The letter was brief, a distillation of Xiao Yun's thoughts over hundreds of years.
Perhaps... it still concealed parts of her true feelings, but it had fully answered the pact made between Li Mo and Xiao Yun.
Ten times a normal lifespan—that was the limit for an ordinary person.
The closer one got to this limit, the more extreme their emotions became, teetering on the edge between extreme negativity and extreme madness.
After consuming his blood, an ordinary person could attain immortality, but the price was that every memory for the rest of their life would remain crystal clear. Every minute, every second, every moment would be carved into their mind like a knife.
Countless droplets of water would gather, eventually forming an ocean that filled the sea.
And the person's original self would eventually be changed by this massive volume of memories, as countless recollections overlapped and intertwined.
In the end, they wouldn't even be able to tell who they were.
A person's growth requires profound memories from past experiences. For those who gained immortality through him, they were constantly growing, every moment of every day. Even the most trivial matters were clearly remembered, repeating over and over, until they grew more and more numb.
Ultimately, they could no longer empathize with any person or thing in the world, feeling only that everything was hollow.
They would either sink into negativity and destroy themselves, or descend into madness and destroy others.
The pain and suffering of others would seem like nothing more than pretentious whining in their eyes.
At that point, many couldn't accept what they had become. At least, Xiao Yun couldn't.
To continue on would be to become something even more terrifying, something that could not be changed by human will.
This was the cruel truth of immortality.
Nothing could be obtained without a price, neither longevity nor power.
"It seems... they all wanted to do something before they died."
Li Mo sat numbly on the bed, his back against the wall, and gently closed his eyes, trying to find the fragments he needed in the chaotic torrent of his memories.
It was difficult. Very difficult.
He seemed to have become a different kind of long-lived being, still sensitive to the passage of time.
But his human emotions had fallen into a deathly stillness.
Yet, when he recalled Xiao Yun's death, his stagnant emotions were stirred.
When he witnessed Xiao Yun being killed by his own hand, Li Mo hadn't been sad. He hadn't even shed a single tear.
But when he tried to find the clues he wanted from the fact of her willing death, his mind was uncontrollably flooded with memories of all the things, big and small, from their time together.
There were so many of them, so many that Li Mo couldn't actively find any clues. He could only let the memories flow past the shore of his thoughts, slowly recalling them.
Before joining the army, Xiao Yun had traveled with him through dense forests, rushed through streets and alleys, caught a petty thief in the night market and scolded him harshly, and protected ordinary travelers in the mountains...
Later, she joined the army, fought on the battlefield, conquered cities, and ended every war that would deplete the people's resources and savings with great spirit and vigor.
The easiest place for a person to get lost is not in a vast jungle, but in a bustling crowd.
Li Mo had always believed this, but Xiao Yun seemed to be stronger than he thought.
For the first hundred years, she lived every moment freely and fully.
There was no hint that she would later become so desolate and haggard.
In the early days.
At dusk, the setting sun cast a brilliant golden glow on her face, making it exceptionally radiant.
"Care for a spar?"
She would draw her sword, its tip glinting with a faint warm light, and point it at him.
He would just smile, then defeat her within ten moves.
After each defeat, Xiao Yun would always sit on the ground and sigh—
"The ancients said: 'There is always someone better, and a heaven beyond heaven.' It's really true."
"My swordsmanship is already at its peak, with few rivals in the world, yet I can't even last ten moves against you, Brother Mingyue."
"But there's still a long time. I will catch up to you, Brother Mingyue. Next time, I definitely won't be defeated so easily!"
She would grip Ruoshui again and challenge him, though it always ended in a crushing defeat.
On cool nights, she would suddenly slip in through the window, a jug of wine in her hand.
She would speak in a refined, scholarly manner.
Li Mo never refused her invitations to drink. He simply agreed to everything she asked, wanting to see just how far she could go.
The answer to the deaths of Nuwa and Fuxi lay within.
He was completely unaware that such scenes would disappear all too soon.
When memory storage reaches its limit, the more profound the memory, the more easily it interferes with the present. It was not impossible that one day, Xiao Yun, charging on the battlefield, would see blood as wine and drink it down after cutting off an enemy's head.
All these beautiful little moments would, in the future, become the nightmares she feared most, the ones she most wanted to escape.
