At first, I knew the evil god was a player, but I didn’t know who. Now I think I do. It’s… Tạ Đường!
Last night at Đào Hoa Residence, the players gathered. Besides Thư Du Nhiên and Tạ Đường, there was no one else I knew. Besides… how could the real Tạ Đường not recognize me? How could the real Tạ Đường stab me with a sword?
I wanted to take a gamble, so I threw myself into Hư Vô Hall.
“Tạ Đường! Tạ Đường!”
I threw my head back and shouted at the colossal statue of the evil god. “I know—you’re the real Tạ Đường!”
As if a breeze had passed, the statue opened its eyes, two streams of tears rolling down its face. “Lý Khả Ái, I’m so glad to meet you here.”
In a flash, we both became ourselves again. He recognized me, and I recognized him. Tạ Đường became Tạ Đường; Lý Khả Ái became Lý Khả Ái.
Inside the colossal hall, I raced over fallen walls, through smoke and dust, past despairing sorrow, mortal danger, and the joy of surviving a disaster. I ran like mad, ran like mad, and threw myself into his arms, holding him tight!
This round was so unfair! Our opponent had us completely at their mercy. Thank goodness that, at the crucial moment, we still recognized each other!
But what if we hadn’t recognized each other?
The young man I was hugging went stiff all over, flustered, his porcelain-white face turning bright red.
He gently patted me, as if I had once been shattered and had only just been painstakingly pieced back together.
From the moment I fell into the hall, the comments kept changing. When I first fell in, they said:
[OK! This round’s a sure win. That little ghost bride is completely at their mercy. No wonder God Tạ and God Ái are so good—clearing an SSS-level game this fast?]
[Of course! It’s a piece of cake!]
When I realized who Tạ Đường was, the comments were stunned:
[What??? She says the evil god is Tạ Đường? Then who’s the one in Đăng Lung? Oh no, oh no! Bảo Muội’s been tricked! The evil god definitely has some scheme—will Bảo Muội be killed? Someone, give us a hint!!!]
When Tạ Đường recognized me, the comments said:
[What??? The ghost bride is Lý Khả Ái? Then who’s the one in Đăng Lung? My brain can’t keep up. Let me calm down. What a huge reversal—I’m losing it.]
[@Lam San San: Ah, I finally get it! I knew that ghost bride was acting strange. Turns out she was Khả Ái tỷ! Ahhh, my darling girl suffered so much. I’m sorry—I cursed you for days!]
[Waaah, I’m crying. My darling girl suffered so many indignities. I’ve only ever seen people curse my darling girl, so I worked hard to sharpen my fighting skills against the haters. Who knew I’d end up using them on her… Everyone, please stay calm when you watch the livestream from now on. Don’t just lash out at random. That’s right—cruel words can make someone feel cold even in the height of summer; they hurt others and sooner or later hurt you too. The words of the world are like mud and sand mixed together, good and bad, true and false, all churned into one mess. Sigh.]
Seeing me hug Tạ Đường, the comments started giggling again:
[I ship them!]
[Hehehe, I’m shipping them again!]
[My kitty-cat ship has been born!]
[Let’s let this play out a little longer. I want to watch more before I ship them. What if they’re both impostors?]
Once they calmed down, the comments turned fearful too:
[God Tạ must have realized who God Ái was a long time ago, or why would he treat her so well? But God Tạ was trapped in the hall and couldn’t get out. He could only wait for God Ái to come find him. If God Ái hadn’t come… Oh my god, don’t even say it. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened!]
[If God Ái hadn’t come, a fake Tạ Đường and a fake Lý Khả Ái would have entered our world! We’d never have noticed—two living people replaced without anyone being the wiser! Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps!]
[Hehehe, maybe… someone beside you has already been replaced~]
But the danger wasn’t over. With a burst of maniacal laughter, the evil god’s colossal phantom appeared. He was the real evil god, the one who had pretended to be Tạ Đường and stabbed me!
The evil god wore an ornate crown and a deep-red robe. His face was as white as paper, his hair black as a waterfall, and two blue dots marked his forehead. He looked down at us, radiating a deathly aura.
