Having found nothing with the magnifying glass, the group packed their lunch and prepared to head back.
"There must be a reason why the rooster and dog don't crow," Luo Yi seemed to have a sudden thought, looking at Ke Xun. "Brother, could this also be related to time?"
Ke Xun was gazing up at the city-like structure above the courtyard. The architecture here was truly ingenious, each floor unique in its design, some protruding with a platform, others featuring a multi-level staircase—all cleverly angled and cleverly designed.
Ke Xun stared at the very top of the roof, where it was completely covered up, but now a ring of lights illuminated the entire structure as if it were daytime.
"No wonder my heart doesn't bark! It's because it doesn't want it to fulfill its dog's duty!" Luo Yu suddenly realized. "A dog's original duty is to keep watch at night! The Three Character Classic says: 'The rooster crows at dawn, the dog keeps watch at night!'"
Everyone else also suddenly understood: "The rooster and dog here have forgotten their original duties. Does this mean that this world has no concept of time?"
Wei Dong patted Luo Yu on the shoulder: "Luo Bo, you're really something, you even came up with the Three Character Classic! That means this world has no morning, no night, and no time."
Cao Youning looked around and suddenly felt scared: "Is it because it's all gray outside and we can't see the sunlight? Without the sun, there is no day and night."
A world without the alternation of day and night and the flow of time is like a spaceship that has lost its trajectory in space, forever drifting there, never to perish—in this case, "eternity" is no longer a compliment.
Ke Xun: "But time is always there, it won't disappear just because we intentionally ignore it."
Even if you use heavy black curtains to cover the room, even if the dark clouds forever block out the sun, time will still pass second by second.
"If people could truly escape time, then Su Shi wouldn't have written lines like 'Life is like a journey, and I am but a traveler,'" Fang Fei pointed out the title of the poem, "The Journey."
Perhaps it's precisely because of the people's indifference to the concept of time that this strange social group, where a journey is their eternal abode, has emerged. The group
analyzed the situation along the way, and before they knew it, they were back on the ninth floor.
The members in the room seemed to be chatting about something, only stopping when they saw the lunches everyone was carrying.
"We were talking about Bi Di," Qin Ci hurriedly took the large, steaming paper bag from Ke Xun. "What delicious food did you buy?"
"I thought it was quite cold here, so I bought lamb pies. I don't know if anyone has any dietary restrictions," Ke Xun said.
Wei Dong also put the things he bought at the market on the table: "Here are some vegetable dumplings and a few dried radishes. The vegetables here don't seem very fresh."
The aroma of the lamb pies had successfully captivated everyone's sense of smell, and stomachs rumbled incessantly. After quickly washing their hands, they prepared to feast.
Faced with this "delicious feast," the new members, except for Cao Youning, hesitated. Qin Ci said, "If this world wanted to poison us with food, it wouldn't go to such lengths."
The others agreed, and only when they were about to eat did they realize that half of the mutton pie was already gone.
"Are you used to eating mutton?" Lu Heng asked Xi Shengnan.
Xi Shengnan took a small piece of the mutton pancake and tasted it: "This roasted mutton is alright, not too gamey. I'm not used to eating mutton dumplings." Xi Shengnan seemed to remember something and took out a small jar of condiments from the communal cabinet. "I saw this earlier, anyone want some?"
It was a small porcelain jar with a label that read "Extra Spicy Sauce." Everyone smiled, but no one intended to try it. Cao Youning ate the mutton pancake with obvious enjoyment: "Sister Xi, this 'Gu Lou Zi' is already very flavorful, it doesn't need any more condiments!"
"Gu Lou Zi?" Shao Ling interrupted Cao Youning. "You mean, this mutton pancake is called 'Gu Lou Zi'?"
Luo Yu answered for him: "Yes, that's what the owner described it as, and his shop sign also says 'Gu Lou Zi.' Is there a problem, Brother Shao? Holy crap, is 'Gu Lou Zi' some kind of poison code name?!"
"No, no, don't worry, eat with confidence," Shao Ling explained before continuing, "We were just talking about Bi Di's very famous set of Dunhuang photographs, and how interested he is in the Tang Dynasty. I think this lantern display has some Tang Dynasty influences, like the patterns on our clothes, these candlesticks, and the Gu Louzi mutton pie. This is a Tang Dynasty delicacy. The *Tang Yulin* records: 'When wealthy families ate, they would take a pound of mutton, layer it on a large flatbread, add pepper and fermented black beans in between, moisten it with ghee, and bake it in an oven until the meat was half-cooked. This was called 'Gu Louzi.'"
Everyone listened attentively, and considering the mutton pie they were eating, its shape and ingredients were reminiscent of... The descriptions of the ancient buildings from the Tang Dynasty were very similar, and everyone couldn't help but admire Shao Ling's extensive knowledge. Du Lingyu couldn't help but ask, "Could the Tang Dynasty be a clue? But our world already has cameras and developing tanks."
Shao Ling said, "This world is clearly influenced by Bi Di in various ways. Whether the Tang Dynasty can be used as a clue remains to be investigated."
Xi Shengnan stopped chewing, and the ancient building covered in bright red chili sauce in her hand was particularly eye-catching: "My novel is set in the Tang Dynasty, a story that takes place during the prosperous Tang Dynasty."
It turned out that Xia Yu's story was also related to the Tang Dynasty. Perhaps it was because of this coincidental similarity that it was "chosen" to be included in this world?
