Chapter 554

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Chapter 554: Reincarnation of Life and Death, Ten Thousand Times

The war ended, but it was only the first step.

Bai Wei led one hundred thousand spirits out of the city, but couldn’t send them back.

It would be great if they were like the group of demon mercenaries in Lord of the Rings, withdrawing after winning.

Unfortunately, not only do they not leave, but they also devour living beings.

After devouring the army, they continue to burn the land, like an undead catastrophe, completely uncontrollable.

So, they need a dignified ending.

So Bai Wei looked at Lord Bi Fang’s lingering spirit, "It’s your turn, time to send you to reincarnation."

Its anger still lingered, but it no longer raged as strongly as before. Perhaps its remaining rationality realized that Bi Fang would restore the country, or perhaps a great victory in a war temporarily subdued its resentment.

Sending someone to the cycle of reincarnation is different from extinguishing their soul.

The rules of the world dictate that the departed return to the well of reincarnation, as the universe is diverse and time and space are ever-changing.

Bai Wei lifted his head, hurried footsteps coming from behind him.

"Wait!" Nalan Qingshu chased after him.

Still, Bai Wei raised his hand and touched Bi Fang’s forehead. A golden light appeared, and its body scattered like the wind.

Nalan Qingshu rushed forward, embracing Bai Wei’s hand, attempting to hold onto the vanishing remnants of Bi Fang. "Please…"

She couldn’t grasp anything.

However, a hand gripped her wrist.

Bi Fang’s remaining soul didn’t dissipate. What dispersed were its grievances, swirling around like flying fireflies. In the shimmering blue light, a handsome man appeared. He supported Nalan Qingshu, who was about to fall, gently crouched down, lifted his hand, and wiped her little face.

"In a moment, even if it’s longer, it cannot be kept."

Bai Wei stepped away, leaving the remaining time for this father and daughter.

Nalan Qingshu held onto the man’s hand, with her cheeks being wiped, but tears kept flowing.

The man smiled gently, but didn’t say anything. Perhaps he didn’t know what to say, or perhaps he had forgotten how to speak.

This is a trace of the remaining soul. It has been tormented, broken, and plagued by recurring nightmares and grievances throughout the years. Only a part of him remains here.

He had forgotten how to speak, but he hadn’t forgotten his daughter.

He gently embraced Nalan Qingshu, and within this embrace, memories appeared like delicate bubbles before his eyes.

When the child cried out as she entered the world, the man was overwhelmed with joy. Despite others around noticing that she was a princess and speaking few words, the man didn’t seem to notice at all. He just looked at the crying baby still in swaddling clothes, holding onto his finger, and felt a strong connection in their blood.

He was very busy, as a feudal lord, he didn’t have enough time, but he would always make time to accompany his daughter, at least one hour a day, telling her stories, riding the carousel with her, and even teaching her how to write. Every time, he would stay longer than planned and would only reluctantly leave after being urged by the gentle lady from the south. Every time they parted, both the father and daughter showed great reluctance to part, even though they were only separated by a few rooms.

When she grew up a little and started to speak, she would meet with the courtiers, calling out sweetly and not doing anything remarkable. Yet, the man’s face would always be filled with a pleased smile.

Years passed one after another, through the changing seasons… The shiny new carousel became weathered and covered in dust; the red string on the braid became longer yet fewer in number; the clothes that were often stained with dust gradually became cleaner; the connected pictures on the desk were replaced with neatly stacked calligraphy exercises; the intimate and interactive father-daughter moments were replaced by the old scholar reciting teachings.

The girl grew up.

The man was happy, but also melancholic.

He couldn’t find a suitable way to interact with his daughter. He wanted to embrace and kiss her little princess cheeks, but he worried about being pushed away. He would secretly watch his daughter by the window, standing there for a quarter of an hour. Seeing her serious expression as she memorized the calligraphy exercises made him feel at ease. When he saw her being scolded and clutching her clothes, he couldn’t help but want to shout "It’s not fair" and then be dragged away by his wife pulling his ear.

He was a doting father, always wanting to be by her side as she grew up.

