Beijing Flavor

  In the mountains of North China in 200x, a group of soldiers wearing camouflage uniforms were busy around a black missile with white lettering that read "Disarm" on its body. Several soldiers set up ladders and placed explosive devices inside a small window at the front of the missile, while others were tensely setting up detonation lines.

  About 100 meters away from the missile, there is an underground bunker. Many soldiers are also busy. This place is one of the places where the General Equipment Department specially destroys expired missiles. At this time, a young lieutenant emerged from the underground bunker, "Report to the squad leader, the preparation work has been completed, and after repeated checks, everything is ready, requesting blasting." A soldier saluted and reported. "Squad leader, order all personnel to quickly evacuate the site and enter the bunker to await orders." "Yes!"

  But the young lieutenant did not enter the bunker, instead he quickly walked towards the missile, he wanted to personally make the final check, to ensure that everything was foolproof. The young lieutenant's name was Li Yaping, and he was the platoon leader in charge of destroying the missile. Three years ago, Li Yaping graduated from university and happened to join the army when they were recruiting new soldiers among recent graduates. He had not considered other options before, but considering the treatment of the troops, he resolutely chose to enlist.

  Li Yaping comes from a remote mountainous area. His parents were frugal and he worked hard, finally getting into a third-rate university in Beijing. Because Li Yaping loved literature, he chose the Literature Department. During his four years at university, to reduce the burden on his parents, he used his spare time to work part-time jobs in Beijing, doing N menial jobs. He not only earned his tuition and living expenses but also broadened his horizons and gained rich life experience.

  Nowadays, graduating from university is equivalent to being unemployed. For someone like him who didn't attend a prestigious school, has an unreliable major, and is a liberal arts student, finding a job is even more difficult. In Beijing for four years, he must have received countless cold stares. With graduation looming, his future is uncertain, and with no other options, it's likely he won't be able to stay in Beijing anymore.

  It was just in time for the troops to go to college, and the treatment was excellent, so he signed up without hesitation. The key is that college graduates who enter the army can enjoy the treatment of low-ranking officers, which makes many poor children eager to join. Li Yaping relied on his physical fitness to successfully join the army. After three months of new recruit training, he was assigned to a bomb disposal unit in North China, specializing in destroying expired missiles.

  Li Yapeng enjoyed preferential treatment as a non-commissioned officer after joining the army. After all, he came from a rural area and was not afraid of hard work. He started from the bottom and took on any difficult task, even trying his hand at welding in front of the car. With a strong sense of professionalism, he quickly made a name for himself in the army within a year. This year, Li Yapeng was officially appointed as the leader of the bomb disposal team, taking on frontline bomb disposal tasks.

  This missile, which is about to be dismantled, was a product of the late 1980s. Generally, missiles with an effective period of up to 20 years are considered outdated, which is an internationally accepted convention. It's not unexpected that Li Yaping took on this task, as he has participated in the destruction of dozens of large and small missiles over the past few years without any errors, for which they have received commendations from the Command Headquarters.

  Li Yapeng came to the front of the missile, climbed up the ladder and checked the detonation device inside the small window. For a long time, Li Yapeng had developed a habit of making a final inspection, being the last one to leave the scene, checking carefully again and again, almost as if it were his motto. After finishing his check, Li Yapeng felt very satisfied. He was just about to come down when suddenly a puff of blue smoke emerged from inside the small window.

  Before he could react, a deafening explosion shook the ground, and the scene was quickly shrouded in smoke... A hundred meters away, soldiers hiding behind cover rushed to the scene of the explosion after the blast, ignoring the choking dust. At the scene, except for the fragments of the explosion, their squad leader was nowhere to be found, having been torn into countless tiny particles, mixed with the dust. The soldiers cried out and called...

  Chapter 1: Crossing Time and Space

  Li Yapeng lost consciousness at the moment of the explosion, but soon after his consciousness recovered. Is it true that there is a soul after death? He tried to understand everything around him, and all around was pitch black. He felt as if he was moving at high speed, but it didn't seem like it. He tried to control himself but couldn't. Behind him was a powerful force pressing down on him, creating an illusory scene.

  Could it be that I haven't died? This is absolutely impossible. Could it be that there really is a paradise in the afterlife? Or perhaps eighteen layers of hell. Is it heaven or hell? Ah, right, I should be at the Naihe Bridge, drinking a bowl of Meng Po's soup, forgetting all the troubles of the mortal world. Also, let me take a look at what the Judge of the Underworld looks like and how he signs his name on my book of life and death.

