The barking of dogs was truly annoying, and Bai Cha finally opened her eyes. This single movement had consumed all her strength.
So tired, every finger felt incredibly heavy.
What was happening to her now?
Right, she thought she was dead.
She should have been dead. Her heart had been pierced and three irreversible injections administered. There should have been no chance of recovery.
This was a world of pure darkness, devoid of even a sliver of light. Bai Cha believed it must be hell. Her hands were stained with blood; she could never be welcomed into heaven.
"Woof woof woof—woof woof woof!"
The frantic barking again.
Bai Cha shifted her gaze to her side. It was a large Golden Retriever, wagging its tail joyfully, desperately nudging her body with its head and frantically biting her clothes, trying to pull her up.
"I really am dead, otherwise why would I see you, Bai Jin." She was truly exhausted, her entire body numb and heavy, as if every cell had fallen asleep.
Seeing Bai Cha react, Bai Jin became instantly excited, barking wildly, gripping Bai Cha’s shoelaces and pulling with all its might, frolicking all over Bai Cha, its tail a blur.
"Chacha, wake up quickly! Don't sleep anymore!" A familiar, sweet voice echoed in her ears, winding and lingering like sounds in the mountains, reverberating in Bai Cha’s mind countless times before finally rousing her from her slumber.
"Freya?" Bai Cha’s eyes widened as she fully awoke, looking at the delicate young girl perched on her without fully comprehending.
"Stop sleeping, wake up! If you don't go back now, you'll really be done for!" Freya huffed, pulling Bai Cha up from the ground. Bai Cha, now conscious, though her body was numb, at least had some control. With Freya's support, she stumbled to her feet.
"Go back? What’s going on?" Bai Cha shook her head, feeling a bit dizzy. "I think I’m already dead. Is this…"
"You can’t say you're dead, only that you’re close. Beautiful girls are omnipotent; how can they lose to something like fate?" Freya took Bai Cha's hand and walked stubbornly in one direction. "If you die, we lose. My team cannot afford to lose!"
"Lose? Lose what?" Bai Cha was confused, not understanding how the topic of winning or losing suddenly came up. Was there some kind of competition?
Wait a moment!
"I was close to death, so I’m not dead yet? How can there still be a chance? Then where is this?" Bai Cha suddenly realized, her eyes widening in disbelief. She had no idea what was happening.
"Do you remember the Blood-Colored Crystal, the heirloom of the Bai family patriarch? After death, the souls of all Bai family members are preserved to help their descendants. Now it's your turn to be helped." Freya winked playfully. Bai Jin ran merrily beside them, the person and the dog leading Bai Cha in one direction.
Why did Freya know all this? Bai Cha was a bit bewildered.
"Wait, where are you taking me?" Bai Cha moved her legs with difficulty, her effort almost causing her to fall. She quickly regained her balance, and Bai Jin would look back at Bai Cha every few steps, its anxious expression almost conveying words.
"Bai Jin, Freya! Have you woken her up yet!" From a distance, a young man ran over swiftly. Seeing Bai Cha awake, he exclaimed with joy and quickly took her hand. "Quick, quick, there’s no time."
"Bai, Bai Ze?" Bai Cha’s body stiffened, and she was almost dragged along. Her brain felt like it had short-circuited, unable to process the situation. "Are… are we rushing to reincarnate?"
Her guess seemed reasonable. After all, she was on the brink of death, and both Bai Jin and Bai Ze were here. If Bai Ze was in such a hurry, it must be to quickly go for reincarnation.
"Reincarnate your ghost! I told you to go back quickly, if you don't go back now, you won't be able to!" Bai Ze was amusedly exasperated. As he pulled Bai Cha along, the darkness around them suddenly stirred. The viscous blackness coalesced into monsters that lunged at them.
Bai Cha immediately wanted to dodge, but her body was rigid, incapable of any reaction. Bai Ze, however, reacted swiftly, shouting loudly.
"Ancestors, bless me! No, ancestors, save me!"
A white soul floated out, quickly dealing with the black monsters, and didn't forget to slap Bai Ze. An old woman floated in front of Bai Ze and said irritably, "What ancestors? Call me Great-Grandmother!"
"Great-Grandmother, aren't they… also ancestors?" Bai Ze said aggrievedly.
"Of course, that's different. Calling out like this is more respectful," Freya said, pulling Bai Cha's hand and giggling at Bai Ze's crestfallen expression.
"Exactly. How can it be the same? There are so many ancestors; you have to know who you're calling for. If you just call 'ancestor,' how would we know who you're asking for help!"
Bai Cha had seen this person before. Their photo was on the ancestral tablet in the family shrine. She was indeed… Great-Grandmother.
Who was she? Where was she? What was she doing?
Bai Cha was utterly confused, unable to grasp what was happening.
"Chacha, listen to me. Your soul is still attached to your body and hasn't become a true lonely spirit, so it's still possible for you to return. If the soul and body are separated for too long, you'll truly be beyond saving." Freya hugged Bai Cha and said earnestly, "Chacha, you will go back, won't you."
"Oh, anyway, Bai Cha, you have to go back. Everyone is working hard to help you defy fate, so you can't just give up!" Bai Ze said with a smile, staying by Bai Cha's side.
"Wait, wait, why do I have to go back?" Bai Cha hesitated. She instinctively wanted to stop. She was truly exhausted and didn't want to move forward.
