Chapter 47 "But, isn't my sister a sacrifice..."
Meng Chiwan was confused, her hand was still being held, and she could still clearly feel his slightly cool temperature at her fingertips.
He used to always have a faint smile on his face, and the occasional vulnerability he showed was like a slightly bitter candy on the outside, but when you took a bite, you realized that he didn't care at all.
But things are different now; he seems genuinely sad, or rather... fearful.
But why does it sound so familiar that he said he would take her home and make her give up climbing the tower?
Who exactly said that?
She thought about it carefully in her mind.
Yes. Zhong Huai. He had also advised her against climbing the tower.
However, none of them could tell her what was on the top of the tower, or what she would face if she climbed up.
So she reached out and gently touched Yun Xianqing's cheek. The tear that fell turned into mist in the wind. She asked softly, "Xihe, can you tell me why? Why can't I climb the tower? Why did the demonic monk tell me I was walking a dead end?"
Yun Xianqing gazed at her, as if he were falling into her clear eyes, and his whole body trembled slightly involuntarily. He wanted to tell her something.
But it wasn't until he opened his mouth that he finally realized that the restrictions he had set up had also imprisoned himself.
He then wondered, if there were no such restriction, and he had actually told her the truth, would she have forgiven him?
Will she... also look at him with utter disappointment, or even disgust?
He had seen her gentle gaze, her joyful expression, her shy demeanor, and her open and honest declaration of love. How could he possibly accept her disappointment in him?
If he could, he wanted to end it all.
He wanted Chi Wan to always watch him, never know the truth, and never despise him.
As he thought this, he turned the Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist again and again, and a gentle smile appeared on his face again, as if nothing had happened. He held her hand tightly, his eyes showing no unusual emotion, as if he had quickly put something that had been spilled back into place.
He said, "I just suddenly had a bad feeling. I always felt that once Chi Wan climbed the tower, she might leave me."
The tears on his eyelashes melted away, leaving no trace of their existence, just like his ever-present, elusive emotions.
He was angry, so she had to comfort him. But when he was sad, Chi Wan didn't know how to comfort him for a moment.
Only now did Meng Chiwan realize that the person in front of her had never truly shown any vulnerability in front of her; in other words, she had never truly understood him.
She looked at him as if she were seeing flowers through the mist. Yet, she was captivated by this flower, half-hidden with dew.
She couldn't even tell whether it was dew or poison.
She doesn't want to figure it out right now.
Fortunately, he quickly calmed himself down, though she had no idea how he managed it.
"Why would you think that?" Meng Chiwan chuckled.
She had a vague feeling that something was wrong; it seemed that Yun Xianqing was hiding something.
To avoid falling into danger unknowingly, she unconsciously became more cautious.
Even though she kept telling herself that Yun Xianqing wouldn't harm her, wouldn't lie to her, and wouldn't hide anything from her.
However, the self-defense mechanisms she had built up over the years still made her unconsciously begin to be on guard.
There might really be something on the tower.
But she had no choice but to climb.
Firstly, Wen Liansong was still waiting for her, and secondly, the second immortal herb had not yet been picked. Both logically and emotionally, she should climb over.
Even if Yun Xianqing could take her out, she couldn't let go of these things.
Yun Xianqing's eyelashes were filled with a smile, as if to tell her that he was alright. His voice was soft and gentle, like jade falling into water: "Perhaps being imprisoned would make one somewhat uneasy. I am fine."
Looking at him, Meng Chiwan couldn't help but feel a strange unease. Even someone like Yun Xianqing had moments of emotional breakdown, and those breakdowns seemed to be caused by her.
Even in this situation, he still smiled and told her it was nothing.
How can she be convinced?
But when she was about to ask again, she heard her father's muffled sobs and realized that this was not the time to ask about these things.
She turned her head to look, and Zhong Huai was still staring at her, while her father had already rushed to her mother's body, kneeling on the ground trembling, shaking off a desolate feeling.
Even though she knew perfectly well that these were just illusory fathers and mothers, Meng Chiwan still felt somewhat sad.
After the thread hit the ground, nothing else happened. It was as if the superior had removed all the threats, giving the prey a chance to catch its breath, and then looked down at the prey to watch it perform various emotions.
Whether it's fear or anger, it ultimately poses no threat. And what is harmless is, in the eyes of those in power, merely a tool to please them.
Her cultivation was suppressed, leaving her with no way to resist.
"Father, what's wrong?" she asked as she stepped forward, one hand unconsciously resting on the wrist of her other hand, gently turning the Buddhist prayer beads, as if praying for strength, or perhaps seeking peace of mind.
Her voice was a little hoarse, as if she had been frightened.
