Watchmen

Watchmen Chapter 14: Displaying One’s Talent for the First Time

Gu Shi Chen walked to the side of the table and put on a pair of gold-rimmed gla.s.ses. Her quiet and exquisite face lost a few points on charm, but she looked more knowledgeable.

She turned around and returned to Jiu Jie’s side, gesturing to the single sofa at their side, saying, “Please sit.”

Jiu Jie complied. The material of the sofa was very soft, and was adjusted perfectly for reclining. People who sit on it would feel very comfortable, and unwittingly relax.

Gu Shi Chen sat on a chair beside the sofa. “Are you ready? I will now hypnotise you.”

“Those words have been repeated. During the talk, those were the words you said to the male student right before you hypnotised him.” Jiu Jie said.

“Then, before we begin, do you want to place a bet?”

“Okay, I had the same thought.”

“Bet what? We must agree first. I have no interest in streaking and the likes.”

Jiu Jie shook his head. “I’m not as bored as those students. We bet using a favour.”

“Bet with a favour? How do we bet?”

“If I win, you’ll promise me one thing. If I lose, I’ll promise you one thing.”

“Okay. Then, how do we determine the winner?”

“If you can prove that I have a psychological problem or you even find a cure for it, then you win. If I can prove that you have a problem and can cure you, I win.”

“Ok, no problem.” Gu Shi Chen casually agreed. “Then, let’s talk about our stakes. If you win, what do you want me to do?”

“If I win, then you need to promise me that you’ll call Uncle Gu ‘Dad’ once.”

Gu Shi Chen was stunned for a moment, and as she fell silent, her eyes bore straight at Jiu Jie for quite a while.

“Why? Is there a problem?” Jiu Jie asked.

Gu Shi Chen averted her eyes shaking her head. “No.”

“Good, then let’s hear yours. If you win, what do you want me to do?”

Gu Shi Chen rested her chin on one hand as she thought. “I haven’t really thought about it. Let’s just remember this first. If I win, then in the future, I can ask you for any favour at any time, and you cannot refuse.”

“No problem. What you’re asking me to do though cannot violate my principles.” Jiu Jie said.

“Oh? What principles? Not lying?”

“Not just that. The task you entrust to me cannot go against modesty, uprightness, mercy, bravery, fairness, sacrifice and honour. Other than that, i’ll do whatever you ask me to.”

“Okay. If I win, then the task I’ll ask you to do won’t violate any of the above.”

“Then, we’re agreed.” Saying so, Jiu Jie held his palm up, saying clearly, “Let’s shake on it…”

Gu Shi Chen cottoned on, gripped his hand strongly, and clearly said, “It’s a deal!”

In October, in Nanjing, the temperature has been steadily dropping. The weather was also unpredictable. The morning was very sunny, but in a split second, it would get cloudy and the sky would darken, as if it were about to rain.

The expansive Yangtze River, the long-lasting Qin Huai river, it was like he’s restless night after night. Life flows like a river and he felt like he was in a dream. (TL Note: It’s a poem meaning that what he sees right now is not reality, he’s dreaming. Everything is surreal and dreamlike. Kinda hard to explain because it has a very deep meaning.)

In this heroic landscape, since time was immemorial, he ha

d never lacked any amazing and touching stories.

To the east of Black Tortoise lake, there was a little office. Following the clear sound of a clap, the trajectory of two people’s fates quietly and sorrowfully started to change.

At this moment, a knocking sound was heard from the door.

“Please, come in.” Gu Shi Chen said.

The middle-aged lady in uniform entered, saying, “Miss, this the coffee and water you wanted.”

“Just put it there.” Gu Shi Chen said. “Also, Aunt Liu, I want to take care of some matters. If there’s nothing important, please don’t let anyone interrupt during this period of time. If there’s a scheduled patient, please let them wait a while.”

“Understood. Miss. Is there anything else?”

“No, go busy yourself.”

The middle-aged lady gave a slight bow, then ambled out of the room.

Gu Shi Chen gave the gla.s.s of water to Jiu Jie. Since he went out, Jiu Jie had not drank a drop of water, which made him very thirsty. He gave a ‘thanks’ and gulped down the gla.s.s of water, finishing it.

Gu Shi Chen held up the coffee cup, and gently took a sip. “Let’s begin.”

Jiu Jie got comfortable on the sofa. “I’ve seen your instant hypnosis before. It was very fascinating. I was thinking though. If I don’t cooperate, can you still hypnotise me?”

“In other places, I wouldn’t dare confirm, but in here, even if you don’t cooperate, I can hundred percent hypnotise you.”

“Really? Having too much confidence may not necessarily be a good thing.” Jiu Jie said.

“Talking is useless. I’ll use actions to prove it to you.”

Saying so, Gu Shi Chen took out a pocket watch from her pocket, and started gently swaying it in front of Jiu Jie’s face. “Look here.”

Jiu Jie didn’t speak and nearly laughed, despite the situation. He looked at the watch in front of him. “You’re wasting your time. If you can hypnotise me with such simple techniques, Uncle Gu wouldn’t have needed to invite me over from so far away.”

