Liu Mumu gazed at the painting for a long time. The mountains and rivers in it faded away, leaving only a slender figure from behind.
It was a woman with long hair. She had her back to Mumu and was talking to someone.
Her voice had a hint of a regional accent, but it was lilting, sweet, and pleasant to hear.
She said, "Big Brother, no one's fate is set in stone. But since we met, we're destined to be together. I'll change his fate for him."
The scene faded, coalescing into another.
This time, Liu Mumu saw clearly. The woman was lying on a wooden bed, with a scroll beside her. Her face should have been radiant, but now it was ashen, and a deathly pallor lingered between her brows. She didn't have long to live.
Even so, her smile remained bright. She said to the person by her bed, "Brother, I did it."
The man's voice seemed to hold both regret and anger. "The Longevity Gu was a sham from the start!"
After a long silence, the woman spoke again. "Maybe I wasn't skilled enough. I could only trade one life for another. But no matter what, I succeeded. Help me send this painting to him. Tell him I've waited too long and grown impatient, so I've decided to marry someone else. He shouldn't come looking for me again."
"What if he throws the painting away one day?"
"Then our ties end there."
The man took the painting and asked, "Anything else?"
"Also... His family treats him terribly. Even if he goes back, he'll leave sooner or later. I hate that younger brother of his, the one who even stole his name. When that man's descendants are flourishing, destroy the Liu Family."
"All right."
"Brother, do you think