Dianxiang’s eyes were brimming with tears. Just a single glance made her entire body go limp as she tightly hugged the black coffin, murmuring nonstop: “Thirty years. My dear.”
With these words spoken, a crystal-clear tear slipped from the corner of Dianxiang’s eye, landing squarely on the man’s chest.
That towering hatred and endless sorrow gradually dissipated along with the falling tear, transforming into specks of white light at the man’s chest that enveloped everyone.
Dianxiang held the man’s corpse and slowly closed her eyes.
In an instant, those white lights scattered in all directions, gradually covering the dark clouds at the horizon to form patches of daylight that illuminated the entire earth.
Countless crows flew out from the coffin, transforming into white doves in the air, soaring and cooing as they gradually arranged themselves downward in a line to form a staircase leading to the sky.
Dianxiang looked toward the staircase with red-rimmed eyes. Beside her, the sobbing Dinglan seemed to see something on the stairs and reached out to tug at her elder sister.
The wrinkles on the old man’s face were smoothed away by the breeze stirred up by the white doves, a kind smile hanging on his face. Standing right next to him was the boy from the coffin, completely free of any wounds on his body: “Let’s go. We’re going home.”
The two sisters used almost the fastest speed of their lives to run upward toward them. Halfway there, Dianxiang suddenly stopped in her tracks, lowered her head, and looked down.
The three people at the bottom were looking back at Dianxiang in puzzlement when they saw her slowly walk back down and reach toward her neck, taking something off.
“Thank you.” Dianxiang opened her palm to reveal the item inside: an exquisitely crafted bone necklace. She gently tucked it into Lin Chubai’s palm before running back up again.
Ding-dong! Congratulations to the player for obtaining an A-grade item: Bone Chain. Effect: Blocks one fatal blow. Message: May you be safe and smooth-sailing.
As Dianxiang ran upward, the staircase behind her transformed into small golden fish that swum around them and slipped into their bodies, as if wishing to wrap the struggle within the darkness in sunlight once more.
The world cannot tolerate grievously wronged souls, so let us take you home.
Ding-dong! Congratulations to the player for completing the quest: Sounding the Drums and Flutes. Rating: S-grade. Reward obtained: 2,000 points.
Ding-dong! Congratulations to player Lin Chubai for investigating the truth of the world, earning a reward of 500 points.
Ding-dong! Congratulations to players Lin Chubai, Ye Zhou, and Song Siyun for liberating the world, earning a reward of 500 points.
Ding-dong! This game’s MVP is Lin Chubai! Extra reward of 100 points.
Ding-dong! Congratulations to player Song Siyun for obtaining the “Peerless Healer” title, with an extra reward of 50 points.
After the system broadcasted the quest settlement, the three were surrounded by golden fireflies, and a multiple-choice question appeared before them.
Do you wish to return to the real world? (Yes/No) PS: You may choose your return time freely.
Unexpectedly, both Ye Zhou and Lin Chubai chose no. Song Siyun’s eyes widened: “You guys aren’t going back?”
“There is still something unfinished.” Lin Chubai took the old box out from his pocket, lowered his head slightly, and looked at the crimson beads inside, a trace of a bitter smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Song Siyun did not understand why, but he gritted his teeth and chose no anyway: “We’re brothers! If we die, we die together!”
The golden light of the fireflies vanished with the three players’ choices. Lin Chubai looked up at Song Siyun, emotions surging in the depths of his eyes as a faint smile bloomed on his face.
“Why aren’t you leaving either?” The country path appeared exceptionally calm after shedding its blood and black fog, and Lin Chubai spoke up abruptly.
“There is still something unfinished.” Ye Zhou did not think up any other excuse, simply copying Lin Chubai’s words to brush it off.
Lin Chubai did not dwell on the matter any further. He raised his hand, poured out a handful of red beads from the wooden box, and handed them to Song Siyun: “Go find an uninhabited house later and bury these in the courtyard.”
“Why?” Song Siyun did not understand why Lin Chubai wanted to do this, but he obediently took them anyway.
