Chapter 52 - If You Wake up in the Middle of the Night Again
Chapter 52 – If You Wake up in the Middle of the Night Again
Countless thorns twisting and crawling all over the walls and ceiling extended from the abyss of a corridor.
A young man pushed aside the thorns that blocked in his way and walked in hurriedly. Every time he took a step, the sound of stepping into water sounded. The ground is full of a red dazzling to the eyes.
It is a red with a fishy smell, a red that brings about the feeling of disgust.
This is the young man’s home, or, at least, it used to be.
Dyed red with blood, infested with thorns, and filled with a thick, sickening smell, this can be described as hell.
Unusual, all this is unusual. Despite the repeated instinctive warnings, the young man didn’t turn back. All because she is here, she is at the end of the corridor.
He must rescue her – his niece, because all this is his fault.
Little Qing, wait for me! The young man gritted his teeth.
He accelerated his pace, but then the thorns moved. As if they have come to life, the thorns attacked him from all directions like vipers.
“You’re in the way!” The young man waved his hands violently, and numerous flame arrows whistling through the air shot towards the thorns. But some of the thorns slipped through the cracks and sliced oped numerous bloody gashes. With every step he took, more wounds would open on his body.
Even though he is in a sorry state, but he continues to move forward, to give his all to move forward.
Step by step, the young man gradually crossed the corridor and came to a room. Then…
Thorns, blood, and a girl.
“Little Qing!” He saw his niece in the middle of the room.
Countless thorns wrapped around her body, and light purple veins radiating dim light covered her whole body
When she heard the young man shout, the girl slowly moved her head.
Conspicuous blood vessels covered the surface of her face, and watery blood seeped out from her completely black eyes.
Monster – this word came to his mind in a flash.
Is the monster in front of him really his niece? Even though the silhouette is familiar, but the young man cannot believe that his niece would look like this, like a monster. However, he had no choice but to believe it, because…
“Uncle…” The “monster” called him uncle.
“… Little Qing?” The young man staggered towards the girl, and almost tripped over the thorns on the ground several times.
“Uncle, I’m sorry, I messed up.” The girl revealed an ugly smile.
“No…” It felt like his heart was dug out, and intense self-blame almost drowned him.
“Sorry, I’m so sorry!” Without caring about his hands, he frantically pulled off the thorns winding around the girl.
It’s my fault! I shouldn’t have taught her to begin with!
If he hadn’t taught her, then none of this would have happened.
*
“Little Qing!” Xue Qilin pushed aside the quilt and sat up sharply.
He is breathing heavily, dripping with cold sweat, and grasping the quilt tightly. If it wasn’t for the quilt, she would have already bored her nails into her palms.
Holding her forehead, she let the cold sweat on her forehead soak her fingers and drip onto the bed.
Even as a Heaven Realm expert, you still can’t withstand the torture of the “past”. The most powerful body and the strongest armor can’t protect you from yourself.
“Sorry, Little Qing…” She whispered just like in her nightmare.
This apology may never reach the person it is meant for.
“Young, Young Ancestor, you haven’t done anything to apologize to me for…” Suddenly, a comforting voice sounded next to her. Xue Qilin looked up blankly and saw Gong Tianqing [1] with her hands in the air and a look of confusion and alarm on her face.
“Uh, it looks like I scared you …” Xue Qilin dispelled all the discomfort brought about by the “past” and forced a smile.
The smile must be miserable, for Gong Tianqing asked worriedly: “Young Ancestor, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I just had a… dream.” Xue Qilin wrinkled her nose, and a bitterness was faintly audible in her tone.
“Night…” Gong Tianqing stopped mid word, and her eyes wandered around. She took a deep breath in an attempt to inspire courage.
“Was it a nightmare?” Despite being very timid, the girl has unexpectedly persevered here.
“It wasn’t!” Xue Qilin waved her hand, “… it was just some unforgettable images from the ‘past’.”
There emphasized the word “past”, but she didn’t realize it.
“If you wake up in the middle of the night again… please call me, and I will come to you.”
Although Gong Tianqing is timid, but she is also kindhearted.
Occasionally, this girl seems to see through people’s hearts, and makes surprising, kind remarks.
“Hey hey hey, do you think that I’m afraid of a mere nightmare?”
“I was being foolish, Young Ancestor. But if it was me, I would be very afraid. Therefore…”
It’s no use, Qing’er. You don’t know, don’t know that there are things in a person’s past that will haunt them forever.
“You aren’t foolish, Qing’er. If anyone says anything to the contrary, I won’t forgive them…” At this point, Xue Qilin waved her fist.
Gong Tianqing smiled happily, “It’s wrong to hit people!”
“That so. But your teacher has hit people not a small number of times…”
“I, I will warn Teacher…” Gong Tianqing spoke apologetically in a hurry.
“Ah, okay! Have a talk with her.”
What kind of expression will Little Seven make when preached by her disciple? It must be that of embarrassment! Thinking till here, Xue Qilin felt and inexplicable comfort.
“That’s right.” The girl suddenly remembered something, “Little Qing, what time is it now?”
“The… sun came out not too long ago, but Elder Xia is already making preparations.”
“Oh, then I’ll get up as well.” Xue Qilin put her little feet in her shoes, heave-hoed, and stood up. She then scratched her head full of messy hair and said, “Little Qing, help me out, my hair is too long.”
“Oh, alright.”
Gong Tianqing got hot water for Xue Qilin. After a brief freshening up with the hot water, Xue Qilin changed into blue-and-white sect clothes and sat at the dressing table. Standing behind her, Gong Tianqing fished out a comb from her sleeve, and started combing her hair.
Should I also prepare a comb in my sleeve? Watching Gong Tianqing comb her hair earnestly, Xue Qilin suddenly had this thought.
Every woman she knows has a comb in her sleeve, making her wonder whether she would look like a lady if she had a comb in her sleeve.
Gong Tianqing’s combing skill is superior to Qi Qiqi’s. After a while, two buns took shape on Xue Qilin’s head.
“Huh?” Xue Qilin raised her eyebrows, “Little Qing, is there anything you want to tell me?”
As her hair was being combed just now, Xue Qilin has captured hesitation on Gong Tianqing’s face in the bronze mirror on more than one occasion.
“This…” Gong Tianqing’s eyes wandered as she hesitated.
“Go ahead, or I’ll get angry!” Xue Qilin curled her lips.
At times, Gong Tianqing just needs a push, or she will likely stop in her tracks.
“That… Miss Shui from yesterday…”
“Shui Yuner?” Xue Qilin was surprised to hear this name from Gong Tianqing so soon.
“What about her?”
After a while, Gong Tianqing finally spoke, “Young Ancestor, not even you can help her?”
“I… don’t know. But…” Xue Qilin raised her head and looked at who knows what, “‘A life’, the weight of these two words is too heavy….”
Gong Tianqing opened her mouth several times, but didn’t speak.
As time trickled away in silence, Gong Tianqing stared down at her feet.
“Young Ancestor, you should see …” After an unknown amount of time, her childish voice sounded again.
Gong Tianqing raised her head and looked Xue Qilin straight in the eyes, no longer afraid, “See, see her determination.”
Stupefied, Xue Qilin asked involuntarily, “Where is she?”
“Miss Shui is outside.”
After a pause, Gong Tianqing looked out the window, and the light of dawn illuminated half of her face.
“She must be waiting for you.” She murmured.
[1] – The qing in Little Qing (小晴) is the same as the one in Gong Tianqing (宫天晴), but different from the one in Luo Qing (洛青)