The Third Life: Rely on Me from Now On

The two continued on their way until red clouds spread across the sky.

They stood at the edge of a cliff, watching the sun set, and only then lit their campfire.

They had been lucky today and caught a wild boar. Xiu Yuan eagerly roasted it.

"You were right."

"Huh?!"

Shenhe's sudden remark came out of nowhere, leaving Xiu Yuan blinking in bewilderment.

"I did hide something about why I saved those people today."

"Uh... if anything I said today upset you, I apologize."

Xiu Yuan took a step back to move forward, speaking with solemn sincerity.

"No, no, no. It wasn't like that."

Seeing Xiu Yuan's reaction, Shenhe hurriedly waved her hands in denial. Both her emotions and her gestures were clearly unlike her usual indifference.

"Then why...?"

"When I was little, my father found an evil book to save my mother. It described how to 'trade one life to prolong another,' so he wanted to exchange his own life for hers."

"But that evil thing turned its attention to me instead. It said I was the Lone Star of Calamity, and that staying alive would only hurt those around me. So my father sacrificed me to save my mother, abandoning me in a cave filled with God Remains."

"In my despair, I could only confront those gods with a small knife. In the end, an Adeptus saved me."

Hearing that familiar story, Xiu Yuan knew Shenhe had come to trust him.

So, after some thought, he said:

"So when you saw those ordinary people facing the monsters, you remembered facing monsters yourself as a child."

"You knew that helplessness and despair. That was why you were so desperate to save them, just as that Adeptus once saved you. Is that right?"

Shenhe was astonished by Xiu Yuan's perceptiveness.

She had never expected Xiu Yuan to connect it to that morning's rescue so quickly.

"Yes..."

She nodded, answering quietly.

"You deliberately hide your emotions and keep everyone at arm's length with that cold tone because an Adeptus told you your fate was one of Lone Calamity, and that you would hurt those around you."

"Even with the Red Ropes binding your soul now, you're still afraid of bringing disaster to others."

"Just as you believe you were the reason your mother became gravely ill..."

Word by word, without rushing, Xiu Yuan stripped away her disguise.

Shenhe lowered her head and gave a faint nod.

Then she felt warmth envelop her.

Her eyes widened. Xiu Yuan had wrapped his arms around her.

"You silly girl. How could that be your fault? What did you ever do wrong?"

"You were only a child then. What could you possibly have understood? Yet your father made you a sacrifice, and you were told your fate was one of Lone Calamity."

"Fuck that Lone Calamity fate. Is anyone born deserving to be alone?"

At that moment.

Shenhe's eyes reddened.

Tears welled in them.

Countless times, she had imagined that one day someone would see through her thoughts, have no fear of her fate, and hold her in their arms.

Countless times, she had imagined that impossible scene, never expecting it would actually happen one day.

Am I dreaming...?

Is there really someone in this world who would embrace me without fearing my disastrous fate?

If this is a dream...

It's all right... it's all right...

If this is a dream, let me feel this a little longer.

Is this what an embrace feels like...?

It's so warm.

I wish... I wish I could keep holding him like this.

Feeling Shenhe's embrace tighten, Xiu Yuan gently stroked her long hair.

"You've been holding it in for a long time, haven't you? Go ahead and cry. From now on, don't try to shoulder everything alone..."

"From now on, rely on me. I might not be very capable, but I'll send that damned Lone Calamity straight to the King of Hell."

"There, it's all right. Everything's all right. I'm here."

That night.

The cold White-Haired Witch disappeared completely.

Shenhe's sobs echoed through the mountains.

She held Xiu Yuan and cried for a very, very long time, refusing to let go.

Only after she had cried away every last bit of her strength did she fall asleep.

As for that wild boar...

It had been roasted into charcoal.

"Don't go... don't go..."

Xiu Yuan very carefully pried apart the hands she had clasped around him, but as though some instinct had been triggered, she immediately locked them together again, holding him even tighter than before.

"I..."

"Forget it."

Xiu Yuan gave up struggling and let her hold him.

But it was still rather early to sleep, so he studied Shenhe instead.

Feeling her softness against him, Xiu Yuan sensed something stirring inside his nose.

"No..." Xiu Yuan immediately cut that train of thought short and focused elsewhere.

The next morning.

"Mm... mmm..." Shenhe made a strange, adorable sound, then slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Xiu Yuan, his gaze unfocused and dark circles beneath both eyes.

"You're finally awake..."

Yes.

Xiu Yuan had not slept all night.

There had been all sorts of reasons, even setting aside external factors like the uneven, rocky ground and his inability to roll over.

The main problem was having someone so beautiful pressed so close to him. If he fell asleep, who knew whether things might accidentally get out of hand?

Most importantly...

He had been holding his pee all night!

His bladder was about to burst!

At that moment, Shenhe's eyes widened, and her entire face instantly flushed red.

Without another word, Xiu Yuan broke free of her embrace and scrambled away.

"Huh...?"

Seeing Xiu Yuan run off, Shenhe finally realized.

What had happened last night...

Had not been a dream!

She immediately got up and chased after him.

"Don't leave! You said I could rely on you!!"

Shenhe ran extremely fast, staying right behind Xiu Yuan.

"Don't come any closer!! I need to pee!!!"

Xiu Yuan was frantic, his face turning blue from holding it in.

"Huh?" Only then did Shenhe stop.

She saw Xiu Yuan stop behind a distant tree. With her sharp eyes, she even spotted a tiny rainbow appearing behind it.

Shenhe's entire face went scarlet in an instant.

"Oh no, oh no... what am I even doing...?"

Shenhe was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan. All she wanted now was to find a crack in the ground and crawl inside.

Blushing, she paced back and forth, completely unlike her former cold self.

Now she was more like a young girl newly in love, quick to blush and even quicker to become shy.

Her indifference had always been a disguise.

Now that she had shed it, this was the real Shenhe.

She knew she had finally met someone she could rely on for the rest of her life.

He dared to defy fate, cursed even the heavens without hesitation, and had even declared he would send that Lone Calamity to the King of Hell.

At the thought, she bashfully covered her face and giggled.

At the same time, she wondered to herself.

How many people in this world could possess such courage?

"What happy thought has you grinning like that?" Having finished relieving himself, Xiu Yuan came up beside Shenhe and asked with a faint smile.

It was just that his bleary gaze and dark circles made him look rather worn out.

"H-h-hus..."

Shenhe's face was as red as a ripe apple, and her stammering was impossible to make out.

"What was that?" Xiu Yuan leaned closer.

Already shy, Shenhe could no longer keep her composure when Xiu Yuan brought his face right up to hers.

"Good morning, husband!"

She suddenly shouted, kissed Xiu Yuan on the cheek, then ran away with her hands over her face.

Xiu Yuan: "??????"

The book ended up on a reading-recommendation list after all. But that's all right-being recommended there is a kind of recognition for this book, too. I won't put any restrictions on it now, so if you want to add it to those lists and recommend it to other readers, go right ahead~ If you enjoy this book and have the time, you can also leave a five-star review. Seeing those will give me plenty of motivation!