635 Helping Hand

[POV: Nongmin]

Before him stood Da Wei, his old friend.

Tears silently streamed down Da Wei's cheeks as he fell on one knee, memories of a life that the 'real Da Wei' lived replaying in his vision and experiencing them a second time through Nongmin's soul. In this case, probably the second time counting there first meeting,

The maids of the manor immediately scurried toward Da Wei.

“Master David!”

“Are you all right?”

“What happened?”

“Who is this man?”

“Did he hurt you?”

One of the maids turned toward Nongmin, her expression suddenly wary. “Stay away from Master David!”

Another stepped forward. “If you did anything to him, I swear—”

“I warn you!” another maid shouted. “Don’t take another step!”

Nongmin stared at them, following their words. Everywhere Da Wei went, he was loved. Even here. Even in this strange world where he had been separated from everything he knew, he had somehow gathered people around himself who cared for him.

The maids were growing desperate. Those among them who possessed even a sliver of supernatural power moved to surround Da Wei protectively. Two of them conjured weapons from divine power, their forms shaped through what appeared to be Holy Spirit Conjuration.

Nongmin's eyes narrowed at the sight. By his estimate, it had been merely ten years since Da Wei had fallen into this world, and he had already cultivated warriors capable of using supernatural powers. In the mysterious environment of the False Earth, where simply awakening a supernatural ability was already a miracle, that was an impressive achievement.

“What did you do to him!?”

“Answer!”

The two maids raised their divine weapons.

Da Wei lifted a hand. “It's fine.” The simple gesture immediately soothed them. “I'm fine,” he assured them. “Really. Nobody needs to panic.”

The maids reluctantly lowered their weapons.

Da Wei slowly stood and turned toward Nongmin. Their eyes met. There was unspoken pain in Da Wei's eyes. He looked like a man who had just been forced to confront a life that did not feel like his own.

“What do you prefer?” asked Nongmin quietly. “David or Da Wei?”

Da Wei winced. “Call me whatever you’re more comfortable with.”

Nongmin nodded. “Da Wei it is, then.”

It was clear. They had not truly reclaimed him. Not yet. Still, Nongmin had to ask. “Are you back with us?”

“No,” answered Da Wei honestly. “I don’t think so.”

Nongmin's heart sank, while Da Wei continued.

“These... memories. It’s hard to describe. It’s almost like they have nothing to do with me. I remember them now, but they don't feel like my memories. They're mine, but at the same time, they aren't.”

He was torn, conflicted, and lost.

Nongmin was glad he had answered honestly.

Otherwise, he would have been forced to resort to more drastic measures such as restraining Da Wei and dragging him away against his will. Nongmin was confident he could accomplish it, even with the restrictions this world placed upon his powers and the fact that this was Da Wei they were talking about.

The Da Wei standing before him had never been weaker. And right now, he was shaken.

Da Wei sighed. “I need some time to think.” He glanced toward Nongmin and Tao Long. “You can stay here if you want. It probably won't be for long, though.”

Before Nongmin could answer, Da Wei vanished. His movement technique left behind nothing more than a brief burst of light. An awkward, almost painfully long silence followed. The maids stared at one another, glancing uncomfortably at Nongmin and Tao Long.

Nobody seemed quite sure what they were supposed to do next.

Nongmin eventually broke the silence. “The porch would do.” He looked toward the tea table. “I'd like to try this world's tea. It's a start.”

He walked toward the now-empty table. Only then did he notice the woman with red hair sitting there, still bound to the chair. She looked utterly baffled.

Nongmin gave her a polite smile. “I believe an introduction is in order. You seem to be no ordinary character.” He pulled out a chair. “My name is Nongmin. You?”

The maids finally seemed to regain their bearings. One hurried over and offered Tao Long a seat beside Nongmin. Another took away Da Wei's half-finished cup and replaced it with a fresh one, then placed another cup before Tao Long. They served the tea with unexpected professionalism. Their movements were practiced. Their expressions, however, remained deeply uncomfortable.

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Tao Long took his seat and glanced toward the direction Da Wei had disappeared. “Do you really think it's wise to let Da Wei go? He might run.”

Nongmin calmly lifted his cup. “He won't. This is his idea, after all.”

"Huh?" Tao Long seemed ready to ask another question, but he restrained himself in the presence of the maids and the red-haired woman.

The red-haired woman spoke first. “Let me go.” Her voice carried both urgency and frustration. “It seems you are aware of this existence, Da Wei. He's an Evil God that must be taken down. Help me. My Order will reward you.”

Tao Long scoffed. “Missy, he's the furthest thing from an Evil God that I know of.”

The woman looked at him.

Tao Long took a sip of tea. “But an Order?” He shook his head, his expression hardening like ice. “We decline. There’s nothing in this void-corrupted world that could interest us.”

“What can the Order offer us?” Nongmin asked.

Tao Long nearly choked on his tea. “W-What? Hey, what are you doing?”

A flicker of realization crossed the red-haired woman’s face. “You are like Da Wei. An Outsider.”

Tao Long winced. “I can’t believe a day would come when such a term would be used on us. This is unpleasant.”

“Unpleasant?” The woman scowled. “Imagine what that feels like for me. Your lot is the bane of this world. The ancient scriptures of the Order showed me how lofty and vile your kind are. Oral stories of your wickedness have been passed down for generations, cultivating the kind of mindset that would allow us to fight back if the time ever came.”