“Let their souls return home so they can rest in peace.” The expression on Lin Chubai’s face was unreadable. He poured out another handful of red beads and handed them to Ye Zhou.
After the three split up, Lin Chubai walked toward the village in the east. Most of the houses here were vacant and in a state of disrepair.
He walked casually into a courtyard. What met his eyes was a clothesline hanging between two trees, upon which several dust-covered, yellowed garments still rested. Looking closer, even a pair of open-crotch trousers for a child was hanging there.
His clean hands scooped at the soil on the ground, slowly carving out a small pit. Soil stained the fabric pocket of his long robe as he slowly retrieved three red beads from inside and buried them.
A warm, humid breeze stirred the loose bangs on Lin Chubai’s forehead, gentle and lingering, as if thanking him.
“Ya’er, time to eat!” The words drifted into Lin Chubai’s ears along with the wind. He turned his head to look in the direction the voice came from, but saw nothing. Yet he knew this was no hallucination.
He walked over to the courtyard of the next house. Letters from the mailbox were scattered across the ground. Reaching out, he picked one up and carefully opened it. Written in neat, delicate handwriting were the following words:
Dad, Mom, I won’t be coming back for the Spring Festival this year. I’ve been busy lately. Once I wrap this up, I’ll bring you all over.
Altogether there were 13 letters. The letters contained trivial matters of daily life, attachment to home, and anxiety over not receiving a reply. But perhaps out of too much haste, the wandering traveler in the letters mentioned returning next week.
The unfolded paper was folded back along its original creases and brought into the courtyard by someone who dug a relatively large pit, placing the red beads and the letters inside together.
“Nannan is back.” As the surface of the soil smoothed out once more, a mother’s gentle voice drifted into Lin Chubai’s ears again. This time he did not search for the source, but instead turned and left the courtyard.
Relatives were reunited; there was no need to disturb them.
Lin Chubai walked and buried them all the way. The gentle greetings remained lightly hovering by his ears until he walked back to the center of the village, at which point the beads in the box were precisely used up.
The withered tree in the center of the village had sprouted a new tender shoot, adding a touch of color to this desolate village. The young man beneath the tree leaned softly against the thick tree trunk, raising his eyes to meet his gaze.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Lin Chubai pulled off an impeccable smile once more to apologize to Ye Zhou.
“I just got here too.” The corner of Ye Zhou’s eye twitched involuntarily, as if feeling that Lin Chubai was being far too polite.
Lin Chubai looked past Ye Zhou and noticed the absence of a certain figure: “He’s not back yet?”
“Yeah.” As soon as Ye Zhou spoke, the sound of running footsteps came from the east. Turning his head to look, it was none other than Song Siyun, whose arrival was summoned just by mentioning his name.
“I’m exhausted. The houses over here were all locked up, so it took a ton of effort to climb inside,” Song Siyun explained to the two while wiping the sweat from his brow.
“Everyone’s here. Let’s go.” Seeing that Song Siyun had caught his breath, Lin Chubai suggested.
The fireflies that had just dissipated moments ago gathered once more from all directions, wrapping tightly around them. The familiar, blinding white light struck, and the three fell into a deep sleep.
“You little brat, if I don’t discipline you, you’re going to tear down the roof next!” Amidst a blurring consciousness, Lin Chubai floated above the village, watching a little rascal who was about to get a beating down below, and a smile tugged at his lips.
The wasteland of the village had transformed into golden rice paddies, and the previously empty houses were now full of residents. Strangely enough, every household’s courtyard had a lovely ginkgo tree.
Mountains and rivers rolled on unrestrainedly. A few little rascals ran about wildly upon them as three or four rabbits suddenly bolted into a burrow, shutting the children out.
“The crops are ripe! Let’s get to work!” shouted an uncle wearing a straw hat in the fields, drawing Lin Chubai’s gaze over. He saw villagers in similar attire, two or three to a group, stepping into the fields armed with small sickles for autumn harvest.
The scenery before his eyes gradually grew dim. At the very last moment, he saw all the villagers of the entire village gather their gazes upon him and bow deeply in a somewhat clumsy manner.