Geisteswissenschaftliche Fakultät

Kapitel 4

Function: To replace lost body parts of the user.

In essence: Individuals composed of demonic insects

Exchange cost: The user's most cherished possession

34. Lock

Source: 'Bone Misalignment'

Origin: 'Bone Misalignment'

Function: To ensure the safety of something according to the user's wishes.

In essence: locks of various forms and uses

Cost of exchange: lifespan, health

Thanks for sixty plus or minus one

Seeing this title might leave you confused, but the so-called gratitude for sixty plus or minus one is actually my way of thanking you. Thank you for your continued support of "Bomei Collection"!

That's right, the number sixty plus or minus one is the number of people who have added my book to their collections. It's actually a rather low score, only sixty people. The "plus or minus one" varies, sometimes it's sixty-one, sometimes the "one" is dropped, but these sixty people have consistently and steadfastly supported my work. Even when I was taking exams and couldn't update, even when I was busy updating "Blood Drop Jade" and neglected this part, they have always silently supported me (of course, it would be even better if you could give me some advice and suggestions, haha), and their support has never wavered. I'm truly grateful!!

Writing "The Collection of Bomei" was more difficult than writing "Blood Drop Jade" because each story is independent. Therefore, it required more effort and thought in terms of conception than "Blood Drop Jade". As a result, it is impossible for the author to update it every day. This is not only a problem that the author cannot do, but even if the author could, I would not like it to be poorly made. Therefore, this book will continue to be written at a leisurely pace as always, and I believe you will not mind.

I've always wanted to thank everyone. For an immature author like Xiao Teng/Chen Ye (originally, I separated my author name from my reader nickname to avoid being too self-conscious about posting book reviews everywhere, but it ended up being mixed up anyway, with some calling me Chen Ye, some Xiao Teng, and some even calling me Xiao Jiang—oops~ Anyway, call me whatever you like!), and for the attention and support given to such a relatively immature author and work, it's something I should be genuinely happy about. There are so many books on Qidian, and it's a kind of fate to meet among them. I will continue to work hard, and please continue to support me!

Thank you everyone!

Notice Regarding the Temporary Suspension of Updates to "Bomei Collection"

The reasons for all of this have already been explained in the announcement for "Blood Drop Jade," but we'd like to add something. Unlike "Blood Drop Jade," the writing progress of this book will be further slowed down. It's not that there won't be updates, but the frequency of updates will be maintained at a relatively low level.

Conversely, the idea I mentioned before of writing a book based on Luo Lin, the protagonist of "August," is now under consideration. If all goes well, I plan to start a new book, also in the supernatural genre, with Luo Lin as the protagonist, and a style leaning towards mystery and the supernatural. The tentative title is "Lin's Fantasy Night Talks." The first story, "The Mountain Guest," is already in the writing plan. Once some other things settle down, I might start writing that book.

I am deeply grateful for everyone's support. I hope you will continue to follow my "Bomei Collection" and support my upcoming new book! Finally, please forgive my irresponsible behavior that night... Amitabha.

Conclusion

What is good? What is evil?

Can anyone tell me what clear boundaries they have?

When we were little, we learned from watching TV who the bad guys were and who the good guys were. But as we grow up, we slowly discover that the world isn't just black and white; there are many shades of gray in between.

Everyone grows up in different environments and becomes different, even though we are actually quite similar when we are born, except for our health conditions.

Different desires and yearnings, different lives, paint us with different colors. No one can guarantee that they are absolutely good or absolutely righteous, just as no one can guarantee that they will never make mistakes or do bad things.

The Seven Deadly Sins?

Is human nature inherently evil?

Within the Bomei community, there are those who champion goodness, and those who are universally hailed as evil, such as Lu Baibi and Zhou Yi. They rely on human weakness and desire to maintain their survival. In fact, all the people in the Bomei community are like that. Furthermore, perhaps we are all like that, relying on the contributions of others to maintain certain needs to varying degrees! This is a food chain, the food chain of nature. It's just that humans know how to set conditions, placing the realm of absolute evil within the scope of punishment, although the criteria for distinction may not seem entirely correct, and although many evils seem to go unpunished.

