Mutated Tao

Li Huowang was speechless when this guy asked if he had eaten at a time like this. “Mr. Qing, I’ve finished my meal. Can we discuss the matter at hand now?”

“Please wait a moment. I haven’t finished eating yet.” Qing Wanglai picked up his bowl.

Li Huowang frowned at this response. What is this guy’s deal?

“Can’t you talk while eating?”

“The ancients said not to talk while eating or sleeping. Besides, talking while eating leads to improper chewing, which can cause indigestion and an increased risk of biting your tongue or choking,” Qing Wanglai said and handed the phone back to Yang Na.

Since Qing Wanglai had refused, Li Huowang had no choice but to wait. He was the one who needed Qing Wanglai’s help.

Li Huowang saw his girlfriend Yang Na looking hesitant and said, “Don’t just stand there. Eat while they’re eating. Don’t let yourself go hungry.”

“Alright then, Huowang, I’ll hang up the video call for now. We’ll talk after eating,” Yang Na said and ended the call.

Li Huowang sighed at the static screen. Why were all the people Qian Fu found so weird? Even though Qing Wanglai wasn’t mentally ill, he didn’t seem very reliable either.

Li Huowang stood up and walked to the window, lifting a corner of the starry curtain to peek outside. The sky was already dark, but he could still feel those eyes on him. They were still there!

Whoosh! The starry curtain was pulled open again, and Li Huowang was exposed to their gaze.

If you have the guts, come in! I’ll make sure you won’t leave here in one piece! Li Huowang gripped his knife tightly, his teeth clenched and his eyes filled with hostility.

However, it was clear that due to Wang Wei’s previous actions, these people didn’t plan to act immediately again.

They were just watching for now, and they didn’t do anything even when the video call alert sounded again.

Li Huowang quickly closed the curtain and answered the phone. On the screen, a new environment appeared. It seemed like a small, single-person dorm room.

Unlike typical male dorms, this one was remarkably clean and tidy. Most items were white, and the walls were bare except for a single calligraphy painting. It gave off an immaculate impression.

Qing Wanglai took a sip from a cup of green tea and said, “Hello, Li Huowang. Let me reintroduce myself. I’m Qing Wanglai. I’ve been informed about your situation.”

He continued, “Here’s what I think: First of all, you’re under severe restrictions and can’t accomplish anything while being surveilled like this. We need to find a way to temporarily restore some of your freedom.”

“Wait, hold on,” Li Huowang interrupted.

“What? You don’t want to regain your freedom? Would you prefer being confined to your neighborhood?”

“No, before we proceed with anything, I need to confirm something first. What’s your opinion about those who are trying to kidnap me?”

“Do you think they are Leotians, or an underground group spying on people with supernatural abilities?”

Qing Wanglai chuckled and said, “Why would you think I would believe that? Do I look like a lunatic?”

“Then what do you think? What’s the truth behind this? Who are they?” Li Huowang could feel his palms sweating. He was finally getting a rational person’s explanation.

Qing Wanglai slowly drank some tea and said, “Physicist Julian Madacena proposed a hypothesis that our universe might be a holographic image. Everything you see and perceive is a projection. I agree with this hypothesis.”

“Huh?!” Li Huowang was momentarily stunned. What did this guy mean? Had he heard this somewhere before?

“What do you think is real? What do you think is fake?” Qing Wanglai asked.

“Is it possible that our world is a vast phantom or a reflection of some existence? Like our shadows. We are their shadows.”

Li Huowang wordlessly stared at the screen. This guy might also be mentally ill, just undiagnosed.

“I don’t agree with your view,” Yang Na said.

She seemed like a different person, far from the gentle girl when she was with Li Huowang. She came off as being quite assertive.

Her gaze sharpened as she clutched her cup tightly. “Science is about bold hypotheses and careful verification. All hypotheses are merely hypotheses until they are proven right. Do you have any critical evidence to support your words?”

Qing Wanglai smiled smugly. “Of course I do.”

“Then prove it. I don’t believe you can,” Yang Na replied skeptically. “If you had decisive evidence, you could win a Nobel Prize. Why would you be here?”

“I can’t show you. My shadow can’t express what our world is like. They don’t even have thoughts. They move because we move. How could I explain?”

“Nonsense! How are you different from pseudo-scientists spouting nonsense online? I can’t believe you are a graduate student!” Yang Na stood up angrily. Her initially favorable impression of Qing Wanglai had vanished completely.

“Imagine our shadows compared to us. They’re so simple. If we as living beings are shadows of some existence, can you imagine what they might be like?”

Qing Wanlai saw Yang Na’s confusion and continued, “What if their projection isn’t just a single person, but rather our entire world? If our entire world is merely their projection, what kind of existence would that be?”

Yang Na opened her mouth and then closed it, unable to refute.

“You can’t conceive it because you don’t even have the organs to imagine it.”

Qing Wanglai’s expression became dreamy. “But I’ve seen it once. Even though I quickly forgot, I still remember how insignificant I felt at that moment.”

“Our thoughts are just the reflection of their breathing. We exist only because they exist. Even our...” Qing Wanglai trailed off and then clutched his head in pain.

He turned to open a drawer, took out some capsules, and swallowed them with his now-cooled tea.

The room fell silent as no one spoke.

After a while, Qian Fu said, “What a load of nonsense. You’re making this up. I think it’s just Leotians.”

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