"..."
The simple answer plunged Shigure Kira into a deep silence. Although... although... although she knew this was to solve the source of the Bizarre, she still felt so unwilling.
...%@#¥%!*
"I understand."
"Wait!"
Shigure Kira suddenly stepped forward, took off her dry outer coat, and handed it over, leaving only a thin white garment underneath.
"No need."
Li Mo shook his head and refused, not even lingering for a moment.
When they returned to the town, he could naturally get new clothes to change into. Although Shigure Kira was a Valkyrie with a constitution far superior to that of an ordinary person, she was not as capable of completely ignoring the cold as he was.
Li Mo wanted to say, I'm strong, it's more important for you to stay warm.
But the words in his heart were only whispered there, never spoken aloud.
Returning to the inn, Li Mo had already changed into a new set of clothes.
The town during the day was peaceful, without the strange and gloomy atmosphere of the night. The streets and alleys were bustling with people and lively.
Li Mo was in a room on the second floor of the inn, looking down at the noisy crowd passing by the street bridge he cared about. Beside him lay a white skeleton.
The inn was not open for business, because Li Mo had already silently dealt with the human skin forest, burying all the flesh-and-blood ghosts under the steps of the Taixuan Tongtian Road.
As for the lively town residents at this moment, they were just old phantoms remaining in the Mirror Lake.
The fact that his phone couldn't recognize their images had already revealed that the people in the wedding procession were neither living nor dead, but lingering phantoms of the past due to obsession.
When the wedding ceremony was lifted, they would disappear without a trace in an instant, and that would be their true death.
The time on his phone had been adjusted to 12:30 PM. The sun was like a fire, hanging high in the clear sky.
There were less than a few hours until dusk.
After returning to the inn, Shigure Kira had been staying in her room. Saori Tsuruyo, after searching fruitlessly, was overjoyed to see Shigure Kira return safely.
She ran to him and apologized, and said some incomprehensible words.
After that, Saori Tsuruyo stayed with Shigure Kira in her room, chatting, perhaps exchanging what they had seen and heard.
The waiting at this moment seemed quite leisurely for him.
"I have already told them everything. The human skin forest has fallen into a permanent silence. At least it will not revive until the flesh and blood under the steps of the Tongtian Road are dug out."
"But no one can dig it out. I have already repaired the Tongtian Road. No one will notice that countless bones are buried under the mountain stones they are treading on."
The long-cherished wish of the seven Taixuan Swords, Li Mo thought he had done it perfectly enough, with almost no risk of repeating the same mistakes.
After the wedding was completed, the contaminated Hua in the Taoist temple should be able to completely get rid of that state of cognitive error.
She thought she was Jingwei, so she would become Jingwei.
Only by letting the real Jingwei know that she was already dead could Hua possibly escape from this state of cognitive error.
Yes, Jingwei was already dead, Hua was also already dead. Only his companion, the Immortal Jingwei in the Taoist temple—Hua, was alive.
There was no better ending than this, reason told Li Mo so.
Gradually, Li Mo's expression became a little ferocious. Without any warning, his right hand forcefully broke his left thumb.
The pain of the broken finger did not make Li Mo show even a moment of pain. He just felt that it was wrong, it shouldn't be like this.
"Crack!"
The index finger was broken, followed by the remaining three fingers, all broken without exception.
Only in this way could he firm his judgment from a brief moment of regret and follow the best choice.
A few seconds later, the broken fingers were all restored. Only the mottled bloodstains on the table and chairs remained, preserving the fact that a shocking event had happened here.
"I only need to do one thing now, deal with the source of the Bizarre, and then take Hua home."
Li Mo reminded himself, dispelling the thought of wanting to stay.
He had had the thought of staying in the town forever. As long as Li Mo was willing, he could stay here and fulfill the promise he had once made with the Bizarre Hua—to grow old together like an ordinary person.
This immortal town would always exist in reality because of the Bizarre power of the Bizarre Hua. Everyone would be unaware of their own death, and after a long time, Li Mo would be the same.
