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墨書 Inktalez
When heat and light fade away, they sink into the oil lamp, appearing grayish-black, which can easily be mistaken for the ashes left after a fire has gone out. This so-called lamp oil is not ordinary; although it has been processed, if one gets close enough to smell it, there is still a foul odor reminiscent of stagnant water. Fireflies are particularly fond of dwelling in the humid areas around such stagnant pools.
These fireflies have a short life cycle. In the beginning, they feed on fresh blood, but in their final days, driven by the urge ignited by blood, they frantically gnaw at Soul Awareness. For them, human Soul Awareness is overwhelmingly powerful; often, after just a few bites, they end up bursting from overindulgence.
After their death, Soul Awareness does not dissipate immediately. The mastermind behind this has calculated everything precisely, balancing the amount of lamp oil with that of the fireflies. Once the lamp oil runs out, the fireflies will have just died from overeating. The person lighting the lamp will then take the oil bowl to buy more oil, conveniently bringing back the corpses of the fireflies.
From this, we glean some rather good news. If the immortal is indeed orchestrating this scheme, then his physical condition must not be very good; collecting Soul Awareness is likely aimed at repairing his own. Using such a method of accumulating little by little suggests that he has become too weak to capture larger prey.
Old Vine finished speaking when Huo Qi immediately warned that even if our suspicions were correct, we could not let our guard down. A being with such intelligence could potentially be more powerful than I am; even if he is weak now, he might still have plenty of tricks up his sleeve.
Sang Qingxiao expressed concern for Sun Rongniang, wondering if those who had been gnawed upon would be alright. Such small creatures with tiny mouths and bellies might not cause much trouble in a few years, but over time—ten or twenty years—it could be another story altogether. Moreover, speculating about repairing Soul Awareness is just our guess; what those Soul Awareness fragments are specifically used for remains uncertain. It might be better to sever ties with this matter sooner rather than later.
In the evening, Sang Qingxiao took a lantern downstairs and hung it outside with Sun Rongniang. As Sun Rongniang leaned in to light it with a fire stick, Sang Qingxiao used a long pole tied with a fire stick instead. This action drew a sideways glance from Sun Rongniang.
Sang Qingxiao smiled sheepishly and explained that she had seen many people burn their hands while lighting fires. "I'm afraid of pain; you wouldn’t want to laugh at me for that."
"How could I? I was once a delicate young girl myself; it's just life that has forced me to change," Sun Rongniang replied.
Sang Qingxiao continued casually, "It’s strange though; everyone keeps a distance from the wick when lighting it, yet so many still burn their hands."
Sun Rongniang paused her actions thoughtfully at this observation.
Sang Qingxiao pressed on, "Sister Sun, please don’t think I’m meddling; I’ve been watching closely. All the benefits seem to go to your husband."
To her, this act of lighting the lantern resembled a vow repayment in a temple—whoever received benefits should be the one to repay them.
Sun Rongniang was taken aback. "Is that so?"
"Sister Sun," Sang Qingxiao continued gently, "the wish you made in your heart wasn’t solely for your husband’s survival; what you truly long for is to return to those happy moments together. But since things have turned out differently than you hoped and your heart bears resentment despite your outward acceptance—lighting the fire with such feelings will surely be sensed by the immortal. As grievances accumulate over time, there will come a day when they provoke him."
Why not let those who benefit take the initiative? Out of sight, out of mind for you. Besides, weren't you planning to leave soon? You can't possibly take the lantern with you, can you? What will happen to the oil?
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