Venerated Venomous Consort

“I understand. So, do you hate him?” Di Fuyi looked at her fixedly as he asked.

Lan Waihu went pale at the question, unsure of what to say. She closed her eyes and confessed, “I am not sure, but I never wanted him to die.”

She looked at her hand and saw the knife that was stained with his blood. Irritated, she wanted to throw the knife away, but it seemed to be attached to her palm. She tried to fling it away, but the knife still stayed in her hand regardless of her efforts. Instead, the action of trying to get rid of the knife seemed to inflict pain on her palm. Shocked, she tried to fling the knife away again but failed. It felt as if her bones were breaking part with every move.

Lan Waihu looked at Di Fuyi for help. Di Fuyi stared at her intently with reassuring eyes; it was as if he thought of himself as her savior. “What is false cannot be true, and what is true cannot be false. Everything is all but an illusion of our minds…” He started speaking in a calm voice. Slowly but surely, the hatred that had been controlling Lan Waihu’s mind slowly vanished.

“Clang!” The knife slipped out from her hand.

Feeling weak, Lan Waihu sat on the ground to catch her breath. Di Fuyi propelled another streak of light to enclose Lan Waihu in a bubble. The temperature suddenly dropped drastically, making her feel as if she had just been placed in a pool of cold water.

Shivering, Lan Waihu could not help but look to Di Fuyi for an explanation. However, she realized that he was no longer focused on her condition. Instead, his attention had been diverted to the knife on the ground, which he reached out to with his hand. It had a bronze, golden texture on its blade, engraved with figures that were made from red strands being twisted together, like many tiny bugs crawling together in a mass. The evil feature was extremely unpleasant to look at.

Di Fuyi wanted the knife to be destroyed but changed his mind due to little Di Hao’s request. “Father, I want it.” Di Hao reached out his hand and asked for the knife.

“Little one, you are only a child, so you should not be carrying this lethal weapon,” a faint voice could be heard nearby.

Lan Waihu thought that they were the only two persons present, so she was surprised by the third voice. She turned around and saw two creatures standing by the tree – a mussel of rosy pink shells and a beast with a smooth, shiny coat. Astonished, she could not help but wonder. Were they the mussel and Lu Wu? Their physical appearance had changed so much.

The mussel opened its shells, revealing a handsome young man of 12 to 13 years of age whom she had never met. Concerned, the young man was still watching Di Hao. He was the one who told Di Hao not to keep the knife.

Di Hao took a quick glance at him but did not appreciate his advice. “Father, may I have a look at the knife?” He asked Di Fuyi.

Di Fuyi was quite puzzled. Ever since they parted ways with Gu Xijiu in the Shura World, the boy had been so impatient about leaving the place. He kept urging Di Fuyi but never said why.

When they finally found the way to descend to the Lower Bound, specifically to Starry Crescent Land, the first thing that the boy was concerned about was not his mother. Instead, he insisted that they had to come here first.

It turns out that they were here just in time to save Yan Chen’s life. Di Hao never explained it, but Di Fuyi could somewhat understand that perhaps Yan Chen and Lan Waihu’s involvement seemed to play a great role in changing their tragic fate in the end.

The boy seemed relieved that they arrived just in time. The rescue seemed like a crucial event along the timeline from which Di Hao had come from. Also, Di Fuyi could not resist the pitiful look in his son’s eyes, so he passed him the knife.

Di Hao held the knife in his little hand. He placed his finger gently on the sharp edge and traced the patterns of the red strands. After a while, the knife suddenly vibrated and cut his finger. Blood started flowing out from his wound at once.