Qi Ji came back to her senses from the madness. These past years, she would always erupt like this from time to time; every time she saw the appearance of the Liang clan’s deity, she could not endure the pain in her heart. Slowly, she even became unwilling to come see him again, only hiding him away tightly, not letting the clansmen know of his weakness, and even more not daring to let the Qin clan know of his weakness.
She concealed everything very well, still desperately thinking of ways. But she had tried every possible method; at most, she could only delay his weakening. In her despair, she thought of the Qin clan’s deity, who still possessed powerful strength. If she could devour him, her own deity would definitely be able to return to his former state.
Generally speaking, deity of different clans could not devour one another, but as they all knew, the Qin and Liang clans had intermarried for several thousand years. After countless generations, the bloodlines of both clans carried much mingling.
Dozens of years ago, before the Liang clan’s deity had declined into his current state, they once went to the old estate. That time, the Qin clan’s deity suddenly looked at the Liang clan’s deity and smiled. His tone was very casual as he said, “In this state of yours, it seems I could devour you.”
Qi Ji had been startled at once. She felt the Qin clan’s deity was not joking—he really could devour the Liang clan’s deity, and he was considering the matter! From then on, already suffering in agony because of her clan’s deity’s decline, she became even more wary and tense. As the deity’s condition worsened day by day, that tension slowly fermented into malice.
If the Qin clan’s deity could devour the Liang clan’s deity, then why couldn’t her deity devour him in return! As long as he began to weaken as well, as long as the Qin clan’s people also began to die, that would be enough!
“I’m not ready yet… Give me a little more time, I definitely can…”
The Liang clan’s deity touched her face, stopping her from continuing, “A’Ji, we were already in the wrong long ago. Over two hundred years ago, I should not have devoured the Liang clan’s people.”
Qi Ji’s expression froze. “It was the Qin clan’s deity who started devouring first. He devoured his people and gained strength—why couldn’t you? Instead you received so many curses. I don’t understand, I really don’t understand!”
Before the Qin clan’s deity had suddenly gone mad and devoured several hundred Qin clansmen, no deity had ever devoured humans. If all deity were destined to decline and perish, perhaps she would not have been so obsessed with keeping the Liang clan’s deity alive forever. But there just had to be that Qin clan’s deity. All deity began to decay, yet only he gained new power by devouring his own people, and from then on could replenish his strength by devouring evil. How envy-inducing and how hateful! He had originally been inferior to her own deity!
His success naturally invited imitation, and because the Qin and Liang clans had always had a good relationship, it was precisely because of this closeness that the Liang clan learned of this matter first.
At the time, Qi Ji, who had been worried over the Liang clan’s deity’s weakness, was ecstatic. However, the clansmen, who were now in the midst of rapid development, no longer held the same devotion as before, and no one was willing to sacrifice their life to let the Liang clan’s deity experiment. Even if there were willing people, it was only a scant ten or so.
“Perishing is our fate.” The Liang clan’s deity said so.
But Qi Ji refused to believe in such a fate.
That day, under the pretense of a sacrifice, Qi Ji secretly gathered several hundred Liang clansmen to participate. She killed all of the clansmen who came.
When the deity arrived, he saw only corpses all over the ground. Qi Ji was covered in blood, stiffly reaching her hand toward him as she revealed a smile. “You can be saved. Quick, quickly devour them, then you can be just like the Qin clan’s deity.”
Yet it was not the same. He did not gain power—he only gained curses, curses that made his situation even worse.
To this day, Qi Ji still did not understand why.
“Perhaps it is because the way I was born is different from the Qin clan’s deity.” The making of every clan’s deity was not exactly the same. It was said that during the creation of the Qin clan’s deity, the process had been especially painful and brutal. And the stronger the emotion, the greater the power it could bring. Love would fade with time, but pain would grow heavier with time.
“A’Ji, you are truly tired.” The Liang clan’s deity said, “Sleep with me.”
“I won’t! I don’t want to. Tomorrow—the Qin clan’s deity will only arrive tomorrow. We still have a chance. I can go right now and use every method to kill all of his clansmen…”
As Qi Ji spoke, she met the gaze of the Liang clan’s deity. The ferocity on her face gradually turned into confusion.
“Why are you looking at me with those eyes?” She touched the face of the Liang clan’s deity, stabbed by the look in his eyes. “Why are you looking at me like this? I did everything for you. You can’t hate me because of what I did. You must love me, love me like you used to, all right?”
She was too afraid. Perhaps deep down she already knew that it was precisely because of her wrong choice at the beginning—because she forced the deity to devour the dead clansmen—that she accelerated his destruction. She knew she was wrong, yet there was no way to undo it. She could only continue making mistakes, and even after discarding the softest part of herself, she still could not save the life of the Liang clan’s deity.
In the end, it all amounted to nothing.
“I’m so unwilling…”
“I understand.” The Liang clan’s deity extended a hand as stiff and cold as stone, pulling her into his embrace. A gentle golden light radiated from his body, and within that light, Qi Ji’s entire figure became blurred. She seemed to see that small lakeside cottage from a thousand years ago—the sunset was truly beautiful, willow catkins drifting across the sky. A red dragonfly perched on her fingertip. When she turned her head, she saw a man draped in an outer robe, standing in the shadows within the house, gazing at the falling sun outside.
He seemed to stand apart from that turbulent world—so lonely, yet so resilient, his entire being filled with a complex and mysterious air. She was a princess; others thought her identity noble, yet she often felt like the catkins by the lake, not knowing where she would drift. She couldn’t help thinking, if there were wind at this moment, she truly wished to drift like those catkins into the palm of his hand.
