Chapter 35: Wei Sheng Embracing the Pillar (Eleven) Sadness at the End of Everything...
An Sijia imagined Xuze might be furious, perhaps even yelling at her for being heartless and ungrateful, but in the end, Fox just raised an eyebrow and asked in confusion, "Why? Is it that being around me makes you unhappy?"
An Sijia paused. She once told Xuze that humans and demons were viewed differently by the world. At that time, he just asked very seriously, "What about her?"
What about her?
Will she eventually leave him and give up on him because of worldly matters?
Apart from the paperwork that kept her busy, did she really not have the slightest fear of what might happen one day?
An Sijia had so many things she wanted to say, but in the end, she could only smile and say, "I have so much to do. As I told you, it's all about helping more people live well."
Xu Ze had asked about her background, but she had always evaded the question. The inexperienced fox only thought she was an extremely powerful person, and had no idea that she was actually the daughter of the city lord.
With demons in power, it is really difficult to make a name for oneself for one's own people in such troubled times.
"...But these things," Xu Ze's eyes seemed to be filled with pleading and curiosity, "can't we really let others do it?"
An Sijia's eyes suddenly lit up, then dimmed, and she shook her head and said, "Impossible."
"Why is it impossible? You haven't even tried it. Isn't it what you told me to try everything first?" Xu Ze caught the glimmer of her annihilation and asked back righteously.
An Sijia no longer remembered how they parted ways. She was still thinking about this problem until she returned home, and almost bumped into An Ziliang who was returning home after a great time.
"Sister, why are you so reckless today? Let's not talk about this. Look, I brought this for you!" An Ziliang happily showed off a specialty from an unknown place in his hand, which was a jade pendant with very good water content.
An Sijia forced a smile at him, then took over and teased, "You still remembered to bring me a gift when you went out to play. It's really thoughtful of you."
"If I hadn't reminded him, this kid wouldn't have remembered it." Wu Shuzi walked over and tapped her son's forehead with a smile.
"Mother." An Sijia leaned slightly as a greeting.
Wu Shuzi responded with a smile, then leaned forward with concern: "This is what your brother and I picked together. Does Jia'er like it?"
The cool jade pendant suddenly felt hot in her hand. An Sijia held the jade pendant tightly with one hand and quietly tightened the clothes between her legs with the other hand: "I like it. Thank you, mother."
When it was time for dinner, An Ziliang volunteered to push his sister to the dining room. Wu Shuzi was chatting lively with An Sijia on the side. It was clearly a warm scene, but An Sijia felt out of place in it.
She should have adapted to such a life, where her brother would not have to shoulder any responsibilities and could be free; she could not live for herself, and would inevitably be burdened, quietly and silently serving as the young city lord behind the An family, unable to see the sun.
Can’t you…let someone else do it?
Xu Ze's words rang in her ears again. An Sijia lowered her head and looked at her legs. She clenched her warm jade and made up her mind.
She really wanted to live for herself, not as the young lord of Lin'an, not as the eldest daughter that An Chen and Wu Shuzi were satisfied with, not as the sister that An Ziliang could trust with his life.
The plan to escape with Xuze was formulated quickly and went more smoothly than she had imagined. When An Sijia thought about her upcoming freedom, she couldn't suppress her excitement, but she also felt a little guilty in her heart.
But she soon let it go. She was just going to be away for a while, just to see the scenery outside, and would be back - An Sijia always insisted on this point to Xuze and refused to give in, so he could only let her do what she wanted.
But An Ziliang was her brother after all, and he quickly noticed her excitement. An Sijia thought for a moment, and finally decided to tell her everything.
She knew that her brother actually had great ambitions in his heart, but she had usually overshadowed his brilliance, and he had not been valued by his father for a long time, so he concealed it.
After hearing this, An Ziliang was conflicted for a long time, and finally just said, "I wish my elder sister a safe journey."
An Sijia just thought that her brother was willing to take responsibility bravely for once, and she was happy for him from the bottom of her heart. However, she did not expect that An Ziliang, either out of cowardice or out of the bravery she hoped for, told An Chen about this matter.
The night the demanding An Chen learned of the situation, the argument between father and daughter was far more intense than any of Lian Qiang's experiences in the dream world. Unable to maintain her years of gentleness, An Sijia demanded at the top of her voice, "What has he really been thinking all these years? Has he never been satisfied with her? If that's the case, why keep her captive?"
An Chen angrily scolded her, saying that she had wasted all her parents' earnest teachings over the years by eloping with a monster!
The result of the quarrel was what Lian Qiang was familiar with.
As An Sijia collapsed in a pool of blood, she was filled with disbelief at her father's actions. She had no idea he could be so pedantic. She seemed to see Xuze anxiously wandering outside the woods, only to be met by a group of monks...
But in the end, all she could think of were the summer nights of her childhood.
At that time, the burden on her shoulders was not as heavy as it is now. She was still a child who needed to be coaxed. An Chen would sit by the brother and sister's bedside and try his best to recite those heroic stories in a gentle voice that he had heard over and over again. Wu Shuzi would use a palm-leaf fan to drive away mosquitoes for them.
