Lost in Thought

Stars twinkle in the tranquil night sky.

Nuoluo gazed into the distance, lost in thought. What did she truly desire? Power had never been among her wishes. She stretched out her hand, her fingertips brushing against the gentle breeze, but all that remained was emptiness.

Her gaze shifted to the earth below, now deep in slumber, and a sense of peace stirred within her.

"The peace of this land is what I desire most."

Litian stared at her, his eyes so deep that Nuoluo felt as if she might melt entirely into his gaze.

After a long silence, Litian spoke, his words slow and deliberate: "Are you certain this is what you truly want?"

Nuoluo was taken aback. How could he know?

"If not, then what do you think it is?"

Litian’s eyes never left her. "As the sole heir of the Earth Deity lineage, you must protect this land. As the Goddess of the Earth, your duty is to safeguard your people’s survival. What you speak of is your responsibility—but is that really all you want?"

Litian’s words struck Nuoluo, as if shattering every mask she wore.

She stared at him in disbelief. How could he so clearly see her heart?

Indeed, these were her responsibilities. From the moment she became the Earth Goddess, she had been unable to escape the burden she carried, so much so that she equated the fate of the mortal world with her own. Yet, aside from duty, did she know what she truly wanted? The answer was no. Nuoluo had never truly understood her deepest desires.

On this night, for the first time, Nuoluo was moved by Litian’s words. She fell into contemplation.

Litian, as he questioned Nuoluo, was also asking himself: what did he desire most?

Perhaps, in the eyes of mortals, the gods—immortal and aloof—stood at heights unreachable by humans. Deities had no worries, but living in the world, who could truly transcend its affairs?

Nuoluo rose and entered the temple. She could not answer the question and did not wish to ponder it further, choosing instead to evade.

Litian followed her steps into the temple, where the divine light burned quietly, offering a touch of warmth to the cold hall.

In the interplay of light and shadow, a black dot gradually approached Nuoluo. She reached out; it landed in her palm—it was the Underworld Butterfly. Since nightfall, this butterfly had not appeared, but now it had returned.

Nuoluo’s fingers gently brushed its trembling wings. What was it trying to tell her?

"The person who insulted you is dead," Litian explained, conveying the message from the Underworld Butterfly.

Nuoluo’s hand froze. How could that person have died so suddenly? Who killed him?

In the far west of Baili City, within a grand yet dilapidated house, a figure lay on the floor in despair. His eyes were wide open, as if unable to believe the shadow of death had fallen upon him.

Nuoluo passed by the residence, sensing its former glory, but now all that remained was desolation in the aftermath of disaster.

The empty courtyard was devoid of life, and under the night’s veil, it seemed even colder. A bird flew by, its cry piercing the silence and deepening the eerie atmosphere.

Nuoluo walked straight to the innermost room and found the scene awaiting her. The man who had loudly accused her in the tavern lay alone on the ground, his breath forever stilled.

She drew near and closed his eyes, which remained wide with disbelief. Then she noticed something even stranger—his soul had vanished. The time since his death had not been long, yet his soul was nowhere to be found. Without a soul lingering nearby, regardless of the cause of death, he would never have a chance at reincarnation. Moreover, Nuoluo could not determine the true cause of his death.

Such a bizarre demise—perhaps only he could accomplish it. Nuoluo looked to Litian beside her. In Baili City, who else could so easily erase a soul without her noticing? No one else possessed such power.

But it couldn’t be him; Litian had no need for concealment when killing. If not for her intervention earlier, this man would have died already—there would have been no delay. So who was it?

"Did the Underworld Butterfly notice anything unusual?" Nuoluo inspected the corpse, unwilling to believe no clues remained.

"Why don’t you suspect me?" Litian asked.

Nuoluo glanced at him, then at the butterfly, and pointed to the corpse. "The reason is simple: would you need to hide if you killed someone? In Baili City, it seems only you could erase a soul without my knowledge, but if it were you, you’d tell me, wouldn’t you?"

