TPWBI Chapter 132

Just like every other morning, Yang Yi opened his eyes. But he immediately realized something was wrong.

Yesterday, he had clearly lain down on his bed, yet now he was sitting!

That wasn’t the most important part, though. What mattered was that he was sitting in front of his computer. Not the old, broken laptop, but the gaming desktop he had specially built for better performance!

He suddenly jumped up from the bed, staring around in disbelief. Everything before his eyes felt both unfamiliar and familiar at the same time.

Yang Yi walked a full circle around the room. Nothing had changed. Though more than twenty years had passed, he could still clearly remember the very last scene he saw in this world.

He opened the refrigerator. Inside were the fresh fruits his mother had just brought over not long ago.

Then he looked at the time displayed on the computer screen. It was the exact day he had left Earth and entered the other world!

“How did I come back?”

Yang Yi couldn’t believe any of it. He had already completed the mission assigned to him by the transmigration god several years ago, yet he had never left that world as he was supposed to.

Although he missed his parents dearly, there were also people over there whom he couldn’t stop thinking about. So Yang Yi had done his best to complete his mission. Even though he hadn’t achieved everything, he felt no real regret.

If not for his longing for his parents, he would have been willing to stay there forever.

Though that world wasn’t as advanced or convenient as his hometown, he had already fallen deeply in love with that land and its people.

He had thought that perhaps the Transmigration God had forgotten his promise, or that he himself had done something wrong, so he would never be able to leave. Yet just as suddenly as he had crossed over back then, now he had been sent back again!

Yang Yi walked up to the mirror and saw that his appearance was exactly the same as when he had left. The height he had painstakingly grown and the abs he had trained so hard for were all gone!

He was still the same old him, completely unchanged.

A sinking feeling filled his chest. Could it be that he had never actually transmigrated at all? That it had all been like Zhuang Zhou’s dream of the butterfly, he’d simply played too many games and confused reality with dreams?

Impossible. Those decades had been so vivid, every detail so clear, every moment so real. How could that have been just a dream?

Before he woke up, the Spark Tribe had already grown strong and prosperous. After decades of nurturing and training talent, they were beginning to produce a new generation of capable people, about to usher in an age of industry.

As long as the time was ripe, both the tribe and even the entire world would step into a new era, overturning the old patterns and structures that once defined it.

Over the years, Yang Yi had been laying the groundwork, both material and human, for the arrival of the industrial age. Though their tribe was the most powerful in that world, they were still far from true prosperity.

The backwardness of productivity still left some people hungry. Only industrialization could allow more people to benefit.

Beyond the main base on the Eastern Continent, the Western Continent too had flourished everywhere, establishing its own farms and factories. Although there had been several major issues along the way that caused significant losses, the overall development remained very good. It stimulated the local economy and allowed more people to live without going hungry.

With the tribe’s development gradually stabilizing, Yang Yi and Hei Lie both intended to step back from the front lines, supporting the well-trained new leaders to take over, while establishing a series of electoral systems to ensure the tribe’s long-term stability.

In recent years, both Yang Yi and Hei Lie had been in a semi-retired state. Yet, the tribe’s operations remained steady, continuing to thrive without turmoil.

Every day, he did the things he loved, surrounded by the people he cherished. Everything felt so real. When he closed his eyes, faces and scenes flickered vividly before him.

Yang Yi could even feel the warmth of that powerful man’s body. How could all of this possibly be a dream?!

“Hei Lie!”

Yang Yi’s mind exploded, his heart pounding wildly.

He shut his eyes, trying to sense the other’s presence.

Nothing! The connection that had been with him for decades was completely gone, with not a single trace.

As the two of them had grown closer, both Hei Lei and Yang Yi had become stronger, and their mutual connection had deepened.

Once, when Hei Lie had been ambushed by an enemy and completely vanished without a trace, it was Yang Yi who found him by following that bond between them.

That feeling was indescribable, but ever since they had formed their contract, it had always been there. Subtle, yet unmistakable if one paid attention.

But now, everything was gone! As if it had never existed at all.

And not only that. The three lives gifted by the Transmigration Deity, of which he had already lost one and should still have two remaining, he could no longer feel those, either.

Although there were no visible signs, Yang Yi could sense things as if he were a character in a game.

But now, that sense was completely gone. Even the decades of experience felt like nothing more than a long, vivid dream.

He had thought that returning from the other world would be the greatest challenge for the two of them, but Yang Yi never imagined that something even more terrifying awaited them.

“This absolutely isn’t a dream!”

Yang Yi quickly snapped out of his confusion. Everything else might be false, but the knowledge in his mind, there was no way that was fake!

Carefully examining his body once again, Yang Yi finally noticed something.

Although he wasn’t as strong and healthy as he had been in the other world, he was still much better than before, when his reversed day-and-night routine had left him weak and exhausted.

But now, the most pressing question was, where was Hei Lie?

Where was the man who had once sworn that no matter where Yang Yi went, he would always follow?

Yang Yi wanted to find the man who had been by his side for so many years, but he had no way at all. It was as if the Transmigration Deity were playing a joke on him, leaving him without even the right to ask.

After calming himself down quickly, Yang Yi didn’t stay in his apartment to indulge in his old favorite pastimes. Instead, he went straight downstairs, got in his car, and drove back to his parents’ house.

“Xiao Yi, why are you back?” Mother Yang asked in surprise.

