“Hey! Wait! It’s already noon, why don’t you just stay and have lunch at our place before you go!” Seeing Emily Thompson about to leave, Michael Bolton’s mother hurriedly called out in a panic. Michael Bolton quickly grabbed her hand and shot her a glare: “Mom!”

Emily Thompson walked to the door and waved confidently at the two inside: “Remember, 3 p.m. this afternoon, Riverside Park.” Then she gently closed the door.

As soon as the door closed, Michael Bolton’s mother immediately pulled Michael Bolton aside, smiling at him: “Xiaoyu, is that girl your classmate? How come I’ve never seen her before?”

Michael Bolton muttered quietly, “It’s not just you, I haven’t seen her before either.” Michael Bolton’s mother didn’t catch what he said and kept pressing: “So, you two… how far have things gone? Is there a chance?”

Michael Bolton sighed helplessly: “Mom, what are you thinking! There’s nothing between us!”

Michael Bolton’s last relationship dated back to his university days. After graduation, they ended up far apart, and their feelings just faded away. Ever since he started working, there were hardly any female colleagues at his workplace, and with his busy schedule, he had even less time for dating. He wasn’t in a hurry, but his mother worried about it all the time. Seeing Emily Thompson, such a beautiful woman, show up at their home today made Michael Bolton’s mother beam with joy.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. There’s nothing now, but who knows about the future? Didn’t she just ask to meet you this afternoon? I’ll go cook!” Michael Bolton’s mother cheerfully carried the groceries to the kitchen, humming a little tune.

Michael Bolton’s father’s workplace was far away, so he didn’t come home for lunch. Even Michael Bolton’s mother only rushed home at noon to cook for her son because he was back. Once the meal was ready, she quickly ate a few bites and hurried back to work. But before leaving, she didn’t forget to remind Michael Bolton: “Remember what that girl said—3 p.m., Riverside Park. Don’t forget!”

Michael Bolton watched his mother leave with a wry smile, then flopped onto the sofa, thinking over what Emily Thompson had said to him earlier.

Although things like the main world, the world of legends, causal lines, and countercurrents all sounded utterly absurd, right now, aside from Emily Thompson, Michael Bolton had no other way to explain the disappearance of Ling Weiping and Zhang Yan.

Chapter 9: First Entry into the Shushan Realm

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

But how exactly was Emily Thompson’s so-called “salvation” supposed to be achieved?

All Michael Bolton could think about was how to bring his friend and brother back to this world. As for the things his mother was plotting, no matter how beautiful Emily Thompson was, he had no time for such idle thoughts right now.

Michael Bolton stared almost obsessively at the clock on the wall, watching the second hand tick by, feeling for the first time in his life that time was crawling. Finally, when it was half past two, he leapt up from the sofa.

He went out and caught a cab. When he arrived at Riverside Park, there were still ten minutes left before three.

Riverside Park was the largest park in the city, named for being built along the river that ran through town. The long, narrow park stretched along the riverbank; walking from one end to the other took at least twenty minutes. Usually, it was only in the evenings that couples out for a stroll, elderly people exercising, and pet owners walking their dogs could be seen here. But at three in the afternoon, under the blazing sun, the park was almost deserted.

Michael Bolton had no idea where in the park Emily Thompson would show up, so he simply found a bench in the shade and sat down, clutching his phone tightly as he waited for her call.

Finally, his phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number, but Michael Bolton wasn’t surprised. Since this mysterious girl Emily Thompson knew his name and address, it wasn’t strange for her to know his phone number too. He answered, and heard Emily Thompson’s voice: “Michael Bolton, if you’ve arrived, come to the small dock by the river.”

Michael Bolton hung up and walked toward the small dock Emily Thompson mentioned. It was a little dock in the park where boats used to be rented out. When Michael Bolton was a child, he often pestered his parents to take him boating there, but it had long since stopped operating.

From a distance, Michael Bolton saw Emily Thompson’s graceful figure. She stood by the river, her back to him, the wind off the water lifting her long hair so it floated in the air like willow branches.

Michael Bolton walked up to Emily Thompson and stood beside her, saying nothing, waiting for her to finish what she hadn’t said that morning.

“Are you sure you’re ready? I have to warn you, you might die.” Emily Thompson turned her face and looked deeply at Michael Bolton.

“Even if I don’t try to save the world, wouldn’t I be the next to disappear?” Michael Bolton smiled. “No need to say more—just tell me what to do.”

“Very well.” Emily Thompson nodded and began to explain: “The reason those legends in human history have vanished from the main world is precisely because they were extracted by Qian. After extraction, they were organized into independent worlds of legend. The one that’s collapsing now is called the Shushan Realm.”

Michael Bolton asked curiously, “The Shushan Realm? The one with the legendary sword-immortals who fly on swords?”