* Fanfiction of 幻想三國誌四
* Ship: Che Lou <-> Cheng Zi <- Xian Rong
* Xian Rong’s POV
* I have changed Xian Rong’s personality drastically. Those who cannot accept it, please read it carefully.
* I actually do not remember the plot of the original work, but I don’t want to cry again, so I wrote this based on my memory.
Time flew like horses rushing through a gap. The glory of the past could not beat the erosion of the years and be abandoned in the abysmal sea. Broken cliffs and waning walls, since the death of the God of Water, his palace has turned into ruins. The exquisite carvings on the stone pillars looked like guardians standing in ancient times, waiting quietly for the next master.
And now, there was a monster living in that palace.
The young girl had azure long hair, nestling on her snow-white veil because of the seawater, with fair skin and that gem-like eyes, as if an angel coming from heaven, but the gold chains chaining her at this moment was especially dazzling, becoming the only light in dark, deep ocean.
Xian Rong, one of the descendants of Bing Yi, the God of River, whose body was too weak that she could not speak, but she could use Heart-Language to directly communicate with people’s consciousness, therefore her tribe imprisoned her in this forgotten part of history.
The surrounding water flowed gently, and another beautiful woman was swimming over with a plate of food in her hand. It was Xian Rong’s sister, Qi Ke, who was also the patriarch of Bing Yi. She was the only one who was willing to bring meals for Xian Rong.
But Xian Rong knew that Qi Ke was only fulfilling the duties of the family. The fear in her eyes could not deceive anyone.
However, even so, Xian Rong was still grateful for the imperceptible care.
“ Sister, thank you for everything.” She accidentally used Heart Language. Her voice echoed in Qi Ke’s mind, making Qi Ke’s eyes even more frightened.
Qi Ke shook her hands, putting down the food, and left the cursed place without saying a word.
Xian Rong hid a flash of sorrow and stretched out her hand to the plate of food, but she hit a hard thing, a finely crafted hairpin.
Was it left by Sister?
She should have waited for Qi Ke to return it to her, but thinking about Qi Ke’s situation, she hesitated. Yes, since she was born, there have been endless remarks about her execution. It was Qi Ke who suppressed the matter in the name of the princess so that she could survive, even if she had to leave the tribe and be locked in this place.
Even though Qi Ke has inherited the position of patriarch, the words of killing her have never stopped, and some people even suspected the reason behind Qi Ke’s protection.
Sister never talked to her about these harsh suggestions, but the exhaustion on Sister’s face made her feel guilty.
If she disappeared, then Sister would no longer have to endure this kind of pain, right?
Thinking of this, she took a deep breath, opened the lock with the hairpin, and ran away.
It was the first time for her to leave the deep sea where she had lived for more than ten years. The sun on the land was extremely hot. The road ahead was perplexed, and she also had nowhere to go, but only follow the direction of the water.
The end of the water flow was a quiet place, which made her uneasy heart relieved a little. The crystal clear water made the fish clearly visible. The greenery on the shore surrounded the rainbow after the rain, like a fairyland.
The slight sound of footsteps knocked into silent thoughts, making Xian Rong’s heart float alerts.
Someone was coming!
She hurriedly hid in the woods. A handsome man came over. He seemed to be worried about something, and then he found something on the ground.
That was Qi Ke’s hairpin! Did it fall out of her sleeve while she was looking for a hiding place?
She had to get it back!
Anxious thoughts gradually spread to her whole heart. She did not notice the branches under her feet for a second and fell from the tree.
“ Ah!”
“ Um?” The man saw her and walked quickly towards her, and she felt the devil’s aura emanating from him.
He was a devil.
They were the ethnicity that the whole Bing Yi tribe was afraid of. It was rumored that they were cruel by nature and ate human flesh.
However, she was the one who could not be scared, because she was also a monster.
“ You are injured, would you come to our tribe for treatment? We’ll talk about other things later.” He stretched out his hand gently. She saw the firmness and light that belonged to a leader in his eyes.
“ I… thank you.”
“ Heart Language?”
“ Ah!” Her face suddenly lost its blood: “ Sor… Sorry! I scared you! I…”
She scared the first person she met. There was already no place for her.
“ You did not scare me.” He squatted down, showing a steady smile: “ Heart Language is just a way to communicate. You don’t have to feel self-abased.”
She looked at him, only feeling that his devil’s aura was so harmonious with this fairyland.
The man was called Cheng Zi, the first person who did not treat her as a monster.
