After arranging everything with Yu Xue, Lin Heyu did not rush to enter Cheng’an Mountain but instead took the familiar path back home. The rural streetlights were sparse, and the road was full of potholes. In the pitch-black night, there was only one light point passing through the countryside, stopping at the house at the eastern edge of the rice fields.
Lin Heyu stared at the yellowish glow from the glass; it was a small lamp on the desk that his mother had left on, waiting for her son to come home at any time. Since the family had fallen apart, she had been very tolerant of Lin Heyu, knowing he was under immense pressure and could not find an outlet for his emotions, which had turned into a form of “rebellion.”
The curtains were drawn halfway, and half the glass reflected the image of his mother sleeping on the chair, fully clothed. Lin Heyu turned back, the majestic Cheng’an Mountain looming behind him. When he used to hide in the mountains all day, had he seen the light his mother left on so late at night, perhaps he would have woken up from his stupor sooner.
Returning to the village, Lin Heyu placed the key into the dilapidated mailbox at the carpenter’s house. Turning around, he noticed the small shop across the street had its lights on; the couple had already gotten up to knead dough and make buns.
As the shopkeeper took apart the door panels and lifted the three-tiered steamer onto the stove, he was startled to see a figure standing in the dark outside: “Hey! Who is that?”
“Second Uncle, I’m here to wait for the first batch of buns.” Lin Heyu approached.
“Oh, that will be quick.” The shopkeeper looked Lin Heyu up and down, clearly unfamiliar with him. He had never seen him in Linjia Village before, yet he knew to call him “Second Uncle.” Could it be that his buns had become so famous that people from other villages were awake at this hour just to taste them? It couldn’t be.
While the buns were steaming, the shopkeeper chatted with Lin Heyu and was surprised to find that he could share several village gossip stories. “How do you know all this? You live in Linjia Village? No way! My shop is right at the village entrance; I remember everyone who passes by, yet I’ve never seen you before.”
“My relatives live here; I don’t come often,” Lin Heyu pointed, “it’s that house at the east end of the village, they just moved in not long ago.”
The shopkeeper, a well-informed person after living in the village for decades, knew exactly who Lin Heyu was referring to, even without Lin Heyu mentioning his mother’s name. He could even name which family branch she belonged to. After wiping his flour-covered hands on his apron, he shook his head and sighed, “What a pity. I watched that girl grow up, thinking if she married a good man, she’d have a good life outside the village. Who would have thought she’d end up like this? Losing her husband in middle age is not auspicious.”
“There’s nothing to be done; that’s fate, unchangeable,” Lin Heyu replied softly.
“Predetermined fate is given by heaven; fortune and blessings come from our ancestors. The feng shui in Linjia Village is quite nourishing. I dare say if she hadn’t left and found someone nearby to marry, with the protection of our ancestors on the mountain, she wouldn’t have encountered this kind of trouble,” the shopkeeper snapped his fingers. “By the way, she has a son too, and he’s no peace of mind either. My youngest nephew is in the same class as him, and he says he’s hardly ever seen. He just throws his school bag into the classroom and treats school like a day off.”
“…He really doesn’t understand and will regret it someday.”
As dawn broke, after a heavy rain the previous day, the mountains were shrouded in mist, resembling a fairyland. Lin Heyu climbed over mountains and valleys, taking the nearest small path to the old ancestral hall. As the sky gradually brightened, he took out the warm breakfast from his pocket, pushed open the door of the old ancestral hall, and saw Yi Shi walking towards him briskly, surprisingly wearing only a short-sleeved T-shirt in the winter weather.
He truly didn’t care about his health; he had to get sick before he would be sensible.
The thought in his mind came true—before noon, Yi Shi had a high fever, lying on Lin Heyu’s lap with flushed cheeks, asking questions that were completely out of character for him.
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
Lin Heyu was taken aback. He had grown accustomed to talking openly with Yi Shi about love, but it seemed he had only just realized that they hadn’t broken through that hazy, ambiguous barrier between them.
