Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 155: Before the Curtain Falls

Fang Xiu didn’t answer.

His mother, however, seemed to have received her answer and smiled even brighter. The three of them continued walking through the lively temple fair, opera music faintly echoing behind them.

A’Shou wisely concealed her presence. If one ignored the occasional passing spirit, this could easily have been an ordinary village night.

Fang Xiu suddenly realized that the images and voices of his parents in his mind had grown vague and thin. Even though he had never stopped missing them for a single day, those impressions had inevitably faded and eroded.

Until now.

Fang Xiu narrowed his eyes. The glowing lights before him bled into a haze, and his ears were filled with the sounds of his parents’ conversation and laughter. That impossibly long past now seemed like a mere nightmare, a figment of imagination. He was just an overly imaginative child walking with his parents through a bustling temple fair.

His parents, who were just a few steps away, looked so young, well-off, carefree—indistinguishable from the living.

He had dreamt of moments like this before, but none had felt this vivid, this real… Perhaps to him, this was the best kind of fairy tale.

“In a few more years, I’ll be older than you were when you left,” Fang Xiu said casually. “Making it this far… that’s pretty impressive, right?”

Maybe because Bai Shuangying hadn’t forcibly tampered with his karmic threads, the memories of his parents didn’t feel especially vivid. At this moment, they merely slowed their steps and smiled as they listened.

“I managed to find a job—not a great one. The money you left me is almost gone now… You used to say I’d definitely make something of myself. I guess I’ve disappointed you.”

Fang Xiu stared at their youthful faces and kept talking, stubbornly and softly, as if they were truly reunited after a long separation.

“Until recently, I didn’t have much hope for this career. But lately things have started to look up. Maybe I really can accomplish something.”

His parents continued smiling. They looked at Fang Xiu with warmth and love, waiting for him to go on.

In hiding, A’Shou quietly listened in. But since Fang Xiu never said anything outright, it just sounded like a perfectly ordinary conversation.

“Oh, and I didn’t settle down and start a family like you hoped. I fell for a…”

Fang Xiu paused for two seconds and changed the subject.

“…a jobless guy who’s just about to get out of prison. He’s a little moody sometimes, but he’s good-looking and simple. I’ve never met anyone like him.”

“If you were still around, I’d probably be bringing Bai Shuangying home to meet you and the whole house would be in chaos.”

A’Shou: “…”

Bai Shuangying, inside Fang Xiu: “?”

Everything he said sounded accurate, yet somehow… wrong. Bai Shuangying thought about it, but couldn’t figure out what was off, so he gave up and continued focusing on controlling the Immortal Encounter E.

“Mom, you’d accept it first. You fell for Dad at first sight mostly because of his face, right? And you know what I’m like. Your son’s the cleverest in the world—I wouldn’t do something stupid on impulse.”

“You’d tell me, as long as I’m happy, that’s enough.”

“Dad, you’d struggle for a while… maybe a day or two, maybe a week. You were always the traditional one. But eventually, you and Mom would both talk it through, and you’d accept it. What would you say?”

“…”

“Dad… I can’t imagine it…”

Fang Xiu’s emotions had calmed. His expression was still light, with no forced tears, no trembling brows, and no unrealistic longing.

The initial nervousness was gone, leaving only a calm like ashes.

“…You left too early,” Fang Xiu joked with his young, handsome father. “I didn’t even have time to grow up.”

He adjusted his bangs a little awkwardly, revealing a pair of heterochromatic eyes. The white one held seriousness and curiosity; the black one carried an unprecedented tranquility.

That tranquility even made A’Shou feel heavy in the chest. For a moment, she feared Fang Xiu might be on the verge of making a wish, giving the Immortal Encounter E one last chance to strike.

Now, she no longer believed that.

Fang Xiu was painfully clear-headed about the death of his parents—so clear that not even a faint wish remained. No amount of sleepless nights reliving memories could create this level of clarity.

This moment was no different.

The family walked slowly through the brightly lit fair, heading toward a single destination. Fang Xiu skipped over “looking for clues” and moved straight toward the ending of the story—the graveyard at the foot of the mountain.

He chatted idly with his parents as they walked, even though he knew they wouldn’t give real responses. The three of them kept walking until the lanterns of the village were left behind, and ahead of them there was only darkness.

A gust of wind stirred his mother’s hair. His father took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

“Son, are you tired? Want to go back and walk it again?”

His father asked patiently. “But you have to promise Dad: no snacks this time. Eating late is bad for your stomach. You won’t be able to sleep.”

Fang Xiu turned to look back at the bright lights behind him. They were too far from the shrine now; the opera on the stage couldn’t be heard anymore. Behind him was only the hum of voices. In front, it was deathly silent.

