Ye Huohuo looked at everyone, then at the eight-colored bird standing not far away. It was calmly preening its feathers, looking like a normal bird again, no longer carrying the sadness from before.
Her gaze shifted. She picked up a chopstick, speared a peanut, and with her slender fingers, flicked the peanut. It landed precisely on the bird's head. It flapped its wings a couple of times and squawked, "My head feels so dizzy!" Then it leaned on its perch and fell asleep.
As everyone watched in astonishment, Ye Huohuo finally spoke slowly.
"Ten years ago, my eldest martial brother was traveling in Longcheng and coincidentally met a geomancer selecting an ancestral grave site for a family. He discovered that the geomancer had chosen an extremely inauspicious 'broken gate' location, even calling it a 'Qilin's treasure trove,' claiming it would ensure the family's prosperity and abundant wealth.
My martial brother knew that if that family were to establish their ancestral grave there, they would face nothing less than ruin, at best, and complete annihilation, at worst.
Being a straightforward person, my martial brother saw the geomancer setting a trap to harm the family and spoke out righteously. Although he prevented the tragedy, he offended the geomancer.
The geomancer's master was a powerful evil sorcerer. He seized the opportunity to cast a 'Self-Sacrifice Curse' on my martial brother. This curse is extremely malicious; it forces the cursed individual to witness their closest loved ones die before their eyes, after which their soul will be annihilated.
At that time, my martial brother had a girlfriend with whom he had been together for five years and was about to marry. I was still young then, but I remember she was very beautiful. She was a leading dan actress in a Peking Opera troupe, and she and my martial brother were deeply in love.
I heard my master say they were fated to be together, like mandarin ducks and butterflies, destined to love each other for three lifetimes. If one died, the other would follow. It was the kind of love you only read about in novels.
But..."
Ye Huohuo's breathing became rapid at this point. Her voice grew choked, her eyes reddened, and tears welled up. After composing herself for a while, she was able to continue.
"My martial brother was afflicted with the Self-Sacrifice Curse, but he didn't know it at all. One day, he took me to see Sister Qianying's performance. Her portrayal that day was breathtaking, and the entire audience applauded enthusiastically.
However, after the performance concluded, Sister Qianying, as if possessed, walked onto the stage scaffolding and was about to jump. Only then did my martial brother realize she was under the influence of his Self-Sacrifice Curse, her actions completely beyond her own control.
Her consciousness was clear, but her body was being controlled by someone else.
My martial brother bit his tongue, willing to sacrifice his own cultivation, desperately trying to stop her. But just as his hand was about to touch her, a tear fell from the corner of her eye, and with immense reluctance, she leaped.
It was so close, just by a hair's breadth! My martial brother watched as Sister Qianying fell onto the stage below. By the time he rushed down, she was bleeding from all seven orifices, spitting blood foam from her mouth, yet she still clung to life.
After catching one last glimpse of my martial brother, she departed with her dying breath. And I could only watch helplessly as the lovers, who were meant to be together, were separated by death, unable to do anything.
The evil sorcerer stood on the other side of the stage and, using telepathic transmission, told my martial brother that his girlfriend's death was his fault.
I clearly remember seeing the corners of my martial brother's eyes crack open, shedding tears of blood.
My martial brother went mad and chased after the evil sorcerer, but afflicted by the Self-Sacrifice Curse, he was no match for him. And I was too young at the time to help in any way.
I could only watch as my martial brother succumbed to the curse and his soul dissipated. Fortunately, my master had foreseen this calamity for my martial brother and rushed over, still wearing his shoes. But he was too late. In the end, he could only preserve one soul and one spirit of my martial brother, sealing them within the body of that eight-colored bird.
However, my martial brother's soul was unstable within the bird. When startled or in certain situations, it would easily go berserk, and even my master was at a loss for a solution for a time.
Just then, Sister Qianying's soul appeared. She sang the song I had just sung, and only then did my martial brother's soul gradually stabilize.
Master collected Sister Qianying's soul. He said that both my martial brother and she still had decades of life ahead of them. Although my martial brother was left with only a soul and a spirit, he and Sister Qianying were fated to be together. Perhaps their intertwined fates could help him reincarnate as a human.
My martial brother's soul was unstable within the eight-colored bird's body. It was prone to going berserk when startled or in any unusual situation. To awaken him, I specifically learned that song from Sister Qianying."
Ye Huohuo paused. Perhaps she had spoken too much, and her mouth felt dry. She licked her lips, her delicate tongue tracing over her pale red lips, causing a slight twitch in Li Mohan's eye.
Ye Huohuo looked at Li Moyan. "As for why you asked earlier why I sang with so much emotion, it's because I was completely imitating. Every word, every phrase, every intonation was an imitation of Sister Qianying.
If there is emotion in the song, it's Sister Qianying's emotion for my martial brother. I... I am just a human recording device."
"Qianying? Are you referring to Mu Qianying?" Li Moyan, being in the entertainment industry, knew more about people in that field than others.
Ye Huohuo looked somewhat surprised. "You... you still remember her?"
"Is the performance you're talking about the 'Heroic Spirits Opera Competition' ten years ago? Mu Qianying was the champion of the leading dan category in that competition. It was also on that night that she fell from the scaffolding used by stagehands to the stage and died.
At the time, there were many theories. Some said she committed suicide due to immense pressure after winning the championship, and her boyfriend, who loved her too much, followed suit by jumping off a rooftop.
Others claimed her boyfriend, fearing she would leave him after becoming champion, pushed her off the stage, killing her, and then committed suicide himself on the rooftop.
..."
Li Moyan observed Ye Huohuo's expression as she spoke. "Those were all speculations. Hearing your account today is truly... I never imagined it would be like this.
Mu Qianying was truly the best leading dan actress I had ever seen. What a pity! I was actually there that night to watch the competition. What a shame... such a pity!"
Li Moyan sighed, her phoenix eyes filled with regret.
"Damn it! There are scum in every profession. Those evil sorcerers are truly detrimental! Not only did they harm your martial brother, but this time, Grandpa was almost harmed by that Master Peng!" Li Mochen slammed his fist on the table in anger, causing a few drops of congee to spill from his bowl.
"Indeed, these people are not worthy of being metaphysical masters. They should..." Ye Huohuo swallowed the rest of her words.
Li Mohan's gaze fell on Ye Huohuo's clenched fist on the table. Her grip was so tight that her knuckles were white, and anger blazed in her eyes. She was desperately suppressing her emotions.
While others listening to her story focused more on the tragic, unfulfilled love between her martial brother and his girlfriend, Li Mohan heard, between Ye Huohuo's lines, her own hatred for her powerlessness at the time.
This was evident from how she could sing Mu Qianying's song with such uncanny resemblance. It indicated that she must have practiced countless times behind the scenes to achieve such a soulful, heart-wrenching, and profound rendition.
This girl, who appeared carefree and sometimes even erratic and disorganized on the surface, possessed a strong sense of integrity and responsibility underneath.
Li Mohan looked at Ye Huohuo with an unconscious hint of admiration in his eyes.
Despite his age, Li Yuan was sharp-minded. He keenly caught the subtle emotion in Li Mohan's gaze. The old man chuckled inwardly, realizing his "iron tree" grandson was finally about to blossom!
"Alright, finish your meal quickly, and then everyone go about their business. You two should also go and get your marriage certificate!"