He would think he was an ordinary person who would die one day, but would be completely unaware of the fact that he should have died long ago, or was already dead.
In the small town, the sweet dream of peace and happiness would—
continue forever.
Fortunately, Li Mo could overcome this thought, because memory was ultimately just memory. Even if Li Mo thought that Mo was himself, he would not live according to Mo's personality and behavior.
Because he was Li Mo, he had more experiences, more bonds, more memories.
Li Mo could be Mo, but Mo could never be Li Mo.
Memory can only influence, but it cannot determine behavior like a rule.
"Fortunately, the time of contamination was not long. If this thought became a rule, after it was triggered, I'm afraid I would never be willing to leave the town again."
The time of Hua and Mo's death was not long enough. Even though there had been fifty thousand years of longing and searching between them, that was when they were still alive.
The Bizarre Hua threw herself into the Mirror Lake to reverse her identity. His lifespan was exhausted, and after reaching the end of his road, this obsession gradually evolved, with a tendency to become a rule.
Time flies, and the years change. Hua is no longer the living Hua of the past, and Mo is no longer the ghost Mo of the past.
Now Hua is a ghost, and now Mo is a person.
After a long wait, Li Mo finally heard the festive sound of gongs and drums from the street.
"They're here."
Li Mo quickly stood up and walked out of the inn with Hua's remains in his arms.
At the same time, Saori Tsuruyo and Shigure Kira also walked out of the inn, but Shigure Kira's walking posture was obviously a little restrained. She walked with great difficulty, her whole person leaning on Saori Tsuruyo, being supported to move forward slowly.
It was exactly the same as when they first met.
Because everything that was happening here at this moment had been personally arranged by Li Mo a long, long time ago.
The big red and purple lanterns hanging on the street, the gorgeous and bright ribbons, the bosses of the porcelain and cloth shops personally opened for business, displaying the most expensive and beautiful goods, adding a festive atmosphere to this wedding.
Li Mo walked onto the street with Hua's remains in his arms. The familiar and unfamiliar town residents parted to the two sides of the road, their eyes shining with light, looking enviously at the slowly approaching vermilion bridal sedan.
The road was sprinkled with colorful flowers, paving a beautiful path.
No one was puzzled or strange about the white bones in his arms.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!" The sound of gongs and drums was deafening.
This time, Li Mo walked onto the street frankly and took the initiative to walk towards the vermilion bridal sedan. Inside was a strange woman.
Her eyes were vacant, very empty, and there was no human skin covering her flesh and blood, looking very creepy.
"Hua, it's time to wake up."
Li Mo placed Hua's complete remains in the bridal sedan, closed the curtain, and walked to the horse at the front of the wedding procession, spreading his hands.
The people in the wedding procession were diligent and enthusiastic, and put the festive red wedding dress on him.
The wedding dress that fit unexpectedly well back then should not have been unexpected.
Because the wedding dress was originally made by him for himself.
He was the groom.
"Captain, brother said that we are absolutely not allowed to interfere with this wedding ceremony. He is 99% sure that he can complete the ceremony, and told us not to enter the mansion."
Saori Tsuruyo supported Shigure Kira and said with a reminder.
"Mhm, I know, but he only said that we are not allowed to enter the mansion, not that we are not allowed to watch him walk into the mansion. If we did something wrong, he would have driven us away by now."
Shigure Kira lowered her eyes, her voice light.
Saori Tsuruyo nodded. Indeed, in order to ensure that no accidents happened again, watching her brother enter the mansion was the best choice.
If anything happened, and her brother was inconvenient to get off the horse to solve it, she and the captain could quickly deal with it in secret.
But after being saved by her brother this time, the captain seemed to have changed a lot. She seemed to be more forward-thinking?
"By the way, Captain, how did your brother save you? I remember you were targeted and locked by that ghost, right?"
"I was so scared back then. When your brother went out to find you, there was almost no time left. When he came back, he didn't bring you with him. I thought you were already dead..."
"I can only say, as expected of brother, he can even overcome the certain-death rule."
