Alone, Beautifully – Chapter 118
by Little PandaMy Wife (End)
“I am with you.”
Because she lost a soul, Zheng Zhiyu had no memory of this dragon. In contrast to Xu Jiao’s understanding, she was the most surprised by this sudden change in the situation.
But the voice from the clouds was clearly directed at her.
She had to respond.
Zheng Zhiyu calmly looked at the heavy sky. Perhaps because of the true dragon’s appearance, ordinary people couldn’t see its true form, or perhaps due to the effect of the previous lightning-summoning talisman, rain always follows thunder. At this moment, a drizzle began to fall from the sky.
The monk who had defied fate lay on the ground. Having lost his life force, his string of evil-natured Buddhist beads also lost their master. Their red glow diminished significantly, scattered loosely beside him.
The formation of the entire building, without its master’s control, began to disperse the gathered energy and yin qi after activation, spreading towards other areas around S University.
At this time, Zheng Zhiyu raised her head to look at the sky, her tone carefully measured: “I’m sorry… There are many things I don’t remember. May I ask who you are…?”
A black trace flashed through the cloud layer.
As if the dragon had turned its body.
So quick that one might think it was just a fleeting illusion.
Soon, its steady voice descended from the clouds: “I am already aware of the situation—you are missing a soul and don’t remember past events, which is quite normal.”
“In the mountains where I was born a thousand years ago, there is an essence that can be refined into a soul… I will offer this as repayment for your life-saving kindness.”
“However, the paths of humans and ghosts are ultimately different. Listen to my advice.”
The dragon, seeing such a heaven-defying formation, had already calculated its connection with this monk and knew that the monk was an existence that shouldn’t be in this world, his time long overdue.
That’s why it could easily destroy him with a single strike.
The dragon had already achieved immortality, carrying deep enough fortune to protect the common people. Killing this monk was merely settling a grudge from many years ago, not entangling too much karmic debt.
But this formation, it did not intend to actively dispel.
Pacifying so many fierce ghosts is a great opportunity. If an ordinary person could calm the resentment of so many evil spirits, even if they did nothing more good in their remaining life, as long as they didn’t commit heinous acts, they would be reborn into great wealth and prosperity in their next life.
But this was important for both Zheng Zhiyu and Xu Jiao.
Xu Jiao’s soul was originally a Ghost King who had incurred some debts in the underworld. If given this opportunity, she could settle the debts on herself, directly allowing her to erase a significant amount from her record in the underworld after death. If given to Zheng Zhiyu, she could more quickly cultivate her missing soul and become a complete, powerful ghost immortal.
According to the dragon’s thinking—
It hoped that Zheng Zhiyu could see things clearly and not be too attached.
It didn’t understand human emotions. After all, when it was once a snake, it deliberately avoided matters of human love and affection. The willow spirit was originally of the yin nature, and if it carelessly fell in love with humans, its long lifespan would be a source of suffering. So it avoided it, feeling that such matters were like poison, something that would be disastrous if touched.
It didn’t want to see Zheng Zhiyu break herself because of love.
Although when they met earlier, it had already seen how Zheng Zhiyu’s obsession had turned into a miasma.
Zheng Zhiyu understood its meaning, and Xu Jiao understood it even more clearly. This dragon hoped that after Zheng Zhiyu completed her soul, she could go through reincarnation and start anew in the next life. After all, she had done many good deeds as a human, so she should still be human in her next life. Achieving immortality as a human would be the perfect outcome for her.
The dragon hoped she would let go of her obsession.
Staying with Xu Jiao wouldn’t lead to a good result.
In the past, when Xu Jiao was human, Zheng Zhiyu should have walked the path of immortality, but because of Xu Jiao, she forcibly cut off her destiny of becoming an immortal. She was willing to become a fierce ghost with an incomplete soul just to protect her. Now that there was a chance to complete her soul and be reborn, the dragon hoped she would take it.
Xu Jiao thought about it and also felt that from the perspective of a cultivator, this would be the best outcome.
Otherwise…
Although Xu Jiao had illegally become human in this life, it was uncertain whether she could start anew after death by relying on this opportunity. What’s more painful is that Zheng Zhiyu might have to face a lover who has lost her memories and needs to start everything from scratch.
This was too exhausting.
As Xu Jiao had thought before, would the dead, memory-less, reincarnated version of her still be herself?
Although she knew that the so-called past life stories were all automatically generated by the world view of 《Building No. 18》 based on her background, it was precisely because of the discovery of her love for Zheng Zhiyu that such a past life story existed. Xu Jiao hadn’t completely fallen into that story, but she already understood how much she loved Zheng Zhiyu.
If you love someone, shouldn’t you let them go?
In a flash of thought, Xu Jiao had already understood what choice she should make. But before she could speak, Zheng Zhiyu had already slowly shaken her head and said to the sky:
“Thank you, true dragon, for offering me this opportunity.”
