The young girl had fair skin, an oval-shaped face, and a pair of round eyes that were particularly alluring.
She wore a light pink dress, and her hair was tied up in a bun. She looked like a young married woman. She rubbed her eyes blankly in the darkness and looked around.
"Where ā¦ am I?"
Chu Wanning said, "You're in the Realm of Truth that I've set up."
The young girl was shocked and asked in panic, "Who are you?
Why is it so dark here? I can't see you. Who's talking? "
Chu Wanning said, "Have you forgotten?
ā¦ You're already dead. "
The young girl's eyes widened, "I'm already ā¦ I ā¦"
Slowly, she remembered.
She lowered her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest. There was no sign of movement. She muttered softly and murmured, "I ā¦ I'm already dead ā¦"
"Only souls can enter the Realm of Truth. Here, hatred and hatred will be eliminated. The dead, regardless of whether they become an evil ghost or an ordinary ghost, will retain their personality and appearance from when they were alive. This is called 'Truth'."
The young girl was stunned for a moment, as though she was gradually recalling her past. Then, she suddenly lowered her head and wept silently.
Chu Wanning asked, "You ā¦ do you have any grievances?"
The young girl sobbed, "Are you the King of Hell?
Or the White Impermanence?
Are you here to redress my grievances? "
Chu Wanning facepalmed, "ā¦ I'm not the King of Hell, nor am I the White Impermanence."
The young girl sobbed softly.
Chu Wanning was silent for a moment. He waited for her to calm down a little before saying, "But I'm here to redress your grievances."
When the young girl heard this, she looked up with a mixture of joy and sorrow, "Then you really are the King of Hell!"
"ā¦" Chu Wanning decided not to continue this topic with her. Instead, he asked, "Do you know what you did after you died?"
"I don't know ā¦ I'm not very clear. I only remember that I was very sad, very sad.
I wanted to take revenge ā¦ I wanted to find them ā¦ and I wanted to find him again ā¦ "
When one's soul had just been awakened, there were many things that could not be recalled, but it did not matter. Chu Wanning patiently asked her, "Who are you looking for?"
The girl said softly, "My husband, Chen Bohuan."
Chu Wanning shivered. Chen Bohuan ā wasn't that the name of the eldest son of the Chen family?
He asked, "You ā¦ what's your name?
Where are you from? "
With Heaven's Inquisition's power poured into this illusory barrier, almost all the undead who came here would talk to Chu Wanning honestly.
The girl replied, "I am Luo Xianxian, from Colorful Butterfly Town."
"Before I came here, I looked through the files of Colorful Butterfly Town. This town has a total of more than five hundred families, but there is no Luo Family.
Who is your father? "
The young girl slowly recalled all the details, and the grief in her eyes deepened. "My father was a scholar in the village. He was a close friend of my father-in-law. A few years ago, he died of tuberculosis. After that, I was the only one left in the family."
"Then why did you die?"
The girl was stunned for a moment, and then she sobbed, "I had no other choice but to die.
They, they cheated me of the secret formula of the perfume powder left by my father. They beat me, scolded me, and threatened me to leave Colorful Butterfly Town.
I ā¦ I am a weak woman, where else can I go?
I don't have a single relative in this world ā¦ The world is so big, where can I go?
Apart from the Yellow Springs and the Underworld, is there anywhere else that can accommodate me? "
After she recalled what happened before her death, there seemed to be infinite pain and sadness in her heart, and she was eager to talk to someone. Even when Chu Wanning didn't ask her again, she slowly told the story by herself.
It turned out that Luo Xianxian lost her mother when she was young. According to her father, she had an older brother, but her older brother was separated from them in the chaos of the lower cultivation world. After that, she never saw him again, and didn't know whether he was dead or alive.
When her older brother was lost, Luo Xianxian was not yet a year old, and she was still in her swaddling clothes. Later, she tried to recall her older brother, but she still had no impression of him.
Only Luo Xianxian and her father were left in the Luo Family. The father and daughter depended on each other and drifted around. Finally, they built a small house in Colorful Butterfly Town and lived there.
That year, Luo Xianxian was five years old.
The eldest son of the Chen Family, Chen Bohuan, was two years older than her.
At that time, the Chen Family was not rich yet, and several people in the family lived in a two-bedroom mud hut. There was an orange tree by the low wall of the small courtyard, and it was full of fruit in autumn. The lush branches grew over the low wall and reached the yard of the Luo Family.
Luo Xianxian looked up, and the tangerines on the branches were like lanterns in the Lantern Festival. She was shy and introverted, so she didn't play with others. She always held a small stool and peeled edamame by herself. From time to time, she would look up and look at the tangerines in the yard of the Chen Family.
The tangerines were yellow and very attractive. Against the sunlight, they reminded people of the sweet and sour juices.
Luo Xianxian looked at them eagerly, swallowing from time to time, and her cheeks were sore.
But she didn't reach out to pick the tangerines. Her father was a scholar who couldn't keep up with his younger brother. He lost the exam, but he didn't lose his backbone. The scholar's brain was probably broken, and he always told his daughter to be a "gentleman".