"Are you so certain?" Litian was surprised by her trust.

"Your Majesty, are you doubting my judgment?" Nuoluo did not explain further, still finding nothing upon examining the body.

Litian stood by her side, equally puzzled by the sudden death. The Underworld Butterfly had sensed nothing unusual; the man was already dead when it arrived.

Nuoluo stood, with a wave of her hand, and a life vanished forever. The sleeping citizens would never know that, on such a quiet night, a companion lost his life in slumber, leaving no trace behind. His death was as insignificant as a mote of dust, unnoticed and without consequence.

As his corpse disappeared, Nuoluo discovered something hidden beneath him. He too was of the Xiu Yi tribe.

The familiar name brought Nuoluo’s thoughts to Luo Yun, whom she encountered in the Nightmare Realm of the Underworld. Her child’s soul had been taken after death, but then it was the Goddess of the Four Seasons who claimed it. Where, then, had this man’s soul gone?

The Goddess of Four Seasons was still in Fengdu City; she would not disobey Nuoluo’s command and come here on her own. So who was it? What need did they have for this soul?

A cascade of questions echoed in Nuoluo’s mind; she sensed something hidden, yet could not connect all the pieces.

She looked to the Underworld Butterfly, hoping for an unexpected discovery, but was disappointed—it knew nothing.

Nuoluo paced the courtyard; after the man’s death, the last trace of life disappeared. The empty yard bore witness to both its former prosperity and ultimate decline.

She realized he was the last descendant here. After the disaster, all his kin had become memorial tablets. She did not know his name. His mysterious death could not be allowed to be known by the city’s people.

Rumors of the Reaper’s appearance still circulated in the city. If his strange death were discovered, who knew what panic might ensue? Nuoluo had no choice but to erase all traces of his existence.

Nuoluo and Litian left. Behind them, the once-prosperous residence changed completely; every trace was sealed away by Nuoluo. People could no longer enter or even perceive its existence.

It still stood in its original place, but all signs of life were hidden.

Yet Nuoluo did not realize that a pair of eyes watched their departure from the shadows.

The owner of those eyes approached the concealed courtyard, his body wrapped in black. Unlike Litian’s dignified darkness, his shroud was more a deliberate disguise.

He enveloped himself in black, revealing only a pair of gloomy eyes that gleamed with scheming intent in the night.

He extended his hands, attempting to break through Nuoluo’s sealing power, but stopped just before touching the yard.

He sensed the immense strength within—a barrier left by the Earth Goddess, far more powerful than he had anticipated.

He looked at the courtyard with a complicated expression; something he desperately wanted lay within, yet he dared not act rashly. Any movement that aroused Nuoluo’s suspicion could bring disaster. He glared hatefully at the success slipping from his grasp, then departed.

Back at the temple, Nuoluo felt that events were not as straightforward as they seemed. She decided to return to the hidden courtyard. Upon arrival, she noticed something amiss—someone had been there and left only moments before.

His aura had not yet faded, and he had even tried to enter the courtyard. What secret remained inside that she had not discovered?

Nuoluo stood where the mysterious figure had last been. The lingering aura felt strangely familiar.

Litian joined her, having followed since she left the temple, noticing her silence and choosing to accompany her.

Nuoluo did not stop him; his help might hasten the truth’s revelation. After all, Litian’s power over spirits far surpassed hers.

The Underworld Butterfly left Nuoluo and settled on Litian’s shoulder. It too sensed the familiar aura, but it seemed deliberately concealed; otherwise, it would have detected traces earlier.

Nuoluo carefully observed, feeling the remnants of the aura. She was certain she had encountered it before, and it was not a spirit; life’s essence was hidden within.

If it was not a spirit, then it was not someone she met in the Underworld. It must be someone from the realm of gods or mortals. Nuoluo mentally reviewed all those she met after leaving the Underworld, eliminating them one by one, until a pair of eyes flashed in her mind—a figure who struck her as especially mysterious upon first meeting. Yes—it was him.