, thus giving us today’s world. We met the deity guarding Mo Xie’s sword, Donghe.” “What?” Xu Guangsheng’s eyes widened, Ya Ping dropped her chopsticks, and Haiping, who was drinking soup, almost choked. “Yes, Donghe said before he died that the world was facing a great calamity.” Xu Caitong paused, staring blankly into space, recalling the blood-soaked Five Dynasties period. “Caitong, what exactly did you encounter? It’s all so hard to believe,” Xu Guangsheng’s face turned slightly grim; he wasn’t doubting his daughter, but what she said was hard to believe. “Yes, I don’t understand it myself; how can I expect others to believe? But it happened, for real.” Xu Caitong sighed. “Sister, I believe you,” Xu Haiping said, gripping her hand. Xu Caitong looked at her brother with gratitude. “But there’s a discrepancy between the legend and reality,” Xu Haiping added. Xu Guangsheng and Ya Ping sighed; though they were half-convinced, they didn’t voice further doubts. “Indeed, in the stories we’ve read, Pangu’s body separated the heavens and earth, leading to today’s humanity,” Xu Guangsheng said. “I encountered Mo Xie opening the world. The Mo Xie sword is a divine weapon; ordinary people can’t draw it from its sheath, only Mo Xie can, and it requires the blood of Purple Moon to unlock its seal.” Xu Caitong paused, thinking of Purple Moon’s blood! The flower fairy in the Jinghua Garden at the back of the Xu family estate once told her she was Purple Moon, Mo Xie’s woman. Was that true? “So, when the divine sword appears, chaos ensues? If humanity was destroyed in the Five Dynasties a thousand years ago, logically, there wouldn’t be the 21st century today?” Xu Guangsheng said. “Boom.” As if to confirm Xu Guangsheng’s words, thunder rolled, and lightning split the sky. In an instant, everything went dark, and with a muffled thunder, the house shook. The Xu family all stood up from the dinner table, looking out the window at the sky, with Xu Caitong feeling an indescribable worry. The thunderstorm lasted all night, and the next day, the news reported a magnitude 10 earthquake on the mainland, with Hong Kong experiencing minor tremors. At the same time, newspapers and magazines reported Xu Caitong’s time tunnel experience as front-page news, making her an instant media sensation, with the family’s phone ringing incessantly. Caitong’s classmates called to greet her upon hearing she was back. “Caitong, Caitong.” One afternoon, Xu Guangsheng brought back a man in his fifties, Professor Zhong Jintao from the Physics Research Society, to discuss her time tunnel experience. Professor Zhong spent the afternoon talking with Xu Caitong, taking notes. When he left, he was very satisfied, likely excited by the strong evidence for the existence of time tunnels. The next day, the newspaper featured Professor Zhong’s authoritative opinion: “There are many dimensions in the universe, overlapping each other. When spacetime distortion occurs, people from the future can travel back to the past, and vice versa.” Professor Zhong’s statement caused a huge reaction, leading various societies like the Spiritual Studies Association, Life Research Association, Psychological Society, and Psychiatric Research to approach Xu Caitong, each with their own agenda, hoping to extract something from her experience. Some scholars believed that soul research had overcome numerous obstacles, finding living proof and evidence; souls exist in a space unknown to humans. However, others believed Xu Caitong was purely suffering from a mental disorder, possibly severe dissociative identity disorder, which led to her nonsensical ramblings. “Caitong, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that Professor Zhong back,” Xu Guangsheng felt guilty, thinking if he hadn’t brought him, there might not have been so much trouble. His daughter was exhausted by the constant media attention and the incessant phone calls. Some callers even threatened Xu Caitong, warning her not to continue her wild talk, or they would commit her to a psychiatric hospital. “To be honest, Dad, you really shouldn’t have,” Xu Mei Ping disapproved of her father’s actions, but the priority now was to prevent her sister from being maliciously slandered by rumors. “I’m sorry,” Xu Guangsheng was filled with remorse. “Dad, I’m fine. It’s their problem if they don’t believe me; why bother with them?” Xu Caitong comforted her father in return. “Yeah, don’t mind them. They can say whatever they want. We’ll live our lives, and show them how free and easy we can be,” Yaping said, though she felt troubled inside, her face still wore a smile. “Look at this,” Xu Guangzheng said, holding up today’s latest newspaper. Several heads huddled together to read the report about rare massive earthquakes occurring around the world, with three regions in China—Huaxia, Huabei, and Zhongbei—also experiencing earthquakes of magnitude eight to ten. “The news on TV has been reporting it non-stop these past couple of days,” Xu Haiping said with a somber look. “On TV, you see thriving cities turned into ruins in an instant, with fires caused by the earthquakes destroying entire cities. It’s terrifying,” Yaping added. With natural disasters, man-made calamities, and rumors flying everywhere, everything