Mai Peng had little appetite due to a severe cold and only ate a little before stopping. At this moment, she also said, "I remember a photography magazine when I was a child published some stories about Bi Di. It seems that he had a wish to use photography to trace the relics of the Tang Dynasty, but he only achieved a small part of it before passing away."
"When did Bi Di pass away? Is there a specific time?" Mu Yiran also finished her lunch early.
Several new members turned their attention to Mai Peng, who thought carefully for a moment: "After that photography magazine published his interview, it wasn't even a year later, I think he passed away from some illness. I was young then, and it was an old photography magazine from the 1990s, so it was already old news when I saw it. Knowing that the photographer was dead, and then looking back at the interviews about his glory days and some of his grand pronouncements, it really felt like a pity. The magazine was from either 1995 or 1996, I really can't remember."
Everyone sighed in sympathy, but more than anything, they were analyzing the connection between this information and the painting.
After dinner, Xin Chun couldn't stay in the room and insisted on going out.
Luo Jin had no choice but to walk the dog on the ninth-floor corridor, reminding himself to speak less when encountering NPCs, try not to speak at all, and if necessary, just pretend to be mute.
After walking around the corridor twice with the dog, they encountered another NPC who was also taking a walk.
This was a short, stout, slightly balding man who loved to laugh, his laughter ambiguous and lingering, as if he were laughing through ventriloquism.
"What a fine dog," the man said with a smile.
Normally, even if Luo Jing disliked this man, he would at least politely say "thank you," but this time, not wanting trouble, he simply nodded and prepared to leave with the dog.
The man followed, speaking in a private tone, "This dog is so white, it must have grown up in a fancy place, it's perfect in every way."
Xin Chun seemed to understand its owner's thoughts; seeing its owner quicken its pace, it also started running to keep up.
Although the man had short legs, he didn't walk slowly: "This dog's legs are good too, are its eyes good?"
Seeing the man about to bend down to catch Xin Chun, Luo Tan quickly picked her up, gesturing wildly with his mouth open, making "ah ah ba ba" sounds, and shaking his head. Xin Chun quickly followed suit, shaking her head and making "woo woo ah ah" sounds in response to her owner.
The man kept laughing, as if pearls were falling onto a jade plate from his belly, and with a shake of his head, rainbow candies would pop out of his ears: "What great eyes! Brother, is your dog a spirit dog? How much did you buy it for? Can you let me have it? I need to go on a trip to Hanye Travel."
"Ah ba ah ba ah ba!" Luo Tan was so frightened that he ran away quickly with Xin Chun in his arms, only calming down when he saw Ke Xunmu standing at the door not far away.
The man, short and clingy, grinned obsequiously. He tiptoed over to pet the dog's head and examine its eyes, saying, "I bought it for whatever price you asked for. I'm serious, I'm not kidding."
Luo Jin, gathering his strength, roared out four words: "None of your business!!!"
The short, stout man was clearly startled; he probably genuinely thought Luo Jin was deaf and mute.
Luo Jin ran back with the dog, panting, and reported, "Brother, brother-in-law, there's a lewd man over there..." Luo Jin pointed as he spoke, only to suddenly realize that the man had vanished. "No, a lewd male ghost..."
Ke Xun asked, "What was that fat uncle saying to you just now?"
"Waaah..." Xin Chun cried out pitifully.
Luo Yiran embellished the story, and Mu Yiran listened intently. After filtering out the adjectives and particles, he slowly said, "It's pretty much what we guessed. The dogs here might really be a means of transportation."
"Oh my god, brother-in-law, how could you bear to ride Xin Chun?!" Luo Yiran exclaimed.
Mu Yiran: "...The world in the painting often has unexpected twists. That man mentioned the Cold Night Journey. I think that place must be even colder than here. Perhaps we really do need dogs to pull the sled."
Xin Chun listened very attentively to Mu Yiran's words, wishing she could scream, but could only manage a few "woof woof woof" sounds.
Ke Xun tilted his head and looked at Mu Yiran: "Yiran, we're a caravan of 13 people, and we have a large amount of cargo. This weight is too much for a dog to handle, especially since we only have one little Xinchun."
Mu Yiran couldn't understand either. Looking at the two people and the dog in front of her, she felt like a sadist trying to abuse the dog. Mu Yiran wanted to reach out and pet the dog's head, but felt awkward, so she crossed her arms and smiled faintly, a smile that revealed a rare innocence and cuteness.
Ke Xun felt a part of his heart soften and become transparent. He cleared his throat with a smile and changed the subject: "By the way, maybe we've found a solution for our magnifying glass."
"Huh?!" Before Luo Cheng could speak, Xinchun interrupted.
"The man's clothes had the same pattern as ours, both from the Bright Brigade. He might be a merchant too. We might be able to buy a magnifying glass from them, or even borrow one," Ke Xun said.
"Which man? Bro, the way you say 'man' sounds really silly..." Luo Yi immediately realized his mistake. Unable to bear the looks Ke Xun and Mu Yiran were giving him, he quickly mumbled something to brush it off. Ke Xun
: "It's that fat uncle from earlier. He's probably from the Bright Brigade. We need to think of a good reason to go find him, because this guy might offer to exchange Heart Spring for him."
Before Ke Xun could finish speaking, a voice suddenly came from the top floor: "Turn off the lights—"