In the pitch-black space, there seemed to be no time, no space, not even dimensions. A soul drifted aimlessly. After an unknown length of time, he finally floated to the center of the space, where a white light glowed.
Like a little boat lost in the night discovering a lighthouse, the soul rushed madly toward the light. Once inside, he discovered an entirely new world. Then he fell apart.
When he opened his eyes, dazzling sunlight shone on his face, and he hurriedly narrowed them. After drifting in darkness for who knew how many years, he found it hard to adjust to suddenly seeing the light.
A moment later, the frail figure slowly climbed to his feet and looked around. Soil, flowers, a headstone, a grave, and eyes swollen until they ached and tingled. He raised his trembling hands and looked at the bloody holes in all ten fingers, some even exposing bone, then at the bloodstained grave before him.
Strangely, he felt no pain. Instead, there was a heart-wrenching sadness, as though his body were grieving. But isn't this my body? Why should I be grieving? Oh, right. I already died. And you died too.
"Aaaah... aaaah!"
After suddenly screaming like a madman, the frail boy fell unconscious again, as though his brief awakening had merely been the final flicker of a dying flame.
Yun Yi seemed to return to that dark space, but the next instant, the scene before him changed.
In a tranquil setting with a little bridge over flowing water, a frail boy was shoved to the ground. A boy in fine clothes stepped on him as a crowd of servants cheered.
The scene changed again. Heavy snow fell, and a thick layer of ice covered the lake. That same finely dressed boy ordered the servants to break open the ice, going to all that trouble just to throw the frail boy into the freezing water.
The scenes continued to shift. It was still a world of ice and snow. A beautiful, black-haired woman wore thin, plain blue clothes, her fingers covered in chilblains as she washed laundry in icy water. Although the cold pierced her bones, a smile lit her face, because once she finished this batch of laundry, she could knit her son a thick garment.
Cold and hardship had not defeated her. On her face was a happy smile.
Unfortunately, natural calamities were easy to weather, but human cruelty was hard to escape.
A group of vicious servants suddenly barged in, kicked over the washbasin, and trampled the clothes until they tore before swaggering away.
They left behind only a wretched woman whose heart was being torn apart. Now, not only would she lose her wages, she would also have to pay for the ruined clothes. Despair and anguish turned into tears that fell drop by drop.
Watching from the side, the frail figure suddenly began to cry, tears pouring down like rain.
Yun Yi asked, "You didn't cry before. Why are you crying this time?"
The frail figure choked out, "Because it hurts to see her suffer."
Yun Yi sobbed, "Yes. My heart hurts so much!"
But why am I crying?
Tear tracks covered Yun Yi's face. When he looked toward the frail figure again, he discovered that he could no longer find him anywhere.
Yun Yi wiped away his tears and seemed to try to pass through scene after scene in search of that frail figure, but found nothing. He stood in the middle of the bridge, looking lost, unaware that his reflection on the water was none other than that frail figure.
Huo Yuhao woke a day later, his eyes filled with exhaustion and confusion.
"So, does this count as rebirth or possession? A past life and a present life, or a fusion of memories?"
Yun Yi had squandered who knew how much time in that dark space. He had long since forgotten his name-or perhaps he simply did not want to remember it. Forget it. Thinking about it gives me a headache, so I'll stop. My name is Huo Yuhao, with the Dai family name? No, from now on, I'll use Huo. Let me live on in your place.
But why can't I remember my own name when I remember everything else about my past life so clearly? Do memories disappear selectively after death? In that dream world-or perhaps a world of memory fragments-he had lived through Huo Yuhao's brief life, that miserable, pitiful life. But why could he feel it all so deeply? Had he personally experienced everything again during the merging of their memories?
"Ding! Congratulations, transmigrator, on successfully leaving the Lost Space and entering reincarnation. You are now in the world of Peerless Tang Sect on the Douluo Continent, and you're starting as the child of destiny! Would you like me to refresh your memory of the plot?"
"No need. I remember it very clearly," Huo Yuhao refused outright.
"Very well. You now have a choice: keep your starting position as the child of destiny, or reject that identity outright and reject the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. You will then receive a system. If you..."
"I choose the second option. I reject the identity of the child of destiny and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm." Huo Yuhao chose the second option instantly. Even a second of hesitation would have been an insult to himself. After watching such a long, heartrending tragedy in a fully immersive mode, he decided to treat himself better from now on.
"I hadn't finished speaking yet. Since you've chosen to reject your identity as the child of destiny, I will immediately alter your fate. You will no longer be the Douluo Continent's child of destiny, and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, the cheat exclusive to the child of destiny, will seek out a new one. Even if you wander around right beside him, he won't choose you."
