Chapter 250 Epilogue - New World Arc (47)
Zhenzhu has indeed woken up.
However, the girl wasn't intentionally eavesdropping; she simply couldn't find a suitable opportunity to speak up and explain her situation.
And I'm genuinely curious about what the other two were talking about.
Although I didn't quite understand what he said, I felt it must be related to Senior Brother Li's current situation.
Thinking of Li Xiao, and the boy's appearance that she had just seen.
Zhenzhu still felt a lingering fear, as if she had survived a disaster.
And this caused me to feel intense guilt.
The girl knew she shouldn't think that way, but if it was Senior Brother Yu—
They probably wouldn't have made such a ridiculous move as fleeing in such a panic.
He was the one who initially asked to come, but then...
At that moment, Zhen Zhu thought of what Chang Li had just said and couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. It turned out that she was still no match for that person.
"It's only natural to feel fear in that situation. Everyone has different levels of courage and can handle different kinds of fear. If everyone were born the same, an unfettered and fearless warrior or a powerful being, what would be the point of spiritual practice?"
Seeing that Master Chang showed no signs of anger and instead patiently comforted her, Zhenzhu felt both moved and ashamed.
"Thank you, Senior Uncle. I understand, but..."
Zhenzhu thanked her Uncle Chang for his guidance and finally asked the question she most wanted to ask.
"What exactly happened to Senior Brother Li?"
Upon hearing the girl's question, Master Chang sighed softly.
"As you just saw, Ah Xiao is showing signs of demonic possession..."
Even though she was somewhat prepared, Zhenzhu was still stunned when she heard such terrible news from her Uncle Chang.
"How could this be?!"
First she cried out in surprise, then her voice turned into anxious murmurs: "How could this be... Senior Brother Li, how could he possibly..."
Suddenly, as if she had remembered something, she abruptly raised her head.
"Could it be because of Senior Brother Yu?"
Because Senior Brother Yu was suspected of being a traitor and his whereabouts were unknown, that's why Li Xiao...
Zhenzhu was astonished that the young man had fallen for Yu Qingzhou to such an extent.
The image of Li Xiao's inhuman, ghostly appearance flashed before his eyes again, filling him with mixed emotions.
I felt a mix of heartache, pity, indignation, and sorrow, with even a subtle hint of jealousy swirling within.
"That's part of the reason, but not entirely. Actually—"
A voice pulled the girl back from her own tangled emotions.
This also made her increasingly puzzled.
Not only the content itself, but also that hesitant and stammering attitude... it's really unlike the open-minded senior I remember.
Remembering how kind and caring Uncle Chang had always been to her, and also because she was eager to know about Li Xiao's current situation, Zhen Zhu couldn't help but speak up.
"This disciple is unworthy and has no talent in cultivation, having shown no promise within the sect so far. However, as long as it is for Senior Brother Li, as long as it is within my power, please give the order, Master Uncle. Zhen Zhu will do her utmost, even if... even if it costs her life..."
These heartfelt words at that moment truly came from the bottom of my heart.
Perhaps, it also contains a determination to sever ties with the self that just fled in disarray.
In the end, the girl finished speaking in a trembling voice.
Seeing that Master Chang still looked hesitant, Zhen Zhu gritted her teeth, bent her knees, and was about to kneel down to beg him to grant her request.
Master Chang immediately reached out and stopped the girl from kneeling. He sighed and said, "It's truly a blessing for that child to have such deep affection and kindness."
He paused, then added, "But have you thought this through? Once you start, there's no turning back."
After saying that, his questioning gaze landed squarely on the girl.
Perhaps it was because she had been in the dark and quiet cave for too long, but Zhenzhu suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
She shivered almost imperceptibly, and her scalp tingled inexplicably.
Have I... really thought this through?
A fleeting thought of doubt crossed my mind.
Meeting the elder's expectant gaze, the girl finally gritted her teeth and nodded.
"Disciple...disciple has made up her mind and will never regret it."
As soon as he finished speaking, a smile suddenly appeared on Uncle Chang's chubby face, which was full of worry.
Feelings of relief, joy, gratitude, and good fortune... and perhaps even a sense of immense relief.
