Chapter 78
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Chapter 78:
"A’xuan!" Li Chunzhou called Li Zhexuan’s name as she leaned over the edge of the mercury pool.
The shackles on Li Zhexuan’s body were made of black wrought iron, covered with ancient magical symbols, shimmering with a faint golden glow. The chains intertwined, twisted and seemed dark and gloomy, yet exuded a deep, captivating allure as if they belonged to another world.
The skeleton in the pool responded to Li Chunzhou’s voice, but as it raised its bony fingers, the ancient runes on the chains tightened, glowing a light gold, sealing Li Zhexuan’s power and nature within, preventing him from breaking free.
The runes were written in ancient twisted characters, intricate and complex. Li Chunzhou couldn’t understand them, only hearing Li Zhexuan’s bones emit a low, trembling sound as if enduring great pain.
Seeing Li Zhexuan’s current state, Li Chunzhou couldn’t help but cry. Her tears fell like large beads into the pool where the skeleton lay, quickly absorbed by the bones, causing Li Zhexuan’s struggles to diminish.
His body was different from humans, not made of flesh and blood, but of consciousness.
Human consciousness, bird consciousness, animal consciousness, the consciousness of all sentient plants—all these consciousnesses that should have dissipated gathered together, forming Li Zhexuan’s body like individual atoms and molecules.
If human life is measured in terms of time, then Li Zhexuan’s life is measured by the density of information. The more components make up his consciousness, the richer the information, the more real his existence in this world becomes.
The formation set up by Jian Hou’s purpose was to gradually strip the consciousness from Li Zhexuan.
Li Chunzhou asked Gu Jianxi for a knife, cut a small slit in her palm, and let the blood flow onto the white bones in the pool.
Before long, Li Zhexuan seemed to absorb too much energy at once, and the remaining bones exploded into a huge cloud of black powder.
The powder easily broke free from the shackles and swirled around Li Chunzhou like mist.
Qi Leyuan, ignoring Gu Jianxi and the martial scout nearby, asked quickly in shock, "Did he just explode?! Is he dead?!"
Gu Jianxi, who had been frowning at everything in front of him, looked even more puzzled when he heard Qi Leyuan speak, then turned to look at Qi Leyuan.
"No," Li Chunzhou wiped the tears from her face, her hand too sore to hold the knife. She returned the knife to Gu Jianxi, untied the bandage on her chest to treat the wound, and answered Qi Leyuan unclearly, "He just temporarily lost his physical form, but he should recover in half a day… maybe."
"General Gu… I don’t know how to thank you. Is there anything else I can do to help?" Li Chunzhou’s face turned slightly pale from blood loss, she thanked Gu Jianxi earnestly.
"Ah… no need," Gu Jianxi was actually curious and had many questions for her, but now was not the right time. He touched his nose and said, "My father specifically instructed me to ask if there was anything I could help with when I met you."
Li Chunzhou looked surprised, remembering the strange behavior of Prime Minister Gu and the mysterious things he said the last time they met. He mentioned that the Emperor was looking for her, but Li Chunzhou knew she had never met the Emperor in all her 121 lifetimes, let alone knew him.
But since Gu Jianxi said so, Li Chunzhou felt more at ease with her request. She lifted her pale face and asked, "Can General Gu send someone to take me back? To Spring Flowers Tower."
"I will take you back."
"No need, isn’t the main thing more important? Or General Gu can lend me a horse."
After thinking for a moment, Gu Jianxi called over a young guard behind him to lead the horse and escort Li Chunzhou back to Spring Flowers Tower.
Li Chunzhou mounted the horse with surprising skill and held Li Li in her arms. She waved goodbye to Gu Jianxi. As they slowly left his sight, Gu Jianxi suddenly felt like he didn’t really understand the true Li Chunzhou.
He stood there in a daze for a moment, then turned his head, smiled with mixed emotions, tightened the reins in his hand, his expression gradually becoming more determined, and rode towards the direction of the nearby palace.
The horse’s hooves lifted swirls of dust, the wind rustled his battle robe, making a resounding sound. Each step the horse took left behind a mark of determination.
***
Li Zhexuan’s recovery was faster than Li Chunzhou had imagined, but what appeared in front of Li Chunzhou was no longer the person he used to be, but a child who looked about five or six years old.
