Chapter 31: Breaking the Game
"Tian You, you must not get into any trouble, otherwise, I can't survive on my own!"
"Don't worry, my dear wife. After going through the apocalyptic battles with Jiang Chen, Nuwa, Destiny, the Human King, and the Fairy Mother of the Jade Pool, I already know how to face difficult situations. You have the Demon-Slaying Blade, I have the Pangu Bow; working together, destroying heaven and earth, we will be a deterrent to the people setting up this plot."
"You mean someone is plotting?"
"Yes, not just one person, many people are plotting and scheming against each other. No matter which side, we are the most crucial pieces in their game."
"We were pawns in the last two apocalyptic wars, and now we're pawns again. What exactly do those people want to do?!"
"Xiao Ling, good things don't always come third. This time, we will jump out of the chess game and fight with them ourselves. Even if we have to battle heaven and earth, we won't hesitate!"
"With you here, I'm not afraid!"
"Why do you say that?!"
"Because you are my man!"
Tian You held Ma Xiaoling in his arms. "Don't worry, I will protect my woman with my life. Because I was born to guard and cherish you!"
Ma Xiaoling's body trembled intensely and she unconsciously asked, “That sentence feels so familiar! Have you said it before?”
"What's the matter? Did I say it too late?"
"Not late at all! I'm just touched!"
Tian You gently patted Ma Xiaoling and fell silent for a long while.
"Tian You."
"Hmm."
"There are still two things we haven't finished while fighting those villains."
"What things?"
"First, your injury hasn't healed, and second, the matter of the Demon-Slaying Blade."
"I understand what you mean. It depends on you; everything follows fate."
"I won't lose myself, because I have a cherished man in my heart. From ancient times to now, you are the only man!"
"What about our past life?"
"For thousands of years, you're still the only one!"
"Will you still scold me in the future?"
"Yes! Only then will you always remember me!"
"You little rascal!" Tian You held Ma Xiaoling tightly...
Tian You and Ma Xiaoling walked side by side along the country path.
"How many years has it been! Nothing has changed much here. Everything is still so familiar." Looking at the green mountains, clear waters, small bridges, and village homes, Tian You felt a lot of emotion.“Tianyou, how many years has it been since you came back here?”
“Eighty-five years. This is the second hometown of my life. I have very deep feelings for every mountain and river here.”
“Here are still Axiu, your son, and the villagers who died for you. Will you forget them?”
“No. They are already part of my life, never to be erased.”
“What would you do if Axiu reappeared?”
“You're saying something completely off now. Could it be the influence of the High Priest?”
“Tianyou, I'm not crazy. I've just experienced too many strange things, and I'm scared.”
“Xiaoling, Axiu is a good woman. If she faced this dilemma, she would choose to leave and not appear again.”
“That is a choice made out of deep love. I would do the same.”
“You can't give up!”
“Then how would you handle this?”
“I would tell Axiu: the love between us is already deeply engraved in my heart, but that belongs to the past. After you left, I made a new choice, and I must take responsibility for it. Responsibility tells me to have no regrets about this choice; conscience tells me to stay true to this choice. So, I must let go of that love and let it exist as a memory in the world. To you, I can only say I'm sorry!”
“Tianyou, if Axiu were here, she would be sad to hear this.”
“Actually, if Axiu were here, all three of us would be sad!”
“Yes! If she were here, all three of us would be sad!”
“Xiaoling, you've become so sentimental.”
“Not sentimental, just more sensitive.”
“Did you notice something wrong?”
“Because you chose this place to recover.”
“Then let's leave this place.”
“I, Ma Xiaoling, am not that petty! It's precisely because you are loyal and righteous that I, Ma Xiaoling, am determined to hold onto you!” After saying that, she walked forward alone.
“Xiaoling!”
“What?” Ma Xiaoling turned to look at Kuang Tianyou.
“You're giving me a warning,” Kuang Tianyou smiled.
“Hmph!” Ma Xiaoling turned and walked on.
