In the bustling yet cold city of Shanghai, there lived an ordinary man named Zhao Ming. Inside his shabby rented room, the four walls had become his experimental field for exploring the unknown, plastered with countless A4 papers filled with Excel - like tables and symbols as simple as those from kindergarten: √, ×,?, △, ※.
Zhao Ming was a bit of an oddball. A year ago, he had accidentally traveled to a different world, and that wonderful experience had captivated him. After that, he had made several more such crossings. However, just like a mobile phone running out of battery, his "ability to travel" had depleted, and he could no longer enter the other world.
Determined to regain his traversing ability, he dived head - first into the quagmire of amateur scientific research in search of a way to restore his "travel sense". He scoured the internet but found that all the strange methods were outrageously expensive.
He was certain that apart from that accidental fall, he was just an ordinary, self - assured average person, suffering from chronic fatigue and the mindset of a wage - slave, branded with the thoughts of a 9 - to - 5 job. He had no spiritual energy, but he had decades' worth of "Woke Exhaustion Syndrome (WES)".
WES? After aggregating the amateur scientific research posts in this field, among the many ways to "harness" WES, aromatherapy meditation seemed to be the most feasible option. But high - end aromatherapy was a luxury for the rich.
Zhao Ming was not discouraged. A brilliant idea struck him: Pinduoduo. The trial - size aromatherapy products on this platform were abundant and inexpensive, a real blessing for him. So he went on a shopping spree, and various kinds of aromatherapy flooded into his small room.
At first, Zhao Ming had no clear direction and just experimented blindly. He would lie on his Simmons mattress, heat a small sample of aromatherapy in the microwave for 30 seconds, then close his eyes and start to visualize, trying to find the mysterious other world in his consciousness.
Most of the time, his efforts were in vain. Every time he failed, he would draw a cross on the paper and stick it on the wall. He called this "visual feedback".
Occasionally, he would catch a faint whiff of the other world, and a glimmer of hope would rise in his heart. Then he would solemnly draw a tick on the paper. For those ambiguous situations, he would hesitate for a long time and finally leave a question mark, or use symbols like triangles or snowflakes to mark them, pinning all his conjectures on these marks.
As days passed, more and more papers were pasted on the wall, almost covering it completely. Before he knew it, winter had given way to spring. After a year of arduous experiments, Zhao Ming finally selected ten affordable and high - quality aromatherapy samples from a large number of trial - size products. All these aromatherapies were popular choices on the Pinduoduo platform, each with its own unique fragrance and a heart - warming backstory from self - media.
The first one was "Kunlun Snow - Boiling". Just the name sounded full of ethereal charm, and the patterns on the ceramic jar were like ancient codes. Once lit, the woody aroma of cedar quickly filled the air, as if instantly transporting one to the serene realm of Kunlun Mountain. Closing his eyes and concentrating, Zhao Ming imagined himself as a delicate snowflake, floating leisurely in the pure world of Kunlun Mountain, and his consciousness seemed to soar to the deepest part of the vast universe. He felt as if he had touched a mysterious power and solemnly drew a tick in the table on the paper.
Next was "Summer Palace Osmanthus". The fragrance of osmanthus was like the first ray of sunlight in the morning, awakening the sleeping soul all at once. The gilded glazed container emitted a faint glow, and the texture of the antique wooden box seemed to be telling a millennium - old story. Visualizing the blooming osmanthus, each petal seemed to be a signal of spiritual awakening. In this rich fragrance, Zhao Ming faintly caught a feeling, and his excitement almost made him jump up.
The "Petal Moments" rose aromatherapy also didn't disappoint Zhao Ming. The rose fragrance was like a warm beam of light, illuminating the way forward. The petals on the embossed flower iron box were so lifelike that they seemed to be whispering. Imagining the blooming roses, each petal represented the light within his heart.
The "Baies Berries" aromatherapy brought the vitality of blackcurrants. The gilded logo on the black glass jar was like a mysterious seal, leading one's thoughts into a deeper realm. Visualizing the plump berries, he could feel the vigor of life.
