The moment Lin Yue stepped into the time-space rift, a dizzying sensation of spinning overwhelmed her like a turbulent tide. At the same time, the intense light was like countless sharp blades stabbing straight into her eyes, forcing her to close them tightly. In this chaos, her consciousness seemed to be pulled out of her body and floated in the endless void. The howling wind blew past her ears, mixed with a faint and strange sound, which was like an ancient call and also like a low murmur of time and space.
I don't know how long it took, but the heart-pounding spinning and the intense light gradually faded away. Lin Yue slowly opened her eyes and saw the familiar modern world. She was standing on the school playground, surrounded by classmates coming and going in a bustling manner. They were dressed in fashionable modern clothes, and the colorful outfits sparkled with the radiance of youth under the sun. The laughter and chatter of the classmates intertwined, forming a sea of joy. However, in Lin Yue's heart, an inexplicable sense of strangeness and being out of place welled up.
"Lin Yue, why are you standing here in a daze?" The clear and familiar voice of her good friend Xiao Yan came briskly from behind. Lin Yue was slightly taken aback and slowly turned around. When she saw Xiao Yan's beaming face, a complex mix of emotions welled up in her heart, and various feelings were intertwined like a mess of threads. "Xiao Yan, I... I'm just a bit tired." She tried to pull the corners of her mouth and barely squeezed out a smile, attempting to cover up the surging waves in her heart with this seemingly relaxed expression. Xiao Yan affectionately took her hand. That hand was soft and warm, carrying the unique warmth of a good friend. "Come on, let's go and have some bubble tea. There's a new shop near the school, and I heard it tastes really great." There was full of expectation in Xiao Yan's eyes, as if a cup of bubble tea could dispel all of Lin Yue's gloom.
In the bubble tea shop, the warm yellow light poured down like a gentle veil, enveloping the whole space in a warm and cozy atmosphere. There were various artistic posters hanging on the walls, and the soothing music flowed in the air, creating a pleasant ambiance. Lin Yue sat on the soft sofa, and the backrest of the sofa fit her body just right, but she had no mood to enjoy this comfort. She listened to Xiao Yan enthusiastically talking about the interesting things at school, such as the jokes made by the students in the next class during class and the interesting activities organized by the clubs. Xiao Yan gesticulated with her hands and feet, and her face was full of rich expressions. However, Lin Yue's thoughts were like a kite with a broken string, uncontrollably floating back to the distant Tang Dynasty.
In her mind, the affectionate eyes of Li Yi clearly emerged. Those eyes were like the bright stars twinkling in the night sky, deep and bright, full of endless love, as if everything in the world could find its place in them. She also remembered every bit of their time in the palace. In those afternoons when they strolled in the imperial garden together, the sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, forming patches of golden light spots. Their figures shuttled among the light spots, leaving behind strings of laughter; on those nights when they talked about poetry and songs together, the moonlight was like water, pouring down on the corridors of the palace. They stood side by side and shared their insights on poetry. From the bold and unrestrained style of Li Bai to the gentle and delicate style of Li Qingzhao, every topic could immerse them in it and make them forget the passage of time. Every moment was like a shining pearl, inlaid in the depths of her memory and becoming the most precious treasure in her life.
"Lin Yue, what on earth is wrong with you? You seem to be absent-minded." There was full of concern on Xiao Yan's face. She stretched out her hand and gently touched Lin Yue's arm, trying to pull her back from her distant thoughts. Lin Yue hesitated for a long time. It was as if there were two little people in her heart having a fierce battle. One urged her to be honest, while the
other warned her to keep the secret. In the end, emotion overcame reason, and she decided to tell Xiao Yan about her strange experience of time travel. Xiao Yan's eyes widened, and her mouth opened wide. Her face was full of disbelief. "Lin Yue, have you read too many novels? How is this possible?" Her voice involuntarily rose a few decibels, attracting the attention of the people around. But looking at Lin Yue's serious expression, a trace of doubt welled up in Xiao Yan's heart, and she began to waver. "Is what you said true? But this is really... really incredible." Xiao Yan murmured to herself.