Before the girl could take a closer look, a pair of broad, calloused hands landed on her shoulders.
The warmth of the other person's palm and voice seemed to dispel the slight chill that had just lingered around me in an instant.
"Good girl...you've really gone through a lot. Once that child wakes up, you will definitely not let down this unparalleled sincerity."
That child... refers to Senior Brother Li, right?
Can Senior Brother Li really... really understand?
Unmatched... that must mean surpassing Senior Brother Yu... surpassing Senior Brother Yu, becoming that one and only...
—Can I really do it?
Or rather, do I really hope so?
Even though I made a choice that I wanted to make, why can't I feel at ease with myself?
Because of fear.
—Afraid of dying.
I'm afraid I'll never hear or see again... but it's definitely not because I'm reluctant to lose my life for Senior Brother Li.
—I'm just sad because I'll never see my senior brother Li again after he gets better.
Not only Senior Brother Li… but also Master, Senior Uncle, everyone in the sect, my parents, my uncles and aunts from my hometown…
My heart started to ache silently.
She opened her mouth but couldn't make a sound. It was as if an invisible lump was stuck in her throat.
She should say something.
More courageous, more dignified words.
However, she was like a fish out of water, opening and closing her lips in vain, and even lost the strength to move.
Even moving a finger or shaking her shoulders... Oh right, her shoulders were being pressed down.
Its weight was exceptionally heavy.
It is the weight of death.
"What exactly am I..."
What should we do?
I managed to squeeze out a few sounds, but then I got stuck again.
Tears welled up in my eyes first, slightly burning.
Through the blurry vision, the person opposite finally spoke again.
The girl waited expectantly for those words to slowly torture her, but unexpectedly, she heard some unforeseen words instead.
"This requires you two—you and Ah Xiao—to make a vow and get married."
"...Huh?"
A simple sentence kept swirling in the girl's mind, being dissected and reassembled... so much so that Zhenzhu only caught a vague idea of what Master Chang said next.
She vaguely understood that all of this was due to the contract bound to Li Xiao.
This contract was originally a spell planted to save the boy's life in a critical moment, but something went wrong, resulting in the swap of the contracting parties' positions.
This caused the boy to go from being the one in control of the contract to being the one in a subordinate position.
As the subordinate party, there is a natural tendency to obey the dominant party, and there is a strong desire to follow the other party and obey their commands.
The effectiveness of this desire will be enhanced or weakened depending on the validity of the contract itself.
If the effect is strong enough, it can even completely override the will of the subordinate and achieve the wishes of the dominant one... even if the two are diametrically opposed.
Just like the soul contract that is now binding Li Xiao.
"If this situation continues unchecked, the subordinate will gradually confuse the wishes of the leader with their own will, until finally they obey the other party without thinking. Because in their eyes, it is entirely their own spontaneous desire, their own true inner desire."
Upon hearing this, Zhenzhu couldn't help but cover her mouth in horror.
"Then wouldn't Senior Brother Li... he become... become a puppet?"
It still belongs to Senior Brother Yu...
A sudden thought struck Zhenzhu, and she was reminded of the boy's past relentless pursuit of Yu Qingzhou, that obsession—could it also be because…
"Yes, you could say that."
"Isn't it possible to undo this?!"
Zhenzhu blurted out anxiously.
Only after saying that did he realize how abrupt he had been.
If it were feasible, given how much Master Chang cared for the boy, he would have already taken action; there would be no need for me to worry about it.
And that is indeed the case.
They did try, but it simply didn't work.
Because they're stuck together.
It seems that part of the boy's soul, along with the stolen demonic power, was stripped away, forming two independent and mutually exclusive parts with his main body.
"Two separate parts?"
Zhenzhu felt her head buzzing.
Something seemed to flash through the depths of her mind, but it was too fast for her to grasp.
Master Chang nodded and continued to explain patiently.
"However, these two parts have always maintained a delicate connection through the binding effect of the soul contract, so there hasn't been much of a problem. Until this time..."
Zhen Zhu seemed to finally understand why Li Xiao was always clinging to Yu Qingzhou.
