(ten)

Zhou Qinghe smiled and reached out to touch Zhou Ziqiu's face, but Zhou Ziqiu slapped his hand away. However, he was not annoyed. He withdrew his hand and said quietly, "Don't you like it?"

"What do you like? The illusion you've created? Zhou Qinghe, you're not someone who dwells on the past."

"But that was really good, my loving brother, father and mother, and Xingzhou who is alive."

Zhou Qinghe knew it was fake, of course, but he couldn't get over it. Reality was too cruel, and he couldn't accept it.

Zhou Ziqiu sighed. He knew what Zhou Qinghe was thinking. It was as if he were Zhou Ziqiu who had been tempered in the human world for thousands of years, while the Zhou Qinghe in front of him was a suppressed part of his soul, and also a manifestation of his inner fragility.

"But if you only dwell on the past, you will also lose what the future holds." Zhou Ziqiu reached out and stroked Zhou Qinghe's face, the boy's innocent face reminding him of his own childhood.

"Why did you do that? Was something manipulating you?" Zhou Ziqiu asked. If he wanted to take Zhou Qinghe away, he needed to understand what had happened here. He knew himself best; the Zhou Qinghe of the past would never have done anything to harm others.

As for why he asked that question, it was something he suddenly guessed after seeing the Wen family tragedy and the ghost bride. Just like Changnan Village, where people kept dying, so many people here probably died because of him.

Zhou Qinghe nodded: "It absorbed my yin energy in an attempt to cultivate an evil creature, but it has been suppressed by one person and has been unable to kill that person."

Zhou Ziqiu's eyes widened slightly. Although he still had questions, he understood the meaning behind Zhou Qinghe's words: He didn't know what it was, but the black energy that had entangled his body originated from him, so he felt familiar with it. As for the evil thing, it was probably the Red and White Twin Fiends. However, he didn't know what had happened. One of the Red and White Twin Fiends was missing, and it could no longer do evil because of a person. He didn't know who that person was.

"Okay, I understand."

Zhou Ziqiu hugged Zhou Qinghe, the two cold spirits giving each other warmth.

"Brother... let's sail..."

Zhou Qinghe murmured.

"They are all well, and Xingzhou's reincarnation is very handsome. You will see, don't be afraid..."

Zhou Ziqiu held down Zhou Qinghe's head, speaking gently, but the long knife in his hand pierced through Zhou Qinghe's body.

"I'm here for you, so sleep peacefully, Qinghe."

Black mist swirled upwards, enveloping the two of them.

......

The dagger burst forth with a dazzling golden light, the black aura surrounding Zhou Ziqiu completely disappeared, and he opened his eyes, which were now clear and bright.

Everything around him began to collapse, as if yin and yang were constantly alternating, and noisy voices began to appear in Wen Su's ears.

But clearly there was something more important now. Wen Su looked back at his side and found that the old man's figure was already dissipating.

"Grandpa! Don't go!" Blood gushed from Wen Su's mouth, but even with his mouth full of blood, it couldn't stop Wen Su's heart-wrenching cry: "Grandpa!!"

"Okay, A-Su."

The old man looked at Wen Su and smiled with satisfaction.

"grandfather--!!!"

"You will always be my pride."

This was the last sentence Wen Su heard before he lost consciousness.

...

Where is this?

Wen Su looked around at the pitch-black surroundings, not understanding why he was here, or why he had come to the underworld again.

But then he found out, because an old man suddenly appeared in front of him.

"grandfather!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another voice came from beside Wen Su.

"A-Su, we're still here."

"Brother Su, it's been a long time!"

"A-Su, how are you doing? How come you've fallen on hard times without us?"

Wen Su turned his head and saw more people around him, all of whom were the faces he had hidden deep in his heart, longing for them but daring not to recall. They were all dressed appropriately, looking as if they were at their most glorious in life.

"Father...Mother...Abao...Aunt Mei..."

I've finally seen you all. I've finally seen you all again.