“I’ve answered that question before.”
“Yeah, you said no… but Aunt Lin said you have someone you like, that you smile at your phone…”
Yi Shi mumbled, tugging at Lin Heyu’s clothes, determined to find out the answer. He was burning up, dehydrated, and his red tongue could not help but lick his lips: “…Who is it?”
In that moment, the heart’s demons arose. Lin Heyu did not hesitate and did not want to miss this chance; he lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to Yi Shi’s lips. Without the need for sweet words or a romantic atmosphere, everything between them developed so naturally.
“Still need to ask?”
Yi Shi dared not ask again, having curled up into a ball, even his ears turning pink.
The dilapidated ancestral hall was indeed not suitable for nursing a patient back to health. Lin Heyu found a farmer’s house to stay for a few days. While Yi Shi was sleeping soundly inside, he went down the mountain alone to visit Xiao Ci Temple.
Hidden deep in the mountains and thick forests, the abandoned temple had long been deprived of sunlight. Every brick and tile had absorbed the chill of the low-lying ground. The black tiles and white walls gave off a gloomy aura, with dilapidated windows and crumbling walls. The Lanruo Temple would probably pale in comparison to it. Moreover, the nearby air circulation was poor; the earthy and grassy smell lingered long, and the temperature was lower than outside the mountain. Just standing there for a moment made him shiver, fitting the description of a haunted place perfectly.
Lin Heyu carefully walked over the bluestone slabs, avoiding the muddy ground that would leave footprints. After a thorough inspection, as he had expected, the temple was empty, with no sign of anyone, including after last night’s incident where Yi Shi escaped and the bald man got injured. They did not dare to stay at Xiao Ci Temple any longer and had to find another place to spend the night, even in the rain.
There were several footprints in the muddy mountain road, big and small, hard to distinguish. These disordered footprints split into two directions in the flat area: one went towards Lover’s Peak, while the other headed north towards Cheng’an.
The mountain path ahead was filled with oddly shaped rocks. Lin Heyu stepped on a protruding rock and gazed at the low cave where the hostages were held on the mountainside. Below, in the rugged rocky area, the tall, thin figure of a boy stood out, climbing step by step towards the low cave.
It was him again. Coming to the mountains frequently, wasting time and easily encountering danger.
Chen Heyu was at the bottom of the cave, first looking up to observe. After a moment, he stepped on a few rocks to climb up. The dry yellow vines floated above his head. He was too eager for success; he lifted his leg without securing a foothold and predictably stepped into thin air, falling down.
Fortunately, he was nimble. In a critical moment, he grabbed a small tree growing at an angle to cushion his fall, landing in the muddy ground beside him and avoiding a serious injury. Chen Heyu grimaced as he rolled up his pant leg; his leg was bruised and swollen, and a long gash was cut into his ankle by the rocks. He did not make a sound, quickly pulling out a handkerchief to bandage the wound.
After a short rest, Chen Heyu stood up again and contemplated the cave covered in withered grass. A few minutes later, he wanted to try climbing again. However, this time it was even more difficult; his injured legs made his movements clumsy. Before he could climb too high, he once again stepped into thin air. Just as he was about to fall to the ground, a pair of hands caught him, and he turned around to find that it was the man he had met a few days ago in the old ancestral hall.
“Why are you skipping class again?”
“……” Chen Heyu’s face clearly showed “none of your business,” and he limped over to sit on a nearby rock.
“What are you trying to do up there?”
“……There are people inside.”
“How do you know that?”
“I guessed.” Chen Heyu scratched his cheek. “Did you come alone? What about that—how is he doing?”
“He’s not feeling well; he’s sick.” Lin Heyu smiled. “You seem to care a lot?”
