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墨書 Inktalez
That day, as we stepped out of Qin Wang's Tomb, I immediately felt a rush of fresh air fill my lungs. Seeing the sunlight outside, I truly experienced a sense of relief as if I had survived a calamity.
Perhaps it was because we had endured so much. Our journey to this point for the True Dragon Qi had not been easy.
Jin Ping and the senior brother stayed behind in the tomb. Without the leader, the Cult of Spirits had lost its influence and hardly required any effort to manage.
In the dungeon of Qilin Island, there was an underground castle built by Mu Xuanche. I had once witnessed the most advanced scientific technology here, and today Mu Xuanche brought me back to see the True Dragon Qi extracted from Qin Wang's Tomb.
"Yan Xi, your curse can be broken. If we use the True Dragon Qi to open the Time-Space Gate now, we can return to the time of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and stop Jin Ping from cursing you!"
At first, I was thrilled to hear Mu Xuanche's words, but hesitation crept in.
I remembered Liu Daozhang's last words whispered in my ear.
He had struggled his entire life, enduring countless hardships just to save the people in our village.
Images of that tree hung with human heads flashed through my mind—the lives of generations of the Liu Clan now weighed against my own.
It wasn't that I was overly virtuous; I simply couldn't selfishly use the True Dragon Qi to save myself without a second thought.
So I lifted my head and took a deep breath. "Mu Xuanche, I don’t want to break the curse anymore. Let’s use this True Dragon Qi to save the Liu Clan."
Mu Xuanche furrowed his brow deeply, placing his hands on my shoulders, visibly agitated. "Yan Xi, this is your only chance to survive! Their deaths are not your fault; you shouldn’t feel guilty. Everyone has their own fate."
I lowered my shoulders. "It's not that simple, Mu Xuanche. You’re right; everyone has their own fate. Perhaps this is just my destined tribulation."
I saw Mu Xuanche's face filled with disapproval. I knew he had been running around for me for over a thousand years, but thinking of the villagers in Liu Family Village, I still tried to persuade him. "I have you and Chang'an; that's enough for me. Every extra day I live is a gain."
"Enough!" Mu Xuanche interrupted loudly, looking at me with pain in his eyes.
"Yan Xi, you can let go, but what about me? I went through so much to be reborn; I just want to be with you longer."
I was torn and in anguish. I didn't want to die either, but if I didn't, the villagers in Liu Family Village would have no hope. "Mu Xuanche, I beg you, let me go save them, please."
"Yan Xi..."
Before Mu Xuanche could say anything more, I cut him off.
"You don't want me to become a killer, do you? Please help me, Mu Xuanche?"
Finally, Mu Xuanche lowered his hands and said dejectedly, "Since you've made up your mind, then fine. We'll use True Dragon Qi to save them. Yan Xi, whatever you choose to do, I will support you because I love you."
For a moment, I didn't know what to say. In the end, I threw myself into Mu Xuanche's arms and choked out, "I'm sorry. This entire journey has been because of me. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble to find True Dragon Qi. It's all because of me, and now I still can't fulfill your wishes..."
By the end, I was sobbing uncontrollably.
Mu Xuanche held me close and gently patted my back. "It's okay, Yan Xi. I've come to terms with everything over this past thousand years. Right now, all I want is for you to be happy."
I heard Mu Xuanche softly whispering in my ear about the past he had dared not forget over these thousand years.
At that time, his family was not prominent, and his father was merely an official with a low-ranking position that held little importance in the court. After his mother passed away, the second wife could no longer tolerate him.
She had always looked down on him, fearing he would take away Mu Chen's inheritance. Naturally, after his mother’s death, she sought to drive him out of the Mu Family.
However, it wouldn't do to expel him without cause, so she resorted to framing him, pinning unfounded charges against him. The entire capital only knew of the eldest son of the Mu Family's alleged crime.
Unable to stay any longer, he had no choice but to enlist in the army.
He was barely sixteen at the time! Cast out from his home and wronged.
Well then, he thought, he might as well join the military and fight, severing ties with his past and living a life free of burdens.
It seemed as if fate was compensating him, allowing him to achieve fame through battle and earn merit.
During the war, he encountered Gu Yanxi, who was me in my previous life.
At that time, I was on the run, accompanied only by a maid. When I first met Mu Xuanche, I was like a frightened deer, hesitant to trust him. Only after I believed he wouldn’t harm me did I dare to speak with him.
I told him that my father was an exemplary official. If it weren't for the emperor mistakenly executing innocent people and wrongfully seizing families, my father could still serve the people, and I would be living peacefully in the capital.
When Mu Xuanche heard my story back then, a wave of sympathy surged within him. Seeing me reminded him of his own unjust treatment—being driven from his home and forced to enlist in the army to seek a way to survive.
From that moment on, following him into battles across the south and north became perhaps his happiest memories of youth.
