Chapter 8 — Thousand Tribulations Without Return

Scene change — Mortal world On the child's first month, outside my old courtyard, a strange man suddenly appeared. That person... his face was like a fairy descending to earth, his clothes were as white as snow, but... in his eyes as deep as a calm lake, there was hidden an immense sadness and sadness, as if it had been etched into the depths of thousands of lifetimes. I asked my husband if he recognized that person. He just shook his head, his eyes were suspicious, and he didn't say a word. From that day on, our small courtyard began to appear priceless treasures: gold coins, jade, pearls, rare herbs... all placed quietly in front of the door, without a single message. My husband and I were both confused and scared, putting everything in the chest, not daring to use a single thing. Until one day, when the husband could only buy pork for one dollar, the man suddenly rushed into the courtyard. Phew! He threw the piece of meat straight to the ground, his voice choked with pain, like a silent scream: "She just gave birth... and you only feed her this!?" His eyes were as red as blood, every word trembled, as if filled with endless anger and self-blame: "Isn't it... I left so many treasures at your door, why didn't I use it to exchange for better food!?" That's when I realized... all those treasures were left by him. Relieved as if escaping from a nightmare, my husband and I looked at each other and smiled, with a trace of serenity in our eyes. The husband quietly picked up the piece of meat, returned to the kitchen, then from the corner hidden under the stove took out the bag of treasures he had kept for a long time. I picked it up and gently handed it back to the man: "These things... were dropped by you, sir. Please take them back for good." The man stood still, his eyes filled with disbelief, his trembling fingers pointed at the courtyard, pointed at the old wooden door and rotten bamboo fence: "You... you clearly have so much wealth, why... why do you still have to suffer in this shabby house...?" "These... I gave her... Why... don't you use them?" I curled my lips slightly, smiling faintly, my voice as light as the breeze: "My husband and I... just need three meals to fill us up, and we are a blessing in the world. As for those treasures... for us, they are just... a burden." The man's eyes trembled slightly, his face suddenly became urgent, he quickly grabbed my hand, his voice was hoarse, trembling like a broken blade: "No... that's not like that! She... she was originally the most noble fairy in the nine heavens, a fairy peach, she refused to eat it after a moment... Why... why now say... just being full is enough...?" Hearing that, my face suddenly turned cold, I waved my hand and pushed his hand away, my voice was as sharp as broken ice: "Your honor, please. Perhaps... you have identified the wrong person." But the man did not let go, his eyes were as red as blood, and he said hoarsely: "You... you look at this..." He raised his hand, a glass of glass appeared in mid-air, in the sparkling water curtain, appeared the image of a fairy with a peerless appearance, eyebrows, charisma... exactly like me. In the glass mirror, that woman stood shoulder to shoulder with him, her smile as bright as a blooming peach blossom, so intimate and sweet that it made the whole world admire her. I stared at the water, didn't speak, only saw the man trembling, his eyes were wet, tears seeping down his eyelids, his voice was hoarse as if it had been cut by a knife: "Lac Quan... it's my fault... I was wrong... please follow me home..." He choked up, every single time. The sentence seemed to tear apart the lungs: "What if there is no more immortal bone? I will help you practice from the beginning. The child... I will also consider it as my own blood, nurturing it with all my heart." His hands shook, his voice became even deeper, as if he was swearing before heaven and earth: "If you don't want to have more children... I will never force you." He said a lot, his voice choked, his words filled with endless sadness and guilt, but in my heart... there was no wave. I just coldly asked a question: "Immortal... can you confirm that the person in the mirror... is really me?" The man froze, his eyes as deep as a calm lake trembled slightly, and finally nodded, tears falling like rain, his face covered with blue tang fields: "It's her... absolutely... it's her." I coldly avoided his hand, my eyes like an ice lake condensed with frost: "If she... is really me, then... she is absolutely determined to descend to earth, could it be as you said, that she was deceived by someone who was bewitching her?" The man froze, as if a sword had pierced his heart, his breathing stopped, he only repeated a weak sentence: "How... how could it be..." I calmly turned around, walked slowly to my husband's side, gently took his hand, hugged that strong arm, my voice was calm, each word seemed to cut a thread of fate: "If it was really me... I would have thought it through. After thinking it through... I would choose... to let go." There was only the sound of the wind in the temple, the man stood there absent-minded, as if he didn't hear, just mumbling three words, over and over, his voice hoarse to the point of bleeding: "Let go... let go... let go..." His tears fell in hot drops, bursting on the cold stone floor, turning into water streaks that spread silently. I bowed my head, my eyes were as calm as an autumn lake, I didn't look at him anymore, just said one more sentence, my voice was indifferent but cruel, like sealing a broken fate: "If it is really me... there must be one last wish - please ask the ancients... to live forever... never appear in front of me again."

“Those tears of regret... only make my path of reincarnation... dirty.” The man in front of me... his eyes were bloodshot, layers of tears forming on his eyelids, his deep gaze seemed to contain a thousand sorrows, but all that sincerity was replaced by just a cold glance. I tilted my head slightly, my voice as cold as the frosty winter wind: "Please leave. Don't make me... hate you any more."

His lips trembled, as if he wanted to force a smile, but sadness filled the corners of his eyes. Even if he tried to suppress it, there was still no way to hide the rising despair. He was hoarse, his words trembling like a piece of broken moon: "Okay... okay... don't be angry... I... I'll go." Waiting until his back completely disappeared at the end of the small alley, next to me, my husband sighed softly, his eyes were as gentle as water, and said in a low voice: "My lady... if you want to leave me, I... I can also understand." I tilted my head, stretched out my arm and pinched his biceps, snorted, my voice mixed with a bit of sulking: "Do you want to leave me? Dreaming!" The skinny scholar was stunned for a moment, then his gentle smile quickly spread, his eyes shining like stars at night: "That said... it means I've said it for sure. If one day you don't need me anymore... I will hug you and climb straight to Heavenly Palace to cry all over the nine heavens!" I pinched him again, very painfully, my face was serious but my voice was soft, the corners of my lips curled up a little, making it hard for anyone to notice: "Hmm, I see you... no Do you want to go to heaven to see fairies?" We joked around with each other, laughter echoed around the small courtyard, the gentle afternoon sunlight fell on the ash gray tile roof, as if no storm had ever passed. Stepping through the door step, he and I walked side by side inside. In the small crib near the window, the moment the baby saw his parents, he smiled brightly, his eyes as clear as autumn lakes reflecting the golden sunlight, so pure that it made our hearts soften. We look at this room, look at the old wooden bed, look at the thin stream of smoke playing on the stove, look at the narrow but warm roof. In my heart, only one sentence remains - "Days like this... even if a fairy steps down... I will not change."