Chapter Thirty-Four: The Restoration of Memory

Before his eyes even opened, a heavy, metallic scent of blood invaded his nostrils.

Where was this place? A sharp pain stabbed through Xiao Ding’s mind.

In that brief instant, something seemed to stir within him—memories half-remembered, half-lost. Then agony surged again, and once more, he slipped into unconsciousness...

In the haze of his dreams, he glimpsed Qing’er, the girl he yearned for day and night, waving to him. “Xiao Ding, I’ve come to find you!” Her voice was clear, her face radiant with a smile...

“Qing’er, I miss you so much...” Xiao Ding called out at once.

“Xiao Ding, this time we can be together forever...” Qing’er ran to him, joyful.

“Yes, together—forever together...” Xiao Ding murmured, running towards her in turn...

But suddenly, Qing’er vanished. As Xiao Ding wondered, other familiar faces appeared—Xue Hui, Fei Fei, Naiko, Yuan’er...

“Are you all alright?” Xiao Ding asked. In a flash, the scenes on that deserted island returned to him...

On that forsaken island, they had faced adversity together—danger, darkness, evil. United in purpose, they struggled fiercely, battling the heavens, the earth, and wicked men. Through hardship and peril, they lived and died as one, bound together like family...

“Xiao Ding, you’re still alive... We’ve missed you so much...” The women gathered around him, chattering affectionately...

“I’ve missed you all, too...” Xiao Ding replied. Just as he stepped forward to speak with them, they vanished once again...

In his stupor, Xiao Ding felt a tongue licking his face and heard the anxious whimpers of a dog nearby...

Slowly, he opened his eyes. He saw brown fur and a wide swath of bloodstains...

Turning his face to the side, he finally saw the little wolf licking his face...

It turned out that, at the moment the brown bear had yanked him from the tree, Xiao Ding had struck the bear, and his knife plunged into its neck...

The bear, falling to the ground, smashed its head against the iron rod Xiao Ding had dropped earlier, opening a gaping wound. Xiao Ding landed atop the bear, avoiding a fatal impact, but his head struck the bear’s jaw, knocking him out...

When the brown bear had first appeared, the little wolf had barked bravely at it a few times. Then, seeing Xiao Ding flee, it had followed suit.

Yet the bear never paid the wolf any mind, its focus solely on chasing Xiao Ding.

After Xiao Ding and the bear tumbled from the tree, the little wolf had run over to call for him.

Last time, he had crushed a giant wolf; this time, a giant bear. Was he destined just to slay beasts? Xiao Ding mused.

His head still throbbed, but this bout of unconsciousness had restored his memories.

Amnesia often arises from injury to the part of the brain that stores memories. Recovery usually comes when those neurons heal.

He remembered now why he had suddenly fallen from the sky last time.

Beneath that deserted island, they had slain the great villain together. But in a careless moment, he was sucked into a bottomless pit and, in a haze, found himself in this world.

“Have I crossed between worlds? Or been reincarnated?” Xiao Ding wondered aloud. He had read few such stories, but understood the gist.

He touched the swollen lump on his forehead—it hurt terribly. His body felt broken, but he managed to roll over, lying beside the bear with his face to the sky. Above him, the clear sky was cut into fragments by the jagged leaves. Sunlight filtered through the gaps, warming his face.

“My dear Spirit Cat, my beloved Qing’er, are you all right...” he silently prayed.

Spirit Cat was Qing’er’s codename; her real name was Ouyang Qing. Both she and Xiao Ding had once been trainee agents, but by strange fate had ended up stranded on a deserted island.

Thinking of his beloved, now living in another world, pain pierced his heart and tears filled his eyes...

Recalling those who had shared hardship with him on the island deepened his longing and sorrow. No wonder their names had lingered even through his amnesia; his bond with them was forged in life and death—how could he ever forget? Even if he crossed the River of Forgetfulness and drank the potion of oblivion, he would not forget them!

Longing surged like an unstoppable river, and in that moment, scenes from the past flickered by like a film...

Their radiant figures, their voices and laughter, their days and nights together—all appeared before Xiao Ding’s eyes...

“There’s no way back to that world...” he thought in despair.

From what he knew, the protagonists in stories of world-crossing seldom returned; once gone, they did not come back. If he had been reincarnated, returning was impossible.

Xiao Ding had always been a skeptic, never believing in crossing worlds or reincarnation. Such things were nonsense! Yet, as it happened to him, how could he explain it?

Lying there, he forgot his pain, forgot the dangers of the forest. The more he longed, the more he sorrowed; the deeper his sorrow, the more he yearned...

Once sorrow begins, it is difficult to stop. Like a lonely man drinking old wine—the more he drinks, the more he yearns to be drunk; the deeper his intoxication, the more he wishes to drink...

Eventually, Xiao Ding broke down in tears.

Why had he crossed into this world? He still had no idea what kind of world this was.

Judging by the clothing and habits of its people, it was an ancient era. In time, it was certainly before his original world, but which dynasty, he could not tell.

Yet, whatever the era, he had never wished to come!

All he wanted was to live in his old world with his beloved, through wealth and poverty, health and sickness, success and failure, always together, sharing life and death...

Yet, fate had dragged him here, after he had already endured countless hardships and trials, separated from his beloved by the ends of the earth.

Perhaps, there is a kind of misfortune in the world called “relying on mountains that crumble, on seas that flatten.”

Sometimes, if heaven decrees your defeat, you cannot escape it.

After his outpouring of tears, Xiao Ding’s grief eased somewhat. He sat up and saw that most of the afternoon had passed. He had no heart for anything else, sitting there dazed and lost.

The little wolf, seeing Xiao Ding sit up, also rose and came to him, rubbing its head against him like a puppy.

Xiao Ding regarded the wolf curiously, wondering why it was so affectionate.

Then it struck him—canine creatures have keen senses of smell. Perhaps it detected the scent of the giant wolf on him?

He had donned yesterday’s tattered clothes to enter the mountains, and after carrying the male wolf for so long, the scent surely lingered.

So, it really was the pup of those gray wolves!

He examined the little wolf closely; it was still young, clumsy and adorable, resembling an Alaskan puppy. If it didn’t harm anyone, he thought, he could keep it, as one would a dog.

He reached out to stroke the wolf’s head, and the little creature accepted his touch with quiet enjoyment.

Absentmindedly, Xiao Ding caressed its gray fur, his empty gaze fixed ahead. But in his mind, scenes of joy with his companions replayed, and tears slipped once more from the corners of his eyes...

Indeed:

Separated by endless distance, alone and silent, sorrow and pain;
Even a man sheds tears for love, his heart broken for her in this life!

PS: Regarding the story before Xiao Ding crossed worlds, Tian Er once intended to write a “Legend of the Deserted Island.” Only part was written, but due to sensitive content and vocabulary, it could not be uploaded online and thus remained unfinished. If there is an opportunity in the future, Tian Er may complete the whole tale.