Old Stories
When dawn finally broke and Cang Ze emerged from his study, he appeared noticeably thinner, his eyes filled with weariness. The servants guarding the door rushed forward to greet him.
"Your Majesty!"
"Where is His Highness?" Cang Ze asked.
"He is still unconscious in the side hall," the attendant replied.
"Has anyone been to his room?" Cang Ze asked again.
“No one dares to go unless His Majesty gives the order,” the attendant replied.
"Where is the Queen? Does she know about this?" Cang Ze asked again.
"The Queen is in the Mingde Hall, and this matter was not told to her, so she is unaware of it," the attendant replied.
"Very well, you may leave," Cang Ze said, waving his hand.
He took a deep breath. He hadn't slept all night and his head was throbbing, and his eyes were swollen, but he still walked quickly toward Cui Heng's room.
Upon entering, Cui Heng was still lying unconscious on the bed. He had specifically checked on him at the River of Oblivion and found that Cui Heng was not seriously injured, only suffering from excessive blood loss. He sat by Cui Heng's bedside, leaning wearily against the bed frame, and murmured:
"Brother, you are the only one left by my side."
He reached out and placed his hand on Cui Heng's forehead. Spiritual energy gathered in his palm, and he pushed hard to inject this spiritual energy into Cui Heng's body.
Cui Heng seemed to be trapped in endless darkness, having a hazy dream. Suddenly, a force pulled him out of the darkness, and he seemed to hear someone calling him. He struggled to open his eyes a crack, but it was still hazy, as if he were in a dream. In the dream, he saw Wang Xiaoxia, dressed in red, holding him and saying, "Live on." But then he felt weak all over and fell asleep again, feeling limp and powerless. It wasn't until a cool sensation on his forehead woke him up that he opened his eyes and saw Wu Huan sitting beside him.
"Where am I?" Cui Heng asked, struggling to sit up.
"You're awake. You collapsed by the River of Oblivion. I've brought you back to the Ghost King's Palace," Cang Ze said weakly, giving Cui Heng a faint smile.
"Have you seen Xiaoxia? How is she?" Cui Heng asked anxiously. Wang Yue only told him that she couldn't be saved. He felt a pain in his chest and fainted. He didn't know what happened after that.
"I saw it. I've buried her," Cang Ze said, his head still throbbing with pain. He had to reach up and press hard on his forehead.
Cui Heng immediately felt dejected. It seemed that Wang Yue really hadn't been able to save Xiao Xia and had even left her body somewhere. He looked up and saw Wu Huan looking pained.
"What's wrong with you?" Cui Heng asked with concern, reaching out to use his spiritual power to touch Cang Ze's forehead.
Cang Ze smiled bitterly and said:
"This is probably my karma!"
Cui Heng ignored his words and simply reached out to channel his spiritual energy into Cang Ze's body. Soon after, Cang Ze felt much more refreshed and his headache was gone.
"Did you see anyone from the Forgotten Moon Pavilion in the River of Oblivion?" Cui Heng asked casually.
“No, not at all,” Cang Ze replied.
Cui Heng nodded. He was somewhat dazed, feeling that Wang Xiaoxia's bright red figure in his dream had truly existed. Therefore, no matter what Cang Ze said, he couldn't confirm whether Wang Xiaoxia was really dead.
“I’m relieved that my brother is alright. I’m worried that Muhe might be suspicious since I haven’t seen her all night. I’ll go see her,” Cangze said.
“Go ahead! I also have some things to take care of,” Cui Heng said.
After Cang Ze left, Cui Heng went to the River of Oblivion alone. Wang Xiaoxia's grave stood there, with red spider lilies covering her low mound like a quilt tightly covering her. Well, she did like bright colors.
The grave mound was only inscribed with the words "Wang Xiaoxia," without a tombstone. Because the underworld does not build graves for mortals, Wang Xiaoxia did not belong to the underworld. After she died, her physical body would eventually turn into a spider lily and bloom among the flowers all over the ground. From then on, she would no longer exist in this world.
Cui Heng felt an unbearable heartache, his chest tight and unable to breathe, forcing him to curl up and squat on the ground, painfully gripping the spider lilies on the ground. He clenched his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging, and after a while he coughed twice and finally cried out softly.
He was captured and imprisoned when he was young, and was beaten until his body was covered in bruises every day because he was a rare monster. He was sold several times and forced to perform acrobatics for people's amusement every day. Since then, he has not been able to cry. He does not know what crying feels like, but now he cannot stop the tears from flowing.
Cui Heng stayed in the underworld for another seven or eight days without eating or drinking, until his eyes were so dry that he could no longer shed tears. He had already repaid what he owed Wu Huan, and now he no longer wanted to return to the ghost realm, much less return to the demon realm to be that false prince. Finally, he took a petal stained with Wang Xiaoxia's blood and placed it on his chest, stood up, and realized that there was still one thing he needed to figure out.
If Wang Yue couldn't save Wang Xiaoxia, why did she still ask him to make the Soul-Guiding Candle in the first place? And why did the Xiaoxia who was holding him in the dream have a demonic aura? No matter how he thought about it, something felt wrong, so he headed towards Wang Yue Pavilion again.
It took Wang Xiaoxia some time to adapt to her new body after her resurrection. The restrictions that Si Ye had placed on her soul after her death were also lifted, and her own magical power and the cultivation that Si Ye had left in her body for thousands of years have now been fully restored.
She still practiced dancing, but her dancing was still not very good. The Bad Guys would teach her some magic every day, and she practiced diligently every day, but she seemed to talk much less.
