Geisteswissenschaftliche Fakultät

Kapitel 21

The deadline is tomorrow, and once I return this book, everything will be fine. Why can't I resist the urge to return it?

Suddenly, Xiongxiong remembered the little black fox in the bookstore and started wailing.

"This is such a bad deal! I ate my pizza, and now I'm paying with my life! Waaah—"

"So noisy!" Just as Xiongxiong was crying her heart out, a fox poked its little head out from behind the wall of fire. It looked around, probably choosing a landing spot, before cautiously extending its front paws, then its back half, its hind half, its hind paws, its tail... (Come watch the fox jump through the fire hoop!!!)

"That deadly celestial fire almost ruined my fur!" The pointy mouth uttered a soft complaint, then seemed to remember something and hopped over to Xiongxiong.

"Little girl, it's time to return the book."

"Waaah, I'm going to die! I can't return the book!" Xiongxiong cried incoherently, but she could still answer questions.

"You'll die, of course!" The fox stretched out its paw and scratched the white fur on its forehead again. "That's celestial fire; it will only burn away the karmic threads that shouldn't be on your body."

"Wh...what is a karmic entanglement line?" Xiongxiong asked, sobbing, not even thinking to ask where the fox had come from.

"Anyway, it's a bad line!" the fox pursed its lips, unable to explain it clearly.

"Do you even know how many karmic ties you have? Goodness, it's terrifying! You must have done a lot of bad things in your past life!"

"Ah..." Xiong Xiong screamed, "Am I going to die again?!"

"I told you you wouldn't die, at most you'd get what's coming to you!" The fox looked at the bear with disdain, its black bean-like eyes slanted. This human was really stupid; it had been made so clear, yet it kept talking about dying.

Xiongxiong said "Oh," and just as she stopped crying, she burst into tears again with a "Waaah!": "Isn't it just as miserable to not get a good reward!"

"Anyway, it's none of my business. My mission is complete. Take care of yourself!" With that, the little fox clapped its paws, and the red flames slowly subsided until they disappeared completely. Strangely enough, despite the huge fire, nothing in the entire room was damaged. Not only that, there wasn't even a trace of smoke or fire. Xiong Xiong sniffed the air, momentarily forgetting to cry, and curiously looked around.

"I've taken the book, and your debt is paid off. Good luck from now on!" With that, the little fox flicked its tail and was about to leave.

"No!" In a moment of panic, Xiongxiong grabbed the other's tail. "Ouch, that hurts! Why did you bite me!"

"I should be asking you that! Why did you pull my fluffy, beautiful tail for no reason?" the fox asked fiercely, baring its teeth.

"I just want to ask you, what exactly do you mean by repaying debts, and what about the idea of no good retribution?" Xiongxiong asked timidly, rubbing his hand that had been bitten, revealing a row of clear teeth on the back of his hand.

"I don't know what debt you owe that old bastard, but the worst that can happen is that you'll never meet someone you like in your life. Even if you do, you'll lose them and live a lonely life!"

As the fox spoke, the bear's mouth slowly opened wider than its bones could stretch: "Lonely... for a lifetime!" What a shocking statement!

"Waaah—" Xiongxiong's tears, which she had just stopped, burst forth again. She cried desperately, pounding the floor as she sobbed, looking utterly pathetic.

"It's none of my business, I'm leaving!" The fox looked at the girl in front of him, who was crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide, feeling extremely annoyed. What was she doing? Why did she seem like such a bad guy? She was one of the few good "people" in the Pomeranian community!

The small figure paused, as if pondering something, and finally turned around.

"Here you are."

"Waaah..."

Here, take it!

"Wh...what?" Xiongxiong, who had been burying her head and crying, raised her head with tears in her eyes.

"Write down the name of the person you like." The little fox turned its head away, looking elsewhere. "I'll pretend I didn't see it."

The tiny paws pushed the marriage register towards them.

Is it really possible?

"Ugh, so annoying! Just write it when I tell you to!"

stare.

"Oh, thank you!" Xiongxiong hugged the little fox's small body tightly, completely ignoring the fact that the black fox was already rolling its eyes from the "bear hug".

"Let go...let go, I'm going to die!!"

"Oh... thank you!"

****

"Heh, you old codger, you've finally decided to come and collect your things." The fox tossed aside the *International Business Daily*, pulled a marriage register from a drawer, and threw it on the counter. "Take it away now, don't get in anyone's way!"

"Hehe, I only had a few too many drinks and was a few days late. There's no need to be so rude!" The white-bearded old man in the crimson robe stroked his long white beard with a smile, and with a wave of his hand, the book disappeared without a trace in a red light.

"Nothing unusual happened during the few days I was away, did it?"

"No."

"Really not?"

"Really, no!"

"Then why don't you dare look me in the eye!"

"I've had bad posture when I wrote since I was little, I'm squinting!"

"Hehehe, I knew you wouldn't dare." The old man reached out and patted the little fox's head. "I'll take my leave now. I'll find you again sometime for drinks and chess."

"No need to see me out."

Whew—finally, he's gone. Only after the old man's figure disappeared from sight did the little fox pat its chest and let out a long sigh of relief, hoping it wouldn't be discovered.

"You really thought I hadn't noticed?" The old man pulled out the book, its pristine white pages completely blank. But as his hand brushed across the pages, the marks suddenly appeared, the sins of those who had previously left their marks on the marriage register without permission.

"Let me see, that girl... oh, in this life, she's finally paid off her debts. Heh, that Shang Ci brat really has a soft heart. Now I'll have another story to tell Chang'e when we get back..."

