At that moment, Tuoba Feng suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.
Days of grief, exhaustion, and despair, coupled with the blood loss he had just endured, had pushed his body beyond its limits.
Whether it was the emotional upheaval or the special will of a certain existence, Tuoba Feng’s vision went dark. He stumbled, unable to maintain his balance, and fell forward.
Clang!
The long blade flew from his hand and struck the stone coffin, letting out a crisp ring.
Tuoba Feng hit the cold ground hard, his forehead slamming against the floor, causing a burst of sharp pain.
He struggled to crawl back up, but his body was drained of all strength.
In his blurred consciousness, he felt someone catch him.
A pair of hands—cold and withered, yet possessing a gentle strength—lifted him from the ground.
Tuoba Feng forced his eyes open.
His vision was hazy, allowing him only to see a small figure standing before him.
She was wearing a yellow dress and had her hair in two pigtails.
"Xiao... yun?"
He murmured subconsciously, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.
Then, he heard a familiar voice respond with a hint of timidity.
"...Mm."
Tuoba Feng’s entire body shuddered.
He snapped his eyes wide and shook his head forcefully, finally clearing his vision.
He saw that the person standing before him really was Xiaoyun.
She was wearing the yellow dress he remembered most vividly, her hair tied in the pigtails he had personally braided for her, looking up at him with her small face.
Only... why was her face a bit blurry?
It was as if... it were covered by a layer of shadow?
But Tuoba Feng was past the point of caring.
Immense joy and the thrill of recovering what was lost instantly shattered his remaining reason.
"Xiaoyun, it really is you!"
He pulled the Xiaoyun before him into a tight embrace, his grip so strong it was as if he wanted to meld her into his soul.
"You’re not dead... You didn’t die, right?"
"Daddy knew... you wouldn’t leave me alone..."
Xiaoyun’s body stiffened for a moment, then, slowly, she raised her hands and gently hugged him back.
"...Mm."
"Daddy is here, Xiaoyun is here."
Tuoba Feng wept and laughed as he held his daughter, whom he had thought lost forever.
He let go of her, nervously checking her over.
"Xiaoyun, how are the black spots on your body? Do they still hurt?"
"Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
"Let Daddy see..."
Xiaoyun allowed him to inspect her, shaking her head as she answered in a slightly unnatural voice.
"It doesn’t hurt anymore."
"The black spots... are much better too."
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Feng was even more overjoyed.
"Good, good, that’s wonderful!"
"Don't be afraid, Xiaoyun. Daddy will go find medicine right now—the best medicine!"
"Daddy will definitely cure you!"
It was as if he had been reinjected with life; his whole being was revitalized.
He messily wiped his face, picked up the long blade from the ground, and cast a glance at a corpse covered in black spots lying nearby.
Strange, why was there a...
His gaze only lingered for a split second before a nameless sense of sorrow welled up in his heart.
Who was that?
It didn't matter.
Just a corpse contaminated by black spots.
What he needed to do now was find medicine and cure his Xiaoyun.
He couldn't waste time here.
"Xiaoyun, wait for Daddy here. Daddy will be back very soon!"
After saying this, Tuoba Feng gave Xiaoyun one last squeeze, then turned and charged out of the burial chamber with great strides.
His footsteps rapidly receded, disappearing into the depths of the god's tomb.
Silence returned to the burial chamber.
Only the dried corpse and Xiaoyun’s real body remained on the ground.
The dried corpse stood in place, motionless.
She looked down at the yellow dress she had manifested using death qi.
Then she looked up toward the direction where Tuoba Feng had disappeared.
Slowly, she turned around, walked over to the small corpse, and knelt down.
She gently touched the girl’s cold, mottled cheek.
"I'm sorry..."
The dried corpse spoke in a low whisper, the sound vibrating from her chest, harsh and rasping.
"I borrowed your name... your appearance..."
"And... your father."
The dried corpse didn't know how to describe her current feelings.
Sorrow? Absurdity? Or... a bottomless sense of guilt?
She was a monster, the dove occupying the magpie's nest.
She had occupied the remains of a god after death, and now, she had stolen the identity of a dead child.
Finally, she was deceiving a sinner who had nothing left.
Was it base?
Was it shameless?
She felt disgusted by herself.
But...
She remembered Xiaoyun’s final plea.
"Daddy, you have to be well."
"You have to be safe."
She remembered the empty, dead look in Tuoba Feng’s eyes when he had tried to take his own life with his blade.
She did not want to see that expression again.
She had promised Xiaoyun that she would keep her father safe.
If this was the only way to let that man live on...
Then she was willing to be this despicable liar.
Even if this affection was stolen, built upon lies and deception.
Even if the day would come when the lie would be exposed.
At least for now... he could live.
The dried corpse carefully picked up Xiaoyun’s body.
She was very light, as light as a feather.
The dried corpse carried her over to her own massive stone coffin.
She hesitated for a moment, then gently placed Xiaoyun’s body inside the coffin.
Placed her in the spot where she herself had lain for countless years.
Then, she closed the lid.
She stood by the coffin in silence for a long time.
The memory of the stone coffin in her mind gradually merged with the stone coffin Tuoba Feng was currently carrying.
Tuoba Feng was now somewhat exhausted.
The wounds on his body were increasing. Even with Su Xue’s orchid rain constantly providing treatment, the speed of healing could not keep up with the rate of new injuries.
Blood flowed down his arms, dripping onto the yellow sand, where it was quickly absorbed by the surrounding black-spot monsters.
More and more monsters were emerging from the ground—they were all parts of the dried corpse’s body, yet they were not under her control.
They crawled incessantly from the depths of the god's tomb like an endless black tide, threatening to completely submerge this confined space.
The dried corpse stood in the center of the protective circle formed by the three of them, watching as Tuoba Feng swung his blade once more to shatter three monsters, but the claws of a fourth monster still left a deep gash on his back.
Blood sprayed out.
Tuoba Feng let out a muffled groan, his body stumbling, but he immediately steadied himself and cleaved the monster in half with a backhand strike.
The dried corpse saw that blood—bright red and warm, staining a small patch of the sand.
Her eyes began to bleed again.
She knew this couldn't go on.
Tuoba Feng would die.
Su Xue would die.
Piao would die too.
All because of her.
The dried corpse raised both hands, and the sinful karma on her body surged out frantically, instantly entangling over a dozen black-spot monsters.
"Come back!"
She let out a piercing shriek and pulled with all her might.
With a roar, the monsters were dragged toward her, crashing into her withered chest and merging into her.
With every monster that merged, the black spots on her body grew denser, her skin became more withered, and her consciousness grew blurrier.
But she did not stop.
She reached out for the next batch.
Rate on N.U.