He hadn't dreamt since that nightmare a hundred years ago. He had tried to summon his soul and call upon it, hoping to see his loved ones again in his dreams, but it was all in vain. It was as if they had completely disappeared after that nightmare, leaving not even their souls behind.

He didn't know whether they hadn't even left their souls, or whether they hated the Wen family for having such a child and didn't want to see him.

But now he knows that they never resented him.

Tears streamed down Wen Su's face, and his body went limp, causing him to kneel straight down on the ground.

A beautiful woman who looked remarkably like Wen Su stepped forward to help him up, smiling as she wiped away the tears on his face: "You've suffered so much these past years."

"Mother, Mother..."

The others watched Wen Su with smiles, while the beautiful woman stretched out her arm and nudged a middle-aged man hiding in the crowd. The man had tried to hide himself but was suddenly nudged by the beautiful woman, and his face showed a bit of embarrassment and annoyance.

"Father..."

Wen Su looked at the middle-aged man.

When the man was called, his face turned red, and he stammered a reply. Seeing the man's reaction, the beautiful woman immediately raised her eyebrows and pinched his arm: "Why can't you speak when you see your son? You weren't like this just now."

Hearing the beautiful woman expose all his secrets, the man mustered his courage and said, "Ah Su, it's been a long time."

The people around him smiled kindly.

Once the first sentence was spoken, the rest went smoothly. The man fluently said what was on his mind: "A-Su, your father didn't treat you well before. Don't resent your father. Your father just wanted what was best for you. It's just that your father didn't find the right way. I'm sorry."

After so many years, how could Wen Su not understand the man's intentions? He couldn't stop his tears from flowing, and when he opened his mouth, he choked with sobs.

"Alright, stop crying." The beautiful woman stepped forward again. "We just wanted to say goodbye to you today."

Upon hearing this, Wen Su looked up in a panic, at a loss for what to do: "Why? Don't go, please don't go! I don't want to stay here."

The beautiful woman sighed, "We also wanted to stay here with you, but we have used up all our Yin energy to save you."

"Wh-what?" Wen Su didn't understand her words. "I won't die. Don't save me. I don't care how many times I die, as long as you can stay."

The woman looked up at the old man with difficulty, seemingly unsure how to explain to Wen Su, and the people around her remained silent.

Sensing that they seemed to be hiding something from him, Wen Su turned his gaze to the old man: "Grandpa?"

The old man coughed a few times, walked to Wen Su's side, and finally revealed to Wen Su the secret that the Wen family had kept hidden for hundreds of years—

"It's not that you're invincible; it's that every time you die, we use Yin energy to bring you back to life."

The truth, like a bolt from the blue, stunned Wen Su: "Wh-what?"

"You know what the Wen family is best at. I foresaw that the Wen family would suffer this calamity, so we drew up a formation at home long ago. After we die, we will hide it in our daggers to protect you and keep you alive."

"This, this is—"

This is a technique that reverses Yin and Yang; it is a forbidden art!

Wen Su opened his mouth, but could not speak; he could only keep crying.

"For hundreds of years, we have been watching you, and it pained us to see you fall into depravity." The old man sighed and reached out to touch Wen Su's hair, just as he had done a hundred years ago. "But when we see you rise again, we are extremely proud."

"He truly is a fine son of the Wen family."

The old man was overjoyed; he had felt that Wen Su was a good child ever since he was born.

But such warm and cozy times don't last long; they are as fleeting as a mirage.

"It's time, we should go." The beautiful woman stepped forward and hugged Wen Su reluctantly.

She didn't show it on her face, but how could she not feel pain in her heart? This was her son, the son she had carried for ten months and given birth to. Her son was smart, handsome, proud but not arrogant, lively and cheerful. He was the kind of good man that girls admired, and a good boy who could pick himself up again even in adversity.

He was also the person she worried about the most. If she could, how could she not want to accompany her son to the last moment of his life and watch him get married and start a career?

"Mother, don't go, don't go, don't go!"

