When I woke up, I wanted to go home.

I groggily opened my eyes. What the heck?

Why can't I wake up from this dream?

I rely on!

Anyway, I don't have to work today, so I'll sleep a little longer.

After closing my eyes again, something's not right?

Why didn't my wife call me?

With my sleeping habits, except for waking up when I need to pee or when I have a stomachache, I usually wake up naturally when the sun is already high in the sky, and my wife will have to call me.

Reach out and touch it?

I didn't touch anything; it was on the other side?

Turn over!

Before I even reached out to touch it, holy crap, why is this pillow so hard?

My head was spinning so hard it was making me furious.

When I opened my eyes again, I sat up halfway and looked at the pillow. There was an oval-shaped stone about the same size as the pillow.

I was startled and looked around.

When I finally saw everything clearly, I was completely dumbfounded!

I slapped myself without thinking. Ouch, that hurts so much. Wait, what's going on?

I stood up, bewildered. Where's my house?

Where is my bed?

Where's my wife?! This...this...this...!

I woke up twice during the night, but when I opened my eyes groggily, I thought it was a dream and went back to sleep.

Now that I'm wide awake, I'd be completely naked, wearing only a pair of shorts, in what looks like a cave!

About two meters in front of me, there was a red flame the size of a basketball floating about thirty centimeters above the ground.

Inside the cave, about a meter away, there is a small pool of water!

After walking a few steps forward, I saw that the diameter of the pool was only about two or three meters.

The reason it's described as being inside a cave is because the pool is only three or four meters inwards, leading to the cave floor, which has a smooth rock wall.

No, I need to calm down, I can't panic. I need to think carefully and figure out what's going on.

My name is Zhu Chongjiu. Yes, that's right. My parents had very lofty ideals when they named me.

They said: "We are all from ordinary families, we all come from humble backgrounds. We don't aspire to become emperors when we grow up. Being a little brother of an emperor would be fine too."

Although, I still have a well-known nickname in my circle, which is "Ninth Brother".

After all, my brother is a man of principle, a man of great loyalty and righteousness. He'll speak up for what's right when he sees injustice, and whether he gets beaten up or goes somewhere else depends on the other party's mood!

We've gone off on a tangent.

I am an electrician.

I dropped out of junior high school at sixteen and my dad found me a master craftsman to be my apprentice. Over the years, I've worked diligently and conscientiously. I haven't become rich or famous, but I've made a decent living. After all, I'm a craftsman!

I'm in my early thirties, and my child is over a year old. It's not that my husband is incapable; it's just that we got married late.

It's not that Ninth Brother couldn't find a wife because he got married late; it's that he just hadn't met his destined one yet. Don't misunderstand, okay? I have to explain this!

My child is a lovely little princess. My wife goes to work, and I also do housework. The child is taken care of by her grandparents.

One good thing is that although we don't live with my parents, we all live in the same county, so I can visit my eldest daughter every day.

Last night, after I finished work, I went to my parents' house, had dinner, and spent some time with my eldest daughter. Then my wife and I drove home. When we got home, I checked my phone, washed up, and went to bed!

Since this job is finished and there's nothing else to do for the time being, I don't have to get up early to work tomorrow, so I stayed up all night and worked an extra shift. Men understand!

Zhu Chongjiu lowered his head, turned around in circles, and began to mutter to himself!

With each recitation, he would point to himself, and after what seemed like an eternity, Ninth Brother had recalled everything that had happened to him from the time he could remember until he went to bed the previous night.

No!

I need to see, I need to know exactly where I am.

After confirming that his memory was intact, Zhu Chongjiu began to survey his surroundings again, having only given them a cursory glance earlier.

Looking down at the ground, it was fairly smooth, made of rock.

Looking up, the cave ceiling is about three meters above the ground, roughly the same height as my own house.

A pile of floating fire was in front of me.

Inside the cave was a pool of water. Walking barefoot on the ground, I didn't feel the icy coldness of walking on stones; instead, it felt warm.

Zhu Chongjiu is now more interested in the ball of fire that can float, and the pool of water. The water may be groundwater that has risen up. And what about the fire?

Ninth Brother looked around, trying to find something to try and move the fire around. How did it start to float up?

Wait, something's not right!

As Zhu Chongjiu shook his head and searched for something, he saw the spot where he had just been lying. Behind the stone pillow, against the rock wall, stood a sword.

Zhu Chongjiu walked over quickly and examined the sword closely. There was nothing special about it; the hilt had no special inlays or patterns, just a wooden hilt.

The sword itself is nothing special, about a meter long.

It's just that the color is a bit special; it's silver, a rather grayish silver.

Unlike the swords and knives we usually see, whether they are for home use or as handicrafts, which are all shiny and bright.

Without a second thought, Zhu Chongjiu picked up the sword. He didn't care about any traps or safety measures. He was just a lowly laborer, a tiny grain of sand among the masses. Why would anyone bother to scheme against him?

Besides, I don't even know if this place is an illusion or reality. Maybe I'll trigger some mechanism and suddenly everything will stop, and I'll be back in bed cuddling with my wife again?

