Oni-tsubo - Kapitel 46
"What are you thinking?" Shimizu felt a sense of fear upon hearing this.
"You haven't grown any smarter after all these years!" Fei Xiao said, turning to Chen Kai and saying, "I'll perform a magic trick for you that will make both of you disappear!"
"No! I don't want you to disappear!" Chen Kai said, trying to step forward to stop him.
But there seemed to be an invisible barrier in front of him, preventing him from getting any closer. What was this? When did Feixiao create this? His heart tightened. Could it be? Could this have been his original plan?
"What are you thinking?" Shimizu seemed to have a premonition as well, and shouted loudly at Feixiao.
"I want to be sealed away with you. You haven't forgotten what it feels like to be sealed away, have you?" Fei Xiao said, smiling at Qing Shui with a very satisfied smile.
After he finished speaking, he muttered incantations, and as his deep voice rang out, light began to emerge from the ground.
The light blew Chen Kai away, and he then discovered that the entire rooftop was covered with twisted and grotesque symbols drawn beneath the falling snow. These symbols were emitting golden light, shining through the snow and illuminating the sky.
"Stop chanting!" Chen Kai cried out. This feeling was so familiar. A thousand years ago, he had seen this incantation. His happiness with Fei Xiao was sealed away along with that giant python.
"When the flowers bloom, let's go sightseeing together!" A thousand years ago, Feixiao, dressed in a white robe, stood in the dimly lit corridor and smiled as she spoke to him like that.
Let's pinky swear, we'll be friends forever!
"Fine, I can't do anything with you!" A thousand years later, Fei Xiao stood by the garden on the street, under the dim yellow light, and stretched out his slender white hand.
However, after a thousand years, neither he nor Prince Jin could be with Feixiao anymore.
Seeing that Feixiao's body had become somewhat transparent, his eyes, shining through the golden light, were fixed on him, as if he were saying his final goodbye.
Chen Kai, I would protect you even if it cost me my life!
Feixiao's words from that day echoed in my ears again, and his gentle smile was still vivid in my mind's eye.
Chen Kai suddenly felt so insignificant, unable to do anything or stop anything.
Someone, please save Feixiao! I'd even give up my own life for you.
No sooner had he finished thinking than flames burst forth from his arms—the round ball he had always kept close to his chest.
Something was breaking through the outer shell of the stone and emerging.
Chen Kai was stunned by what he saw. What was this?
Even more surprised than Chen Kai was Qing Shui. He stared blankly at Chen Kai's arms, as if he had seen something terrifying, something more terrifying than the seal. He turned pale with fright, and his only remaining eye was filled with terror.
"Phoenix, phoenix?" he said in a trembling voice.
Upon hearing this, Fei Xiao stopped activating the seal and looked towards Chen Kai.
The three of them were stunned by the miracle. A ball of flame-like thing broke through Chen Kai's embrace and flew towards them.
Chen Kai felt a blinding red light before his eyes, a scorching flame. The light rose higher and higher, flying straight toward the center of the seal, seemingly accompanied by the cries of birds.
It looked more like a firebird, emitting a brilliant light, spreading its wings and dyeing the sky red.
What kind of miracle was it?
"I've never seen it either, I only know that when a miracle happens, the sky turns red!"
Is this the miracle Zhang Ye spoke of? Chen Kai's consciousness began to blur again. What kind of miracle is this? It seems to be burning everything in the world to ashes!
Everything—the crimson silk, the clear water, the white snow, even the darkness—seemed to be swallowed up by the flames.
"Chen Kai, Chen Kai, wake up!" It was Fei Xiao's voice in my ear.
"What's wrong with me?" Chen Kai felt as if he were lying on cold cement, his back wet and cold, unsure whether it was from his own blood or melted snow. It seemed like a long, long time ago, he had also lay on such cold snow, and on that day, he lost the most precious person in his life. But the difference was, this time all he could see was darkness, a terrifying darkness.
“Chen Kai!” Fei Xiao’s voice choked with emotion. “We’re saved!” His nose stung with tears.
"Then what are you sad about?" Chen Kai smiled, then asked, "Why can't I see you?"
Feixiao held Chen Kai, whose body was charred black, and held back her tears. How could she tell him that the phoenix she had summoned had driven away Qingshui? But such a divine bird was not something that ordinary people could see. Anyone who saw the phoenix could not survive.
"I'm not sad!" Fei Xiao smiled and quickly comforted him.
Chen Kai suddenly felt a sharp pain all over his body, as if he were being burned by fire. "My body hurts so much, and I can't see. Will I get better?" he asked Fei Xiao, but he already had a vague idea that his life was nearing its end.
"It will be alright!" Feixiao grabbed his hand. "I will definitely save you!"
"Let me see you again!" Chen Kai said with a smile. Even a smile was painful, but he really wanted to see Fei Xiao one more time, to see his handsome face, his white clothes, and his smile.
