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墨書 Inktalez
I followed Luo Dachun as we wandered through several places. At each location, he remained silent, observing with great interest, even reaching out to touch certain objects, as if he wanted to engrave them all into his memory.
For some reason, his behavior suddenly gave me an ominous feeling.
Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was noon. Luo Dachun suddenly snapped out of his reverie and asked me, "Did you skip breakfast? Are you hungry?"
I shook my head.
"Brother Luo, I'm on a diet."
I had quietly started my diet two weeks ago, aiming to shed those "deadly three kilograms" during this time and transform into a beautiful clothes hanger. No matter how simple the wedding was, my new wife had to have a goddess-like presence, right?
Luo Dachun paused for half a minute, perhaps contemplating the meaning and usage of the term "diet." After that brief moment, he accurately concluded, "You don't need to diet; you're already too thin."
I suddenly recalled that during the Tang Dynasty, it seemed to be an era that favored plumpness. Yet the few beauties I had seen were all quite slender; Han Meilan was also delicate and exquisite. Was it possible that those aesthetic standards hadn't taken hold yet?
Luo Dachun patted my head and laughed, "Silly girl, men don't like women who are skin and bones. Do you understand? They just... don't like it!"
My face flushed slightly; the topic of conversation was rather bold. However, I was also a bit surprised because in modern fashion magazines' love columns, men often express similar views. It seems that men have remained fundamentally the same throughout history; perhaps they retain a hint of primitive instincts... evolution must not have been easy for them.
Yet I still felt best when I was slender; it appeared that one could not have both fish and bear's paw.
Today’s Luo Dachun seemed a bit strange; he appeared carefree and unrestrained, as if after today there would be no tomorrow.
"Come on, Ying Ying, let me take you somewhere delicious. Don't worry; the place I choose won't make you... plump."
He cheerfully led me to a modestly sized restaurant.
"It's an old establishment; it's been around for decades. Actually, what you've eaten here is something you like."
Perhaps it was indeed from that time.
The dishes on the table were very simple, very homely, and the flavors were truly delightful. I ate slowly, feeling a hint of sadness. This was "my" memory, yet it wasn't really mine. The beautiful person who once sat here with Luo Dachun, happily savoring the food, was no longer present.
“Ying Ying, are you feeling a bit troubled coming out with me today?” Luo Dachun put down his chopsticks and asked me slowly.
In truth, I had no troubles because I was no longer Ye Liuhui. I understood everything in my heart. If the real Ye Liuhui were sitting here, there would never have been a situation of marrying someone else. Although it was likely that the relationship between Luo Dachun and Ye Liuhui would end in another kind of tragedy.
“This is the first time I genuinely feel that your memory loss isn’t so bad. Because you don’t remember anything, I can selfishly and willfully take you out like this. You don’t remember, so your mind won’t be disturbed. Ying Ying, I won’t disrupt your peace and happiness; I just want to enjoy this moment. After today, we’ll go our separate ways and never meet like this again.”
I felt sad inside, but words failed me. Perhaps he only spoke these words after confirming that my heart truly belonged to Nie Qiuyuan, allowing him to finally express himself without burden. Even the dullest person could tell this was a genuine confession.
This must have been his first confession in life, one that had already ended before it even began.
He felt that his life wasn’t enough to cherish his beloved’s entire life, so he hoped for a better future for her. Thus, this feeling was an absolute taboo he wouldn’t dare touch. A true love could only be expressed after losing it; how lamentable and tragic that must be.
“Ying Ying, in just a few days, it will be your wedding day. We’ve known each other for so many years, and I have nothing good to give you. So today, I want to share some things with you. I think you’ll like to hear them because they’re about Qiu Yuan. I want you to understand him better and appreciate his worth so you can cherish him well. If you let me, it might be hard to find such a good man in this world.”
I was stunned. On this day, he had “kidnapped” his beloved just to seriously talk about his rival's merits so that she could live happily with him?
I suddenly wanted to cry because if it were me in his position, I could never do that. If I experienced heartbreak, I would want to hide away at the ends of the earth; just thinking about my beloved marrying someone else would drive me mad.
I couldn’t even offer blessings, let alone encouragement.
Someone who acted this way must have been deeply in love to the point of losing themselves. For someone who loved so selflessly, their heart must have been aching in such a situation.
Yet he sat there quietly, gazing at me with a smile.
“Ying Ying, I met Qiu Yuan five years ago; we became acquainted through conflict. The first time I saw Qiu Yuan was during an assassination mission where my target was a notorious villain. Unexpectedly, back then he was still the Mirror Gate Black Tortoise Envoy and intervened to save my target.”
