Chapter 56 056 Like him?
I could probably guess what those nonexistent memories in Little Lotus's mind were. But what did it matter? They were merely illusions. I never took them to heart. They might have affected me slightly at first, but over time I realized they were nothing more than that. They didn't actually hinder my life.
But Little Lotus didn't think so.
He believes that the fragments that appear in his memory may be a warning.
This warning... does it mean that I will die in the future?
Death feels so close to me, yet so far away. It doesn't take much time for me to be reborn as a carp. But if I do die... I'd like to say that death is inevitable, but I'm a carp spirit now, so how will I die in the future?
This seems like an unimaginable question.
"Before I left the mountain, my master told me that your spirit and soul were inherently incomplete." Little Lotus raised her hand and gently brushed the strands of hair from my temples, her eyes revealing undisguised worry. "If your spirit and soul hadn't been restored, would you... have been in serious trouble now?"
Huh? Is that true?
But I didn't really feel anything special. It was only after merging with Lady Yu's remnant soul that I felt my control over my power improve, and I began to recall fragments of my past life. But to me, those memories felt like watching someone else's play.
"Are you worrying too much? I'm in perfect health. I can run and jump. There's no problem at all!"
I shook his hand solemnly and promised him word for word.
"Little Lotus, don't be trapped by these memories." I'm not good at comforting others. I was like that even when I was little Carp. Every time I saw his confused expression, I felt particularly bad. So I lowered my voice and said to him, "As long as you protect me, I won't die."
He had to admit that those memories still had an impact on Little Lotus. But strangely, after clearing the barrier, he shouldn't be troubled by them anymore.
Could it be that I died so tragically in my previous life that it left him with a deep psychological trauma?
However, after integrating Madam Yu's memories, I did not awaken any fragments about death.
Come to think of it, I have no memory of either death.
Is death some untouchable secret?
I don’t know how many pieces of souls I was broken into in my previous life. The only ones I know about now are Madam Yu and A’mei from Yunshui Village.
But that time at Yunshui River... nothing actually happened. I went through it in a daze, and now I've only grasped a fraction of it. As for my sister's remaining soul, it's long since disappeared, and I'm afraid it might not be recovered. I wonder if my brother knows anything...
…
After Little Lotus recovered, we stayed at the Huashan Niangniang Temple for a few more days. Our presence from another world naturally attracted the attention of the Heavenly Court, but this time, Little Lotus and Nezha went to Heaven with Erlang Shen and Little Nezha, while I stayed at Huashan.
It's not that I don't want to go, but after leaving Little Lotus's divine palace, my sleepiness returned. Little Lotus recovered much faster than I did.
The Three Holy Mothers thoughtfully placed a water vat in the courtyard and kept me there. There was also a lotus in the vat. On the days when they went to heaven, the Three Holy Mothers would sit by the vat and bask in the sun with me.
Occasionally, she would gently ask me: "Ayu, do you like Little Lotus?"
In order to distinguish the three Nezha, the Three Holy Mothers also began to follow us in calling him "Little Lotus".
"The last time someone asked me this was little Nezha." I blew out a bubble and answered lazily.
The Third Holy Mother was slightly surprised: "Little Nezha?"
"Yes, that was when I decided to enter the Little Lotus Divine Mansion. He seemed a little angry and asked me this question."
The Third Holy Mother seemed to understand something. "Entering someone else's divine palace is too dangerous after all. He's so reckless about his life... It's no wonder he asked this question."
"But this doesn't make sense. Just like how little Nezha would risk his life for Erlang Shen, does that mean he loves Erlang Shen?"
The Third Holy Mother suddenly paused, her expression a little subtle.
"They are sworn brothers, that's different..."
I flicked my tail and swam freely in the water tank. "Little Lotus and I are friends."
The Third Holy Mother widened her eyes slightly: "So, you are just a friend to Little Lotus?"
I thought about it seriously.
"Maybe it's a little deeper than just friends."
The scope of liking someone is so broad that it can include friends, family, lovers, and even rivals. Therefore, it is important to understand that the word "liking" can represent different things.
I certainly like Xiao Lianhua, but perhaps this liking is just friendship. Well, it's much deeper than friendship, but not quite love. I find it hard to imagine myself being tied to someone of the opposite sex simply out of liking or loving them. Even if such feelings existed, I wouldn't want to be labeled because of them.
Yes, I am such an awkward person.
I really like the distance right now.
"It's deeper than friendship, in fact, it's almost like love." The Third Holy Mother looked at me and smiled.
I blew out bubbles again, creating tiny ripples on the water. "So, what does love mean to the Three Holy Mothers?"
The Third Holy Mother was slightly startled, then her eyes gently gazed into the distance, as if traveling through time. "Love... sometimes it's a willingness to give, sometimes it's a quiet wait, and sometimes it's the courage to do something even though you know it's impossible." She gently stroked the lotus leaves in the jar, her voice soft, "Just like this lotus, born in mud, but growing towards the light, its love is pure and tenacious."
She turned back to look at me, her eyes filled with insight and understanding. "You don't have to rush to define this relationship. Everything in the world is caused by fate. Just let it take its course. As long as we are both at peace with each other, whether we are close or far, it is the best arrangement."
This is probably the most common explanation.
But if you really like someone, separation is probably the most unimaginable thing.
Because love doesn't last forever.
"What does Ayu think?"
I looked up at the sky and seemed to hear the sound of thunder.
Then I heard my own voice say, "When I finally realized that reality is more beautiful than dreams."
…
Little Lotus and Nezha didn't stay in Heaven for long. After explaining the situation to the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother and promising not to threaten the Heavenly Palace, the three of them teamed up to beat up Li Tianwang.
The world where only Li Tianwang was injured appeared!
After the three of them came back, I teased them, "You three really can't make a good father."