The debate between Luo Jian and the Pomeranian shop owners is unlikely to have a complete answer. Justice will prevail? You probably find that funny, but who hasn't been naive enough to hope that as long as a superhero appears, all the bad guys will be driven away?

With each passing year of growth, it seems that worries increase. "If only I had done this or that," "If only I had done that or that," ah, why so many worries? Why can't I understand so many things? Why do some people, so wicked, live such good lives, while others are forced to spend their entire lives in poverty and hardship? Ah, I don't understand, I don't understand. If only I could turn back into a child!

That's why we're called "annoying" people.

After two years and twenty days of intermittent serialization, including a short break due to the author's own reasons, "The Collection of Bomei" has come to a temporary end (in the future, if inspiration strikes, I will continue to write side stories, because "The Collection of Bomei" is not closed, haha~). Thank you all for your continued support. I will soon begin preparing "Lin's Nightly Musings," and I hope you will continue to support me then. Please also check out my other two books, "Blood Drop Jade" and "My Handsome Brother Who Fell From the Sky" (originally titled "Two Flowers," but I had to change the name because the title was already taken, which is quite tragic...). Finally, "The Collection of Bomei" has a total of 188 readers. Although this number may be very low for authors with many, many readers, I am very grateful. Thank you all for accompanying me on this journey for more than two years. Thank you again, thank you so much!

Dust Night

0:27 AM, July 6, 2006

Chapter One: The Medicine Seller

Name: Zhou Yi Gender: Female Age: Unknown

Occupation: Drug dealer; Address: No. 1, Xikou Street, Bomeiji

"Come and buy! The finest fabrics, the finest silks, tributes from foreign lands, royal treasures!"

"A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, jewelry you absolutely cannot miss, a spiritual stone from the bottom of the ocean..."

"Firearms, ammunition, rocket launchers, newly released lightsabers, sights with 200% accuracy..."

Zhao Lin looked around in surprise—this bustling market, brightly lit under the night sky, was incredibly lively. It should have been a normal market scene, but it couldn't hide the sense of incongruity, bizarreness, and even eeriness! Under the glaring lights, all kinds of goods were displayed in a dazzling array, with shops and counters crisscrossing each other, and all kinds of people. Everything was like a mirage in the middle of the water, dazzling but lacking a sense of reality.

"No. 1, West Exit Street, Bomei Market." Looking at the name tag in her hand, Zhao Lin had no time to linger at the other stalls and began searching for her destination. To be honest, although she had lived in this city for so long, she had never heard of such a market. If her friend hadn't repeatedly assured her, she would never have believed that following the path of the setting sun at dusk could lead to such a mysterious market, let alone actually arriving here—after traversing an abandoned residential area on the outskirts of the city, almost thinking there was nowhere left to go!

Clutching the name tag tightly, she stubbornly searched for the pharmacy called Zhouyi Pharmacy. "Number 48, number 49..." A sudden wave of fear gripped her heart. How could this be? She'd been wandering around for at least two hours, yet she'd never left this street! What should she do? Should she go back? Fear began to pound in her chest, and Zhao Lin started considering abandoning her purpose for this trip. Purpose...? Thinking this, a determined look returned to her eyes. No, she absolutely couldn't give up! Swallowing timidly, she mustered her courage and entered a nearby shop to inquire.

It was an old-fashioned shop. A dim oil lamp lit the dark hall, creating a stark contrast with the bright lights around it. A person was sitting hunched over in a bamboo chair, carefully drawing something.

“Sir… may I ask…” Zhao Lin’s voice trembled noticeably.

"What?" The man looked up; he was an elderly man wearing black-rimmed glasses. "What do you want?" His cold voice carried a chilling undertone.

"I..." Zhao Lin couldn't help but shudder. She noticed with her sharp eyes that the old man was holding a paper doll. Its features looked exactly like the face of a political figure she had seen in the newspaper a few days ago who had fallen ill for no apparent reason and whose condition had not improved. "I..." Zhao Lin was so shocked that she couldn't speak.

"What do you want?" the old man asked again in a calm, icy tone. "Our shop supplies all kinds of coffins, offerings, and burial goods. If you want special services, feel free to ask." The old man waved the doll in his hand meaningfully. "We also take on this kind of business."

