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墨書 Inktalez
Xing Ruyi was surprised to discover such a sheer cliff in Luoyang. In fact, it wasn't really a cliff; according to the geography books from his previous life, this place was called Hills. The spot they were standing on was merely the top of a Hill, and looking down gave a sense of a steep drop.
There is an ancient saying in China: "Born in Suzhou and Hangzhou, buried in Northern Mang," meaning that Northern Mang is a land of good fortune. If one could rest eternally there after death, their descendants would benefit for generations. Especially since it faces the Yellow River, it aligns perfectly with the principles of feng shui: "Backed by mountains and facing rivers, with an open and adaptable terrain, symbolizing broad-mindedness and the ability to harness all things." Because of this, emperors who established their capitals in the Central Plains aspired to be buried in Northern Mang to bless their descendants and secure their dynasties.
However, eternal stability is impossible; dynasties rise and fall as part of fate. As the saying goes, "Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west," no matter how good the feng shui is, it will gradually shift over time. Yet still, it remains at Northern Mang. While the dead cannot move with the shifting feng shui, Monsters can. Thus, Northern Mang is home to many spiritual creatures that are cultivating.
The fox's choice of this place also held deep meaning. Such abundant spiritual energy or yin energy was an irresistible "feast" for the soul of Fang Ping's Parasitic Fetus.
Xing Ruyi recited a few incantations, and soon something on Fang Ping's back impatiently began to emerge. This was Xing Ruyi's first glimpse of the Parasitic Fetus, which appeared somewhat ugly and terrifying. If forced to describe it, it resembled a flesh-colored tadpole growing on Fang Ping's back, with a large head and a long flesh-colored tail trailing behind.
Upon seeing Xing Ruyi, it shrank back slightly before asking in a ghostly voice, "You called me out; what do you want? I can tell you that if I die, he won't survive either."
The Parasitic Fetus twisted its body slightly, causing Fang Ping to grimace in pain.
"You know my purpose; your thoughts cannot be hidden from me. What must happen for you to spare Fang Ping?"
"I spare him?" The Parasitic Fetus let out a cold laugh. "Shouldn't it be me begging him to spare me? We were born from the same root, but when we were in the womb, my body was weak and I couldn't compete with him; he consumed me. I don't hold a grudge—winners take all, losers are left behind; that's how it's always been. But now I have no chance of reincarnation; I can only wait for the next cycle. So I must obediently stay on him. You think I want to live like this? I have no choice. If he could live peacefully, I could wait until he passes away after a hundred years and then leave on my own to report to the Underworld. But look at him—he's not living well; he insists on being with that Luo Luo. She's a three-lifetime Cursed Lone Star, and being with her means certain death. I don't want to die; I'd rather be a wandering spirit than follow him into hell."
"Into hell?" Xing Ruyi asked in confusion. "You just said that once Fang Ping reaches a hundred years old, you can leave on your own and reincarnate. If he dies because of Luo Luo, wouldn't that fulfill your wish and allow you to reincarnate sooner?"
The Parasitic Fetus shot a sideways glance at Xing Ruyi. "Do you think this young man beside you hasn't told you? Anyone killed by the Cursed Lone Star, even if they can reincarnate, must spend some time in hell first. Whether it's hundreds of years or thousands of years—or perhaps forever—no one knows. If it were you, would you want to spend hundreds or even thousands of years in hell? I certainly wouldn't want that; hence I must leave. People are selfish; no one is an exception."
"Isn't it true that if I leave Ping, you'll be able to stay well without thinking about leaving or wanting my Ping dead?" Luo Luo asked softly.
The Parasitic Fetus let out another cold laugh: "How ridiculous! The one who wants him dead is you. If he were willing to stay away from you, I'd naturally be fine staying here. I'm not foolish; between being a wandering spirit and reincarnation, I'd definitely choose the latter."
"Luo Luo, don't listen to him. I've thought about it; even if I die, I want to be with you." Fang Ping struggled to sit up: "Throughout this journey, I've thought about so much. If I leave you, perhaps I could live peacefully for my entire life. But without you, it's like being a walking corpse. What does living seventy or eighty years mean if it's like that? As long as I'm with you—even if it's just for a brief moment—I am happy. So, Luo Luo, I don't want to leave you, and you can't leave me either."
“Ping, I'm sorry!” Luo Luo said, taking a step back. “He’s right; people are selfish. Luo Luo is selfish too, selfishly wanting you to live well. Luo Luo is certainly unwilling because since Luo Luo was born, Luo Luo has always been kind to others, even sparing the animals in the mountains. But why must you treat me like this?”
“Luo Luo, what do you want to do?” Fang Ping looked at the deep valley behind her and suddenly stood up.
“I’m sorry! Luo Luo knows that as long as Luo Luo is alive, Ping you will be hard to let go of, and Ping you may not be able to let go of Luo Luo either. So please allow Luo Luo to be selfish just this once and let Luo Luo go first, okay?” Luo Luo said, and unexpectedly turned around quickly, rushing towards the deep valley.
“Luo Luo!” Xing Ruyi screamed, wanting to rush over to save her but was tightly held back by the fox.
“Stinky Fox, Yin Chensi, why are you holding me back? Luo Luo jumped off the cliff; didn’t you see that?”
“Shh! Look!” The fox tightly wrapped around Xing Ruyi, pointing to the side.
It turned out that when Luo Luo leaped down, Fang Ping had dashed to the edge of the valley at inhuman speed, grabbing hold of Luo Luo tightly. Meanwhile, the Parasitic Fetus on his back had wrapped its long body around a tree at the edge.
“Ping, let go! If you don’t let go soon, we’ll both die!”
