Phi-Fic Chapter 309 The Gears of the Rain Curtain
Chapter 309 The Gears of the Rain Curtain
In the late spring of the thirteenth year of the Zhenyuan era, cold rain dripped from the eaves of the Chunmingmen post station. Song Xiaobai's knees rubbed against the moss-covered bluestone slabs, and his silver ingot left bloodstains in his palm.
My younger brother Xiaojun's wheelchair was parked three steps away in the shade of a locust tree. The tung oil from the wheelchair's axle was seeping into the cracks in the brickwork, like the melting glaciers in the uninhabited snowy region of our hometown...
"Lord Postmaster!" Her cry was swept into the sky by the west wind. As the curtain of the last post carriage swept past the corner, someone pressed down on her trembling shoulders.
The shadow of the cloak, carrying the scent of cedar, descended, and the "Wolf King" sternly struck the Western Region copper bell on the edge of the carriage: "Remember this, the snow-topped camel milk tea on Medical Street is better for healing bones than butter tea."
The gold-inlaid jade nail guard that slipped from his sleeve brushed against Song Xiaobai's smooth hand, revealing faint Sanskrit characters on the inside—the coded patterns of the Buddha's eye relic.
Three days later, the morning frost on Zhuque Street was crushed by the wheels of an oxcart. Through the curtain, Song Xiaobai saw a dark blue figure flash by, and the purse was already hooked by the fingertips of the habitual thief Da Qin.
The purple flying locust bead of the Golden Guard, grazed Daqin's ear and embedded itself in the locust wood, startling the yellow ox so much that it stood upright.
"Are you heading to the West Market, young lady?" His sword flashed coldly, but he turned and shielded her as he led her into the alleyway. "The Buddha's eye at Ximing Temple and the princess's 'Rhinoceros Heart'—could they have been formed from the same meteorite?"
These words startled Song Xiaobai, who gripped the carriage curtain tightly, but she didn't notice that in the shadows at the street corner, the Wolf King was using a Tibetan silver hairpin to pick up the handkerchief she had left behind.
The double lotus flowers embroidered on Song Xiaobai's handkerchief were now emitting a faint glow—a secret technique used by the Snow Region witch doctor to mark the "Rhinoceros Heart Host".
At three-quarters past midnight, the rain-soaked alleys of Pingkangfang were filled with the damp smell of cosmetics and rust.
Cong Xiaoye swiftly swung her knife, using her breath to sever the spiderweb. There stood the fluffy little sparrow, trimming its nails with its tiny, gold-inlaid claws, and saying in a childish voice, "Last night a pretty lady with arched eyebrows traded a fragrant merchant's sachet for sweet osmanthus wine!"
At this moment, Niwanzi slammed open the back window and immediately spotted the pink rouge mark on the windowsill. It looked exactly the same as the mark left by Song Daqin that she had seen at the weaving workshop last time!
He suddenly tilted his head and remembered that when he went to Song Erjiu's house to "explore" this morning, there was a Tibetan silver gua sha comb hidden in the pile of broken porcelain shards—the mysterious seal script inside the teeth was like a soulmate to the shiny reliquary box!
At that moment, on the flower-covered bed in the Yuelai Inn, Song Erjiu was chirping a pigeon whistle. Suddenly, in the rapidly spinning water clock, the bronze figure's eyes lit up with a "whoosh," and binary code flashed in its pupils like tiny ants lining up!
The bronze Tibetan medicine box that used to spin around also started moving on its own, popping out a letter with the words "Waiting to Return" on it. Later, it slowly turned into a small red dot.
Niwan Zi suddenly slapped his forehead and remembered that the little Sizi he met at Anfu Gate was holding an AR sugar figurine and a lotus lantern. Wasn't that the one he carved for his beloved woman?
The torrential rain poured down all the way to the modern street corner. Cong Xiaoye's phone navigation suddenly popped up with a "ding" indicating "Fifth Block, Zhuque Avenue".
The subway map suddenly transformed into the shimmering waves of a moat, and beneath the red gates of Anfumen, Xiao Sizi's holographic barrier rippled like a small pond: "Here comes the third question~ What exactly is hidden in the Tibetan medicine box?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the sugar figurine cracked open with a "snap," and Si Zi licked it with his tongue, licking out a small gear from the comb. It perfectly matched the "mysterious evidence" he had given to Cong Xiaoye that day, forming a round yin-yang symbol!
In the back alley of the clinic, Song Xiaobai had the Wolf King's silver hairpin pressed against his throat. "Who exactly is the Buddha's Eye a vessel for?" His voice, tinged with mildew, suddenly vanished as a stream of data, and the logo of "Thief Mirage" was projected onto the wall—a holographic advertisement for Song Erjiu Company.
When the purple locust-shaped dzi bead shattered the projection, she saw her medical record still fluttering in the data stream: "Heart transplant successful, because the patient carries the Buddha Eye gene..."
Beneath Anfu Gate, Song Erjiu, clutching a Tibetan silver comb, rushed towards the vermilion-lacquered gate. The sounds of modern police sirens overlapped with the drumbeats of the Tang Dynasty, and the memories of programmer Song Erjiu intertwined with those of constable Niwan Zi, resonating within the Tibetan medicine box.
Song Xiaobai's younger brother, Xiaojun, also turned the wheelchair, making a creaking sound, playing the same frequency as the Tibetan medicine box—that was the biological code to open the "Green Mountain Mirage" system.
The purple-clad dagger emitted a buzzing sound, and the secret inscription on its scabbard appeared: "When the Buddha's eye resonates with the Rhinoceros's heart, the Green Mountain Mirage collapses. No matter how much reward is offered, it cannot be activated..."
Song Daqin mingled among the Hu merchants, tossing gold ingots around. The pearl pendant on her earlobe reflected a dual image: on one side were offerings from Zhaximing Temple, and on the other were energy chips from a scientific laboratory.
In the rain, the group reunited at the crossroads of the past and present. The hidden compartment beneath Xiao Jun's carriage slowly opened, and the Buddha's eye relic and the chip rose simultaneously, transforming into streams of light in the downpour.
In the distance came the shouts of modern police: "Tang Dynasty gears have been discovered at the Anfumen site!" Meanwhile, Niwanzi stroked the birthmark on Song Xiaobai's arm; its shape matched the login key for the "Mirage" system, and the server's red alarm began to flash.
Programmer Song Erjiu, watching himself on the monitor, trembled as he pressed the delete key. Suddenly, Niwan Zi in the frame turned his head, his sword pointing at the camera: "What's being deleted—the virtual reality, or us?"
The rain in Chang'an City grew heavier, and the bluestone slabs of Zhuque Avenue overlapped with the modern asphalt road surface in the puddles. A mystery about reality and illusion was only just beginning...