“ Is this yours? You look anxious. This must be important. Be careful next time.” Cheng Zi returned the hairpin to her.
“ Thank you. This is…” She paused.
This was accidentally left by Qi Ke, and she used it to escape. She snatched it.
But deep down in her heart, she knew very well that even if Sister turned back, she would not return it.
That was the first time she had something belonging to light.
She stared at Cheng Zi, feeling that none of the words was right to say.
He was such a bright and upright person, how could he contaminate her filth.
“ This is a gift from my sister.” She eventually said so.
She traveled with him, doing her best to help him achieve his ideals. She met different kinds of people and had a lot of friends.
It turned out that the world was not just that dark ruin. Everyone was shining dazzling light to protect important things.
But she knew that all this was exchanged from lies.
She put on a mask of innocence and kindness, like an inexperienced little girl, just to stay by his side.
He was that talented, smart, confident, strong, and gentle. It seemed that all words could not describe his perfection.
He lived magnanimously in the dark, while she escaped in the light.
She was always smiling, always that clean look in his eyes.
This was enough, she had thought so too.
Until she saw it, the tenderness when he looked at Che Lou, different from others.
Hate spread in her body for the first time, but also full of a deep sense of powerlessness.
Yes, she loved him, so what? She was that dirty and lowly, different from that sincere god.
“ Hey! Are you okay? Is there something wrong?” Che Lou’s voice pulled her back to reality. It turned out that she unknowingly put her hand on his neck.
She looked at Che Lou, different from Cheng Zi’s handsome face, the true God from heaven, unrestrained and cool, what a match for him.
The one who stands by his side should be this kind of noble person and not a monster like her.
“ I’m fine. It was just that, there was something on Brother Lou’s clothes.” She eventually let go and lied.
The city was that lively, different from the ruin’s dead silence and that riverside’s tranquility, and she met Qi Ke again. Sister seemed to have lost a lot of weight. The eyes looking at her had a surprise but without the usual fear.
Xian Rong was following Cheng Zi, watching him discussing things with Qi Ke, only feeling the cold sweat on her palm was like a sharp edge standing on her neck, making her hard to breathe.
Qi Ke would definitely tell him about her life in the ruin, and she would then lose the right to travel with him.
“ Xian Rong? Are you okay? Why is your face so pale?” Cheng Zi’s words made her stiffly raise her head, looking at the two who were the same as usual.
“ Didn’t Sister…” She talked and stopped, and Qi Ke walked a step closer.
“ I finished speaking with the Prince of Devil. I heard that you still have urgent matters, so you better leave quickly.”
“ Sure, Xian Rong, let’s go.” Cheng Zi was still hanging that steady smile, taking her away.
Why all the people were the same as usual?
Was it because Sister did not expose her lie?
“ I’m sorry.” She seemed to hear Sister’s apology in a trance, but she had no clue at all.
She soon ushered in all the answers.
That glowing spirit was an ancestor of Bing Yi. He said that he wanted to continue to protect the Bing Yi tribe. In fact, he was just hentai who was greedy for beauty.
The ancestor told her, that the reason that she was able to use Heart-Language was that she was the heir of Water, having the purest power of water, and it could neutralize any darkness.
He said, that after he came back from the tour, he informed Patriarch of Bing Yi about it, that the people already knew the truth, that she only needed to return to the tribe to live a happy life.
She was silent. The color of pain filled her eyebrows.
Yes, the days when she could laugh were what she had always hoped for.
The current situation was turbulent, and continuing to follow Cheng Zi would only hurt her even more.
But she could not do it. She could not leave him, even if there was never a place for her in his heart.
They were companions. They were merely companions.
“ Xian Rong won’t leave.” She looked at Cheng Zi who was persuading her to go back: “ Brother Cheng Zi doesn’t need to worry about my safety. Even if I will die in the next moment, Xian Rong will never regret it.”
She was so naive. Even if Hell was in front of her, she would step in without hesitation, just because she loved him.
Cheng Zi seemed to be shocked by her expression at the moment, unable to speak for a long time.
No matter it was Cheng Zi’s strategy, Che Lou’s nuttiness, Xiu Su’s boldness, Luo Ying’s haughtiness, Hu Qin’s quirkiness, Ya Ying’s loyalty, or Yu Nangong’s youthful immaturity, their smiles were confident, the joy after breaking through difficulties.
Only Xian Rong’s smile was desperate. It was the determination of loving but not having, of facing death.
Yes, she never regretted everything about him.
