"And who are you?"
“I am also an unyielding obsession,” the woman said, looking at me with a glint in her eyes. “You seem like him.”
I am neither surprised nor afraid of this result. If an Onmyoji doesn't even have this much skill, then all their work is in vain. I already knew when she came in that she was just a wisp of a ghost.
What are you so persistent about?
"Why? For a love that wasn't meant for me. Although I knew he loved me, there are many things in this world that we can't control. Whether it's a human or even a legendary immortal, fate is predetermined and no one can change it. In the end, I could only watch him die, and I couldn't even see him off. I remember..." Tears welled up in the woman's eyes. "I remember once saying that I would play the zither for him for the rest of my life, just for him. But in the end, I saw him die in agony, and I could do nothing... I only played the zither for him, but he was already dead. So I drifted alone in this mortal world, turning into an unyielding obsession, just to wait for him to come back and play a song from my heart for him."
The woman spoke softly, as if recalling a distant past, a past that had vanished like smoke.
I vaguely understand some of the things involved, the emotional entanglements between several people back then.
But who could have imagined that the final outcome would be like this?
I thought for a moment and then asked, "So, why did you call me here?"
"I have fulfilled my wish. Although... you are not the real him, you are at least very similar to him," the woman said, and then began to play again. "I thought I would play this piece for you in front of the whole world, but I did not expect it to be like this. Things have changed. You are no longer the same person you were. I am now just a wisp of a soul. This is fate. We can never change anything in the end."
"Perhaps," I didn't know what to say at that moment. Although I wasn't the "he" she was talking about, I completely understood her feelings and knew that this would cause her pain.
"What...what's your name?"
"Dancing Moon",
"Wu Yue," I murmured softly.
The atmosphere fell silent. I listened quietly to her playing, and she played quietly in return.
I don't know how much time passed, but when the song ended, I was quite captivated. In a daze, I saw the sunset and my beloved sitting under a big tree, leaning on each other.
Is it over?
Wu Yue nodded, "My wish has been fulfilled, and it's time for me to leave."
"Is this really the place to become an immortal?" I certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity. This is a living fossil; an ancient ghost must know a lot.
"Becoming an immortal?" Wu Yue smiled bitterly. "Back then, how many people pursued it one after another, risking everything to become an immortal, only to end up with nothing but regret. Even those highly accomplished cultivators eventually returned to dust. Becoming an immortal? Little did they know that the path to immortality leads to nothingness."
"Then can you tell me, is this really the legendary Mount Shu? How did it become like this?"
"This is indeed Mount Shu, but it's only a part of it. Much of it has been lost in the torrent of history. So much happened back then; it was a calamity. I don't know much, except that it was all caused by the pursuit of immortality."
"How could this be? Isn't Mount Shu a mythical fairyland, the place where the immortals of Shu reside? Didn't the White-Browed Taoist ascend to immortality there?"
Wu Yue shook her head. "You still don't understand. There was indeed a mythical era in ancient times. The cultivators of that era could go to heaven and earth and had great supernatural powers, but they were not immortals because they would eventually be worn away by the passage of time, while immortals are immortal. Back then, Mount Shu was indeed full of mystery in the eyes of many people, and over time it was said to be a land of immortals, but in fact it was just a sacred place for cultivation."
After thinking for a moment, Wu Yue continued, "As for the White-Browed Taoist, I have never met him. He was the founder of the Emei Sect of Mount Shu. He suddenly disappeared at night. There are two theories about his whereabouts: one is that he really ascended to immortality, and the other is that he eventually succumbed to the ravages of time and passed away in the yellow earth."
Wu Yue looked at me, stood up, and said, "So what if you become an immortal? You'll live forever, but by then, you'll have no family, no friends, and you'll be living alone in the world. What's the point then?"
Wu Yue walked over, took my hand, and said, "At this moment, you are him. Let's take one last walk together."
I felt nothing; she was just a ghost, an invisible consciousness.
Nodding silently, we began to stroll among the flowers. This celestial realm was vast, filled with pavilions, terraces, flowers, and trees. We walked hand in hand among the blossoms, petals falling beside us from time to time, creating a poignant and wistful atmosphere.
I didn't know what to say, so I remained silent. Wu Yue didn't say anything either, and the two of us walked on in silence.
After a moment, Wu Yue spoke again, "This place used to be like a fairyland, so beautiful that it was intoxicating. Now only these flowers and plants remain, and soon everything will be gone."
"If only there were an afterlife," that's all I could say at that moment, but deep down I knew it was just a naive thought. "There is no reincarnation in this world, so how can there be an afterlife?"
“Is there really such a thing as an afterlife? It’s too far-fetched. Even if there is, the person in the next life will not be the same as the person in the previous life. The soul and memories will not exist. What’s the point of being similar? Just like you and him are so similar, but you are no longer him.” After saying that, Wu Yue smiled and said, “I should go now. You should take good care of yourself and leave this place as soon as possible. This place is not safe.”
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com