DEG - Chapter 18
Chapter 18: This is the Seventh Year
Luo Nanqiu gripped Jiang Xun's hand, taking a long time to return to normal.
Her mind began to turn, trying to find something wrong with this Jiang Xun.
Because over the years, countless people had tried to win her favor by presenting her with one "Jiang Xun" after another.
Or they used a "Jiang Xun" to lower her guard, intending to kill her with "Jiang Xun's" hands.
But...
The Jiang Xuns those people had cultivated were just too fake.
Not like this one.
So real, it was as if Jiang Xun were alive.
Did rebirth truly exist in this world?
Science had no such theory, and the possibility on the ability side was close to zero.
The Descenders did have talk of rebirth, but a deeper look revealed it was nothing more than literary embellishment.
Both Blue Star and the interstellar world had theories about ghosts and gods, but the interstellar ones had long been mostly lost.
However, Blue Star's theories were still intact and seemed to share a common origin with the interstellar ones.
So, could it be that because of the Descenders' existence, Ah Xun was able to come back to her?
Luo Nanqiu wasn't sure if she was just deceiving herself.
It was just that this Jiang Xun was too much like her Ah Xun.
She watched as Jiang Xun thoughtfully poured her a glass of warm water, as if concerned she had lost too much fluid from crying so much.
Luo Nanqiu drank it sip by sip. Her chaotic mind calmed down. Placing the glass on the cabinet, she resumed her elegant posture.
The light hit her fair profile, as smooth as glaze. Although she was smiling, her downcast eyes added a touch of gloomy coldness.
Even though she now pressed her lips together, an embarrassed smile on her face.
It was clear she was putting distance between them.
Luo Nanqiu's voice was soft, gentle, polite, and yet distant.
"I'm sorry, I lost my composure."
Jiang Xun froze, instinctively feeling that Luo Nanqiu was about to say something bad.
"You just look so much like an old friend of mine."
Jiang Xun's mouth fell open unconsciously. She was practically stunned on the spot.
"Nanqiu..."
"You don't recognize me?"
"It's me, Jiang Xun."
Jiang Xun grabbed Luo Nanqiu's hand, anxiously guiding it to her own face.
"The real deal, not something someone created to deceive you."
Luo Nanqiu's hand rested gently on Jiang Xun's skin, a hint of intoxication unconsciously showing in her violet eyes.
"Yes, you really are so much like her."
"Even knowing it's impossible, I can't help but indulge in it..." Her voice was somewhat tense, but she deliberately maintained a slow, gentle pace.
"Unfortunately, there's no way to bring the dead back to life in this world."
"Ah Xun, I can't find you. For so many years, I haven't been able to find you."
"She has left me completely."
Luo Nanqiu's words became rushed, even somewhat jumbled and confused. Jiang Xun stood frozen, her breath catching for a moment.
She saw Luo Nanqiu finally close her eyes, trying hard to calm her emotions and breathing, eventually managing to compose herself.
"I really want to keep indulging in this, but..."
"Believing you feels like a betrayal to her."
Luo Nanqiu's soft thumb wiped the corner of Jiang Xun's lips, delivering a cruel verdict with an intoxicated gaze.
She withdrew her hand.
She stood up and left the bed.
"However, for the sake of the momentary joy you've given me."
"You are my honored guest."
Jiang Xun's gaze followed her, watching Luo Nanqiu leave their secret space.
Jiang Xun remained in a daze.
Now it was her turn for her mind to be in chaos.
She knew with absolute clarity that it wasn't that Nanqiu couldn't recognize her.
It was that she didn't believe it was her.
Because she was already dead.
Six years ago.
...
So, was being so eager to see Nanqiu really a good thing for her?
Whether real or fake, wasn't her existence just a form of torture for her?
Jiang Xun threw herself heavily onto the bed.
Meanwhile, Luo Nanqiu, having left the secret base, was not as calm as she appeared.
After leaving Jiang Xun, she couldn't stop herself from panting heavily, tears uncontrollably spilling from the corners of her eyes.
With a trembling hand, she issued a quest to the nearest Descender.
【Luo Nanqiu wants to learn about souls, death, reincarnation, and ghosts.】
Breaking Waves Riding Wind, who wasn't with the Little Emperor and had been tricked by her stream viewers into touring the Regent's private manor: ?
【Holy crap! A quest!! A quest issued by the Regent herself! Is the adult version of the Regent finally going to make an appearance?!】
【What an exciting quest!! Does the Regent already think Jiang Xun is a reincarnation?】
【But rebirth... emm... in a game's world-building... it's reasonable! Very reasonable!!】
Forgetting about touring the garden, Breaking Waves Riding Wind was urged by her viewers to do the quest.
What?
She didn't understand the metaphysical knowledge of gods and ghosts?
Didn't she have an entire stream full of viewers?!
Breaking Waves Riding Wind was on her way.
The place Luo Nanqiu had arranged to meet was in her storage room.
The room at the end of that corridor, which held countless Jiang Xun clones.
Luo Nanqiu had already arrived at her destination.
Countless clones of Jiang Xun floated up and down in the blue nutrient fluid.
Among them were those she had confiscated three years ago when she destroyed the laboratory, as well as those presented by people who wanted to curry favor with her or assassinate her over the years.
For the confiscated clones, their creators had only wanted to obtain Jiang Xun's ability, and no one cared about the consciousnesses that awakened within the bodies.
None of these consciousnesses were like Jiang Xun.
As for those clones presented with malicious intent, they had probably been forced to learn Jiang Xun's mannerisms, and some might have even had parts of Jiang Xun's memories implanted.
So they believed themselves to be Jiang Xun.
