That evening, Norman successfully registered for the Japanese exam. He resolved to study diligently. To avoid the distraction of a baby's cries, he chose to go to the library near his home. Yongnian accompanied him to study. Though Yongnian had a foundation in Japanese, the language's dramatic evolution over millennia—from Chinese characters to kana and Sino-Japanese characters—made learning challenging.
Halfway through their study session, Yongnian mentioned wanting to learn Korean after the exam. His reason was that Korean script had also transformed from Chinese characters to the Hangul we see today. The two writing systems were so vastly different that Yongnian couldn't decipher it at all. He hoped to use his time off to learn multiple languages. While he was interested in other languages too, his other clone, Yihe, wasn't too keen on learning Eastern European languages because their scripts and difficulty levels were truly formidable. Yongnian mentioned he'd been sleeping poorly lately. He knew the last alter had left the necklace, but he couldn't sense where it had gone—its presence was completely absent from the house. Strangely, the children hadn't started crying when Norman and the clones approached them together.
Three hours later, Norman's phone suddenly rang. It was Cordelia calling to inform him of an important matter: the housekeeper had taken leave to visit her hometown, meaning all household chores would now fall to the two of them. She had already purchased groceries for the week. Meanwhile, Cordelia had recently noticed an abnormal dark shadow appearing on the full-length mirror in their bedroom. With only the couple present at home, it was impossible for the children to have approached the mirror. Norman felt slightly puzzled and asked Cordelia if the mirror might be dirty, as it was an easily overlooked spot for cleaning. Cordelia replied that the mirror was actually not soiled.
A few days later, Norman took the exam with his usual composure. This time, he didn't wear the purple necklace, wanting to prevent his clones from interfering. The scientist from the Timing Police had explained that the clones couldn't affect him as long as the necklace was far away. The necklace was now locked, making it impossible to open. Though the exam seemed challenging, Norman gave it his all, determined to avoid any future suspicion about the legitimacy of his certificate, even if he passed.
Hours later, the exam bell rang. All candidates had to stop writing, hand in their papers to the proctor, and leave the testing room. Just then, Cordelia called him. It turned out Nathan had arrived at their home with urgent business, requiring Norman to rush home immediately after finishing the exam.
When Norman returned home from the community center, he saw Nathan looking grave. Thinking he might have inadvertently offended him, Norman asked what was wrong. Nathan replied sternly, "Brother, are you hiding something from me? Why didn't you tell me about those clones appearing? Don't think you're the only one who can see them. I'm your brother and share the same Huyan Hu bloodline. Even without touching that necklace, I can see them too." Norman knew he could hide the truth for a time, but not forever. He decided to tell his brother the relevant facts. Nathan seemed to calm down, but he pointed out that the power of the clones was extremely dangerous. After all, they had been dead for over a hundred years. Therefore, utmost caution was required during their activities. His situation had already been reported to Commander Gavrikov. Although he couldn't return to duty yet, once that clone emerged, he must immediately go to the underground laboratory. Yamamoto Hideki had contacted him this morning. Yamamoto stated he had developed a drug capable of suppressing the clones' power.
At that moment, Nathan was flipping through The Book of Huyan Hu. Pointing to a passage, he remarked, “See here—it's customary for the eldest son to serve as compiler. Yet the first compiler, Hu Xiaoqiu, was the second son...” Norman leaned closer to examine the text, puzzled. “Why?” “The records state that the eldest son at the time—our ancestor, the great general—had military achievements but lacked literary talent...” Because the bloodlines of the three sons of the first ancestor documented in writing had all been completely extinguished: the eldest son's line, and likewise the youngest son's line.
When they found records about the first clones—Hu Chengyan—they discovered most of the negative critiques were written by his younger brother, Hu Ruize. Though the book contained some of Hu Ruize's childhood doodles, those doodles were actually fragments of their childhood memories. Until one year, Chengyan clashed with him and beat him until he was bruised. Though not severe, the brothers' relationship had already cooled to freezing point. Since this behavior did not involve any illegal acts, there was no reason to list him as a controversial member. All records concerning Hu Chengyan were compiled by his youngest son, incorporating military archives, so the content should be comprehensive.
The only thing puzzling the brothers was the curse mentioned in the book. What exactly was this curse? There were no detailed accounts of it whatsoever. None of the historical records from the late Eastern Han Dynasty or the Three Kingdoms period documented anything related to it. Was it deliberately concealed? Or was there insufficient evidence, leaving no one to believe it? Nathan said solemnly: "Do you remember what Father said back then? "Historical records are difficult to verify. Many so-called truths are merely later generations' misunderstandings and forced interpretations. Since we weren't eyewitnesses, we have no clue what this curse truly was. Father also said you were remarkably like him—not just in appearance, but in the path you walked. You held an extremely high military rank, and faced the same circumstances as him: both were suspended from duty. Unfortunately, the descendants of Hu Ruize were wiped out during the War of the Eight Princes. That truth is truly regrettable."
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and then Add to home screen.