Chapter 7: Life on Easy Mode

Chapter 7: Life on Easy Mode

Early the next morning, Roland and Fang Xiaoling obediently finished breakfast under their new identities and then headed to school together. After getting into the taxi within their mother's sight, they told the driver to go to Phase One of Canglan International.

Fang Xiaoling’s palms were sweating. “Sis, why do I feel so inexplicably nervous?”

“Me too.” Roland straightened up. “Maybe it’s because Li Mengli and Li Mengling were both obedient kids who never did anything wrong. They’re probably scared their parents will find out, so they feel anxious.”

“Now that you mention it, that does make sense.” Fang Xiaoling turned to the driver. “Could you please drive a bit faster? We still have to get to school afterward.”

Roland lightly nudged her. “What school? You don’t even like going to school.”

Fang Xiaoling replied weakly, “Well... there’s no helping it. If Mom and Dad found out I was skipping school, I’d definitely get in trouble.”

Roland shook her head. “Big sis, you’re Fang Xiaoling, not Li Mengling. Don’t get confused, okay?”

Fang Xiaoling fiddled with her fingers and muttered, “I’m not confused. Whether it’s Fang Xiaoling or Li Mengling, we’re both afraid of getting punished...”

Roland leaned her head against the car seat, closed her eyes, and said, “It’s ridiculous. I remember the first time I transmigrated—it was during the Song Dynasty, Yuanfeng era. The first thing I did after regaining my memories was to poison the master. I had no intention of becoming someone’s concubine.”

“Master means husband, right?” Fang Xiaoling perked up. “You poisoned your own man? How did you complete your mission then?”

“I didn’t...” Roland said calmly, as if talking about someone else’s story. “After I succeeded, I climbed over the wall and fled to the countryside to avoid the authorities. I thought I could use my modern memories to make a big impact, but it was winter, and I froze to death that very night.”

“Hahaha, that’s so tragic!” Fang Xiaoling laughed at her misfortune. “Why didn’t you dress warmer or bring some money? So dumb.”

Roland smiled helplessly. “That’s easy to say now. I didn’t think that far at the time. The second time I transmigrated, I was smarter. It was medieval Europe, Celtic lands in 1495. After poisoning my husband, I went to the soldiers and told them he died of poisoning. No one suspected me. There was even a knight who wanted to take care of me. I pretended to agree, then stole all his money when I got the chance.”

Fang Xiaoling, listening like it was a story, asked eagerly, “Then what happened?”

“Then a group of three or five masked horsemen ambushed me and killed me without a word.”

This time Fang Xiaoling didn’t laugh. “That’s rough, but you had it coming. Why do you keep poisoning your husbands? Do you have a grudge against men?”

“The thing is, in those two transmigrations, the men treated me really badly, so I got angry. When have I, Roland, ever suffered such injustice?” Roland recalled. “Of course, there were also considerate, gentlemanly men, but... I found that no matter which woman I transmigrated into, there was one common thread: they all had someone they loved deeply, but that person didn’t love them back.”

Fang Xiaoling was silent for a moment, then said, “I once loved Shen Yi deeply, but he had no interest in me. Maybe that’s why heaven allowed your soul to possess my body.”

“That’s probably it. Fortunately, I retain some memories after every transmigration.” Roland opened her eyes. “I think the luckiest thing was that on the third transmigration, I encountered the existence of Qi.”

“Qi?” Fang Xiaoling reacted immediately. “You mean the energy that lets you punch tree trunks?”

Roland nodded. “Yes. It can be called Qi, Dao, mental power, magic power, and so on—different names in different eras and places, but essentially the same thing. It’s probably the only thing you can carry with you through every transmigration. After cultivating it for several lifetimes, except for a few times in the future when technology got the better of me, I’ve never been killed again.”

“Wow, that’s amazing! Can I learn it too?” Fang Xiaoling asked excitedly.

Roland answered without reservation, “You can, but it depends on your talent. Many people never achieve results in their lifetime, while some master it in just a few years. Actually, many ancient people practiced cultivation. Have you heard of lightness skill? In old times, lots of people could run on walls and jump between rooftops.”

Fang Xiaoling got even more excited. “Wow, can you do that too?”

Roland looked a bit embarrassed. “Uh... I have very poor talent. Although I have the advantage of time, I’ve only managed to cultivate pure Qi. I can protect myself and move faster than normal people, but as for lightness skill or running on rooftops, I really can’t do that yet.”

Fang Xiaoling teased, “That’s not just poor talent. People learn that stuff in a few years, and you’ve been at it for tens of thousands of years and still can’t.”

Before she finished speaking, the driver stopped the car. “Ladies, we’ve arrived.”

Fang Xiaoling habitually got out first, waiting for Roland to pay with her phone.

After Roland paid and left, the driver started the car again, shaking his head with a sigh. “Kids these days, watching all those crazy dramas.”

Fang Xiaoling noticed Roland approaching and suddenly realized something. She hopped excitedly, “I just realized, how are you so much taller than me? Aren’t you only two years older?”

“Oh, I’m the older sister now.” Roland walked smoothly into the community. “Maybe it’s because you were always the shorter type.”

“Damn it, next time I transmigrate, I want to be the older sister!” Fang Xiaoling jogged after her, then pointed to an empty lot nearby. “Yes! I transmigrated right here yesterday. Logically, my real body should be lying here.”

“Looks like it really disappeared.” Roland pulled out her phone and handed it to Fang Xiaoling. “Call Shen Yi now and ask if he knows a person named Fang Xiaoling.”

