Tranxending Vision - Chapter 701

Chapter 701: 701

One day later, in the north of Italy, Bobbio .

Xia Lei felt a sense of deja vu when he arrived in Bobbio . This was not because he had been here before, but because it matched the painting which Ning Jing had painted . What she’d painted was a town in the Middle Ages, and it was a modern town before his eyes now, with the medieval buildings practically gone, but some places matched with the distinctive features of the painting of ancient times .

“This is Bobbio, Boss . Da Vinci lived here, and the background of the Mona Lisa is this place too . I haven’t been here before, but I know the situation in this place . ” Alessio made some introductions to Xia Lei in an old pickup truck . He seemed to want to play the role of tour guide .

“I’d like to walk about on my own . You guys just maintain radio contact,” said Xia Lei .

“Sure, no problem . ” Alessio smiled and said, “Oh, and Boss? The girls in Italy are quite open-minded . Be careful, or they’ll tie you to a bed . ”

Xia Lei gave a laugh and alighted . He walked along a street, moving forward .

The streets of the town were not busy, and there were few people around . The Mona Lisa had been created here, but this was just the birthplace of a painting, and that was not enough to draw the touristy crowds .

Xia Lei walked on, through the street, moving aimlessly . He had a silicone mask on, and no trace of “Xia Lei” could be seen from any angle . He had only a travel backpack on him, and he looked like an asian backpacker .

The Zodiac team did not follow . They spread themselves out throughout the town such that the entire area was under their control .

Xia Lei had his reasons for telling the Zodiac team not to follow him . They would easily draw the attention of others if they moved as a group of eight, especially when the members of the group were so varied in ethnicity .

There was actually another reason, and that was that he was the leader of the Zodiac team, and they were his subordinates . He did not have to tell them everything . He just had to command them, and have them do what he told them to do as he intended them to do .

A river appeared before him when he walked out of the town . This river was not very big, nor very small . Dense forest lined the banks of the river, with a small path going through both sides . Xia Lei walked along the path on the left, and saw a stone bridge after a while .

It was an ancient stone bridge, and the stones of the bridge were covered with moss . Some of the stone was also so mottled it didn’t look like stone any longer . The bridge looked to be several hundred years old at first glance .

Xia Lei’s heart thumped when he saw it . ‘Isn’t this that stone bridge in the Mona Lisa? Seems like I’m nearing my destination . ’

A vision popped into Xia Lei’s head when he stepped onto the bridge . A woman wearing a black dress sat with her back to the bridge, facing a painter with a mesmerising smile on her face . The painter was focused on painting, his eyes deep and full of wisdom . His name was Leonardo da Vinci, and the woman before him was the subject of the Mona Lisa, Lisa del Giocondo .


Thinking of da Vinci made Xia Lei think of a new question . When had da Vinci drawn the map and the message in pencil? And why did he hide such an important message in a painting? He could not have known that this painting would be a world-renowned work of art after all .

Xia Lei’s gaze went downriver as he thought, and he spotted an old man fishing . The old man was silver-haired but tall and sturdy . He looked and was built like a typical white person .

The old man also looked over just as Xia Lei spotted him, and he saw him too .

“Hey there, young friend! Are you a tourist?” The old man took the initiative to greet Xia Lei, and he seemed very friendly . He spoke with a very pure Italian accent .

Xia Lei nodded, and said, “Yes . I like this place . ”

“You won’t be disappointed . This is the most beautiful place in the whole of Italy . Walk around, my boy . You will surely find something delightful . Good luck!” The old man waved at Xia Lei .

“Good luck to you,” said Xia Lei . He left the stone bridge .

Xia Lei’s words seemed to have worked, for the fishing float suddenly submerged when he stepped off the stone bridge . The old men pulled at the fishing rod in his hand immediately, and a big fish was dragged out of the surface of the water .

‘This old man reacts pretty quickly, huh,’ thought Xia Lei to himself . He looked away, and stepped on the small path between the trees, moving forward .



It was quiet in the forest, with a breeze blowing once in a while, swaying the trees and making them rustle . Small birds flew up occasionally too, chirping and tweeting . There was no shadow of city life here, and it brought one a soothing silence to the soul .

Had Leonardo da Vinci walked this path, all those years ago?

