Volume One, Chapter Eleven: Hidden Within

Page 1

Monday morning dawned shrouded in thick fog. School buses formed a slow-moving procession, stretching forward in a single line. From a distance, they resembled a colossal serpent gliding through deserted streets.

Inside one bus, Mo De gazed helplessly at Wu Fan, whose face was ashen and lifeless. Mo De sighed, resigned.

"Hey, Fatty Wu, if you're really going to get carsick, don't throw up on me," said Ji Keqing, sitting beside Wu Fan. Her golden twin ponytails framed a fearful expression as she shrank away toward the window, anxious about the possibility of collateral damage. "Mo De, Mo De, how about we switch seats?" She turned to Mo De, asking tentatively.

"Better not. My seatmate can't handle much more either," Mo De replied, pointing over his shoulder. Only then did Ji Keqing realize that Su Ziwen wasn't merely asleep; she was curled up in her seat, her face pale, cold sweat beading on her brow, eyes fixed on her toes, one hand covering her mouth, the other clutching her stomach, barely holding herself together.

Ji Keqing cast a sympathetic glance at Mo De, then dutifully returned to her seat, moving quietly and gently, afraid to trigger the two ticking time bombs around her.

The journey from Tianshui High School to the center of Qin City usually took two hours, but the fog stretched it into half a day. By the time they arrived at the designated hotel, lunchtime was approaching.

Ji Keqing supported Su Ziwen, Mo De hoisted Wu Fan, and together they delivered their half-dead, carsick companions to their rooms to rest. Wu Fan recovered astonishingly fast, and by lunchtime, he was revived by the aroma of food, eyes gleaming as he dragged Mo De at a run toward the cafeteria. After a whirlwind feast, he patted his stomach with satisfaction. "Full health restored!"

"Who'd have thought a big guy like you would get carsick?" mocked Ji Keqing, approaching with a plate of dessert cake.

"So what if I do? The class monitor gets carsick too. If I'm in the same boat as the monitor, I'm proud!" Wu Fan retorted, a master of twisting logic.

"How's the monitor?" Mo De interrupted their banter.

"Ziwen still isn't well; she's sleeping now. I'll bring her some food later, so she can eat when she wakes," Ji Keqing replied, shooting Wu Fan a glare as he pulled faces behind her.

...

At one-thirty in the afternoon, Mo De spotted the meeting point from afar. Su Ziwen was eating quickly, nibbling food from a bag, while Ji Keqing stood by, apologetic, holding a cup and napkins. Before Mo De drew near, he saw the two girls swiftly exchange their items. Su Ziwen wiped her mouth with a napkin, handed the bag and napkins to Ji Keqing, tapped her chest and sipped water, perhaps from eating too hastily. Ji Keqing briskly disposed of the bag and napkins in the trash and hurried back.

"What happened, overslept?" Wu Fan teased Ji Keqing, barely suppressing laughter.

"Shut up, you fat oaf!" Ji Keqing snapped, gently patting Su Ziwen’s back as she glared at Wu Fan like a ruffled kitten. After lunch, Ji Keqing had found Su Ziwen sleeping soundly and intended to let her rest longer, but ended up dozing off herself. Both were awakened by the alarm set for the meeting, forcing Su Ziwen into the awkward situation of eating on the spot.

"I'm fine, Keqing." Su Ziwen tightened her grip on her water bottle and lightly tapped Ji Keqing's shoulder to reassure her. Ji Keqing relaxed a little. Wu Fan, meanwhile, exaggerated his expressions, provoking Ji Keqing to pounce at him, claws bared.

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"Let's go, Old Qiao is over there. We'd better hurry," Mo De interjected to break up the scuffle.

"Come on, don't be late," Su Ziwen urged. The others stopped their antics, and the four set off for the entrance of the Gui Cang Museum.

Standing in line, they listened as the tour guide patiently introduced the museum’s background.

The name "Gui Cang" comes from the ancient chronicle "Three Changes," specifically the chapter titled "Gui Cang," which also means "to gather and store." Several Gui Cang museums are established across the country, each preserving relatively complete records of the old calendar and new era, with some housing artifacts for display.