The current consciousness density can only support Li Zhexuan turning into a small child, who is also a very skinny child.
This extremely thin child was exactly how Li Chunzhou first saw Li Zhexuan when she met him.
Because Li Zhexuan was too weak and skinny, his eyes looked particularly big on his small face. Li Chunzhou felt sorry for him and hugged him tenderly.
Li Chunzhou had once nurtured Li Zhexuan from being so skinny to being healthy. Seeing him in his poor, childhood state again, she felt a slight pang in her heart.
Qi Leyuan, who was displaced by Li Zhexuan, flew onto Li Chunzhou’s shoulder and observed the mini version of Li Zhexuan with amazement.
Li Zhexuan’s frail hand gently grasped Li Chunzhou’s clothes. He looked at Li Chunzhou with his dark eyes and said clearly, "Sorry, Lady Chun. I should have woken you up when Gu Lingfan left, instead of doing nothing. I know you’re upset. I shouldn’t have hidden things from you because of jealousy. I was wrong. It hurts not being able to see you. Please don’t be mad. I love you."
Although the logic was still not smooth, he said this paragraph extremely skillfully, without stuttering like he used to. Li Chunzhou wondered how many times he had practiced it in his mind.
Li Chunzhou felt a pang in her heart. She wasn’t angry at him anymore, and it wasn’t right to blame him for it. But Li Zhexuan still remembered her anger, even these past few days he couldn’t let go of it… Realizing this, Li Chunzhou suddenly felt a deep sense of guilt and compassion.
Li Zhexuan’s sincere clumsiness made people appreciate him. Li Chunzhou kissed his face, then embraced his small, skinny body, gently patting his bony back.
Li Zhexuan rested his head on Li Chunzhou’s shoulder, gazing into her eyes as if his whole life centered around them.
When he couldn’t protect himself with his own abilities, he roamed through many consciousnesses – insects, spiders, crows, wild dogs… It wasn’t until he projected his consciousness onto a young boy that he acquired his first name.
This name was given by Li Chunzhou.
A month ago, the first group of refugees from the northwest border had stopped in front of the capital city gates. At that time, the court still had some responsibility and managed to spare officials to help settle the refugees. Each person received two silver coins as relief aid.
The money was given based on the number of people, and orphans like Li Zhexuan, who had no parents, mostly couldn’t receive silver coins. Instead, they were registered as slaves and sent to various aristocratic houses to be trained as Dark Guards or attendants.
A couple noticed that Li Zhexuan was young and all alone, so they invited him to pretend to be part of their family of three in order to receive more silver coins. Though Li Zhexuan appeared young, he was actually seven years old, but due to lack of nutrition, he hadn’t grown much.
Children from poor families mature early, and despite his young age, Li Zhexuan already had his own opinions on certain matters. He didn’t want to be a slave, so he agreed to the couple’s invitation.
However, after receiving the silver coins, the couple quickly changed their attitude. Not only did they refuse to give the promised coins back to Li Zhexuan, but they also rudely kicked him out. Li Zhexuan threatened to report them to the authorities, and reluctantly, they gave him the money.
However, before Li Zhexuan could leave the forest, the man snuck up behind him and struck him down with a stick.
The man in this couple punched and kicked Li Zhexuan, making the skinny child lose consciousness. After the woman confirmed that he had stopped breathing, she hurriedly dragged the man away from the forest.
Li Zhexuan’s awareness slowly faded away, memories from his short early life flashing through his mind – poverty, loss of dignity, and the unrealized future ahead.
Li Zhexuan was not willing to accept it.
Throughout his short life, there were many moments of unwillingness. Li Zhexuan heard his parents discussing exchanging him for food due to hunger on the road. It was his unwillingness that led him to escape from them at night and travel to the city gates.
After his difficult journey to this point, to be harmed in such a confused manner, Li Zhexuan still couldn’t accept it…
His resentment attracted a dark-eyed crow to land beside him, tilting its head to look at him.
The crow pecked at the liquid flowing from Li Zhexuan’s head with its hard beak, its dark eyes gradually losing life before falling lifeless among the overgrown grass.
