"Because my life belonged to him to begin with..." In the end, she only existed because of Yuan Yu. Though he was no good man, she might have been the person in this world least entitled to condemn him.
At first, the Painting Spirit thought she hated this man. But the more she learned about him, the more she found herself unable to leave him. She thought she might have been controlled, that this was merely an illusion. Only when she saw his blood splattering everywhere did she finally understand the true world within her heart. She had cared about him all along.
The Painting Spirit had never shown such an expression before Su Jiu: pained yet attached, sorrowful yet at peace. She gazed intently at the man on the ground, those beautiful eyes conveying everything in her heart.
But the man on the ground could no longer respond.
Perhaps, even if he had known, he would not have responded at all.
She gently clasped Yuan Yu's hand, then released it. Her body had already turned transparent. The Painting Spirit knew she had little time left.
She raised her head and gave Su Jiu one last helpless look. "A Jiu, I owe you a debt in this life, and I have no next life in which to repay it. So... let me give you one final gift..."
The Painting Spirit vanished after all, scattering into points of light that floated in the air.
Normally, once a spirit reached this point, it would naturally disperse and return to heaven and earth. But somehow, the Painting Spirit did not immediately dissipate. Instead, she continued to float around Su Jiu in the form of luminous motes.
Countless golden motes gathered into a slender thread that circled Su Jiu.
Su Jiu gently raised her