At night, the dormitory was completely silent, and only the faint chirping of insects outside the window came in, as if playing a gentle nocturne. Lin Yue lay on the bed, staring straight at the ceiling. Tears involuntarily streamed down her cheeks like beads with a broken string, soaking the pillow. She missed Li Yi, his warm embrace, his gentle words, the ancient and charming world, and every wonderful moment they had spent together. At the same time, in the distant Tang Dynasty, Li Yi waited for Lin Yue's return in the library every day. A faint ink fragrance filled the library, and rows of bookshelves were filled with ancient books, as if quietly telling the stories of the years. Li Yi often sat at the place where Lin Yue had disappeared and would sit there for a whole day. His eyes were full of loss and expectation. He looked at the empty ground, as if as long as he stayed there, Lin Yue would suddenly appear in front of him. Sometimes, he would pick up a book that Lin Yue had once read and gently stroke the pages, as if he could feel her breath on them.
Days passed by like a flowing stream, and Lin Yue tried hard to return to a normal life in the modern world. She devoted herself to her studies again. In class, she tried to concentrate, listened carefully, and thought along with the teacher's train of thought; after class, she actively completed her homework and discussed academic issues with her classmates. However, whenever it was late at night and everything was quiet, the longing for Li Yi would overwhelm her like a surging tide. She would meet Li Yi in her dreams, and in that familiar palace, they strolled hand in hand. But whenever she reached out to grab Li Yi, the dream would suddenly shatter, and she would wake up from the dream, leaving only a heart full of loss and melancholy.
One day, when she was looking up information in the corner of the library, she accidentally found a book about ancient history. The book lay quietly on the bookshelf, as if waiting for her to discover it. She flipped through it eagerly with a nervous heart, and her heart was pounding in her chest as if it was about to burst out. When she saw the records about the dynasty in which Li Yi lived in the book, her heart rate suddenly accelerated. The book wrote that during Li Yi's reign, he implemented a series of policies beneficial to the people, making the country prosperous and the people live and work in peace and contentment, with no one picking up lost things on the road and no need to bolt the doors at night. However, it was heartbreaking that he never established another empress for the rest of his life. When she saw this line of words, Lin Yue's heart ached violently, as if it was tightly clutched by an invisible big hand, and the pain made it almost impossible for her to breathe. She deeply realized how much harm her departure had brought to Li Yi, which was a kind of loneliness and pain that went deep into the bone marrow.
In the Tang Dynasty, in order to find a way to bring Lin Yue back, Li Yi spared no expense and summoned the most top scholars and sorcerers in the country. They came from all directions and gathered in the imperial palace. In the main hall of the imperial palace, the candles flickered, illuminating the serious and focused faces. The scholars brought mountains of ancient books, and they flipped through them day and night, trying to find the clues of time travel from the ancient texts; the sorcerers set up altars and performed magic in the courtyard of the palace, trying all kinds of mysterious spells, and the incantations they muttered echoed in the night sky. Li Yi said firmly to them, "No matter what the cost, I must find a way to bring her back. Those who can help me achieve my wish will be handsomely rewarded." The sorcerers were busy day and night. They carefully studied the ancient books by the candlelight, not missing every character and every allusion; they tried all kinds of strange spells, from summoning the power of the stars to
communicating with the gods of heaven and earth, but they still hadn't made any substantial progress.
In the modern world, Lin Yue didn't give up on finding a way to go back either. She took advantage of her spare time to rush around and visit experts who studied metaphysics and the theory of time and space. She shuttled through the streets and alleys of the city, walked into one office after another, and told her experience to one expert after another. However, most of the experts scoffed at her experience and thought it was absurd. Some experts waved their hands impatiently and drove her out of the office; some sneered and thought she was daydreaming. Until one day, she met an old professor. The professor's office was piled high with books and documents, and various complex charts were hanging on the walls. The professor sat at the desk, wearing reading glasses, and listened carefully to her story. A strange light flashed in his eyes. "Young lady, your experience is indeed very strange." The professor adjusted his glasses and said, "Theoretically speaking, time travel is possible, but it requires specific conditions and powerful energy. In ancient times, there might have been some mysterious forces that we haven't known yet, which led to your time travel. Maybe it was some special astronomical phenomenon, or maybe it was the convergence of energy at a specific location." After hearing this, a spark of hope ignited in Lin Yue's heart. This spark flickered in the darkness and gave her the courage to persevere.