****

"Long, long ago, there was an old man named Yue Lao who went to the Eight Immortals' abode to drink and play chess. On his way back, he accidentally lost the Book of Marriage, which was in charge of human marriages. A young girl from the human world found the book. Perhaps out of curiosity, or perhaps for her own selfish reasons, the girl wrote her name together with the names of two famous young men from prominent local families. As a result, because of the girl's unintentional act, she forcibly separated two marriages, leading to two unhappy couples."

When Heaven learned of this, it was furious. It had already decided to punish the little girl, but the Old Man of the Moon couldn't bear to send her to the deepest hell. Therefore, it punished her by condemning her to seven lifetimes without marriage. In her seventh life, Heaven will give her a chance. If she can atone for her sins, she will have a chance to start over; otherwise, she will be immediately cast into the deepest hell, never to be reborn.

In her seventh life, the little girl accidentally reconnected the red threads binding those two ill-fated couples, and as for her own destiny…

"Grandpa, why did you stop talking?" Little Sweet asked curiously, licking her McDonald's cone.

"Because what happened next, even I, the old man, don't know."

"Oh no, why did you only tell half the story!" Little Sweet pouted. "I'm not listening to you anymore. I'm going home to watch cartoons. Bye-bye."

"The little girl had no marriage in her seven lifetimes, and that man also had no marriage with her in her seven lifetimes. This is the biggest debt she owes. So in this life, she needs to spend a lot of time and energy to find that person in order to make up for the mistakes she made in the past..." The fashionable old man murmured to himself with a smile.

So, did you know that if you're unhappy now, it doesn't mean you won't be happy in the future? The more hardships you face, the better the ending will be!

Please, please believe me!

(Thanks to Bear and Little Fox for their guest appearances!)

Chapter Twenty-Six: Pine Waves Like a Dream

Name: Jing, Jue Gender: Male Age: Appearance: Around 20 years old

Occupation: Owner of Jingjue Pavilion Store Address: No. 14-16, Dongshi Street, Bomei

one,

When I woke up early, the heavy snow had already stopped.

The courtyard was huge, completely white, a dazzlingly beautiful sight. The housekeeper, Old Zhao, was about to shovel snow when I stopped him.

"Old Zhao, this is fresh snow, you can't shovel it," I said to him.

“But, young master, you should at least leave a way for people to walk.” Old Zhao had watched me grow up since I was a child, and he knew my obsession better than anyone. He was the only one in the family who knew how to persuade me, and he was also the one who could calmly look at me when I was acting crazy and call out, “Young master, you should take a break.”

"Then let's just remove that little bit and lay down some rice straw," I said with a smile, acquiescing.

It's been many years since I've seen snow. Since moving to this villa, I've lost contact with my family. There are fewer unnecessary disturbances around me, and I live a quiet life, writing poems, reciting them, appreciating the scenery, and enjoying a drink alone. Occasionally, I cook a meal, and when the weather is nice, I go to the city to buy things I need or don't need. I like this kind of life. Although it's a bit lonely, it has an indescribable comfort compared to the desolation of a grand mansion.

"Old Zhao, I'll be going up the mountain later. Could you prepare some food and drinks for me?"

“Okay, but, young master, are you going to the Yingsong Pavilion again?” Old Zhao straightened his back and looked at me helplessly.

This is the only point of disagreement between Lao Zhao and me.

Yingsong Pavilion is an ancient pavilion built at the highest point of Sihe Mountain. Even the oldest hunters in the area probably don't know when it was built. Standing alone atop the highest peak, accompanied only by an ancient pine tree, this nameless and unassuming pavilion has become known as Yingsong Pavilion. I love going there to admire the scenery; only from that pavilion can you see the most beautiful views of Sihe Mountain, and only there can you truly experience what it means to be far removed from the world. But Old Zhao doesn't think so, because the road to the pavilion is not easy to travel.

"Young master, look, it just snowed..."

"It's alright, Lao Zhao, I've lived here for so many years."

"But, young master..."

"Old Zhao, I promise you I'll quit drinking for a month, okay?"

"Young Master, you've decided to quit drinking?" Old Zhao was so excited that he even dropped his shovel.

“It’s only been a month.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “However, I promise you I won’t drink anymore. After all, it’s been three years since A-Qiao left me, and I think I should tone it down a bit.”

"Young Master..." Old Zhao wiped his face with his sleeve, moved to tears by my words.

I smiled, turned and left. It turns out that I've become able to mention that name without even realizing it, without even realizing it at some point.

"Songtao, will you marry me?"

"meeting."

"Songtao, will you really marry me?"

"meeting."

"Pine waves..."

"Ah Qiao, what's wrong with you today? Why do you keep asking me the same question?"

"Because I'm insecure, Songtao, I know you won't marry me."

"Ah Qiao, what's wrong with you? I said I would marry you and never betray you. Even if everyone in my family objects, I will never leave you."

“Songtao, our social status is too different, no one will bless us.”

"Ah Qiao, marriage is a matter between two people. You are marrying me, not my family, and certainly not those who gossip behind your back. Why can't you trust me a little more?"

“Songtao, it’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s that I don’t trust myself.”

"Ah Qiao, why..."

"Songtao, we can never be together, so..."

"Ah Qiao, is this the reason you're going to marry someone else?"

"Ah Qiao, in the end, it was you who betrayed me first?"

“Ah Qiao…”

I left the capital, left behind my heartbreak, and have been living alone in Sihe Mountain for over three years. From initially trying to escape to gradually getting used to life here and eventually falling in love with it, I now realize that perhaps it was A Qiao's departure that blessed me with this peaceful state of mind and tranquility. Looking back at my past madness and infatuation, I can't help but chuckle.