Seven Unfortunate Lifetimes

Chapter 48

The next day, I went to Da Hua’s wedding and Chu Kong went down the mountain alone.

What I didn’t expect was that Chu Kong didn’t return for half a year after he left.

Midwinter, December.

Seeing that it was nearly New Year, I was contemplating if I should go out to look for Chu Kong. But I was afraid that he was practicing and that I would cause chaos at his progress if I've just gone to him.

I hesitated for a few days and couldn’t make up my mind if I should or shouldn’t go search for Chu Kong. I suddenly realized that the ultimate aim of Heavenly emperor Lee had been achieved. This seventh lifetime, I and Chu Kong finally walked on the road of the play of the miserable love about the little wife chasing the husband!

On New Year’s Eve, I dug up the wine made of the horn of the deer horse demon from the yard. Brewing it for so many years, I didn’t have the heart to drink it. But this year’s New Year’s Eve, I didn’t have Chu Kong to accompany me. At least a jar of wine could comfort my loneliness.

While I was thinking that, I opened the sealed jar. Suddenly, there were sounds of descending footsteps.

The smell of the wine was blooming. I looked up and saw Chu Kong returning from the snow. He was eventually reluctant to let me spend the New Year alone.

I smiled and waved at him: “You really know when to come back. I just opened the jar of wine. Come and have a taste.”

Chu Kong stood outside for a moment. I felt it was strange.

“Come in, ah.”

He scratched his head: “Xiao Xiang being like this, it is the same like I just left yesterday. All the things I prepared in my heart didn’t come in use. Now I don’t know what to do.”

“You have never left.”

That just slipped out of my mouth. Chu Kong froze again. After a long time did he come to me and sat down. I poured two cups of wine. I handed Chu Kong one cup and looked at him carefully. Seeing his ordinary body, it was hard not to feel disappointed. But now he was not even in his twenties. He still had some years left. I consoled myself and smiled: “Did you do something that would make you embarrassed this time you went out? Say it to let Xiao Xiang be happy.”

He shook his head, thought for a while and then said: “Didn’t get embarrassed, but I met someone. He said I’m with three immortal souls and seven mortal souls. I’m still missing one mortal soul.”

I sipped a mouthful wine and looked up at him: “Mm, that’s right. You still miss one mortal soul.”

Chu Kong dropped his head in silence. Watching the sky getting dark, the mountain was decorated and livelier than usual, making the foot of Lu Hua Mountain feel more deserted.

Chu Kong raised his head and gulped the cup of wine in one gulp. He gritted his teeth and asked: “Don’t Xiao Xiang has more to tell me?”

I pondered for a while. I thought that Chu Kong wasn’t young anymore. His memory was gradually recovering. Instead of letting him guess and come up with strange things, I should just tell him everything.

I cleared my throat, sipped wine while recalling the things of the past. While I made these memories into words, I told him the whole story.

After I told him about the past six lifetimes, the sky had become completely dark. Down the mountain they light up fireworks, making the sky colorful.

After I drank the wine that was still in my cup, I looked up at Chu Kong. I saw him hung his head. The hair on his forehead obscured his face, making me unable to understand him.

“So……”

It was silent for a long time. Chu Kong laughed bitterly for unknown reason.

“What that person said was all actually true.”

I was at loss: “What?”

“What you see has never been me. It was only that celestial star Chu Kong.”

I frowned: “You are Chu Kong.”

At this time, my words couldn’t get into Chu Kong’s ears. Like he had been possessed, he said: “I’ve always known that Xiao Xiang has many pasts. I also always believed that Xiao Xiang is living in this moment, but now……you made it unable for me to believe anymore……why, are you always clinging to the past?”

“What I cling to was only you.”

“It’s not me!” Chu Kong interrupted me. “What you care about is the memories. You only want me to become the celestial Chu Kong of the past. No matter if it was cultivating into an immortal or retrieving the souls; the one who Xiao Xiang likes have never been me.”

He stared at me. His eyes had already become red.

I rubbed my throbbing forehead. I restrained my temper and said with patience: “You calm a little and hear what I’ve to say. After Lu Hai Kong from the first lifetime died, I also had been captured into this closed loop. But what for meaning does it have to care about these? As long as one has the same soul, the thing called body simply doesn’t matter for an immortal. You are you. You only have forgotten those memories temporarily. When you get your memories back, all of these wouldn’t matter anymore. You are Chu Kong, Chu Kong is you……”

He couldn’t bear it anymore and said through gritted teeth: “I’m not Chu Kong!”

He threw the glass and broke it. He stood up, turned and walked away. The sound of shattering porcelain stabbed my sore eardrums.

I looked at the wine spilled all over the ground. All the concerns, being afraid and also the little injustice from all these years turned into anger, making me wear the red crown again.

