The crowd at the edge of the Milky Way waited and waited, their eyes nearly wearing out, until finally, two figures appeared from the west, one of them being the familiar figure of the “Lotus Fairy.”
“Immortal, where’s the goddess?” Everyone rushed forward, eager to know.
“Get out of my way; she’s my wife. What do you want?” Everyone turned to look at a chubby little boy with his hands on his hips, speaking with an air of maturity, somewhat like a little adult. It seemed the “Lotus Fairy” had a penchant for pedophilia… The crowd was stunned.
“Shut up, you brat. Xiaotu will be here soon,” the fairy said.
As she spoke, a silver light approached with the wind, still with her jet-black hair and sweet face, carrying an elegant scent of lotus. Her face had lost some of its childishness, gaining maturity and a hint of the weariness of life. She seemed much more grown up. Faintly visible, like a semi-transparent figure, ethereal, with translucent lips and body, making everyone’s heart ache. She was their cherished treasure, almost lost forever.
“Miss, Miss…” The four “Cherry Blossom Fairies” held back their tears, their voices filled with longing, joy, and heartache.
“Don’t cry, you’ll get ugly, and no one will want you then,” Xiaotu laughed.
“Okay.” The four nodded in agreement, but tears still streamed down their red-rimmed eyes.
“Goddess, we must find your physical body quickly, otherwise…” Elder Yin spoke.
“There’s no rush. Xiaotu has the ‘Lotus Tear Crystal’ and ‘Deep Sea Black Pearl’ to protect her spirit; she won’t scatter. But we still need to find her body because without it, Xiaotu can only exist as a spirit. What you see now is the result of me spending a long time gathering her soul, so you can see her faintly. If too much time passes, Xiaotu will truly become a wandering soul, able to see us, but we won’t be able to see her,” Yuqian explained calmly and seriously.
The four elders were astonished; they were willing to use such priceless treasures to help the goddess, sparing no expense for a friend they had known for less than half a year. They looked at Qian Yulian and Gudu with gratitude.
The goddess’s fate was entwined with romance; this journey back was bound to involve trials of love. They didn’t expect her to encounter the “Soul Lock” incident, which was their oversight, as the goddess’s powers had not yet fully recovered. While everyone was still excited, planning to return to the “Cherry Blossom Kingdom” for further discussion, a white mist rose, and a dark, chilling aura approached, signaling danger. The four elders immediately sensed the threat and surrounded Xiaotu.
“Xiaotu, is it really you?” A man with a weathered face, holding a sleeping beauty, appeared before the crowd. Gone was the arrogance of the Demon King, and the unmatched charm of “Wan Xie.” His once handsome face was now gaunt and pale, his wild golden hair unkempt, as he held the woman in his arms tightly, his large hands trembling slightly. Trembling, a pair of eyes filled with surprise gazed at the translucent silver-white figure amidst the crowd. Like the last dawn for a dying person, Xiaotu remained silent and calm as usual, but the four great elders were stunned, and everyone was dumbfounded… Was this the man who had harmed their cherished goddess? Why did he look so disconsolate, as if he were worse off than Xiaotu, living like a zombie… Everything froze, only the mournful cries echoed, “Xiaotu, I’m sorry.” What exactly is love?
“You have the nerve to show up here? Today, I, Qian Yulian, will avenge Xiaotu’s ‘Soul Lock’ injury!” Seeing the man who had hurt Xiaotu lying on the ground, Yulian’s eyes blazed with fury. She grabbed her crystal rod and struck towards Wang Xie. The crystal rod, a pure and refined object in the world, was in direct opposition to the dark energy within Wang Xie. A flash of white light. “Pfft…” Blood trickled from those sensual thin lips, staining the black robe, and accidentally splattering onto Xiaotu’s purple cloak in Wang Xie’s arms. It looked like a blooming peony of blood, so enchantingly sinister. He did not fight back, nor did he beg for mercy; it seemed as if the blow was not meant for him but merely made him hold the person in his arms tighter. A second flash of white light. “Wah…” Blood didn’t just trickle; it gushed out with clots, the thick scent of blood pervading the Milky Way’s edge. A third silver light flashed. “Miss…” “Goddess…” “Xiao Ai…” “No…” Heart-wrenching cries mixed together as a silver-white figure flew towards the descending crystal rod. Unable to stop in time, Qian Yulian watched as her divine rod struck the person she most wanted to protect. In that moment, tears filled her reddened eyes. This time, there was no thick scent of blood; under the crystal rod lay a silver-white figure. Xiaotu took the hit, a reassuring smile playing on her lips. Her already fragile soul instantly turned into a wisp of white smoke, and the empty Milky Way echoed with her last words, “Wang Xie, from now on, we owe each other nothing. That night, I abandoned you; that day, you pierced my body with ‘Soul Lock’; for these six months, you’ve been in bitter repentance, and today, I take a hit for you. From now on, we owe each other nothing.” Such desolate words, such a comforting smile, and Xiaotu turned into a wisp of white smoke.
For a long time, everyone was still reeling from the shock, the air mixed with the scent of tears and blood, making one’s heart ache and eyes tear up. “No, Xiaotu, I killed you, I killed you, why? Why did you take that hit for him?” A heart-wrenching scream seemed to drain all the strength from Yulian, “Thump,” the crystal rod hit the ground, and those eyes that always shone with sunlight became vacant and lifeless. “Silly girl, it’s okay, Xiao Ai won’t blame you. Let’s go.” The small, frail figure now became Yulian’s last support. Hugging her tenderly, a flash of green light, and they returned to the “Sleeping Lotus Jade Pond.” “You, how long do you plan to harm our lady?” Timisula and the others, not caring about anything else, tearfully punched and kicked Wang Xie, who did not fight back, only holding tightly to the sleeping woman in his arms. “The goddess has been injured twice because of you, and this time it’s critical. Demon King, stay away from the goddess from now on, or we won’t be lenient. Also, we are taking the goddess’s body away.” The four great elders said sternly to Wang Xie. Had Xiaotu not blocked that rod for him, they would have perished together with him. But now, Wang Xie’s life was exchanged for Xiaotu’s soul, and they had to respect that. Hearing “owe each other nothing” and watching the familiar figure disappear before his eyes, it felt like the only support he had for the past six months had collapsed. Xiaotu was truly gone, her soul scattered, for him. She had turned into that wisp of white smoke, dispersing with the wind, draining away his only light. He collapsed, watching helplessly as her body was taken away, without the strength to protest or care about their hateful glares. Let them hate him; it didn’t matter anymore. She was gone…
“Ah, why must you do this?” Liu Qing, who had just arrived, sighed helplessly. Once a mighty demon king, now neither human nor ghost, willingly fallen. In the palace of the Cherry Blossom Kingdom:
