I’m really immortal Chapter 50

Liu Chang’an carried his cane and book box back home, not having bought any books that caught his interest. The old proprietor, Lao Lao, was managing the store with less and less enthusiasm, leaving a large portion of the books on the shelves for over twenty years. Time seemed to have frozen on those old, yet still sturdy, bookshelves, stagnating without progress.

The book box, which had been a golden yellow color, was now faded after years of use, with a nostalgic feel to it. The small cowhide handle, in particular, exuded a sense of quality.

Old boxes always held memories of the past.

Liu Chang’an’s memories, like those of most people, were fragmented, scattered, and buried deep within his heart. They seemed to have been forgotten, yet could resurface at any moment, evoking a sigh of nostalgia.

Only, his memories were especially numerous, layered upon each other like the sauce on a dog meat paste. They were jumbled together, a mix of all sorts of flavors and textures.

He had long known that he couldn’t remember every detail clearly, and that forgetting many things was inevitable. Otherwise, even if his physical body approached perfection, his mind and spirit would not be able to withstand the weight of time.

It was regrettable that the brain didn’t evolve alongside the body, failing to reach the same extraordinary level.

Liu Chang’an wiped the book box clean and placed it on the bed, gently pressing the latch to open it. As the slightly sticky edges were pulled open, a sense of time standing still and then rapidly passing by washed over him.

He casually picked up a diary and began flipping through it.

“September 1st, very hot, school distributed cold drinks, exchanged watermelon with Old Teacher Lin.”

“September 2nd, not too hot.”

“Supplement: Played mahjong with some people in the courtyard last night, didn’t attend the new student orientation today, and someone invited me to a dance party. I discovered that there are many lovely and beautiful girls in this year’s freshmen class. Some old professors, notorious for their bad reputation, looked rather distorted as they got excited. The girl I danced with had a slender waist, initially a bit nervous, but gradually relaxed, and even asked for my phone number at the end.”

“September 3rd, Friday, ran into a girl named Yan while jogging, who looked extremely beautiful, with dew drops on her forehead.”

“October 8th, encountered that girl Yan again, learned her name is Yan Hua Ye, accidentally touched her hand when collecting assignments, and saw a faintly bashful smile.”

“October 15th, met Yan Hua Ye again, seems she’s with her boyfriend, a gentleman won’t take someone else’s girl, I bless them.”

“October 20th, Ren Changhong invited me to play cards, won fifty from me with a deceitful smile, but I didn’t expose him, and later he treated me to ice-cold beer, very refreshing.”

“April 10th, the school organized a social gathering for young teachers, surprisingly, there were senior students participating, I was forced to attend, and Xue Zhan Cheng was especially enthusiastic, pulling me to chat with those female students, looking at the students who used to sit in the lecture hall now as our targets for matchmaking, wouldn’t Xue Zhan Cheng consider whether I felt awkward? Of course, I didn’t, but he should…”

…

…

Liu Chang’an smiled as he flipped through the pages, all the way to the last page.

The last page had a different font, written in cursive, with emotions permeating between the lines.

“Today’s research result is very disappointing, I finally decided to give up my expectations. Human brains are limited by genetics, unless there’s another chance, we can’t explore the origins of the world and other mysteries. Human capabilities have limits, and scientific development is not infinite.”

“Ren Changhong agrees with me, Darwin’s evolution theory is very interesting, but human evolution isn’t as simple as the evolution chart shows, it’s more like a sudden mutation, with genetic changes happening in a small part, leading to a leap. Xue Zhan Cheng directly said that it’s the result of virus infection, causing some monkeys to mutate, and humans appearing simultaneously around the world.”

“Ren Changhong believes that humans can only achieve a true scientific breakthrough when they completely transcend their physical bodies. I don’t dare agree, I told him, there are no ghosts or gods in this world, because they’re outside the world, and their shackles will never allow humans to transcend…”

…

…

Some things Liu Chang’an had thought about for many years, still with no conclusion, just like the entire human race.

As he flipped through his old diaries and notes, he lost track of time, and the sun set. Liu Chang’an didn’t just take out his book box to reminisce; he was looking for clues to analyze the phenomenon of the bronze coffin’s appearance.

Or maybe he could rekindle some expectations, exploring other strange human phenomena, and how they emerged differently from the monkey incident.

The things inside the bronze coffin were definitely not dead, Liu Chang’an was certain about that… Fortunately, he received small chickens or roosters every day, absorbing a lot of vitality, and maybe he wouldn’t need to wait too long to see some expected developments.

That night, Liu Chang’an ate his dumplings, wrapping many in a cloth to avoid waste. In the past, he would soak them in water, but now he used the refrigerator. His small fridge had limited capacity, so he needed to finish them quickly.

Zhou Zhong Zhong brought him a basket of bean-filled dumplings, and Liu Chang’an gave her a basket of meat dumplings in return. They chatted for a while about the latest gossip and then parted ways, with Zhou Zhong Zhong reminding Liu Chang’an to wait for her when digging out the small chickens the next day.

Liu Chang’an wrote a letter to Qin Peng, sealed it in a cylinder, and prepared to send it out the next morning.

He received a call from Bai Ruo, telling him to check the alumni group, as everyone had already planned a barbecue at Yan Gui Lake the next day, asking if he would attend.

Liu Chang’an thought for a moment, realizing that someone would be sending him small chickens the next day, and he could bring them to the barbecue, so he agreed.

The next morning, Liu Chang’an woke up to find it was a foggy day, with misty air and the sound of river water flowing through the city. He sat on a small stool, flipping through his old diary, when someone delivered a hen to him.

It was a big one, and Liu Chang’an didn’t hesitate, putting it directly into the car compartment. Then, he dug out the dead small chickens from the pit, which had been buried for a while, and collected the large, fat worms inside, washing them clean and preparing to bring them to the barbecue.

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