  Why am I destined to go to hell, can't I go to heaven? Maybe in my previous life I've been through hardships and might be able to ascend to the heavenly world of ultimate bliss, where I can see the Jade Emperor, the Queen Mother of the West, and the Seven Fairies. Suddenly Li Yaping felt his body start moving at high speed again, and his consciousness entered a blurry state.

  A faint cry seemed to be coming from afar, yet it sounded like it was right next to his ear. Suddenly he felt the presence of his body and tried to move a little, only to find himself confined in a narrow space. He tried to touch his face with his hand, and indeed it was flesh and blood. His chest felt extremely stuffy. When he opened his eyes, everything was still pitch black. Then he reached out with his hands and felt wooden boards all around him, above and below. The cry from outside continued to come and go.

  Is this a coffin? Am I lying in a coffin myself? This is absolutely impossible, I should have died long ago. Moreover, the power of the missile would be enough to blow me into dust, it's impossible for my body to remain intact. His mind became even clearer, and he examined himself again, only to find that he was indeed alive and lying in a coffin. Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him - transmigration! He had transmigrated! His soul had attached itself to the body of someone who had just died.

  It can only be this phenomenon, and any hypothesis cannot explain it. Li Yaping confirmed his judgment. Now he has a new confusion, what era did he cross into? The key is that crossing over is not something everyone can win big with, dying and being reborn again to gain the favor of heaven once more, and being able to live again in the mortal world for a while, this probability should be said to be "none".

  The crying outside stopped, as if someone was moving around. Li Yapeng tried to shout out loud, but his voice was almost inaudible even to himself, and he raised his hand to knock on the side panel of the coffin, but it was too weak. Finally, he kicked the bottom panel with his foot, "Bang! Bang! Bang!" The coffin board under his feet made a faint sound.

  The men and women kneeling in the mourning hall were suddenly stunned by this voice, they looked at each other in dismay, not knowing what to do. An old woman suddenly shouted: "It's a fake resurrection!" The scene was chaotic, the timid ones ran out of the mourning hall. Even the men ran out, but only two women on the right side wearing white clothes did not move.

  At this time, a woman in her 40s walked in, knelt down and said to the frightened woman in front of her: "Mother-in-law, daughter-in-law has not wronged her husband, please say something!" "Bang bang bang!" The woman was startled, clasped her hands together and said: "Child, mother knows you are unwilling, mother promises to fast and pray for your soul, just go peacefully!"

  "Bang! Bang! Bang!" The sound came again, and the lady was startled. At this time, a young woman kneeling in the second position on the right said: "Auntie, maybe big brother has woken up, should we open the coffin to take a look?" The woman who spoke earlier urged anxiously: "Yes! Maybe brother has woken up, auntie hurry and get someone to open it and take a look." The lady's face turned pale, unsure of what to do.

  At this time, an old woman said: "Madam, you absolutely cannot open the coffin, or else the Mu family will suffer a great calamity." In fact, outside were still standing the madam's two sons, who at this moment were also frightened pale and speechless. The two men were unexpectedly even less brave than the women.

  At this moment, a group of people walked into the mourning hall. The leader was wearing a Chinese-style black jacket with a Mandarin collar and a Chinese-style skirt, with a moderate figure and an age of about 50 years old. He wore a pair of glasses, giving people a sense of dignity and elegance. The newcomer was called Mu Tianyi, the master of the Mu Mansion, who was currently the deputy director of the Northern Government's Telegraph Bureau.

  Mrs. Mu saw Mu Tianyi and seemed to have a backbone, hurriedly stepped forward with a trembling voice and said: "Master, you quickly take charge, the young master may be pretending to be dead." The woman who spoke earlier choked and said: "Master, maybe Ah Ping is still alive, please let me take a look!" The second woman chimed in and said: "Master, who has ever seen someone pretend to be dead? If we drag on for more time, perhaps the young master really will die."

  Mu Tianyi's face changed as he heard the words, and he said decisively: "Open the coffin!" Tan Rui explained that opening a coffin to examine the body was not a trivial matter. Once a corpse is placed in a coffin, it cannot be exposed to light again. Superstition has it that if a corpse absorbs the yang energy of the living world once more, the family will suffer retribution. Of course, such things may have little impact on ordinary families, but for the Mu household, it was a matter of great importance. However, Mu Tianyi's desire to save his son was urgent, and he couldn't care about these taboos anymore.

