I'm finally free from this heartbreaking and sorrowful world...
It turns out that the great tribulation Master spoke of was actually a tribulation of love. I willingly walked into it, so how can I resolve it?
Author's Note: Dear readers, Chapter 1 is now complete. Chapter 2 will soon bring some changes, so please look forward to it!
☆、I. The Underworld
My face feels cool, are those tears? I'm so cold, it hurts my heart!
I remember the day my parents died. Why didn't you take me with you? Why did you leave me to suffer so much?
In my next life, I will never trust anyone easily again, and I will never love again!
"Are you awake? I've never seen anyone cry so hard after coming here. Don't be sad, this is a good place, you'll never suffer again!" A warm male voice rang out.
Who is it? Qingluan slowly opened her eyes. Before her was a cherry blossom forest, an endless sea of pink flowers. A man in black stood under the trees, cherry blossom petals fluttering in the air, landing on his ethereal figure, which seemed like a banished immortal. His white hair reached his waist, his delicate face, his pure black robes, the petals dancing in the wind... everything seemed like a fairyland, so distant, so tranquil!
"Welcome here." The man in black turned his gaze from the fluttering petals to the blue phoenix.
"Who are you? Where is this place?" Qingluan asked, having never seen such a beautiful scene before.
"This is the underworld, you are already dead!" A calm and even voice soothed the suddenly awakened mind of the Azure Phoenix.
So, I still crave worldly things? I even foolishly hoped for a miracle! Qingluan mocked herself.
"I never imagined the underworld would be so beautiful, and the King of Hell so young and handsome. It seems this is indeed a wonderful place!" Qingluan smiled, her beauty beyond compare.
The coldness in the man's eyes dissipated like a haze, revealing an unusual light, like dazzling sunlight, a pair of golden eyes.
“My name is Xuan Yi! You are indeed extraordinary! Others come here either out of resentment or disheartened, but you still have the mood to joke. You seem to be a very insightful person.”
"Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it. Do you think I could come back to life if I'm unwilling? Since my death can put his mind at ease and protect others, my death is worthwhile. Anyway, my wish has been fulfilled, and there's nothing left in this world for me to cherish!" Qingluan smiled contentedly.
"Really—without any attachments?" Xuan Yi formed several barriers in his hands, and images appeared before Qing Luan.
Hui Niang and Zhan Hong had blood trickling from their mouths, Zhi Qiu and Qing Xi were covered in wounds, and there were corpses everywhere. Upon closer inspection, Qing Luan realized that they were all secret guards from the Dark Night Tower in the palace. One of the guards reported to Jun Yifeng, "Your Majesty, everything has been dealt with!"
"Very well! This was all done by Ya Xiurong. Order her to be executed immediately, issue arrest warrants for Ya Xiurong's family, and exterminate her entire clan!"
My heart felt ripped out, and the pain spread to every cell in my body. Why?
Why did he kill Hui Niang and the others? They knew nothing of the truth and posed no threat to him. Why? Was he truly such a cruel and bloodthirsty person? Qing Luan was utterly perplexed. After experiencing so much, Qing Luan no longer dared to easily speculate about people's hearts, feeling that human nature was unpredictable and impossible to fathom.
"So, has your decision changed? Do you want to go back?" Seeing Qingluan's pained expression, Xuan Yi felt a pang of pity and withdrew the barrier.
Qingluan felt utterly weak and collapsed to the ground, muttering, "Even if I'm not willing to accept this, what can I do?"
Qingluan slowly raised her head, looking at the exquisite face in black robes: "Tell me, what do you want?"
"Hehe..." A few soft laughs, like heavenly music, entered Qingluan's ears. It was Xuan Yi. "It's really effortless to talk to smart people!"
Qingluan did not answer, but continued to look at him.
Xuan Yi said, "How do you know I have a way?"
Qingluan remained expressionless: "If you had no other choice, why did you show me those things? Is it because you're idle in the underworld and have nothing to do?"
Xuan Yi was speechless for a moment, then laughed even more heartily: "Not bad, not bad, I have a way to get you back, but you have to be willing, which is why I let you know those things!"
"Really?" Qingluan couldn't believe she could be resurrected.
“Your karmic ties are not yet severed, so you should not have come here. I came here specifically to find you, to intercept you before you enter the cycle of reincarnation.”
"What are the conditions?" Qingluan knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch.
“Since you’re so straightforward, I’ll be blunt: I want what’s around your neck!” Xuan Yi’s eyes revealed admiration.
Upon hearing this, Qingluan lowered her head. Was it it? It had been following her all along!
The nine-colored exquisite stone she always wore around her neck emitted a faint glow, though it was never seen to shine normally.
"I can agree to your conditions, but you have to tell me what you want it for?" Qingluan said calmly, thinking that this thing probably had a significant origin.
The man in black smiled even more and shook his head, saying, "Then you don't need to worry about it. As long as you agree to my conditions, I will arrange for you to go back immediately."
