125 Turning Away and Leaving

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Nuluo walked on in silence. A familiar presence appeared behind her—it was Litian. Yet she neither looked back nor stopped, leaving her final footprints in Fengdu City, one step at a time.

Litian followed quietly behind her. Neither of them disturbed the stillness of the moment. The only sound was the soft rustle of their footsteps.

Once, Fengdu City had been filled with noise and bustle, the most prosperous city in the mortal realm. At another time, dark clouds had gathered over it, and countless people had met unnatural deaths. But now, there was only silence—almost complete silence. Everything had slipped away into the passage of time, leaving behind only the faintest traces, which scattered with the breeze.

Nuluo stopped. Without realizing it, she had already made a complete circuit of the city. There was no need to leave anything else behind.

Litian had walked behind her the entire time. He had said nothing, nor had he left. When he saw her stop, he stopped as well.

Sunlight fell upon them, casting their figures in even more fantastical colors. They seemed to be floating within the mist, unreal and indistinct, pale halos spreading outward around them in a hazy, dreamlike shimmer.

Nuluo turned around. Those eyes, deep as the night, had remained fixed upon her, as though he wished to carve her image into his mind. She lowered her head slightly, avoiding his burning gaze.

Some things changed quietly, beyond anyone’s ability to alter them, whether one chose to evade them or not.

“Litian, treat Fengdu City well.”

“I will.”

From that moment onward, the history of Fengdu City opened a new chapter. The netherworld would officially take control of it.

“When will you leave?” By then, Litian had become the lord of Fengdu City.

Nuluo thought for a moment. “If possible, I will leave as soon as I can. I wish to entrust all future matters to Shikong.”

Although Fengdu City no longer belonged to the mortal realm, the mortal realm could still intervene in matters concerning the reincarnation of the dead.

Litian had no objection.

Within the Main Divine Hall, Nuluo arranged everything that would follow. Yet Litian’s figure kept appearing in her mind of its own accord. She could not forget the extraordinarily deep look in his eyes when she had left—a gaze that had drawn her in like a whirlpool, nearly rendering her unable to escape. Did she understand what it meant? She believed she did.

“Your Highness!” Shaoguang gently interrupted her reverie.

Nuluo returned to herself.

“Shikong, from now on, you will be responsible for all matters concerning the City of Reincarnation. I am counting on you.”

“I will not disappoint you, Your Highness. Are you leaving?” Shikong had no objection to the arrangement. She had been responsible for the City of Reincarnation all along.

Nuluo nodded. “Shaoguang, let us go.”

Outside Fengdu City, Shikong stood alone upon the empty land, her figure seeming somewhat desolate. Her Highness had left, and Shaoguang had left as well. The Four Seasons would soon be confined in repentance. She alone remained here.

Endless loneliness surrounded her, and a tremendous sense of loss filled her heart. Fengdu City would never again belong to the mortal realm. It was now under the rule of the netherworld, and her existence served only to protect the dead and ensure that they could reincarnate properly.

Shikong remained silent for a long time before returning to Fengdu City. She would be staying here for a very long while.

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After Nuluo had left Shikong’s sight, she stopped.

“Your Highness, where are we going now?”

Nuluo smiled faintly. “Shaoguang, where would you most like to go?”

Shaoguang shook her head. Anywhere was fine. Was Her Highness’s injury truly no longer a problem? Why did she seem to have left all her pain behind in Fengdu City, showing no sign of anything unusual? Was she simply concealing it too well, or had she really suffered no serious harm?

“Your Highness, your—”

Nuluo interrupted her before she could finish. “Everything is fine. I can still endure it. Shaoguang, from this moment on, do not reveal anything about my injuries. Not a word. Pretend that nothing ever happened, and come walk with me.”

Shaoguang nodded. She was beginning to understand her mistress’s intentions. Since Her Highness had not even allowed Shikong to know, she must have had her reasons.

“At last, things can be brought to a temporary close. It has been a long time since I have felt this relaxed.” Nuluo glanced at Shaoguang. “Loosen up a little. We rarely have a chance to rest. If you keep making that face, I shall leave on my own.”

Shaoguang froze. Her Highness seemed like an entirely different person from before. Was she truly all right? She forced a smile, though it was somewhat strained.

Nuluo patted her shoulder. “That is better. Since neither of us knows where to go, let us simply wander.”

And wander they did. During the journey that followed, Nuluo walked wherever she pleased, without any particular destination. For a time, she truly forgot everything, traveling across the lands of the mortal realm. They passed lively marketplaces and remote villages. Shaoguang could not discern what Nuluo was truly thinking; she merely followed quietly at her side.

Nuluo, meanwhile, appeared to be in excellent spirits, as though she were a monarch inspecting her own domain.