The three Nezha sneered in unison, which was a very chilling scene.
After two more days of rest at Huashan, my energy finally returned and we decided to leave.
"Before the vortex arrives, I'm going to Jiangnan and bring Madam Yu's ashes back."
I haven't forgotten about this. It's just that a lot has happened in the past few days, so I haven't been able to find the time to arrange for Madam Yu's ashes.
Now that I am reunited with Little Lotus Nezha, I naturally have to complete this task.
When Little Nezha heard we were leaving, his brows darkened slightly, "You don't even know where her home is, how are you going to find her?"
I squinted my eyes and pointed to my head, "It's already in here."
He snorted coldly, then asked, "Will you come again in the future?"
Little Lotus crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, "That's hard to say."
Nezha, on the other hand, actually said, "Since I can pass through the whirlpool, maybe you can too."
I don't think he has any good intentions at all.
When little Nezha heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up.
…
It rained on the day we left Huashan, but for us non-humans, the rain was no problem at all.
Little Nezha offered to give us a ride. Perhaps because they had teamed up to defeat Li Tianwang, the three of them had a good relationship.
Arriving at Liujia Village, I vaguely remembered my storybook. Little Nezha beamed with joy, saying, "You just remembered it! I gave it to the teahouse owner a long time ago!"
It's amazing that he still remembers it. I had almost forgotten whether I had asked him for it.
"Did you get the money?"
Little Nezha: ...
I:! ! ! !
I immediately rushed to the teahouse and begged the owner for the money. Luckily, he still remembered me and gave me the rest. He then asked if I had found my family, and I said they were gone and I was planning to go south to look for them. The owner looked quite melancholy.
"I don't know when I'll be able to work with you again..."
"It's fate..."
With the silver we'd earned from the storybooks, we rode our clouds southward. The warm air of the Jiangnan water towns gradually replaced the dryness of the Central Plains, and even the wind carried the fragrance of moist grass and trees.
"This is it." I stopped outside a small town called Baipingzhou. The bluestone pavement was worn smooth by time. Willow trees on both sides drooped into the river, and a few black-sailed boats sat quietly moored under the bridge. The hometown in Yu Niangzi's memories gradually overlapped with the scene before her, a familiarity that made my heart ache. Baipingzhou was still the same Baipingzhou, even after being ravaged by war, it remained unchanged.
Nezha looked around with a serious expression: "This village is so quiet, there's not even a land temple to be seen."
We walked along the path and found Yu's house according to Madam Yu's memory, but this time the plaque on it said Song.
The Yu residence was long gone. When Madam Yu led the remaining members of the A tribe across mountains and rivers, only an empty mansion remained. Now, more than sixty years later, the house has a new owner.
"Now that I think about it, during the war, I don't even know if Madam Yu's parents' bodies were properly buried..."
Sitting by the river, I stared at the lake in a daze.
Although I know that so much time has passed and many things and people have changed, but when I really see it, I can't help but feel a little lost in my heart.
Little Lotus touched the top of my head and said, "Since you have Madam Yu's ashes, why worry about not being able to find someone?"
Nezha glanced at him, his eyes lingering on his hand resting on the top of my head, I don't know what he was thinking.
But before we started using the ashes to look for someone, an old voice called out to us.
"You three are from outside the city, right?"
…
The old man sighed and said, "So many people died back then... Many bodies were thrown into mass graves. The Yu family... The master and mistress of the Yu family, someone deliberately buried their bodies in the peach forest on the back mountain... I was too young at the time and have long forgotten who that person was, but I did hear that it wasn't actually human...
The old man seemed to be reminiscing about the past. "The Yu family grave is easiest to spot. There's a crooked peach tree in front of the tombstone. It's in full bloom this year." He lowered his voice. "But you'd better go early. The mountains behind have been uneasy lately. There are always strange noises after dark."
After thanking the old man, we immediately headed back to the mountain. Little Lotus played with the Qiankun Circle and laughed, "Strange noises? Could it be that a monster has taken over the mountain?"
Nezha frowned: "The water here is clear, there shouldn't be any evil spirits here."
"Right here." I stopped in front of a grave covered in peach petals. The tombstone was indeed tilted, and the gnarled branches of an old peach tree perfectly shaded the grave. Strangely, the surrounding peach trees had all lost their bloom, but this one remained in full bloom.
Little Lotus leaned over to examine the ground, her fingertips suddenly gleaming. "There's something under the grave." Nezha leaned over and asked, "Could it be a burial object?" "It's a soul contract," Little Lotus said solemnly. "Someone sacrificed a soul and set up a protective barrier here."
I gently stroked the tombstone. As I recall, Madam Yu had returned, but her clan was still undetermined, so she hastily buried her hair in the grave to protect her parents. She ultimately died in Yunshui Village, too late to return to Baipingzhou.
Taking out the incense, candles, and paper money I'd prepared earlier, I gently placed Lady Yu's urn in front of the tombstone. The three of us worked together to clear the weeds, repair the grave, and pour the sake we had brought over. As the last piece of paper money burned, a warm breeze suddenly blew up peach petals, lingering around us.
Little Lotus suddenly pointed at the treetops and said, "Look!"
On the highest branch, two peach-pink flowers blossomed, swaying gently in the wind. Even more curious, a faint golden glow could be seen flowing in the center of the flower, as if it were spiritual.
Little Lotus pondered: "Obsession turning into spirit... this is rare."
Nezha folded his arms with a complicated expression: "It seems that Madam Yu intends to stay with my parents forever."
I said silently: I did what I promised you.
As we descended the mountain, the setting sun shone brightly, tinting the entire peach grove a honey-hued hue. I looked back and saw the twin peach blossoms, seemingly smiling in the halo of light, and a sudden sense of relief filled me.
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