Yet Li Zhexuan, who was supposed to be dead, slowly opened his eyes.
His consciousness transferred from the crow to Li Zhexuan’s body… at that time, He didn’t even call himself Li Zhexuan.
Li Zhexuan hurt his head, so he couldn’t think clearly. His thoughts mixed with his consciousness, overwhelming the seven-year-old boy. Li Zhexuan felt lost in the sea of information and started to lose his sense of self. The anger inside him faded away as he struggled with the flood of information.
Li Zhexuan’s survival instinct kicked in, reminding him to find energy to heal his body. He covered the hole on his head with his hand and limped down the mountain with a twisted leg.
As Li Zhexuan’s consciousness merged with his emotions, fear of the real world took over. His body was still partly physical, so he could still feel pain.
Enduring intense pain like a forsaken child, Li Zhexuan limped forward, heading towards a crowd of people near the bustling city gate.
The luxurious carriage was made of high-quality sandalwood, adorned with precious jewels and silver decorations that radiated extravagance.
The golden horses pulling the carriage were majestic and spirited, enhancing the grandeur of the entire carriage.
Li Zhexuan had never seen anything like this in his life, something that seemed out of reach for someone like him, fueling his desire even more.
Li Zhexuan pushed through the crowd and approached the carriage with his ragged body, staring at the elegant figure behind the curtain.
People whispered around him, but a flawless white hand appeared from behind the curtain.
Li Chunzhou got off the carriage and looked at Li Zhexuan, who was covered in wounds, with a look of disbelief. She gently held Li Zhexuan in her arms, almost as if she was handling something fragile, and then with the help of a maid, she got back on the carriage.
Li Zhexuan could never forget the feeling of being surprised and favored at that moment – as if a deity on a pedestal was opening his eyes only for him.
The Li Chunzhou at that time was no different from the later appearance, only the expression in her eyes was more innocent, her eyes were naive and bright. On the way back to Spring Flowers Tower, Li Zhexuan stared at her blankly, feeling like his heart and soul were being taken away by an invisible hand.
Li Chunzhou didn’t want anything from him, she seemed to treat Li Zhexuan like her own doll, she brought a doctor to treat his wounds. After Li Zhexuan’s injuries miraculously healed at a speed that defied logic, Li Chunzhou washed his hair with clean water, and then patiently wiped the water droplets off his head.
In the courtyard basked in sunlight, Li Zhexuan’s hair was puffed up from being wiped.
Li Chunzhou moved in front of him and joyfully said, "You look so cute now, all clean and handsome, A’xuan."
A’xuan was the nickname she gave Li Zhexuan.
Li, Zhe, Xuan… when pronouncing these three words, the first two syllables are pronounced with the tip of the tongue against the roof of the mouth, and the last word is pronounced with slightly pursed lips.
Li Zhexuan clumsily repeated the words that Li Chunzhou had taught him, and in his heart, it felt like three small stones were thrown into a pond, causing ripples.
Only children, when they really like someone, will desperately want to give everything they have to that person. Before Li Zhexuan completely merged with himself, he took out his "heart" from his body according to the information in his mind, held the flesh in his hands, and gave it to Li Chunzhou, urging her to swallow it.
Soon after Li Chunzhou swallowed his "heart," this world was chosen by the Main God System – and then the cycle began.
Li Zhexuan adapted well to the cycle. In the repeated days, only his time moved forward steadily. Over ten years, it was enough for him to grow from a skinny little boy into a true monster and a towering giant tree that could cover the sky.
When Li Zhexuan first realized that he could also shelter Li Chunzhou from the wind and rain, a long-lost feeling of joy surged in his heart – he could protect his secret, he could protect "her."
…
Li Chunzhou hugged Li Zhexuan’s thin body tightly, gently lowered her eyes, showing a vague motherly expression, silently patting his head.
Neither of them could abandon each other, and neither had a reason to resent each other. No matter what misunderstandings or conflicts occurred, they never let go of each other’s hands.
Li Chunzhou could freely show her temper in front of Li Zhexuan, and that’s exactly why.
Whether it’s the Spring Flowers Tower, Daliang, or the entire Dungeon World, nothing is permanent. Everything will eventually disappear, but their eyes will continue to gaze at each other through the eternal time.