"I... I just wanted to ask for directions." Zhao Lin forced herself to speak and shakily handed over the piece of paper.

“Zhou Yi’s shop.” The old man frowned. “Are you determined to go?” He pushed down his glasses, revealing a pair of surprisingly clear eyes that stared intently at Zhao Lin.

"Yes, yes," Zhao Lin murmured, lowering her head. At that moment, something was swirling in her eyes.

"It's right across the street." The old man hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

"The other side? But I just passed by..." Seeing that the old man had already lowered his head and continued to concentrate on drawing the doll's facial features, Zhao Lin had no choice but to walk out of the shop dejectedly.

Across the street, there was clearly a weapons shop. Zhao Lin shook her head and turned to walk forward.

"Medicinal herbs, all kinds of medicinal herbs and prepared medicines, Auntie, do you want to buy medicinal herbs?" A clear child's voice rang out, abruptly stopping Zhao Lin in her tracks.

"Impossible!" Zhao Lin turned around in surprise, her eyes widening as she saw the four gilded characters of Zhouyi Pharmacy. Behind a waist-high counter in the spacious, antique hall sat a beautiful girl of about eleven or twelve years old on a high stool. The sign on the doorposts outside, "No. 1, West Exit Street, Bomeiji," gleamed dimly under the red lanterns. What? When did they get here? Zhao Lin racked her brains; she had clearly been at number forty-eight or forty-nine just moments before…

"Auntie, what do you want?" the girl asked with a slight smile, revealing two pretty dimples.

"Little sister, I'm looking for the owner of this shop, Zhou Yi. Is he here?" After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Lin still walked into the quaint shop.

"I am Zhou Yi, Aunt Zhao!" The little girl raised her face slightly and spoke in a clear and gentle voice.

"You, you're Zhou Yi?" Zhao Lin was genuinely surprised. Her friend had only said the shop owner was young, but she hadn't expected her to be such a cute little girl. Wait a minute... how do you know my last name?"

“You’re Aunt Huang’s friend, aren’t you?” Zhou Yi jumped onto the counter, swinging his legs on the high counter. “She mentioned you to me.”

"I see." Zhao Lin smiled with relief; she had already experienced too many frights today. However, just a moment later, worry returned to her brow. "So, regarding my condition, you..."

"Yes, I understand." The little girl tilted her head somewhat awkwardly and said, "For someone like you, what do you think you need most?"

"I..." Zhao Lin unconsciously touched her face, which was now lined with crow's feet and whose skin was no longer smooth and elastic. She was thirty-seven years old; this was no longer an age of youth and vitality. It was understandable that her husband, in the prime of his life, would be attracted to younger women. "I just want to win back my husband's heart."

"Is that so?" Zhou Yi looked at Zhao Lin with a strange expression. Suddenly, he jumped off the counter, walked into the back room, and came out after a while carrying a piece of dead wood. "Use this!"

"What is this?" Zhao Lin asked curiously. For some reason, the shape of this piece of dead wood resembled a newborn baby.

“This is the Tree of Youth,” Zhou Yi replied softly, as he began cutting the withered wood. At that moment, Zhao Lin inexplicably felt a bottomless oppressive aura emanating from the girl before her, as if a heavy aura of death enveloped her, a truly palpable aura of death that seemed even stronger than the coffin shop she had just entered. Shaking her head, Zhao Lin chuckled at her own foolishness. This was, after all, just a little girl, wasn't she?

"Legend has it that there once existed a magical and bountiful land on Earth—Atlantis. At the edge of Atlantis grew a Tree of Youth. Its flowers could make one radiant, its fruit could restore youth, and its branches and leaves could cure all diseases. What I am giving you now is the fruit of the Tree of Youth." As he spoke, the medicinal herbs were sliced and packaged into five small packets. "After you return, decoct them like ordinary Chinese medicine. One dose should be divided into three decoctions and taken once a day. You should see results within five days, and you will regain the youthful appearance you had at twenty."

"Is this...is this real?" Zhao Lin was so excited she could barely speak.

"Yes! This is Bomei Market, the world's largest market, a market that sells the unbelievable. Have a safe trip." Zhou Yi stuffed the medicine packet into Zhao Lin's hand.

