103 Life and Death
The person who found and raised her was a doctor surnamed Du.
Thunder and lightning raged; when the first bolt of lightning struck, one should have clearly seen the scene and heard a deafening roar.
Through the window, he could vaguely see that the newly grown peach tree had been struck by lightning and was slowly falling down in the rain, crushing the wicker chair placed under it.
His heart began to ache. Not long ago, he and Du Zhijin had been sleeping in each other's arms on a rattan chair, but in just two days, everything had changed... He staggered into the study, opened one of the brocade boxes, which was filled with the paintings of Du Zhijin that he had made over the past few days.
He thought he should take one last look at her before he died. That way, even if he drank the Meng Po soup on his way to the underworld, he would never forget her.
The medicine gradually took effect, causing excruciating pain in his internal organs. He leaned against the wall, clutching his forehead. Everything in front of him was swaying; the candlelight became a blurry patch of light. His ears were ringing, like countless cicadas chirping, sometimes noisy and chaotic, sometimes deathly silent.
As sight and hearing are gradually taken away, what comes next?
He steadied himself by the edge of the table, his fingertips icy cold. He could feel the pain spreading through his veins to his limbs, making his breathing difficult, as if a damp cotton wad was stuck in his throat. The air he inhaled was cold, but the air he exhaled trembled. His eyes began to burn, and the pain still churned within him, like rising tides, pounding against his chest, making it hard to speak.
As a doctor, Ying Jianhua had studied poisons extensively over the past ten years, but he never imagined that the most poisonous drug would be used on himself.
Zhang insisted that Du Zhijin must kill him with her own hands, but how could she? She hadn't even let him suffer the slightest bit of pain. Left with no other option, he switched the prescription left by the senior physician and had Du Zhijin feed him the poison, which could be considered "personally" killing him.
The thunderstorm outside the window continued, with strong winds, heavy rain, and flashing lightning. He estimated that this was the second clap of lightning and felt very anxious.
He didn't know how many lightning tribulations Du Zhijin would face this time, and he began to worry that he might not die before the lightning tribulations ended, otherwise all his efforts would have been in vain.
For the first time, he loathed having a normal human body. How wonderful it would be if he were a flower or a leaf, whose life could be wiped out by a mere shower of rain.
But human life is the most tenacious thing. Several times, Ying Jianhua almost couldn't suppress his survival instinct and reached for the kettle on the table, but he stubbornly resisted. No matter how much his body churned inside, how much pain made his head spin and his vision blur, he would rather bite his lips until they bled than take a single step forward.
If he dies, she can live.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of thunderclaps, a blinding white light fell, shaking the entire world, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The blood was so bright red it looked like thick syrup... Great, he's dying.
With a strange joy in his heart, a slight smile played on his lips as he trembled as he embraced the painting and closed his eyes contentedly.
Go to sleep, there's nothing to regret.
Outside the window, thunder rumbled and rain poured down.
————
The sunlight after the rain, carrying a light coolness, fell on my face, gently waking me from my dreams.
Ying Jianhua slowly opened his eyes, was immediately blinded by the sunlight, and quickly closed them again. As his eyes gradually adjusted to the sunlight, a thought suddenly popped into his mind.
He... is he still alive?
How could he possibly still be alive?!
Without bothering to wipe the blood from his mouth, he hurriedly got up, and the scroll in his arms fell to the ground.
At this moment, Ying Jianhua had only one thought: he desperately wanted to know if Du Zhijin was still alive. He hurriedly ran towards the lake, only remembering halfway there that he could control his weapon, so he quickly pulled out the jade hairpin and used it to move forward.
He kept reassuring himself that Du Zhijin was no ordinary person; she had only died from a lightning tribulation in one of her past lives, which didn't mean she wouldn't survive this one... She would be alright, she would be alright...
But when he arrived at the lake, all he saw was a mess.
The once clear lake is no longer crystal clear; it is now littered with tree debris and pebbles struck by lightning and swept up by the gale. Broken peach tree branches lie scattered across the lake, their bark swollen and white from being soaked in water, while a few withered leaves linger on the branches swirl in the murky water like tattered butterflies.
The wind was still blowing, carrying with it a stench from the water's surface—a mixture of rotting weeds, musty wood, and an indescribable stench of filth. In the distance, the dike had been breached, and murky lake water, carrying silt, poured down to the shore, turning vast stretches of reeds into swamps. Occasionally, broken reed stalks would emerge from the water, like white banners stuck in graves, swaying in the wind.
"Squeak! Squeak!" The monkeys, who had escaped death, rushed out to tell him about their lingering fear when they saw him appear. But they found that no matter how long they squeaked, the man in front of them remained motionless, as if, as if he were dead.
The monkey troop dispersed, leaving him alone in the vast天地 (heaven and earth).
He was the only one left.
He stumbled into the center of the lake, walking and walking, oblivious to the fact that the water had already reached his chest, stubbornly reaching out to grab the jade pendant with the character "墨" floating in the wind.
Looking at the piece on his own body, he realized that it had completely lost its luster without him noticing, and had become a lifeless object.
Holding two cold jade pendants in her hands, her eyes were dry, with no tears left.
Ying Jianhua reflected on his life. Ten years ago, he lost his parents and struggled to survive with a heart full of hatred. Ten years later, he lost his beloved, but his heart was already dead.