Nongmin quietly placed his cup down. “Ignorance is bliss.”

“Excuse me?”

The woman's expression made it clear that she had taken offense.

Nongmin sighed. “I don't even know where to start. You have no idea what happened. You don't know where we came from, what we fought, or what happened before this world became what it is now. You can believe whatever you want. That part is up to you, but this is what I have to say.”

He leaned back in his chair.

“I wasn't there. Even I don't know everything that happened. But I still know more than you do. It was a war designed to sweep across the entire world. There wasn't supposed to be a single survivor. There wasn't supposed to be any trace of civilization left behind. Everything was meant to be reset according to the design of the master of this world.”

The woman shook her head. “No. I don't believe you. It's easy to say you know what happened—”

“And you aren't?” Nongmin scoffed. “The words you know and the accusations you hold in your heart, are they the truth? Why would you deny the truth I know without even having a basis for doing so, simply because you were led to believe otherwise? I call that an ignorant way of thinking.”

Tao Long finally spoke. “In fact, our side was quite surprised when we learned that the civilizations that remained in the False Earth were still intact and had continued to develop.”

He gestured toward the city around them. “This? Everything around us? None of it was meant to exist. This world should have returned to the feudal ages, where cold arms were the norm. If the so-called master of this world had gotten his way, you wouldn't be standing here arguing with us.”

The woman's expression tightened.

Tao Long pushed himself to his feet, clearly running out of patience. “Nongmin, enough of this. We need to talk.”

Nongmin gave him a sideways glance before looking toward the maids. “We'll be back around dinner.”

The maids looked at him, surprised.

“Expect us.” He added, rising from his seat. “We're just going to stroll around the city for a while.”

Tao Long was already walking away.

Nongmin followed after him, leaving the red-haired woman behind with the uncomfortable maids and a conversation that, for now, had gone nowhere.

“What is it?” Nongmin asked.

“Why did you do that?” Tao Long asked.

Nongmin glanced back toward the manor. “That woman was an Ancient Soul.”

Tao Long's expression changed immediately, surprised that Nongmin could identify an Ancient Soul at first glance. Nongmin used a method he devised after the events of the False Earth's Ascension Games. Da Wei had barely survived that ordeal, and the experience had made one thing painfully clear. If something similar happened again, they needed countermeasures in place before they encountered another Ancient Soul.

“How ancient are we talking?” Tao Long asked. “Did she participate in the previous Ascension Game? Did you get her epithet? How is she connected to the master of this world? Can she help us?”

Nongmin grimaced. “My read on her isn't that accurate. I don't have all the answers, Tao Long. You should know that.”

Tao Long sighed. “I just don't like wasting my time. You do know I got a government position as one of the Primaries and am now the acting leader of the Ward. Unlike your retired ass, I have a lot of responsibilities.”

Nongmin sighed. “I've been busy.”

Tao Long glared at him.

Nongmin immediately looked away.

The entire drama surrounding his ersatz betrayal had remained a secret. Aside from Da Wei, his inner circle, and the Primaries who had held him at the court of law, the rest of the world knew nothing about Nongmin joining Supreme Heart's side and fighting Da Wei's champions.

Tao Long was one of the few people who knew the truth.

“For someone with so much foresight, someone who could supposedly see so far ahead, you sure screw up a lot,” Tao Long said. “How did you even know Alice and Gu Jie betrayed Da Wei? You lost your Heavenly Eye, mind you. Even with an imitation, I doubt you can see so far ahead. It's a power inferior to Gu Jie's eyes, after all. You shouldn't have been able to see through Da Wei's fall like this.”

“I didn't,” Nongmin admitted. “I never said anything about foreseeing this. I just knew because Da Wei told me.”

Tao Long looked scandalized. “You have to elaborate.”

Nongmin continued walking. “Da Wei knew something like this would happen again. His memories have always been one of his most glaring weaknesses. Losing his memories, or simply being overwhelmed by the enormity of his accumulated experiences, has become a recurring problem for him.” He paused briefly before continuing. “So he created a contingency in case he lost his memories again. That contingency was me, along with an Ezekiel carrying orders to inform me whenever he lost his memories. I'm telling you this because after what happened today, we definitely need to improve that contingency.”

They continued through the city until the buildings became sparse and the streets gave way to the ruins at its far end.

Tao Long looked around. “What are we doing here?”

Nongmin stopped.

He had become curious about the red-haired woman. More importantly, he wanted to understand the current Da Wei better. If he could piece together what had happened here, perhaps he could find something that would help Da Wei recover what he had lost.

His gaze settled on the ruins.

There was something lingering here.

Faint, almost imperceptible traces of energy remained embedded within the broken structures. He could sense Da Wei's presence among them, along with another unfamiliar energy that belonged to the red-haired woman.

Nongmin slowly closed his eyes.

“Memories of this place,” he murmured. “If you can still hear me, show me what happened here.”

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the ruins trembled.

A faint shimmer spread across the broken ground, flowing through collapsed walls and shattered stone. The lingering energies responded as though the ruins themselves had retained an imprint of what had happened within them.

Images began to emerge.

Nongmin's expression hardened.

The ruins showed a battle.

He could faintly see Da Wei's energy moving through the battlefield, colliding with the red-haired woman's power. Their confrontation had torn through the area, leaving destruction in its wake.

Nongmin watched in silence as the past slowly unfolded before him.