Striving for Science C98 pt1

The snow fell heavier and heavier, quickly piling up to shoulder height.

Shen Chang'an brushed the snow off his shoulder and stomped his frozen feet. "I don't know if what you said is true or not, but I want to see and feel for myself the good and bad of the people around me, not listen to gossip."

He was feeling very complicated right now, his mind was in a daze, and he inexplicably felt a sense of self-mockery. He had no parents, he was born of the heavens and nurtured by the earth.

Why would Dao Nian, a panda spirit, go to so much trouble to harm him? Was he a bamboo spirit in his previous life, and Dao Nian was trying to eat him?

All of this seemed absurdly ridiculous to Shen Chang'an. He had lived for over twenty years, and no one had told him how to find happiness. Now that he finally knew the taste of love, and wanted to spend his life with him, people were jumping out to tell him not to be with that person, that he would be killed.

Was he not meant to be loved?

His parents died early, his grandmother despised him, and even his lover was using him?

Gossip?

The old woman was stunned. She looked at the young man in front of her. The last few times they met, he always had a smile on his face, and he would walk her across the street. This was the first time he had shown her a serious expression.

"Lord, the old woman has no intention of harming you." The old woman said bitterly, "Please don't misunderstand the old woman."

"I know you may not have any intention of harming me, but people walk their own path." Shen Chang'an said, a self-deprecating smile appearing on his face. "I forgot, in your eyes, I'm not even human. Then tell me, what am I?"

"You are... the hope of all living beings." The old woman knelt down. "You are our redemption."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Shen Chang'an jumped three feet in the air. He looked around and reached out to pull the old woman up. "Don't kneel, if someone takes a picture, tomorrow I'll be a heartless rich man, bullying an old woman!"

But when he pulled, he couldn't move her.

He pulled again, still couldn't move her.

"No, just cooperate with me, will you? I can't even get an old woman up, I'll be so embarrassed."

Hearing Shen Chang'an's words, the old woman quickly stood up. "Lord, you are now a mortal body, if I don't want to be pulled by you, you can't pull me up."

"Then who are you?"

The old woman smiled modestly. "The old woman is the Nine Heavens Guardian Mother Yuanjun."

Shen Chang'an was completely confused.

"People also call me the Bedside Granny, or the Goddess of Childbirth." The old woman bowed to Shen Chang'an. "It was the old woman who sent you to this world."

Shen Chang'an finally knew who this old woman was. When he was in the countryside for those two years, he had seen the old women in the village wanting a grandson, kneeling before the stone statue at the head of the village, saying it was the Goddess of Childbirth.

But... none of them worked.

"People pray for sons and avoid daughters, going against the old woman's wishes, so naturally the old woman will not fulfill the wishes of these believers." The Nine Heavens Guardian Mother Yuanjun seemed to know what Shen Chang'an was thinking. She explained, "Heaven and earth have yin and yang, and offspring are not just male."

He was a little embarrassed that she had guessed what he was thinking. "Granny, thank you for your kindness, but the relationship between Dao Nian and me is not something that can be described as using or harming. You may have misunderstood him, and I hope that next time we meet, you won't say bad things about him."

"Do you know who he is?"

Shen Chang'an watched the old woman warily. He had heard that gods enjoyed slaying demons and eliminating evil spirits. What if she was trying to get information from him so she could go after Dao Nian?

Seeing Shen Chang'an's guarded stance, the old woman chuckled again. "Sir, have you ever heard of the saying, 'The Great Dao is fifty, Heaven's Mandate is forty-nine, and one escapes?'"

"From the I Ching?"

"You are the one who breaks the rules, and he is the one who protects them. Either he will ultimately bind you, or you will ultimately destroy the rules. He has vast supernatural powers, but you have been bound by the rules again and again, and you are now incredibly weak. This is your one hundredth life, and it is your last chance." 

The old woman looked at Shen Chang'an with pity. After a century of turmoil, life had only been able to be reborn in the human realm thanks to her, the Goddess of Childbirth, who had little faith and incense left. If he failed in the end, the entire world would be ruled by Heavenly Dao, and the saying 'Man can conquer Heaven' would become a joke.

"So I've lived a hundred lives?" Shen Chang'an was shocked.

The old woman: "..."

Was that really the point of her statement?

The old woman began to wonder if the Life Dao had reincarnated too many times, causing his strength to weaken and accidentally damaging his brain.

The atmosphere was stagnant for a moment. The old woman's aura of sorrow and pathos, carried by the winter wind, slowly drifted away, away.

After the cold wind passed, the old woman took a deep breath. "I hope you will take good care of yourself, sir. This old woman takes her leave."

Without waiting for Shen Chang'an to speak further, the old woman vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Wait..." Shen Chang'an was hit in the face by the cold snow whipped up by the wind. He wiped the snow off his face. "Old god, are you that short-tempered?"

"Forty-nine, one?" He kicked the snow with his toes. According to the Goddess of Childbirth, he wasn't just not human, but he was the 'one'?