“Xiaoling, look quickly!”
“What is it?” Ma Xiaoling followed where Kuang Tianyou was pointing.
“The Red River! The place where I fought with Yamamoto back then. We fought fiercely, shedding blood, and that drew the Zombie King Jiang Chen here.”“Is it this place?”
“Mm.” Kuang Tianyou replied softly.
“Tianyou,” Ma Xiaoling noticed Kuang Tianyou lost in thought, “do you regret becoming a zombie?”
“No! In the past, because of loneliness, because I couldn't and wasn't able to help my loved ones when they passed away, I hated that I was a zombie. If it weren't for Rebirth, I would have gone mad long ago, and possibly even died at the hands of some zombie Taoist. Now, with you, and Tianya, I am content.”
“What about Zhenzhen?”
“She died innocently for me. I will forever owe her a favor.”
“One of the pains of being a zombie is that there are things you can do but cannot act upon.”
“You once told me, ‘The greatest enemy of a zombie isn't the Ma family, but oneself, loneliness, and isolation.' Therefore, I can't let my loved ones leave me anymore.”
“Tianyou, once this matter is dealt with, what shall we do in the future?”
“Xiaoling, I once thought about living a secluded life, but I felt that wasn't the best. Why don't we let go of everything and travel the world, exploring and seeking adventures? How about that?”
“Great idea! I had that thought when I was young. Catching ghosts and demons, I've grown a bit tired of it.” Ma Xiaoling became excited, as if she had returned to the past.
“Xiaoling, before time, we are always young.”
“Women are no longer young after having children.”
“Men are no longer young after having women.”
“Then are we old couples?”
“Mm, yes, we are old couples!”
“Then I have a request, and you have to agree.”
“What request?” Kuang Tianyou felt a bit nervous.
“Hehe, don't be so tense. It's a small request.”
“Say it.”
“Carry me and fly! Quickly!” After saying that, Ma Xiaoling clung to Kuang Tianyou like a squid.
“Don't you have the Flying Cloud Charm?”
“No, the charm is used up, and I'd have to spend Shilaiya lip balm to draw one. That lip balm is quite expensive!”
“Don't you think your husband will get tired?”
“Hmph, who told you to be my husband? Tired, sleepy, drink ‘Red Bull', replenish energy and blood! If the money runs out, nobody is giving it to you for free.”
Kuang Tianyou shook his head, “How can you fly in front of me?”
“Doesn't matter, I just want you to hold me and fly. Hurry up!”"Alright, let's go." Kuang Tianyou leapt into the air, flying back and forth among the mountains. Green hills, tall trees, white clouds, and small rivers rushed rapidly past. Sometimes, Kuang Tianyou deliberately brushed past big trees and rocks, skimming the water's surface, scaring Ma Xiaoling into constant screams. Kuang Tianyou also grabbed birds with misfortune that flew past him to tease Ma Xiaoling, even perching on the backs of large birds and letting them fly with him.
"Wait!" Ma Xiaoling suddenly shouted.
Kuang Tianyou immediately stabilized himself and asked, "What's wrong?"
"The Qian Kun Spirit Compass is moving!"
"Let's see what's there."
Ma Xiaoling opened it, and the compass needle kept swinging downward.
"What did you find?"
"Fantastic! I really didn't expect it—this place is a Feng Shui treasure site."
"What happened?"
"Below is a naturally formed spiritual energy gathering area! This is immensely beneficial for your healing."
"Today I got so lucky!"
"What lucky? It's good fortune!"
"Yes, yes, yes, it's good fortune."
"Although it's not perfect, it's still okay. Staying here every day is like taking a bath—it has many benefits."
"Are you coming?"
"I can't. At most, I'm an extraordinary person, but I don't have an immortal body. Without practicing techniques, the spiritual energy could actually harm me."
"Didn't you say you wanted to take a bath?"
"Ah, you dead guy, you pervert!" Ma Xiaoling fiercely beat Kuang Tianyou's chest...