Time passed swiftly. After countless sunrises and sunsets, Nuluo finally stopped. Everywhere she had gone, life had returned. She could leave without worry now.

“Shaoguang, from this moment onward, you must take responsibility for everything in the mortal realm. Your commands are my commands.”

“Your Highness, where are you going?” Shaoguang could not bear such a heavy responsibility. She had a premonition that Her Highness might be leaving for a very long time, and unease immediately settled over her heart.

“I will tell you of my whereabouts when the time is right, but not now. And do not reveal anything about my injuries. Since it is a secret, let it become a true secret. Shaoguang, remember this well: while I am gone, no matter what happens—even if disaster suddenly strikes the mortal realm—you must protect yourself first and wait for my return.”

“Your Highness!” Shaoguang’s eyes glistened with tears. Her premonition had come true. Her Highness’s injuries had not healed after all. If her guess was correct, they were continuing to worsen. Why was this still happening even after receiving the Netherworld King’s help? If it were possible, Shaoguang would gladly have taken all of it upon herself. Why should Her Highness be made to endure such suffering?

“Shaoguang, have you forgotten my command? I am merely leaving as I normally would. You need only do what you did whenever I was absent before.”

Shaoguang wiped away her tears and quickly regained her usual composure. At least, there was no longer the slightest trace of anything unusual on her face.

Nuluo was satisfied by the change.

“Good. We must not throw ourselves into confusion. Only then will those lurking in the darkness be unable to discern our circumstances. Now turn around, and treat this as the completion of an order I have given you.”

Shaoguang turned and left in silence. Just as before, she accepted Nuluo’s command and disappeared from sight.

Shaoguang endured the agony in her heart. Nuluo had now arranged everything properly and could finally leave without worry. But where should she go?

She thought of a place—the place where she had first left her mark in the mortal realm, the place that held her earliest memories.

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Nuluo’s figure vanished. No one knew where she had gone.

After Nuluo departed, a shadow appeared behind her. No one knew how long it had followed her, nor why it had appeared there. It stared in the direction where Nuluo had disappeared, imprinting everything in its mind before vanishing without a trace.

The Queen of Heaven’s Palace, Divine Realm

Leiling listened expressionlessly to the report from her subordinate and said coolly, “Do not spread this matter. You may leave.”

After the subordinate withdrew, Leiling rose abruptly. She needed to verify whether the information was genuine. Only she knew that she had nearly exhausted all her strength suppressing the shock in her heart. She could scarcely believe what she had heard, though she had struggled desperately to remain calm.

Only Leiling’s lonely figure remained within the Queen of Heaven’s Palace. Even the cold air seemed to mock her helplessness.

Leiling was on the verge of madness. Her composure was being torn apart piece by piece. Her clenched fists longed to rush into the mortal realm and smash Nuluo’s head to pieces. Only a few words echoed repeatedly through her mind:

“The Earth Goddess is safe. The Earth Goddess is safe…”

Nuluo was actually unharmed—she could even walk through the mortal realm. How was that possible? How could it be? For the first time, Leiling wished that she had heard incorrectly, that everything was merely an illusion, a fantasy of her own mind.

How could Nuluo have escaped the Xiu Yi blood curse? After investing so much effort, how could Leiling have ended up with such a result? She refused to accept it. Which part had gone wrong? Why had things turned out this way?

Now that she thought about it, the answer had to lie with that dead spirit. It was because he had been taken away that this result had come about. It had to be so.

All her efforts had come to nothing. The opportunity she had spent years scheming to obtain had been destroyed at the most crucial moment.

Who had taken away that dead spirit? Who was helping Nuluo?

She would go to the mortal realm herself and see. Even if events had not unfolded as she had expected, she refused to believe that Nuluo had emerged entirely unaffected. She would personally confirm the truth.

At that thought, Leiling suddenly smiled. Once again, she became the lofty, dignified, and magnificent Queen of Heaven.

But her twisted heart had long since changed her. Once the pursuit of power surpassed everything else, she had already become a demon beneath the light. Her noble status could no longer conceal the darkness within her soul.

Nuluo’s figure seemed to appear before her eyes. This matter would not end so easily. She would never give up. So long as she seized even one opportunity, there would certainly be a turning point.

Nuluo would not remain so fortunate forever. As long as the Xiu Yi clan continued to exist, the blood curse could be cast again if it failed once. If the Xiu Yi blood curse proved ineffective, she would use another method. So long as she succeeded even once, Nuluo would be doomed.

After calming the fury in her heart, Leiling restored everything she had destroyed within the Queen of Heaven’s Palace. She could not allow such news to spread. She had plenty of time to plan everything out slowly.

Author’s Note

I’m sorry, I’m sorry!