Chapter Sixty-Six: The Bride's Lament 36

Xiang Rong collapsed to the ground, the beliefs he had clung to for years crumbling to dust. Had everything he done been a mistake?

“Xiang Rong, when you make a mistake, you must pay the price. I owe the other villagers of Celestial Master Village an answer.” Qingke’s words were polite, but his actions were anything but. Without any obvious movement, a formation appeared out of thin air, enveloping Xiang Rong. “This is an illusionary killing array. Consider it the fulfillment of one of your wishes.”

Not even a scream escaped Xiang Rong’s lips. In the end, he died with a smile on his face, for in his final moments, he glimpsed the future he had longed for.

With Xiang Rong dealt with, Qingke turned his gaze to Miao Sheng, another child who had wound himself into a dead end.

No matter how deep your grievances, when you choose the wrong path and do the wrong things, you must face the consequences.

“Wait!” At this crucial moment, Su Man stepped forward to stop him. “Can he be allowed to see someone before he dies?”

“Someone is already on their way to see him.”

She hadn’t begged Qingke to spare Miao Sheng’s life. In her heart, she agreed that mistakes deserved their price. But since Huang Meilun had acted on her behalf, it was only fair to win her this chance.

“You mean… Ah, her.” Having delved into Zhang Gui’s memories, Qingke knew exactly whom Su Man referred to.

“That resurrection array… Oh, you used her to locate and neutralize the array’s core, didn’t you?” With Zhang Gui’s memories, it was easy for Qingke to piece together the key details.

Huang Meilun had been his agent here for years; naturally, she knew much of what mattered. He wasn’t surprised.

However…

“My time is running short. I must finish these matters quickly.”

He didn’t have the luxury of waiting for Huang Meilun to arrive.

“There’s no need to wait. She’s here already!” Su Man had already heard footsteps outside—Sun Li was bringing people over.

She turned to look. Leading the group was Sun Li, holding Lin Qi’s severed head in his hand. Next to him was Huang Mei, her face pale but radiant with joy as she looked at Su Man. Behind them, Huang Meilun stood so thin she seemed about to vanish. And behind them all were the tourists from the travel agency, along with a small group of children holding hands—kids from the village!

Su Man was surprised to see so many unexpected faces.

“It’s me. I heard of your victory and told everyone. We all wanted to come see you,” Huang Mei said, on the verge of tears.

Sun Li, caring little for such sentiments, pushed Huang Mei aside and strode up to Su Man, as if expecting praise. “Su Man, I did everything you asked!”

Pointing at Lin Qi’s head, he explained, “He was the one contacting that woman. It took us a long time to find her, but in the end, she helped us destroy the formation. So… maybe she’s not so bad after all.”

He was talking about Huang Meilun.

Su Man praised him and slipped him two buns, which he happily took off to eat.

Huang Meilun remained still. She had seen Qingke and knew that for her and Miao Sheng, there was no future. She had witnessed Qingke’s ruthless fairness before—he always insisted on equivalent exchange.

Just as she had said: by staying here as the village guardian, Qingke had left her a measure of merit.

Now, after breaking her vow and seeing the village descend into such ruin under her watch, that merit was forfeit. She had been abandoned, left as a shadow ready to vanish with the village itself.

Yes, her flickering presence was tied to the fate of this place. The villagers were her responsibility; if they were doomed, she lost her purpose, too.

If Su Man hadn’t had her found, promising that she might still save Miao Sheng, she would never have bothered to exhaust her last moments unravelling the array’s cores. Each effort cost her what little time remained.

Now, with this final glimpse of Miao Sheng granted her, she felt at peace.

What surprised her was that Qingke hadn’t obliterated her on the spot. Instead, he said, “The village owes you, too. Had you any merit left, you might have been able to reincarnate. But your merit is depleted.”

He looked away from Huang Meilun, turning to Su Man instead. “I can let the two of them meet, but it comes with a price.”

“She’s at the end of her time. If she must appear before everyone, a young woman’s body is required as a vessel.”

Qingke’s gaze was calm, merely stating the facts. “But I will not allow killing.”

In other words, a suitable body was impossible to obtain. Without this, nothing could be done.

Su Man pondered.

Letting Huang Meilun and Miao Sheng meet one last time was, in a way, a substitute mission she felt compelled to fulfill. Even if she hadn’t saved Miao Sheng as intended, such a reunion might influence the final judgment of her task. She hadn’t expected it to be so complicated.

High risk, high reward—sometimes it was worth the gamble.

“It’s only a body you need? There’s no involvement of the soul?” She stroked her chin, cautious.

“No, the soul is untouched,” replied Qingke objectively, though he doubted Su Man could manage it. “My time is truly short. Though I regret it…”

“Then use my body!” Su Man cut him off, swiftly drawing a blade across her throat.

The spray of blood stunned everyone present.

When Su Man awoke, she rushed to the ancestral hall—she could not afford to miss this final scene.

But this time, she had revived too quickly; her body, still surrounded by a crowd, had not even grown cold.

Qingke saw her and, for once, allowed himself a wry smile.

Su Man asked those around her, “How many seconds? From the moment I died to when I got here again?”

The travel agency staff, still in shock, mechanically replied, “Just about a minute, barely enough time to be shocked twice.”

Su Man nodded. Good. She’d missed nothing.

She gestured to Qingke. “Let’s get started.”

It wasn’t a difficult ritual. With a body, Huang Meilun could be seen by everyone.

But Qingke warned, “You have only five minutes.”

Five minutes—for everything to be resolved.

Miao Sheng remained lucid throughout. Seeing Huang Meilun, his eyes reddened; all the tales were true. His beloved Shuyi had always been by his side—this was his real Shuyi.

Qingke watched the two lovers and sighed. “This is the best I can offer—a marriage blessed for five minutes. If there is a next life, may you find each other again.”

Though, in truth, there would be no next life.

His fingers moved, and the world around them began to shift. A great illusionary array unfolded.