"A-Su, remember to go to my study. There lies the Wen family's thousand-year-old secret. You'll understand once you've read it."

The old man's face gradually became blurry.

Wen Su burst into tears, kneeling on the ground and grabbing the woman's clothes, pleading in vain for them not to leave.

"A-Su, your father loves you." The shy man finally spoke honestly about the feelings in his heart.

"No, no, don't go, please don't go..."

"Brother Su, hurry up and bring your wife over here!"

"Don't go, don't go, please don't go..."

"Ah Su, we won't be here anymore, so live a good life."

"No, no, no!"

Wen Su, who was well-versed in Taoist arts and formations, was well aware of the consequences of using such a technique that reversed Yin and Yang. They said they were leaving, but if they really left, their souls would be scattered and they would never be reincarnated.

"Asu..."

The last warm greeting faded into the air, the lively moment vanished, and all around was deathly silence.

He was alone again.

"Why...why...make me die...why..."

Unfortunately, no one could answer his question.

Zhou Ziqiu caught Wen Su's falling body and stared in shock at the scene unfolding around him. Ghosts usually play their last moments before death as they dissipate, but he had no idea what was going on in this situation.

In the darkness, streaks of golden light emanated from the dagger on the ground, rising into the air like shooting stars, only to gather and swirl, enveloping the two men. Zhou Ziqiu reached out and touched a wisp of golden light, and a vivid scene appeared before his eyes: a young man in black robes stood in the corridor, his brows and eyes arrogant, yet not domineering; instead, they were even more lively and agile. The young man's voice reached Zhou Ziqiu's ears: "My Wen family has a thousand-year-old inherited method. Why should I learn your method?"

More scenes were playing out around them:

A boy stood in the study, and an old man stood beside him, instructing him on how to write. But the boy not only ignored him but also argued back, making the old man angry. However, when the boy finished writing, the old man smiled broadly and praised his good handwriting.

The beautiful woman grabbed a man's ear and scolded him for being so harsh on his son. The man cried out in pain and swore he would never do it again. The little boy next to him held the beautiful woman's hand and chuckled to himself. It was clear that he was the one who had complained.

A teenage boy went out and caused trouble. When he returned from climbing over the wall, he accidentally broke a lady's vase. The lady grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the main hall to kneel. The boy then sat cross-legged on the ground and loudly claimed that Aunt Mei's vase was not placed properly. This angered the lady, who then summoned the head of the household. However, the old man who arrived sided with the boy and defended him. This angered the lady so much that she punished the old man as well.

Zhou Ziqiu smiled, but as he smiled, tears began to fall.

This should have been a scene of family joy, but when Zhou Ziqiu thought about who had torn this family apart, leaving the boy in the picture to wander the world alone for a hundred years, he felt guilty.

Xie Xingzhou died because of him, Wen Su's family was destroyed because of him, and so many other families were torn apart because of him.

If only I had never existed in this world.

The final scene shows a night.

The old man who appeared in the previous scene is lying on the ground, reaching out to touch someone's head. The person is between teenagers, with a handsome face. If he smiled, he would definitely be a dashing young man in fine clothes, someone who could attract countless girls to secretly pass him handkerchiefs.

But now the boy was covered in blood, tears welling up in his empty eyes, mingling with the blood on his face, making him look disheveled.

The old man was touching the boy's head. His once snow-white hair was now stained with blood. The dagger had pierced his lung, making it difficult for him to breathe, and his words were not very clear, but they were still recognizable.

"A-Su...don't blame me...it's fate..."

The boy seemed to be bearing immense grief; his hands were trembling, yet he still gripped the dagger tightly.

"Goodbye, Brother Su..."

"A-Su...live on..."

"A-Su, don't blame yourself..."

The dying words echoed in their ears. The boy seemed to have finally broken free from a restraint, abruptly releasing the dagger and grabbing the hand that was falling towards his face. But what he opened his mouth was a shrill wail.

"No--!!!!"

Off-screen, Zhou Ziqiu's tears fell even more heavily.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

18:57:55