Chapter Eleven: The Three Universal Principles

“What is your intention?”
Li Fengyin spoke bluntly, “So what if you know my name? I’m just an orphan; at worst, it’s just one life!”

“Exactly!”
Zheng Chao’s lips curled into a satisfied smile, his eyes gleaming with approval. “If there’s a chance, you could join the Falling Feather Pavilion. Number Six recently died, so there happens to be an opening.”

“However,” the silver-gray clad man shifted his tone, “you are still too weak at the moment.”

Shen Liangxin stepped forward, placing herself between Li Fengyin and Zheng Chao. “You came here looking for me; what exactly do you want?”

Her fair cheeks lifted slightly, exuding a heroic spirit.

Zheng Chao raised his hands but did not lower them or take a step forward. He knew he couldn’t dodge bullets at that speed—after all, the two bodyguards aiming guns at him from the crowd were too dangerous.

“The Three Cosmic Rules.”

At last, he uttered those four words softly. At that very moment, Li Fengyin distinctly felt that the previously clear and sunny sky seemed to darken for a fleeting instant.

Shen Liangxin sighed with relief and spoke quietly, “Even those who discover these rules cannot retain them for long. It is the Boltzmann brains scattered throughout the universe that interfere, and besides, these three rules have never been fully enforced…”

“Shh—”
Zheng Chao exhaled softly. “What I care about is the content of the Three Cosmic Rules; the rest doesn’t matter.”

“Don’t tell him!”
Li Fengyin took a half step forward, once again shielding Shen Liangxin. “He’s an assassin, not a good person.”

“Seems like you still don’t understand the situation.”
Zheng Chao sneered. “I’ve planted nine bombs around here. If they detonate, it will be a terror attack. Now, please tell me, Miss Shen…”

Shen Liangxin understood that what he said was likely true. It related to some past records of the Falling Feather Pavilion. She sighed softly and said, “The Three Cosmic Rules:
First, energy takes precedence over mass.
Second, consciousness takes precedence over matter.
Third, thought takes precedence over instinct.”

Zheng Chao’s eyes fixed on the young girl’s gaze, as if verifying the truth. After three seconds, a smile crept up at the corner of his mouth. “Interesting!”

“As a return favor, I’ll tell you one thing: the nine bombs I said were planted—that was a lie.”

This sentence made Li Fengyin grit his teeth in anger, but Shen Liangxin remained calm. She gently tugged on Li Fengyin’s wrist. “Don’t get worked up. These things were going to be revealed anyway. Knowing this only points us in a direction; it doesn’t change anything.”

Turning to Shen Liangxin, Li Fengyin still felt a bit resentful. “But I don’t want to see the people I care about threatened!”

“People you care about?”
Shen Liangxin caught the phrase, and Li Fengyin realized he had let something slip.

At the moment their attention shifted, Zheng Chao vanished from where he had stood, as if he had never been there at all.

“You two make quite the pair.”
Zheng Chao’s voice echoed in Li Fengyin’s mind. “Here’s something for you: everything is about to begin!”

“Everything? What is that?”

But no further message came.

After Zheng Chao left, Shen Liangxin steadied her racing heart, then turned to Li Fengyin and asked, “Do you believe the world is purely a physical reality?”

“I only believe in what’s real.”

Hearing Li Fengyin’s answer, Shen Liangxin smiled knowingly after a brief pause. “Exactly! Believing in reality is enough. You’ve just unlocked one of my mental barriers.”

After this, Shen Liangxin’s demeanor seemed to shift, radiating a deeper, more authentic connection to the world that stirred warmth and closeness.

“Actually,” she said, casually biting into a freshly made pancake roll, “the Three Cosmic Rules are also known as the Spirit King’s Rules.”

“Related to the Spirit King?”
Li Fengyin’s interest piqued, while Shen Liangxin chewed thoughtfully and murmured, “Maybe the Spirit King is a person… ‘All things have spirits’—you’ve heard that phrase before, right? Humans belong to the primate family, and many things can actually be linked together.”

To be honest, Li Fengyin was somewhat puzzled. His approach was usually straightforward and practical, but naturally, he began connecting Shen Liangxin’s words to his own previous thoughts and observations.

“So, who is the Spirit King?”

Li Fengyin finally asked.

“Maybe someone surnamed He?”
Shen Liangxin stopped there. “My research isn’t ready to be fully disclosed yet, so I can’t tell you for now.”

Though Li Fengyin felt lost and found it hard to believe, a tinge of disappointment lingered—his surname was Li, and Shen Liangxin’s was Shen; neither seemed to fit the Spirit King’s identity.

Half an hour later, they left the snack district. It had to be said, Shen Liangxin had little resistance to delicious food, which left Li Fengyin puzzled: “Where does she get that enviable figure from?”

Still, accompanying such a beauty on a stroll was truly enjoyable. The envious and jealous glances from people around made Li Fengyin feel a rare sense of being admired.

Shen Liangxin, however, remained indifferent, carrying on naturally and calmly.

“Here—”
At last, Shen Liangxin bought two candied hawthorn sticks and handed one to Li Fengyin. “I suggest you join the Falling Feather Pavilion.”

“Hm… huh?!”
Li Fengyin’s mind momentarily froze, but he realized she had indeed said those words.

“Isn’t that an assassin organization? I don’t want to become a killer.”

Li Fengyin spoke firmly. Shen Liangxin bit into a sugar-coated hawthorn, her expression satisfied. “Then find a way to improve yourself. The whole world isn’t as simple as it seems.”

“Mm.”

Li Fengyin agreed with her remarks, though today’s flood of information was overwhelming—he would need to reflect on it repeatedly.

...

Zheng Chao wandered through Shangbei City, seemingly in high spirits. As he approached the Great Goose Tower with his hands in his pockets, his phone rang.

Casually glancing at the caller ID, his pupils suddenly contracted. He answered, and a kindly old man’s voice came through: “Three years remain until the firearms world ends. Prepare yourself.”

“Master, will you last until then?”

For once, Zheng Chao showed concern. The old man was silent for a few seconds before saying, “The time for reshuffling has come. Renewal is the true rule.”

“I just received the Cosmo—um…”

Just as Zheng Chao was about to say “Three Cosmic Rules,” the bustling crowd and scenic surroundings suddenly changed!

The sunlight dimmed with a white haze; ashes drifted down upon him, and everyone around vanished. A haunting, ethereal atmosphere spread out.