Xu Xi was going to die.
It was not a joke, nor a metaphor, but a genuine, imminent death that would mark the end of his existence.
No one needed to remind him. When he opened his eyes again, the weakness and lifelessness surging within his body made it clear to him.
In fact,
it was already a miracle that he had awakened at all.
During his previous slumber, Xu Xi had truly felt his soul gradually detaching from his body, drifting toward the void—a place of eternal silence known as death.
"My current state..."
"is probably what they call the final rally before death."
Pain, chest tightness, suffocation, dizziness.
A wave of unbearable symptoms assaulted him, making the newly awakened Xu Xi feel drowsy once more. His heavy eyelids drooped lower and lower.
He knew.
This slumber was different from before. He would not wake again, would not continue. This was the true embrace of death.
And so, with a hoarse voice, Xu Xi called out the name of the witch.
His voice was so weak that it was almost imperceptible, like a faint tremor in the air. His aged face struggled to move his lips and produce sound.
"Krisha..."
"Master, I'm here."
Krisha, who still looked seventeen, responded softly to Xu Xi.
It was as if she feared that even the slightest increase in volume would cause him pain.
Today was a good day.
The weather was clear, the sun bright.
Golden rays of sunlight streamed through the window, filling the room with light and dispelling the unwelcome silence. More importantly, her master, who had been asleep for years, had finally awakened.
Yet,
for some reason, for some inexplicable reason, her heart, which should have been filled with joy, instead let out a mournful cry.
The heartbeat in her chest slowed unconsciously.
"I'm sorry, Krisha, for letting you see me in such a sorry state," Xu Xi said, with the witch's help, propping himself up on the bed with his arms. He managed to sit up and offered Krisha a strained smile.
Please...
Please...
Don’t say anymore.
The sorrow in her chest continued to build.
Looking at Xu Xi's aged face, meeting his cloudy, swollen eyes, and hearing his barely audible voice, as if it might vanish in the next second,
Krisha felt her heartstrings tremble even more.
"You... don’t need to worry about it."
The witch didn’t care about Xu Xi’s aged appearance. To her, looks and appearances didn’t matter. What she truly cared about was Xu Xi himself.
Her sun.
Her light.
Her salvation.
But aging also meant something else, something the witch absolutely did not want to face, yet something that was inevitably going to happen.
"Master, I’ll prepare lunch for you."
Krisha suddenly stood up and headed for the door.
The witch had already sensed something. She didn’t want to hear it, didn’t dare to see it, and was too afraid to face it. So, she chose to run away.
But Xu Xi’s voice
stopped her.
"Cough... cough cough..."
"No need, Krisha. I think... I won’t have the chance to eat."
In the heavy atmosphere of the room, Xu Xi forced a smile, speaking in a tone that feigned lightness despite his exhaustion.
Krisha’s body trembled even more violently.
"Are you tired? Please rest assured, I’ll keep waiting, no matter how long it takes..."
"Krisha."
"I’ll wait for you forever, always..."
"Krisha."
Xu Xi called the witch’s name over and over.
His voice was extremely weak, his breath faint, as if it might dissipate with the slightest breeze.
Finally, the witch quieted down.
She stood with her back to Xu Xi, unmoving, no longer making a sound. Only her body continued to tremble, as if enduring some indescribable pain.
"Come here, Krisha. There are some things I want to tell you."
The bitter cold of winter would eventually arrive, freezing the heart.
Even if one refused to face the chill, no amount of resistance could stop the coming of winter. It was an inevitability.
"Yes..."
The witch returned to Xu Xi’s bedside.
"Sit down."
The witch obediently sat on the small wooden chair by the bed under Xu Xi’s gaze.
The chair wasn’t very high, so when Krisha sat, her head was just at the right height for Xu Xi to touch.
And so,
Xu Xi extended his withered, aged hand and gently placed it on Krisha’s head, stroking her silver-gray hair one last time, feeling its softness.
"Krisha, I’m going to be gone for a long time."
The witch’s body trembled even more.
But under the soothing touch of his hand, she gradually calmed down.
"I’ve always been a burden to you. It should have been me taking care of you, but for the past few decades, it’s been you looking after me while I slept."