Luo Xianxian knew at the age of three that she couldn't be blinded by wealth, and couldn't be moved by poverty.
Although she coveted the tangerines, she never reached out to pick the tangerines that were close to her.
One night, under the moonlight, Luo Xianxian was washing clothes in the yard, huffing and puffing.
Her father was not strong, so he went to bed early. Poor children learned early. The little girl rolled up her sleeves, immersed her thin arms in the wooden bucket, and rubbed seriously with her face puffed up.
Suddenly, there was a hoarse cough at the door, and a young man covered in blood staggered in and stared at her.
The little girl was so scared that she even forgot to scream.
The young man's face was dirty and bloody, but he was very handsome. The two of them were in a stalemate for a long time. Finally, the young man couldn't stand it anymore, and sat down slowly against the wall. He gasped and said in a hoarse voice, "Give me some water."
Maybe it was because the young man didn't look like a bad guy, or maybe it was because Luo Xianxian was kind. Although she was scared, she still ran back to the house, got a cup of tea, and handed it to the young man.
The young man didn't hesitate, and drank it all. After drinking, he wiped the corner of his mouth, opened his eyes, and stared at Luo Xianxian's pretty face. His eyes were a bit blank, and he didn't speak for a long time.
He didn't speak, and Luo Xianxian didn't speak either. She just blinked her eyes timidly, and kept a safe distance from him. She held her hands and looked at the stranger.
"ā¦ You look like an old friend of mine."
The young man suddenly opened his mouth, narrowed his eyes, and smiled gloomily. With the blood on his face, he looked really ferocious. "Especially your eyes, they are round, and they make people want to dig them out, stick them on their fingers, and swallow them one by one."
The horrible words were said so calmly by him, and even with a smile. Luo Xianxian trembled even more, and subconsciously covered her eyes.
The young man said, "Oh, you're smart, girl. Just cover your eyes, and don't stare at me.
I can't control my hands. "
He spoke with a curly tongue and a northern accent.
The moonlight shone in the yard. The young man licked his chapped lips, and suddenly saw the orange tree in the yard.
For some reason, his eyes lit up, and there was a light in his eyes. The light was bright for a while, and then dim for a while. Then he raised his chin and said.
"Girl."
Luo Xianxian, "ā¦"
"Pick an orange and peel it for me."
Luo Xianxian finally spoke. Her voice was thin and trembling, but she didn't hesitate. "Big brother, this is not my fruit tree, it's someone else's. You can't pick it."
The young man was stunned, and then his face slowly darkened as he thought of something.
"I said you can pick it, so you can pick it. I want to eat the orange, so you pick it for me!" The last sentence was so vicious that it sounded like it was crushed through his teeth and then spat out.
Luo Xianxian trembled in fear, but still stood there stubbornly.
The little girl was gentle, but deep down, she was the same as her rotten father.
"I won't."
The young man suddenly narrowed his eyes and arched his nose. His expression changed. "Stinky girl, do you know who you're talking to?!"
"If you want to drink water, I, I'll pour it for you. If you want to eat, there's still food at home. But the orange tree isn't mine, so I can't pluck it. Dad said that taking something without asking is considered stealing. I'm a gentleman. I want riches and honor, but I can't be lustful.
In her nervousness, she blurted out the word 'fish'. The half-grown little girl blushed and insisted on what her father had taught her. She stuttered and finally blurted out the entire sentence. However, under the gaze of the young man, she was already trembling uncontrollably and her legs were shaking.
The young man was speechless.
If it wasn't for the inappropriate timing, he would have heard such a little fellow, a little girl, say, "Taking without asking is stealing", "Riches and honor cannot be corrupted, and poverty cannot be moved", and ā¦ and "I am a gentleman"??
Pu, he really couldn't help but laugh out loud.
But he couldn't bring himself to laugh.
On the contrary, there was a kind of intense resentment that soared to the heavens in his chest, driving Ma Pengteng, crushing his heart.
"I hate people like you the most, the so-called ā¦" He supported himself against the wall and stood up shakily. He squeezed out two words from his lips. "Good people, gentlemen, heroes, and benevolent people."
Under the horrified gaze of Luo Xianxian, he slowly moved his injured leg to the orange tree. He raised his head and almost greedily inhaled the scent of the orange tree. Then, a red light of hatred suddenly burst out from the bottom of his eyes. Before Luo Xianxian could react, he grabbed the tree and shook it violently. He kicked, kicked, and hit it.
All the oranges on the branch fell to the ground and rolled to one side. The young man's smile was twisted, and he shouted without restraint, "What a good 'taking without asking is called stealing,' what a good 'riches cannot be corrupted'!
Might and honor cannot be subdued! "
"Big brother!
What are you doing!
Stop it now!
Dad!
Dad! "
Luo Xianxian didn't want to call him dad at first. Her dad was a weak scholar who couldn't help much even if he came out.
But she was a little girl after all. Finally, she was scared and broke down.
