Chapter 659: True Mortal World

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Plum Blossom 8 said calmly. "What you're seeing now is the true 'Mortal Realm.'"

Chen Ling's gaze swept across the surroundings. All he saw was desolation and ruin, even more desolate than the Aurora Domain in the far northern ice fields. He couldn't connect this place at all with the Jiangnan town he had seen before. For a moment, Chen Ling felt disoriented.

"How is this possible?" Liu Qingyan immediately shook her head. "I grew up here. It wasn't like this before."

"What you saw was merely an illusion created and embellished by the Architects."

"...An illusion?"

As a native of Willow Town, Liu Qingyan still couldn't accept this explanation.

"It's pigment." Chu Muyun slowly stood up, rubbing the colorful, viscous liquid between his fingertips. "The birds that just fell had no biological organs inside... They were indeed fake."

"Not just the birds... The flowers, grass, and trees in the Mortal Realm... every plant visible to the naked eye was an embellishment. Even the sky was like that." Plum Blossom 8 casually picked a withered, yellow, rotten leaf and dropped it on the ground.

"This is what they truly look like."

"Are you saying that the Jiangnan we saw in the Mortal Realm was all fake??" Jian Changsheng's eyes widened in disbelief. "The peach blossoms, willow trees, small bridges, and flowing water... all painted? How is that possible?!"

The group had already lived in the Mortal Realm for some time. It was no exaggeration to say that its scenery could rank among the top three of humanity's nine domains, and it wouldn't be an overstatement to call it the most livable domain. But now, Plum Blossom 8's single sentence had directly overturned everyone's perception.

"To be precise, the small bridges weren't painted; they were later built by humans... In short, all the buildings are real."

"The buildings are real... but the environment is fake?"

"You could say that."

"These plants certainly don't seem right." Chu Muyun examined the withered, yellow leaf. "Even the plants growing in the far northern Aurora Domain have more vitality than these... And I've never seen these varieties before; they don't look like normal plants."

"Normal plants can't grow on this land..." Plum Blossom 8 paused for a moment.

"Because the Mortal Realm was originally a nuclear wasteland."

Amidst the misty rain, a figure in green robes slowly walked forward, carrying a young boy on his back.

The outline of the Mortal Realm's main city gradually receded behind him. On the main road leading to various smaller towns, groups of refugees, carrying bags of all sizes, hurried past, their faces filled with panic and worry.

"Walk faster! If we keep moving so slowly, what if the enemies attack us later?"

"I can't go any faster. Look at Mother's face... she already has lung cancer. If we go any faster, I'm afraid her body won't be able to take it."

"Never mind, Mother, I'll carry you for the last stretch."

"Don't push yourself. You still have that injury on your back..."

"I'm fine. You take care of the child. The main city is just ahead."

"Daddy... I'm so hungry."

"Be a good boy, let's hold on a little longer... Once we reach the main city, Daddy will buy you something to eat."

Li Qingshan walked past them. He looked back at the family's retreating figures, opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

Currently, the Mortal Realm was calling on residents to seek refuge in the main city. Yet, according to Chen Ling, Willow Town was safer. These two claims weren't contradictory; perhaps both places were safe. However, even if Willow Town were safe, it couldn't accommodate hundreds of thousands, or even a million, refugees—only the Mortal Realm's main city could manage that.

Furthermore, Li Qingshan was insistent on returning to Willow Town for another reason: his grandmother was still there.

Li Qingshan didn't know if she had received the evacuation notice or if she had set off for the main city. After all, she was old and had difficulty moving around, and Li Qingshan worried something might happen to her. Only by seeing her with his own eyes could Li Qingshan feel at ease.

A rustling sound came from behind Li Qingshan. Kong Baosheng, who was lying on his back, vaguely opened his eyes.

"Are you awake?"

"...Mr. Li, where are we?"

"We're already outside the city."

Kong Baosheng froze. He recalled what had happened before he lost consciousness, realizing the situation, and his expression became incredibly complex.

"I'm sorry, Baosheng, I..."

Li Qingshan was about to explain, but Kong Baosheng shook his head.

"Mr. Li, you don't need to apologize to me... I know you did it for my own good."

His grandmother was dead, Chen Ling had left, and the opera house was now far from him. There was no anger on Kong Baosheng's face; he simply gazed silently at the main city in the misty rain, his hazy eyes reflecting fragmented sorrow, like a wanderer who had lost everything, looking back at the past slipping through his fingers.

Seeing this, Li Qingshan didn't know what to say to comfort him, so he just spoke softly:

"...Baosheng, have you ever been to Willow Town?"

"No, I've never left the main city."

"Actually, Willow Town is really nice," Li Qingshan said patiently. "Although it's not as bustling as the main city, life there is simple, and the environment is lovely... There's a Three-Eyed Bridge in front of our house, and from it, you can see the entire Willow Embankment. At night, boats glide beneath it, round and full like the moon... The mountain forest where I usually chop firewood, though not large and with dry, withered trees, stays green all four seasons, looking like an emerald from a distance... And the small hill where I practice my singing, from there you can see..."

Li Qingshan spoke for a long time, describing everything from Willow Town's Willow Embankment to the Three-Eyed Stone Bridge, and then to the town market and cultural sights. Despite his sorrow, Kong Baosheng was unconsciously drawn in by Li Qingshan's descriptions, gradually lost in thought.

"It sounds... really nice."

"Right?" Li Qingshan smiled faintly. "Sometimes, you don't have to overthink things... This trip to Willow Town, just consider it a visit. After all, I've imposed on your home for so long, it's only right I invite you to mine. Once we get to Willow Town, you can rest there for a while... My house isn't big, but you can sleep with me, just like Brother Lin and I did back then."

Kong Baosheng hummed in acknowledgment and slid off Li Qingshan's back.

"How much further do we have?"

"Willow Town isn't far from the main city. If we keep walking in that direction for a while, we'll reach my..."

Li Qingshan raised his hand, pointing towards a lush green forest in the distance. Before he could finish speaking, a gust of wind blew across his face.

*Whoosh*

Sand and grit blew into Li Qingshan's eyes. He rubbed them and opened them again, but then he froze.

His finger was still pointed towards the direction of his home, but the vibrant spring scenery he remembered seemed to have been wiped away by an invisible hand. All he saw now were desolate houses and withered, bleak trees.

"...Home?" Li Qingshan uttered the last word in a daze.