Chen Heyu felt his ears burn for a few seconds due to the teasing tone and quickly shook his head, pointing towards the direction of Xiao Ci Temple. “On that day when it rained heavily, something strange happened. I saw many people over there. Later, when the rain stopped and I went to look for them, they were gone…”
Lin Heyu interrupted him: “So, I told you to go back to class, and you still didn’t come down?”
Chen Heyu touched the tip of his nose, silently expressing his discontent with Lin Heyu’s meddling through his eyes. Lin Heyu shook his head helplessly. “And then?”
“The people disappeared, but there were footprints—both adult and children’s. I followed one of the footprints and came here. The only place that could hide people is that cave above; they must be inside.”
His observational skills were quite good, and he had some reasoning abilities; it seemed that his future choice of becoming a police officer wasn’t coincidental. Lin Heyu crouched down to examine Chen Heyu’s leg injury. “Was the fall serious?”
Chen Heyu tightly pursed his lips, pressed a few times on the injured area, causing his face to twist slightly in pain, yet he still tried to maintain his composure. “Not too bad.”
Lin Heyu found it amusing, confirmed that the injuries were only superficial, and advised him to go down the mountain immediately, get some bruising ointment, and rest well. However, this stubborn child insisted on understanding the situation thoroughly and not only refused to listen but also seemed eager to try again against the mountain wall.
“Do you need to break an arm or a leg before you’ll listen? Your mother is unwell and needs to take care of you; can’t you think of her?” Lin Heyu rolled up his sleeves. “Stay down here while I go up to take a look.”
“……” Chen Heyu finally relented and took a small knife from his pocket, handing it over. “This is for you. There was a bald man among them; he looked fierce.”
“If he really is in the cave, how could we have talked for so long so comfortably?” Lin Heyu chuckled.
Based on his guess, there were only a few children being held as hostages in this area. Lin Heyu swiftly climbed to the cave entrance, pushed aside the vines, and was met with confusion.
No one was inside.
The cave was small enough to see all the way to the back; he carefully inspected the ground and found no footprints or any signs of activity, confirming that this cave had indeed not been entered for a long time. The hostages wouldn’t simply disappear unless… Lin Heyu brushed the dirt off his hands and guessed what had happened, subconsciously curving his lips into a smile.
Chen Heyu eagerly awaited his return. Upon hearing that there was no one in the cave, he stood up in shock. Lin Heyu continued, “They are indeed here, but not in this cave.”
“……There are no other caves nearby.”
“For you, this is something you can’t understand, so just forget about it. Cheng’an Mountain hasn’t been peaceful recently, so don’t come up here without reason.” Lin Heyu rubbed his head. “Your mother is waiting for you at home. You’ve been avoiding it for so long; it’s time for you to grow up.”
After pondering for a long time, Chen Heyu finally agreed to comply, casually picking up a thick branch to use as a walking stick. Just as he turned around, his arm was grabbed again: “Are you very worried about him?”
“Who he refers to is something they both understood well. Lin Heyu told him there was a small lake near Lover’s Peak, and if he went to the lakeside on the morning of the 18th, he would meet the person he wanted to see.
“What then? What should I do?”
“Bring him down the mountain.” Lin Heyu paused. “And do me a favor.”
“What?”
“On the early morning of January 17th, go to the riverside; you will know everything.”
———
A few days later, Yi Shi’s cold noticeably improved, and he returned to a vibrant state. The two left the farmer’s house and hadn’t reached the foot of the mountain when Lin Heyu keenly sensed a change in the surrounding atmosphere. Having gone through several crossings, sometimes he could judge which world he was in not just by using a coin, but also by the changes in weather and scenery.
Yi Shi was still in a confused state, and Lin Heyu took out a coin, teaching him how to determine their current situation. In a way, this method was something he learned from Yi Shi, then returned it to him; nobody could distinguish the order, just like their feelings, where no one knew who fell for whom first—it was all a mutual push, and the small cycle was exceptionally complete between the two of them.
