"Who? Who's talking?!"
The sudden voice startled Wu Fan, making him jump out of bed. He scanned the small room nervously but found no one.
"Am I hallucinating?" After confirming no one was there, Wu Fan lay back down, still looking puzzled.
"Hey, where's the ring?"
As he lay down, Wu Fan suddenly realized the gray ring on his finger was gone. It had vanished right before his eyes.
"No, it's still here!" Wu Fan was surprised to find he couldn't see the ring but could still feel it. The familiar sensation was still there.
The ring had become invisible?!
What the hell!
Wu Fan realized strange things had been happening since he met that beggar. This ring had to go!
But as soon as his other hand touched the ring, everything went dark. He felt weightless.
When he could see again, Wu Fan found himself in a completely different environment. Just moments ago, he was in his small apartment, but now he was standing in an open field surrounded by thatched-roof huts. A forest stretched out nearby, and mountains loomed in the distance.
"What... what's happening?" Wu Fan stared in disbelief, his mind struggling to process the situation. "Where am I?"
He rubbed his eyes, but the scene remained unchanged. He noticed an old man nearby and approached him, hoping to get some answers.
But when he reached the old man, he suddenly pointed and shouted, "It's you?!"
The old man standing before Wu Fan was the same person who had eaten for free at his stall earlier! But there was a stark difference in appearance. The "beggar" had been disheveled and dirty, with a face hard to see clearly.
Now, this man wore a long robe, had a ruddy complexion, and looked vigorous and wise - the epitome of a sage. If it weren't for those eyes, Wu Fan might not have recognized him.
"Ha ha, I didn't expect you to recognize me right away," the old man said with a chuckle.
"Ha ha my ass!" Wu Fan snapped. "Pay up! You ate and ran! Think I won't call the cops?"
"I left you the ring, and you still want money?" The old man seemed even angrier, his eyes bulging as he glared at Wu Fan.
"Don't even get me started on that ring," Wu Fan shot back. "What a piece of junk. It's not worth a few hundred bucks. I could get a better plastic one for fifty cents at a street stall. Cut the crap and pay up!"
"You're killing me!" the old man yelled. "Do you know what material my ring is made of? It's... you wouldn't understand anyway! But to say it's worth less than plastic?!"
"Keep making things up," Wu Fan said, unconvinced. "If it's so valuable, take it back. I just want my 360 yuan."
As he spoke, Wu Fan held out his hand, indicating the old man should take the ring. He was trying to figure out how to remove it anyway, so if the old man wanted it back, that was fine.
"I wouldn't have given it to you if anyone else could wear it," the old man said angrily.
"It's just a cheap ring," Wu Fan dismissed it.
"This ring has the power to transport you through space. Without it, would you be here?" the old man said.
Wu Fan paused, remembering he had wanted to ask about this place. He had been so focused on recognizing the old man that he had forgotten his original question.
"Right, I was going to ask - where am I? Why am I here? I was in my room just now. Did you do something?" Wu Fan asked, examining the old man suspiciously. "Are you a magician? Did you create this place?"
"I'm not a magician. You're here because of the ring on your finger!" the old man said. "And what's a magician?"
"Ring?" Wu Fan instinctively looked at his finger. He couldn't see anything, but he knew the ring was still there.
Could this piece of junk from a street stall really have some magical properties?
"Correct. This ring was bestowed upon you by the Sky Deity. I was just responsible for delivering it," the village elder said.
"Sky Deity? What's that?" Wu Fan asked skeptically.
The old man shuddered at Wu Fan's casual question, looking around nervously before speaking with solemn reverence. "The Sky Deity is everywhere and all-powerful. You must show respect."
But Wu Fan scoffed at this in his mind. Growing up in an atheistic environment, he didn't believe in gods or ghosts. The old man's behavior probably just meant he was superstitious.
"What does this ring do? Why did you give it to me?" Wu Fan asked.
"This requires explaining your past lives," the old man resumed his wise sage demeanor - though to Wu Fan, he seemed more like a charlatan.
"In your past lives, you were cursed with bad luck. Everything went wrong. You lost your family, were betrayed by others, and ended each life in poverty and misfortune. Truly a tragic existence."
Though Wu Fan didn't want to believe in reincarnation, he still shuddered involuntarily. His past lives sounded awful - one bad life would be bad enough, but several in a row? Truly tragic.
"What about this life?" Wu Fan asked.
"This life?" The old man looked at Wu Fan. "You were supposed to continue being cursed with bad luck."
Wu Fan immediately thought of his experiences growing up. It seemed he had indeed been unlucky, especially after starting work. Despite his efforts, he always got fired for various reasons.
He really was cursed with bad luck.