105 Reincarnations
Like a frog in a well looking at the sky.
Huai Zhou didn't sleep well that night. The face at the bottom of the well had left a deep impression on her, and even though she kept telling herself not to think about it, she still fell victim to nightmares.
In her dream, she died repeatedly, and each time someone's figure was beside her. She vaguely felt that it was the same person. But when she tried to see who that person was, a thick fog suddenly filled her vision, and the once peaceful dream began to shake, collapse, and finally vanish into nothingness.
The only thing Huai Zhou was certain of was that the face he saw at the bottom of the well during the day was indeed his own grown-up appearance.
But why would he be there? All four deaths were unrelated to the well; could it be a hint? A hint that this time he would drown himself in the well?
She was thinking in a daze, but her mind was moved by her thoughts, and as soon as a thought arose, her dream changed.
The expansive view gradually shrank, eventually becoming the shape of a full moon. It took Huai Zhou a long time to recognize that it was not the moon, but the mouth of a well.
She was like a frog in a well, looking at the sky from the bottom of a well.
There was no moon in the sky, only two stars of different brightness, their light waxing and waning, one always bright and the other dim.
Too young to comprehend its meaning, she only felt well water slowly overflowing over her. She tried to cry for help, but her mouth was swallowed by the surging waves, and then she completely lost consciousness.
In her dream, she was submerged in water and her body was ice-cold; out of the dream, however, she was breathing heavily and had a persistent high fever. Ying Jianhua tried every method imaginable, but still could not bring down her temperature, and could only watch helplessly as she slowly lost her life.
He slumped to the side, powerless. Suddenly remembering something, he pulled out a dagger and slashed his wrist. Then, he crawled forward on his knees and carefully brought the wound to her lips.
His blood was "Shennong's blood," which had once saved Lu Ping's life, and it was certain that it would do the same this time... But his hopes were dashed, because after years of depletion, he could no longer bleed.
Her withered hand was like kindling, yearning to be ignited by a spark. But her lips were ashen, not even embers.
Despair washed over him again like a tidal wave. He hung his hands blankly, his throat trembling, unable to utter a single syllable.
What should I do...? Hasn't he done enough? How can I save her?
I already told you this.
So Zhang appeared at some unknown time. Compared to a few years ago, her figure was even fainter, so faint that she could not be seen even in slightly brighter candlelight. Ying Jianhua knew that her days were numbered.
She first looked at Huai Zhou, who was in agony, her gaze filled with disapproval as she swept over him: "I told you long ago, Huai Zhou can only survive this ordeal by staying away from you. Since you've already resolved to give your life for her safety, why cling to these last few years?"
Back then, Ying Jianhua extracted the demon core, and then Gu Zhang used magic to fuse it with a new body. The new body broke free from the original four cycles of reincarnation, thus gaining a sliver of hope and barely preserving Du Zhijin's soul. However, after this ordeal, her soul was damaged, and although she did not enter reincarnation, she lost all her previous memories.
After many twists and turns, Du Zhijin finally broke free from her original path, so Zhang insisted on keeping her away from anything related to the past. However, her magic had dissipated, and she could not compete with Ying Jianhua now, so she could only watch helplessly as he brought Huaizhou to this place.
She watched coldly as he reaped what he sowed, yet she couldn't let go of Huaizhou, so she would occasionally appear to try and correct him.
Seeing this, Ying Jianhua had to admit that he was wrong. He had been clinging to a sliver of hope, unable to let go or break free, still wanting her to remember him... He took one last look at the person on the bed, his hands trembling as he tried to smooth Huaizhou's furrowed brows. But as soon as he got close, she began to cough violently, as if she were coughing up her internal organs.
His movements froze in mid-air as he heard Gu Zhang's cold warning: "You should leave."
"...I will keep watch for one more night. After tonight, we will never see each other again."
After saying the words, he paused for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.
I see... I see.
We will never meet again in this life.
We will never meet again in this life.
————
That night, Huaizhou felt as if he had been tortured in a furnace and then drenched in cold rain all night, leaving him feeling hot and cold all at once.
She thought vaguely, "Why does this process seem so familiar?" She had seen blacksmith Zhang forge swords before; the red-hot blades had to be rinsed in cold water, a process called quenching.
Blacksmith Zhang... Oh right, where's Doctor Du? Is he still in the house?
She suddenly opened her eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of that familiar figure. When she didn't see him at first glance, she panicked and, ignoring her burning heat and weakness, ran barefoot into the courtyard.
No, no, no... nowhere at all.
In the end, she only found a stack of silver notes, enough for her to live comfortably for the rest of her life. But she wanted to find that person, to tell him that she didn't want gold or wealth, she only wanted him.
Huai Zhou didn't believe it. She comforted herself, telling herself that Doctor Du had just gone out on an urgent matter and would come back. She stubbornly stood in front of the door, waiting and waiting, from dawn till dusk. She heard Feng Dalang's sarcastic remarks and the neighbor's repeated advice, but she never saw the person she was waiting for.
