Remnant Soul

After that, it was nothing but crocodile tears.

In the beginning, they constantly knelt and begged for Qin Xunu's forgiveness. The village also fell into a bizarre state, with heavy snow falling every day. For those who left the village, their corpses would appear in their homes the next day. Later, they smashed Youshen Temple and worshipped a new god.

That was the 'ghost'. It did not break the curse, nor did it do anything, but because of this, they worshipped it instead.

…

Even now, they still worshipped this new 'deity'.

They cursed Qin Xunu while fearing her. Whenever strange things happened in the village, they attributed everything to her.

And so, the curse continued.

As it turned out, the god-killers were the entire village. Qin Xunu had died at the hands of this mob.

Shen Yu looked at those villagers. Among the repentant crowd, he saw familiar faces.

He had met these faces before—not in a dream, but in real life. The residents of Penglai Immortal Village had always been these very people.

The steamed bun lady, Doctor Mo, and even... Secretary Cao?

Looking at their attire, this had clearly happened a long time ago. Had they kept their original appearances for all these years?

He thought of the curse the Old Priest had mentioned.

What exactly was the curse? Was it immortality, or something else? Was it being trapped in this village forever? Was it the heavy snow that fell endlessly every day? Or was it... the cycle, just as Shen Yu had guessed?

The snow fell even heavier. The night Qin Xunu died had also been a snowy night like this.

Shen Yu's surroundings began to shift until he was enveloped in pitch-black darkness, standing in an endless void.

"Have you seen it?" A gentle female voice echoed.

The voice sounded familiar to Shen Yu. Recalling it briefly, it was Qin Xunu's voice.

"Are you Qin Xunu?" Shen Yu spoke, looking toward the source of the sound.

Then, a figure gradually materialized before him. An unnamed beam of light shone upon her, beautiful and inviolable, carrying the same divine aura as when she had first arrived here.

She wore a wreath of flowers on her head, fresh, beautiful, and not at all vulgar.

"You don't recognize me?" Qin Xunu was slightly surprised, but then came understanding. Thus, without waiting for Shen Yu to speak, she continued, "So that's how it is."

"Have you met me before?" Shen Yu looked at her appearance; she clearly recognized him.

Qin Xunu smiled softly and did not answer his question, only saying, "I brought you here just to show you these things."

"I've seen it. So, is the curse in the village because of you?" Shen Yu's voice held no blame, only inquiry.

Qin Xunu's eyes dimmed, and she let out a bitter smile, a wave of sorrow spreading. "I am already dead."

"You have no power even after death?" Shen Yu questioned.

Qin Xunu's expression was also grim. "My meeting with you at this moment is only possible by using the last of my remnant soul. I do not possess such great capability."

"Then do you know who cast the curse?" Shen Yu thought quickly. He now understood that the villagers were the ones who killed Qin Xunu, but clearly, finding the god-killer was not the way to break it. Therefore, they first had to find the person who had cursed the village.

"Are you and he still together?" Qin Xunu ignored Shen Yu's question, staring into his eyes as she asked each word.

Shen Yu frowned. "Who?"

"Tu." Qin Xunu said.

Shen Yu paused, then asked, "Xie Tu?"

Qin Xunu curled her lips. "Is that what he is called now?"

"Did you know us from the beginning?" Hearing such words for the second time, it would be a lie to say he wasn't curious.

"I respect his choice. I am dead, and I have forgotten many things." Qin Xunu wore the same attire she had when she first arrived in the village, pure white as snow, like a cold, detached snow lotus.

Qin Xunu looked at Shen Yu, and tears began to fall from the corners of her eyes—no, it was tears mixed with fresh blood. Clutching her chest, she cried out in agony, "So cold... so cold..."

She gradually dissolved into a flurry of snow, vanishing before Shen Yu's eyes.

Shen Yu's expression stirred slightly. "May you rest in peace," he said.

Next, the scene shifted again. He saw another place he had never seen before—a ruin. Across a hazy wall, he could only make out two figures facing each other.

They were talking.

"Master, must you really do this?" Was that the puppet?

The person opposite replied, "The Third World has long since ceased to be what it was. If it continues to run like this, I would rather the Third World not exist at all."

"I am willing to help you," the puppet replied.

Shen Yu clung to the hazy wall, staring intently at the two figures.

Then, the scene shifted again. The wall in front of him vanished. Unable to stand steadily, Shen Yu fell to the ground. He sat there without moving, looking down.

"Puppet... Cube..." Shen Yu muttered. These were the two names he heard the most.

He didn't understand, but he always felt that he must have a piece of memory related to them.

*Splash, splash.* The sound of footsteps stepping on wet puddles came from ahead.

Shen Yu looked up at the newcomer. It was Xie Tu dressed in priest robes, his long hair falling past his shoulders, his eyes like an ancient Greek god, high and unreachable.

He looked down at Shen Yu. "Have you been waiting long?"

Shen Yu stared at him, saying word by word, "Pup-pet."

"........." He saw Xie Tu's hand stiffen slightly.