Hearing the seductive words from the man in black, Qingluan became even more determined. The more he refused to speak, the more extraordinary this thing must be! This exquisite stone was given to me by my master, and it's also a token to command the Dark Night Tower. He's from the Underworld, what use would he have for it? The exquisite stone must have some unknown purpose! I can't let such a good thing be sold off cheaply. Thinking of this, Qingluan suppressed her longing to return home and said with a relaxed smile, "This is something my master left me, and I can't bear to give it away to someone else. So let's call off our deal. Didn't you say I haven't yet settled down in this world? I've been staying here all this time; you should be the one who's worried!"
Seeing the surprised expression on Xuan Yi's face, Qing Luan knew she had guessed correctly.
"I only revealed one sentence, and you were able to understand the meaning from the music. You are indeed my soulmate! Well, it won't hurt to tell you. It's just a thing of the past!" Xuan Yi looked into the distance and began to tell a beautiful story.
Xuan Yi told a long story. Long, long ago, Xuan Yi was an ordinary man in the mortal world. Because of his nine lifetimes of good deeds, he was granted the opportunity to ascend to the ranks of immortals after his tenth death, becoming a celestial being! However, in his tenth life, a fairy admired his good deeds and secretly descended to the mortal world to meet this great benefactor. One was a talented young man, the other a beautiful young woman, and naturally, they fell in love! The Heavenly Emperor was furious and imprisoned the fairy in the Heavenly Court, never to leave her cage again, while the man, who should have been serving in the Heavenly Court, was banished to the Underworld. The two were forever separated, never to meet again! On the day the fairy was taken to the Heavenly Court, she left behind an earring in the mortal world. The man searched everywhere for this item as the only memento of the fairy, but unexpectedly, it ended up in the hands of Qing Luan.
After hearing this poignant story, and seeing the misty eyes of the woman in black robes, Qingluan was deeply moved. "Are we really never going to see each other again?" Qingluan asked softly.
"Of course, who can disobey the Heavenly Emperor's command?" Xuan Yi replied calmly, then looked at Qing Luan with a mocking expression, "Aren't you afraid I'm just making up a story to fool you?"
Qingluan was taken aback and blurted out, "You can't!"
Xuan Yi smiled: "You truly understand me!"
Qingluan agreed to Xuanyi's request, exchanging the Linglong Stone for her chance to be resurrected. However, Qingluan didn't know how to remove the Linglong Stone. When her Uncle-Master Tianyuan gave it to her, he only told her how to put it on; only her master knew how to remove it, but her master had been missing for many years.
Qingluan wondered if the method of removing it was the same! This spirit creature was indeed amazing; it even followed her after she died.
Following the original method of putting it on, Qingluan dripped a tear into it, only to find that the exquisite stone shone even more brightly, refusing to come off. Qingluan looked awkwardly at Xuanyi and said, "It seems it doesn't want to leave me either!"
Seeing this, Xuan Yi knew he couldn't force the issue, so he didn't take it to heart and simply said casually, "Since you're destined to have it, then wear it! Our deal is still valid."
Qingluan was a little embarrassed, but Xuanyi said, "Consider it a gift from me to my soulmate!"
Qingluan could only comfort Xuanyi: "It doesn't matter what you use to remember someone, as long as you both have each other in your hearts, that's enough!"
Xuan Yi nodded and said, "Hmm, what you said makes sense! I'll go prepare some things to take you back. It might take a while. There's a wooden cabin in the woods. You can stay there for now. I'll come find you after I've arranged everything."
Qingluan nodded in agreement.
The cabin in the woods was fully equipped with all the necessities for daily life, and even thoughtfully provided several sets of women's clothes, as well as cosmetics. Qingluan secretly admired Xuanyi's meticulous care. The cherry blossom grove was so beautiful that, despite her burning anxiety, she could only settle down and wait for his news.
A few days later, Xuan Yi came to see Qing Luan, his brows furrowed. Qing Luan's heart tightened; could something have happened?
Seeing Qingluan's nervous expression, Xuanyi spoke up: "There has been a slight accident. You were poisoned by a strange poison. On the surface, your body looks no different from that of an ordinary dead person, but something big has happened inside. In short, your body can no longer hold your soul, and I must help you find a new body."
Qingluan wasn't as sad as I'd imagined. She said, "The body is just a shell. Since the past is over, changing my identity is fine too!"
Seeing that Qingluan seemed calm, Xuan Yi felt relieved and said, "I will find you a suitable body as soon as possible, so you don't need to worry. However—in this process, we might lose something. Are you willing?"
Qingluan thought to herself, what else could she not lose? She said, "I'm willing!"
The wait was agonizing. Every day, Qingluan waited silently amidst the rain of flowers. She felt no joy for the new life that was about to begin; instead, she hated the pain of having to choose rebirth! She hated it. She didn't understand many things. She wanted to go back and ask that person herself—why?
She wanted revenge; she wanted the man who had harmed her and innocent lives to pay the price!
Her last life taught her about giving and betrayal, so in her next life she must learn to protect and repay!
Having paid the price of his life to see the ugliness of this world and realize how naive and ridiculous he had been, he vows to make that person suffer a hundred times more pain and torment than he had ever endured! He will!
I will no longer choose to be weak and run away. I will use my own hands to take back everything I have lost! There is no shortage of pitiful people in the world. If you want to get rid of this pitiful fate, you must work hard and fight for it!