"What are you shouting for?
If your dad comes out, I'll cut him too! "
The little girl was scared out of her wits. There were tears in her round eyes.
The Chen family next door went to visit relatives in the neighboring village. The whole family was not there, so no one stopped the little crazy.
Little Madman shook off all the oranges on the ground, but it was still not enough to vent his anger. He stomped on the ground a few times, crushing several fruits. Suddenly, with a sudden burst of strength, he jumped up and flipped over to the Chen family's courtyard. He found an axe and chopped down the entire tree in a few moves.
Then he flipped back and laughed.
Suddenly, he stopped laughing. He squatted on the ground and stared blankly.
He suddenly turned his head and waved to Luo Xianxian. "Girl, come here."
"ā¦" Luo Xianxian didn't move. She stood there, her small cloth shoes embroidered with yellow flowers on the ground.
The young man saw that she was hesitating, so he softened his tone and said as kindly as possible, "Come here.
I have something good for you. "
"I ā¦ I don't want ā¦ No, I don't want to ā¦" Luo Xianxian said in a low voice. Before she finished, the young man suddenly became fierce again.
"If you don't come, I'll go inside and chop your dad up!"
Luo Xianxian shuddered and finally moved towards him in small steps.
The young man squinted at her. "Hurry up. I don't have time to watch you dance."
When Luo Xianxian was still a few steps away from him with her head lowered, he suddenly reached out and pulled her over. Luo Xianxian let out a scream, but the scream was violently blocked by something in her throat.
The young man put an orange into her mouth. He didn't peel it or scrub it. He just put it in her mouth with mud.
How could Luo Xianxian eat an orange in one bite? The young man tried to force it into her mouth, and the orange cracked and rotted. Half of her face was smeared with the pulp of the fruit. However, the lunatic was still grinning, crushing the fruit in her face and stuffing it into her mouth that she was trying to close.
"Aren't you a gentleman?
You don't eat stolen food, right?
Then what are you eating now?
Huh?
What are you eating now?! "
"Oh ā¦ No ā¦ I don't want ā¦ Daddy ā¦ Daddy ā¦"
"Swallow it."
The young man narrowed his eyes and put the last bit of fruit into Luo Xianxian's mouth. His eyes were shining, and he shuddered. "Swallow it!"
She watched as Luo Xianxian was forced to swallow the orange and called out "Daddy" in a choked voice.
The young man was silent for a while, and suddenly smiled.
That smile was more terrible than his ferocious face.
He touched Luo Xianxian's hair with satisfaction, squatted there, and said gently, "Why are you calling me daddy?
Shouldn't you call me big brother?
Is the orange I gave you sweet? Is it delicious? "
Then he picked up another one from the ground.
This time, he did not force it into her mouth. He carefully peeled the orange peel and cleaned the sticky white strands little by little. Then, he wiped his hands, broke off a piece, and brought it to Luo Xianxian's lips. He said softly, "If you like it, eat some more."
Luo Xianxian knew that she had met a mentally deranged person today. She had no choice but to lower her head and silently eat the orange handed to her by the lunatic. The sweet and sour juice melted in her throat, and her stomach churned ā¦
The young man squatted there and fed her the orange piece by piece. Suddenly, he seemed to be in a good mood and even began to hum a song.
His voice was rough and hoarse, like a broken wind basket. She couldn't hear him clearly, and only a few words floated into Luo Xianxian's ears.
"Three or four petals fall in the pond, one or two strings ring on the shore. It's best to be young and weak, to see the end of the world ā¦"
He suddenly said, "Little girl."
"ā¦"
"Tsk." He curled his lips and held Luo Xianxian's little face. "Let me see your eyes."
Luo Xianxian's hair trembled, and she couldn't resist. She could only let the young man look at her carefully. His bloody fingers touched her eyelids inch by inch.
"You really look like them." He said.
Luo Xianxian closed her eyes, sobbing.
She was really afraid that this lunatic would pluck off her two ears on a whim like plucking fruits.
But the young man didn't pick them.
He just said to her coldly, "Didn't you teach me that I can't be corrupted by wealth and I can't be moved by poverty?
Big brother also has something to say to you. "
"Wu ā¦"
"Open your eyes."
Luo Xianxian closed her eyes tightly.
The young man laughed and said hoarsely, "I'm not going to pick your eyes, open them!"
"ā¦ Do you think I can't pick your eyes if you don't open them?"
Luo Xianxian had no choice but to open her round eyes. Her long eyelashes trembled, and large drops of tears flowed down her cheeks. She didn't know how the frightened and pitiful expression on her face pleased this young man of unknown origin. He suddenly let go of the hand that was pinching her cheek. His hand hung in the air, and then he gently patted her head.
He stared into her eyes, and a trembling smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. His smile was seven parts twisted, two parts ferocious, and one part sad.
He said, "There are men in Linyi, but their hearts are dead."
After that, he turned around and disappeared into the darkness.
Only the mess on the ground showed that such a person had been here in the middle of the night, covered in blood.