Chapter 120: The Woman from the South Awakens

Litian held Nuluo’s hand. He felt the warmth—a warmth radiating from her fingertips that lingered softly against his own.

Nuluo instinctively wanted to pull away, but suddenly, the touch felt strangely familiar, as if she had sensed this exact warmth on her fingertips while she was in her deep slumber. She paused, staring blankly at Litian.

Litian let out a sigh of relief. Nuluo was temporarily out of danger, and he released her hand. Their eyes met, and each could see their own slightly unsettled reflection in the other’s gaze.

Though Nuluo did not know the full sequence of events, Litian’s actions made it clear he had saved her.

"Thank you," she said, her voice simple and lacking any profound display of gratitude.

"I didn't save you to receive your thanks. Apart from being injured, what else have you encountered?"

Nuluo felt the anomaly in her body now—a power she had never before encountered was flowing through her. Every breath was laced with a strange, inexplicable pain, as if it were devouring her very flesh and bone with a bone-chilling coldness. She could not fathom when she had come into contact with such a power, nor could she understand how it had manifested within her.

"I don't know." Nuluo felt a twinge of shame. To be injured and not even know when or how it happened was startling. Who could have harmed her without her ever noticing?

Litian fell silent. The matter was far too suspicious. He could not trace the source, and Nuluo was equally clueless. Could it have appeared out of thin air? Yet, he could not imagine any power in heaven or earth so mysterious that it could effortlessly plunge the Goddess of the Earth into such a deep, dangerous slumber.

"Think carefully. Otherwise, you are in grave danger, and I cannot be sure I will be able to appear in time next time." Litian felt a lingering fear when he thought of the crisis he had just averted. If he had arrived even a moment later, or if he had been unaware and missed the optimal window to save her, what would the consequences have been?

Nuluo pondered every possibility, but eventually, she was still lost in a fog and decided to let it go for now.

"Since it has happened, there must be a thread to follow. The truth will come to light one day."

Litian thought for a moment and nodded.

Nuluo’s gaze drifted back to Litian’s left eye. The mysterious purple hue was still striking, and compared to when they first met, it held an even deeper, more bewitching allure.

"Why have your eyes changed like this? Is it because of me?"

Litian did not want to explain too much. This was a secret of the Underworld. If not for Nuluo, he would never have used his most hidden power. However, now that the secret was exposed, he knew from his understanding of her that she would keep it for him.

"You know, that is enough." Nuluo understood his intent instantly; he did not want others to know.

She nodded. "I have seen this color before, but at the time, it was merely the color of a flower. I never imagined it could manifest in a gaze."

In her mind, she pictured that flower which had shocked her so profoundly back then, though it had carried a faint, underlying sense of despair, unlike the bewitching mystery in Litian’s eyes.

How was Litian to explain? It was a flower that bloomed only in the deepest abyss of the Underworld. Every time he remembered it, he felt as though his body were being torn apart all over again. Even he was loath to dwell on that place of absolute despair, despite the immense and immeasurable power it held.

Yet, there was the lingering darkness and the endless torment—what did it matter if one gained great power? If not for his identity, he would have wished never to have stepped foot in that abyss.

Litian chose not to explain, and Nuluo did not press him. She was not overly curious about secrets; she only feared that he might suffer because of her. Since the impact on him was manageable, there was no need to dig deeper. Every world had its own unspoken mysteries; the Underworld was no exception, and neither was the Human Realm.

***

The purple allure gradually faded, and Litian’s eyes returned to the color of the pitch-black night.

"Where has Shaoguang gone?" Nuluo asked. It must have been something urgent, or she would not have left while Nuluo was still sleeping.

Litian gave a brief account of the events. He was surprised by Nuluo’s reaction.

She had already been aware of the existence of that spirit, but the fact that Siji had been injured was beyond her expectations. It seemed Siji had indeed been manipulated.

At that moment, there was a stir outside the hall, and Shaoguang and Siji returned. Litian withdrew his barrier as soon as Nuluo had awakened.

Nuluo struggled to stand, but Litian stopped her. "You are still weak. What you need most right now is rest."

Nuluo shook her head. "I can hold on. There are some things that must be clarified. Let us go out. For now, I do not wish for news of my injury and faint to spread."

Litian had no choice but to support her as she stood.