Ding ling, ding ling—the bells hanging under the eaves were ringing.
Half her body sank into the chest of the Liang clan’s deity. Qi Ji, dazed, reached a hand into the empty air to grasp something, but in the end, with a confused look in her eyes, she was dragged into his chest and completely disappeared.
As she vanished into his body, the cracks and cold stiffness on the Liang clan’s deity faded slightly, making him look more human. In order for his wife to freely walk outside, he had lent her what little power he still possessed. But as long as he willed it, that power would return to his body at any time.
Sitting up, the Liang clan’s deity brushed aside the hair falling down and placed a hand on his chest. “I understand, so A’Ji, sleep well.”
If he were devoured, Qi Ji—who had been under his protection, sharing life and death with him would also disappear. Since their perishing could no longer be avoided, then it was better to return to his body now… and become his nourishment.
According to her wish, they would be together forever.
───♡───
A blue glow shimmered along the horizon. The faint light was as tranquil as a pond before dawn. The woods surrounding the old estate were deep and dense, the rich greens blending into dark blues, forming hues and strokes like those of an oil painting.
Luo Yuan returned to the old estate overnight. Only one car traveled through the forest path. The gate opened silently and swallowed the car inside. At this hour, the old estate was at its quietest. The people accompanying her all showed signs of fatigue. Luo Yuan told them to go rest and walked alone toward the shrine.
She pushed open the courtyard gate of the shrine and immediately saw her clan’s deity. He was sitting on the corridor outside the shrine, gazing at the rosebush she had planted earlier. Its vitality was strong; many new leaves had grown, and there was even a small bud that might bloom at any moment.
Leaning against the doorway, Luo Yuan watched him. She felt he was like a hazy white water lily floating on a deep-blue pond—serene and beautiful.
Every time she saw him, she always felt she loved him a little more. Perhaps it was because he was the only thing she had now.
“An, come.”
Luo Yuan walked to his side, placed her hand into his cold one, and sat down beside him.
“Did Er-ge do something today? Qi Ji looked so nervous.”
The deity said, “Nothing serious. I simply discovered the Liang clan’s deity and am preparing to devour him.”
Luo Yuan was momentarily stunned by his calm tone. “Devour the Liang clan’s deity? Can deity devour each other?”
“Perhaps others cannot, but he can.”
“Hm? What is special about him?”
“The Liang and Qin clans have intermarried for many years, the bloodlines are mixed, and within the Liang clan’s deity’s body are countless ‘evils.’”
Luo Yuan didn’t quite understand for a moment. “‘Evils’…”
What exactly was evil? Previously, her understanding had been that once a person killed someone, “evil” would arise within their body. But to lump it all together like that seemed too simplistic and crude. And would deity also produce such evil? Was evil something that only killing created? What was its true essence? Why was Er-ge able to gain strength from devouring them?
Her mind was filled with these questions. Without realizing it, her fingers tugged at the ribbon on the deity’s garment. As she pulled, the tied bow unraveled, and his long hair instantly loosened. Luo Yuan reached out with her hands to smooth it for him.
“Devouring him will help me shed my shell, and soon you will no longer need to fear the sunlight.” The deity held her and also helped smooth her hair. “The wives of others, after their transformation, all need a long time before they can fully adapt to sunlight, but you will be able to walk under the sun like a normal person very soon.”
Luo Yuan was a bit worried he was doing this for her sake, so she held his arm tightly. “I’m not in a hurry. Er-ge, is it dangerous for you to devour the Liang clan’s deity?”
“Dangerous?” The deity’s expression was hazy and faint. “Is it dangerous to watch someone trapped in a quagmire struggle in their final moments?”
Luo Yuan carefully observed the deity’s expression, but she couldn’t see anything—it was, after all, a mask. She was still somewhat worried. She sat up, and through his clothing gently touched the place on his chest. There was a long crack there. He said the Liang clan’s deity had much evil within him, but in truth, he was the same.
“Er-ge, I know you’re very powerful, but I still worry about you. I often feel like I want to protect you.”
“I understand.” The deity showed no expression, yet somehow he gave off a very gentle feeling. He said, “I already understand. When you are outside, even knowing you are not in danger, I still hope you will come back quickly. When you are not by my side, I inexplicably worry someone will bully you. Is that what this feeling is.”
Luo Yuan hadn’t expected to hear such words. She was a little surprised, but she couldn’t help growing delighted. The deity speaking this way was like a young boy—realizing his own feelings for the first time and expressing them. Because he was unfamiliar with it, he was especially straightforward and sincere.
The deity looked at her smile. “Red.”
Luo Yuan met his gaze. “What?”
The deity said, “An is red.”
The red of blood, the red of camellias, the red of desire.
Luo Yuan looked at the deity’s face so close to hers. Her lips moved, but then she was suddenly pulled into his embrace. Holding his wife, the deity looked toward the shrine’s entrance and asked, “Why visit so late at night?”
“Forgive the intrusion, but I do not have much time, so I came early.”
The Liang clan’s deity appeared in the courtyard of the shrine. He no longer looked like the shattered, stiff figure from before—though his body still bore many crack-like lines, and his face also had quite a few. He wore the Liang clan’s exquisite golden brocade robe, radiating light even in the night.
“Though I know I cannot defeat you, A’Ji is unwilling. So I shall still fight you.”
“You barging in so late at night to disturb another couple’s married life is rather inappropriate.” The deity spoke astonishingly for the first time in a while.
Luo Yuan: “Cough cough cough!” Why would he suddenly bring that up with such seriousness in the middle of a duel atmosphere!!
And Er-ge actually considered what happened earlier as married life?! Er-ge, are you serious?!
