"Cries became even louder, suddenly!"
A gust of wind swept through, sending a surge of mist up. On the riverbank, the soaking stones where Yuyou was standing were suddenly empty!
My face changed. Had I fallen into the river?
Stepping quickly forward, I arrived at the riverbank. The water was calm and quiet, showing no sign of anyone having fallen in.
The cries were still continuing, and it suddenly occurred to me.
She was still crying; how could she have fallen into the river?
Just then, the cries changed direction, seeming to come from behind me.
I turned around abruptly, and in the mist, there stood a person before me.
Wasn't that Yuyou, who looked so young and innocent?
The white hemp mourning clothes gave a profoundly sorrowful and melancholic impression. Yuyou staggered towards the riverbank, seemingly not noticing me at all.
When she reached the stone slab, she sat down on it again and sobbed sorrowfully.
I always felt something was off...
But I can't quite put my finger on where it's wrong.
Was the current situation repeating itself?
Was it repeating the process of Yuyou crying by the river?
But nothing had actually happened during this process.
Lao Liu was trapped in a nightmare of his own, caused by the words of that Taoist priest, which left a profound impression on him.
Yuyou just walked to the riverbank and cried, with no apparent reason in between, and no one else was involved…
Could she have jumped into the river?
I stared at Yuyou intently, without daring to shift my gaze for a moment.
She cried for about a minute or two, and suddenly, the wind grew stronger!
This time, I was prepared and didn't blink an eye!
But before my eyes, Yuyou disappeared into thin air...
Then, another set of cries came from behind...
I was utterly perplexed. When I turned my head to look again, my scalp prickled with fear and my heart was struck with terror beyond belief!
Yuyou... changed...
No, she is still Yuyou, but there's an extraordinary change, she's taller by half a head!
She's still in the white mourning clothes, the pointed hat, and a sad face.
Yuyou stumbled towards the riverbank and sat on the stone slab.
I finally understood why it seemed off earlier!
The earlier Yuyou also had a change...
Compared to the initial little girl, she was slightly taller, but it was too slight.
The third Yuyou who appeared was much taller than the very first Yuyou, making me notice it at a glance!
The cries were still childish. As she cried, another gust of wind came, and Yuyou disappeared again...
This isn't a loop of memories, this is one memory!
A memory that is especially painful for Yuyou!
At each interval, something would happen that would make her walk to the riverbank and cry in agony.
Yuyou disappeared for the third time.
For the fourth time, she walked to the riverbank again.
For the fourth time, she walked to the riverbank again. She didn't cry anymore, but became very silent. She stared at the water surface with a fixed gaze, her painful expression was now accompanied by a faint smile, it was like an agonizing smile from being tortured and struggling. It seemed like an impossible smile from falling into hell...
Fifth time...
Sixth time...
Seventh time...
Yuyou had grown bigger, and was no longer distinguishable from the one by my side.
Her demeanor became increasingly numb.
In the last two times, I noticed that Yuyou's face had makeup.
It was a particularly festive and beautiful makeup, as if a girl were getting married.
The mourning clothes on her couldn't cover the dress underneath, the cuff revealing some phoenix lotus patterns, bright red and festive.
However, the bright red of the festive attire stood in stark contrast to the pale white of the mourning clothes.
The mist seemed to disperse a little, allowing me to see the entire village archway, and the fruit-laden trees along the village road.
I could see her even more clearly now, so lonely and sad.
I felt like I understood something.
Eighth, widow of a defeated man...
Where does the "eight defeated" come from?
...
Seven cries, seven mourning clothes.
First, or perhaps Yuyou was young and hadn't worn a wedding dress.
When she reached the age of marriage, as Yuyou grew up and became a woman, she wore the wedding dress.
The joy of the red wedding dress couldn't change the evil spirits on her body.
On the eighth time, Yuyou stumbled towards the riverbank. She cried so hard that she couldn't catch her breath. She pounded the ground with both hands, beating them until her palms were blistered and bloody.
At this moment, she wasn't wearing any mourning clothes, nor a red wedding dress!
"Xiu Xiu!"
"Xiu Xiu!"
"Where are you, Xiu Xiu?"
The clear voice echoed from deep within the village, filled with anxiety and joy.
"Xiu Xiu, don't hide from me! I'm not afraid!"
"A man born in the world, standing tall and proud, is a good son. If a good son can't bear the rumors, protect his wife, and what kind of a man can he be?"
"Guests are arriving, you must wear your wedding dress. We are going back to the ceremony!"
The voice was all too familiar.
A voice suddenly appeared in my ear.
...
"Brother, are you comfortable?"
"There's your woman lying there, and another here. Is it okay to fight over a woman who doesn't have a good memory?"
"Your conscience is so bad!"
...
"I proposed to her with three books and six gifts, but she can't see. Do you want to enjoy the favors of many? Your heart is too wild, and you will suffer the consequences!"
"Is it easy for me? Leaving my hometown, just to take her back with me."
"If she doesn't leave, I will die."
"I died, unable to return home, find my roots, have a burial, or rebirth."
"I am not willing to either!"
The voice in my ear was like a scream, a shout!
...
"Go away! Get out!"
The sharper scream exploded, instantly waking me up.
Yuyou suddenly stood up, her hands continuously dripping blood. She stared fiercely with wide eyes, looking towards the direction of the village.
She was in pain, angry, sad...
Therefore, she cried even harder.
"I am a widow!"
"They say, as an 'eight-defeated widow,' I will kill eight husbands!"
"I don't want you!"
"You get out!"
Suddenly, a person emerged from the mist.
The person was dressed in pitch-black clothes, wearing a round hat of the same color.
The black clothes didn't seem ominous at all, in fact, in front of the chest was a big red flower, clearly a wedding dress, and the hat also gave people a clean and solemn feeling.
I immediately recognized it as Luo Yan.
But it was Luo Yan, looking refreshed and with a particularly resolute and determined gaze!
He stood in front of Yuyou and embraced her.
Yuyou struggled hard, hitting him with all her might on the back to try to free herself.
"I'm not leaving!"
"I will never marry, and I will never leave!"
"You are not my family!"
"I don't want to harm anyone! Please, please..."
The cries became more and more agonizing.
The sense of sorrow and grief felt like a series of heavy blows striking my chest.
I groaned, as if a breath was stuck, or as if a force was pressing against my heart.
The scene changed once again!
Luo Yan disappeared, Yuyou disappeared by the river, and a malevolent scream erupted from within the village!
"Die! All of you should die!"
"Everyone should die!"
The screams, were Yuyou's!
A spine-chilling feeling swept over me.
Did Luo Yan die?
Yuyou, the eighth defeat has ended, and she has become a genuine eight-defeated widow!?
Just then... everything in front of me suddenly shattered.
Thick, reddish mist instantly obscured all sight.
