The Path to Another World

"When the sun rises, I climb the hill, and when I reach the top, I want to sing. My song floats to my beloved teacher, and when she hears it, she smiles. In the spring, all the flowers are in full bloom. My teacher and I hold hands and swim to the top of the mountain. I walk around and see the whole mountain covered in AV films. I'm chewing on Big Bubble Gum, and in my heart, I'm thinking of Japanese girls. My teacher doesn't say anything, just looks at me and smiles. I know she's waiting for my big soft bed. Hug that one, hug that one, hug my teacher and get into the bridal sedan chair. Hug that one, hug that one, hug my teacher and get into bed. Yay!" Ye Fan, with his scruffy beard, holds a can of Suntory beer. While chugging a YY version of "The Big Red Sedan Chair," he stumbled out of a roadside internet cafe, his hair a mess, his eyes dark, and his face haggard—clearly he hadn't rested in a long time. Reeking of alcohol, his wailing singing startled several young women strolling by, who instinctively covered their noses and moved away. Several elderly people walking nearby pointed and whispered, further enraging Ye Fan. He glared at them and roared, "What are you looking at? Never seen a heartbroken person before? Get lost!" The area within a ten-meter radius of Ye Fan became a deserted vacuum.

I couldn't help but recall a week ago, when my girlfriend of five years had pointed at me, berated me, and called me useless. She loaded all my belongings into the car of a portly, balding middle-aged man who had been waiting outside, and they sped away. I'd seen him in the newspaper; he was a successful real estate tycoon. Just like that, she threw five years of relationship and vows of eternal love into the trash, throwing herself into someone else's arms, becoming one of the many ordinary people in the city. We'd been together since university. When I was young, I was captivated by the high-priced collectibles on the TV show "Treasure Hunt," so I enthusiastically applied to the archaeology department when choosing my university major. During university, I started dating Lin Xue, a petite girl from Jiangnan. Two years after graduating from university, he realized that society was not as simple as he had imagined. Because he lacked experience, he could only work as an apprentice in an antique shop to hone his skills. In the second year, he couldn't stand the mundane life anymore, so he took out all his savings and his parents' support to open an antique shop with a friend. However, his friend absconded with the money, leaving him with only a dilapidated shop and a mountain of debt. During his most difficult time, his girlfriend Lin Xue, with whom he had always had a good relationship, broke up with him. The reason, however, was something he had always scorned in their relationship: materialism. He clearly remembered Lin Xue pointing her finger at him and yelling, "You're a good-for-nothing! Do you know this society is a money-driven society? Without money, you can't get anywhere. Look at yourself now! Do you think I'm going to starve with you? I'm still young. I don't want to wear cheap clothes for the rest of my life, or do housework forever. I want luxury cars, mansions, a life of luxury! Do you know that? Can you give me that? Don't blame me for leaving you; you can only blame yourself for being incompetent." Watching her leave, Ye Fan didn't try to stop her. In the trials of the past two years, he knew Lin Xue was right. Everyone has the right to pursue happiness. He knew their minds were no longer in the same world; they could never go back to the beautiful past. Two people who weren't of the same mind wouldn't find happiness together. So he just silently watched Lin Xue's retreating figure, silently shedding tears in his heart, telling himself again and again to be strong. Devastated by this double blow, Ye Fan was utterly devastated. His career and love life had both failed, and he felt utterly abandoned by the world. For a week, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol, spending countless hours in internet cafes playing games to vent his bitterness and pain. Seeing the stares of others, the sensitive Ye Fan was suddenly reminded of his deepest wound. Looking at the traffic below the overpass, if it weren't for his parents in the countryside and his elderly grandfather, he probably would have jumped without hesitation to end his mediocre and painful life. "Even if she knew I was dead, she probably wouldn't shed a single tear for me now," Ye Fan thought with self-deprecation.

Looking at the endless stream of cars and the dazzling city lights, Ye Fan spat out a mouthful of saliva. Just then, his somewhat old Nokia phone rang in his pocket. Lately, besides the occasional calls from his parents, it was mostly debt collectors calling. Ye Fan, still slightly drunk, pulled it out and saw it was his childhood friend, Tian Jun, calling. He smiled slightly; this was his brother since childhood, their relationship like that of blood brothers. Composing himself, he pressed the answer button: "Hey, Xiao Shou, how could you bear to call me?"

"How many times have I told you, don't call me by my nickname anymore, Taoist priest!" A frustrated voice came from the other end of the phone, clearly unhappy with the nickname "Little Hands." "I called home to find out you had a little problem, so I called to check if you're alright."

Hearing his childhood friend call out his almost forgotten nickname brought back memories of their childhood, and he couldn't help but smile warmly. The greeting that followed warmed his heart even more. What is brotherhood? This is brotherhood.

Ye Fan was born in a remote mountain village, inhabited by ordinary people living a peaceful, idyllic life free from scheming and intrigue. His grandfather told him that his family descended from Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain, and that his ancestor was a direct disciple of Zhang Tianshi. However, he was expelled from the mountain for violating the sect's rules. To remember his master's kindness, the Ye family's ancestors erected a longevity tablet in their home, still considering themselves disciples of Longhu Mountain, a tradition passed down through generations. Whenever someone in the village experienced something unsettling, his grandfather would perform a ritual with his peach wood sword. Ye Fan, raised in the modern age and influenced by science, didn't believe in ghosts or spirits. But strangely, after his grandfather's ritual, all the unrest would subside. Therefore, the Ye family was considered a prominent family in the area, attracting a constant stream of people seeking auspicious omens and feng shui consultations for weddings, funerals, and even those from the provincial capital. Ye Fan was forced by his grandfather to study Taoist scriptures, learn to draw talismans, and exorcise ghosts from a young age. Over the years, Ye Fan's calligraphy became elegant and masterful. Because he was born into a Taoist family, the children have always called him "Taoist" since he was a child.

The Tian family, a long-time friend of the Ye family, had ancestors renowned for their expertise in tomb raiding, particularly in creating and solving various traps and mechanisms. They had maintained a close relationship with the Ye family for generations. When Ye Fan and Tian Jun were still in the womb, their elders had arranged a marriage between them before birth: if it was a boy and a girl, they would become husband and wife; if it was two boys or two girls, they would become brothers or sisters. Tian Jun, being a boy, was quite delicate, with hands more nimble than most women's, skilled at needlework and sewing. Even his grandfather said he was born for this profession, so Ye Fan always called him "Little Hands" from childhood. However, as they grew up, they stopped using that nickname.

As the two grew up, Ye Fan chose to go to university, while Tian Jun used his skills to make a living in the underworld. They didn't keep in touch much anymore. Now, Ye Fan was practically a ghost, with his former friends avoiding him like the plague. So when Tian Jun called him at this time, Ye Fan felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

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