  Li Yapeng lay in the coffin, feeling extremely anxious. Had all the men in this family died? Why were there only women's voices? From the first woman's crying, he judged that she was the deceased's wife. Li Yapeng felt a bit depressed. Damn it, he had just crossed over and already had a wife. He wondered if this wife was pretty or not.

  Judging from the conversation between the two women, it can be inferred that the deceased had a brother and his wife. The fact that both women called each other "mother-in-law" suggests that the praying woman was the mother of the deceased. Although her voice did not sound very old, this alone cannot determine the age of the deceased.

  Finally, the man's voice was heard. When he heard himself being called "master", Li Yapeng determined that the head of the household had arrived. Apparently, this master was the father of the deceased. When the coffin lid opened, Mu Yapeng had no strength left. The servants then came forward and quickly lifted the coffin lid, running to one side afterwards. In fact, they were also afraid.

  Li Yapeng had been in the dark for a long time, when suddenly a bright light appeared, and his eyes couldn't open at all. A refreshing air filled his lungs, and he felt that his whole body suddenly gained strength. Suddenly Li Yapeng sat up, spitting out a sentence: "I'm suffocating!" Then another wave of dizziness hit him and he fell back down again.

  Li Yapeng suddenly sat up, and many people in the mourning hall were frightened and ran out again. Mu Tianyi didn't move from his place, and his wife was holding onto his arm, trembling with fear. The first woman on the right was still kneeling on the ground, seeing this scene also trembling non-stop. Only the young woman kneeling in the second position had a bright light in her eyes.

  She stood up bravely and walked boldly to the coffin, seeing Li Yaping's face was rosy and seemed to be asleep. The woman turned her head excitedly and said: "Grandpa, grandma, late autumn, big brother has come back to life." The woman who knelt on the ground got up and took two steps before falling to the ground, perhaps she had fainted from excessive excitement. Mu Tianyi and his wife carefully approached the coffin, seeing Li Yaping indeed had a rosy face and even breathing, Mu Tianyi hastily said: "Quickly go invite Doctor Wang."

  Even if Li Yapeng woke up, Mu Tianyi didn't let anyone move him. Due to the unclear situation, they had to wait for Wang Yuanyi's arrival to determine what was going on. Everyone waited anxiously, and at this time, the family members, servants, and maids standing outside the mourning hall gathered around, carefully peeking into the coffin to see if the person inside was dead or alive. In fact, the person in the coffin had died last night, which was the conclusion drawn by Wang Yuanyi himself. Now he was being called over to verify the truth, and no one else could do it but him.

  Before long, the handsome Wang Yu physician hastily walked in. He pushed through the crowd and went straight to the coffin, stretched out his hand to grab Li Ya Ping's hand and began to take her pulse. From his facial expression, it was not hard to see that he was bewildered, shocked, excited, and joyful - all four seasons were being played out on his face. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the result.

  The royal doctor, Wang, loosened his grip and glanced at Mu Tianyi before the two of them walked out of the mourning hall together. Mu Tianyi anxiously asked, "Royal Doctor Wang, tell me the truth, how is Young Master doing?" The royal doctor replied, "Young Master's pulse is stable, his internal organs are harmonious, and he has almost no symptoms of illness, only a slight weakness in his body. How can this be? I have been practicing medicine for decades and have never misdiagnosed anyone before. Young Master indeed passed away last night; it's simply a miracle! Congratulations, Mu sir, Young Master is indeed alive!"

  Mu Tianyi's beard was shaking with anger, he rushed into the hall and said to everyone: "What are you waiting for? Quickly carry Young Master inside." Everyone started bustling around, Mu's wife was overjoyed and rushed into the Buddhist hall to chant scriptures. Mu Tianyi asked Wang Yuanyi: "Please diagnose again, I don't believe this is real."

  Li Yapeng was lying in bed, fast asleep. Wang Yuyi sat beside him, feeling his pulse. After a while, he let go of his hand and stood up to say to Mu Tianyi: "Mr. Mu, after another hour, he will wake up. I'll give you a prescription for a tonic, take it for a month, and I guarantee that the young master will be as energetic as before." Mu Tianyi was overjoyed and said: "Reward Wang Yuyi!"

  That afternoon, the young master of the Mu family died on his wedding night and came back to life the next day. The news spread rapidly throughout the 49 cities and was widely circulated.