“I won’t let go! I will never let go! If we’re going to live, we’ll live together; if we’re going to die, we’ll die together! At least on the road to the underworld, I can still accompany you!”
“You can die if you want; just don’t drag me down with you!”
“Fang Ping, you jerk! I’m your brother too; it’s one thing for you to eat me, but now you want to take me down with you in death? Did I owe you something in my past life?”
“Fang Ping, let him go; otherwise, I’ll come out myself. You can die if you want!”
“Ping, let go! Luo Luo doesn’t want you to die!”
Fang Ping: "I won't let go! If I die, I'll die together! As for what’s on my back, if you want to leave, then leave. Why all the unnecessary talk?"
Luo Luo: "Ping, meeting you in this life is enough! Parasitic Fetus brother, I beg you, take good care of Ping."
Luo Luo said this as she began to struggle to pry Fang Ping's fingers apart.
"Luo Luo! Luo Luo, don’t!" Fang Ping shouted anxiously, but one by one, his fingers were pried open by Luo Luo. Then he watched helplessly as Luo Luo, like a fairy falling from the clouds, slowly descended from his sight. "Luo Luo——"
"Ping, take care! Even for Luo Luo, you must live well!" Luo Luo smiled and closed her eyes.
A swirl of red smoke emerged from above Luo Luo's head. She felt her body becoming very light, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself back above the deep valley. Fang Ping was looking at her with an anxious expression.
"Ping?" Luo Luo murmured, then began to cry: "Why are you so foolish? Didn’t Luo Luo want you to live well? Why did you have to die with Luo Luo!"
"Silly Luo Luo, we are both still alive!" Fang Ping immediately embraced Luo Luo.
"Who is that?" Xing Ruyi did not look at the couple who had survived the disaster and were tightly embracing each other; instead, she focused on the red smoke that had just rescued Luo Luo. Now, that red smoke had coalesced into a human form, almost identical to the lying Luo Luo. Luo Luo also saw that version of herself and looked at her in confusion, realizing that it was what saved her.
Could it be that she also had a Parasitic Fetus like Ping?
"That is Luo Luo's past life, or it could be her Resentment. Luo Luo has been a Cursed Lone Star for three lifetimes; it is not fate but something she sought herself," the fox explained softly from the side.
"Sought herself? Why would Luo Luo want this for no reason?" Xing Ruyi asked in confusion, but the fox merely smiled calmly.
"In her first life, Luo Luo was abandoned by her own biological parents. In fact, her biological mother went so far as to kill her for personal gain and gave her away as a gift."
In the second life, Luo Luo's mother passed away early, and her father remarried, having a son. The stepmother resented Luo Luo as a burden and sold her into a brothel. Luo Luo had saved some silver coins to buy her freedom, but at that moment, she met a man. Believing she had found a good partner, she gave him all her savings to support his studies for the imperial examination in Beijing. In the end, he became the top scholar but married another woman. After waiting for seven years, when they met again, he was now a respectable official with a virtuous wife and filial children, while she had become a courtesan. When their eyes met, he didn't even recognize her. After returning home, Luo Luo hanged herself.
In the third life, Luo Luo finally encountered kind parents and successfully married, but her husband was irresponsible, drinking and gambling daily, even abusing her. Ultimately, he poisoned both Luo Luo and her parents to elope with a widow, taking all their silver.
After enduring hardships across three lives, although Luo Luo still retained a pure heart, she no longer wished to suffer or be betrayed by others. Thus, she prayed that if there were a next life, she would rather live alone. The heavens took pity on her and moved her fate to the Cursed Lone Star. Humans have seven lives; currently, it is Luo Luo's sixth life. The figure formed from red mist represents her past self.
That past life of Luo Luo heard the fox's words and smiled at it. Then she looked down at Fang Ping and Luo Luo, saying: "Luo Luo, I am very happy that in this life you have finally met someone who loves you and is even willing to die for you. Although I do not know if he will continue to treat you this way in the future, I feel that I should leave now. After three lives of loneliness, I think I should not be so selfish; I should leave you with a destiny that allows you to choose for yourself."
Xing Ruyi watched from the side and finally understood: "Oh, I see now; this red figure is the previous Luo Luo who wished to live alone for eternity. Right now, she is moved by the love between Luo Luo and Fang Ping, which is why she is willing to come out and save Luo Luo."
"She is also the source of the Cursed Lone Star!" said the fox as it looked up. Its gaze pierced through the daylight to see that Luo Luo's star chart was slowly shifting. Her fate was being altered by her love.
The red Luo Luo departed, and the current Luo Luo was no longer the Cursed Lone Star who brought misfortune to husbands. The Parasitic Fetus returned to Fang Ping's body but had changed. If Fang Ping treated Luo Luo well for his entire life, it would remain dormant forever without awakening again. However, if Fang Ping betrayed her, it could not guarantee what might happen next. Indeed, this Parasitic Fetus was also moved by their love.
Half a month later, Luo Luo finally married Fang Ping. Her makeup was done by Xing Ruyi; her skin was as white as jade and her long hair as black as ink; even her eyes brimmed with happiness. After six lives of waiting, this time, Luo Luo finally got the good partner and life she desired. As for Fang Ping's parents, though somewhat traditional due to their scholarly background, they were kind-hearted and treated Luo Luo very well.
Watching the loving couple exchange vows in front of them, Xing Ruyi leaned into the fox's embrace and couldn't help but sigh: "People say that for women, getting married is no less than being reborn for the second time. This saying fits perfectly with Luo Luo."
The fox curled its lips but said nothing; it simply extended its right arm to tightly wrap around Xing Ruyi's waist.
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