Six hundred years

Chapter 5

Suddenly, his hand stretched out more than ten feet and reached for me. My mother grabbed me and flew away. She placed me and Gaiman some distance away and rushed over. In an instant, only golden and red light flashed in the sky, like two flying dragons circling and fighting in the air, stirring up a sky full of yellow sand.

I stood up and looked at everything that had happened. The battle between the immortal and demon realms was all for me, all for me! What a tremendous irony!

I stared blankly as my "father" and "mother" fought each other to kill me and save me. My blood rushed to my head, and I felt a powerful force about to burst out of my body. When the beautiful woman saw this, she frantically rolled up her long sleeves and scattered countless golden lotuses from the dry land, forming a wall of flowers that surrounded us.

The beautiful woman looked anxious and said solemnly to Gaiman, "Girl, my son's willpower is now hanging by a thread. The demonic blood is about to gain the upper hand. If you continue to waste time in this scorching desert, his demonic blood will eventually assimilate his immortal blood. At that time, he will become extremely demonic. Even if his father can't eat him, he will become the second Desert Blood Demon!"

Gaiman murmured, "What should we do? What should we do?"

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [20]: "The situation is urgent now, I can't say more. I shouldn't have used the Golden Lotus of Dry Land, it would only further stimulate the demonic nature in his body. But if I don't do this, I can't temporarily block the demon and tell you how to break it..." She looked at me with reluctance and held my hand tightly. I felt a coolness and felt very comfortable. It was clearly an inseparable blood relationship.

She gritted her teeth and said, "Now, the only thing we can do is send him to the coldest place to suppress his demonic nature."

"The coldest place?" Gaiman asked.

“Head south, there’s a place called Nepal. Climb the snow-capped peaks and find a cave called ‘Ice Abode’ where you can live. Hopefully, you still make it in time…” A hint of worry appeared on her face. “Alright, hurry up, or it will be too late once the flower wall collapses!”

Gaiman nodded tearfully and helped me up. I held onto the beautiful woman's hand tightly, unwilling to let go. The woman, with tears in her eyes, said, "Go, child!"

I could no longer hold back, and facing this woman who had painstakingly cared for me for twenty years, I cried out, "Mother!"

A relieved smile appeared on her face. She withdrew her hand and waved, "Go on!"

Just then, the flower wall dispersed, and the man barged in, laughing hatefully, "Trying to leave? Not so easy!"

"A long, barbed tongue shot out from his mouth and pierced my neck. I felt my blood and life slowly leaving me... ※※※※※※※※※※ (Thirteen) Love Returns to Separation and Hatred Ai Liao carried me across the distance of time and space. When we arrived in the Western Regions, we learned the exact news that they had entered the heart of the desert. Her eyes shone with a crystal-clear light, as if she was also excited that the secret that had been anticipated and troubled her for six hundred years was about to be revealed.

Finally, she brought me to the ground. Countless golden lotuses of the dry land were scattered everywhere, some dancing in the piercing winds of the Gobi Desert. The piercing winds of the desert night were particularly desolate, and all around was deathly silent.

Ai Liao, holding my hand, walked slowly through a sea of flowers. She silently surveyed the ruins, saying nothing, as if enduring immense pain. I could understand her feelings. Suddenly, she knelt on the ground, pointing to the sky and howling, "God! Are you playing a cruel trick on me? Are we too late again? We arrived in Kashgar, they went into the desert, we rushed here, and it's all over again! God, haven't you been cruel enough to me? Do you want me to wait another six hundred years? Answer me!"

Her heart-wrenching cries echoed across the Gobi Desert, bringing tears to my eyes. I was speechless, gazing at this world that belonged to me, yet also did not.

A faint voice came from behind: "Perhaps, not knowing the truth is a kind of happiness. Foolish child, why do you pursue it so relentlessly?"