Only at a future point in time, he would reluctantly give her hand to another man, enduring the bitterness and grief, smiling with contentment and tolerance. And only at the end of his life, would he be able to let go of this love.

These are his memories, Lord Bi Fang’s last memories, filled with worries and yearning for his daughter.

He hugged Nalan Qingshu and wiped away the girl’s tears. "Don’t cry, don’t cry…"

The man vanished like a bubble, never to return in this lifetime.

Nalan Qingshu held onto emptiness, her painful mouth opened but she swallowed down the heart-wrenching sob, silently wiping away her tears.

Don’t cry.

The endless blue flames lost their place, aimlessly swirling around. The mournful fire gradually faded, leaving behind clear blue fireflies.

She instinctively reached out and caught a firefly, the gentle blue light softly falling into her palm, adding some fullness to her wings.

More blue sparks rushed towards her, gently enveloping her like when she used to hide under her father’s robe.

Behind Nalan Qingshu, magnificent and deeply blue wings unfolded. The patterns were delicate, the wings becoming fuller. The silent flames burned like water ripples, quietly carrying the moonlight.

Her wings wrapped around her, as if she wanted to hide herself inside an eggshell, going back to a time of innocence and ignorance.

Then, someone tapped gently on her wings and knocked on her eggshell.

"Come out."

She didn’t want to listen.

"There’s something beautiful."

She lowered her head, silent.

"Dock fries are free, you know."

She covered her ears.

"Well, then I’m leaving."

A gap opened in her feathers, and a hand held onto the young man’s hand, Nalan Qingshu with teary eyes said, "Don’t go."

"Okay, let’s not go yet." Bai Wei said, "But you should come out too, at least witness what’s going to happen next."

"What?" She hadn’t snapped out of her sadness yet.

"Reincarnation."

After saying goodbye to Lord Bi Fang, there were still a hundred thousand lost souls left. Without their core of resentment, they were no longer endless. It was time for them to leave.

Bai Wei looked up, countless lost souls breaking free from their chains, liberated from burning pain, awakening from grievances. It was like they had washed away all the dirt and become clean, the charred souls became fleshy and full, restored to their appearance from when they were alive, appearing lively and agile.

The crowd seemed to have forgotten about sadness and sorrow, they absentmindedly touched their heads, looked at each other, and then smiled. The hundred thousand wandering spirits seemed to be walking in a bustling market, shuttling back and forth, merging into the crowd, gathering together.

Moonlight silently spilled down, the light from the stars and the bright moon creating a doorway. The doorway was like a portal leading to another distant world. The wandering spirits held hands, mothers held their children’s hands, children held their friends’ hands, the elderly supported their partners. Men stood in the center of their families, they walked together in groups of three or five, heading towards the door, towards the well, towards the distant and reachable unknown.

Nalan Qingshu stood between them, she saw familiar faces and seemed to see them walk past her without a care. It also seemed like someone was looking at her from afar and waving gently.

She didn’t know if she should speak up, if she should try to stop them. Her home, her city, her half-life just passed through the doorway, heading towards that unknown distant shore. Yet she herself would still remain in this human world, keeping watch over a future without them.

She was sad, she was grieving, she wanted to cry.

She was quiet, she watched, she smiled.

"Goodbye, everyone."

Nalan Qingshu bent deeply to them.

One hundred thousand souls bid a respectful farewell.

The stars and moon shone brightly, the blue fire floated in the sky, it scattered and disappeared into nothingness.

The blue fire rain that started five years ago finally stopped.

Bai Wei caught the last stubborn blue fire in the palm of his hand.

Right and wrong, three thousand worlds; life and death, one hundred thousand cycles of reincarnation.

It ended.

Bai Wei’s waist tightened, and the girl who had restrained her wings grew up overnight. Her body and mind both matured and blossomed. But she allowed herself to be weak once again, so she hugged the young man, as if holding onto her last treasure in the world.

The young man gently touched her hair, looked out at the outskirts of Phoenix Feather City, and felt a heavy weight lifted from his heart. With the dust settled, he smiled lightly, feeling relaxed and relieved.