Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Xie Xuan found it a bit strange, but thinking about the experiences of Jin Se and her brother Jin Yu, he couldn't help but feel sympathy. He replied, "It is now the first year of Yongchang."
Jin Yu looked at Xie Xuan in confusion; clearly, he was unfamiliar with this era. He asked, "The first year of Yongchang? How many years has it been since the sixth year of Xianqing?"
Xie Xuan paused for a moment and said, "Xianqing, that was Taizong's era, right? It has been over thirty years since then."
After saying this, Xie Xuan suddenly felt the atmosphere around him change dramatically. The fresh scent of plants began to be overlaid with a foul stench of decay. The lights in the Central Plains room that had been shining brightly were now extinguished, and a chilling wind rose from nowhere, seeping into Xie Xuan's collar and sending shivers down his spine. He looked at Jin Yu and asked with concern, "Jin Yu, are you alright?"
Jin Yu slowly lifted his head to look at Xie Xuan. In the faint moonlight, Xie Xuan saw Jin Yu's face. The originally handsome features had vanished, leaving only a white skull, yet strangely, two lively eyes were spinning atop it.
Jin Yu looked at Xie Xuan with those eyes, his jaw moving as he emitted a somewhat sorrowful sound: "So it turns out I have been dead for so many years!"
The door behind Xie Xuan opened, and Jin Se stood at the entrance holding a bone flute. She merely glanced at Jin Yu and said, "Jin Yu, it's getting late. Go back to your room and sleep."
"Sister!" Jin Yu's mouth continued to move: "So it turns out Jin Yu has been dead for such a long time!"
"Is time very important to Jin Yu?" Jin Se's eyes turned slightly red: "As long as Jin Yu remembers that he is accompanying his sister. So whether it's one year, ten years, a hundred years, or ten thousand years, it makes no difference to Jin Yu, does it?"
Jin Yu fell silent and then turned around, slowly making his way back to his room.
Jin Se walked up to Xie Xuan and said, "You don't need to be afraid; Jin Yu is a good child; he won't harm you. By tomorrow morning when the sun rises, he will forget what happened today and everything will be fine."
Not being afraid was a lie; however, when one reaches the peak of fear, they often become numb to it. At that moment, Xie Xuan felt turmoil in his stomach and quickly ran aside to vomit. Jin Yu was dead—he was someone who had died many times—so what had Jin Yu given him to eat?
He closed his eyes and didn't dare look at what was on the ground.
"Rest assured, although Jin Yu has been dead for a long time, when he forgets about time, he is just an ordinary child. Those foods were all personally gathered by me; they are fresh. If you don't believe me, you can open your eyes and take a careful look," Jin Se said from behind him. Her voice was neither loud nor soft, neither hurried nor slow—as if what had just happened with Jin Yu was merely a prank.
Xie Xuan opened his eyes and indeed found that what he had vomited was all ordinary food; aside from some stomach acid, everything else was fresh and not spoiled. He stood there without turning back, covering his still-churning stomach with one hand and asked, "You are Jin Yu's sister; then what about you? Are you also like him?"
"If I were like Jin Yu, then I wouldn't have to live so painfully," Jin Se sighed softly and asked, "Do you know about the Mountain Spirit?"
"The Mountain Spirit? There seems to be related records in the Songs of Chu; the Mountain Spirit is described as a beautiful, straightforward yet infatuated girl."
"My mother is the Mountain Spirit. She truly is as described in the Songs of Chu—a beautiful, straightforward, infatuated woman. My father is a hunter from this mountain. During one hunting trip, he accidentally injured his leg and became trapped in the mountains. For seven nights straight, just when my father was about to die, my mother appeared. She had been sleeping as the Mountain Spirit in the mountains but woke up upon hearing my father's prayers. My mother saved my father and fell in love with him."
"Then does your father know that your mother is the Mountain Spirit?"
"He originally didn't know. But later, I was born, and my skin color was different from everyone around me. My father noticed this; although he didn't doubt my mother, he always felt uncomfortable inside.
So, my mother chose a day to tell my father that she was a Mountain Spirit. She also explained to him that because she was a Mountain Spirit, the blood flowing in my veins was also that of a Mountain Spirit, which is why I was different from other children. My father was surprised at first and even scared, but later he came to terms with it.
Because my father loved my mother very much. To him, the fact that my mother was a Mountain Spirit was not frightening; what was truly terrifying was the thought that my mother might leave him out of fear. As I grew up, my skin color continued to be different from ordinary children, and since my mother was exceptionally beautiful, those with ulterior motives began to gather together. They either gossiped about us behind our backs or fabricated stories to ostracize us, and eventually, they even started attacking us.
So what if my mother was a Mountain Spirit? She was gentle and kind and had never harmed anyone. It was those villagers who, despite being human, had hearts more terrifying than demons. My father had no choice but to take my mother and us siblings to hide in the mountains, but those people still wouldn't let us go. They chased after us, constantly attacking and forcing us, even setting fire to our house.
'Since your mother is a Mountain Spirit, why didn't she take your father and you siblings to escape? Did you just watch as those villagers set fire to kill you?'