Luo Nanqiu awakened the malicious ones one by one.
She watched coldly as countless "Jiang Xuns" opened their eyes, their lips curling into smiles that disgusted her.
"Nanqiu, do you finally believe me?"
Even their tone of voice was identical.
Forcing Luo Nanqiu to believe that she was Jiang Xun.
Luo Nanqiu lowered her head and looked at her Optical Brain.
It showed surveillance footage.
The surveillance from the secret base.
She saw Jiang Xun lying on the bed, curled into a ball in frustration, seemingly regretting that her appearance had caused her a second round of pain.
Luo Nanqiu couldn't help but smile, her gaze softening as she looked at the screen. But when she lifted her eyes to the imprisoned "Jiang Xuns," her expression instantly turned cold again.
These people thought they had seen through Jiang Xun's personality.
They thought they understood the relationship between Jiang Xun and Luo Nanqiu.
Knowing of Luo Nanqiu's love for Jiang Xun, they hypocritically offered her a phantom dream.
But...
A cold, rational analysis of Jiang Xun's personality could never decipher Jiang Xun's attitude toward her.
Because Jiang Xun did have love for her.
Even if it wasn't romantic love.
These people deserved to die.
Luo Nanqiu thought.
She took control of the nutrient pods again, filling them with a nutrient solution containing a sedative.
These newly awakened "Jiang Xuns" fell back into a deep sleep.
Luo Nanqiu sat in an armchair, watching Jiang Xun on the Optical Brain—she looked like she wanted to leave the secret base, as if she wanted to run away.
Luo Nanqiu stood up, only to see that the snow leopard had caught Jiang Xun by the cuff of her pants.
The snow leopard meowed and clung to Jiang Xun's side, not letting her move a single step forward.
Luo Nanqiu relaxed, but then she realized the Descender who had accepted her quest had already arrived outside the door.
She had no choice but to sit back down, tilting her head slightly and raising an eyebrow at the newcomer.
The moment Breaking Waves Riding Wind walked into the room, her gaze was captured by the countless Jiang Xuns floating in the nutrient pods.
Beneath the countless towering nutrient pods, the Regent's figure could be described as somewhat small.
But when one's gaze fell upon her, they were captivated by her powerful presence. That intense aura struck fear into everyone's hearts.
The stream, which had been buzzing with high traffic and a constant barrage of comments because they were about to see the Regent, instantly fell silent.
All the comments disappeared.
They were captivated by the person before them.
They were terrified, yet at the same time, they couldn't look away.
They only slowly came back to their senses when the corner of Luo Nanqiu's lips curled into a faint smile.
【Damn, the Regent's aura is so powerful.】
【So cool, so cool! What a cool big sister!】
Even the flirty comments decreased significantly in Luo Nanqiu's presence.
They heard Luo Nanqiu's voice, soft yet tinged with a hint of coldness.
"In your culture, can people come back from the dead?"
Breaking Waves Riding Wind hurriedly looked at the prompts in her comments. "Yes, they can!"
"Setting aside the well-known rebirth literature on Blue Star, our ghost and monster culture is equally famous."
"I've heard of many ghosts possessing bodies just to see their living relatives and lovers one last time." Breaking Waves Riding Wind glanced up at Luo Nanqiu.
But she saw no change in Luo Nanqiu's expression; she merely nodded slightly, waiting for her to continue.
"Of course, there are also those who die with hatred. Their resentment turns them into powerful, lingering ghosts."
With the help of her comments, Breaking Waves Riding Wind seemed to have become a professional ghost-catching master, extremely familiar with all things supernatural.
She went on and on, but none of it seemed to move Luo Nanqiu.
In the end, Breaking Waves Riding Wind gave up trying to guess Luo Nanqiu's intentions. Since she couldn't figure it out anyway, she simply decided to explain Blue Star's funeral and reincarnation culture from beginning to end.
Until she reached a certain point.
"On the seventh day after a person dies, their soul will return home to check on those they worry about. We call this the First Seven."
Luo Nanqiu slowly lifted her head. "Seven..."
Jiang Xun had died two weeks before her birthday.
She had already lost Jiang Xun for six years.
This year was the seventh year.
"Seven days?"
"Not seven years?"
【Seven years! Keyword! What happens to the dead after seven years?】
【Seven years? The soul is gone after three years, the spirit is gone after seven. Basically, the soul is completely scattered!】
Breaking Waves Riding Wind saw this but didn't dare say it out loud.
She bullshitted.
"Well... a day in heaven is a year on earth. If she was a God Rank ability user, maybe... seven years is her First Seven..."
Breaking Waves Riding Wind was talking pure nonsense, but she saw Luo Nanqiu's eyes gradually light up.
"Thank you for clearing my doubts." Luo Nanqiu ended the quest and gave Breaking Waves Riding Wind a large reward of star coins.
Stream comments.
【...】
【So you finally heard the answer you wanted to hear, huh?】
【Heartbreaking. You were just looking for an excuse to accept that Jiang Xun is Jiang Xun.】
【Oh, Regent, Regent. Before I met you, I never thought you were so love-struck!】
But Luo Nanqiu paid them no mind.
She returned to the garden and saw Jiang Xun sitting on the steps, stroking the fur of the snow leopard beside her.
Seeing Luo Nanqiu, she subconsciously raised her hand to greet her, but then she seemed to remember something, and with a pained expression, she pulled her hand back.
She watched helplessly as Luo Nanqiu walked up to her.
She saw Luo Nanqiu's eyes were cold, and her voice was extremely distant when she spoke.
"I have one question. If you can answer it, I will believe you are Ah Xun."
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