Chapter 46: So I Already Loved Her
Her graceful and fair neck adorned a slender and perfect figure, and she walked with elegant and leisurely steps.
Undoubtedly, at this moment, she was the most radiant person among all the women present.
I was completely stunned, not by the shock of her beauty, but because I saw a title once again.
So far, I had seen titles three times. The first was Zi’ai under the moonlight, and the second was Lanhua after arriving in this Spiritual World.
And now, this third title was unexpectedly…
[Beloved Companion Model]
[Ji Lianbing]
It’s Ruansui! Why is she here…
My eyes followed Ruansui, not blinking, my thoughts drifting back several months.
After Luo Xinhai sneak-attacked and killed me from behind, Ruansui chose to merge with Lianbing to save me, allowing Lianbing to successfully awaken as the Calamity.
Although I was resurrected by becoming a zombie, if Ruansui had not chosen to disappear at that time, my corpse would have been brutally dismembered by Luo Xinhai, that pervert. Even if I became a zombie, I would have been a dismembered one.
It can be said that without Ruansui, I would have been GG’d back then, and there would be no later.
Moreover, my affection for Lianbing was mostly due to Ruansui’s existence…
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
A Nong asked me, pushing me.
I nodded subconsciously and said,
“Yes, but I didn’t expect her to appear here.”
“If I can appear here, then of course others can too. However, only a few who are permitted can truly come here. Only that fox who ‘smuggled’ in is here illegally. Both of us received permission.”
“Permission? From whom?”
“It’s a pity, I’m not allowed to tell you this, so you’ll have to figure it out yourself.”
After knowing that this world was a Spiritual World, all previous speculations about transmigration had been overturned.
From A Nong’s words, this world had a master who created this Spiritual World and also managed entry permits.
And the fox that A Nong mentioned as having smuggled in must be Lan, because only Lan was sent in by Zihua.
This means that both A Nong and Ruansui had permission to appear in this Spiritual World, and I could appear in this world for the same reason.
People from the real world allowed me to see their titles, and I hadn’t lost this ability; it simply didn’t work on spiritual bodies.
Earlier, Ke Ling had done such out-of-line things to me due to her confused memories, but it didn’t seem like she was sent into this world like Lan, and I couldn’t see her title.
This indicated that Ke Ling did not have permission and was merely suffering from memory confusion due to some déjà vu or strong obsession, much like a zombie about to awaken.
Honestly, weren’t the people in this Spiritual World like ‘semi-awakened zombies’?
It was like they lost their memories as humans after becoming zombies, had to start a new life, and lived in the underground City of the Living.
Although the people here were the spiritual bodies of people from the real world, their lives in this Spiritual World were reshuffled. They experienced similar yet different events, becoming beings different from their main bodies.
And perhaps some of these spiritual bodies could sense a hint of incongruity and déjà vu, then ‘remember’ their memories from the real world, just like semi-awakened zombies transforming into fully awakened zombies…
The only odd zombie who couldn’t recall past memories even after fully awakening was Li Nai. Although the Li Nai in this Spiritual World was incredibly ladylike, the Li Nai in the real world was like a ruffian. It seemed she had lost the memory of ever being ladylike.
However, this explanation had a flaw: one of Yu Hui’s predecessors, who sat beside me, also had permission, but I couldn’t see her title.
“Are you wondering why you can’t see my title?”
“The premise for the Yata no Kagami to function is that the object it illuminates must have at least a soul or a physical body. But in this world of ‘mirages and moon reflections’ – all beings are pure spiritual bodies, and I am no exception.”
“Must have a soul or a main body…”
That’s right. A spiritual body alone cannot appear in the real world; it must be attached to a physical body or a soul. You can imagine these three as an egg: the physical body is the shell, the soul is the membrane, and the spirit is the yolk. If one is lost, the egg shape can still be maintained, but if both are lost, the yolk (spirit) will… splat! Disperse.”
I see.
So I couldn’t see A Nong’s title, nor Ke Ling’s title.
Because A Nong was just a fragment of memory; the real soul belonged to Yu Hui, and Yu Hui had not come to this Spiritual World.
At this moment, I suddenly remembered Lan mentioning ‘Zihua’, a pure spiritual body from the future, and how did she appear?
“What if someone could appear in the real world solely with their spirit?”
“If there really was such a person, then that person’s spirit would have long since matured… No, even a cooked egg is soft. But someone unaffected by any external influences, his spirit would have long been harder than fine iron and sharper than a famous sword. Although such a thought is also terrifying, what’s more terrifying is the ‘power’ that could allow her to appear in the real world, to feel the myriad thoughts of everyone in this fleeting world and still maintain herself… Don’t you find that terrifying?”