"Okay!" Fei Xiao nodded. "I promise, we will definitely meet again!" After he finished speaking, he looked at Chen Kai and suddenly felt a pang of sadness. "Chen Kai, I've made you so tired, don't you hate me?"
Chen Kai smiled. How could he hate him? All the memories since he met Fei Xiao flashed before his eyes. Yes, his life was different because of Fei Xiao. There was sadness, joy, and pain. Those were all gems in his memory, eternal gems. With these, it was enough. How could he hate him?
He shook his head with difficulty, suddenly feeling weak all over, and slowly closed his eyes. What's the use of keeping them open if you can't see?
"Don't make me forget, forgetting is a terrible thing!" Chen Kai said with difficulty. He wanted to see that white-clad boy again, with his gentle smile, just like when they first met. His white clothes dazzled his eyes.
"I promise you!" Fei Xiao's voice rang in his ears, yet it sounded so distant. Chen Kai suddenly felt so tired; perhaps it was time for everything to come to an end.
Water fell on his face, wet and cool. Was it winter rain? Or something else? But he could no longer find out.
Half an hour later, Fei Xiao carefully stood up, put Chen Kaiping on the ground, and dragged her heavy steps down from the rooftop.
The person behind him was no longer charred, his face was rosy, and he was breathing evenly.
Feixiao glanced back at the sleeping Chen Kai, smiled, and resolutely turned to open the iron gate.
He stepped out of the building, a cold wind blowing in his face, ruffling his long hair and scattering snowflakes. He gazed at the world turned white by the snow, a slight smile appearing on his face, and walked out.
Chen Kai, I've always wanted to tell you, how can today's flowing water repeat yesterday's riverbed? Time is passing, life is changing, you are you, not Wang Zijin, not anyone else, and certainly not my appendage.
Chen Kai, everyone's life belongs to themselves, and so does yours. Just like when I leave today, it's not because I want to abandon you, nor because I don't want to be with you. I will always remember the happy times we spent together.
I only hope that your life won't change because of my appearance.
I just hope that you can take control of your own path from now on.
I just hope that you can live a peaceful life like an ordinary person.
Chen Kai, do you understand?
The white figure receded into the distance, seemingly merging into the vast expanse of white snow. A series of footprints were left on the pristine white snow, initially human footprints, later transforming into animal tracks, like dark plum blossoms blooming on the snow.
The snowflakes, as white as goose feathers, continued to fall, and in the blink of an eye, the footprints were covered by the white snow. The ground remained a vast expanse of white, as if no one had ever walked there.
Three days later, Chen Kai opened his eyes in the hospital. He was very tired and felt pain all over his body. To him, what happened that day was just a long dream.
"You're awake?" The speaker was a boy dressed in black and wearing sunglasses, who was squatting on the windowsill.
When Chen Kai saw him, he was startled. What was going on? Why wasn't Fei Xiao here, but he was?
"What you summoned that day was just the shadow of a phoenix; otherwise, even a god couldn't save you!" he said to Chen Kai with a grin.
"What are you going to do? What have you done to Feixiao?" Chen Kai suddenly had a terrible thought.
Shimizu waved her hand. "Don't worry, I wouldn't be so bored as to kill a human. I just can't understand it!"
"Where did Feixiao go?"
Shimizu rested her chin on her hand, her expression desolate: "I don't know either! He gave you his blood to drink, and then he left!"
So it wasn't a dream after all. Chen Kai recalled everything from that night. Fei Xiao, did Fei Xiao really leave him all alone after all? He thought about it and couldn't help but feel sad. In the end, he was still all alone, just like a thousand years ago.
"Don't be sad. You've already become one with him. Unless he comes to take your life, you won't die!" After saying this, Shimizu stood up, opened the window, spread her arms, and jumped out. "But what about me? What am I going to do about this loneliness?" Her voice was filled with loneliness.
Chen Kai sat alone on the hospital bed, silent for a long time. Even as the sun set, he remained sitting there, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Every fairy tale has an end, but Chen Kai knew that every time it snowed from now on, his heart would ache.
end
Many, many years passed, and Chen Kai grew old and frail, his hair turned white, and his eyes became cloudy. Yet, death still hadn't taken his life. He knew that his life was intertwined with another person's, and as long as that person lived, he would continue to live in this world.
The forsythia blossoms outside the window swayed in the warm breeze. An elderly man in a wheelchair gazed at the vibrant spring outside. He smiled peacefully, waiting for a young man in white to arrive amidst the flowers and fulfill their promise.
Yes, a promise! The old man smiled slyly at this thought. His children and grandchildren had no idea that their grandfather had made a promise with a fox spirit when he was young.
The blooming and withering of flowers, the past and the future, youth and old age are all merely footnotes to time. We use our lives to annotate our own time. The long river of time washes away youthful faces and black hair, leaving only each person's resilience and perseverance towards life, radiating a beautiful and dazzling light.
time!
End of article