No matter where you are, no matter when, as long as you want to live, you must live well. You may indulge in imagination, you may imagine blessings from heaven—these can serve as spiritual nourishment—but your fantasies will never change reality.
Di Wan and Karl had been in this world for three months. In that time, she had struggled to accept reality, yet every night she still thought about how to return home. She often dreamed of friends and family from her original world.
Sometimes, out of habit, she would dial a familiar number the next day—only to be met each time with the hollow tone of a nonexistent line.
They opened a flower shop in Los Angeles called "Missing," a name chosen by Di Wan. Karl stayed by her side every day, every moment. She had once told him that in this world, Earth seemed to be on the brink of destruction at any given time. Because of that, Karl dared not let her be startled by anything.
After three months of dependence, Di Wan gradually accepted Karl's presence. They could no longer chat as freely as before, and she still maintained a certain emotional distance, but in this world, he was the only familiar person she had. She treated him as she did others—calmly, politely—yet to her, he was undeniably special.
She did not dare let Karl leave her for long, and at night she insisted on sleeping beside him. She knew she had psychological problems. Those three consecutive days of chaos had left her anxious and fearful. In this strange world, Karl was her only anchor. Aside from brief moments of calm inside her flower shop, her nerves were constantly taut. She lived in deep fear that some sudden illusion or catastrophe would force her to endure something she could not bear.
Three months earlier, she had only been able to fall asleep while held in Karl's arms. Gradually, she began leaning into him instinctively, and Karl came to understand that he was her sole support. Although they shared a bed early on, nothing ever happened between them.
Karl's physical desires were nearly nonexistent. Di Wan never even had the mental space to consider such matters. Each night her mind was exhausted. If Karl had taken advantage of her vulnerability, she would not have been able to withstand it—she would either have completely broken down or chosen death.
In the flower shop, Di Wan sat behind the register, gazing out the window. Karl tended the flowers in the back. From time to time, she would glance over her shoulder to make sure he was still there. Each time she looked at him, Karl would give her a faint smile.
This was their daily routine. Especially when there were no customers, she would sit there, staring out at the street, recalling fragments of her past. After lingering in memory for a while, she would search for Karl's figure. Only after seeing him would she calm down enough to resume her quiet contemplation.
"Jingle—"
A man wearing a yellow robe and a hood pushed open the shop door. Di Wan couldn't see his face clearly. The moment she noticed his strange attire, her body tensed, and she immediately moved from the counter to Karl's side.
Karl had already noticed the man's entrance. Seeing no immediate threat, he nevertheless wrapped one arm around Di Wan to reassure her.
"How may I help you?"
One must always ask whether the guest has come to buy flowers. One cannot refuse service simply because someone dresses oddly.
The man lowered his hood, revealing a bald head and an expressionless face—so androgynous that it was hard to tell whether he was male or female.
Gu Yi kept his gaze on Karl, then shifted it to Di Wan hiding in his embrace. With a faint smile, he said, "Miss Di Wu, there is no need to be afraid. I have been observing you since the day you arrived in this world. Your pure soul is truly remarkable. You are the most extraordinary person I have seen in many years."
From the moment Karl and Di Wan passed through the spatial rift onto the battlefield, Gu Yi had noticed them. He had been present that day as well, though it was not suitable for him to reveal himself.
During that great battle, Gu Yi sensed something unique about Di Wu. Her soul was the purest he had ever encountered. Yet amid the chaos, he had no time to seek her out. And with Karl constantly guarding her, there were additional considerations. For various reasons, he chose only to observe them in secret.
For three months, they lived like ordinary people, showing no abnormal behavior. Through the Eye of Agamotto, Gu Yi tried to glimpse their futures—but he could not see them clearly. So he decided to meet them in person.
"My name is Gu Yi, President of the Earth's Sorcerers' Association."
Seeing their silence, he continued gently, "Miss Di Wan's soul has suffered some damage. I believe I can help heal it."
Di Wu was the most suitable candidate in centuries to study the Book of the White Demon Sovereign. Her soul was pure, untouched by corruption. Gu Yi did not wish to let such potential slip away.
