Void Jigsaw Puzzle

Standing at the door of the deserted little shop in Sifangping, Kunlun City, Guo Ling was filled with doubts.

The shop owner—that pale-faced woman—actually said that Hynchen was her sister-in-law?!

What is this?

How could Hydrogen Chen have come all the way from Taibai Star to here? No, the distance between the two places is probably far more than ten thousand miles, probably a billion times more than ten thousand miles...

However, with the existence of elemental nodes, since Guo Ling can be transmitted here from Taibai Star, why can't Hydrogen Chen?

But, it’s impossible for Hengchen to become this woman’s sister-in-law!

My sister-in-law is my brother's wife, and since I'm a member of the Hydron tribe, how can I marry someone like them? I don't even have a real physical form...

Back when Pierce led the twelve apostles to perform a river sacrifice ceremony by the river, the twelve beautiful bodies attracted Hydron Aodu. But what good was it if they showed up? They could do nothing but fantasize, unable to have any substantial contact or interaction with those twelve people...

Guo Ling quickly controlled his wandering thoughts and thought, "If she's willing to introduce me, it wouldn't be bad to meet her sister-in-law. Although it's highly unlikely to be Hongchen, maybe there will be some clues."

He asked, "Your sister-in-law? Would you mind introducing her to me? Because this person is very important to me, I must find her."

When the woman heard this question, she became a little sad, her face turned even paler, and she lowered her head.

Seeing that she kept her head down and remained silent, as if she had something to hide, Guo Ling stopped asking questions.

He planned to go to other stores to ask around.

Just as he turned around, the woman behind him whispered, "My sister-in-law has been missing for a while. My brother and I are looking for her..."

Guo Ling was startled and turned around quickly: "When did she disappear?"

"Some time ago, I can't say exactly when."

Guo Ling asked unwillingly, "Where did she disappear? Do you know?"

Although she found the man's concern for her sister-in-law a bit strange, the woman continued to answer, "It should be outside Kunlun City... Of course, this is also my brother's speculation."

After all, Guo Ling's image is pretty good, and even strangers would find it hard to dislike him when they see him. Besides, business is so bad that it is rare for women to find someone to chat with.

The mystery in Guo Ling's mind came to his mind again. Judging from the disappearance of his sister-in-law, it was very similar to that of Hengchen. However, he still couldn't explain why Hengchen would run to Kunlun City to marry a human.

He then asked, "Do you know of any other scenarios? Anything will do."

The woman shook her head. "Nothing more. May I ask why you care so much about my sister-in-law?"

Guo Ling looked at her with innocent eyes. "Don't worry, I probably don't know her at all. However, if the person I'm looking for looks like her, maybe I should meet her. Unfortunately, it seems that your sister-in-law is also missing."

"Oh, yes." The woman sighed and stopped talking, but there was a hint of expectation in her eyes, hoping that Guo Ling could stay and continue chatting with her.

Guo Ling feigned ignorance, hurriedly thanked her, and left the shop. He had wanted to buy one or two more things, but the woman insisted.

Reflecting on this confusing episode, he unknowingly walked out of the Sifangping area and started climbing the stairs again.

Looking up at the stairs going up, Guo Ling sighed, but there was nothing he could do, because if he returned the same way, he would still have to climb a long flight of stairs before reaching the Baihe Bridge.

But he was not willing to go back yet.

So he began to climb up.

There weren't many people on the street, but wherever he looked, everyone had a sour face, whether they were men or women, young or old. Only children, perhaps still untouched by life's harsh blows, could manage to smile.

Halfway through the walk, there is a small flat area for pedestrians to sit and rest, which also provides an excellent view of the nearby low-lying areas.

Near the edge, there is a tall camphor tree planted. The trunk is very distinctive. I don’t know who carved spiral stripes on it, as if it is rotating.

Guo Ling felt that this scene was familiar, but he had no clue what to do for the time being. He could only walk under the tree and look down as if he was looking at a canyon.

At this moment, a thought suddenly struck his head like lightning. Suddenly, he stood still, looking up at the sky with unfocused eyes.

"Could it be...that this was all a misunderstanding from the beginning?"

Because this tall camphor tree brought back many of his already very vague memories.

In the days shortly after the "singularity moment" occurred in Wuming City, he often dreamed of his wife Hou Chang, and one of the scenes in the dream was where he was standing at this moment.

Because of this camphor tree.

It was so familiar. Not only was its shape unique, the spiral pattern on the trunk was distinctive, but the subtle scent it emitted was exactly the same as in my dream.

And when he recalled the appearance of Qingchen and Hou Chang again, he took a breath.

The two of them actually look somewhat similar!

Before this moment, he had never considered this question, as it had been so long since he had seen Hou Chang. However, when he considered the two's appearances together, he realized that the appearance of Xianchen was actually shaped by his inner thoughts. He was the first person from Wuming City to see Xianchen, and without realizing it, he had shaped Xianchen into a woman, a woman who looked very similar to his wife.

No wonder he felt a strange feeling when he first met Qingchen. So that's how it is!

"Is it possible that the 'she' mentioned in the strange message I received when I was looking for Hongchen on Taibai Star wasn't Hongchen, but Hou Chang? Because the message kept using the personal pronoun 'she' without mentioning any names, I preconceived that it was Hongchen who came here. In fact, it was Hou Chang who was here! This is not surprising. Zhong Chenmu already said last time that he had met Hou Chang here! So, could the 'sister-in-law' mentioned by the proprietress in Sifangping down below be Hou Chang?!"

"But how could Hou Chang become that woman's sister-in-law? I'm not her brother!"

"Let's not worry about that for now. If what that woman said is true, Hou Chang is also missing!"

Thinking of this, Guo Ling slapped his head a few times and ran down without stopping for a moment.