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墨書 Inktalez
A few days had passed without seeing Xiaopu. She had locked herself in her room and really hadn't shown her face. I decided that regardless of Chiba or the sun's situation, I needed to talk to Xiaopu; otherwise, given the current circumstances, it seemed impossible for us to all appear together.
“Xiaopu, it's me—” Looking at Xiaopu's tightly closed door, I wasn't sure how to start. I was worried that she wouldn't be able to handle what the sun had said.
There were some faint sounds from inside, but Xiaopu remained silent.
“There are some things I want to clarify with you; otherwise, your little head will surely be filled with wild thoughts,” I joked lightly.
“Creak—” The door opened a crack, and Xiaopu peered at me with wide eyes.
“What’s wrong? It’s not like it’s our first meeting,” I said with a pout.
“Come in,” Xiaopu said, dragging out the words in a tone that was hard to interpret, her face drooping.
“The sun has recovered, and I'm fine too; everything is going well,” I said as I sat on a bamboo chair, looking at Xiaopu.
Xiaopu curled up on a bamboo couch, not looking at me.
“Are you feeling down? Why haven’t you come to see me these past few days?” I asked softly, my voice tinged with a hint of grievance.
Xiaopu still didn’t speak, quietly curled up there, lost in her thoughts.
“Are you unhappy?”
"......"
"Do you still not want to see me?"
"......"
"Xiaopu, can you say something?"
"...... Xi Meng, can we leave quickly?" Xiaopu raised her head, her face stained with tears, looking at me with a pained expression.
"What happened, Xiaopu?!" I exclaimed. I immediately sat down beside Xiaopu and hugged her tightly.
"This place suffocates me; it's too painful."
"Okay, okay, once the sun takes care of everything in the clan, we'll leave soon." I gently patted Xiaopu's back.
"No, no." Xiaopu cried harder.
"Then what do you want?"
"Don't let me see him; I don't want to see him again." Xiaopu murmured repeatedly, not wanting to see him.
"Is it— the Sun?" I asked tentatively.
"It hurts so much here." Xiaopu said, poking at her heart and nodding repeatedly.
"When did it start?!" I asked nervously.
"At first, I saved him involuntarily and didn't think much of it. But later, every time I encountered him, my heart would start to ache violently. The pain grew worse until I saw him this time; his eyes were like an abyss, suffocating me. It felt like my body was about to split open, as if something was trying to break free... What should I do, Xi Meng? I can't stop my hatred for him. If this continues, I won't be able to move forward with you all."
"I understand; I get what you're saying. Don't be afraid." I hugged Xiaopu tightly to comfort her.
Seeing the once lively and cheerful Xiaopu suddenly become like this made my heart ache.
What can be done to lift the blood curse that the princess cast upon the sun?
I must find a way; I can't bear to see Xiaopu suffer like this any longer. And the sun—his pain is no less than Xiaopu's.
The Spirit Cat Clan Princess took away the sun's heart. As long as the sun gets back the heart that was taken from him, the blood curse will naturally be lifted.
The princess is dead. Although Xiaopu is her reincarnation, it doesn't mean she knows where that heart is.
"Alright, let's not think about it anymore. Let's chat... I remember you told me about the Cat Princess. She chose to self-destruct for the safety of her people and cast a blood curse, right?"
Xiaopu looked confused as to why I suddenly brought this up but nodded in response.
I wiped away the tears on her face and asked, "You mentioned that ghost tricked your princess into leaving, but do you know why that Soul Energy is far inferior to your princess's ghost? It can't even be considered a strong ghost capable of deceiving her?"
Xiaopu shook her head and listened seriously to my words, as if this topic had piqued her interest.
"Because that princess fell in love with that ghost."
"No, absolutely not! Not only the Spirit Cat Clan, but any royal bloodline of the Cat Clan cannot intermarry with outsiders to ensure the purity of future royal bloodlines, let alone fall in love with outsiders." Xiaopu denied it decisively.
The marriage and childbirth of beings from the underworld are different from those in the human realm. Here, both parties need to merge their inner dan, and this is also when both Soul Energy is at its weakest, making it easy for others to ambush them. Therefore, it is not easy for a solitary being in the underworld to give birth; even the survival rate of the mother is quite low.
After merging two inner dans, they must wait a year before separating and returning to their respective bodies. The fetus will form within the mother's inner dan, and after a certain period, it will tear itself out of the mother. The waiting time varies among different races; sometimes a fetus can form in a day, while other times it may take years or even decades. Generally, the longer the waiting time, the stronger the fetus's Soul Energy.
Of course, although the pain caused by the fetus is unbearable, recovery is very quick. Usually, after resting for a moment, it does not affect the mother's later cultivation.
Inner dans of the same race are most similar, resulting in the purest offspring. Generally, purity is prioritized since every race wants to consolidate its bloodline and increase its population. Thus, most choose to marry within their own group, and there is no taboo against marrying close relatives. This is especially evident among royal families; to ensure their noble bloodline, royals absolutely cannot marry outsiders.