What was Dao Nian?

The forty-nine that was destined to be his counterpart?

Heaven's Mandate...

No, no, no, no, that couldn't be right. He must have misunderstood.

He, Shen Chang'an, was definitely not a man with the audacity to challenge Heaven.

"Hey, buddy, what are you doing standing here?" A driver saw Shen Chang'an standing dumbly by the side of the road and spoke up. "Did you get dumped or fired? Whatever it is, go home and have some hotpot to think it over. It's rare for Wuming City to have a big snow like this in twenty years. Don't get any crazy ideas about jumping into the sewage ditch next door."

Shen Chang'an touched his head, realizing it was covered in snow. He thanked the driver and quickly got back into his car.

With such a heavy snowfall, he could build a snowman with Dao Nian!

***

The hour hand slowly moved to the right. Dao Nian, after selecting his gemstones, sat lazily by the floor-to-ceiling window. Snowflakes swirled and fell outside, and he watched the direction of the door without speaking.

No one spoke in the room. The freshly brewed tea on the table had been changed twice, but Chang'an still hadn't returned.

"Sir…"

"Bring another pot of hot tea."

"Yes."

Dao Nian, expressionless, played with the black agate in his hand. He pushed open the floor-to-ceiling window and tossed the agate into the snow. Soon, the agate was covered by the snow.

He stared at the patch of snow covering the agate, his gaze cold.

The wind carried snowflakes onto his knees. He looked at the icy things with annoyance, suddenly finding the snowy day rather dull.

"Dao Nian!"

A familiar voice sounded from outside the villa.

Dao Nian looked up and saw Shen Chang'an running towards him, his head covered in snow. He seemed to be holding something in his arms. Dao Nian blinked slowly, then nonchalantly stood up and took a couple of steps before turning back to wave his hand, sweeping the agate out of the snow.

The black agate stone lay in his white palm, looking exceptionally beautiful.

"I'm freezing, I'm freezing." As soon as Shen Chang'an entered the house, he jumped up and down, shaking off the snow from his body, looking like a puppy that had been playing in the snow.

"It's snowing so heavily today." He took off his coat and scarf, handing the sweet-smelling baked sweet potato to Dao Nian. "It's a snowy day, do you want some sweet potato?"

Seeing that Shen Chang'an's palm was red from the heat of the sweet potato, Dao Nian took it and said, "Change your shoes."

"I'm holding food, how can I go change my shoes?" Shen Chang'an took off his shoes and put on his fluffy slippers. Seeing the floor-to-ceiling window open, he shivered from the cold and quickly went to close it. "It's so cold, we should close the window."

Dao Nian broke open the sweet potato and took the small spoon Liu Mao handed him, scooping a piece of sweet potato into his mouth.

The sweet aroma of the sweet potato instantly filled his entire body.

"What are we having for dinner tonight?" Shen Chang'an used a dry towel to wipe the snow water from his hair, walked over to Dao Nian, and tucked his hand under Dao Nian's coat.

"Seeing the snow outside, I told them to prepare a hot pot." Dao Nian scooped a spoonful of sweet potato and fed it to Shen Chang'an's mouth. "If you don't like it, I'll have them make something else."

"I love it, I love it, I love the hotpot here the most." Shen Chang'an swallowed the sweet potato Dao Nian fed him, shouting towards the kitchen, "Uncle Zhao, remember to make more bamboo shoots."

"Do you like bamboo shoots?" Dao Nian scooped another spoonful and fed it to Shen Chang'an's mouth.

"I don't like them." Shen Chang'an grinned, "But don't all you pandas love bamboo shoots?"

Dao Nian: "..."

He shoved the spoon into Shen Chang'an's mouth: "Eat it yourself."

"I bought this for you." Shen Chang'an chewed on the spoon, his words muffled. He swallowed the sweet potato and took the spoon out of his mouth. "I even sold my looks to get the old lady selling sweet potatoes to pick the sweetest and softest ones for me. You wouldn't be doing me justice if you didn't eat it."

"I'm sorry, I prefer bamboo shoots." At this moment, Dao Nian was a heartless killer.

"You've cultivated into a human, you shouldn't be picky." Shen Chang'an scooped a large spoonful and fed it to Dao Nian's mouth. "Ah."

"No."

"Really not?"

Dao Nian ignored him.

After a while, he heard Shen Chang'an humming beside him.

"Little Chang'an, no one loves you, you're freezing like a dog in the snow. You sold your looks to buy sweet potatoes, but your boyfriend doesn't care…"

Dao Nian: "..."

In the end, they finished the slightly cold roasted sweet potatoes. Then, Shen Chang'an put on his leather boots, scarf, and hat, and dragged Dao Nian out to build a snowman.

Shen Chang'an grew up in the capital, so he was quite skilled at building snowmen. He turned around and saw Dao Nian holding a box of gems, and was startled: "Dao Nian, what are you doing?"