Author's note: I've been a bit busy lately, so updates will be slower. Sorry!
☆、II、Rebirth
In the afternoon, the sparse sunlight lazily shone on everyone. On an ordinary street, there were not many pedestrians. A few vendors who had already eaten lunch were yawning and looking around for customers.
Several young beggars sneaked past Wang Xiaoer, who was buying steamed buns. Taking advantage of his closed eyes and dozing off, they secretly grabbed a few buns and ran away, munching on them as they went, clearly starving. Wang Xiaoer was awakened by the commotion behind him. Seeing this, he was filled with rage and chased after the beggars, beating them mercilessly.
"You poor wretches! You steal my steamed buns when you're hungry, but who do you go to when I'm hungry? I'll beat you little brats to death today!" Wang Xiao'er's eyes were red with anger. This wasn't the first time these little beggars had come to steal. He had to support his family, how could he not be furious!
Unfortunately, Wang Xiaoer only had two hands. The beggars scattered and fled, and he could only grab the nearest one and beat him severely. This kind of thing happened often, so the people around were used to it. They figured a beating would solve the problem, and they would go about their business.
The captured beggar looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old. He was very thin and his body and face were filthy, making it impossible to see his features. Seeing Wang Xiaoer hitting him with both hands and feet, he knew he couldn't dodge it. He quickly stuffed all the steamed buns in his hands into his mouth, filling it to the brim. He skillfully covered his head with his hands and squatted down, hoping that Wang Xiaoer would let him go after he had vented his anger.
Wang Xiaoer gave the boy a thorough beating without any mercy. Slowly, the boy collapsed to the ground, and Wang Xiaoer continued to curse, "Get up! Stop pretending to be dead!"
Wang Xiaoer kicked the boy hard, but there was no reaction. He panicked and quickly squatted down to straighten the boy's body. He put his finger under the boy's nose and his heart pounded. He sat down on the ground, his limbs weak, and muttered, "Oh my god, what should I do? Someone's going to die!"
The wisdom of ordinary people grows through constant trials and tribulations. Wang Xiao'er immediately came up with a plan. He glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then loudly addressed the boy's corpse, "You look pitiful, so I'll take pity on you and send you home! Where do you live?" He then leaned closer, pretending to listen to the boy, nodded, and added, "I'll see this through to the end. Now I'll send you home. Don't steal again! Otherwise, I won't forgive you next time!"
Wang Xiaoer secretly congratulated himself on his cleverness. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, he picked up the boy's body and ran. Reaching a secluded, barren slope, and seeing no one around, Wang Xiaoer threw the boy's body on the ground, saying, "Damn it, what bad luck! What a terrible day! Alas! Bad luck indeed! I didn't mean to kill you; it's just your bad luck. Don't blame me! May you be reborn into a good family in your next life, where you won't suffer from cold and hunger, and you might even thank me!"
A gust of cold wind blew by, and Wang Xiaoer shivered, tucking his hands into his sleeves as he walked away.
As night fell, a few crows cawed mournfully. The early spring wind was still quite chilly. A cold gust of wind blew by, swirling a few withered leaves from the ground in the air.
The boy's body remained motionless, and a bold crow had already perched on it.
Suddenly, a seven-colored light flashed and gradually enveloped the boy. It disappeared in an instant. The boy moved his finger, and the crow cawed and took flight, taking with it the other crows that were perched on the branches nearby. They circled and flew away together.
The moon hid behind the clouds, quietly watching the ground; the atmosphere was somewhat eerie!
The boy's pale face gradually turned white, then slowly regained its rosy hue. He lifted the finger that had moved earlier, first rubbing his head, then propping himself up to sit up. His eyes were bright, and although his features were still unclear, just looking at them was enough to captivate anyone.
The boy looked around to get used to his surroundings, then reached out and touched his head and face, and carefully touched his chest. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically. Slowly, the boy hesitated and touched below his navel, then closed his eyes and fainted again.
Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who continues to follow this article. I will continue to work hard!
☆、Three、Lin Zijin
"That damned Xuan Yi, he must be getting revenge on me! How could he have made me look like this!" A handsome young man uttered these venomous words, yet still maintained a smile as he walked gracefully down the street. The elegant fan he held and his simple, off-white robe, devoid of superfluous adornments, only accentuated his exceptional, otherworldly charm, drawing admiring glances from the young women and wives on the street.
That's right, this is the body that Lord Yama in black robes found for Qingluan, the body of the little beggar who was beaten to death for stealing steamed buns.
Recalling the way she "saw" herself after waking up for the first time three years ago, the original Lin Qingluan, now Lin Zijin, still felt a chill run down her spine!
However, after waking up a second time, he accepted the fact. After all, he had readily agreed when Yama Xuanyi told him to pay the price. This was the price he was talking about! Besides, he had waited three months for this body, so he should be content!
"Contentment brings happiness!" Lin Zijin sighed.
However, she couldn't help but often mutter complaints about Lord Yama in her heart, wondering if Xuan Yi's ears were burning up, Lin Zijing thought to herself.