"What if that princess was willing to give up everything for her beloved, just to be with him?" I countered.
"...Would she really give up her kin?" Xiaopu looked at me in confusion; she could not understand that princess's choice.
"Yes, she would give up everything; she chose her beloved." I affirmed.
"If it were me, perhaps I would do the same," Xiaopu sighed. "But I have no right to say that. Now that the Spirit Cat Clan is nearly extinct, those remaining are not enough to revive its glory. We can only wait for an opportunity to return under the leadership of the Cat Clan."
"So you mean if your beloved were not a member of the Cat Clan, but an outsider instead, you would ultimately make the same choice as that princess?"
"En."
"Why? Aren't you the one who values the Spirit Cat Clan the most?!"
"If it were the old Spirit Cat Clan, I would indeed hesitate. But as I just mentioned, the current Spirit Cat Clan has neither the ability nor the time to wait for a newborn's arrival. If we are destined to return under the leadership of the Cat Clan, then the Cat Clan has never given us anything. I would never give up my beloved for them. Like the princess, I will choose my own fate."
"…Xiaopu, have you already found someone you like?" I asked in a daze.
Xiaopu was also taken aback.
"Is that person—Chiba?" I asked uncertainly.
Xiaopu looked at me with a troubled expression, his feelings complex. "I can feel all of Chiba's sadness, and I am always drawn to his melancholic demeanor. I always like to tease him by calling him 'wooden head.' I enjoy seeing him flustered. I want to ease all his sorrows, and if possible, I would be willing to guard him every moment, ensuring he is no longer harmed, even if… he has never truly looked at me."
"But Xi Meng, I can feel that his heart is not with me."
I looked at the joke fate was playing on us with a mix of laughter and tears. Why must it always be so tormenting? Everything is misaligned.
"Xiaopu, I will only ask you one thing: do you think this is love? Not like; I'm asking you, is it love?"
"Xi Meng—" Xiaopu was stunned, his eyes wide with some panic.
"Have you ever thought that Chiba might just be a reflection of your own tragic shadow? Everything he has experienced resonates with you and reminds you of your kin, evoking your sorrow. But tell me, how long can you sustain this feeling for Chiba? Can you truly accept all the darkness within him and ease it for him?"
"In other words, perhaps you only like one side of Chiba, but you don't fully understand all of Chiba, and even after understanding, you might not be able to accept it all."
Xiaopu lowered her head, not refuting.
I knew my words would stir some turmoil in Xiaopu's heart; she thought her convictions were absolute, but they might not be true.
"So wake up, Xiaopu. You can still be yourself without Chiba. You will feel sad, but after the sadness, you will still be the original Xiaopu. However, this is really not love."
"Then tell me, what is love?" Xiaopu asked softly.
"...I am not sure what love is either, but my feeling is that you have countless reasons to leave, yet you stop for just one expression from him. Even if he is not by your side, you still feel as if he has never left."
I closed my eyes, and a figure appeared in my mind—somewhat blurred, but his essence was deeply imprinted in my memory, so warm.
Moon, are you thinking of me too?
"Maybe you're right; I don't understand Chiba as much as I thought. My feelings are just what I assumed; I can't really say it's love," Xiaopu said dejectedly.
"No, Xiaopu. Because of your kindness, you can empathize with everyone's sorrow. Your heart is warm; you want to redeem those struggling in pain. But you need to understand that this is definitely not love. However, I believe Chiba can feel the warmth you bring; he is not as cold as we think."
"Mm." Xiaopu wiped her face and nodded repeatedly.
"But Xi Meng, under what circumstances do you think of someone and feel a pain that makes it hard to breathe?" Xiaopu suddenly asked.
I was taken aback; she was talking about the sun.
"Clearly, we haven't known each other for long, we've only met a few times, and you always have that silly grin. It's useless," Xiaopu muttered.
I sighed lightly. This was a matter from several lifetimes ago, and it shouldn't be something so pure and kind as Xiaopu had to bear.
"Xiaopu, let's return to our previous topic. If that princess disregarded everything and ran away with the one she loved, knowing it would lead to her people's destruction, and she herself was lured into a trap, then that ghost had ulterior motives from the very beginning. If it were you, what would you think?"
"I would hate that ghost and curse him with my life," Xiaopu coldly spat out those words.
"Even if he repented, admitted his mistakes, and confessed that he truly loved the princess, would you still hate him?"
Xiaopu hesitated for a moment and said, "I would."
"Why? You were willing to give up everything for him back then; your people were already no longer your concern."
"That's why I hate myself even more; it wasn't worth it."
"That ghost has endured several lifetimes of suffering after being cursed. He finally found the reincarnation of that princess and wanted to break the blood curse from back then to win her heart again. If it were you, would you still give it?"
I glanced at the shadows outside the window and raised my voice; that person was waiting for Xiaopu's answer just like I was.
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