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墨書 Inktalez
Scenes from the past flickered before Bei Heng's eyes: Lin Kedu, crying like a child on the stone bridge; Lin Kedu, smiling mischievously in the Tea House; Lin Kedu, casually declaring in the palace that she was being foolish...
With her eyes closed, every frown and smile of hers came alive in his mind—proud, arrogant, stubborn.
But kneeling in the Sky Palace, Lin Kedu said, "I only regret not being able to turn the Heaven and Earth Disk."
This lifeless version of Lin Kedu made Bei Heng's breath ache; his chest rose and fell slightly, his eyes filled with heartache.
She didn’t say it outright, but he understood that her regret was not being able to turn the Heaven and Earth Disk back five hundred years to correct that history and bring him together with Yuling.
"Lin Kedu, do you still not repent?"
The Heavenly Emperor, seated high on his throne, was clearly enraged, his face darkening.
"The Heavenly Emperor can punish me as he wishes; I have nothing to say," Lin Kedu replied expressionlessly, her gaze unwavering.
"Lin Kedu, you should be quiet." Bei Heng's words came out as a stern reprimand. He furrowed his brow, feeling a deep inner conflict.
She looked up for a moment, sadness flickering in her eyes along with a hint of grievance, but then she lowered her head and refused to look at him again.
"You are so stubborn. I shall punish you by imprisoning you in the Snow Mountain. Unless the mountain collapses, you shall never come out."
Once the Heavenly Emperor's decree was issued, it could not be changed; his voice was authoritative and brooked no dissent.
Gasps echoed among the immortals. While moving the Heaven and Earth Disk was indeed a grave offense, it had not caused any substantial harm; this punishment seemed excessively harsh.
"Father, Lin Kedu is not guilty of this."
Bei Heng was taken aback and quickly stepped forward. "Lin Kedu, she..." It was for me.
Before he could finish, Lin Kedu interrupted him. "Third Emperor, you need not feign concern for me; I am not worthy of it." Her gaze was devoid of sorrow or joy, desire or demand, carrying a resolute determination to sever ties with him.
Bei Heng's heart trembled, an inexplicable sense of panic washing over him—yes, panic.
Without time to think, he stepped forward and took her hand, gripping it tightly as he swiftly summoned the mist to leave, moving at an incredible speed.
By the time those in the hall reacted, all they saw was Lin Kedu's hair trailing behind her.
"Third Emperor, do you think this punishment is too light to quell your resentment?"
Standing on the clouds, Lin Kedu shook off his hand and swung her arm forcefully.
"Yuling died of illness, not by your doing. Why do you lie to me?" Bei Heng looked at her, deep regret reflected in his eyes as his brows furrowed tightly.
Lin Kedu scoffed. "Even if it’s just a lie, you believed it without hesitation, didn’t you?"
If only he had hesitated for a moment, he could have uncovered many flaws in her words, but he did not.
Bei Heng found himself at a loss for words. Thousands of things he wanted to say boiled down to just one: "I'm sorry." His voice carried a hint of guilt.
Lin Kedu was momentarily lost in thought. Would the lofty Third Emperor really apologize?
Then came a burst of laughter. "Do you think a simple 'I'm sorry' can pull the sword from my heart? Third Emperor, your apology isn't worth that much."
"How dare you play with lives while I suffer for hundreds of years without peace?"
Bei Heng reached out, wanting to brush away the sorrow in her eyes, but she avoided him, shrinking back defensively. He sighed, "Kedu, this time I'll wait for you."
Used to long waits and searches, such words felt like sweet candy to her, yet she no longer felt moved. "When Yuling appears again, you'll still choose her."
"On Duanwu Day, you asked me how I felt about you. At that time, I didn't understand, but I think what I feel for you is pity."
The slightly awkward yet earnest Bei Heng struck at the softest part of her heart. Lin Kedu chuckled softly. "Third Emperor, if you want me to forgive you, come to my grave and light some incense."
Bei Heng's face lit up with surprise, a smile breaking through. Lin Kedu's lips curved upward as well. The passing clouds blurred the tears that fell from her eyes, and only her bright smile hurt Bei Heng's eyes, stirring a mix of emotions within him.
"But I will never like you again." Never again; it would be self-humiliation.
The entangled past of grievances and affections ultimately stemmed from the ability to love yet being unable to; to hate yet unable to resent the mistakes made.
Bei Heng remained silent, his handsome face etched with unspoken fatigue.
Still dressed in a dark green robe, Wandering Soul pulled at the knee-high weeds and murmured, "On that day, when you ordered the Empress's body to be abandoned here, I couldn't bear to see her end up so miserable after death. So I secretly buried her without daring to inscribe a tombstone."
"The Servant may have served the Empress for a short time, but she knew that it was truly for the Crimson Sun Kingdom and for His Highness's sake. That night, His Highness held Empress Yuling's corpse and sat there for an entire night, while the Empress stood outside the hall for the same duration. You cursed her to never be reborn, and she has wandered through the Three Realms without a home, eventually becoming a Heavenly Slave under the guidance of the King of Hell."
The eunuch's sharp voice recounted the old history. Bei Heng pressed his lips together, listening intently, a hint of regret in his eyes. He always learned about Lin Kedu from others; with each new piece of information came more heartache.
Now, a snow-capped mountain stood between them, yet it could not separate their regret and longing.
"Why didn't she kill me when we met again?"
"Perhaps, rather than hate, she preferred to love you."
The brief conversation came to an abrupt halt as the Wandering Soul turned to see the former Monarch, now the Heavenly Third Prince, carving words into a stone tablet with one hand while holding a sword in the other.
Whether it was the burning paper money beneath his feet or something else, there was a glimmer of moisture at his cheek.
The words appeared clearly on the tablet: My wife Lin Kedu.
The Wandering Soul couldn't help but sigh deeply within.
Compared to the sharp pain of death's separation, living apart became a form of torment. There was no need for them to search high and low through realms; just a thousand-year-old snow mountain stood in their way.
In what year would they meet? In what month? At what time? It seemed that from now on, they would be lost to each other… never to meet again.
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