In the battle at Yucang Mountain, Cheng Zi was seriously injured. The group had to flee to the Xiangjiang Remnant. She was arranged by the group in the dilapidated wooden house, taking care of Cheng Zi who was unconscious.
Someone must pass away tonight, but there was a reassuring silence in that wooden house.
Her power could no longer keep up with the rate of deterioration of his wound, but she still continued to dedicate her power to her deity, until she fell by his bed.
Her eyes gradually dimmed. There seemed to be something in the trance that was keeping her alive.
“ Hey! Don’t die so soon! You are a rare little beauty!” The floating sphere was still saying undue words but letting her at this moment erupt cruel, cutting off all means of retreat.
“ Wait… Wait! Little beauty! Don’t squeeze meeee!” The pitiful ancestor of Bing Yi was almost squashed, desperately transporting power to Cheng Zi.
His faint breath drove away from her extravagant desire for life.
Her sight was blurred by tears. She pinned all her beliefs on that illusory myth.
In the legend, if the member of Bing Yi cries for seven days and seven nights, they could shed tears that could heal everything.
Legends were merely ancient rumors, just like those stories convicting her as a monster, but now she believed in these unreal things without hesitation.
“ Brother Cheng Zi… please… wake up…”
“… Xian Rong?” In the hazy, he seemed still having that moderate smile: “ Why are you crying?”
“ Brother Cheng Zi!” Realizing this was not her illusion, his awakening made her cry more fiercely.
Did Heaven hear her humble wish?
“ You don’t have to cry for me.” He difficulty touched her cheeks soaked in tears: “ Even if without that hairpin, your kindness will not reduce any.”
She surprised looked at him. That eyes did not have any displeasure, but only endless fondness.
It turned out he knew everything, whether it was her lies or that tenebrous life.
“ Brother Cheng Zi, I…”
“ You don’t have to apologize. The one who should apologize is me.”
“ I’m sorry.”
She did not know what to say for a while. His face had a trace of sorrow and pity, but only without love.
She did not know the meaning of that apology. Was that a regret of could not console her? Or was it a refusal to her love?
She was afraid it was both of them.
That huge chaos contained the sorrow of thousands of years. The end of travel seemed to bring her back to that palace in the beginning.
Cheng Zi disappeared into the chaos. To be precise, he returned to the place where he was born — a devil transformed from despair, that was his truest appearance.
The rest of the people were shocked by this fact and could not forget it for a long time.
She was the only one who stared straight at the abyss, and then raised a smile.
She inherited the position as the Goddess of Water, and then disappeared from the sight of the world, leaving only the sculpture of the palace exuding faint light.
God of Time, standing beyond history, only things that he recognized could see his face, and he would grant three pieces of time to explore any secret.
But if someone wanted to change the torrent of time, they would have to pay a great price.
Xian Rong knew that Cheng Zi would definitely look for the wandering god. All she had to do was to find him first.
Therefore, she sacrificed all the power of Water.
“ Since you are here, then I will grant three time trips.” The majestic voice echoed in nothingness. She knew she had found him.
“ The beloved Lord of Time, Xian Rong did not come for the three trips, but asked for something.”
“ Is it for that Prince of Devil?”
“ Yes, if you don’t dislike, Xian Rong wished to become the price.”
Tampering with the torrent of time would be punished by the universe, and then disappeared into an unknown gap, so he was sure to fade away, and she came for it.
“ Will you use your existence as the cost to fill the rift of time?”
“ Yes, Xian Rong will.”
She did not regret being in the dark forever, just to make him smile in the sunshine.
“ Xian… Rong?” The voice that was always in her dream tremblingly passed in her ears: “ Why… why are you here?”
“ Anything related to me is not important anymore. I know Brother Cheng Zi has something more urgent.”
“ From the moment I disappeared into the chaos, have you decided to do this?”
“ Yes.”
Her eyes looking at him have too much emotion but without a trace of regret.
“ I wish you peace and joy for the rest of your life.” Xian Rong’s eyes were extremely gentle as if feeling happy about their memories: “ Xian Rong will leave now. Please take care of yourself… Brother Cheng Zi.”
She eventually called him “ Brother Cheng Zi,” and not the “ my love” that she dreamed of.
But just as what she said, everything did not matter anymore.
Time flew like horses rushing through a gap. The glory of the past could not beat the erosion of the years and be abandoned in the abysmal sea. And the Palace of Water…
The Palace of Water was only the ruins from beginning to end.
[The End]
Cheng Zi
Xian Rong
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