As the sun sets in the west, the petals flying in the peach blossom forest are floating and swirling in the breeze, as if they are sighing at the ruthlessness of the years.
The little girl's childish and crisp "Daddy" brought the two of them back to the extremely real dream of the past.
"Don't turn around!"
Li Nanke scolded Bai Ruyue for trying to turn around to see the little girl.
He took a deep breath and warned in a cold voice: "This is just a memory that does not exist. Don't get yourself trapped in it."
Bai Ruyue resisted the torture in her heart and refused to turn around.
The flying petals were scratched on the face like knives, causing some pain, and the pain seemed to be transmitted to the heart.
The little girl's screams stopped.
However, the next moment, there was a warmth in the palms of Li Nanke and Bai Ruyue, but it was the little girl who held their hands.
"Dad, mother, I made a gift for you by the lake. Come and see it with me."
The petite figure of the girl is imprinted between the shadows of the two adults, adding a bit of comfort and warmth.
It was obviously just an illusory memory, but the girl's voice was so clear and real.
Even the warmth conveyed in the hands is so real.
Even Li Nanke appeared a little dazed.
In a daze, he and Bai Ruyue were led by the little girl to the lake.
The lake is as clear as a mirror without a wrinkle.
There is a protruding object by the lakeside, covered by a shabby purple cloth. It is not known what gift is hidden inside, which arouses people's curiosity.
"Father, mother, close your eyes."
The little girl walked up to the purple cloth, grabbed a corner, and said crisply, "Don't open it, or I won't give you a gift."
Bai Ruyue smiled and closed her eyes.
Li Nanke hesitated for a moment, sighed secretly, and gently closed his eyes.
The little girl said:
"I'll count. When you count to three, open your eyes."
"one two three!"
When "three" fell, the two of them opened their eyes. Only to find that they had returned to the altar, and the butterfly that carried their memory fragments turned into ashes.
The peach blossom is gone.
The little girl is missing.
Memories that were originally illusory have become increasingly misty and shadowless.
Bai Ruyue stood in a daze, as if she had lost her soul, with moist tears in her eyes.
"Do you still remember what gift she gave us?"
the woman asked.
Li Nanke shook his head.
It's strange that this episode doesn't seem to exist in his memory.
Bai Ruyue said bitterly: "I know it's fake, and I also know that we are just pretending to be other people, and that little girl is someone else's child. But... I really can't forget or let go.
Li Nanke, do you think the relationship between us does not need this empty memory to carry it? But apart from that, what else do you and I have?"
Li Nanke didn't say anything. In a irritable mood, he grabbed a flying butterfly.
The butterfly becomes stiff and turns into a specimen.
As his consciousness faded, he felt that his body was trapped in a whirlpool. When he woke up, he found himself in a strange environment.
This is another new memory, unique to him.
What came into view was a curtain stained with fresh blood, gently fluttering in the night wind. There was also a woman's heart-wrenching cry, which was horrifying to hear.
Li Nanke felt very cold and could not move.
It was as if he was trapped in a small box, unable to move except for his fingers.
At this moment, a bronze mirror suddenly stood next to him.
In the corner of his eye, Li Nanke was shocked to see a naked baby.
The skin on the baby's left chest was turned up, as if someone had cut it open with a knife. There was blood oozing out from the edge, but he did not feel any pain.
Who is this?
I?
Li Nanke felt incredible.
It stands to reason that the memory of infants is very short and blank, but it can still be recalled.
Through the mirror, Li Nanke not only saw himself as a baby, but also saw a woman lying on the bed about to give birth.
The woman's face was covered with sweat, she was shouting in pain, and there were runes stuck on her bulging belly.
"This is……"
At this moment, Li Nanke suddenly understood.
He understood when and where this memory occurred.
Back then, he was stolen into this world by an old Taoist priest. In order to save the child (Red Rain Savior) in the arms of the wife of the God of War Bei Wenliang, a piece of his heart was cut out and replaced.
The child saved is the current Princess Shanyun.
It binds the two together.
The scene now is the scene where the old Taoist priest cut his heart to save someone.
Sure enough, the familiar voice of the old Taoist priest came from a corner of the room, "General Bei, it's almost time."
"Taoist Master, is this method... really possible?"
A man's rich voice sounded in the room.
The old Taoist priest said: "The old Taoist can't guarantee it, but it's better than nothing. General Bei, giving birth to a child in the tomb is against the law of heaven. Whether it can succeed depends entirely on the wife's creation."
"I understand, then I'll ask you, Taoist priest."
"You go out first, the old master is going to do something."
"That's...okay."
The man sighed and the footsteps gradually faded away until the door closed.
After Bei Wenliang left, Li Nanke saw the old Taoist priest's skinny hands taking out two talismans and placing them on both sides of the woman.
The talisman illuminates with a weak white light, like a small lamp.
"Are you ready to change your mind?"
From the ancient mirror, Li Nanke saw the old Taoist priest placing an iron plate in an empty space on the bed.
On the plate are bright red pieces of meat.
I don't know if it was a psychological effect, but Li Nanke saw that the outer wall of the meat seemed to be beating slightly.
After a while, the old Taoist priest inserted three sticks of black incense on the right side of the woman's abdomen.
Black smoke curled up, turning into complex and mysterious runes in the air, and landed on the woman's bulging belly.
Immediately, a cloud of black mist spread, obscuring Li Nanke's sight.
About three to five minutes later, the baby's cry suddenly sounded.
gave birth?
Li Nanke thought to himself.
He strained his eyes to see, but as the black fog dissipated, an icy chill instantly spread throughout his body.
I saw a monster lying on the bed.
This monster is very small, and its body is no different from that of an ordinary baby, but its head is divided into two halves, split in the middle.
The eyes, nose, mouth... were split to both sides.
The cracked area was covered with sharp teeth, and a long bloody tongue stuck out, slowly squirming like a snake.
"What the hell is this!?"
Li Nanke was shocked.
Did Bei Wenliang's wife give birth to such a thing?
But it seems normal for Princess Shanyun.
At this time, the monster seemed to smell something and crawled towards Li Nanke, its eyes flashing with scarlet light.
Li Nanke's scalp was numb.
I want to escape, but I can't.
Fortunately, when the monster was about to get close to him, he grabbed it with one hand.
Then he fed it a piece of flesh and blood on a plate.
After eating the flesh and blood, the monster's split head magically began to heal and gradually turned into a normal child's face.
The baby who has returned to normal is pink and looks nothing like the wrinkles he looked like when he was just born.
"Is Princess Shanyun really a monster?"
Recalling what Yuan Changxu, the prefect of Yuncheng, said before, Li Nanke felt suspicious.
At this moment, he suddenly saw the old Taoist priest taking out a small wooden box from somewhere and carefully placing it on the table next to the bed.
Just when Li Nanke thought it would be some magical weapon, he saw the old Taoist priest taking out a baby from the box!
Judging from the condition of the baby, she was just born and is a girl.
"Where did you get this kid?"
Li Nanke was very confused.
The old Taoist priest looked at the baby in his arms with a complicated expression, whispered something, and placed it next to the woman.