Back to the present—
Doing good deeds, fighting wars, retiring to the mountains, returning home in glory...
More and more memories flooded Li Mo's mind, squeezing his paper-thin thoughts.
Finally, the memory froze on a night hundreds of years ago, when he told Xiao Yun he had another companion—the Immortal Jingwei.
That night, Xiao Yun had also come to his room with heavy makeup, as if she had a fever, and said many strange things from her vermilion lips.
And after their conversation, she had arranged for all her subordinates to search for traces of the Immortal Jingwei.
What was it?
What did she say then?
Li Mo slowly opened his eyes, glancing at the blood-stained Ruoshui beside him, trying his best to recall what Xiao Yun had said to him that night.
"I hope I can do something for you before I leave, Brother Mingyue. Thank you for your long companionship. You are the one closest to me... I hope you can find happiness."
"It probably won't be long before you forget what I'm saying now. After all, your condition is even more serious than mine... You're already starting to forget yourself."
"I will hold on. Before I find your companion, I will absolutely not die."
"Absolutely not."
Li Mo's lips moved, and a strange dryness welled up in his eyes.
He remembered. What Xiao Yun had said that night was very direct. She had actually already given him part of the answer, but his memories were too cluttered, and he hadn't recalled it.
"..."
"So, those who are about to die must do something to bring happiness to the one closest to them?"
The one closest to me... who is that?
Li Mo prepared to spend a long time recalling his relationships, constantly reminding himself of the decisions he had made.
But the memory of the person closest to him appeared before his eyes naturally, in the instant he thought of it.
It was in an endless, timeless, eternal darkness.
He was sleeping in a box that symbolized tranquility and silence.
The person who opened the box was—Hua.
Li Mo stood up abruptly. Almost instantly, his gaze uncontrollably shifted to the distant southeast, to a place his eyes could not reach—Mount Taixuan.
Then, Li Mo walked out of the room and washed Ruoshui in the water basin outside.
It was time for this Divine Key to be returned to its original owner.
And he, too, had to go see Hua in grand style.
Li Mo set off on his journey to Mount Taixuan, running without rest.
---||---
Shenzhou, at the foot of Mount Taixuan.
It was New Year's Eve. On the cold winter night, every household was brightly lit. The streets and alleys were decorated with lanterns and colored streamers. Many families were taking a rare break, strolling around with relaxed smiles on their faces.
A journey alone will always lead one astray. When everyone around has left and all is silent, for Jingwei, it was inevitable to contemplate the reason and meaning of her path forward.
To eliminate the Honkai and protect Shenzhou—this was her promise to Fuxi.
The prosperous Tang Dynasty, a highly developed civilization, had become a primary target for Honkai erosion. Honkai Beasts emerged everywhere, one after another.
To ordinary people, they were almost unbeatable demons. They were impervious to blades and spears, even crossbow bolts couldn't pierce them. They were immensely powerful, easily capable of crushing soldiers and taking their lives.
She was the only one who could fight the Honkai. She stood guard at the Great Wall day and night, with only a little time to return to Mount Taixuan to rest.
The endless slaughter had caused a great change in Jingwei's mentality.
She became indifferent to life, cold, and unfeeling.
"Oof! Ow, that hurts..."
A little girl, not looking where she was going, ran into Jingwei and stumbled to the ground.
Jingwei looked down coldly, not saying a word to the somewhat familiar-looking girl.
She had seen this person before. Last New Year's Eve, the Book of Fuxi had required her to celebrate with these people.
The same street, the same date, the same encounter.
This girl had bumped into her, and she had reached out and pulled her up.
Jingwei vaguely remembered what the Book of Fuxi had said—
"As expected, Jingwei also feels that being with everyone, being watched by people, is the happiest time, right~ Since that's the case, you should interact with people more. Don't always stay alone on the mountain; you'll get sick from boredom."
"My master installed too many daily-life-related programs in me. I can't fight alongside you."
"Why not try opening a martial arts dojo? My master told me that you were originally an apprentice at a martial arts dojo, right? Take on some disciples! Teaching them will surely be interesting! And they can help you fight the Honkai too~"
At the time, she had only given a perfunctory reply: "I'll consider it."