“He… is angry.” Father looked at her, his eyes inexplicably becoming bloodshot until they completely covered his pupils, before he slowly spoke, “Today, your mother was chosen, but tomorrow, perhaps it will be you.”
As he spoke, he seemed to sigh with regret.
"Is it the thing Father knelt and worshipped today?" Meng Chiwan asked.
Father suddenly looked up at her, then returned to his infatuated expression, saliva even dripping from his lips as he spoke: "So little Chi Wan saw it. But he's not anything, he's... a representative from there."
Meng Chiwan: "Where?"
“Little Chi Wan refuses to eat meat, so naturally she doesn’t know what kind of place that is. Little Chi Wan hasn’t been accepted by them yet.” Father held Mother’s body in his arms, his eyes bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse.
Then, Meng Chiwan clearly saw her father swallow her mother's body whole, bite by bite, right in front of her.
Although the "father" and "mother" here were not her real parents, they did indeed resemble them. Therefore, seeing this scene was still somewhat unacceptable to her, and then she remembered the heart and lungs she had eaten, and involuntarily began to vomit.
Fortunately, Yun Xianqing held her hand and gently comforted her: "Those are all fake, just illusions. What you ate was fruit, not heart or lungs."
Meng Chiwan suddenly became angry: "Why did you do this?"
"It was my fault. Chi Wan can punish me as she pleases." Yun Xianqing lowered her head, her attitude of admitting her mistake was sincere.
“Since you can create illusions, do you know where the immortal herbs are? I don’t want to stay here anymore… They’re using my father’s and mother’s faces… I don’t want to see it.” Meng Chiwan felt a lump in her throat, unable to find a way to calm herself.
"Do you remember what I said?" Yun Xianqing did not point it out directly. He gently rubbed Meng Chiwan's head and spoke in a very gentle tone, still in a soothing manner.
“You said, follow your heart, without being bound by yin and yang.” Meng Chiwan said each word clearly without needing to think.
"What does Chi Wan want to do right now?" Yun Xianqing smiled gently, her eyes overflowing with doting affection that almost overwhelmed her.
“I want to be accepted by them and go to that place. I want to go there and see.” Without the slightest hesitation, Meng Chiwan spoke.
“Then go. But Chi Wan must remember, no matter what happens, never give away your belongings,” Yun Xianqing said.
“I’ve got it,” Meng Chiwan said.
Looking at the seriousness and earnestness on her tender face, Yun Xianqing couldn't help but smile, her whole demeanor softening, and her overflowing affection almost spilling out.
“Go. If anything happens, I will do everything in my power to bring you back,” Yun Xianqing said with a smile, but her tone was anything but frivolous; it was as if she were making a solemn vow.
It was as if he would risk his life to protect her if anything really happened to her.
Meng Chiwan closed her eyes, forcing herself to endure the nausea and discomfort, and swallowed a small bite of flesh and blood.
Just how small is a tiny bite? Probably smaller than a newborn's appetite.
Her father coaxed her to sleep. Yun Xianqing disappeared without a trace.
Then, in my sleep, pieces of shattered jade tinkled and clanged.
Meng Chiwan stepped on the broken jade, and the blood slowly flowing from the soles of her feet gradually stained the jade red.
She opened her eyes.
Countless enormous wind chimes filled the sky. They trembled in the wind, and their sounds were carried to our ears by the gentle breeze.
For some reason, she couldn't feel the pain in the soles of her feet. She looked down and realized that she was almost transparent.
Many people like her walked past her, and gusts of gentle breeze flowed in and out of her body.
Everyone seemed to be moving in the same direction.
Perhaps, the place she is going to is just ahead.
She walked quickly forward.
A strong wind swept over her body. Then it slowly subsided.
She looked up.
A huge archway stands before us.
Something was hanging upside down on the archway, with drops of blood still dripping down, even dripping into the neck of the person below, but that person did not react at all.
She stared intently at it.
Then they saw that what was hanging upside down above the archway was none other than a corpse. And it wasn't a complete corpse.
It was a corpse whose head had been completely severed.
The corpses hung upside down on the archway like dried bacon, some still dripping blood, others long since dried, creating a unique sight.
Below the archway, people kept trying to climb up, but they were all knocked down.
Meng Chiwan was about to see what had knocked them down when her clothes were gently tugged.
"Sister, you're not a spirit. Why are you here?" a childish voice asked.
Above the pale skin were bright red blood and bits of flesh.
"Does my sister also want to eat the offerings? But aren't you the offerings yourself?"
Meng Chiwan froze instantly.
Author's Note: I've been busy sleeping on days when I haven't updated~ [droopy-eared bunny head]
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