I Came From Heaven [Transmigration/Time-Travel] - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes again, I stared blankly at the extraordinarily blue sky. Everything spun for a while. Feeling the fresh air fill my nasal passages, I took several frantic, deep breaths. After calming down, I managed to sit up with effort.

My hands instinctively patted my body. Everything was completely intact; even my clothes had no signs of tears or friction. I scratched my head—no wound, no gushing blood.

I… I didn’t die? Then where am I?

This feeling is bad, very bad! The surroundings were eerily silent. The towering buildings, the ceaseless flow of cars, and the pedestrians—all had vanished without a trace. Wasn’t I hit by a car? But this… Filled with infinite doubt, I looked around, repeatedly confirming my situation.

I was encircled by mountains, sitting in an open area just outside a green forest. How should I describe it? TVB—yes, the scene where two martial arts masters duel in the deep mountains in a TVB drama. Understand?

To put it plainly, I was in the middle of nowhere, far from any village or shop.

I stood up and dusted the dirt off my body. My backpack was also lying quietly not far away. Recalling the scene of being hit and covered in blood, it was hard to imagine. Could this be Heaven or something?

Bullshit! What kind of Heaven is this down-to-earth? Uh… could I have been reborn? Bullshit! I must have read too many novels and gone silly!

I wrestled with the possibilities but couldn’t come up with a logical explanation. I had no clue, so for now, I figured I would just take it one step at a time. I opened my backpack and inventoried the contents: a fully charged power bank, a flattened wallet, a data cable and charger, the Sachima snack I hadn’t eaten this morning, a notebook and pen the company gave me, an iPad… Huh? My cell phone… Only the cell phone was missing…

Oh, disaster! I am a person who would die without a cell phone!!!

Forget it. I need to find a populated area and figure out how to safely get home. I tore open the Sachima wrapper and took a small bite. In this desolate wilderness, I’d better be stingy with my food.

I looked at the iPad; the time displayed 20:00 (8 PM), yet I had a bright, whitish sun directly overhead. This didn’t match at all. Unable to tell north from south, and unsure of the time, I could only follow my intuition and walk along the dirt path outside the green forest.

I walked for forty or fifty minutes. Forget people, I didn’t even see a ghost! Have you played Minecraft? The game where the whole screen is pixels and the characters have square heads? I’m no different from a character in that game right now. Wandering around this place, I feel truly square (方, fāng – a pun, as it also means “flustered”).

I kept walking and walking until a large, slowly flowing river appeared in my sight. My eyes lit up—water is the source of life! There are always a few households near water; it must be true.

I jogged closer to the river. Wow, the water was truly clear and bright. I could even see small fish swimming along the bottom. I cupped my hands, scooped up some water, and washed my face. I felt instantly refreshed.

Staring at this shimmering water, I actually swallowed hard. I could feel the dryness signaling from my throat. Uh… I’m a germaphobe who wouldn’t even drink tap water, but I was terribly thirsty! I couldn’t just let myself die of thirst.

So, I reached down, scooped up another handful, and guzzled several large sips. Refreshing! $text{~!}$

Since I was tired from walking, I found a smooth, large stone and plunked down to rest properly. With the blazing sun overhead, I estimated it must be the early afternoon.

Knowing I probably wouldn’t be able to leave this accursed place anytime soon, I rolled up my shirt sleeves and the cuffs of my jeans. I took off my shoes and socks and placed them neatly beside the stone.

Feeling playful, I released my two feet and ran toward the river. The icy river water brought a refreshing chill from the soles of my feet. It was so cool and comfortable! I kicked the water, sending up a spray of waves and ripples, startling the fish in the clear stream.

A cool breeze drifted through the mountains, and the water sparkled beneath my feet. I suddenly felt that this strange place was like a secluded paradise. Cupping my hands around my mouth, I shouted loudly toward the empty valley: “Hey! Is anyone there? Where is this?” The echo reverberated through the sky and the earth; I even found it funny myself.

I had played, I had drunk water, and I ate the rest of the Sachima in my bag. Seeing the sun moving westward helped me determine my direction. I picked up a large wooden stick—it could serve as a cane and also a dog-beating stick. A win-win.

After some thought, the path I took to get here was to the east, so I should follow the direction of the sun, heading west, and continue my journey.

…

The whole time, I was looking around at the mountain scenery. For some reason, I wasn’t scared. This was likely due to the shock from the car accident; I now felt that as long as I was alive, nothing was a big deal. My optimism was unmatched.

It was strange—my iPad, which supports both 4G and Wi-Fi, had a SIM card, but it was useless. There was no signal at all. No signal meant I couldn’t get GPS coordinates, and I didn’t dare drain the battery too much, so I turned it off.

I was getting desperate. It felt like this mountain road was endless. I had admired a large stretch of scenery, yet I still hadn’t seen a single living person. Don’t tell me that I’ve somehow mysteriously arrived in another world where I’m the only living creature!

The sun was visibly setting. Was I going to have to spend the night in this remote mountain forest? No, please! I’m afraid of ghosts! I’m very timid! Even if there are no ghosts, what if there are wolves? I don’t want to die again!

Just as I was on the verge of collapsing, I saw a black figure moving a few dozen meters away. Oh, my god! I finally saw a person!!!

Do you understand my feeling? I wanted to rush over, hug their legs, and cry! And in fact, I used all my strength for a 100-meter dash, threw away the stick in my hand, and ran over!

When I reached the person, our emotions were completely opposite. He was wearing a black robe—yes, a robe! It looked like the lanshan attire pursued by scholarly gentlemen in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. A black gauze cap with a dark embroidered dragon pattern and no wings tied up his long hair. My first impression was that this person was truly handsome and heroic. His features had a hint of femininity, unlike the ruggedness of most men. Could he be a eunuch?

Wait, my focus is all wrong! Whoa, slow down. Why is this person dressed so strangely? Is there a film crew nearby shooting a period drama?

“Finally, a living soul! Hello! My name is Ji Sijie!”

I friendly extended my hand for a handshake. Obviously, the person in front of me wasn’t having it. The moment he saw me, a flash of astonishment crossed his face, but it quickly vanished, leaving only an ice-cold expression. It was as if he was announcing to the whole world that he was a central air conditioner—very, very cold!

I tilted my head and awkwardly retracted my hand. His gaze was like a scanner, examining me from head to toe without missing a detail. Finally, he spoke, asking indifferently: “Who are you? Why are you dressed in this manner?”

The moment I heard this ‘air conditioner’ speak, I gasped and finally realized that something was fundamentally wrong with the entire situation. Yes, I hadn’t been reborn, nor had I died. Judging by how this plot was unfolding, it seemed I had transmigrated! Was the next scene going to be A Step into the Past (尋秦記)?

Complaining aside, I could feel the fear all over my face. His eyes rested on me, showing a hint of curiosity.