Wu Xiang gently hooked one of her fingers around Jiu Yue's finger.
Only one copy of this group photo remains, and it is treasured.
This group photo proves that she lived.
In September, she abandoned all desires: appetite, lust, greed, and love. But the one thing she couldn't abandon was the desire to live.
It's not the will to survive, but the desire to have "lived."
The pursuit of a seventeen-year-old girl is both laughable and pathetic.
So what? She remained silent, the admonitions of the Dechan family still echoing in her mind: "Even if you don't die, live like a mute, a puppet, and eke out a living. Until you are deemed to have lost your usefulness, carry with you a sincere belief that you will never betray them. This belief is enough to send your soul to heaven; otherwise, you will go to hell."
In September, she didn't want to go to hell. She wanted to see what God was like. She had endured seventeen years of misery and longed for a peaceful, clear, and happy life. When she got to heaven, she wanted to give herself a name as beautiful as her mother, Qiaomu.
She believed her will was invincible; her repeated survivals and rigorous training forged her unwavering belief in never betraying her principles.
However, Gu Qingwan did not intend to let her off so easily.
What can truly destroy a person is not physical pain, but the destruction of their spirit.
Gu Qingwan used a different method. She said, "Qiao Muwuxiang is dead."
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over her, making September tremble all over. She looked at her in disbelief, "You killed her!"
"No, she died before you arrived."
On December 13th of this winter, the girl who stepped out of the courtyard with a death wish had no idea that as she boarded the plane and curiously looked out the window at the clouds flowing, gathering, and stretching into a vast expanse, her nominal adoptive mother was murdered by the Dechan family.
Before her death, Qiao Muwuxiang dedicated half her life to this family. In her youth, she was an assassin just like Jiuyue. After being injured and ill, the family gave her a chance to live, but still wanted to extract the remaining value from her. So she began to teach her skills to the young Jiuyue.
In an effort to destroy all evidence, the old woman who could prove the killer belonged to the Tokuzen family of Japan did everything in her power but received no mercy. She calmly accepted her death, as if she had already foreseen the end.
“When we finally found the courtyard where you used to live after going through layers of investigation and peeling back the layers, it was already empty. I don’t need to say anything, you know what kind of family you served, they are capable of doing this kind of thing.”
September's cheeks trembled, and her whole body shook as if in a spasm, taking a while to calm down.
Gu Qingwan was absolutely right. Her face remained emotionless even in the dimly lit room; such a monster wouldn't stoop to lying. Considering the security forces around Jiang Cheng, the instructions given beforehand, and the certainty of death, it wasn't hard to conclude that the main family had gone to extremes.
September mumbled a few words, but she still didn't speak. Instead, she kept telling herself in her heart, "Never betray! Never!"
Now that she has no other desires and has lost all her attachments, what can she pursue in life? The long wait before death is not terrible; the heaven of her dreams may be just around the corner. This is her absolute pursuit that overwhelms all other emotions.
It's ridiculous. No one told this naive, almost foolish, girl that even if heaven exists, it wouldn't tolerate an executioner with blood on his hands. The Dechan family's decade-long brainwashing had straightened the sulci in the girl's cerebral cortex.
"Life is already so damn hard, what's the point of dying?" This is what some people are unwilling to tell September directly.
"Hey, still not going to say anything?"
Gu Qingwan looked directly at her, her tall figure standing there, her black high heels clicking on the ground. She was in the place where Lan Jing held prisoners. After everything was settled, she would probably be sent to Kyoto in September, provided she was willing to cooperate fully with the authorities.
Please, she wouldn't resort to underhanded interrogation methods. So, with her eyes closed, September sensed this monstrous woman approaching.
Is it finally coming...? I'm prepared to endure it; even if it hurts, I can bear it...
Gu Qingwan extended a sharp little knife and poked it into the cuff of Jiu Yue's clothes. It was empty there; the blood had dried, making the black sleeve stiff and brownish.
When September opened her eyes, her cuffs were slashed open, and she was somewhat surprised. She had expected the other person to stab her in her still-healing, excruciating wound a few times, slowly cutting the flesh into a grid pattern with a small knife before sprinkling salt on it.
Strangely, there was something at the cut cuff of her sleeve—a blood-soaked note...
“I found this strange thing while scanning you, and I also analyzed and translated its contents. It was signed by your adoptive mother.”
Gu Qingwan unfolded the entire sheet of paper and laid it out in front of Jiu Yue. Jiu Yue looked at it with an expression of disbelief, reading its contents…
"Daughter, reading this letter is like seeing me in person."
As I write this letter, a few leaves have just fallen from the privet in the courtyard. Winter is coming, and even these last few withered yellow leaves will not survive.
Please allow me to use this title, even though I have never called you that before, but I have called you that title in my heart a thousand times over. I cannot say what is in my heart, for I am afraid that even when we are alone, we are still under the surveillance of our family.
Undoubtedly, our fate is tragic. Although I cannot bear to disappoint you deeply, I still have to tell you that the Kingdom of Heaven no longer exists; it was just a fabrication by our family to deceive people.
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