Fang Xiaoling took the phone, dialed the number, and it was answered after just one ring. A familiar voice came through the receiver, “Hello?”

Fang Xiaoling nervously said, “Hello... do you know someone named Fang Xiaoling?”

“You dialed the wrong number.” The voice said coldly and hung up.

Fang Xiaoling handed the phone back to Roland, muttering, “That bastard Shen Yi. I’m really curious what his world would be like without me.”

“Everything would be the same, just missing you from his memories.” Roland wanted to go home and see for herself, so they continued toward Apartment Unit Three. “People always forget some really important people and things, then naturally go on living.”

“I just feel that if Shen Yi disappeared from my memories, something would feel off.” Fang Xiaoling hurried to catch up. “Sis, aren’t we going back to school? We’ll be late.”

“I need to go home to handle some things.” Roland went inside. A woman standing by the elevator transformed quickly into a gentleman in a suit when she saw her. “Miss Luo, welcome home.”

“Wow, even though you’re a high schooler now, it still recognizes you?” Fang Xiaoling found she didn’t dislike the AI standing before her this time. Instead, she grew curious. “Sis, do you think it can recharge itself? Does it need to eat or anything?”

“Please call the West Lake-themed elevator for me. Thanks.” Roland said, and the elevator doors opened. She stepped inside and saw Fang Xiaoling standing on tiptoe, pinching the AI’s face. “Xiaoling, come in quickly.”

“I’m not going, sis. I have to go to school, or I’ll be late. Help me call a taxi. I’ll wait for you at school.” Fang Xiaoling was about to leave but Roland grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside the elevator.

Roland pressed the close door button. “Are you getting too into character? You’re Fang Xiaoling, not Li Mengling, okay?”

Fang Xiaoling didn’t get angry but reasoned with her, “Sis, I know I’m Fang Xiaoling, but you’ve never been transmigrated, so you don’t understand empathy. If I don’t go to school, it would be very irresponsible to Li Mengling. Even if she forgets these days later, her classmates and teachers will remember she skipped class, and that will affect her future.”

“Let me ask you, if you live by the river, would you think about digging a well?” Roland crossed her arms. “What future? We’re lucky to transmigrate to this era and place. Do you know what that means? It means I can go home and withdraw millions. This is life on easy mode, get it? Li Mengli and Li Mengling are my responsibility this lifetime. Why bother with school?”

Fang Xiaoling countered, “You’re wrong! Do you think suddenly getting rich would make you happy?”

“Would you be unhappy if you suddenly got rich?” Roland retorted.

Fang Xiaoling was momentarily speechless. After thinking carefully, she felt Roland had a point.

The elevator doors opened, and Roland held Fang Xiaoling’s hand as they stepped out. “Don’t overthink. No matter what we do, it won’t affect Li Mengli and her sister. You forgot one key point: the timeline.”

“Timeline? What do you mean?” Fang Xiaoling followed Roland back home and noticed the cups on the coffee table were in the place she had moved them last night.

“We transmigrated on the night of October 10th to October 11th. After returning to our real bodies, it will be the night of October 10th. So tell me, on the night of October 10th, which period of memory will Li Mengli and Li Mengling lose?”

Fang Xiaoling was confused by the question. She pondered for a long time, muttering to herself, “They would lose memories after October 11th, but on October 10th, they haven’t yet experienced October 11th. But then they got transmigrated on October 11th, and at the same time, our real bodies awaken. That logic doesn’t work... this is just too messy!”

While looking for her bank card, Roland asked, “To understand this, consider this question: If your future self killed your current self, then who is the murderer?”

Fang Xiaoling thought deeply but couldn’t find an answer. “If my current self dies, there’s no future me, so how could the future me kill the current me?”

“That’s why no matter if it’s Liu Er, you Fang Xiaoling, or Li Mengli, your three transmigrations are all different. At the time my real body transmigrated, Liu Er had already been dead for many years and didn’t exist in my real body's era. As for you, Fang Xiaoling, seven months before my real body’s transmigration, logically my real body should have still been alive, but it disappeared. When I woke up, you had no memory of those seven months.” Roland analyzed, trying to make sense of the information, hoping it might help break the curse. “As for Li Mengli, she transmigrated one day after my real body. According to the rule that the future cannot kill the past, two identical souls can’t exist at the same time, so the only logical conclusion is that this is an alternate world.”

Fang Xiaoling tried hard to keep up but couldn’t get a word in.

Roland continued, “In other words, after we transmigrated, two worlds appeared that don’t affect each other. Today’s Li Mengli and Li Mengling continue to live normally in my real body’s world. When we return to our real bodies, on October 11th in this world, they’ll still go to school as usual.”

Fang Xiaoling didn’t understand at all but pretended to, trying to stay calm. “I don’t believe it.”

“Believe it or not, it’s your choice.” Roland shrugged. “I’m convinced this is a virtual alternate world. Those two sisters won’t lose any memories and will receive my special care in the real world’s future.”

“Who can say what will happen...” Fang Xiaoling sat on the sofa for a while, then stood up. “Ah, sis! I still feel nervous. What time is it? Morning reading is already over. This is skipping class! How do we explain this to our parents when we get home?”

Roland ignored her and started typing her bank card number into her phone. “Looks like I should memorize the number so next time I transmigrate to the same era, I won’t have to go home to find the card. Let’s transfer a million first; that should be enough for the next few days.”

(End of chapter)