At this moment, they were in the true location of the kidnapping case, and Lin Heyu climbed up to the cave once more, discovering the first batch of hostages. Yi Shi found a small stone while Lin Heyu meticulously searched the cave for any traces that “he” might have left behind.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the fully-remembered Yi Shi had been here before. He brought the hostages back here to ensure that the positive outcome could smoothly continue. Or perhaps, Yi Shi’s intervention was also a necessary part of this predetermined fact.
The small flashlight swept inch by inch across the rock walls and ground when suddenly a flash of reflection caught Lin Heyu’s eye. He crouched down and discovered a one-jiao coin wedged between two rocks. It was small and inconspicuous, having been hidden in a dark crevice, and it was only due to this ray of light that it could be seen again.
The patterns and words were mirrored and flipped; Lin Heyu instantly felt at ease. He wiped off the dirt on it with his thumb and put it in his pocket. The two of them shouldn’t linger in the cave for too long, so they moved to the opposite mountain to wait for the rescue team from Hai Jing. The appearance of Lin Erde was also anticipated; Lin Heyu was unconcerned and instead calmly thought about where he would go when he met Hai Jing’s team.
According to Yi Shi, he had suddenly disappeared from his side, leading him to deduce that two parallel entities couldn’t coexist at the same time. Furthermore, on October 15, Yi Shi had seen himself through a glass, and later lost the memory of that day. This showed that the mirror world was also concerned about paradoxical rules, obstructing the meeting of two parallel entities in various ways.
With a gun barrel pressed to his temple, Lin Erde anxiously questioned, “Did you leak information?! Speak! If you don’t talk, I’ll shoot!”
“Yell a bit louder so that everyone down there can hear you.” Lin Heyu focused on the crowd below, where another team of seven arrived; each one was a colleague he spent every day with, all members of the Criminal Investigation Team from Hai Jing City Bureau.
Lin Heyu’s gaze met his own silhouette; in that moment, the world fell silent. The sounds of rustling leaves, flowing water, birds chirping, and breathing vanished as if a mute button had been pressed. He turned to observe his surroundings; there was no one else, only he remained hidden beneath the snow pine.
In the next second, the myriad sounds of nature flooded back into his ears, and Lin Heyu immediately got up to look down the mountain, only to find the two lively teams had also vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.
On the ground, there was only a trail of his own footprints, while the old prints down the mountain indicated that no one had come to this land today. In an instant, a divine hand wiped away all traces of others, leaving him alone in an empty, strange, and slightly eerie world.
With no new coins on him, Lin Heyu casually broke a branch and wrote his name on the ground. The letters were in the correct orientation; this was indeed Cheng’an Mountain, and the location was not mistaken—he was still in his own world.
With no one around, and occasionally birds flying overhead, if there was any biological activity, then theoretically time hadn’t stopped; it just seemed that this place was peculiar, as if a barrier had been set up in a specially designed scene.
What had happened to Yi Shi?
Based on his memories, Lin Erde accidentally discharged his gun and injured Luo Fei. When Yuan Maoqiu discovered the target was on the mountain, he rushed up immediately. The two bandits had already run far, but one of them stopped, turned back, and quietly stared at him. He seized the opportunity, raised his wrist, and aimed at the target…
Lin Heyu’s heart trembled. That day, he had not closely examined what was written in the bandit’s eyes from afar. His only thought was to capture them. Therefore, when he saw the man in black stop, he unhesitatingly pulled the trigger, hitting the man’s right shoulder.
Lin Erde died from a fall, and the only gunshot wound on his body was in the abdomen. The shot he fired actually hit Yi Shi.
In the subsequent exchanges between the two parties, Yi Shi had never revealed this information. Before going up the mountain, Lin Heyu had considered that he might have injured himself, but he never expected he would personally harm Yi Shi.
Lin Heyu’s palms were sweaty, filled with regret over such a “fateful twist” that forced him to do the thing he most unwillingly did. At the same time, he felt even more heartbroken for Yi Shi. All the futures he had experienced and mourned were deeply buried in his heart, and every predetermined fact he was unwilling to speak was to alleviate Lin Heyu’s sense of guilt.