About 500 metres later, Xia Lei walked out of the forest . A pile of rocks entered his field of vision, and he was absorbed by them right away . These were not natural rocks, but stones which had been cut by a stonemason, perhaps for construction work or something similar .

Ning Jing’s painting appeared in his head again . A house, and a mountain behind that house, plus the tomb at the foot of that mountain . His eyes left the stone ruins and he looked further behind them . A mountainscape met his eyes — the terrain was exactly the same as what Ning Jing had painted!

“I found it!” Xia Lei’s heart thumped with excitement . He strode over .

He came to the ruins in minutes . Pieces of stone were scattered among the grass . Cracks, moss and missing parts proved the passage of time . They were at least a few hundred years old . Some of the stone looked like pieces of sculptures, with most depicting religious content like the cross and the Virgin Mary .

In Ning Jing’s painting, a jeans-wearing and backpack-toting young man had been looking in the direction of the mountain . Now, Xia Lei was also standing in the same position . He was also wearing jeans, and he carried a backpack, plus he was looking in the direction of the mountain . In that instant, time and space seemed to overlap . It was not clear if he was in the painting, or if he was outside the painting .

‘This house was quite pretty in Ning Jing’s painting . The town she drew was a town from the Middle Ages, and had no trace of the modern world at all . However, she had also drawn a modern person, and he was standing where I am now… She’s definitely never been here but she painted it . If she was painting it from memory, then won’t her memory be…’ At that point, chills ran down Xia Lei’s back .

If Ning Jing had painted from memory, then her memory had been hundreds of years old . But Ning Jing was in her twenties . How could it be possible!

“Oh no, it looks like we’re lost . ” A woman’s voice was suddenly heard .

Xia Lei’s thoughts were interrupted, and he looked to the voice . An old man and woman were walking towards him, following the path . They seemed to be a married couple, and were complaining as they walked .

“No, I can’t be wrong . I came here 15 years ago . I remember it clearly,” said the old man .



“But I don’t see any church . Are you sure you remembered right?” The old woman looked like she couldn’t walk any further, and her face was strained .

“Let’s go a little further . I think we’ll be able to see that church soon . ” The old man supported the old woman, and they continued forward .

“There’s a young man there . I wonder if he knows about that church . ” The old man had seen Xia Lei .

“Hey there, young fella! Where did you come from?” The old man greeted him

Xia Lei hesitated . “Korea . I am korean . ”

“Oh, your Italian is quite good . ” The old man smiled .

Xia Lei smiled . “I live in Italy . ”

“Ah, that really is nice,” said the old man . “Oh, right, do you know if there is a church near here?”

“Church?” Xia Lei looked around, but he did not see any church in his visual field .

“There isn’t?” The old woman looked disappointed . “My husband said he was baptised in that church as a child . He wants to see it before he leaves this world, but it seems we’re lost . ”

The painting Ning Jing painted appeared in Xia Lei’s head again . There was a church in her painting . However, that town in the painting was from hundreds of years ago . Those things were now things of the past, and he did not know if that church still existed, or not .

“What does the church you’re looking for look like?” asked Xia Lei .



“Hm, it’s an ancient church . It has a very tall dome, and coloured glass like in the Milan Cathedral . Have you been to the Milan Cathedral?” said the old man .

“Yes, I’ve been there . It’s very pretty . ” Xia Lei had never been to the Milan Cathedral . He casually pointed behind the mountain . “The church you’re talking about is over there . Go around the mountain and you’ll see it . ”

However, he was not just pointing in a random direction . He had pointed in the direction of the church in Ning Jing’s painting .

“Thank you, young man . ” The old woman thanked Xia Lei .

Xia Lei replied politely, “Don’t mention it . I wish you smooth travels . ”

The old man smiled at Xia Lei, then said, “See, I was right . How could I remember it wrong when I’ve been there before? Let’s go . We will be there soon . ”

The old couple left .

Xia Lei watched them go . He left the ruins only after he couldn’t see them anymore, and went towards the mountain .

There were no paths, and the wild vegetation was thick . He saw no tombstone, but weeds upon weeds .

The grass in front of him suddenly shook .

Xia Lei grew tense right away, and a hand went to his waist . He had a gun hidden at his waist . If anything sudden happened, he would not hesitate to use it .

Rustle, rustle…

Sounds came from the grass .