Upon hearing this, Ai Liao stood up. We looked around and Ai Liao cried out, "Who is it? Who is speaking? You don't understand. I don't care what the outcome is, I want to know the truth. I don't want to die without knowing why!"

After a faint golden light flashed, a middle-aged woman slowly appeared. She was pale and weak, as if she had suffered a great injury. There was a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth. She looked at me, then at Ai Liao, smiled at us, and waved for us to come over.

I knelt beside her and helped her up. A strong sense of kinship welled up from the bottom of my heart. She took my hand, looked at my brows, and sighed, "I never imagined that after six hundred years, your demonic blood would still not have completely dissipated! Fortunately, I used my final, fatal blow to perish together with the Sand Blood Demon. He still failed and turned into a pool of sewage. Your demonic blood will never be aroused again!"

"Demon blood? What demon blood?" I pressed.

After listening to her recount all the old stories, I held my mother, who was on her deathbed six hundred years ago, speechless with emotion.

Ai Liao remained silent for a long time, then suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no! I've used the fragrance of the Dryland Golden Lotus several times to stimulate his nerves, hoping to make him recall his past life and the covenant he made with me. What... what should I do?!"

The beautiful woman gave a bitter smile and spat out a mouthful of blood: "Fate is cruel! Fate is cruel! Man proposes, God disposes. Fortunately, he doesn't have much demonic blood left, so it should be alright."

I asked, "Mother, where is my past life now?" I will not give up this rare opportunity to meet my past life.

“They have already been sent to the snow-capped peaks of Nepal by me, by my divine power. If you wish to see them, you may find a place called the Ice Chamber, where you might have the chance to meet them… Tell them to take care…” She gradually fell silent, the golden light completely extinguished. I reached out to try and hold onto her fading figure, but only managed to grasp a wisp of cool dew… ※※※※※※※※※※ We arrived in Nepal and, after several arduous searches, finally found the place called the Ice Chamber deep within the snow-capped peaks.

I will never forget what I saw that day.

A man in ancient costume who looked exactly like me stood inside a huge square of ice, the transparent ice completely freezing him inside! A serene smile played on his lips, which was particularly charming under the reflection of the ice and the sunlight, showing no trace of the pain he had suffered before death.

Ai Liao stood silently in front of Fang Bing, letting her tears fall, freeze, fall, freeze, until her cheeks were covered with ice crystals.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [21]: I went into the ice chamber and carved on the wall behind the ice with a sharp blade the deceased's endless longing for Ai Liao and his endless gratitude to the Gai siblings. It also recorded the whole story, and how after he and Gaiman came here with great difficulty, they found that the demonic blood was out of control. They could only rely on Gaiman to find a few animals in the snow to suck their blood to relieve the pain. However, he did not want to spend his life like this, so he used ice and snow to build an ice box and begged Gaiman to build him in the ice before his demonic nature took effect. He was willing to give up his life rather than become a demon and go out to harm people like his father. He was willing to exchange his life for the eternal value of humanity.

Finally, he also hoped that if these messages were seen by someone destined to read them, they could go to Ai Liao's grave in Hangzhou on his behalf and tell her the truth, and that he loved her.

Ai Liao watched all this, her face covered in more and more ice crystals. She seemed to have suddenly lost her support, aging considerably in an instant. She murmured, "I wronged him. He didn't forget me. He remembered his promise to me even in death. And I... I hated him for six hundred years, seeking revenge for him for six hundred years. I was wrong. What have I done? He died in the ice. No wonder I can't find his presence in this life..." She could no longer hold back and collapsed beside an ice pillar in the ice chamber. My gaze fell on the ice pillar, and I felt something was amiss. I went over and wiped away the thin layer of snow covering the ice pillar with my sleeve, revealing the gleaming ice pillar. Inside sat a lifelike corpse, dressed as a Hui girl. Her pure eyes were fixed on where Yuan Shiwo was, and her bright face showed concern and reluctance. It seemed that she was unwilling to leave the person in the ice, freezing to death here. The snow and ice, however, were exceptionally kind to her, forever preserving her kindness, youth, and beauty with their purity.