The "City Candle" aromatherapy had the aroma of rare plants, like the soul of a city. The relief of the city badge was like an ancient brand, engraved with the historical chapters of the city. Visualizing every corner of the city, he felt a strong connection with the universe.
The "Real Luxury" aromatherapy with coconut wax aroma was like a peaceful ocean, bringing people into a serene world. The pure white ceramic jar was like a royal emblem, and the delicate texture of the recycled paper box seemed to be whispering ancient wisdom. Visualizing the elegance of the royal family, his heart became extremely calm.
The "Voluspa Maison" aromatherapy, also with coconut wax aroma, was like an ocean of light and shadow, constantly changing. The metal relief on the gradient - colored glass jar was like a mysterious symbol, guiding the consciousness to go deeper. Visualizing the flowing light and shadow, his consciousness gradually awakened.
The "Gilt Series" aromatherapy had the aroma of wax blended with 24K gold powder, as if taking people back to a glorious historical era. The Baroque relief recorded every historical story. Visualizing the glorious moments in history.
The "Holiday Memories" aromatherapy with a mixed - wax aroma was like an ocean of festivals, spreading everywhere and full of warm feelings. The delicate fabric label on the iron can was like warm memory fragments, carefully recording the laughter and joy of festivals. Visualizing the festive scenes.
The last one, the "Apothecary" aromatherapy, with the aroma of soybean wax, was like an ocean of wisdom, leading people into a mysterious world. The vintage medicine - bottle shape was like an ancient symbol, recording the story of wisdom. Visualizing the wisdom of the apothecary, Zhao Ming seemed to see the figure of an ancient pharmacist.
In fact, all the above - mentioned visualizations were non - existent. Behind the grand and luxurious self - media advertising words were small, finger - sized trial - size aromatherapy samples wrapped in shabby plastic bags.
Finally, the decisive moment arrived. Zhao Ming knew that to successfully travel to the other world, he also needed the help of pure cola syrup.
It happened to be the Chinese New Year, and the roommates had all happily gone home. Zhao Ming carefully took out the long - forgotten writing brush, ink, and inkstone, and carefully ordered a pair of festive red paper online. With full piety, he wrote a couplet: "The ten - fragrance array opens the heavenly gate; the tiny mustard seed contains the vast universe." The words revealed his anticipation and reverence for the new year.
With all the sense of ritual in place, it seemed time to go to sleep.
Before going to bed, Zhao Ming took a gentle sip of the pure cola syrup. The unique taste slowly spread on his tongue, bringing a hint of excitement and anticipation. He then gulped down half a bottle and slowly lay down on the soft, yellowed old Simmons mattress.
In his dream, Zhao Ming began to visualize the ten kinds of aromatherapy. At first, he was a bit nervous, worried that he would make a mistake. But as his consciousness deepened, he became more and more proficient. The ten scents were like ten naughty elves, lining up orderly in his consciousness.
Suddenly, in the boundless darkness of the cosmic consciousness, ten faint stars lit up one by one. Like twinkling stars in the night sky, they became brighter and brighter.
Zhao Ming thought to himself, "I'm just giving it a try, but it's really working?"
Then, the faint image of an abandoned viaduct appeared on the screen of his consciousness. At first, the image was as hazy as morning mist, but as time passed, it gradually took shape, and there were even wonderful overlapping shadows under the bridge.
Zhao Ming took a deep breath, summoned up his courage, and let his consciousness step onto the overlapping shadows. In an instant, he felt his body being pulled by a mysterious force, and everything around him became illusory.
When he opened his eyes again, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he had arrived in the long - lost other world. There was the grayish sunlight, the pungent smell of burnt tires in the air, the shabby streets, and the small villa plastered with tapes and sealing strips. The unprecedented sense of reality made his heart surge with excitement.
"I'm back. Mr. Know-It-All, are you still here?"
Zhao Ming knew that from uncontrollable traversing to using aromatherapy to "cheat" and anchor his consciousness for controllable traversing, this was just the first step of a long journey.
There were still more unknowns waiting for him to explore in the future, but he was ready. With those ten magical aromatherapies, he was about to embark on a new adventure in the other world.