An Ziliang would often grow impatient and fall asleep while listening. An Sijia, however, would blink, hold her mother's fanning hand, and say solemnly in a childish voice, "When I grow up, I want to be a great hero, traveling the world, slaying demons and monsters, and enforcing justice for the gods!"
She earned a chuckle from her mother, and her father immediately picked her up from the bed, held her high above his head, and said with a smile, "Okay, then I'll wait and see!"
"I never thought I'd end up being a fellow demon and being killed by my father," An Sijia said, but there was no regret in her words. "I guess it's all my own fault. By the way, I haven't had time to thank you yet."
"Why are you thanking me for no reason?" Lian Qiang was completely confused by her response.
"Thank you for knowing my mother's true thoughts, thank you for trying so hard to keep me alive, thank you... for letting me see Fox again. Is the man who pretended to be Xu Ze your sweetheart?" An Sijia spoke with a smile, and Lian Qiang quickly waved her hand to deny it.
The girl exclaimed, "Isn't that so? Seeing him so worried about you, I thought you guys... Sorry, I made a rash assumption."
Lian Qiang said it was okay, then remembered something and asked again, "Since your residual soul can create an illusion, it means it still has power. If you take good care of it and find some rare treasures to make a body, you may be able to come back to life. Do you want to give it a try?"
The voice did not ring again for a long while. Just when Lian Qiang thought she would not respond, An Sijia spoke softly again: "What can I do after resurrection? Whether I can go back to such a home is another matter. Even if I go back, can everyone just pretend that nothing happened?
"Or maybe Xu Ze and I should go and fulfill our unfinished promise? Never mind. In his eyes, I'm just a coward who didn't keep his promise. I've already wasted too much of his time. He should have been free to roam the mountains and forests."
"No!" Lian Qiang interrupted her quickly, "He's actually been waiting for you. Otherwise, why do you think we entered this illusion?"
She explained the whole story to An Sijia. When she heard that Xuze had kidnapped the city girl, she didn't even dare to breathe. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that he hadn't hurt anyone. After hearing the whole story, she spoke with a hint of hope: "What you said... is it true?"
"Of course," Lian Qiang was amused by her. "Why would I lie to you? Am I taking revenge on you for trapping me here and listening to your story for so long?"
An Sijia also smiled: "It's hard to say whether this is possible."
"Let's go and see your mother and brother again." Lian Qiang tactfully didn't mention anyone, and An Sijia didn't point it out either.
When Lian Qiang emerged from the illusion and landed on the ground, the scene before her was enough to make her dizzy.
——It was like the original scene in the illusion, An Chen collapsed to the ground, with a big hole in his chest, but he was still breathing; Wu Shuzi fell on the other side, with the same bloody hole on her chest; An Ziliang supported her and cried helplessly.
"What's going on? We are clearly in front of the yard..." Fearing that she was in another illusion, Lian Qiang instinctively went to look for the figure that made her feel at ease, and found him in the corner.
It was Chi Xingji's original appearance. At this moment, he was standing with his hands hanging down, watching everything silently without moving.
"Chi..." She opened her mouth to call out, then stumbled and was about to fall to the ground before someone caught her steadily. Lian Qiang looked up at him, her lips moving a few times, but no sound came out.
However, Chi Xingji already understood what she was going to say. He just shook his head and said regretfully, "I'm a step too late. When I came out of the illusion, Madam An had already killed An Chen, and then..."
Lian Qiang pushed away his support and walked unsteadily to Wu Shuzi. Her knees went weak and she knelt down. Seeing the exact same scene, her heart almost broke.
"Mrs. An..." At this point, she could only call her this. Hearing the call, Wu Shuzi forced herself to open her eyes and forced a smile at her.
Lian Qiang spoke faster: "In my last illusion, I saw the real Sijia. Her... soul is still alive, so there might be a possibility of resurrection. She wanted me to come and see you..."
At this point, her tears had already rolled down, landing on the blood-stained clothes. Hearing this, Wu Shuzi's eyes and eyebrows were full of joy, but then she frowned and opened her mouth as if she was about to cry.
Lian Qiang could vaguely make out some lip shapes: Did she blame me?
"She doesn't blame you... She doesn't resent you... She's just a little sad..."
It's sad that I had the chance to see my mother again, but it was a farewell; it's sad that all the love, hate and bias over the years have no place to go; it's sad that at the end of everything, I still look so miserable.
"Mother... Mother... Please, please tell me something again..." An Ziliang cried breathlessly, still hoping that his mother would say something to him, whether it was scolding or concern, even just a few words, a single word...
They all knew that this was the only thing Wu Shuzi could leave behind. But just as she heard the call and tried to turn her head with difficulty to look at her son, her breathing stopped quietly.
The child who had been spoiled for half his life still couldn't wait for the final instructions.
"Mother—Mother—" An Ziliang cried heartbreakingly, but he could no longer call his mother to open her eyes and look at him.
While everyone's attention was focused on Wu Shuzi, An Chen had already passed away without anyone noticing.
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The author has something to say: I think the next chapter will conclude the dungeon and advance the relationship between the ex-couple~
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