Fang Xiu knew very well that the Weishan Village script had plenty of exploitable flaws.

For example, he hadn’t explored the three other smaller shrines. He could stay with his parents’ illusions for a couple more days. Bai Shuangying certainly wouldn’t object. A’Shou couldn’t interfere.

He could also pull out karmic threads to show Bai Shuangying. As Bai Shuangying’s control over the Immortal Encounter E grew, his parents could become even more “real,” just like the roles in earlier story arcs.

Fang Xiu understood all of that. But…

His parents remained at the edge of the festival’s glow, their faces blurred by the darkness ahead.

Fang Xiu took one small step into that darkness, then turned to face them. He stared at the spots near his father’s eyes, at the length of his mother’s fingernails.

He etched them into his mind, then lifted his eyes.

“That’s enough,” Fang Xiu said clearly. “Tonight like this is enough.”

His parents still stood there, unmoving. They continued to look at him, gazing slightly below his chest, as if watching the child who didn’t belong to this place.

In the cold night wind, Fang Xiu rubbed his hands together and walked away from the bustling fair. The weather of Weishan Village turned again. Cold rain began to fall from the sky.

The rain soaked Fang Xiu’s hair, and his red T-shirt clung to his body. He looked thinner than before.

“I was going to meet you on time, but life didn’t turn out as badly as I expected.”

Fang Xiu smiled as he said farewell to the memory of his parents.

“Dad, Mom—I might be home a little late.”

With that, he turned and walked straight into the darkness without looking back.

He knew none of this was real. It was just a rough story. There would be no reply.

“Be safe, son.”

His mother’s voice suddenly echoed behind him.

“It’s alright to be late. We’ll wait for you at home,”

His father’s voice said with a laugh.

“…Okay.”

Fang Xiu took a deep breath and still didn’t look back.

……

“Are you alright?” Now that the festival lights had faded completely, A’Shou reappeared, coughing awkwardly.

Fang Xiu gave a slight nod, then poked at Bai Shuangying in his abdomen.

“You made them say those things?”

“Because they love you. I thought that’s what they’d say,” Bai Shuangying muttered in his head.

Fang Xiu: “You’re getting better at understanding humans.”

“No. I just thought, if it were me, I’d say those things too.” Bai Shuangying stirred slightly inside him. “I wanted to peek at your karmic threads, but I figured you wouldn’t like that. So I had to write it myself.”

“So, how was it? Last time you gave me a surprise, this time I wanted to return the favor.”

Bai Shuangying spoke quickly. His tone was filled with the kind of rushed nerves that came with trying to cover up a slightly imperfect performance.

This was the first time Fang Xiu had seen Bai Shuangying nervous over something like this.

To be honest, compared to the time he created the God of Weishan, this new illusion wasn’t even as grand. But clearly, Bai Shuangying cared far more this time.

Fang Xiu let out a long breath, genuine and sincere. “Thank you.”

His mind was calm, yet his heart clenched faintly. He had never felt more alive.

…Strange, really. Since he began participating in the rituals, how many times had he said thank you to his ghost?

Fang Xiu had always thought this kind of self-deceiving act held no value. He was a realist. He wouldn’t cling to things like this. He would just push forward toward his goals without sleep or rest. And yet, to his quiet dismay, that looming, near-breaking fatigue really had faded quite a bit.

It was as if his parents had never left. As if he were just an ordinary person working far from home for a long time.

At the end of this bloody ritual, at the core of a filthy conspiracy, he had slowly grown back into flesh and blood.

When all was said and done, he was still just a regular human.

In his mind, Bai Shuangying was still mumbling happily, “When I understand this thing better and know you more deeply, I’ll be able to make even better illusions.”

“It’s a shame I don’t resonate much with it. Otherwise, I could’ve refined it completely…”

“Things are going to get busy now. Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

Fang Xiu interrupted him in the dark.

He had already spotted Guan He not far away. The graveyard plotline was about to begin. Now wasn’t the time for sentimentality.

Bai Shuangying fell silent, quietly shifting inside Fang Xiu’s body.

He had a lot he wanted to share.

His seal had loosened by another 300,000 chains. He could break free, but didn’t want to yet. He wanted to finish the ritual with Fang Xiu, maybe take down a few more of the Guishan Sect trash. He wanted to have a serious talk about that “life plan” Fang Xiu once mentioned and find a way to insert himself into it…

But he had gotten smart, Bai Shuangying thought. He could sum it all up with one sentence.

“I do have something I want to tell you.”

He declared in Fang Xiu’s mind.

“I like you.”

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