What is the meaning of life? Is it for money, beauty, fame, or something else?
None of that matters anymore. Even if I were alive, I would just be a walking corpse, utterly meaningless.
He wanted to let himself float in the water, whether he sank to the bottom or drifted to some distant place didn't matter. He simply held tightly to the two jade pendants, letting the current carry him away into the distance.
The most painful thing in the world is for the one who seeks death to live, and the one who seeks life to die. Ying Jianhua was determined to die, but fate was against him. He did not drown until sunset, moonrise, and nightfall.
The pale moonlight shone on his lips, as if gently caressing his wounds. He stared blankly at the sky and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Mother, take me with you."
There is no one left in this world worth cherishing, so Mother, take me with you.
A gentle breeze rippled the water, and the moonlight remained unchanged. No one answered; only the cicadas, barely clinging to life, continued their tireless sighs.
He closed his eyes again, feeling his body slowly floating with the tiny waves, and even thought about just drifting like this forever, like a rootless duckweed or a kite with a broken string.
No, it's not over yet.
Suddenly, Gu Zhang's voice echoed in her mind. Ying Jianhua abruptly opened her eyes and saw Gu Zhang's figure floating in the air on the lake under the moonlight.
Compared to a few days ago, she looked much less vibrant, and even her voice was full of fatigue, showing that the tribulation had greatly affected her.
But everything else was secondary; he asked eagerly, "What do you mean... it's not over yet?"
So Zhang gazed at the reflection of the full moon on the water and slowly said, "Do you know what kind of demons you and your mother are?"
He shook his head.
If it weren't for the orchid demon incident, he would never have known he was a demon.
Gu Zhang glanced at him and said, "Liu Po is a legendary herb from the Moon Palace that can cure all diseases in the human world. I originally thought that your mother's soul had dissipated, but now it seems... she still has a part of it in you."
As if to confirm what she said, a ray of moonlight shone deliberately on the jade hairpin, making it sparkle.
Ying Jianhua was stunned for a moment: "Cure the disease... but what about Huaizhou?" "I still retain her soul," she said. "As long as you extract her demon core, she may be able to live again."
"Didn't you say this was the last time you would live?"
As the night wind blew, Gu Zhang's figure seemed even fainter, but her voice was unwavering: "Yes, this is the last life, but that only means we can't start over again. It doesn't mean Huai Zhou is doomed. Though the body is destroyed, the soul remains."
His mind raced, and in an instant he understood the meaning behind her words: "You mean you can use my demon core to rebuild her physical body?"
"Yes." She nodded. "So, are you willing to have a C-section?"
Without the slightest hesitation, he blurted out, "I'm willing." After a pause, he asked again, "What will she look like after her physical body is reconstructed?"
Since Zhang didn't answer immediately, he guessed that she didn't know what the future held either.
But they had no other choice.
Moonlight streamed through his hair, down to the ends, and finally landed on his outstretched fingertips.
He lowered his brows, quietly watching the moonlight dissipate, and whispered, "I promise you."
Extract the demon core, gambling on a one in ten thousand chance.
————
Du Huaizhou is an orphan. Since she can remember, she has been all alone, without father or mother, and without anyone she can call family.
The person who found her and raised her was a doctor surnamed Du, so she took his surname. As for her given name...
Dr. Du said he found her on a small boat on the Huai River, so he named her "Huaizhou".
She thought her name sounded very nice, much more elegant than names like "Da Lang" and "Da Ya". Even the town's schoolteacher commented that "Huai Zhou" together means "Jin".
When Feng Dalang from next door heard this, he was furious and mocked her: "What good is a nice name? You're still a guy who abandoned his parents and can only live with monsters... Ah! How dare you hit me?!"
Hearing this, Huaizhou didn't react at all, because it was true; she had indeed been abandoned by her parents. But she couldn't bear to hear others call Doctor Du a monster, so she immediately picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at him fiercely.
As Feng Dalang dodged, he cursed, "A monster's little monster! You'll grow up to be just as hideous as him! Always covering your face with a black cloth, like a rat in a sewer, unable to see the light... Ah! Mother, Mother!"
Unable to bear it any longer, Huai Zhou threw away the stone and punched him in the face with her bare hands. Although Feng Dalang was older than her, he was far weaker and was beaten to the ground, crying out in pain. Neighbors nearby heard the commotion and rushed to break up the fight, but even a dozen adults couldn't stop them. It wasn't until Feng Dalang's parents and Doctor Du from the house arrived that Huai Zhou finally ended the one-sided beating.
When Feng Dalang's father saw his son beaten black and blue, he was about to start cursing when he saw the two people opposite him, one big and one small, one with a defiant look on their faces and the other with a fierce aura. He immediately gave up and urged his wife and children to go home quickly.
"Dad! That little monster hit me!" "Shh, keep quiet! Stay away from their house, don't get tainted by their bad luck!"
The neighbors who had been crowding around to watch the excitement scattered like birds after Dr. Du appeared, leaving only Huaizhou looking up at the man with excitement in his eyes.
She won!
However, the man said nothing, but simply stretched out a withered hand towards her and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm leaving."
"Um."
She carefully took his hand, feeling slightly disappointed.
Why not praise her?
[Author's Note]
Rest assured, it's definitely a happy ending.
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