Father Yang was just as astonished. Both of them knew their youngest son’s temperament very well. He had always been more well-behaved than other children. After going to college, he’d become even more of a homebody.

After graduating, it got even worse. He barely saw sunlight in a day. Every time they asked him to come home, he always dragged his feet.

But now, without even being called, he had driven back on his own?

Yang Yi didn’t say a word. He walked straight over and threw his arms around his mother, the mother he hadn’t truly seen in what felt like decades, feeling the warmth of her body.

Before Mother Yang could even react, he turned and hugged his father tightly as well.

Both of them froze. Ever since Yang Yi had grown up, he had never hugged them like this.

Mother Yang immediately panicked. “Xiao Yi, did you do something wrong?”

She remembered how the neighbor’s son, Old Wu’s boy, used to be just like this—rarely home, then suddenly came back one day, acting unusually well-behaved. Just a few days later, the police came and arrested him. It turned out he’d actually killed someone!

“If—if you really did something wrong, we can go to the authorities and turn ourselves in. If you confess, they’ll be lenient. Your dad and I will get you the best lawyer…”

Father Yang was panicking, too. The purple clay teapot in his hand was trembling so badly he could barely hold it steady.

Yang Yi took a deep breath to calm himself, his eyes slightly red as he smiled and said, “Mom, Dad, what are you thinking? I just… suddenly missed you both.”

The more he said that, the more frightened his parents became.

“Xiao Yi, if something’s happened, you can’t hide it from us. You can’t run away from what’s already been done,” Mother Yang said, her brows knitted tightly.

Father Yang set the teapot down, his expression stern as he looked at his son.

“Your mom and I won’t abandon you, but you can’t make another mistake.”

Yang Yi couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. He knew he’d overreacted. His emotions had simply gotten the better of him.

He knew acting like this would definitely cause misunderstandings, but since he hadn’t done anything wrong, there was nothing to worry about.

“Mom, Dad, I really didn’t do anything. I just watched a movie that really hit me, and it made me miss you both a lot.”

Mother Yang still looked suspicious, and Father Yang didn’t believe him at all.

Yang Yi raised both hands in a mock gesture of surrender. “You really are my parents through and through. Fine, I’ll admit it. I actually just wanted to discuss something with you. Xiao Jie and the others are organizing an event. I was thinking of joining them…”

“No!”

Before Yang Yi could even finish speaking, Mother Yang immediately cut him off, her tone firm and domineering.

Xiao Jie was into extreme sports. The elderly couple didn’t have anything against that boy, but they absolutely refused to let Yang Yi join him. Those things looked far too dangerous.

There had even been a time when Yang Yi, on a whim, tried learning with them for a few days and ended up getting himself injured.

“I’m not doing anything dangerous this time, just going out to the countryside with them to hang out,” Yang Yi explained.

“When I say no, it means no. There’s no discussion about this,” Mother Yang said decisively.

“Enough about that. You came back without warning us, so I’ll go buy some groceries and make you something good for dinner.”

Yang Yi turned to look at his father, but Father Yang pretended not to see, effectively blocking all signals for help.

And just like that, the little episode was brushed aside.

That night, Yang Yi didn’t return to his own place. After being away from his parents for so long, he wanted to spend more time with them.

Besides, going back alone to that empty apartment would only make him feel worse.

Lying in bed, Yang Yi stared up at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep.

Hei Lie, where are you?

Yang Yi stayed at his parents’ house for a few days before finally returning to his own little place.

He should’ve felt excited. After all, he’d managed to come back to his original world. But apart from the joy of seeing his family again, he couldn’t summon up any other enthusiasm at all.

The games he used to miss so much while in the other world no longer interested him in the slightest. He drifted around in a daze, as if a part of his soul had been taken away.

Yang Yi wanted to do something, anything. But even after going over every event and detail in his mind, he still couldn’t find a single clue.

Both times he had transmigrated, it had happened in an instant. He’d simply opened his eyes and found himself in another world.

He had never seen the so-called Transmigration Deity, nor heard its voice. Each time, communication had been purely through thought, one-way information being poured directly into his mind.

Staying at his parents’ house wasn’t a long-term solution. He had to return to his own place. Maybe he’d discover something there.

With a heavy heart, Yang Yi went back to his apartment. Just as he reached out his hand to unlock the door with his fingerprint, a dark shadow loomed behind him.

“Who—”

Before Yang Yi could even react, a tall, powerfully built man pulled him into a tight embrace, locking him firmly in place so he couldn’t struggle. The familiar scent surrounding him made Yang Yi freeze completely.

A voice he knew all too well sounded softly by his ear.

“I’m here. I found you.”

Author’s Note:

It’s finished! Throws flowers~~~

I originally wanted to write a bit more about their modern life, but after thinking it over for a long time, I realized it would end up being quite lengthy, basically like starting a whole new story, orz. So let’s stop here for now. If inspiration strikes later, I’ll start a separate story focusing on their life together in the modern world.

Thank you all so much for your support all the way through! See you in the next story~~

A little plug before I go—my upcoming story “The Apprentice Land God” is already up for pre-release! If all goes well, it should officially start this month. If you bookmark it now, you’ll see the update when it launches~

The title will stay the same, though the synopsis will be revised. It’s a lighthearted, easy-to-read story with a touch of the supernatural. I hope you’ll like it! Mwah!

Moonlit: I want more!!! (╥﹏╥) Anyway, thank you for reading~ See ya in my next project!

Check my Carrd for lists of my projects and for the Discord invite link.