I know that she must be Gaiman, yet another devoted woman who willingly sacrificed her life for me from six hundred years ago!

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"There's something I have to tell you," Ai Liao said softly.

"What?" I thought, after this six-hundred-year-old feud, nothing could shock me anymore. I just wanted to spend the rest of my life with the one I love.

"Actually, I didn't hurt your girlfriend, Ailu!"

"Really?" I turned to look at her, waiting for her to continue.

"She is the only successful reincarnation I have had in six hundred years. I used the fragrance of flowers to awaken you, you unfaithful man. I'm sorry, at least that's what I thought at the time. I wanted you to watch your beloved woman be killed, and you would be powerless to do anything about it. I wanted to make you suffer for a lifetime, which would be more satisfying than killing you!" I was astonished by the viciousness of the woman's revenge.

She continued, "But that night, when I was about to succeed, I found I couldn't bring myself to do it. The closer I got to her, the stronger the murderous intent became, and the more my heart ached. Her appearance made me realize that she was my reincarnation; I simply couldn't kill her. I stood there, stunned, completely lost. But you, now I understand your actions that night. Perhaps it really was the fragrance of the flowers that activated your demonic nature. You got up from your dream, skillfully connected the wire, put the other end in your mouth, and an electric current surged through your body. You seemed very happy, as if something inside you had been activated, making you feel very comfortable. Later, you pounced on your girlfriend..." I saw her blood seeping from your body, seeping into your flesh. I panicked, fearing my reincarnation would once again be short-lived. I looked around frantically, then broke your appliances to startle you from your dreamlike state. You ran out, then rushed back as if possessed, seemingly oblivious to what you had done in between. I followed you out, stepping on your blood. I deliberately left a blank footprint, intending to trap you. However, by then, I had lost my murderous intent. Six hundred years had passed, and you still chose me. I was content. I only wanted you to experience the pain of having unresolved doubts in your heart!

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(XIV) Lessons from the Past

Ai Liao returned to where she belonged, but my other Ai Lu was still in the hospital.

I stood outside the intensive care unit, looking at Ailu on the hospital bed. She was clearly much better; her complexion was rosy, and her breathing was even and strong. I knew she had finally pulled through, and that there would be no more danger for her. It was all over. Yes, it should be over.

I didn't wait for her to fully recover; I left her only a letter detailing everything that had happened. She had the right to know the truth about everything that occurred before and after her coma. I dared not love her again, even though I loved her very much. But ever since I learned that the demonic blood within me could still cause trouble, I was afraid that one day I would hurt her again, the person I loved most in my life.

I left this city far behind and went to a place known for its coldness, where I will spend the rest of my life, hoping to find solace and control my "neck" here.

I chose to be alone, wandering through the cold nights every night, afraid of the terror of waking up in the middle of the night---The Fairy of the Magpie Bridge replied [22]: I dare not accept any more feelings, because from this experience, I know how much pain, suspicion, and perhaps even conspiracy and blame there is when one person loves another. The world of love is full of struggle, betrayal, and deception. How much responsibility must the promise between lovers bear? If one makes a promise to love that is difficult to keep just because of a moment of impulse, how heavy will the shackles of life be, and how much irreparable price will be paid? I don't know how many women I have wronged in my past life are also looking for revenge. Perhaps even the innocent and lovely Gaiman will be one of them. I don't know who is her in this life, and who I am in the next life. How many more love and hate are playing out in every corner of the world?

I have abandoned society, or rather, society has abandoned me. I can only sit at my computer, watching everything that happens in the world, savoring the heart-wrenching pain that fate brings me alone. I type away, recording my experiences, reminding myself, and also reminding my readers, that love is not to be trifled with, a love story that has lasted for six hundred years.

Summer is getting stronger, it's getting hot, I absolutely have to get some ice cream, otherwise...