The moment he picked up the sword, an extreme chill spread from Zhu Chongjiu's arm to his entire body, but this feeling disappeared in an instant.

Zhu Chongjiu shuddered. What the hell?

They dared to fall into an ice hole! Luckily it only lasted a moment; I feel like I would have died if it had lasted more than three seconds.

Zhu Chongjiu walked towards the floating fire with his sword in hand. When he reached the fire, he raised his hand and thrust the sword towards the flames. Suddenly, the fire moved half a meter to the side of the sword.

Zhu Chongjiu: Huh? This fire can move?

Next, Ninth Brother kept drawing his sword, amidst the fire, swish, swish, swish... Zhu Chongjiu; left and right, left and right, left and right...!

Zhu Chongjiu: This is truly... I don't know how to describe it.

The main reason is that after Zhu Chongjiu spent half a day researching, he discovered something.

This fire was the only source of warmth and light in the cave.

But it has no fuel. The amazing thing is that this fire doesn't get hotter or brighter the closer you are to it.

About ten meters outward from this cave, you can clearly see a bend.

Zhu Chongjiu noticed it from the beginning, but he hadn't even figured out his own little corner yet, so why was he trying to expand outwards?

Getting back to the main topic, let's continue talking about this fire.

In conclusion, based on Zhu Chongjiu's rigorous analysis, he could be a ball of fire, or something or a "creature" that resembles a ball of fire.

We don't even know if this thing that looks like fire will generate any buzz right now!

I don't even know if the heating in the house comes from this thing that looks like fire, and I can't be stupid enough to stick my hand into the fire to test it!

Zhu Chongjiu looked around. The cave was completely naked, and he couldn't very well take off his only pair of boxer shorts to try them on.

If I burn it all, what will I wear? After all, this is the only possession I have left.

I was so anxious that I started to fumble around, looking for anything I might have missed, and then I just kept scratching my head.

Oh! My hair!

That's fucking stupid.

Zhu Chongjiu plucked a few strands of hair and threw them onto the flames.

Wait, something's not right! I threw it several times in a row, and the hair went right through the flames without burning.

Never mind, just try it with your hand. When a person's curiosity is aroused, they will disregard everything else.

Extend a finger and slowly reach it into the flame.

As I got closer and closer to the flames, until my fingers touched them and my whole hand was inside the fire, it felt warm. You might say it wasn't hot, but it was definitely warmer than the outside of the fire. You might say it was hot, but it felt just like putting your hand in 40-degree warm water—warm, comforting.

Amazing, truly amazing!

After taking his hand out of the fire, Zhu Chongjiu's gaze fell on the small pool of water.

Zhu Chongjiu walked over and stood by the pool, looking at it.

The pool was crystal clear, and it didn't seem to be naturally formed; it looked like it had been man-made.

When Zhu Chongjiu looked at the pool, he felt an overwhelming urge to drink; it wasn't that he was thirsty, but simply that he wanted to.

Never mind, I've already put my hand in the fire, what's a little taste of the water?

If it's really poisonous or something, hurry up, my wife, kids, and parents are waiting for me at home! He stretched out his hands, scooped up some, and put it in his mouth!

Wow! It's quite sweet. A sweet taste flowed down my throat and into my stomach. The moment it entered my stomach, I felt a warm sensation all over my body, and my mind became clearer.

I woke up with a dry mouth and throat, and then this lousy water tempted me to drink it.

Zhu Chongjiu ignored that matter and squatted down, sticking his big butt out, and started drinking from the pool with his head in the water.

Tear! Ahh! So good! My whole body feels amazing, not just physically, but mentally too. I've never felt this good before!

After drinking the water, Zhu Chongjiu stood up, looked down at the pool of water that was about half a meter deep, then looked back at the floating "fire-like ball" and the sword that had been thrown next to it, and fell into deep thought.

No, I have to go home. I still have a mortgage to pay, my eldest daughter to raise, and both sets of parents need care if they are sick or have any misfortunes.

I don't know where I ended up after this nap. How am I going to manage on my own?

As he thought about it, Zhu Chongjiu's eyes became a little moist.

In fact, when Zhu Chongjiu opened his eyes for the last time, he already had a sense of unease.

He's over thirty and not stupid; he figured he'd somehow time-traveled.

It's just unclear whether the person came with their entire body or their soul.

While drinking water, Zhu Chongjiu tried to see if he looked like his former self through the water's surface, but the reflection wasn't clear.

If I were to arrive completely, and my wife woke up in the morning to find me gone, well... that would be better; she might think I'd run away from home.

Even if you can't find the person, at least you still have something to look forward to!

If my soul came back to me, and my wife woke up to find that I was erect, how heartbroken she would be!

Zhu Chongjiu pondered for a while, then looked at the ball of fire in front of him, a pool of water, and a sword. Was this all there was to the game?

No, I have to live! I have to go home!

Everything is relative. If I can come, I should be able to go back. There is nothing absolute in this world, except for this statement!