Floating life reflects two lotuses

Chu Wanlian stood before the rune array in the core area of ​​the laboratory, her gaze complex. This was her second time here, but this time, she had more clues. On the smooth metal floor, the rune array emitted a cold, eerie blue light, its intricate lines intersecting and extending, flowing slowly as if alive.

“These runes are almost exactly the same as those in the Spirit Offering Secret Land.” She murmured, crouching down and gently touching the patterns on the ground with her fingers, as if touching a memory from a thousand years ago.

"How is this possible? How could a modern laboratory have these runes?" Xiao Jinlian's voice echoed in her mind, tinged with surprise and doubt.

Chu Wanlian lowered her voice and replied, "I'm not sure either, but the design of these runes cannot be a coincidence. They are closely related to the ancient royal family's spirit offering rituals."

Xiao Jinlian was silent for a moment, then said, "Be careful, this kind of rune is not an ordinary decoration, it may still contain some kind of energy."

Chu Wanlian nodded, carefully observing every detail of the formation. Just then, she heard light footsteps at the door. She quickly stood up and turned around, pretending to be nonchalant.

"Not back yet?" Li Chenyao's voice was low and cold. He was wearing a dark suit and stood at the door, staring straight at her.

"Uh..." Chu Wanlian was speechless for a moment, but she heard Xiao Jinlian's voice urgently reminding her in her mind: "Calm down, don't panic!"

She quickly adjusted her expression and forced a polite smile: "Director, I'm just curious about these devices and want to learn more about them so that we can work together better in the future."

Li Chenyao raised an eyebrow slightly and stepped into the center of the rune array. His steps were unhurried, his gaze sweeping over the shimmering runes, his voice still deep: "These devices seem a bit too 'advanced' for ordinary employees, don't they?"

Chu Wanlian's heart tightened, but she still maintained her smile: "It is indeed a bit complicated, but I think understanding how they work is a challenge for me."

Li Chenyao smiled slightly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "Is that so? Challenges aren't necessarily suitable for everyone. Especially this kind of—" He paused, pointing to the runes on the ground, "...an extraordinary device."

Chu Wanlian didn't reply, but Xiao Jinlian's voice rang in her mind again: "This person is not easy to deal with. Has he already suspected you?"

Chu Wanlian gritted her teeth and replied softly, "It's normal for him to suspect me. How could a laboratory like this allow ordinary people to just walk in?"

Seeing that she didn't answer, Li Chenyao frowned slightly, but his tone softened a bit: "Xiao Jinlian, I know you've been through a lot lately, and the company recognizes your hard work. But some things may not be as simple as you think."

His words were laced with hidden meaning, as if he were reminding her, or perhaps testing her.

Chu Wanlian nodded, pretending to be thoughtful, and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Director. I will pay attention."

Li Chenyao stared at her, his eyes seeming to see right through her. After a moment, he turned and left, leaving behind the words, "Go back and rest early. This is not a place for you."

Chu Wanlian breathed a sigh of relief. Only after his footsteps gradually disappeared did she squat down again to continue observing the rune array.

“He knows too much.” Xiao Jinlian’s voice echoed in her mind again. “Be careful, this man’s eyes are too sharp.”

Chu Wanlian nodded: "I know. But what we need most right now is to find the secret behind the runes."

She reached out and pressed her hand on the center of the rune array. Suddenly, a faint light emerged from the patterns, flowing along the lines. The entire room seemed to light up; the runes appeared to be activated, surging with blue light and carrying a strange rhythm.

Just as the light reached its peak, a blurry image suddenly flashed into Chu Wanlian's mind—

In the ancient imperial palace, the same runic apparatus was placed on the altar, surrounded by people dressed in priestly attire. Chu Wanlian saw herself, or rather, she saw the body of "Chu Wanlian," standing solemnly in the center of the altar. At that moment, she felt as if she were in a spirit-offering ceremony from a thousand years ago, and she could even hear the deep incantations in her ears.

"These runes... really can connect two timelines," she murmured to herself.

"What? Connecting two timelines?" Xiao Jinlian was clearly shocked by this speculation.

“Yes, I feel it. These runes are not just tools for sacrifice; they may be keys to another world.” Chu Wanlian’s voice was tinged with excitement.

Xiao Jinlian was silent for a moment, then said, "If that's the case, then we need to be even more careful. If this power is abused, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Chu Wanlian nodded, memorizing every detail of the runes. She took a deep breath and muttered to herself, "I must find more clues. No matter what, I must figure out the secrets of these runes."

As she rose and left the rune array, her gaze was resolute, as if she had already made up her mind.

As Chu Wanlian left the core area of ​​the laboratory, the images still echoed in her mind. Those blurry yet awe-inspiring scenes seemed to tell a long-buried secret. She walked out of the laboratory, stood on the rooftop of the experimental building, facing the night wind, her gaze distant, and Xiao Jinlian's voice resounded in her mind once more:

"Princess, do you really believe that these runes are the key connecting the past and the present?"

