Chapter 228: Time Rewind
"Master, leave here as soon as possible. If you're discovered, you'll be considered the murderer."
The familiar voice of Xiao Bai echoed in Li Meng's mind, making him pause.
Li Meng's exclamation resonated through the forest.
He stood up, scanning his surroundings.
The face behind the silver mask was filled with suspicion as he surveyed the area.
The familiar carriage, familiar corpses, and familiar bandit ambush scene.
Three days ago, he should have already left this place.
Why was he here again?
"Master, what's wrong?"
"Xiao... Xiao Bai, I think I've returned to three days ago."
"Returned to three days ago? Master, what do you mean?"
"Literally. Three days ago, I left this place, but now, three days later, I’m back to three days ago."
Li Meng was certain he had returned to three days ago.
Just minutes ago, he had reached a human town.
The moment he saw the town walls, he suddenly returned to three days ago.
"Xiao Bai, does this world have something like time rewind magic?"
"Time rewind? Master, are you certain?"
"If it wasn’t a dream, I’m certain!"
"I’ve heard that some Divine children possess unique abilities. Maybe a Divine child triggered the time rewind."
"Divine child? What is that?"
"Divine children are a special type of people born with extraordinary abilities called 'Authority.' Some Authorities can even affect the entire world, like the time rewind you mentioned."
"Something like that is possible?"
Li Meng was incredulous.
Such an ability was beyond imagination.
"This world operates on magic. Magic is omnipotent."
"Xiao Bai, why don’t you have memories of the past three days?"
"If it's time rewind, only the caster would retain future memories."
"Then why do I remember?"
Li Meng got up and left the place of trouble once again.
Walking along the forest path, he pondered.
Why hadn’t he encountered something in the Goblin Forest before?
"Xiao Bai, does time rewind affect a specific region or the entire world?"
"The entire world. If it were just a region, the world would become fragmented."
In a flash, Li Meng darted off.
His speed was so fast that only a shadow could be seen flickering through the forest path.
Three days later, in the morning.
On the forest path near the carriage.
Kneeling beside a corpse, Li Meng trembled.
He stood up, looking around in frustration.
"Xiao Bai, I’m back again!"
"Master, what do you mean?"
"Time rewind. I’ve returned to three days ago again. This is the second time."
"Last time, you explained it to me. This should be a Divine child’s Authority."
"Xiao Bai, do you have a way to break it?"
He couldn’t be stuck in this three-day loop forever.
Even if these three days didn’t exist for others.
Li Meng remembered every moment.
Whoever triggered this was clearly dealing with a crisis.
Two time rewinds, yet he still hadn’t escaped the danger.
"Apologies, Master. I am powerless."
Xiao Bai’s answer didn’t surprise Li Meng.
After all, in Xiao Bai’s eyes, nothing had happened.
It only believed him because he was its master.
"Master, we can only wait—wait for that Divine child to resolve their crisis."
"Alright, we’ll wait then."
Li Meng turned and walked into the forest depths.
Under a massive tree, he leapt up.
His body soared, landing on a thick branch.
Sitting there, he waited patiently.
The next morning, a scream echoed outside.
A passerby had discovered the bodies on the path.
By nightfall, a group of cavalry had arrived at the scene.
They burned the bodies and left hastily.
"Xiao Bai, why did they burn the corpses? Isn’t burying them easier?"
"Master, if the corpses aren’t burned, they will become undead."
Hmm, another piece of knowledge learned.
That’s why goblins, as cleaners, were better.
They didn’t leave even bones behind, let alone corpses.
Three days later, on the forest path.
"That poor soul is truly miserable!"
Li Meng stood up with a helpless look, heading into the forest again.
"Master, what’s wrong?"
"Time rewind. This is the third time."
Li Meng ventured deeper into the forest, returning to the same massive tree.
Once more, he perched on the branch and waited.
The next morning, at the same time, a scream rang out on the forest path.
By nightfall, the cavalry arrived as usual.
Three days later, the fourth time rewind occurred.
Then the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth...
"That guy can’t seem to survive past the third day?"
Returning to the massive tree, Li Meng leapt onto the thick branch.
"Xiao Bai, this is the eighth time."
He gazed up at the sky beyond the treetops, feeling exasperated.
"This feels like imprisonment. Xiao Bai, is there really no solution?"
"There is. Find the Divine child using the time rewind, kill them, or help them overcome this crisis. However, the condition for triggering the rewind might be death. In that case, Master, you’ll need to find them."
"The world is vast. How can I find them?"
"The likelihood is almost zero. Even if you knew where they were, if it’s beyond what you can reach in three days, it’s pointless."
True. Three days wasn’t a long time.
If the Divine child using the rewind was 3,000 kilometers away, there was no way he could get there in time.
"Does this mean if they can’t resolve their crisis, the loop will go on forever?"
"No, using an Authority like time rewind must come at a cost. Master, you might just need to be patient. After all, time is frozen. Even if it loops thousands of times, time will remain within these three days."
Li Meng glanced northwest.
Something seemed to exist in that direction.
It might be an illusion, but the feeling grew stronger.
And so, Li Meng lived through each day repeatedly.
Screaming passersby, cavalry, burning corpses.
Every three days, the cycle reset with no changes.
"Xiao Bai, this is the 21st time."
"Master, I’m sorry. I... I can’t think of a solution."
"If the condition for using the time rewind Authority is death, shouldn’t they have collapsed by now?"
"Perhaps. Master, why do you always look northwest?"
"There seems to be something there. The feeling is growing stronger."
"Then go take a look. A strong person like you should trust your instincts."
"Alright, let’s check it out!"
Li Meng leapt down from the tree.