With that, Saori Tsuruyo cast a look of admiration at the gorgeously dressed Li Mo on horseback. After she separated from Li Mo, she had searched for a long, long time in the town, but could not find any trace of Shigure Kira.
Later, she went to the shore of the Mirror Lake and only saw some mixture of white filth and crimson on the surface of the lake.
She couldn't see anything when she poked her head out to look, only the ripples on the surface of the lake, which let Saori Tsuruyo know that something was happening inside.
She couldn't see it from the outside, but Li Mo must have done something inside to reverse the destined death of Shigure Kira.
Shigure Kira turned her head away and stammered, "I... I don't remember... when I woke up, I saw that guy in front of me, and I didn't die..."
Saori Tsuruyo didn't realize this and even comforted Shigure Kira with great care:
"I see. It seems that your luck is quite good, Captain. The price of survival is becoming a little weaker. It's just that you can't walk, have no appetite, sweat easily, have a hoarse voice, and have abdominal pain. It doesn't seem like a big deal. At least you didn't lose any limbs."
"Before, your brother told me that he wasn't sure he could save you, and that it would largely depend on luck. I thought..."
"Forget it! Let's not talk about those unlucky things. It's good that you survived, Captain."
After hearing this, the expression on Shigure Kira's face became even more complicated. Her long eyebrows trembled and lifted, and her bright eyes glanced at Li Mo on horseback, then she lowered her head again, her fingers clenching and unclenching.
"Yeah, it's good to be alive. He was kind to me, I just need to know this."
"But..."
It was exactly the same as in his memory. In the past, when Hua was not around, Mo had rehearsed countless times and had long memorized every action and every process, so as not to make Hua feel embarrassed.
The wedding procession arrived at the ancient house. The old and dilapidated ancient house had been completely renewed, with a well-arranged courtyard and a bright and beautiful lintel.
The water reflected the green branches and red walls. In the distance, the green bamboo was sparse, and the fallen flowers were colorful, covering the entire courtyard and giving the stone path a gorgeous new dress.
The bridal sedan landed. Hua, dressed in a wedding dress, was supported by her relatives and friends and walked to Li Mo's side.
The red veil covered her face, but the hands extended from her sleeves were of flesh and blood.
"Mo..."
A soft and light voice, like a silver bell ringing in his ear.
Li Mo raised his hand, held Hua's hand, crossed the threshold, and walked into the mansion.
"First bow to heaven and earth!" the matchmaker shouted in a high-pitched voice.
Li Mo took the initiative to clasp his hands, bend down, and bow to heaven and earth from top to bottom.
Hua on the side did the same.
"Second bow to the parents!"
"The couple bows to each other!"
This was the last bow. The two turned to face each other.
Li Mo was no longer forced to do all the procedures, but took the initiative to do them.
"Mo, thank you. Thank you for everything you have done for me over the years, and thank you for not forgetting me in the future."
Hua, under the red veil, opened her crimson cherry lips slightly. A little of her exquisite face was revealed, with the healthy luster of a living person.
"Mhm, you... is there anything else you want to say to me?" Li Mo asked plainly.
The unfamiliar answer did not make Hua angry, because the awkward appearance was exactly how Mo was at the beginning.
He had always been that dull and inflexible boy, the same kind of person as her.
But it was precisely because he was not like others who considered gains and losses and haggled over every detail that she could get recognition, reliance, like and love from him at any time...
She, ah, was called a "witch," a "jinx," an "unlucky person," isolated, excluded, and alienated. From childhood to adulthood, she had always been alone.
A messy life, chaotic and deteriorated memories, a terrible fate...
"Hmph, Mo, do you still remember what you said on my fourteenth birthday?"
"I remember, but that seems too childish. I really want to forget."
"But I won't forget," Hua said seriously.
"In this last bit of time, I don't want to leave any more regrets..." Hua said in a sad tone.
Li Mo's eyes narrowed. She really knew.
She knew that when the wedding was completed tonight, he would leave, and she would also be silenced forever because the ceremony was over, her consciousness dissipating from the world.