At that time, I had no means to groom myself, just a plain and unadorned face.
But he loved my gentle nature from my past life, loved the care I showed him.
By then, he had already risen through the ranks due to his military achievements and had become a modest officer.
He thought that no matter what, he had to win battles, whether for the people behind him or for me.
Even if he were to die, he wanted Gu Yanxi and Zhao An'an to live steadily in this world.
From then on, as long as Gu Yanxi was in the military camp, he never faced defeat again.
He would use this stable and prosperous era to grant her a smile.
This was also Mu Xuanche's first time speaking so much to me. I knew how reluctant he felt inside, and I felt the same reluctance. But there are no feasts that last forever; even if Mu Xuanche and I were entangled for a thousand years, we would eventually have to part ways.
While I still had a little time, I wanted to revisit those places from my memories.
We first returned to Xuanzong. I wanted to see the not-so-grand Ruined Shrine and find my eccentric master, who had such a strange temperament back then but always meant well for me.
Upon returning, the Taoist Apprentices still remembered me and called me Shishu.
My master was sent back by Chuchen and was currently in seclusion for recuperation; it wasn’t the right time to disturb him. Thus, Mu Xuanche and I could only return to Liu Family Village first and come back to see my master after we finished our tasks.
We returned to the village, and there were even fewer people than before. The last time I visited, I could still see the longing in their eyes, but this time, I couldn't find even a hint of spirit in their gazes.
Liu Family Village is a cursed place; anyone who leaves the village will meet with misfortune and death. The only thing that can save them is True Dragon Qi.
Liu Daozhang said that as long as the True Dragon Qi is sprinkled on that blood tree, the curse can be lifted.
I found the village chief and handed him the True Dragon Qi; it was best for them to resolve the issues of Liu Family Village themselves.
The village chief knelt before me, and I quickly supported him.
Throughout our journey, Mu Xuanche wore a sour expression. I worried he might snatch it back, so I immediately pulled him away.
I begged Mu Xuanche to take me back to the village for a visit; it had been a year since I left, and during this time, I had wandered everywhere without returning home.
We arrived at my old house. As I looked at the familiar surroundings, memories flooded back to me.
I still remember that every Ghost Festival, I had to take sleeping pills from my mother and sleep through the night without any incidents.
If it weren't for my insatiable curiosity, I would never have met Mu Xuanche. Honestly, thinking back now, I feel quite lucky.
I also recall the times spent with Shangguan Mingyue when we were out exorcising spirits for money. Back then, Mingyue was such a tomboy; she took care of me like an older sister and often teased me about Mu Xuanche.
Sometimes when we encountered particularly difficult opponents, Mu Xuanche would come over to help me solve the problems.
My feelings for him transformed from fear at the beginning, to trust, then to fondness, and finally to love.
Without Mu Xuanche, I truly cannot imagine what I would be like now.
Back then, I was just a girl from the countryside. If I had never met Mu Xuanche, my best outcome would have been to get into a good university, find a job in the city, live a nine-to-five life, and lead an ordinary existence.
But now it’s different. The depth of my life is far greater than that of an average person. Even if I were to die right now, I would willingly accept it.
It’s just that Mu Xuanche has suffered because of me.
Time and again, he has sacrificed for me, sometimes even at the cost of his own well-being. He has given me unforgettable moments of emotion and love throughout my life.
He has given so much while I have nothing to offer him in return; this is my greatest regret.
Now, I must use the True Dragon Qi to save the villagers of Liu Family Village. Due to the blood curse, after being with Mu Xuanche, I can only live for forty-nine days. However, he has protected me with his own Primordial Spirit, allowing me to survive for three years.
I still remember what that female ghost told me when I first entered the sect.
I can never forget how good Mu Xuanche has been to me.
In these days leading up to my death, all I can do is repay him as best as I can. What I cannot repay in this life, I will love him again in the next.
I looked up at Mu Xuanche's godlike handsome face and gently traced the lines of his skin with my hand. I wanted to capture the sensation of this moment and hold onto my love for a lifetime.
The first thing we did upon returning was to pay our respects to Grandpa. Although I didn't spend much time with him, I truly respected him from the bottom of my heart.
If it weren't for him sacrificing twenty years of his life for my survival, I would never have had the chance to meet Mu Xuanche, nor would I be as happy as I am now.
Mu Xuanche also bowed at the grave to show his respect.
Suddenly, I felt a strong desire to take a look inside the tomb, so I turned to Mu Xuanche and said, "Mu Xuanche, let's go inside and see Grandpa. I haven't had a good look around yet. It's such a large space; I want to remember it before we leave."
Mu Xuanche smiled and nodded, taking my hand as we entered through the entrance.
In the past, when following Mu Xuanche into someone else's tomb, I would feel a bit scared. However, entering Grandpa's tomb never frightened me because this was the man who had given me a second chance at life!
(End of Chapter)
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