“However…”
“I promised her that I would stay by her side. As long as she exists, I will exist. If she’s not here, what does the splendor of this world matter to me?”
Her eyes were filled with determination.
Although she didn’t have the lost memories that Xu Jiao had seen, she knew who she liked and loved. Those possibilities of reincarnation, rebirth, and transmigration were not what she wanted.
She only wanted to stay together in this life.
It didn’t matter whether her soul was complete or not.
Xu Jiao moved her lips, tugging at her sleeve, wanting to say something. At this moment, the system, which had been silent since Xu Jiao and Zheng Zhiyu fell in love, suddenly spoke in her mind:
“Have you ever thought about why Zheng Zhiyu fell in love with you?”
“Is it because she was arranged to do so by the world’s background, which she deeply believes in, or is she as clear-minded as you, with her own thoughts and persistence?”
Hearing this voice, Xu Jiao’s brows moved imperceptibly. She looked towards the sky, then at the drizzling rain falling on the rooftop. She raised her hand to catch it, but the raindrops passed through her palm without touching her.
She slowly spoke in her heart: “Oh, you’re still here?”
System: “…”
For some reason, it felt that Xu Jiao’s voice was full of sarcasm. But it was just a weak, helpless, and pitiful system. Did she expect it to heroically save her in those life-and-death moments?
That was impossible.
So it pretended not to hear the sarcasm in Xu Jiao’s voice and went silent.
Xu Jiao, however, had her attention slightly diverted by its words. She turned her head to look at Zheng Zhiyu, staring at her bright profile for a while before saying:
“Actually, I don’t know.”
“There are three possibilities. First, she was arranged by the world’s will to love me, and I don’t know what this world wants to do, what thoughts or conspiracies it has. Second, her consciousness across many worlds shares a common goal, all wanting to achieve their purpose by gaining the favor of me, the creator. Third, we have a strong affinity, happening to meet again and again, and she’s attracted by my personal charm, so she falls in love with me.”
Xu Jiao curled her lips: “The third option sounds absurd, completely at odds with the first two possibilities, extremely naive.”
Once or twice could be called coincidence and chance.
If it happens every time, it must be someone’s careful arrangement.
System: “Hmm, so you believe in the first two? Then would you still like…?”
Xu Jiao affirmed: “Yes, I would.”
She watched Zheng Zhiyu seriously conversing with the dragon, respectfully expressing her thoughts to it. Her gaze moved from Zheng Zhiyu’s black hair to the contours of her profile. After a while, she said:
“My rationality is still working, telling me about those inconsistencies.”
“But my emotions have already been stirred.”
“I can feel that her love for me is wholehearted. No matter what happens in the future, at least during this time, she truly likes me. As long as her feelings remain and don’t change, I will never be the first to betray her.”
This was her answer to this relationship.
The system hesitated, as if wanting to say something, but Xu Jiao had already displayed such a clear attitude. It pondered from all angles and found nothing more to say, so it closed its mouth and remained silent.
Meanwhile, in another place.
Zheng Zhiyu had already obtained from the dragon the method to pacify this formation and the yin energy within it. Seeing that she was unwilling to use the essence to form a soul, the dragon didn’t force her to do so, but insisted on giving her the essence—
That essence was a warm and yang object.
If Xu Jiao wore it constantly, it could minimize the influence of Zheng Zhiyu’s ghost energy as much as possible. This was more effective than any ghost core, truly a precious item.
“Xueba?”
“Xiaoxu?”
The voices of her roommates calling out reached her ears.
Xu Jiao stood in front of the dormitory wardrobe, having changed into a new outfit. She turned back to look at the two of them, seeing them sit up on their beds. Zhou Qili rubbed her eyes and said to her, “There was thunder and rain outside last night, did you hear it?”
Qian Ai nodded, saying somewhat uncertainly, “I think I heard some noise in my dream, but I’m not too sure.”
Yesterday, when that dragon appeared, all the students at S University had a good night’s sleep. The raindrops secretly entered the night with the wind, moistening things silently. They fell into a deep sleep unknowingly, as if the entire campus had been hypnotized.
Except for those directly involved, no one else knew about last night’s thrilling events.
Xu Jiao smiled casually, curling her lips as she answered them, “Yeah, I heard it, but I slept so deeply that I don’t know when the rain stopped.”
This rain also washed away the summer’s restlessness, clearing away the sultry heat of the past few days.
The students of S University, long shrouded by the cold and gloomy formation, couldn’t quite describe this feeling. They just felt that their hearts were more peaceful and comfortable, and they even had extra motivation to do things.
Zhou Qili, seeing her changing clothes early in the morning to go out, yawned and asked:
“Aren’t you being too fancy for self-study today?”