“If you can’t dance, then you won’t dance anymore,” Wang Yue said as she walked over to Wang Xiaoxia’s back.
Wang Xiaoxia stopped, still dressed in red. Her lips were slightly parted, and she was panting a little. She turned around and smiled faintly when she saw Wang Yue.
"I'm the top courtesan at Wangyue Pavilion, and I'm here to make money for you," she joked, walking lightly toward Wangyue.
"I was just joking with you that day. I won't expect you to learn something you couldn't learn even after a hundred years," Wang Yue said with a light smile.
These past few days have been particularly relaxing for them, sometimes so comfortable that they have the illusion that life will continue like this forever.
Wang Xiaoxia sat on a huge rock in the artificial hill in the backyard. A gentle breeze caressed her face, stirring her hair, which danced wildly in the air. She had become a demon, and no matter how tired she was, she no longer sweated.
"Wangyue, where's your fan?" she asked.
She had wanted to ask for a long time, but Yue seemed to be deliberately avoiding the matter these past few days, never giving her the chance to ask. Today, she finally had some free time and could ask her.
“Lost,” Wang Yue replied calmly.
“You never let go of that fan,” Wang Xiaoxia said, his gaze fixed on Wang Yue’s eyes.
Wang Yue turned her head to look at the sky. The sky was shrouded in mist. Youming Ferry was half of the underworld, where the sun could never be seen.
"It's just a fan; you can lose it if you're not careful," Wang Yue replied calmly.
Wang Xiaoxia smiled calmly, knowing that continuing to ask would be pointless.
"I haven't asked you yet why you were at the River of Oblivion that day," Wang Xiaoxia asked in turn.
Wang Yue lowered her head and smiled bitterly.
“He came, and I saw him off,” Wang Yue said, her gaze vacant as if she were lost in some kind of memory.
Wang Xiaoxia knew who Wangyue was referring to. A thousand years ago, Wangyue built Wangyue Pavilion in Youming Ferry. Every seven or eight years, a mortal boy would come to Wangyue Pavilion. Wangyue would only leave Wangyue Pavilion to send the boy to the underworld when he came. For thousands of years, he had only sent that boy to the underworld.
"What a coincidence!" Wang Xiaoxia exclaimed.
If Wang Yue hadn't bumped into her and caused her to fall into the River of Oblivion that day, even if Cui Heng had gone to great lengths to rescue her from the River of Oblivion, he wouldn't have been able to rebuild her physical body, let alone bring her back to life.
“Yes! What a coincidence!” Wang Yue exclaimed. She looked at Wang Xiaoxia, thought for a moment, and then continued:
“Little one, I have never told you that I have known your mother for a thousand years.”
Wang Xiaoxia looked at Wang Yue in surprise. She had never mentioned this matter to Wang Yue. A hundred years ago, when she first arrived at Youming Ferry, she was burdened with a blood feud. She spent her days either refining medicine or practicing dance. She was determined to take revenge but never thought about why Wang Yue had taken her in or why she had gone to such lengths to help her.
Wang Yue smiled at Wang Xiaoxia and continued:
“A hundred years ago, when your mother returned to the human world from the ghost realm, she passed through the Netherworld Crossing and came to the Forgotten Moon Pavilion to find me. She said that she might face a calamity on her return, but as a member of royalty, she was bound to experience such a thing. The struggle for the throne always involves bloodshed, and this was a calamity that a ghost princess like her deserved. She was especially worried about her daughter at home. Before you were born, Si Ye forced her way through the Ghost Gate, which damaged your soul at birth. So she used her thousand years of cultivation to protect your soul. She was also afraid that you would not be able to control your powerful spiritual energy, so she imprisoned your magic. Back then, you were harmed by Wu Huan and were poisoned with the Puppet Gu. It was probably because your mother protected your soul that your soul never died, and therefore you did not lose your memory. When you first arrived at the Forgotten Moon Pavilion, you were determined to die. I tried to ask you about it, but you always avoided the topic, so I didn't press you. Now that you have been reborn and your magic has returned, what are your plans for the future?”
Wang Xiaoxia remained silent for a moment after hearing this, and then asked:
How many things from a hundred years ago did my mother tell you?
"Your maternal grandfather, Chongli, was the former Ghost King. A thousand years ago, he seized power from the current Ghost King, Wuhuan's father, and slaughtered his entire family. However, for some reason, Wuhuan survived. A hundred years ago, he first met the father of the Bad Guys, and then joined forces with Bai Ze to kill the father of the Bad Guys. After that, he impersonated Cang Ze and went to the Ghost King's Palace. Later, your maternal grandfather recognized him, injured him, and he fled to the human world where he met you. Siye once said that the struggle for the throne is difficult to avoid bloodshed. If Wuhuan killed your family, it would be revenge for your maternal grandfather's killing of your family. Only you are the most innocent. She said that since she protected your soul, you will definitely survive as long as your soul is not destroyed. If you reach the Netherworld Crossing, you must ask me to take you in and give you a place to stay," Wangyue replied.
"Who killed my maternal grandfather?" Wang Xiaoxia asked coldly.
She wanted to know if that person was Cui Heng or Wu Huan, and she waited quietly for that name to appear.
“Your maternal grandfather committed suicide. Back then, he split Liangjie Mountain in two and cleaved Liangjie Cliff with a single stroke. Before he died, he heard that your family had been slaughtered and, heartbroken, he took his own life,” Wang Yue said truthfully.
Wang Xiaoxia nodded, closed her eyes, and tears streamed from the corners of her eyes into her hair. For some reason, she felt a sense of relief that her maternal grandfather had not been killed by Cui Heng.
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