When you put it that way, it’s truly terrifying.
But what’s even more terrifying is that she even had the ability to travel back from the future!
Zihua, what kind of experiences did the Lan of the future go through to transform into such a powerful and terrifying existence?
Although I hadn’t truly met Zihua, I already sensed that she was no simple person.
What’s even more terrifying is that such an amazing Zihua actually died?
What will the future become? It fills me with dread…
“Speaking of which, your dream lover has already appeared. Aren’t you going to her side instead of continuing to cower here thinking about other things?”
Because I was sitting at the edge of the ballroom hall, as soon as Ruansui entered, a crowd of people surrounded her like fans greeting an idol. Therefore, Ruansui hadn’t noticed me.
Honestly, I even heaved a sigh of relief.
Although I wanted to see her, I didn’t know what to say if I did.
It sounds contradictory, but this is the dilemma of a shy young man who isn’t good with words, do you understand?
Seeing my hesitation, A Nong frowned and said,
“Hmph, it’s truly exasperating. No matter the era, she is the one with the deepest bond with you…”
“Huh? Is there such a thing?”
This is really embarrassing. Oh, is that so? Lian Bing and I have had the deepest bond since our past lives… I’m a little happy.
“Hehehe, after all, we can’t imitate that kind of ‘love-hate’ relationship.”
“Love… love-hate?”
“Yes, your personality is more passive this life, but in your past life, you also had moments where you wished you could kill that woman.”
“Impressive, my past self.”
Could there be a past me with reversed roles? I, in this life, wouldn’t dare to have the slightest thought of killing Lian Bing, even with ten times the courage.
From the beginning, my choice was to escape. Cough, cough, although a bit cowardly, it was all strategic thinking.
“But, the final outcome is all the same in the end.”
“What is the final outcome?”
“Of course, you ‘seduced’ her. In the end, she’s just a woman, hehe.”
It sounds very pleased, as if gloating, as if saying, ‘Look at you, you looked like you wanted to kill her before, but in the end, aren’t you the same as us? Why resist? Why not give up and enjoy?’
“This life is even more bizarre. She actually split her spirit into two, but in the end, both ended up loving… Pfft, hahahaha~ Oh my, it’s worth it to see this scene again, really worth it~”
“You seem very happy.”
“Yes, very pleased, especially being able to sit and chat with you like this again… It’s just a pity I can’t dance with you.. Alright, thank you for chatting with me until now, but you should go to her side.”
A Nong looked forward towards the crowd, her gaze sweeping over the young lords who were looking at Ruansui with longing eyes with mockery and pity.
She said with a playful tone,
“Look at those rich young masters, they went to great lengths to get an invitation just to gain her favor. The princess will choose a dance partner, and these young lords will compete fiercely, bragging about everything they own, until the princess chooses the one in her heart… Unfortunately, this group of people doesn’t know that the princess already has someone in her heart.”
Is she beating around the bush, a polite dismissal? Or is she leaving…
“Don’t look so sad. As long as you are in this world, you can call me out anytime. Don’t worry, I am ‘neutral’ and won’t make decisions for you without permission… So, if you encounter difficulties, find Yu Hui and call me, I will help you.”
A Nong stood up and offered her hand to me, who was still sitting in the chair.
“Although Yu Hui might be sad if she saw it, I won’t let her wake up for now. I’m not that oblivious either, so go ahead with confidence.”
I took her hand. She pulled me up and then released my hand, smiling.
“She is waiting for you.”
I nodded and walked past A Nong. I saw A Ji give me a thumbs-up for support. My wrists were already occupied.
The crowd slowly parted, but it wasn’t the rich young masters making way for me; rather, she was also walking towards me.
In fact, she had seen me long ago… The moment I entered the hall, I felt her gaze.
Will she blame me for not going to her side immediately?
What should be the first thing to say upon this touching reunion?
If I rushed forward and kissed her, Ruansui would probably accept it, but I felt like she’d complain.
Speaking of which, this is a ballroom.
For a man to invite a woman, isn’t the most direct way to ask her to dance?
Thinking so, she had already arrived in front of me.
For no reason, I felt a little nervous. Sweat broke out on my palms. After swallowing, I reached out to her and invited her.
“May I have a dance with a beauty like you?”
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she replied with a trembling voice, a happy smile on her face.
“Of course, you may.”