“I’m not sure,” Chu Wanlian took a deep breath and whispered, “but they’re definitely not simple. I’m going to find out anyway.”

Xiao Jinlian was silent for a moment, then said in a slightly somber tone, "If you investigate further, you might encounter something dangerous."

“Now that we’ve been drawn into this vortex of fate, how can we back down?” Chu Wanlian replied softly, her gaze resolute.

The next day, Chu Wanlian returned home and eagerly began examining the blueprints she had brought from the laboratory. She had secretly photographed these blueprints when Li Chenyao wasn't looking; they depicted the detailed structure of rune arrays. Although only partial, the lines and layout of each rune felt familiar to her.

“These symbols are exactly the same as the patterns on the secret site of the offering,” she murmured to herself.

Xiao Jinlian's voice immediately echoed in his mind: "The similarity of the patterns may be a coincidence, but the design concept and energy flow are the same, which is impossible."

Chu Wanlian studied them carefully and discovered that the arrangement of these runes was highly consistent with the mysterious symbols seen in the spirit offering ritual. In particular, the circular array at the center resembled an unopened door.

“These runes…are they really guiding something?” She frowned, lost in thought.

Just as she was completely engrossed, Xu Nianni's voice suddenly came from behind her: "Lianlian, what are you staring at these messy blueprints for? Are you preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam?"

Chu Wanlian was startled and almost dropped the blueprint in her hand. She quickly closed the blueprint and gave a guilty smile: "Uh...no, I was just looking at it casually."

Xu Nianni raised an eyebrow, her tone teasing: "Just browsing? The way you're looking at it makes it seem like you're examining a 100,000 yuan IOU. Honestly, what mysterious thing have you been up to lately?"

"It's nothing, just...it's for work." Chu Wanlian replied perfunctorily, but inwardly she was alert and decided to be more careful in her future research.

In order to find more clues, Chu Wanlian decided to make use of the laboratory's resources. She managed to get close to Xiao Xu, the data analyst in the laboratory, pretending to be interested in the rune data, and extracted some key information from him.

"Xiao Xu, do these runes have some kind of special energy flow? I saw in the last monitoring map that the energy fluctuations in some areas were particularly obvious," Chu Wanlian asked casually.

Xiao Xu paused for a moment, hesitated, but still nodded: "Indeed, these rune formations are not ordinary designs. According to our speculation, they seem to be able to guide some kind of high-frequency energy fluctuations, but the higher-ups have not revealed their specific uses."

Chu Wanlian nodded nonchalantly, but her heart was in turmoil. She tentatively continued, "Then do you think these runes might have some connection to ancient culture?"

Xiao Xu shrugged and laughed, "Who knows? These things do look quite like ancient symbols, but we're only responsible for data analysis. The truth can only be found by asking the designers."

Chu Wanlian nodded thoughtfully and decided to continue the investigation.

Abnormal activity in the laboratory

A few days later, the laboratory began a new rune test. While everyone else was busy, Chu Wanlian once again entered the core area to observe the operation of the testing equipment.

As she approached the center of the array, the familiar blue light shone again. The array seemed to sense her presence and began to operate at a strange rhythm. The light gradually spread from the center of the runes, enveloping the entire room in a blue halo.

Chu Wanlian held her breath and reached out to try to touch the light at the center. However, just as her fingertips were about to touch the light, a powerful shockwave erupted from the center of the rune, violently throwing her back.

"Princess!" Xiao Jinlian's voice shouted in his mind.

Chu Wanlian collapsed to the ground, clutching her chest, her heart pounding like a drum. She looked up at the center of the formation, where the blue light gradually faded, returning to its original calm.

"What happened?" she asked in a low voice, panting.

Xiao Jinlian's voice calmed down as she analyzed, "That formation... seems to be repelling outsiders, or rather, it doesn't allow beings that don't belong to this world to get close."

Chu Wanlian was stunned. Recalling her feelings just now, she said thoughtfully, "Could this formation... be able to distinguish between different souls?"

Having experienced the shockwave, Chu Wanlian's interest in runic arrays grew even stronger. She realized that this array was not merely a sacrificial device, but possibly the key to connecting two different timelines.

She secretly made up her mind: "I must find out more about the truth of this formation, both for my own sake and for the return of Xiao Jinlian's soul."

Xiao Jinlian was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "In that case, I will do my best to help you. But you must promise me that you will not take any risks."

Chu Wanlian smiled gently: "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to myself."

As night deepened and the lights outside the laboratory gradually went out, Chu Wanlian stood by the window, gazing at the city's neon lights, her eyes shining with unwavering determination. She knew the road ahead would be full of unknowns, but she had no reason to back down.