“What a pity. In the end, I can’t leave this place. How many more years of darkness must I endure… But Tạ Đường, your heart belongs to me.”
What did he mean?
I looked up and glared at him.
He didn’t seem to move, but in the blink of an eye, blood sprayed from Tạ Đường’s chest. A heart flew out and landed in the evil god’s palm. The young man’s heavy body collapsed, his eyes closing in an instant.
Was Tạ Đường dead? No, he wasn’t dead! He’d lost his heart, but he was still breathing, as if he’d been cursed!
I was shocked and frantic with worry, and hurried to support him. What was happening?
The evil god lowered his head and said coldly, “He’s been turned into a statue… I want him unable to speak, to have words but no way to say them. If he disobeys me, his heart will be mine!”
I understood. The evil god wanted to become Tạ Đường, escape this wretched place, and live freely. But he was afraid Tạ Đường would speak, afraid he’d give others clues to his true identity and shatter his beautiful dream. So he cursed Tạ Đường, forbidding him to speak; if he did, he’d lose his heart.
But Tạ Đường… Tạ Đường had spoken. He’d called my name!
Tears streamed down my face. “I won’t let you steal his heart!”
Before the evil god could take it, I snatched the heart away. But how could we get out of here? Beyond the hall lay a wasteland, endless grassland with no way out. Whatever happened, I had to run first! Get away from this monster!
He was a phantom, vague and hard to grasp. His mouth opened and closed, spewing curses. It was impossible to tell who would win in a fight, so it was best to keep our distance.
“Celestial crane, lead the way!”
I quickly summoned a celestial crane, helped Tạ Đường onto it, and fled at lightning speed.
[Good grief, just how much does Little White Flower hate this guy? She’s running like he’s the plague, so fast she’s leaving afterimages…]
“Do you think you can get away?”
His voice closed in from all directions, heavy with menace. “Hand over Tạ Đường, and I’ll spare you.”
I ignored him and focused on escaping.
“You won’t listen? Fine. I, Lord of the Void, curse you in the name of the Lord of the Void: Grow old! Grow weak! Remain trapped here forever! Unless… ha~” He laughed.
Every curse has a way to break it. “Unless a thousand people love you and ten thousand help you. It’s hard enough to find one person in this wilderness. Where are you going to find a thousand?”
After mocking me, the evil god still wanted to finish me off. An eerie black tide rolled toward us from behind—or rather, chased after us!
“Lý Khả Ái…”
The evil god’s maniacal laughter echoed: “You and him will both be swallowed by the void in the end!”
So that eerie darkness was the void. The void was nothing! Nonexistence! Anything swallowed by it ceased to exist!
I urged the crane to fly faster, but under the curse, the energy inside me gradually dissipated. The celestial crane flew lower and lower, until at last it fell to the ground. Ugh, this bird really was weak! If only I had a fox! But with my energy fading, I couldn’t summon a nine-tailed fox!
I tucked Tạ Đường into the white jade bottle, clutched it to my chest, and ran for my life. The void was after me! The endless darkness was after me! What could I do? What could I do?
For the first time, I felt despair. I ran and ran… My face grew older and older, my back more and more hunched. My dark hair withered into white, while only my eyes grew brighter with every step! But I grew slower and slower, going from a frantic run to a feeble shuffle.
What could I do? I really couldn’t take it anymore…
Just then, a cool female voice rang out across the barren plain: “Lý Khả Ái, I found you!”
It was Thư Du Nhiên!
I’d once given her a brocade pouch. Inside, I’d written: “If you can’t find me, I’m at Hư Vô Hall. Come save me!”
She’d found me!
In the dark night over the barren plain, a Kongming lantern rose into the sky, its sparkling light flowing into my body.
I heard Thư Du Nhiên say, “If you lose your strength, I’ll give you mine!”
I wept, hot blood boiling in my heart, and clutched the jade bottle tight as I refused to stop.
Suddenly, another Kongming lantern lit up.
A clear, alluring male voice rang out: “Amitabha. Who would’ve thought someone as strong as you could end up in such a sorry state…”
It was Thần Ẩn!
Tears streamed down my face. Another light flowed into my body.