Between Time and Space

Specters of the Past and Mysterious Messages

Liu Xiao returned to his village after sunset, his heart filled with a sense of peace after meeting the mysterious old man in the old cabin. But with every push of the pedals, he couldn't shake off a strange feeling, as if something behind him remained unresolved.

As he approached his humble home, he noticed a small note hanging on his door. The handwriting was unclear, but he managed to read the few words: "Hidden paths are not always as they seem." This piqued his curiosity, but he dismissed it as a possible prank from one of his friends in the village.

That night, as he lay in bed, unsettling thoughts began to creep into his mind. Where did that old man come from? Why had the cabin been closed for so long? And how did he play an instrument Liu Xiao had never seen before? These questions started to bother him, but he soon fell asleep, thinking they were just figments of his imagination.

The next morning, Liu Xiao was awakened by the sound of soft knocks on his window. When he opened it, no one was there, but a small package tied with an old string had been left behind. Inside the package was a worn leather notebook, with pages filled with old drawings of landscapes and mysterious maps. The pages seemed to have been written in a different era, and some contained indecipherable symbols.

As he flipped through the notebook, Liu Xiao noticed that some of the drawings resembled places he had passed during his travels, including the field he had found the previous day. He felt that these drawings might be the key to something bigger, something beyond mere adventure.

Liu Xiao didn’t know how he had come into possession of this notebook or why it had been placed on his window, but the mystery began to dominate his thoughts. He decided he must return to the cabin and speak with the old man again. Perhaps the old man knew something about the notebook or the mysterious messages that had started appearing.

Before leaving, he noticed that at the end of the notebook, there was a torn page, as if something important had been removed. But what was even more strange was the note left in place of the missing page: "The answers lie in the roads yet to be traveled."

Liu Xiao felt a chill run down his spine, but his curiosity was stronger than his fears. He mounted his bicycle and set off for the cabin once more, this time carrying the notebook with him, determined to unravel this mystery shrouded in secrecy.

When he arrived at the cabin, he found the door open, but the old man was nowhere inside. The cabin appeared as if it hadn’t been inhabited for many years. Liu Xiao began to feel deeply confused, but he decided to search the cabin for any clues that might lead him to the answers.

As he examined the old furniture and dusty belongings, he found a small wooden box hidden under the bed. When he opened it, he discovered an old key and several old letters sealed with red wax. The letters were addressed to someone named "Chao Ling," and they read: "To the one who seeks the truth, you will find me where the journey began."

Liu Xiao felt the mystery deepening, and he could no longer distinguish between reality and fantasy. The journey he had started in search of natural beauty had now turned into a journey into the heart of the unknown. But Liu Xiao was determined to continue down the path, no matter what challenges lay ahead.