CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 43: LONG LIFE DIARY 4

Old house, in front of the windowsill.

Sitting on the chair, Zhu Zhengwei stroked the diary, somewhat sentimental, "Bamboo Scenic Village, the last time I read the diary here in the old house, it feels like a long time has passed, but in fact, it was only a few days ago."

Previously, I established the "Campus Network" to reset the starting account.

In Bamboo Scenic Village, I relived my childhood, enhanced my basic physical qualities...

Thus, I successfully created a "Muscle Fitness Starting Account," changing my previously thin physique.

But if you think about it carefully, five hundred years later, am I not still in this world, resetting the starting account?

Only now, it’s an extraordinary starting account!

In gaming terms, I’ve changed the starting map, the era of civilization and history has changed, upgrading from an ordinary starting account to an extraordinary one.

"The original intention has not changed."

Zhu Zhengwei smiled, turning to the first page of the diary.

It’s obvious, continuing from the timeline the diary was previously put back:

[New Era 204, I am working as a bartender in a small town, hearing customers talking about the news that the Half-Saint Li Su from the Bronze Kingdom is about to die of old age. The young scholar who argued heatedly with me in the heavy snow back then is now an old man. I decide to see him one last time, although every meeting ends in an argument. To my surprise, at the moment of meeting, the old man has a transparent Dao Heart, and with one look, he knows exactly who I am.]

[Still in the heavy snow, we talked through the night, drank heartily, sharing much of my past experiences, my loneliness of longevity, the long-tormented endurance. He said he didn’t envy me. He believed that apart from humans, all life forms are immortal because they don’t know what death means. This viewpoint I do not entirely agree with, animals are also afraid of dying. In the winter snow, we argued heatedly again; privately, I feel his argument still has legitimate grounds. His views are always unique. I indeed have become more stubborn with age. Perhaps my argument is also a manifestation of hating my cowardice. Back when I died of old age, I was frantically pursuing immortality, far less carefree than he is now, being able to face human death directly.]

[New Era 205 Winter, another winter, I have lived in Li Su’s place for a year. Despite us two old men arguing every day, even his daughter-in-law can’t stand it. On the afternoon of January 7, hearing me speak about the battle of the Gurbantungut Desert a hundred years ago, he was greatly inspired and painted "Godlike Tyrant" throughout the night. The next day, upon seeing the art, I knew that it was destined to be an immortal treasure of human civilization because he died the day after completing it.]

[New Era 231, influenced by Li Su’s death, I begin learning to paint and sculpt, taking the name Mr. Yin Zhu, implying pearls covered in dust. Li Su always ridiculed my works as soulless when he was alive. I had absolutely no talent in this aspect, and only after nearly thirty years of practice did I gain recognition in the small town. During the monthly marketplace, selling pieces to fill my stomach, everyone said I was a poor smelly painter.]

[New Era 245, I met a village child, thin and black-skinned, with eyes full of bright longing. This slave worker is the eldest son of the family, also named Ah Da. After spending days together, I felt he was exactly like the old Ah Da, intelligent, stubborn, and brave. I recalled the night on the boulder counting stars with Ah Da. I paid with two bags of wheat to let the child stand still, carved a sculpture "Slave Ah Da" overnight. I knew that this was my best sculpture work of my life.]

[New Era 247, Ah Da said he wanted to study, to overthrow the Slave Dynasty’s rule, and asked me to give him a formal name. I was unwilling, knowing he would become the next Ah Da, inevitably repeating past mistakes. He said he wasn’t afraid of dying and instead named himself Chong Dao; he asked, what if history repeats itself? At that time, I knew I couldn’t stop him.]

[New Era 258, when I heard that Ah Da had become the leader of a revolutionary army, leading a group of aspiring individuals, I was studying steam technology as a weapon smith Lin Qingsheng in the Bronze Kingdom, forging long swords. I was a genius in this field, but I lacked interest in it; I still preferred painting and sculpture.]

[New Era 271, I discovered a large amount of aura on the Immortal Herb; I knew the fourth wave of Spiritual Qi was coming. I abandoned my travels and began researching this worldly phenomenon. Shortly after collecting herbs and researching, I heard of Emperor Shiguang’s assassination, Slave Ah Da still chose to take action.]

[New Era 274, I heard Emperor Shiguang’s rightful heir ascended to the throne, decided to take a look at Hundred-Stone City. The desert, which I hadn’t visited in a long time, was completely renewed. The previously declining Hundred-Stone City had changed, though the sandstorm remained large, the beast arena was dismantled, the slave market was burned down, nobles were hung and skinned on the walls, drying in the wind, the common people were free. They cheered and laughed, also cried hysterically.]

[In hundreds of years, it was rare to see such a scene. It was a freedom only possessed in prehistoric times. I suddenly remembered some almost forgotten free scenes, the village children huddled and crowded in front of the TV watching Journey to the West, a carefree kind of freedom, no longer being slave workers. Perhaps I was too old. In the celebration of the people liberated from the Slave Dynasty, tears of joy filled my eyes after a long absence.]

[A sense of a long, epic history and heritage condensed at this time. Perhaps civilization is always like this, as one Ah Da falls, thousands and thousands of Ah Da rise again to roar for freedom.]

The handwriting on this page gets increasingly sloppy, the emotion is not calm, the last half of the page scrawls a line:

[Slave Ah Da ultimately realized his dream.]

"For the sake of freedom, everything can be discarded."

Zhu Zhengwei recalled the sentence from Zhang Zhi earlier in the diary, echoing one another.

"History and civilization have already passed; history and civilization remain the future."

Turning to the next page.

He sipped his tea, smiling, continuing to read the story in the diary.

That lonely Immortal still walked atop history, that long loneliness vividly leapt from the paper.

[New Era 277, while researching signs of unknown sea giants at a harbor, I saw a missing person notice, it was a man with a teardrop mole. I knew it was him, he indeed appeared again, but where did he go this time?]

[New Era 278, I successfully heard of that man’s past, becoming the art mentor for the girl who posted the missing notice. Her art skills were truly terrible yet she loved painting, her room full of his pictures. My compulsions couldn’t stand it and I ended up being her teacher for ten years before leaving. By then she was the leader of the Ocean Clock Family, wealthy as a nation, surprisingly treasured many relics of my past. On one wall she hung her proudest painting: "Man with a Tear Mole."]

The diary here, unexpectedly includes a sketch doodle.

It’s an extremely casual, yet seemingly full of tension, masterpiece by a famous artist.

The painting depicts a man with a teardrop mole, strolling leisurely in a sunset port, gazing at the blue sea, blowing the endless sea breeze.