Luo Dachun spoke of Nie Qiuyuan’s past—stories I didn’t know and aspects of him I hadn’t understood before. My attention was instantly captured by this tale; everything about Qiu Yuan held an invisible charm that gripped me tightly in an instant.
"Is it true that Brother Luo wants to kill someone from the Mirror Gate?" I found myself immersed in the story, unable to help but ask questions.
"No, Qiu Yuan is saving someone purely out of meddling. You wouldn't believe it, but the Xuanwu of the Mirror Gate is actually someone who will recklessly intervene in such matters. Ying Ying, you don't know this, but Qiu Yuan seems tough on the outside; however, he has a very soft heart. For instance, if he's asked to kill someone and the reason is sufficient, he would do it without hesitation, and there wouldn't even be a change in his expression. But you should know that deep down, he would be sad about it—that's something people don't see."
Perhaps Luo Dachun thought I only had a superficial understanding of Qiu Yuan, which made him worry that my perception of him was incomplete. But he didn't know about Ye's existence; because of Ye, I had already gained a thorough understanding of how gentle Nie Qiuyuan truly was.
I suddenly sensed that something was off.
"Ying Ying, you must be wondering why someone like Qiu Yuan exists in a place like the Mirror Gate?"
Yes, this was what felt wrong!
I had seen what kind of organization the Mirror Gate was. I had witnessed how bizarre the Qinglong, Baihu, and Zhuque were. This was an outright criminal organization that would stop at nothing to satisfy its ambitions. The disciples of the Mirror Gate were ruthless and cruel to others as well as themselves; I believed only those with dark hearts or severe psychological trauma would join such an organization.
And Qiu Yuan grew up within this organization. If someone raised in such an environment developed a fundamentally gentle and kind nature, it was simply absurd.
But Qiu Yuan wouldn't lie to me; there was no point in him misrepresenting his background. His character couldn't be fake either. As a Criminal Investigation Major, my ability to read people was definitely sharper than that of an average person; otherwise, I wouldn't survive in this field.
This guy Qiu Yuan was undoubtedly a god-level figure inside and out.
How could someone like him possibly originate from the Mirror Gate?
"In fact, the original intention behind founding the Mirror Gate wasn't what it is now," Luo Dachun said with a laugh as he noticed my expression. "Qiu Yuan was raised by the Dark One; if he has become who he is today, it's probably due to the influence of the Dark One."
"Who is the Dark One?"
The name sent shivers down my spine. If I remembered correctly, the Dark One was a divine title—and a rather terrifying one at that.
The Dark One is also known as Mahakala and can be found in Brahmanism, Buddhism, and Vajrayana. The Dark One represents an angry form manifested during Mahavairocana's subjugation of demons, so his statues are depicted with dark skin, glaring eyes, six arms, and trampling on demons and monsters. In short, it's the kind of image that could startle you if you weren't paying attention.
Demon-Slaying Guardian Deity So, what is his relationship with Nie Qiuyuan?
“Didn’t Qiu Yuan tell you about Dark One? Dark One is the founder of Mirror Gate, also known as ‘Master’.”
I suddenly understood. So it was “Master.” This person had been mentioned many times by Qiu; he must be Qiu’s savior. I realized I had never asked where “Master” was now.
The information I knew about the origins of Mirror Gate seemed to trace back to Ren Pingsheng. Ren Pingsheng once told me that a divine constable from the previous dynasty, dissatisfied with the tyranny of the Sui Emperor and the ineffectiveness of the laws, rebelled against the court and established Mirror Gate, seeking justice through violent means in the martial world. This “Former Dynasty Divine Constable” must be Dark One, right?
In fact, when I first heard about this divine constable and Mirror Gate, I was unaware of its evil nature. A line written by a later generation suddenly popped into my mind.
“When there is injustice in one’s heart, it can be drowned in wine. But for great injustices in the world, only a sword can quell them!”
At that time, I thought Mirror Gate was an embodiment of justice.
“Since its founding, Dark One has abandoned his name and referred to himself as Dark One. He was a close friend of my grandfather, but I only met him once five years ago.”
“A friendship with the master of Snowfall Villa is indeed a ‘friendship across ages.’ Just how old must this Dark One be!” I couldn’t help but exclaim. Luo Dachun’s grandfather must be at least sixty years old; this Great Black Master must be over a century old!
Luo Dachun was taken aback for a moment and then burst into laughter.
“Ying Ying, what are you thinking! In fact, Dark One and my grandfather both perished together during the great calamity at Snowfall Villa five years ago. When Dark One passed away, he hadn’t even reached his thirty-eighth birthday.”
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