Escape? Where could we have gone? Moreover, this mountain was the home of my parents. Although Mountain Spirits are considered demons, they don't possess much power; they simply live longer than ordinary people. At that time, they captured me and forced my parents and younger brother into the house, locking the doors and sealing the windows. I could only watch helplessly as my parents and younger brother were burned alive inside.
I suffered, I struggled, I prayed, but what use was it? They not only wanted to kill my parents but also intended to sacrifice me to the mountain. Fortunately for me, they didn't burn me alive but chose to use me as a sacrifice instead. I am the Daughter of the Mountain Spirit and also the Daughter of this forest, so I was saved while those malicious villagers received their deserved punishment.'
'What about Jin Yu? Why did he end up like that?'
'After I escaped, I returned home to look for my parents and younger brother. By then, both of them had been burned beyond recognition; only my younger brother survived because he had been protected under their bodies. I wanted to bury him alongside our parents, but at that moment a Taoist priest arrived. He told me he could help keep my brother alive in the form of a living person so that he could stay with me forever. I couldn't resist such temptation; no matter what price I had to pay, I would agree.
'What price did that Taoist ask you to pay?'
'Actually, it wasn't much. He was a good person who only asked me to guard this forest for eternity and warned me never to let my brother leave this place. To me, this wasn't much of a request at all, so I agreed, and he kept his word.
My brother lived on; Jin Yu could stay by my side forever. However, he would never grow up again. Fortunately for me, I also have half the blood of a Mountain Spirit, so my lifespan is several hundred years longer than ordinary people’s; I age slowly as well. At first, Jin Yu didn't realize he had died. But even the most magical spells cannot hide the truth of his death from him. His skin began to rot and decay gradually. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as he turned into a walking skeleton.
At this point, Jin Se began to cry softly.
'Jin Yu begged me to let him die peacefully and do what a dead person should do. Although becoming bone from flesh doesn't hurt or itch, watching his skin rot away repeatedly is a pain no ordinary person can bear. Though I felt reluctant and heartbroken for him, I followed his wishes and buried him.' Jin Se raised her hands and asked Xie Xuan: 'Have you ever buried someone alive?'
Xie Xuan first fell silent before gently nodding.
'Was it a relative of yours?' Jin Se asked again.
Xie Xuan shook his head: 'No! It was an enemy who came to kill me.'
'Then you wouldn't feel pain. But I do! Jin Yu is my brother—my real brother. Even though he turned into bones, he could still walk and talk; he could still call me sister. Even his eyes could still move. When I placed him in the coffin and began shoveling dirt over him bit by bit until it covered his body—his chin—even his face—leaving only his eyes exposed—I couldn't take it anymore and collapsed on the ground crying loudly. Although I begged that Taoist priest to keep Jin Yu alive, I forgot to ask how he could die like an ordinary person.
Jin Yu felt sorry for me; he crawled out of the tomb himself. He told me he wasn't afraid; he'd rather repeat the process of becoming bone than leave me alone in this world because he knew how pitiful and sad I'd be."
"So, all these years, Jin Yu and he have..." Xie Xuan considered himself not to be a good person, but Jin Yu's experiences still made his heart tremble slightly.
"Yes! It has always been that way, only in recent years has it improved a bit." Jin Se sniffed, raised her head, and a smile blossomed at the corner of her mouth: "Over the years, I have been searching for a way. In the mountains and forests, besides me, there are many other mountain spirits and monsters. Although I haven't found a better method to alleviate Jin Yu's suffering, through years of attempts, he can endure for longer periods. Moreover, I inadvertently discovered a herb that allows him to forget everything after experiencing a night of pain. So, Jin Yu has never known how much time has passed outside."
"It’s all my fault; I shouldn’t have told Jin Yu that year."
"It’s fine; when he wakes up tomorrow, he will naturally forget." Jin Se said, looking up at Xie Xuan: "It's getting late; you should return to your room and rest."
"Jin Se!" In his memory, this was probably the first time during this long night that Xie Xuan actively called out Jin Se's name: "If I go out and find that Taoist or some other master who can help Jin Yu, would you be willing to leave the mountains?"
"Leave the mountains?" Jin Se looked at Xie Xuan in confusion.
"When someone dies, they ultimately need to be laid to rest. As his brother, Jin Yu has accompanied you for many years; I think it’s time to let him go in peace. As for you, Jin Se, I hope I can take care of you in place of Jin Yu. So, Jin Se, would you be willing?"
Jin Se shook her head: "While I believe there are true feelings in this world like my father had for my mother, I may not have that kind of fortune. Although I am a mountain dweller, I can see that you are not seeking a common person like me; your interest in me is perhaps just temporary curiosity or even pity. I understand your feelings and appreciate them. But when the sun rises tomorrow, the bond between you and me will come to an end. This journey is long; I hope you take care!"
"Xie Xuan!" Seeing Jin Se about to return inside, Xie Xuan hurriedly spoke: "The character 'Xie' means gratitude; 'Xuan' means mysterious. My name is Xie Xuan. Jin Se, I don’t want promises, but I hope that when I return again, you will come with me!"
Jin Se raised her eyebrows and smiled; her smile appeared exceptionally radiant and beautiful under the faint moonlight as she looked into Xie Xuan's eyes: "Alright! If you return again, Jin Se will follow you for a lifetime, never leaving or forsaking!"
Comment 0 Comment Count