“Oh? Xiaoxu, did you put on makeup too?”
Xu Jiao raised her hand to brush the hair away from her ears, zipped up her dress, and looked down to check her outfit before answering Zhou Qili’s question:
“I’m not going to self-study.”
She raised her eyebrows and said in a matter-of-fact, natural tone: “I’m going out on a date.”
Zhou Qili and Qian Ai: “…?”
The two of them were stunned at first, then their faces lit up with gossip-hungry expressions!
“A date?”
“What’s going on? You’ve been secretly dating behind our backs?”
“Who is it? Which department? Do we know them?”
“I want to hear the love story!”
Xu Jiao was suddenly bombarded with many questions, but she remained calm. She lowered her head to adjust the black butterfly bow shoelaces near her ankles, then stood up again. She smiled at them but didn’t say anything.
It wasn’t that she was being stingy.
She just feared that if she revealed her partner’s identity, her two roommates might be shocked speechless.
Never mind, let’s do a good deed for the day.
Amidst the voices desperately trying to make her stay, she mercilessly walked out of the dormitory. In the corridor, students were discussing the upcoming midterm exams, as if everyone had forgotten about Su Qiong, who had just died days ago.
This was good.
Although it’s regrettable when some people leave, life must always look forward.
Xu Jiao walked out of the dormitory building, took out her phone to check the tickets she had bought, and said to Zheng Zhiyu, “The movie doesn’t start until 10:30. Should we go for breakfast first?”
Zheng Zhiyu, leaning on her shoulder, smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll follow your lead.”
Xu Jiao thought about the monk from last night who was killed by a swipe of the dragon’s claw, his soul then struck by lightning from the sky, completely disappearing from this world. Suddenly feeling inspired, she voluntarily asked:
“Yesterday, I saw some… things about the past. I’m not sure if they’re true or false. Do you want to hear about them?”
Zheng Zhiyu again said okay.
Hearing her compliant tone, Xu Jiao couldn’t help but turn her head to look at her. Taking advantage of the fact that no students were looking their way, she raised her hand to pull up Zheng Zhiyu’s sleeve for a look. Seeing the somewhat tattered cuff, she asked after a moment:
“Do you want… to change into a different outfit?”
Zheng Zhiyu immediately looked at her vigilantly: “No, that’s not allowed. This clothes are very important, they can’t be changed.”
Xu Jiao heard her refusal but didn’t mind.
She just casually asked: “Do you plan to wear such tattered clothes and make do with me for a lifetime?”
Zheng Zhiyu, who had been insistent before, suddenly paused her grip on her sleeve. She stared at Xu Jiao in a daze: “What did you say?”
Xu Jiao shrugged, pretending she hadn’t said anything. A passing student had just glanced at her.
But Zheng Zhiyu couldn’t care less about that. She raised her hand to pinch Xu Jiao’s cheek: “Repeat what you just said—”
Xu Jiao, unable to escape her persistence, changed her course midway to the cafeteria and walked to a less crowded path. Her eyes showed a hint of helplessness, and after a while, she said:
“Let go.”
“Did I say something wrong? We only have one lifetime together anyway. When I die, I won’t enter reincarnation, my soul will scatter directly. You’re missing a soul, so it’s the same for you. Oh, but if you use my protective essence to patch yourself up, you could manage to go to the underworld and reincarnate…”
“I won’t.” Zheng Zhiyu interrupted her.
“I won’t reincarnate. If you’re gone, I’ll turn into dust in this world with you. Where there’s sunlight, we’ll both be bright. In the shadows, we’ll intertwine. Even if absorbed by all things, with every breath, I am with you.”
Xu Jiao was captivated by her intensely passionate words.
Unconsciously turning her head away, she had already forgotten what she wanted to say. But just as she made this evasive move, Zheng Zhiyu had already turned her head back, staring into her eyes, and said to her:
“You said you want to spend a lifetime with me.”
“I heard you.”
“This lifetime might be long. I won’t let you go, so you should be prepared for that.”
Xu Jiao met her gaze, and after a while, she softly uttered: “Mm.”
Even if they left this book, there would be many more worlds, many new beginnings. This was just an illusory, beautiful dream, but Xu Jiao had already learned to indulge in it.
She began to understand why some stories, though fictional and beautiful, still have many people willing to believe in them.
Because even someone as cold-hearted as her couldn’t escape this temptation.
In this world, the hardest thing to escape is love.
Hearing her response, heavy with meaning, Zheng Zhiyu’s eyes narrowed slightly. Just as Xu Jiao was preparing herself for more romantic words, she heard Zheng Zhiyu slowly ask:
“Then…”
“Can we try that new toy we bought for you last time tonight?”
Xu Jiao: “…”
She was quiet for two seconds, then clearly articulated a single word: “Scram.”
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