Hong Kong Liuhua Apartment. As the elevator doors opened, Wang Sizhen stepped out. She saw someone standing in front of Kuang Tianyou's door. Feeling somewhat familiar, she quietly walked over and asked, "Who are you looking for?" When the person turned around at her voice, she exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, it's Mr. Situ!"
"Miss Wang! You live here too?"
"Yes, right across from Brother Kuang."
"Where has Detective Kuang gone? The police station said he took leave."
"Brother Kuang? He urgently returned to his hometown for something."
"Do you have a phone number?"
"It was very sudden, he left in a hurry. I don't know if he took it with him."
"Hmm." Situ Juncai nodded.
"Stop standing at the doorway chatting! If convenient, come into my room."
"Alright." After entering the room, Situ glanced around and sighed, "This room is really arranged quite uniquely!"
"I'm not that elegant. It was designed by my teacher's wife, Madam Kuang."“Tea or coffee?”
“Tea, thank you! It seems that Madam Kuang's standards are on par with top designers.”
“Not just that, my sister-in-law knows a lot! Please have some tea!”
“All right, thank you. I heard she opened a flower shop?”
“Yes. And she also has a company.”
“She's truly a strong woman! By the way, may I ask boldly: the disciple of my father's old friend—called…?”
“Yuan Yue, right?”
“Yes, yes, Yuan Yue. Look at my memory, it's really poor. Has she left as well?”
“No. She's living with me now and taking care of the flower shop.”
“She hasn't finished work yet?”
“Hehe, a flower shop doesn't have set working hours.”
“Yes, yes, running a flower shop means early mornings and late nights. I was just worried about a girl being alone and encountering trouble. Oh, I remembered, Miss Bai is with her, too.”
“Miss Bai went home to visit her family.”
“Really?!”
“Don't worry, with a policeman like me here, who would dare to bully her!”
Hahaha, Situ Juncai finally laughed, “Look at my memory, I actually forgot there's a policeman sitting right in front of me!”
“Mr. Situ, I'm not very good with words—about Miss Li…” At the mention of Li Wen, Situ Juncai's face stiffened. Wang Sizhen quickly corrected herself: “Please forgive my rudeness.”
Situ Juncai regained his composure: “No, Miss Wang, you misunderstood! Wenwen is gone, that is a fact, and I have accepted this reality. Just now, I felt warmth—someone still remembers Wenwen, it's rare!”
“Please accept my condolences, Mr. Situ. Although I didn't have many occasions to interact with Miss Li, we got along very well.”
“Yes, Wenwen was very easygoing.”
“She's mischievous, often teasing people! I've been on the losing end a few times!”
Hahaha, Situ laughed: “That means Wenwen truly considered you a friend. Normally, this little girl doesn't have that temperament? Usually, she's the one causing trouble!”
“Really? Then, Mr. Situ, how many times did Miss Li tease you?”
“That's hard to say!”
“Hehe, it seems you and Wenwen really understood each other! Enviable indeed!”
“Not too bad! But everything is over now.”“Mr. Situ…”
“Look at me, I… won't say anything more. By the way, Miss Wang, how about you? A clever girl like you must have quite a few admirers, right?”
“Me? I'm still young and don't want a boyfriend.”
“No way? You must already have someone special in mind!”
Wang Sizhen blushed and said, “You could say I have a standard!”
“Oh.” Situ Juncai smiled, understanding that Wang Sizhen was unwilling to talk about it. Realizing he had been a bit forward, he changed the subject: “Miss Wang, I think it's getting late. I should be going. If Detective Kuang comes back, could you please tell him that I'm looking for him?”
“May I ask: is there something important Mr. Situ wants with senior brother?”
“Nothing important, just a personal matter.”
“Alright, I'll tell him as soon as he comes back.”
“Then I won't keep you. Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Take care!”
Wang Sizhen watched Situ Fenqi leave. “This person is really a bit strange!” she said helplessly, shaking her head.
Up to the luxurious floor upstairs…