As long as he could end this damn fate, he and Yi Shi would no longer be “helplessly bound” like this.
Lin Heyu steadied his mind and walked toward Lover’s Peak. He first climbed to the top of the low peak and looked down. The mountain wind howled, making it hard to keep his eyes open. He shielded his face with his hand; below the cliff was pitch black, and only by finding a way down could he see the situation at the bottom of the mountain.
In addition to the rope, there was also a small path leading to the bottom of the “one-line sky.” Few knew about it, even Lin Heyu, who had been active on Cheng’an Mountain for several years. This path was so hidden that many villagers living in the mountains had never heard of it. Yi Shi had learned about it during his kidnapping, hearing Lin Erde and the bald man muttering about it.
Lin Heyu descended the mountain and searched below the low peak. As the sky grew darker, he unintentionally removed a stone from the mountain wall and found that there was no soil structure behind it. His spirits lifted, and he took out his small knife to dig out all the various stones that were tightly packed together.
In an instant, the stones on the ground piled up into a small hill, revealing a narrow and low crack in the mountain. An adult would have to bend and turn sideways to squeeze through. This gap was likely formed where the two mountain bodies met and had been blocked by stones, with trees nearby hiding it. No wonder it had remained undiscovered for so long.
Lin Heyu, being tall and robust, managed to squeeze through the gap. Using the last bit of light before darkness fell, he saw a mass lying on a large rock in the distance, its limbs sprawled out and motionless. The military coat was soaked in dark brown blood, and there were streaks of dried blood on the edge of the stone.
Lin Erde was dead.
Lin Heyu had no intention of going over to check it personally. The area had long been untouched, damp, and dark, with the ground covered in accumulated sludge, easily leaving shoe prints. He turned on his flashlight to scan around, confirming that the empty cliff bottom contained only himself and the cold, lifeless body, growing colder as night fell.
Why had the search team taken so long to find Lin Erde’s body?
And this strange space—he wouldn’t be stuck here forever, would he?
Lin Heyu squeezed back out of the mountain crack and filled in the stones again, getting himself dirty in the process. As night fell, he turned on his flashlight and prepared to head to the small lake, but unexpectedly, he heard voices and footsteps approaching his direction.
“Who?!”
Two beams of light shone toward him, and Lin Heyu instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes. The two figures approached quickly: “…Captain Lin? What are you doing here?”
“…” Lin Heyu said sternly, “Looking for criminals.”
“Oh, oh…” The officers smiled, “We thought you had gone to the hospital.”
“Yeah, I did, but I came back to look for some clues.”
These two were colleagues borrowed from the grassroots police station to participate in the search. Lin Heyu asked, “Where’s the second team?”
“They are responsible for the southern side of Lover’s Peak, while our team from Gujiang Branch is searching the northern side. We’ve been back and forth a few times, but we haven’t found those two criminals.” The officer pointed toward the low peak. “There’s a crack in the middle, and the nearby villagers said there’s a rope to go down. We were just planning to go back and get our gear.”
Lin Heyu pondered for a few seconds, raising his hand: “No need. I’ve checked below. Let’s gather with the second team later to wrap things up. It’s dark; don’t get lost.”
Once the leader had spoken, the two officers nodded repeatedly. Lin Heyu followed behind them and met more colleagues from the Gujiang Branch. The calls of “Captain Lin” made him feel a sense of reality returning to him.
Having disappeared without warning and inexplicably returned, Lin Heyu smiled wryly, feeling a rare sense of fatigue: how many more “surprises” were there in the mirror world that he didn’t know about?
The colleagues he encountered in the mountains were all drawn in to help, and he never saw them again. They would never guess that the real Captain Lin was indeed in the hospital, and the “Captain Lin” they had met was from the future.