The next second, the Book of Fuxi asked a question she could never answer—
"Jingwei, my master... how did she leave you?"
"Logically speaking, if my master wanted to live, she would definitely have found a way to stay with you forever. But she still chose to create me to accompany you in her place. I don't understand why, emmm... probably because I'm an AI, I can't really understand my master's thoughts."
The Book of Fuxi didn't understand, but Jingwei knew everything perfectly well.
How Fuxi died, and because of whom.
Jingwei looked up. The sky was pitch black. She remembered the day Fuxi died with particular clarity, yet it was also particularly blurry.
Jingwei could tell the Book of Fuxi about the Flame-Chasers of the Previous Era, the MANTISes, how her squad captain had lived with pride and died with valor.
But she would not say a single word about the deaths of Nuwa and Fuxi, because they had died because of her.
Jingwei remained silent.
When the fireworks bloomed in the sky, the Book of Fuxi, due to insufficient energy, shut down, entering a long state of downtime.
She felt as if a piece of her heart had been hollowed out, yet also filled.
Has it been a year already...
Jingwei was lost in an endless sea of memories. The little girl rubbed her bottom and, without waiting for Jingwei to extend a hand, was pulled up by her parents.
"Immortal, I'm so sorry! My child wasn't looking where she was going and accidentally bumped into you."
The little girl's parents didn't seem to be very afraid of her.
That's right, I celebrated the New Year with everyone here last year...
"It's nothing."
Jingwei shook her head gently, preparing to leave.
She had no reason to stay here. The Book of Fuxi was gone, so why had she planned to come here for the New Year in the first place?
She didn't understand. Jingwei didn't understand.
There was no reason, yet she still came.
"Is the Immortal leaving already? Won't you stay and celebrate the New Year with everyone? This year, everyone has prepared a banquet for you, Immortal, to thank you for protecting Shenzhou for another year."
"That won't be necessary," Jingwei replied nonchalantly.
Just as Jingwei was about to leave, the little girl asked, puzzled, "Immortal Jingwei, where is your companion?"
"Dead." The light in the Immortal Jingwei's eyes dimmed. She didn't linger, but walked quickly towards the dark, gloomy Mount Taixuan without a hint of hesitation.
Along the way, many people greeted her. Many took out their treasured gifts and presented them to her, inviting her to stay and accept them.
Noise... noise... noise...
The Immortal Jingwei clenched her fists, her pace quickening, wanting to escape the vast sea of people.
The lights were dazzling, blinding.
Countless homes were lit, but not a single lamp was lit for her.
She had gotten her master killed, gotten her teammates killed, and finally, forced her closest companions to their deaths and fled from the person she loved most.
She could only find solace for her forever-unfulfilled, empty heart through slaughter.
Jingwei walked outside the Great Wall.
In the days leading up to New Year's Eve, she had already spent several days wiping out all the Honkai Beasts within miles of the Great Wall to ensure that people could have a good New Year.
Jingwei walked further away from the Great Wall, step by step into deeper darkness.
In an empty area dozens of miles from the Great Wall.
Sensing the presence of a living person, the Honkai Beasts lurking in the dark suddenly appeared and pounced on Jingwei.
The thrill of slaughter barely filled the void in her heart. Even after annihilating all the nearby Honkai Beasts, she wouldn't stop, repeatedly savaging the already dead bodies.
She drew her Xuanyuan Sword, plunged it in, pulled it out, plunged it in again.
Leaving one brutal wound after another on the corpses of the Honkai Beasts.
She didn't know how much time had passed. Jingwei's eyes were vacant. She sat paralyzed on a pile of corpses, staring blankly at the northern sky.
She thought that days like this would go on forever.
Everything changed the moment he returned to her side, suddenly and unexpectedly.
A beautiful dream and a terrible omen, separated only by a single thought.
As dawn broke, Li Mo stepped over piles of corpses and bones and walked up to Jingwei. He reached out his hand as eagerly as when they first met.
"Long time no see, Jingwei."
Jingwei, as if she hadn't heard him at all, slowly raised her head. Her dazed gaze met Li Mo's. Her eyes gradually focused, her dilated pupils regaining their clarity. She slowly reached out and took his hand.
There were so many things she wanted to say, but only a short sentence came to her lips:
"Long time no see."