I read a spell. My body dodged forward and stopped in front of Chu Kong: “You, this bastard child…..”

I reached my hand out to grab him and wanted to punish him; getting rid of his pants and slap him fiercely in the ass. I didn’t think that my hands hadn’t even touched him, when Chu Kong’s body also moved. In a blink of an eye, he disappeared in front of me. I turned and saw him walked down the mountain without looking back.

Today that guy really wanted to get real with me, ah! I’m really angry now. I chanted a spell. A chain formed on my fingertips. I waved my hand. The golden chain went straight to Chu Kong. Seeing that the chain wanted to tie him, suddenly an evil energy came out of his body and shattered the chain into pieces.

I was shocked. My shadow flashed and fell in front of Chu Kong. I said with a serious face: “If you move again, you’ll be carrying my body to Lu Hua Mountain.”

Chu Kong really stopped. He turned to not look at me. He was still angry. At this time, I didn’t have the time to care about his childish thoughts. I just peered at him and asked: “Who told you all of these? And who taught you the spells that came from your body?”

He was silent.

I took out a fan from my arms and grabbed it in my hand: “Are you telling me or not?”

He knew that I am really angry. He hesitated for a long while and in the end he spit two words out: “Jin Lian……”

I heard that name; I just felt that my eyes turned black. I almost couldn’t stand. The scene of Chu Kong dying together with Jin Lian popped out in my mind again. I rubbed my forehead and forced myself to calm down.

In the previous lifetime, his soul should’ve been scattered too. Could it be that he was same as Chu Kong and had the power of the reversal in the world? But there was no one who would help him search for his souls.  So, he could only float around. Now he finally found Chu Kong…….did he want to lure him in the evil ways?

I looked coldly at Chu Kong who was in front of me.

“When did you meet him?”

“Three years ago.”

Actually it had been so long…….I’m really a failure. I actually had never noticed it.

“What I just told you; didn’t it go into your ears? Jin Lian is that kind of person. You still dare to go find him now? Why do you think you have to suffer the pain of the souls being scattered? If it wasn’t for him……”

“If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have had a chance to meet Xiao Xiang.”

Chu Kong’s eyes fell on me. There’s some sort of unspeakable pain.

“I don’t know what kind of person celestial star Chu Kong was. Even though Xiao Xiang told me the story between you two, but for me it’s just unfamiliar. In my life, there’s only one Xiao Xiang. All that I do can be for you. However, all that Xiao Xiang does is for celestial star Chu Kong. No matter how much you say that we’re the same person, but I don’t know him and he doesn’t know me. How do you want me to accept that you care about me just because you’re caring about another stranger?”

While Chu Kong was talking, he kept walking backwards: “The one who was a god and an immortal was celestial star Chu Kong. The one whose soul had been scattered was celestial star Chu Kong. The one who made an enemy out of Jin Lian was celestial star Chu Kong. The one you like is also celestial star Chu Kong. And I’m not. I was just being given celestial star Chu Kong’s name by you. Over time, I’ve also lost my original name. I don’t want to be Chu Kong anymore. I just want to be myself.”

I froze. Suddenly I remembered that I’ve never stood in Chu Kong’s point of view and considered his feelings. In his heart, there wasn’t that arrogant celestial star Chu Kong. He just existed because of him. He also thought that somebody cared about him was because of himself. When suddenly one day he found out the reason that somebody took care of him was simply because of someone he didn’t have any relation with. Even if that someone was his past life.

He must be really disappointed……

I sighed. I held out my hand to him: “We go back and talk it out slowly, alright? That Jin Lian wants you to go into the evil ways. He isn’t a good thing. Don’t go find him.”

Chu Kong shook his head: “Those words of Xiao Xiang are already too late. He used his last mortal soul to complete my soul. This lifetime, I don’t want to cultivate. I just want to be myself.”

I was stunned. The layers of anger were burning in my heart. Chu Kong used his life to kill the one who caused trouble for people. Now, he actually wanted to rely on that one’s body to exist in this world. How ironic was this?!

He flew in the sky and went away while riding on a cloud.

“Go be your fucking damn self!”

I gritted my teeth. The round fan in my hand moved and let the clouds under his feet scatter. I flew forward and captured his hand: “Even if I need to break your arms and legs today, I won’t let you take a step from Lu Hua Mountain!”

Chu Kong turned to look at me. In his eyes hid a deep light.

“Xiao Xiang.”

His voice actually came from behind me. I was astonished. I saw that the hand that I grabbed from this Chu Kong turned into white smoke and disappeared into air. A shadow hung over me from behind. I looked up. Chu Kong stood behind me. His lips moved: “I’m sorry.”

Very well, this dude actually learned how to use tricks to lie to people!

I felt a pain in my neck. The things in front of me slowly began to blur. I only had one thought in my head. Chu Kong, this child……had turned bad…..