"Money? I haven't paid yet." Zhao Lin opened her purse. She didn't know how expensive the medicinal herbs here were, so she brought over a dozen gold cards, a stack of cash, and even a checkbook with her. She had a wealthy husband, didn't she? Although, he stopped loving her when he became rich, and she grew old.

"We don't accept cash here," Zhou Yi said with a grin, his innocent and carefree expression easily winning Zhao Lin's favor.

“That gold card…” Zhao Lin began to take out her purse.

"I think you've misunderstood me!" Zhou Yi jumped back onto the counter. "Measures of matter don't apply here. I'll deduct the cost of the medicine from your bill. You can leave now."

"Take it from me?" Zhao Lin was puzzled, but joy quickly replaced her wariness. Oh well, as long as she could win back her husband's heart, she'd let him have whatever he wanted! Even if she wanted ten or twenty years of life, or even if she only had one day left to live, as long as she could win back the heart of the man she loved, it didn't matter! Thinking of this, Zhao Lin smiled happily. She lightly said goodbye and turned to leave!

"Old woman, are you lying to others again?" A burly, muscular man who had somehow squeezed in shouted at the short figure behind the counter.

"You brat, if you keep making noise, I'll smash your skull!" An aged voice rang out, and what appeared behind the counter was a withered face, old, sinister, and terrifying. "The Grim Reaper across the street seems to be deliberately making trouble for me. If it weren't for his obstruction, that woman would have found my shop long ago!"

"That's your fault for being so unethical, always ripping people off!" the muscular man said cheerfully.

“Scam—” Zhou Yi drew out the word, his sharp voice strange and hoarse, “She wanted youth, so I gave her youth. It was a clean transaction. How did I scam her?”

"A cash transaction? You didn't tell her that the reward you wanted was her youth in every lifetime, nor did you tell her that in every future life she would only be born with the appearance of an eighty-year-old!"

"I did remind her, but as for why she didn't ask clearly, that's her own business and has nothing to do with me," Zhou Yi replied lazily.

"Old woman, you..." The muscular man wanted to say something more.

“Azure Dragon, you wouldn’t understand those foolish humans,” Zhou Yi said in a low voice. “You also don’t understand what humans call love! Even if I tell a woman what I want, she won’t change her mind about winning back her husband’s heart at all costs.”

"old……"

Zhou Yi waved his hand lightly, and the shop door creaked shut. "I'm going to rest now. You can leave!"

The Azure Dragon wanted to say something more, but finally shut its mouth, and its massive body slowly disappeared into the darkness.

Zhou Yi sighed. In the candlelight, her form gradually hunched over, decayed, and then turned black, resembling a withered piece of wood in the shape of a human. With a crisp cracking sound, the withered wood suddenly broke open, revealing a beautiful girl of eleven or twelve years old sleeping peacefully inside. The Tree of Youth, isn't it? The Tree of Youth that gives people youth, the Tree of Youth that sustains life and youth through human youth.

Come quick, come quick! The world's largest market, selling incredible Pomeranian treasures, can be found by following the sunset path at dusk!

Chapter Two: The Heart of the Qin

Name: Che Xian Gender: Male Age: Appearance: Over 40

Occupation: Music store owner; Address: No. 52, Dongshi Street, Bomei

There are many homeless people in this world who live outdoors and beg on the streets. Some debase themselves to gain sympathy, and don't care about being disheveled. Others hate society and people, and only feel happy by cursing the heavens and the earth.

There are many street performers in this world who laugh in front of others but are miserable behind the scenes. Some only seek to have enough to eat and a place to go at night. They are craftsmen who do not strive for progress. Others are talented, aloof, and proud. If they lose face, they will die in depression.

Which category does he fall into?

He is a homeless man; he doesn't feign pitifulness to gain sympathy, nor does he yell curses or spit.

He was a street performer, unwilling to live a life of mediocrity, struggling to make ends meet, and unwilling to die with regrets for his talent.

He was a homeless man, and he was also a street performer;

But he looked down on homeless people and street performers;

He is both and neither;

He doesn't want to do either, and neither can tolerate him;