"That's wonderful. Oh, right, I wanted to ask-what about Electrolux?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"He is not a product of this world and is not exclusive to the Douluo Continent's child of destiny. Therefore, according to the law of fated encounters, he will choose you again."
A system, Electrolux, and no dog leash. A perfect start, Huo Yuhao thought. "All right, your fate has been altered. Congratulations on receiving the Myriad Worlds Trading System. This system is rather crude. It has no system spirit, no voice, and no instruction manual. You'll have to figure out all its functions yourself. Enjoy your life on the Douluo Continent! I look forward to seeing you in your next life. Remember to give me a five-star review!"
Huo Yuhao said, "..."
Zero bad reviews for an entire lifetime, huh? You want me to give you a good review, but at least tell me how!
Just now, Huo Yuhao had indeed felt as though something inside his body had disappeared. It was a profoundly mysterious feeling. He had a vague impression of it, but could not describe exactly what it felt like.
Yet the virtual panel hovering silently in his sea of consciousness made it clear that what had just happened was neither a dream nor his imagination. He had shed his identity as the child of destiny. The dog leash had snapped. From now on, the skies were high and the seas vast, open for birds to soar and fish to swim. He would live freely for the rest of his life.
He took a step, but soon felt dizzy. This body was in terrible condition. Already frail from malnutrition, it had suffered the crushing blow of his mother's sudden death. Then, after digging her grave with his bare hands, he had died from excessive blood loss, handing this reincarnated soul who had forgotten even his own name an opportunity.
Huo Yuhao stood quietly before the grave, slowly steadying his breathing. In the end, a thousand words became a single sigh.
Having lived through Huo Yuhao's life in that dream world, every little moment he had shared with Huo Yun'er remained vivid before his eyes.
He could not remember who he was. He also knew very well that he was not Huo Yuhao, yet he could not deny that he was Huo Yuhao.
Then let me be Huo Yuhao!
After all, everything had been so real. Huo Yun'er's kindness to him felt etched into his bones and carved into his heart.
It was as though Huo Yun'er truly were his mother.
Looking at his mother's grave was still painful. Huo Yuhao dropped heavily to his knees and buried a white dagger from the pouch at his chest inside the headstone.
"Mother, let your love be buried here with this White Tiger Dagger. In your eyes, it was a symbol of love, the only connection between you and that faithless man.
"But in my eyes, this dagger is utterly disgusting. A mere rank-five Soul Tool bought out all the joys and sorrows of a young girl's entire life. How hateful."
Thud.
A crisp sound rang out against the stone slab as Huo Yuhao knocked his head against it.
"Mother, they say death snuffs out a person like a lamp, but there is no reincarnation in this Douluo world. I don't know where your soul is wandering now, or whether you're sleeping in this dark grave. Stay here for a while. Once I'm strong enough, I'll come take you away."
Thud. Another heavy kowtow.
"If I repay hatred with kindness, how am I to repay kindness? I will destroy the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. Not even Dai Mubai can save it. I said it. Letting the Duchess die of illness would be far too easy on her. In this life, I won't hold back. Blood debts must be paid in blood."
Thud. The third sound rang out, louder than the previous three. Blood had begun to seep from Huo Yuhao's forehead.
"With this final kowtow, your son is making his position clear. I won't kill that scumbag Dai Hao, nor will I meet him. But I will take everything that belongs to him: his power, his status, his family, his children. I'll make him live in pain for the rest of his life. After he grows old and dies alone, if I have the chance, I'll bring you back to life, so you won't make the same foolish mistake again."
After three kowtows, Huo Yuhao's face had grown even paler, but his heart felt more open. It was as though he had stepped over a threshold deep within him, and the thousand-pound burden had vanished. Only now were his thoughts truly clear and unimpeded.
In the darkness of night, Huo Yuhao walked away from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, leaving one footprint after another. He walked slowly and calmly, each step seeming to bid farewell to the past and welcome a brand-new future.
"Douluo Continent, here I come-a brand-new Huo Yuhao."
The protagonist was like the butterfly dreaming of Zhuang Zhou, and also Zhuang Zhou dreaming of the butterfly.
He knew very well that he was not Huo Yuhao, but he could not deny that he was Huo Yuhao.
He could not remember who he was, but he could remember everything from his past life.
He had merged with Huo Yuhao, but it was not a simple merging. It was as though he had lived through the brief lives of Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er.
He had experienced every little moment between Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er himself, which was why he could feel it all so deeply.
(End of chapter)
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