"Soul?" Karl echoed.
It was the first time he had heard the term used this way. He understood it only as something intangible—something even humans themselves could not clearly define.
"Yes," Gu Yi replied. "Miss Di Yan's soul has been wounded. That is why she fears unfamiliar things as she does now. It is a self-protective mechanism of the soul. Over time, it will affect her tolerance of this world… similar to autism."
Karl looked down at Di Wu. Her behavior did indeed match what Gu Yi described.
"Mr. Karl may join us as well."
Gu Yi's confidence did not seem deceptive. Karl wanted Di Wan to recover, to stop living in constant fear of imagined catastrophes.
"Where will the treatment take place?" Karl asked.
Gu Yi smiled sincerely. Turning around, he drew a circle in the air. Sparks flew as a portal opened before them.
"It would be best to close the shop," he said. "The treatment will take a long time."
…
Passing through the portal, the three arrived in a courtyard surrounded by ancient buildings in the architectural style of the Celestial Empire. Everything looked venerable and steeped in history.
It was night. Only the three of them stood in the courtyard. As Karl and Di Wan looked around, Gu Yi led the way down a corridor. They followed.
"This is Kamar-Taj, located in Kathmandu. During the day, this courtyard is where my students practice."
After a brief introduction, they walked for two minutes and entered a Daoist hall. Gu Yi skillfully prepared tea for them.
"What is your understanding of the soul?" he asked casually after handing them the cups.
Karl shook his head. He did not know. Even in the darkness of his past, his understanding of existence had been vague. Let alone something as elusive as the soul.
Di Wan lowered her head in thought before answering hesitantly, "Is it a manifestation of matter? Or perhaps a magnetic field? I'm not sure."
Gu Yi smiled. "Not everything is composed solely of matter. A magnetic field is merely a property of matter in motion. The soul is another facet of a person. It allows us to perceive different worlds and comprehend different truths."
He fixed his gaze on Di Wu.
"The world seen by the soul will overturn your entire understanding of reality. It can take you through space without being constrained by time. It can help you grasp what you see far more quickly… Are you familiar with dreams?"
He did not expect her to answer.
"In dreams, you may experience a day—or many days—yet only minutes pass in the waking world. That is one manifestation of the soul."
Inside the empty hall, Gu Yi spoke while Karl and Di Wan tried to understand. Yet the concept of the soul was difficult to articulate. Gu Yi knew that no ordinary person could comprehend it alone. Much of it required abandoning everything one believed about life and rewriting one's perception of the world from a blank slate.
"You must let go of everything you think you know. Try to believe in yourself. That is the first step toward understanding your soul. Your soul is fragile right now. Otherwise, I would use another method to help you see."
Karl frowned slightly. "If what you're saying is true, then what we see may not be the whole truth. Only the soul sees reality's essence. In that case, do we truly exist?"
To him, it sounded almost absurd. If taken literally, it implied that the universe itself might be false.
Gu Yi showed no emotion at the challenge. Every student who came to Kamar-Taj began with similar doubts.
"No. What you see is also real. The universe is not composed of matter alone. Your eyes perceive matter, but the soul can transcend it and perceive the essence. The source of reality—spirit—is intertwined with matter. Through that source, the soul can see different dimensions. Even if this universe is but one among infinite universes, through the source you may perceive them all. There, you will witness the other side of what you see."
Gu Yi imparted fragments of knowledge but did not yet teach Di Wan how to apply it. He told her only to begin by believing in herself. Once she accepted everything about Kamar-Taj, he would instruct her further.
They remained in the hall for hours until dawn approached. Still jet-lagged, Di Wu began to grow drowsy. Gu Yi led them to resting quarters in the courtyard and then departed.
As the sky brightened, Di Wan slept peacefully in Karl's arms. Karl, however, did not sleep. He rarely did. The moment she stirred away from him, he would wake. If he were not there, her symptoms would immediately surface—her face turning pale, her eyes filled with panic, utterly devoid of security.
And so Karl did not dare leave her side for even a single step.
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