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墨書 Inktalez
Qiqi sat quietly, locking eyes with Wei Ning. She remained as silent as ever, like a flower blooming in the night, gracefully wasting its beauty in solitude. Her long, dark hair was lazily tied back with a delicate wooden hairpin, and the soft yellow light draped over her shoulders, revealing the slender contours of her collarbones. Even in profile, her beauty was breathtaking. Wei Ning found himself entranced, his heart wandering as he pondered who this unfamiliar woman was, one who seemed to have accompanied him through seven lifetimes.
“Qiqi,” Wei Ning slowly uttered her name.
Qiqi smiled, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
Yet each time she smiled, it felt like a flower falling onto his wounds.
Qiqi stood up gracefully, her figure delicate and fair. Her eyes shone like stars as she said, “Wei Ning, you should wash up.” With that, she handed him a cup filled with water.
Wei Ning gazed at Qiqi, words caught in his throat. Suddenly, he grasped her hand and pulled up her sleeve. Her skin was as white as spring snow, but upon closer inspection, faint crimson patterns emerged—delicate outlines of begonia flowers that seemed impossible for even the most skilled artist to replicate.
“Tell me, what is this?” Wei Ning demanded, staring intently at Qiqi.
Qiqi pulled down her sleeve and looked at him with crescent-shaped eyes. “Wei Ning, what you see today is the most beautiful version of me. This is my truest form; remember it from now on.”
Wei Ning shook his head vigorously and tightly grasped Qiqi's arm, biting down on his lip hard enough to draw blood. “Tell me, what is this?”
Qiqi looked at the man who had made her heart flutter for the first and last time, remaining silent.
“Is it Blood-Soaked Begonia?” Wei Ning spoke slowly, each word cutting into his heart like a blade.
“Ah.” Qiqi suddenly trembled all over, like a begonia falling in a wild wind.
Blood-Soaked Begonia.
It was said that on a mountain in the Miao Region grew a type of dark purple flower known as "Blood-Soaked Begonia," mildly toxic. Originally harmless, its vitality was so vigorous that it absorbed all nutrients from its surroundings. As long as it existed in an area, no other life could thrive within six feet.
A Strange Miao Girl mastered a deadly curse; as long as the sap from the stem of the Blood-Soaked Flower was smeared on a weapon, it would take root upon drawing blood, burrowing into a person's body and growing. Within a day, a Blood-Soaked Flower would sprout at the wound. The Blood-Soaked Flower thrived on human flesh and blood, flourishing more and more, but after three days, it would drain all of a person's vitality, leaving only a mound of earth beneath the flower.
Qiqi's skin resembled the petals of the Blood-Soaked Begonia.
"Why are you like this? Why are you like this?" Wei Ning's eyes overflowed with hot tears that fell onto Qiqi's hand. Qiqi gently stroked Wei Ning's head and softly said, "Do you still want me as I am now?"
"I want you, I want you," Wei Ning sobbed quietly, burying himself in Qiqi's embrace. Throughout his life, he had never shed a tear for any woman, but this time, it felt as though he would cry out all the tears he had left.
"Alright, we are finally together. This time, no one can separate us. Wei Ning, you must be happy."
"But—"
Qiqi lightly covered Wei Ning's mouth with her hand and said, "Enough now. Come with me."
With that, Qiqi took Wei Ning's hand and led him to the pond. "Wash up properly. Look at you; you're acting like a child, crying at every little thing. How can you be the eldest son of the Wei Family? How can you lead Zhu You Sect?"
Qiqi gently splashed water on Wei Ning's face. The sound of water rippled around them; Wei Ning could no longer tell if what was on his face was well water or tears. Qiqi cupped his face in her hands and looked into his eyes, saying, "I remember when you were just a child. I never expected you'd grow up to be such a man."
Qiqi murmured, "Since I lost my parents, my grandfather raised me. But before I could understand anything, I became Impermanence. No one played with me; I was cursed by someone. Whenever I stepped outside, people would throw stones and curse at me, calling me a monster. At first, I was sad about it, but over time, I learned to let it go. I never went to school; my grandfather taught me how to write letter by letter. I had no friends until you came along. Even though you were scared at first, when you saw my ghostly appearance, you didn't fear or hate me. You even begged your grandfather to save me. That’s when I knew I had made my first friend since coming into this world."
Listening to Qiqi’s heartfelt confessions and recalling the suffering she had endured over the years filled Wei Ning with pain. He held Qiqi even tighter.
"Girls love to look pretty, so please forgive my vanity, Wei Ning. I don’t want you to see me in my ghostly form; I want you to see the beautiful me instead. Wei Ning, do you think I'm pretty now?"
Wei Ning felt as if something was blocking his throat; he wanted to speak but couldn't find the words. All he could do was nod vigorously.
"Really?" Qiqi looked around the water's surface with delight, as if she were a real girl receiving compliments. "Is that how movie stars are?"
"Then can I also go act in a movie?" Qiqi was getting even happier with Wei Ning's praise, constantly gazing at her own face in the reflection, a face she was seeing fully for the first time.
"Mm-hmm." Wei Ning nodded vigorously, as if trying to shake her neck off.
"You must be just flattering me. I knew it all along; you men only know how to deceive women. Who knows what you're really thinking?" Although Qiqi said this, her eyes were already smiling like a crescent moon.
"Alright, you can wash up by yourself. At your age, needing your wife to help you wash is quite embarrassing." When Qiqi said the word "wife," her cheeks flushed with shyness.
"Oh!" Qiqi suddenly exclaimed.
Wei Ning's heart jumped to her throat, and she hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
"Nothing much. I just stepped on a cockroach. You know how it is; women can be quite jumpy," Qiqi laughed while quietly breaking off a blood-red begonia flower that had grown from her back.
Time passed slowly, and neither Wei Ning nor Qiqi mentioned the Blood-Soaked Begonia. They sat quietly in the cave together. When they got hungry, Wei Ning caught some tender bats inside the cave. Unfortunately, it was dark and damp, making it impossible to start a fire. She had to wash the bat meat repeatedly in the pool before finding some clean spots to prepare for Qiqi. Watching Wei Ning cook for her made even the bloody and unappetizing bat meat seem like a delicacy.
Every night, Wei Ning would hold Qiqi tightly in her arms. Sometimes Qiqi would tremble all over as if having convulsions. Wei Ning said nothing but held her tightly, letting tears soak into Qiqi's hair.
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