Time-Traveling Love

“Mo Xie,” Xu Caitong called out in a daze to Liu Bugun. Liu Bugun turned around, seeing Caitong looking at him as if in a dream, he approached and took her into his arms. A gentle breeze blew, unable to smooth the furrows of worry on his brow. “Mo Xie, Mo Xie,” Liu Bugun suddenly heard a call and released Caitong, approaching the riverbank. There, a thousand-year-old turtle emerged from the water, its shell covered in moss, stretching eight feet square. The old turtle blinked at Liu Bugun. Liu Bugun bent down, and the turtle blinked again, nodding. “Are you calling me?” Liu Bugun asked. “If not the old turtle, then who? Mo Xie, climb onto my back, I’ll ferry you across the river.” The old turtle slowly crawled to the shore and lay down. Liu Bugun, overjoyed, immediately helped Caitong onto the turtle’s back, and the turtle began to swim towards the center of the river. Suddenly, a huge wave hit, causing Xu Caitong to sway and lose balance, nearly falling into the surging river. Liu Bugun quickly pulled her close, and due to the force, they both fell onto the turtle’s back. “Hey, what happened to you two?” the old turtle turned its head to ask. The old turtle, hidden within its shell, was unaware of the affairs of the world and the changes in heaven and earth. Fu Xiu had turned the land into a vast ocean, awakening the turtle from its thousand-year slumber. Seeing Mo Xie on the riverbank, the turtle knew Mo Xie was heading to Yuan Ming Mountain and volunteered to take them across. Amidst the turbulent waves, the slightest misstep could lead them into the deep sea. “Your back is all mossy, it’s slippery; you must not have bathed in a thousand years,” Liu Bugun teased. Liu Bugun helped Caitong up, but before they could steady themselves, another wave struck. Liu Bugun held Xu Caitong close, their bodies swaying with the waves like willow branches in the wind. Amidst the storm, the sea turtle carried the two riders, breaking through the waves. “A thousand years asleep?” Xu Caitong stuck out her tongue. “Haha – don’t think I’m just an old turtle; I still have my uses, like ferrying you across now, right?” the old turtle laughed. “Isn’t the Wu Su River just a small river?” Liu Bugun asked. “Fu Xiu widened the riverbed; the mountains on the banks are now Yuan Ming Mountain,” the old turtle buzzed. Corpses floated by in the river, causing Xu Caitong to cry out in horror and bury her face in Liu Bugun’s chest. The old turtle slowly but surely approached the opposite bank. Yuan Ming Mountain! Liu Bugun and his companions stepped ashore, with Yuan Ming Mountain now right at their feet. They stood at the base, looking up at the towering peak. The mountain, not as majestic as imagined, appeared desolate with its barren, brownish slopes. Liu Bugun pondered for a moment, knowing he could reach the top within an hour with his skills, but with Caitong, it would be more challenging. Without further thought, he grabbed Xu Caitong and used his advanced light-body skill to leap towards the summit. “Boom!” Thunder roared, and lightning finally tore through the sky, illuminating the heavens with a bright seam. The lightning struck the mountain peak directly, startling Xu Caitong, whose face turned pale with fright. “Bugun, put me down; go to the top by yourself,” Xu Caitong said in a trembling voice. “No. We live together, die together. I can’t leave you behind; I can’t let you be in danger,” Liu Bugun said firmly. “No, Bugun, you’ll just have an extra burden with me.” “Caitong, my love, from the beginning till now, I’ve only brought you trouble and danger.”