"Bai Cha, you don't have to advance, you can do whatever you want, but not here!" Bai Ze turned to look at Bai Cha, his burning gaze making her uncomfortable.
"Chacha, how can this place without light be suitable for eternal slumber? The story isn't over yet." Freya turned, taking Bai Cha's hand, and ran towards the single point of light in the distance. "An epitaph is too short, and life is too long. Chacha, you can stubbornly walk your own path, but how can you stop in the darkness?"
"Someone is still waiting for you. Haven't you noticed your parents aren't here."
Freya's words invigorated Bai Cha. She looked around. All the deceased ancestors of the Bai family were drifting around, even Bai Shu was among them, but Ye Feng and Bai Qingyuan were not.
"My parents are still alive!" Bai Cha's heart began to pound violently, a surge of excitement filling her.
"To be precise, only Dad. Mom's situation is very special. Dad's body, Mom's blood and heart, were pieced together, resulting in Mom only being able to attach herself to Dad." Bai Ze hesitated before explaining to Bai Cha, "To put it bluntly, it could be considered possession."
"Oh, that's not important. Chacha, look at me." Freya took Bai Cha's hand, her gaze sincere and fervent, warming Bai Cha’s heart directly, intensely.
"Chacha, don't feel guilty. You saved me three times, so it's only right that I save you once, isn't it."
Freya would never forget that every time she was in danger, Bai Cha would desperately come to her rescue.
She had been able to observe the stars since childhood. She would have died during her survival on the island due to a high fever, being eaten by wild beasts, and not even having time to send a distress signal. But Bai Cha arrived, carrying her to search for herbs and helping her fend off wild animals. She survived.
Another time, she was framed and surrounded by enemies. It was Bai Cha who rushed in, carrying her on her back and fighting their way out. At that time, Bai Cha's relationship with the balance beam was already strained, yet she still arrived in time.
Freya had always been astonished that Bai Cha possessed the ability to defy fate. Anyone who was with Bai Cha had their destinies changed. It seemed Bai Cha had a strange power; her fate could encompass those around her, absorbing their misfortunes and protecting them.
Thus, her three major trials in life, each a life-or-death ordeal, were resolved in this way.
She had died for her three times. Freya had seen Bai Cha's weakened state, submerged in nutrient solution in a petri dish to save her, and so, it was only right for her to sacrifice herself for Bai Cha.
"What's more, Chacha, it's too dark here. Let's go somewhere with light." Freya grabbed Bai Cha and began to run. She was so resolute, and she began to pull Bai Cha along as well. "Chacha, you're not a person of darkness; how can you die in a place without light."
"That's right. Although we shadows live in darkness, it's because light shines into it," a soul drifted over from the side, pointing towards the path ahead with a smile. His kind voice put Bai Cha at ease.
"Exactly. You're still traveling with your dragon boy. Have you finished touring the world that you want to die? So young." An old woman also floated over. She looked even older, smiling and appearing to be very knowledgeable about the world outside the crystal.
"Have you seen the aurora? Climbed the snow-capped mountains? Eaten all the good things?" A plump soul floated over, spinning. Its voice sounded a bit like singing, but its appearance was somewhat comical.
"Quick, quick, let's go. That's right, how can you die in a place without light."
These were the heroic souls of the Bai family. As long as they were willing, all Bai family members could be locked within. Only when they relinquished everything and were willing to ascend would they fall into the cycle of reincarnation.
"You can disappoint those who sacrificed for you. After all, no one asked for your consent to sacrifice for you; in my opinion, that's a selfish act." This time, it was Bai Shu who spoke.
"Don't be so surprised. However, what I have to say will not change at all." Bai Shu snorted and turned his face away uncomfortably. "I won't morally blackmail you. I just want to say that you've never been willful in your life, and that's a real shame. Hurry back and die after getting your money's worth."
Consciousness couldn't persist in the world indefinitely, but as one of the means to protect future generations, almost every Bai family patriarch was saved once by this ancestral family heirloom. Before death, they would willingly store their souls to guide future descendants.
They would return to the heavens only when utterly exhausted, repeating this cycle.
That's right, I can't die in a place without light. Everyone is standing in the light; how can I die alone in the darkness?
Bai Cha became resolute. Freya's hand grew more ethereal, but Bai Cha became increasingly firm. She seemed to see everyone waiting for her with smiles in the light ahead.
"We will definitely meet again, Chacha." Freya smiled, watching Bai Cha walk further and further away. This time, her beloved's steps were so firm, just like when she had been most touched before, as if never wavering, like a mountain, like a rock.
This was already the seventh day.
There had been no movement.
On this day, Lucifer could no longer tolerate the mourning of everyone. He cleared everyone away and brought Bai Cha back.
Bai Cha preferred peace and quiet; she hated dealing with people the most. Lucifer had endured for six days and could no longer bear it.
"Heh, what a terrible idea. Have your brains atrophied to agree to such a proposal?"
When Lucifer pushed Ye Feng, who was in a wheelchair and whose lower body had not yet recovered, forward, Ye Feng let out a cold snort, giving everyone a highly contemptuous assessment, scolding them into silence.
Ye Feng had been revived. This was something no one had expected. Or perhaps Ye Feng had never died in the first place and had been captured alive for experimentation.
But Ye Feng didn't say anything, and no one dared to ask.