"Now, it’s finally coming to an end."
"You can rest too."
No, I don’t want to rest.
Please...
Please...
Let me, as your possession, continue to be used by you... No matter how long, no matter how hard... As long as you don’t leave, as long as you stay by my side...
"I’ll be gone for a long time, so long that it’s impossible to measure. So, while I’m away, Krisha, you must take care of yourself."
"In the study, I’ve left some materials that should be useful to you."
"The meditation room’s array has been modified. It should still help you, even if you break through to the Demigod level."
"In the desk drawer in the bedroom, I’ve left some of my collections from over the years. You can use them or sell them—it’s all up to you."
Stop...
Please stop...
The pain in the witch’s chest grew heavier and heavier, forcing her to clutch at her chest, as if to shield her already battered heart.
Though Xu Xi didn’t say it outright,
though he deliberately avoided the word,
how could Krisha not understand?
Her master, the only savior in her life, the sun that had illuminated her for decades, was about to fall into eternal silence.
Death.
A word so close to Xu Xi, yet infinitely distant to the witch. Just the thought of it tore through Krisha’s sensitive and fragile heart, layer by layer, revealing her true helplessness.
"I won’t accept it."
The witch interrupted Xu Xi with a trembling voice.
This was the first time she had ever contradicted him.
"I won’t accept what you’re saying."
"Your possessions can only be used by you. I’ll wait for you, always, always, always..."
Her once hollow and lifeless eyes now trembled violently.
Meeting Xu Xi’s gaze,
she refused him.
The withered hand stroking Krisha’s head paused for a moment, as if surprised by the witch’s defiance.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
ress Kneels to Admit Wrong] [Dealing with Love-Struck Fools] [Forced to the Throne] Ren Tianye transmigrated into a female-oriented novel world, only to find everyone in it was utterly insane. He risked his life to save a young girl from barbarians, but was accused of arriving too late and branded the real murderer. He held a knife to a military officer's neck, demanding the troop tally, but the officer only cared about questioning his wife: "Do you not love me anymore? All these years of affection and time together, they were all a mistake, a mistake!" After seizing Yunji City, the original defending general, to save face with the Empress, knelt on the ground: "You must give Yunji City back to me, or I'll hang myself at the city gate and let everyone know you're a villain!" The young lord of the Duke's mansion, to please a woman, directly ordered a merchant: "The menstrual pads you buy for her must be studded with diamonds. Loving her means giving her the best." Having become a great general, he was about to marry a merchant's daughter, who set a pre-nuptial rule: "I can divorce you anytime. When that happens, you must give me half of your troops and soldiers!" Even the Empress was a severe love-struck fool, who ordered the execution of 70,000 elite troops simply because they stood in the way of her romance. Ren Tianye was speechless. He was done. Let it all burn! This deranged female-oriented novel world! ...
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
invincible power, Gu Changge transmigrates into a fantasy world, bound to a sign-in system that grants him cultivation rewards and various peerless treasures daily. While others struggle desperately to break through their cultivation realms, he has long since reached the pinnacle of the Great Dao, becoming a reclusive Emperor whose true strength even he himself cannot fathom. Originally planning to lie low and retire peacefully on Purple Bamboo Peak, the system suddenly issues a new task — take on disciples. With no other choice, Gu Changge casually picks up a few disciples: The eldest disciple, born with a War God Constitution, is thrown a copy of "War God Stratagems" by him, and ends up conquering the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, becoming a peerless War God who sweeps across the cosmos. The second disciple, possessing a Chaos Sword Body, can break all techniques with a single sword, his swordsmanship unmatched throughout history. He points his sword at the heavens: "My master said, the sword and the man stand together. If the sword perishes... my master will give me another one." The third disciple, a reborn Empress who returns to her throne, her elegance and grace overshadowing all beings. And without anyone noticing, his own sect, the Qingxuan Sect, has become the number one sect on the continent. Looking at these unbelievably formidable disciples, Gu Changge, holding the "Primordial Purple Qi" he just signed in for, falls into deep thought: — Wasn't this supposed to be a peaceful retirement? How did I become the ultimate master?!