Even though the young man had gouged out his eyes and taken away his demonic power, he still stayed close to him without holding a grudge.
because--
In a young person, there is the other half of oneself.
Thinking of this, Zhenzhu couldn't help but press her hand to her heart.
The heart below seemed to be experiencing a strange throbbing because of this thought.
(Why……)
Before she could investigate further, Master Chang's voice rang out again.
"That's why I made this unreasonable request."
Zhenzhu recalled the other party's astonishing words and couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "So that's how it is..."
Because the vows made when entering into marriage are essentially a kind of soul contract.
If we were to say that the relationship between Li and Yu is more like a one-way benefit relationship where one party supports the other and the other follows the other.
Vows between partners tend to be more about mutual benefit and sharing.
However, given the current state of the young man, if the oath is fulfilled, it will only be Zhenzhu who suffers the loss.
Therefore, what Master Chang said earlier was less about asking the young woman if she was willing to marry the man she loved—
To be more precise, it was asking the latter if they were willing to use their own soul to support the boy who was nearly driven mad by damage to his soul.
Thinking of this, Zhenzhu couldn't help but feel bitter.
She had assumed that as an elder, Uncle Chang truly valued her and believed she and Senior Brother Li were a good match, but it turned out—
What I had been secretly hoping for was nothing more than a desperate measure taken by these people when they had no other choice.
But if it's for that person, if it's for Senior Brother Li...
The silhouette of a boy sleeping soundly at his desk in class flashed before my eyes, his tone seemingly full of disdain yet suddenly softening, and his clumsy attempt to comfort me as if afraid of upsetting me.
Zhenzhu silently clenched her fists.
Over there, Master Chang seemed to want to say something more, but Zhen Zhu suddenly raised her eyes and interrupted him.
Her voice was as firm as her gaze.
"This disciple is willing."
She said, "I want Brother Li to get better."
The goal is to ensure that young people no longer live aimlessly because their souls are incomplete.
I also want to...be the only one to spend the rest of my life with.
The date is set for the second day of next month.
The most recent auspicious day.
The timing seems a bit rushed, but thankfully it's just an engagement... and given Li Xiao's condition, it's not appropriate to postpone it any longer.
Master Chang seemed very apologetic and promised to give the two a grand wedding later.
Zhenzhu didn't really care... perhaps because it always felt unreal.
She had imagined countless possibilities for their future—hers and Li Xiao's—but she never expected things to develop this way.
Zhenzhu thought that she should be happy to have her wish fulfilled... but a sense of unease always lingered in her heart.
I can't quite put my finger on whether it's nervousness, anticipation, or... something else entirely.
During this time, Zhen Zhu visited Li Xiao several more times.
Li Xiao's condition fluctuates.
When things are going well, he can call out Zhenzhu's name directly and recognize that the girl is the junior sister who makes him pastries.
Sometimes, after exchanging only a few words, they would start searching for Yu Qingzhou's whereabouts again.
Master Yu... Yu Qingzhou... were called out in a mixed manner.
The remaining eye was a mixture of green and blood, and the boy rolled on the ground in agony, clutching his head, pulling the heavy chains with a screeching sound.
Faced with this scene, Zhenzhu was no longer as flustered as when they first met, but she still didn't dare to look directly at the other person.
Because that miserable and painful scene seemed to be a very clear declaration—declaring that the person who was thinking about and longing for the other person in a frenzy was always someone else.
So later, Zhenzhu stopped going.
Anyway, the outcome is already decided, anyway... they have time.
She thought that after the ceremony, Senior Brother Li should be able to gradually break free from the shackles of that soul contract until he could get rid of his inexplicable obsession with that person... When that time came, they could start over, and all her waiting would come to an end.
But... will the result be exactly what I expect?
The girl could not foresee it.
She greeted that day with such trepidation...
The sky was dark and unclear.
Early in the morning, a sudden flurry of snow began to fall.
It was the first snow of the year.
Snowflakes drifted down one after another, quickly transforming the world into a vast expanse of white.
No one expected to see Yu Qingzhou, who had been missing for so long, on such a day.
The young man appeared alone, covered in wounds, with the black longsword belonging to Shen Yingxue on his back.
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