The Past (III)
Meng Jiujiu remained silent.
When Xuan Qi asked that question,
the expression on her face could hardly hold up.
She was an orphan.
In this world, Xuan Qi was the only kin she had.
She had long regarded him as the most important person in her life. How could she wish for him to leave?
However,
everyone wants to strive for greater heights.
Xuan Qi was an immortal, but what about her?
How many years could she have?
A few decades was but a fleeting moment for Xuan Qi.
She didn't want to become a stumbling block on Xuan Qi's path to greater heights.
Meng Jiujiu replied, "Yes."
As she uttered this word,
she felt her breath suddenly catch.
Her heart
ached uncontrollably.
Xuan Qi's back looked somewhat desolate at this moment.
If he had turned around then,
he would surely have noticed the tears streaming down Meng Jiujiu's face.
But he didn't turn around.
He just stood there quietly,
like a wooden sculpture.
After a long while,
he smiled faintly and said, "Since it's your wish, I will surely fulfill it."
Xuan Qi left without looking back.
Meng Jiujiu looked at the empty room without Xuan Qi and finally burst into tears.
She wanted him not to go.
She wanted him to stay with her forever.
But she couldn't be so selfish.
She owed Xuan Qi far too much.
From then on,
Xuan Qi never showed up again.
Meng Jiujiu became alone once more.
She got up early and returned late.
She desperately did good deeds, adopting many injured small animals. With the skills she had learned from staying with Xuan Qi over the years, she tried her best to help those homeless people.
All these deeds
were credited to Xuan Qi.
What Meng Jiujiu didn't know was that
until the day she died,
Xuan Qi never left her.
He just protected her in a way she couldn't see.
After Meng Jiujiu went to the Underworld,
she came to the Palace of the King of Hell.
She saw the black - faced King of Hell and the red - faced judge.
She thought
she would be like others and enter the cycle of reincarnation.
But the King of Hell checked the Book of Life and Death and carefully verified with the judge, yet they couldn't find Meng Jiujiu's name.
What to do if they couldn't find Meng Jiujiu's name?
They couldn't let her wander in the human world like this.
So they temporarily took Meng Jiujiu into the Underworld.
Once,
Meng Jiujiu saw a woman with a black lotus under her feet. Her figure was perfectly proportioned.
She was a kind - hearted person.
Saying that all women loved beauty, she temporarily restored Meng Jiujiu to her youthful appearance.
Later, Meng Jiujiu learned that
the woman was named A Cha, the Queen of the Underworld.
After that,
Meng Jiujiu went out with the Black and White Impermanence to capture ghosts.
She saw Xuan Qi again.
At that time,
Xuan Qi was dressed in white and looked extremely outstanding.
She was just a little ghost working in the Underworld.
She instinctively wanted to run away,
but then she heard that familiar voice behind her.
"How have you been, Meng Jiujiu?"
He still remembered her.
The feelings that Meng Jiujiu had suppressed for so many years suddenly burst out. She felt extremely aggrieved.
Anyway, she was already a ghost.
There couldn't be anything worse than this.
At worst, she would be branded as one who offended the immortal and be demoted to the cycle of reincarnation as a beast. She was willing to accept it.
She rushed forward.
Hugging Xuan Qi, she poured out her feelings.
She said how much she missed him.
How reluctant she was to let him go.
She said that she had never forgotten him over the years.
Meng Jiujiu was in floods of tears,
speaking with deep affection.
She didn't notice
the gentle smile on the man's lips and the glint in his eyes.
He gently patted her back and said, "Meng Jiujiu, you're so silly."
Later,
Xuan Qi asked the Black and White Impermanence for forty - nine days for Meng Jiujiu.
Within these forty - nine days,
he took her to the Celestial Realm.
To the Green Hill.
And to the Wild Lands.
He showed her the sunrise.
Let her enjoy the star - filled sky.
She nestled in his arms, looking like a perfect couple of immortals.
When it was time to leave,
Xuan Qi said to Meng Jiujiu,
"Wait for me. I will seek a proper status for you. From then on, we will never be separated again."
Meng Jiujiu nodded in agreement.
But she never expected that
Xuan Qi's departure this time
would be their eternal farewell.