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Before long, the dishes were served. Wu Yunfei opened the wine flask at his waist; this was likely his own brewed Rice Wine. The Rice Wine from Xiangxi is world-renowned, and almost everyone who has visited Xiangxi buys some rice to take home, or else they can't say they've truly been there.
As soon as the flask was opened, a fragrant aroma filled the air. Wu Yunfei poured a full bowl for himself and then filled another for Wei Ning, who quickly tried to decline.
"Just have a little. It's our own Rice Wine, it has no alcohol content, you won't get drunk," Wu Yunfei insisted, pouring more for Wei Ning.
With no choice but to accept, Wei Ning took a sip and immediately felt his taste buds awaken. It wasn't like ordinary strong liquor; instead, it was sweet and pleasant. Wei Ning praised it repeatedly and took a big gulp.
Seeing his craft being praised made Wu Yunfei particularly happy. He animatedly began to share his insights on brewing wine.
After a long journey, both of them were tired. After finishing their meal, they each went to sleep. When Wei Ning woke up, it was already late. Wu Yunfei was tidying up the table when he noticed Wei Ning had awakened and smiled, saying, "I was just about to call you for dinner."
The Fat Boss brought over another bowl of rice, and Wu Yunfei invited Wei Ning to drink again. As they chatted and drank, it felt as if they were old friends meeting after a long time apart.
"By the way, how old are you?" Wu Yunfei asked after taking a sip of wine, glancing sideways at Wei Ning.
"I'm 19. Why do you ask?"
"19? Oh." Wu Yunfei counted on his fingers and said, "That means it's only been 8 years."
Wei Ning was confused. "Uncle Fei, what do you mean?"
Wu Yunfei straightened up and said, "Haven't your family ever told you?"
"Told me what?"
"About stealing yang to refine corpses?"
"What does stealing yang to refine corpses mean?"
"You really don't know, or are you just pretending to be confused?"
"I truly don't know."
"Ah." Wu Yunfei sighed. "I guess your family doesn't want to burden you with heavy thoughts, so they haven't told you. But sooner or later, you'll have to know. Let me take on the role of the villain for now."
"Do you know about the Changde Bloodbath in 194?"
"Of course. I learned about it from my history teacher. I heard that the Japanese invaders even used chemical weapons back then."
"Do you know why the Japanese invaders, with their forty thousand elite troops, including biochemical troops, couldn't capture Changde, which was easy to attack but hard to defend, despite being defended by only eight thousand soldiers? Instead, they left behind over ten thousand corpses, severely diminishing their combat effectiveness?"
Wei Ning shook his head.
Wu Yunfei sighed again. "That was all thanks to your Wei Family. But for that, your Wei Family paid a tremendous price."
"Back then, your... it should be your grandfather's grandfather, a senior from the Xian Clan, was said to be the most outstanding talent of your Wei Family in hundreds of years. To resist the Japanese Army, he used a technique of corpse refinement, turning thirteen of the most exceptional members of his family into thirteen indestructible and immensely powerful Blood Corpses."
Wu Yunfei paused and continued, "It's a pity I never got to witness the power of the Thirteen Blood Corpses. According to the elders, when those Thirteen Blood Corpses appeared, it was truly a sight to behold—darkening the sun and changing the color of the earth. Think about it: forty thousand against eight thousand; not only could they not capture it for a long time, but they also forced the Japanese to resort to using biochemical weapons. Why? It was because those Thirteen Blood Corpses were so formidable! If it weren't for that senior controlling the Blood Corpses encountering problems himself, who knows how that bloody battle would have turned out."
Wei Ning felt a stir in his heart and couldn't help but recall finding those Thirteen Blood Corpses with Zhang Ye at Heavenly Fulu Mountain. Yang Na had mentioned that these were his ancestors; it seemed there was truth to it.
Wu Yunfei added, "Unfortunately, the more powerful the technique, the greater the backlash it incurs. Not only did that senior go missing and remain unaccounted for, but your Wei Family also inherited a terrible curse after him."
"The Eternal Death Curse means that your ancestor had to prematurely drain the lives of his descendants in order to refine the Blood Corpses. Thus, your Wei Family has been afflicted with a strange curse: since then, no one has lived past twenty-seven years old until all those who died at the hands of Blood Corpses have had their lives filled."
Wu Yunfei sighed again. "The most powerful techniques I know often come at the cost of one's own life. This method of prematurely draining future generations is truly unheard of and indeed very sinister. But given the unique circumstances at that time, I can't help but admire your Wei Family's spirit."
Wei Ning felt a heavy weight in his heart as he thought of his father and uncle, realizing that none of them had lived past twenty-seven. Could he really escape the curse of twenty-seven? Suddenly, he was struck by a thought and exclaimed, "You're wrong! My grandfather lived past twenty-seven!"
Wu Yunfei suddenly wore a strange expression and said, "I know, it must be Wei Qiuxi. We've all speculated about this and looked into why your Wei family was able to escape the curse."
"Then why? If my grandfather could do it, then I can too."
Wu Yunfei's expression remained odd as he replied, "No one can escape this curse. So our current conclusion is that there might be some issue with Wei Qiuxi's mother, your great-grandmother..."
Though Wu Yunfei didn't say it outright, the implication was clear: Wei Ning's great-grandmother had been unfaithful, and Wei Qiuxi might not actually belong to the Wei family.
Hearing Wu Yunfei insult his ancestor, Wei Ning slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "You're wrong!"
"We're just speculating. It seems that Wei Qiuxi's sons—your father and uncle—also seem to have been affected by the curse, both meeting untimely ends. It's puzzling; we can't make sense of it. However, as the saying goes, it's easy to cast a spell but hard to break it. Anyone who can use this forbidden curse is already incredibly powerful. If your grandfather truly managed to break this curse, that would be remarkable. He might even have found a way to extend life indefinitely—though I doubt Wei Qiuxi could be that powerful. After all, how could anyone achieve immortality? You should ask your grandfather sometime; perhaps he really knows how to avoid the curse."
With Wu Yunfei's words weighing heavily on him, Wei Ning felt as if his heart had plummeted to the depths of despair. Was he truly destined to die at twenty-seven?
His mood sank to an all-time low.
One should never speculate about the length of their life; it could lead to terrifying thoughts.
But what about Wei Ning?
Wu Yunfei patted Wei Ning on the shoulder and said, "You have good potential. Take care of yourself. I have things to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now. Remember to visit the Wu family when you have time."
With a wave of his Corpse Driving Stick, he vanished into the night with the God of Joy behind him.
"In the presence of Yin people, Yang persons retreat," Wu Yunfei's voice echoed loudly down the empty street.
Wei Ning stared blankly at Wu Yunfei's disappearing figure. The news about Wu Yunfei was undoubtedly a thunderbolt to Wei Ning; could it be that she really only had eight years left to live? Distracted, Wei Ning picked up the Soul Bell and gave it a shake in the air. Lin Lingsu's body followed closely behind her. It was time for Wei Ning to set off.
However, after taking only a few steps, Wei Ning retracted the Soul Bell and sat down under the eaves of a house that had already closed its door. A chill night breeze swept through, and Wei Ning suddenly smiled bitterly, saying, "So it's really just the two of us now. I suddenly feel so tired; why don't you keep me company for a while?"
Her words were clearly directed at Lin Lingsu, but at that moment, how could Lin Lingsu possibly respond?
Wei Ning chuckled to herself, murmuring, "Eight years, eight years... is it really just eight years?"
"Heh heh, eight years—what does it matter? You're gone... gone... Grandpa is gone too, and Master is gone as well, leaving me all alone. What’s the point of living?"
Suddenly, Wei Ning stood up and lifted Lin Lingsu's Black Hat. Lin Lingsu's face was stiff and expressionless. Wei Ning couldn't help but reach out her hand to caress Lin Lingsu's face, her eyes revealing a tenderness. She murmured, "Do you know? That time in Phoenix was the happiest moment of my life. I thought we could really... really become good friends. But for some reason, you never acknowledged me. Did I do something wrong?"
Looking at Lin Lingsu's pale face, Wei Ning felt a pang in her nose. "I thought we would have another chance to meet again, but I never expected that our next meeting would be in different realms. Do you remember? When I saw you... I really wanted so much to die with you. Even though we couldn't be together in life, if we could be together in death, I would be content."
Suddenly, Wei Ning smiled nervously and said, "What use is there in saying all this? You can't hear anything now anyway. Sigh... Regardless, my time is short as well. From now on, I'll visit you every year. I'll bring Phoenix Rice Wine; I had some yesterday—it was really delicious. I believe you would like it too. And that piece of clothing you bought for me... and the stars..."
Wei Ning stared blankly at Lin Lingsu's still delicate face. She was so close that she seemed within reach, yet so far away—separated by life and death.
Wei Ning closed her eyes, and a single tear slipped down her cheek.
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