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墨書 Inktalez
Ding Ying furrowed her brows and asked, "Do you really not remember anything at all?"
A gust of autumn wind blew by, and Wei Ning, unsure if it was the chill or something else, suddenly felt a slight pain in her head. "I only remember the last time I was at Dragon Tiger Mountain..."
Ding Ying sighed inwardly. "Including her?"
"Her?"
Ding Ying touched Wei Ning's smooth, fair skin and said, "There truly are such women in this world; I am not as good as she is." She let out a soft sigh, her expression dimming.
"What’s wrong with you?" Wei Ning glanced around. "Where exactly is this? How did I end up here? It's getting late; I need to go back. By the way, how long have I been unconscious this time? Do you know how I ended up here?"
Ding Ying's bright eyes fixed on Wei Ning as she asked, "It has been exactly three years since you last lost consciousness. What have you experienced in these three years? Don't you have any recollection at all?"
Suddenly, a scene flashed through Wei Ning's mind: a woman in black with long hair, tall and slender, but her face was indistinct. Next to her sat a blood-soaked figure awkwardly holding chopsticks while the woman watched him, gently correcting his grip on the utensils with quiet admonishments.
The image flickered away, and Wei Ning shook her head in confusion.
"There are some things that you need to seek answers for yourself," Ding Ying said suddenly as she looked at Wei Ning.
Ding Ying handed the Red Umbrella to Wei Ning and then pulled out Wei Ning's Red Pearl from her pocket. "Liu is probably asleep and can't be woken no matter how much we call him. I'll go check on him. The Underworld has too much yang energy; I can't stay here for long. You should go back and let your mother know you're safe. I won't accompany you."
Wei Ning took the Red Pearl, and Ding Ying smiled sweetly at her before transforming into a wisp of green smoke and disappearing.
Wei Ning stood in the rain with the Red Umbrella for a long time, seemingly trying hard to recall something but coming up empty. With a sigh, she vanished into the downpour.
Upon reaching the town, Wei Ning learned that she had arrived in Xiangxi, not far from Miao Village and one of the towns closest to Burning Corpse Forest. How did I end up here? Wei Ning pondered in confusion when a bus heading to Yuanling passed by. She hurriedly boarded it.
At that moment, Wei Ning had gathered information through various channels and realized that Ding Ying was indeed correct; she had lost her memory for three years. As for what she had done during those three years, she couldn't remember anything at all.
What exactly is the reason? Is it because I lost my memory of these three years due to my injuries, or is it because some people deliberately prevent me from recalling my experiences during that time?
Wei Ning returned home, where Wei Mother had just come back from the fields. In the Wei Family, she was the only woman; both men’s and women’s tasks fell on her shoulders as she tirelessly managed the household. A wave of sadness washed over Wei Ning.
At that moment, Wei Mother was in the yard cutting pigweed. Wei Ning hurried over and took the sickle from her hands. When Wei Mother saw him, she flinched slightly but quickly regained her composure.
“Have you eaten? You must be hungry; I’ll go make you something,” Wei Mother said, trying to keep her voice low, suppressing her inner excitement.
“Mom…” Wei Ning felt a surge of guilt.
“Whatever it is, we can talk about it after dinner,” Wei Mother replied and walked into the kitchen.
Before long, she prepared a table full of homestyle dishes with a rustic flair. Having not tasted such warmth for a long time, Wei Ning couldn’t help but feel his appetite awaken.
Wei Mother looked at him and suddenly asked, “Do you know what you’ve been doing these past few years?”
Wei Ning put down his chopsticks and shook his head. “I find it strange too; I just can’t remember.”
“Sometimes not remembering isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Let go of the past; have you thought about the future?” Wei Mother said calmly.
“The future,” Wei Ning shook his head again.
Wei Mother sighed. “In a few months, you’ll be twenty-seven. Have you considered that?”
A jolt ran through Wei Ning at the mention of twenty-seven, the curse of that age haunting him once more.
“You’re already an adult; isn’t it time to grow up? You can’t always act impulsively and expect someone to come to your rescue every time something goes wrong. Not everyone in this world revolves around you; you must understand what responsibility means.”
"Responsibility?"
"You are the only heir of the Wei Family. Surviving until the age of twenty-seven is your responsibility."
Wei Ning said, "It feels like everything around me has been arranged by someone. The curse of dying at twenty-seven, the traditions of the Wei Family and the Corpse Driver, even my marriage has been orchestrated by you. Or perhaps someone suddenly appears, my master, passing on their teachings to me, or another person tells me that everything I learned before was wrong and teaches me anew. Or a large group comes forward, wanting something from me, trying to put me to death, or a crowd of women appears claiming to be my relatives. You all know everything about me; I feel like a pawn in a game, manipulated by you all. You understand everything about my life, while I know nothing...”
"Since you don't know, why not seek out the truth?" Wei Mother looked at Wei Ning with piercing eyes. "You know that the Wei Family has been cursed for generations; why don’t you investigate its origins or try to break this curse? Are you really willing to just accept that you'll die at twenty-seven like your father and uncle? And what about those questions you do or do not know? Why not seek answers? Think about it—what have you been thinking about all these years? Have you even tried to make an effort?"
Wei Mother paused and continued, "You are the last hope of our Wei Family. If you die, not only will the Wei Family be cut off, but the Zhu You School's lineage that has lasted for thousands of years will also become history. Have you considered how you will face your ancestors in the afterlife? Of course, I cannot escape the punishment of our forebears, but you..."
Suddenly raising her voice sharply, Wei Mother declared, "You will be the greatest sinner of our Wei Family!"
"Because of your negativity, you would destroy a sect that has existed for over a thousand years. What crime do you deserve?! You now possess power—power beyond your imagination—so why not use it correctly for yourself or for the Wei Family? Why do you keep evading this and confining yourself within the curse of twenty-seven? This defeatist attitude is not what a man of the Wei Family should embody!"
Wei Ning felt sweat forming in his palms as Wei Mother continued relentlessly. "For your sake, Maid Granny hasn’t shown herself for decades and even humiliated herself dealing with those from Dragon Tiger Mountain. Your master Wang Chuyi has worked tirelessly for you, losing face and sacrificing so much. And then there’s... seven..." Realizing she had misspoken, Wei Mother quickly stopped herself. "Yet here you are, wallowing in negativity and infatuated with a Viper Woman, sinking into depravity. Do you think they deserve this from you? Do you think you're worthy of their sacrifices?"
With a sharp slap echoing through the room, Wei Mother struck Wei Ning's face and said, "At this rate, you won't even live past twenty-seven; it would be better to end your life today."
Suddenly, Wei Ning grasped Wei Mother's outstretched hand and stood up resolutely. "Mother, I understand now. I've grown up."
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