“Oh, really? Having too much confidence may not necessarily be a good thing.” Gu Shi Chen threw his words back at him.

“Talking is useless. I’ll use action to prove it to you.”

Just as Jiu Jie was staring at the continuously moving watch, Gu Shi Chen’s hand slipped, and two fingers didn’t pinch the face of the clock, but the watch suddenly jerked forward, and dropped onto the floor with a loud clatter.

Gu Shi Chen made a 囧 face while feeling a huge amount of embarra.s.sment.

Jiu Jie laughed bitterly, and bent his body forward to pick the watch up. “I just said that this trick won’t work on me. Have I been hypnotised?”

Or rather, just as he picked up the watch and straightened up to return it, he realized that his surroundings had completely changed!
Everything in the room he was standing in just now vanished!

Jiu Jie suddenly found himself submerged into nothingness.

After that, there was a little fluorescent light shining through the darkness. The light was getting brighter, and started cruising by his body.

Jiu Jie noticed that the light was actually fireflies. A few at first, then a swarm.

Finally, countless fireflies were flashing their light in the darkness.

The sky of light was like a river of stars. Innumerable fireflies used their small bodies and formed a bridge of stars. It was winding, bright, and dazzling. It looked like half fantasy, half reality.

At that moment, Jiu Jie heard a sound. “Walk across the bridge and find the door of dreams.”

Jiu Jie complied and started across the bridge.

He walked for a short period of time. The overflowing light of the fireflies gradually darkened. A few ceaselessly bright ones started to die, like camellias flying fast, but falling down.

Jiu Jie followed these fireflies and fell, the surrounding ones filled the sky like stars. He felt like he wasn’t actually falling between fireflies, but instead, pa.s.sing through the Milky Way. Pa.s.sing through the boundary between the consciousness and unconsciousness, within the river of a long dream.

Jiu Jie lightly landed on a piece of peac.o.c.k stone surrounded on all sides by green-coloured broken rocks, it was a wasteland.

He stood up, and there was a sudden sound. “Go pa.s.sed this plain and find the door of dreams.”

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The voice was clear and cold, but possessed a feminine warmth.

Jiu Jie did not hesitate, and started walking forward across this green-coloured plain.

While walking, he felt like the soles of his shoes were gradually fading away. Not long after, he could only walk bare-footed.

The pieces of broken rocks were like little knives. Blood dripped from his feet, leaving behind blood-red footprints. He didn’t care though, so he just continued on.

Jiu Jie pa.s.sed the green-tiled wasteland, and pa.s.sed a craggly valley filled with bones. These inhuman bones have been broken for a long time, causing them to be intensely sharp.

Next, he arrived at a hot and humid swamp that was filled with biting insects. They were so small, the naked eye had difficulty differentiating them from each other.

These flying insects landed on his skin or the outer corners of his eyes, repeatedly biting him, which left behind tiny traces of blood. A short while later, the sky was covered by insects.

Jiu Jie didn’t care about all of this. His mind was a complete blank, his heart only had one thought, “Forward, forward, find the door of dreams.”

In the end, he pa.s.sed the dark swamp, spitting out the last of the insects from his throat, and continued forward.

After the swamp, the place in front of him suddenly lit up. Jiu Jie reached the flower garden, a place where birds sung and the smell of flowers was present. This place had lots of eagerly blooming flowers.

In the garden, a deep voice could be heard. “Child, you cannot go on ahead anymore. The door of dreams is not where you should go. You should go back or remain here forever.”

The scent of flowers a.s.sailed his nose. Jiu Jie took in a deep breath and slowly walked along the alley, sitting beside the sweet.w.a.ter river. In the end, he reluctantly left, continuing forward.

Jiu Jie didn’t understand why the flower garden would whisper to him.

Walking for a long time, Jiu Jie arrived at houses placed side-by-side. The two had white walls and black roofs, looking very appealing and interesting.

Two people were sitting on an edge, one tall and skinny, the other fat and short. They were standing at the pond below the veranda, angling two poles.

“I want to find the door of dreams.” Jiu Jie shouted at them. “Is this the right route?”

The tall and skinny man looked at him. “Every route all go there. How can you go wrong?”

The fat and short man was full of worry as he reprimanded the other, “You shouldn’t speak too much. That isn’t a place he should go.”
“You scared? We are originally here to wait for him to show up.”

“Looking at his current mode though, haven’t you noticed? He’s being forced to come here.”

“So what?”

“We are unable to distinguish if the person bringing him here is good or bad. We should be cautious.”

“Cautious? d.a.m.n your cautiousness.”

“The tall and skinny guy groaned loudly, which caught Jiu Jie’s attention. He pretended not to notice and pointed at the the nearby mountain peak.

Jiu Jie nodded, silently thanking him, and walked towards it.

Jiu Jie walked to the foot of the mountain, glanced around, and was stunned to realize that the two of them were floating facedown in the middle of the pond. Their bodies were bloated, already dead for a few hours.

He didn’t stop though, he continued on ahead. When he was halfway up the mountain, he looked back again. The houses, the pond, and the two men had disappeared, only a grave was left at their previous position.