"Your title," Shen Yu said bluntly, stating what he knew.

Xie Tu squatted down and helped Shen Yu up, not denying his words. "Yes."

"Who is Cube?" Shen Yu asked.

Xie Tu said calmly, "I don't remember. The headquarters of the Third World once collapsed, and we don't remember anything about him."

It seemed Xie Tu had no reason to lie.

"Why did you come here?" Since Xie Tu had come to find him, there was no need to keep a cold face, so his expression softened slightly as he asked gently.

Xie Tu asked first, "Have you met her?"

"Who? Qin Xunu?" Shen Yu asked back.

"Yes," Xie Tu nodded.

Shen Yu answered honestly, "Yes, she is dead."

"She died a long time ago," Xie Tu said.

Shen Yu recalled her words to him: "She knew us."

"I don't know. She probably knew me." In a place Shen Yu couldn't see, Xie Tu's hand tightened.

Shen Yu asked again, "How did you find this place?"

"I came to find you. When I couldn't find you, I knew you had come here." In truth, that wasn't it. He had long known Qin Xunu would take Shen Yu away; he just hadn't expected her to go through Wang Jiaxin. It was because of Wang Jiaxin that Shen Yu was brought here. She had also met Shen Yu as she wished.

"I saw everything. The villagers killed Qin Xunu together." Shen Yu suddenly recalled what he had just seen and quickly told Xie Tu.

Xie Tu supported Shen Yu's waist. "Indeed. That's why I told you some people deserve to be punished."

"Do you know what the 'precious' thing they offered to Qin Xunu was?" Shen Yu recalled the item they offered, which had made her vomit blood and weep in agony.

Xie Tu shook his head, reminding Shen Yu, "You don't need to find out what that 'precious' thing was. What mortals deem precious is not worth a single penny in the eyes of a god."

"Let's go, let's go home," Xie Tu said, turning to look at Shen Yu beside him, speaking gently.

Shen Yu nodded, his complexion not very good. But suddenly, he thought of Wang Jiaxin, who had also been dragged down. "What about her? Where is Wang Jiaxin?"

"I've already sent her out, don't worry." He lied to protect her; in truth, Wang Jiaxin had walked out on her own.

"Alright, let's go then." Shen Yu nodded wearily. A night of tossing and turning had left him exhausted, and his back also ached slightly.

The halo of light in front of him gradually expanded. Shen Yu narrowed his eyes. When he opened them again, Yu Chengyi's face was before him, reaching out to touch Shen Yu's forehead.

As a result, their eyes met.

"Shen Yu is awake!" Yu Chengyi was overjoyed.

He turned excitedly to speak to Lu Cheng, then looked back. Beside them, Wang Jiaxin was whimpering.

Shen Yu waking up made their expressions look much better.

Last night's events had been detailed by Wang Jiaxin. She said Xie Tu had saved them both, but Shen Yu was unconscious at the time. Xie Tu only said Shen Yu was fine and would wake up soon, but Shen Yu hadn't woken up until now, which had caused them to panic. Fortunately, they hadn't waited long before Shen Yu finally woke.

Tears still lingered in the corners of Shen Yu's eyes, shed for Qin Xunu in his dream.

"How long have I been asleep?" Shen Yu felt his head throbbing heavily.

Yu Chengyi counted on his fingers and replied, "An entire day!"

Shen Yu rubbed his temples. "No wonder. Did anything happen today?"

"No, everyone is fine. Only you were unconscious. Fortunately, you've woken up." Yu Chengyi waved his hands repeatedly.

Shen Yu lowered his head, looking at his palms. "I met Qin Xunu."

"Where?" Lu Cheng asked quickly.

"In a dream," Shen Yu replied solemnly. "I also saw her entire life, and the culprits who killed her."

"Was it a dream or real?" Yu Chengyi hadn't expected Shen Yu to have such an extraordinary dream.

Shen Yu thought for a moment. "Probably real. She told me she wanted to meet me."

"Qin Xunu is still alive?" Wang Jiaxin caught the key point.

Shen Yu shook his head, coughed twice, and said, "Dead. She died a very long time ago. Even her soul is gone."

"Then who was it that wanted to kill us that night?" Wang Jiaxin had originally thought it was Qin Xunu, but hearing Shen Yu's words, she realized she had guessed wrong.

Shen Yu shook his head and instead recounted what he had seen in his dream to them.

"The village has been cursed," Shen Yu said finally.

Yu Chengyi rubbed his eyes. "Damn it, they're all a bunch of beasts."

He was furious on behalf of that pitiful and kind deity.

Hearing his curses, just like when he had first seen those images, made him feel angry.

"So finding the culprit who killed Qin Xunu isn't enough?" Wang Jiaxin asked.

"Yes, probably. If the ones who killed her were those villagers, then what is the curse they must suffer? Is it eternal snow? Or the inability to leave the village? Or... an endless cycle?"

"A cycle?" Lu Cheng caught the key word in Shen Yu's speech.

Shen Yu then told them about his discoveries over the past few days.