The moment Nuluo rose, she felt the world spin and nearly collapsed again. She braced herself, steadying her mind and forcing herself to appear as though everything were normal.

Inside the Main Divine Hall, the atmosphere was tense.

When Shaoguang saw that Nuluo had awakened, she nearly broke down in tears, but Nuluo stopped her with a look. Only Litian and Shaoguang knew about the fainting spell. Shaoguang avoided the others' eyes and cast a look of gratitude toward Litian.

Once Siji returned, Shikong also arrived at the hall. She looked at Nuluo, who seemed normal save for a bit of fatigue, but she was surprised to see Litian. "Why is he here?"

Litian did not want to leave. Only he knew that Nuluo’s normalcy was a facade and that she could not sustain it for long. He did not want to have any regrets should an accident occur.

Nuluo understood his true concern and did not refuse his presence.

Siji looked at Nuluo with deep guilt and knelt before her. "My Lady, I was wrong."

Nuluo looked down at the kneeling Siji, feeling a pang of heartache. Her own face was deathly pale, and from Litian’s account, she knew Siji had been severely injured. Yet, she was also disappointed; Siji had acted behind her back, and she needed to be taught a lesson.

Shaoguang looked at Siji with complex emotions. When she had arrived at the place Litian described, she had seen a horrifying sight: Siji lay wretchedly on the cold ground, rain lashing against her, completely unconscious.

Shaoguang had used every method possible to revive her before they hurried back to Fengdu City.

Seeing Siji kneeling now, Shaoguang felt pity for her injuries, but then, thinking of how her Lady had been hovering between life and death while they dealt with this mess, a wave of anger washed over her. Her Lady needed rest above all else. Siji deserved to be punished; otherwise, who knew what she might do next?

"Where were you wrong?" Nuluo asked, her voice colder than it had ever been.

"I left Fengdu City without permission and trusted rumors, leading to a disaster." Siji was full of regret.

"What did he tell you?"

Siji recounted, word for word, what the shopkeeper had told her.

"I truly never intended to betray you, My Lady. I did this to eliminate those threats, but I did not realize it was a trap. I am willing to accept any punishment." Siji did not wish to defend herself; the damage was done, and she would take responsibility.

"Besides that spirit, what else?"

Siji shook her head; she could think of nothing else to explain.

Nuluo’s gaze grew colder, chilling both Shaoguang and Shikong. Shikong, learning of this for the first time, was furious that Siji would act behind the Lady’s back, though she could not believe Siji would ever truly betray her.

"Is that really all?" Nuluo asked again.

Siji still did not mention the child.

"Siji, you have truly disappointed me this time. Let me give you a hint: a child. Do you remember now?"

"The child!" The child who had become a spirit—how did the Lady know? Siji’s face turned even paler, and she nearly collapsed.

All eyes turned to Nuluo, their shared question echoing: "What child?"

"Do you remember now?" Nuluo thought of that innocent, tragically dead child and the mother waiting in agony by the San-Tu River. She had been waiting for Siji to come forward voluntarily, but even now, Siji had tried to hide it.

"My Lady! You..." Siji’s voice trembled. This matter was so secret that only she knew of it. How could the Lady have known? She wondered if the Lady had been monitoring her all along. The thought filled her with uncontrollable terror—had the Lady suspected her all this time?

"Siji, I have been giving you chances. I have been waiting for you to confess this yourself. But even now, you intended to keep it a secret. If I had not discovered it, did you plan to bury it forever? That was a life—a life you forced to its end. Do not ask me how I know. Since it happened, it was destined to be known. Where is the child’s spirit now?"

Siji knew that words were useless. She had believed the shopkeeper’s lies when she forced that child to his death. Even if she hadn't killed him with her own hands, she had orchestrated the entire tragedy.

Siji had hidden the child’s spirit in a very secret place. Now that the Lady knew, there was no point in further concealment.

When Siji returned holding the spirit of the child, Nuluo almost wanted to strike her. In the dreamscape, she had only felt sorrow, but seeing it in reality, her anger flared. How could Siji have been so cruel to such a small, innocent life?

Nuluo reached out and took the child into her arms. Regardless of everything else, she finally had an answer for Luo Yun. But the child was so weak he barely had a breath left. In this state, could he successfully cross the path of reincarnation? If he failed, he would never have the chance for rebirth. Could she truly stand by and watch this vibrant, soulful child vanish forever?