Li Mo asked, "Since you know, why are you still going through with this wedding?"
Hua was stunned for a moment and said in an extremely gentle voice, "Because I have always wanted to be your bride, since fifty thousand years ago... I have imagined it many times, I really want to... even if I die tomorrow, I want to have such a day, to be able to stand with you, look at each other, and feel each other's emotions..."
"If I'm going to die tomorrow, at least today I'm with you, right?"
Hua stepped forward and held Li Mo's hand, hesitating for a long time.
Her lips pursed and moved a few times.
Finally, she struggled to open her mouth and bit out a few stiff words: "Unveil it."
Li Mo was stunned for a moment. Was she asking him to unveil the red veil now?
This was the final step of the ceremony. When it reached this step before, Li Mo's control over his body would be completely restored, which meant that what happened next was something Mo had never tried before.
Once it was unveiled, it meant that the ceremony would enter the final stage ahead of schedule. The Hua in front of him would die soon because the ceremony was over.
Could it be that she had waited for fifty thousand years and didn't want to ask for more?
Purely rationally, Li Mo couldn't understand this kind of thinking at all. If it were him, having lost so much, he would definitely find ways to get it back.
Even by unscrupulous means, to prevent the ceremony from being completed, to let the ceremony get stuck at a certain stage and not be able to continue.
Not like her, willing to end the ceremony on her own initiative.
She could clearly get more.
"Have you thought it through, Hua?"
"Once the red veil is unveiled, your memory, your consciousness, your existence... will all enter a countdown. As the bright moon reaches its highest point in the night sky, you will truly die."
Li Mo knew that Hua knew everything through her Bizarre power. As a psychic-type MANTIS, it was easy to modify memories and cognition after becoming a Bizarre.
From Hua's words just now, Li Mo knew that she had already seen all his memories.
She even understood that he might not be the real Mo.
No...
Li Mo himself didn't understand.
Who could he be considered...
"The bright moon... should have been hanging high in the night sky."
"The moon's brilliance is brilliant, illuminating thousands of rivers..."
"It's enough for the birds on the treetops to bathe in its faint light."
"Mo."
"When you are powerless and stand still."
"When you have no possibility and are deep in darkness."
"When you are about to be swallowed by despair."
"Even if you are hurt by cruel words."
"Even if you are wrapped in the malice of the world."
"Even if from now on no one follows in your footsteps, no one listens to your words, no one believes in your choice."
"Even if hope has vanished."
"Even if your face is completely changed, filled with hatred and resentment."
"Even if you have become an existence that is 'not tolerated by the world'."
"I will accept everything about you, feel your pain, experience your loneliness, stand behind you, and support you to move forward."
"Because you have already forgotten, so Hua died in the barren land."
"Because you have not forgotten, so I have always been here."
Li Mo listened quietly as Hua recited his original promise word for word.
This time, the roles seemed to be reversed.
The Mo who had sworn to protect her for a lifetime had become the object of the promise to be protected.
Gradually, pure white flowers grew on the red veil, emitting a rich and fragrant scent.
The red veil began to change, turning into another kind of thing, something that Hua truly desired in her heart.
The vermilion wedding dress became sacred and white, like a palace illuminated by the clear moonlight, untainted by dust.
She used her pale hands to weave the withered parasol leaves into flower decorations, spun ten thousand years of time into a light veil, and transformed the long-standing loneliness into this pure white wedding dress, just to wait for the person who had crossed the endless space-time to find her.
"You..."
Li Mo's eyes uncontrollably showed a sad expression. Was he crying? Or was Mo sad?
He didn't understand, didn't know...
Why?
Why commit suicide?
The red veil was a manifestation of Bizarre power. The surrounding festive environment also disappeared with the disappearance of the red veil. Actively removing the red veil was the same as being taken off, both belonged to the end of the ceremony.
"Am I a bit willful? Wanting to experience two different styles of weddings or something..."
Hua lowered her head shyly and carefully looked at Li Mo, worried about whether he was angry.