Under the guidance of several tour guides, students from Tianshui High School entered the museum in an orderly fashion. Just before stepping through the gate, Mo De glanced up at the ancient black sign bearing the three characters for "Gui Cang Museum," recalling what a certain man had once told him.

"Some things, even if you can't witness them yourself, just glimpsing their fragments is enough to stir the soul."

The dark corridor was short but exceptionally quiet. The surrounding shuffle of footsteps couldn’t mask the quickening hearts of these young visitors.

Stepping into the light, everyone paused in awe before moving forward at the gentle prompting of the guide. Yet all eyes were fixed on the floating projections overhead, unable to look away.

There, in a small space, was a brilliant scene: the blue seas and skies of paradise, the surge of countless birds and beasts, the glory of human civilization dominating its realm, all cast in shimmering light.

Beauty so dazzling it stunned the senses, so stirring it ignited longing, so moving it brought tears.

Such grandeur, such vitality—too overwhelming for these students who had rarely ventured beyond the safe boundaries of Qin City.

"According to the old calendar, humanity originated from an ancient species called 'forest apes'..." The guide’s gentle voice gradually drew the awestruck group back to reality. As she narrated the emergence of humans, the dawn of civilization, evolution of instincts, and birth of consciousness, the students progressed along the corridor, viewing documents and illustrations as if witnessing the evolution of mankind firsthand.

From mastering fire to using tools, then to industrial revolution, humanity’s civilization in its final millennium experienced explosive growth: electricity, machinery, biology, intelligence, quantum—humanity seemed poised to break free from the blue planet’s bonds. The curvature engine was successfully designed, and matter analysis had begun to unravel the structure of the Higgs boson. The fire of civilization raged, as if to consume every obstacle and illuminate every inch of space within human sight.

"When human civilization climbed from its peak to even higher heights, the old era quietly came to an end, and an upheaval ushered in a new calendar." The guide stopped in the central hall, smiling at the still-entranced students. "Today's tour ends here. Tomorrow, we'll continue and explain the remaining exhibits."

Leaving the museum, everyone walked out in silence.

Stepping onto a small plaza, Mo De felt a faint dizziness, as if all the surprise, joy, and tension of the day had accumulated into a wave of fatigue. He shook his head and turned to see the others similarly exhausted.

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"Goodness, I didn't feel it while touring, but now I'm utterly wiped out," Wu Fan said, disregarding his dignity as he slumped onto the plaza, pulling out a towel to mop his sweat.

"Whew, Mo De... How do you look so unfazed?" asked class representative Zhuo Cheng, rubbing his cramped calves and cleaning his glasses, looking at Mo De.

"Maybe I have good stamina," Mo De replied, scratching his nose with an embarrassed smile.

Once, when he was little, a man had often told him stories of the old era’s splendor. Yet when recounting them, the man’s eyes held no longing or excitement—only a quiet melancholy and a hint of nostalgia.

"If you’ve rested enough, everyone get up. The next group will arrive soon. Remember to rest well tonight—tomorrow’s museum tour will likely be even more exhausting," the tour guide said, helping each collapsed student up, her sweet voice gentle and smiling.

"Darn, I was planning to have fun tonight..." Wu Fan stood, leaving a "human" shaped mark on the ground.

"Let’s go, stop dreaming. Tomorrow’s tour may cover events we’ve studied in history, but with the museum’s projection technology, it’ll probably be quite thrilling," Mo De said, pulling Wu Fan up and glancing around at the others. The half-day tour had been long, but everyone was so entranced by the sights that they forgot their fatigue. Even the usually energetic students now seemed drained, likely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and emotional impact. Yet Su Ziwen, slender and quiet as ever, showed no change, calmly supporting a trembling Ji Keqing as they headed for the exit.

"People really do surprise you," Mo De muttered softly, beckoning Wu Fan to follow.

...

The signal light shifted, vibrations on the sleepers grew rapid, and the roar of an approaching train drew near. "Train D21 is about to arrive. Please keep clear of the platform..." The dust settled, the doors opened. A tall figure emerged, moving with the sparse crowd. Standing on the platform, Mu Qing checked her phone, confirming tomorrow’s destination.

"Qin City, Gui Cang Museum."