pointed towards an apocalyptic feeling. “Is there anything we can do?” Xu Guangzheng asked seriously. “If, Mom and Dad, I mean if. If one day I have to return to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, would you agree?” Xu Caitong asked cautiously. “Why?” Yaping stared at her daughter, tense, with several pairs of eyes fixed on Xu Caitong. “If I go back to the Five Dynasties, Mo Xie could prevent the destruction of the world. Would you be willing? I’m just saying if,” Xu Caitong looked at her parents and brother, asking. “Are you saying…” Xu Guangzheng looked at his daughter with suspicion. “Sister…” “Could it be that…” The family wanted to ask more, but the words remained unspoken, all eyes on Caitong, hoping it wouldn’t be true. “It’s fate, everything is fate,” Xu Guangzheng suddenly exclaimed with emotion. “Caitong,” Yaping hugged her daughter, her affection evident. “Mom,” Xu Caitong was also deeply moved, knowing that one day she would return to the Five Dynasties. Xu Caitong spent her days locked inside, only venturing out at sunset on her black horse to wander around the villa. She didn’t care what people thought of her; she had her loving parents and brother by her side. Holding the reins, standing in the glow of the setting sun, she gazed at the distant horizon, believing that a cloud there was where she had once been. “Rainbow—” Suddenly, she heard Liu Bugun calling her. “Ah—” Her heart leaped with joy, responding eagerly. But when she turned around, there was no Liu Bugun, just silent trees and the secluded villas hidden among them. The joy on Xu Caitong’s face vanished, replaced by a pang of sorrow, tears streaming down. “Horse, you should know the way, right? If you could bring me here, you should be able to take me back, right?” Xu Caitong said, stroking the horse’s face. The black horse stood quietly beside her, blinking as if understanding her words, giving her an affirmative response. “If he no longer has his warhorse, only an unsealed sword, how can he go into battle to stop the world from being destroyed?” Xu Caitong worried, thinking of that sword, feeling a mysterious force surrounding her, but what exactly it was, she didn’t know. “Caitong,” someone really called her from behind. Turning around, it was Binghui, the young master from the Liang family. He was fair-skinned, refined, and stood there rubbing his hands, blushing with embarrassment. Looking at this delicate man, Xu Caitong’s mind was filled with the image of the imposing and robust Liu Bugun. If there was reincarnation, would Liu Bugun be reborn, and if so, who would he be in this world? Binghui, feeling her gaze, grew even more embarrassed. Every time he spoke to her, she seemed lost in thought. “Caitong, my parents send their regards. They support you, especially my father. He says he saw you ride back on a horse, dressed in ancient attire,” Binghui said. Xu Caitong withdrew her gaze, not knowing what he had said, staring blankly without responding. “Caitong, you hide at home all day and only come out at dusk to ride your horse. Aren’t you worried about getting sick from being cooped up?” Binghui asked with concern. “Binghui, have you been following me?” Xu Caitong asked, puzzled. “Not on purpose,” Binghui’s face turned even redder, feeling embarrassed, but he genuinely cared. He had learned from Haiping that she came out at dusk to ride and had been quietly following her. Over the past few days, Binghui had made frequent visits to the Xu family, telling Haiping that he believed in his sister and would stand by her. Xu Caitong refused to see anyone, responding to Binghui’s kindness with just a smile, as her father had said, without the Five Dynasties, there would be no 21st-century humans. As the night darkened, Xu Caitong led the black horse towards home, with Binghui silently following to escort her. Just as they reached the doorstep, lightning flashed, and thunder roared, dark clouds rolling in from the horizon. She heard Liu Bugun’s call clearly: “Rainbow.” Xu Caitong froze, about to rush out in a daze when Binghui grabbed her hand, his face filled with anxiety. “Caitong, where are you going? It’s about to pour down.” “I have to go back, I must go back. I can’t leave him alone; he’ll be heartbroken if he can’t find me,” Xu Caitong said, her words jumbled, her mind elsewhere. “Where do you want to go back to? You’re already at your doorstep,” Binghui asked, puzzled. Xu Caitong looked up at the sky filled with dark clouds, feeling a chill as she touched her chest. Something was about to happen, but what? She didn’t know, only that her heart was racing with fear. “Caitong, what’s wrong?” Binghui asked with concern as he saw her lost in thought. Xu Caitong snapped back to reality, feeling embarrassed as she saw Binghui’s worried face. “Binghui, thank you for your concern, but I’m afraid Caitong has a thin fate.” “Caitong, you shouldn’t say that, we, we…” Binghui was anxious, rubbing his hands, unable to find the words. “Binghui, we are good friends, right? We were friends before, are friends now, and will always be friends,” Xu Caitong said, not wanting to give him the wrong impression. “Can’t we be more than that?” Binghui asked, mustering his courage, his face red. “Forgive me, Binghui.”