A wind blew past.
The little girl disappears.
The scarecrow remained in place, but the talisman on its chest had curled up and was gradually turning black, eventually becoming dust.
A faint scratching sound, along with a weak tapping sound from the coffin.
As if the Red Ghost inside knew that Yu Xiu's soul was released by us, and wanted to come back to life.
Just then, the talisman on the coffin was deeper, denser, and he couldn't free himself.
“Seizing a mountain as his kingdom. If he doesn't do harm, being surrounded by fairies and sparrows all day would be great. Sigh, being in a blessing but unaware of it.” Laoding muttering to himself.
Later, Laoding licked his lips and looked at me, saying, "Master, it's done."
I pondered.
Blood is a way to nurture a ghost.
Laoding has eaten my blood and we are more connected.
The retribution ghost at that time also ate my blood.
Just that, though our connection became closer, he was unwilling to help me, and even harbored bad intentions. In the end, he met a fate where he was consumed by the plague.
After consuming my blood, Yu Xiu's remaining soul will naturally return to her body when she goes down the mountain.
At that time, which consciousness will consume the soul, has already been beyond doubt.
I did not leave the temple of the Red Ghost immediately. I walked to the temple gate, sat cross-legged, ate some simple food I had brought with me, and then closed my eyes to meditate.
Until my energy was restored to its fullness, the sky, amazingly, had brightened up!
Yes, the sunlight shone onto the hill and into the temple of the Red Ghost.
I got up and walked towards the mountain below.
When I returned to the village, the village swept away all the former gloom and oppression, with bright sunshine dispelling all the ghostly aura in the entire village.
This village became such a fierce place because of Yu Xiu!
Was all Yu Xiu's resentment suppressed!?
I and Laoding have some guess, but I have no such big expectation at all that such a nightmare-like hell will be dispelled.
I first returned to the previous courtyard and did not see the shadow of Yu Xiu.
After thinking for a moment, I walked directly towards the village entrance.
I saw Yu Xiu in the distance.
She was sitting on the washing stone, her bare feet gently tapping on the flowing river.
The silver bell-like laughter came from her mouth.
I hurriedly walked to the riverbank, a bit of joy in my heart, shouting: "Xiu Xiu!"
The laughter stopped abruptly, and Yu Xiu quickly stood up.
She turned her head to look at me, and differently from before, her eyes were no longer empty, but rather contained a sense of childlike innocence.
In the depth of this look, there was only a faint sense of emptiness.
"You... do you know me?" The slightly childish voice echoed in my ears.
"I know you." She whispered again.
"But who are you?" After a slight pause, confusion filled Yu Xiu's eyes.
I was taken aback, and I furrowed my brow as I looked at Yu Xiu again.
Does she not recognize me?
Yu Xiu, who was arranged by Gao to act as backup at my side, had no memory of her own. She protected me only because of Lü's fate.
After that, I received a jade pendant from Lü, and using Zhongshan white glue, Qingying nurtured and strengthened a thread of soul in Yu Xiu's jade pendant. However, when I pulled out the deathly soul to change back to a yang soul, Yu Xiu used her own soul in the jade pendant to fill the holes in my body, so that part of her merged with me.
It is the integration of consciousness that caused Yu Xiu to lose the experience of living and dying together with us.
She doesn't recognize me, yet she does recognize me, because of the memories from the past, as well as the parts of us that have merged, subtly linked in some way?
Unfortunately, it was daytime and Laogong wasn't there, otherwise, he would definitely be able to say something.
"You don't remember me, then do you remember Lü Kan?" I asked softly.
Yu Xiu showed a bit of confusion, and she shook her head too.
I was taken aback again. Although Yu Xiu herself didn't remember Lü Kan, she had integrated so many consciousnesses, and she must have remembered Lü Kan!
Forgetting me isn't bad.
But if Lü Kan was forgotten, how would the Lü Jiao Village's Lü if he knew all this, bear the agony?
"I remember now," said Yu Xiu, her eyes lighting up.
"You are the temple's brother, you let me down the mountain. Thank you."
Yu Xiu lightly bowed to the side, a very old-fashioned gesture that I had only seen on TV.
It was then that I noticed a small wooden figure hanging from her chest.
In that moment, I suddenly understood.
It was my own and Laoding's released soul that integrated all of Yu Xiu's consciousness, while the soul was the initial Yu Xiu who climbed the mountain, peeling her out, and she had no memory related to it!
But all the things in the universe are not dispersed in vain, so she feels familiar with me, and she will carry the wooden figure with her.
That wooden figure is Lü Kan's afterlife!
As for me letting her down the mountain, indeed, in the end, she absorbed my blood, enlarging her soul to go down the mountain.
It's a case of Yin and Yang colliding in a muddle, and I don't know whether it's good or bad.
Perhaps, Yu Xiu back then was also an unstable factor. After revealing her true form, she was as terrifying as that.
In front of me, she is the most stable and quiet.
"I need to go," I said with a light sigh.
"Oh," Yu Xiu nodded.
She sat back down on the stone slab, her bare feet gently tapping on the water, causing ripples.
I watched Yu Xiu for a long time before walking out of the village.
Subconsciously, I turned my head and looked back.
The village, however, had become extraordinarily blurry, illusory, and even had double images.
By the riverbank, there were many people quietly standing, all of them looking like Yu Xiu.
However, they all stood motionless.
Only Yu Xiu on the stone slab was humming a melodious tune.
I recognized one of the Yu Xius, who was pierced with numerous daggers.
Her eyes were empty, like a shell.
In an instant, they disappeared, and even the Yu Xiu on the stone slab vanished.
A thick mist enveloped the entire Xiu Xiu Village.
I turned my gaze back and walked in the direction of where I came from.
The original goal was to take Yu Xiu with me, so I would have a helper beside me.
But in fact, Yu Xiu had returned to her original pure appearance.
Can I still take her away from here?
Thoughtfully, what was Yu Xiu's role beside me?
She was more like a tool.
But she is not just a tool. She is not the backup given to me by Laoding.
She is a very pitiful girl.
A person who has never lived for herself.
Perhaps, the next time I come here, I will bring Lü Kan.
Let them, the pair of love birds who have escaped fate, be reunited again.
As for whether Yu Xiu can remember who Lü Kan is, that really is as Laogong said, up to fate.
...
After leaving Guanyang City, it took me three days to reach Dacheng County.
It was still the height of summer in Guanyang in October, with no sign of autumn at all.
Dacheng County, however, was covered in snow like a winter wonderland!
Located in a plateau area, there was no high-speed rail here, so I could only take a bus to the nearby city and make my way here slowly.
It's all right. With deeper skills and better physical condition, I'm much more resistant to the cold than before. In the past, I might have been shivering with cold.
First, I found the commercial street and bought a coat. Then, I found a hotel to rest for a while.
My initial goal was to bring Yu Xiu, at least to have an extra card, allowing me to easily move in and out of the Luo family.
But now, I have another plan!