She stood in front of the door for three days, without eating, drinking, or moving. On the evening of the fourth day, she was too weak to hold on any longer and fainted.
Before she completely lost consciousness, she finally admitted it.
He doesn't want her anymore.
She was alone again.
"Oh my, you're finally awake! Come on, don't rush, have some water first."
Huai Zhou woke up to the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Still feverish, her mind was not clear, and she only vaguely sensed that it was a young woman's voice.
Who could it be? Did the aunt next door find her unconscious?
The bowl was brought to her lips, and she instinctively opened her mouth and drank deeply to replenish the water she had lost. She had been thirsty for so long that the bowl of water was quickly emptied. The woman clicked her tongue in amazement as she refilled the bowl, reminding her to drink slowly.
After drinking three large bowls, Huaizhou was finally able to quench his thirst and regain some consciousness.
The woman in front of me had slightly dark skin, clearly someone who spent a lot of time outdoors, exposed to the wind and sun. She had a round face, her eyes curved into two crescent moons, and she smiled sweetly, appearing very approachable. However, the things she said were quite nonsensical, like she was trying to abduct a child.
"Young lady, I see that you have extraordinary bones and the Martial Star shines brightly in your destiny. You will surely achieve great things when you grow up. Why not become my disciple? I will teach you martial arts, and in the future, the two of us will travel the world together, punishing evil and promoting good."
Huai Zhou's eyes widened without him realizing it.
Had she been scammed? But then she thought, since Dr. Du had already left, what was the point of her staying here all alone? She might as well go with this scammer and maybe she could find out Dr. Du's whereabouts along the way.
She understood. Dr. Du wasn't the type to abandon his family easily. He must have had his reasons for doing so. Perhaps on the night she had a high fever, he encountered an enemy and had to leave without saying goodbye to escape.
After calming himself down, Huai Zhou composed himself and asked the person in front of him, "My name is Huai Zhou, what's your name?"
The woman smiled and said, "Have you read Lu Ji's 'Garden Sunflower'?"
She shook her head blankly.
The woman laughed and explained, "The red flower awakens with dew, and the green leaves welcome autumn."
After a pause, she said, "You remind me of someone I used to know. How about we don't have to address each other as master and disciple? Just call me Sister Danpa."
"Sister Danpa..." Huaizhou repeated the name in a daze, then asked curiously, "What does Danpa mean?"
She didn't answer immediately, but instead looked into the distance, as if recalling something.
After a long pause, she answered softly, "It means safflower."
————
Danpa stayed on. Although she seemed unreliable, she taught genuine skills, and Huaizhou clearly felt the changes in his body within just a few days.
A few days later, she ran to Danpa in a panic to tell him that she had something strange growing in her stomach!
"Round and heavy! Could it be that the watermelon seeds I swallowed last year have grown into watermelons?!"
Danpa was also greatly surprised by this.
"Goodness, you've already reached the Core Formation stage so quickly? You're such a good little sister~" After saying that, she ignored Huaizhou's resistance and pulled her into her arms to rub her for a while.
Huai Zhou had lived for seven years, all of which she had spent with Doctor Du, and had never experienced the affection of a female elder. Now, faced with Sister Danpa's stormy display of closeness, she felt both uncomfortable and secretly longing for it. As a result, this conflicted little expression did not fall into Danpa's eyes, which prompted her to shower her with kisses and hugs.
"Zhouzhou, you're so cute! Come here, let your big sister give you a kiss!"
Upon hearing this, Huai Zhou turned and ran, but the name "Zhou Zhou" made her momentarily dazed, causing her to miss the best opportunity to escape and be caught by Dan Pa.
Zhouzhou... I feel like someone called her that a long time ago.
Who is it?
She tried hard to recall, but couldn't remember anything, and finally had to give up.
Besides teaching Huaizhou martial arts and cultivation, Danpa also often chatted with her neighbors. She and Doctor Du were completely different people; she was warm and cheerful, and even though they hadn't known each other for long, the neighbors all said they liked her more.
Therefore, she learned why Huaizhou refused to leave.
She was waiting for Dr. Du.
"Are these medicines for you to take?" Danpa asked, watching Huaizhou turn over and dry the herbs every day.
She shook her head and whispered, "This is the medicine that Doctor Du takes." Even though he is no longer with us, she still maintains her old habit of brewing the medicine and serving it to Doctor Du.
Danpa nodded and said nothing more. She considered herself an enlightened older sister, not urging her, but waiting with her season after season. Seeing that she showed no intention of leaving, Huaizhou secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She really likes Sister Danpa and is willing to travel with her to see a wider world.
But... she still wanted to say goodbye to that person.
It wasn't until the second year after Danpa arrived in the capital that she said, "It's time to go."
Huai Zhou knew she couldn't wait any longer.
No one can stay in the past forever.
There is no one.
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