Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 166: “The Ghostly Bovine Maiden”
The first to take the stage was Elena, the Thorny Rose.
She was dressed in nobleman’s attire, presenting an elegant image of a noble’s offspring. After a simple makeup application, the charm on her face diminished by a third. With sword-like eyebrows, striking eyes, a high nose, and thin lips, an aura of heroism emanated from her.
Many noble ladies seated closer to the stage could no longer suppress their delight. They screamed out with excitement, their ecstatic fan behavior surpassing even that of modern-day idol worshippers.
It was clear that Elena was cross-dressing, playing the role of Ning Caichen from the original story. In this adaptation, “The Ghostly Bovine Maiden,” her name was Erikson.
The story began with Erikson arriving in the remote Black Mountain Town to collect taxes on behalf of his father. It was a day of heavy rain. Without any rain gear, Erikson had to take shelter in ancient ruins outside of town to wait out the storm before continuing his journey to Black Mountain Town.
However, upon entering the ancient ruins, Erikson was stopped by Puppet Guards. It turned out these guards were specifically tasked with suppressing the demons within the ruins. To prevent Erikson from being bewitched, the guard sternly reprimanded him and chased him away with a sword.
Erikson, a young man from a Knight family, well-educated and a gifted Knight squire, could not tolerate such an insult. That evening, he secretly returned and entered the ancient ruins from a different direction.
If he had merely slept in the ancient ruins, perhaps nothing would have happened. But the trouble began when a melodious harp sound suddenly echoed through the ruins at midnight. Erikson, proficient in music since childhood and skilled in playing the harp, couldn’t resist his longing upon hearing such masterful playing. He hurried to investigate, following the sound of the music.
The ancient ruins were like a labyrinth. After a long walk, Erikson finally arrived in a small garden. This garden was filled with a large number of crimson flowers that emitted a faint, shimmering glow. The fragrance was intoxicating, and the scene was breathtakingly beautiful. In the very center of the garden, seated on an exquisite swing, was a Bovine maiden of stunning beauty and ample figure.
This Bovine maiden wore a light, crimson gauze dress and played a mournful melody, her ethereal gaze fixed on the galaxy above. Her star-like eyes were filled with confusion and sadness.
In that instant, Erikson felt as though Cupid’s arrow had struck his heart! He had fallen deeply in love with the Bovine maiden.
The story had now reached a small climax. The entire plaza was silent, with everyone intently watching the Bovine maiden and the son of a noble, Erikson, engage in pleasant conversation. They found each other kindred spirits, and mutual affection quickly developed. This beautiful scene brought tears to many eyes.
But Xi Wei found it rather jarring to the eyes. Could you imagine? Karl, the burly, muscular Bovine warrior, the strongest after Cain Bloodhoof, was actually wearing a crimson gauze dress and thick lipstick. What’s more, he was posing with a charming smile and captivating eyes. It was a form of art, no doubt, but its ultimate purpose was to destroy human vision and worldview.
Xi Wei could no longer bear to watch. However, the three Lolis beside him were engrossed in the play, so he couldn’t say anything. He could only keep his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, relying solely on his ears.
Just as the audience thought the play would conclude on a joyful note, the music abruptly became urgent. It turned out the Bovine maiden was a pitiable soul controlled by an Undead sorcerer from the ancient ruins. The reason she hadn’t lost her humanity like other Undead was because she was a righteous and kind Bovine person in life.
At this moment, the Undead sorcerer, controlling the Bovine maiden, was about to kill Erikson. But the ruins’ guardian suddenly appeared, preventing the bloody scene. The guardian had been searching for the Bovine maiden for a long time and, upon finding her, intended to destroy her. However, Erikson and the Bovine maiden had already secretly developed feelings for each other.
Erikson, thinking fast, used the ruins’ traps to ensnare the guardian and then fled with the Bovine maiden. The plot became tense, the music perfectly building the atmosphere, and everyone held their breath, worried about the fate of Erikson and the Bovine maiden, Karl.
On their escape, the Undead sorcerer suddenly appeared with a horde of Undead, intending to kill the uncontrolled Karl and Erikson. But the ruins’ guardian broke free from the traps and arrived at the critical moment, defeating the Undead sorcerer and saving Karl and Erikson. He then detonated his core, severely wounding the Undead sorcerer.
Afterward, Erikson learned that the Bovine maiden, Karl, was originally a wandering spirit. Because her remains had been left exposed in the wilderness, she had fallen under the control of the Undead sorcerer. Every night, she used her harp music to lure strong men to serve as materials for the Undead sorcerer’s evil experiments.
To help the Bovine maiden, Karl, escape her plight, Erikson took her remains back to the countryside for burial. On the way, they encountered an evil slave owner who believed the Bovine maiden’s wandering spirit would fetch a good price as a novelty. He then incited his slaves to seize her. However, Erikson fought for love, single-handedly battling hundreds of warrior-slaves. He ultimately defeated the slave owner but was himself gravely wounded and on the verge of death.
Even in this state, Erikson buried the Bovine maiden’s body. However, he ultimately succumbed to blood loss and died forever beside the Bovine maiden’s grave. The people from the surrounding towns and villages, moved by the steadfast love of the Bovine maiden and Erikson, buried Erikson’s body in the same grave.
The play concluded on a bright, sunny morning. The background music was somber and mournful, yet it contained a hint of vitality and hope. Erikson and the Bovine maiden’s grave was covered in small purple flowers. Suddenly, a small crack appeared in the grave, and two beautiful butterflies emerged, entwined as they flew away.
The red curtains on both sides of the stage slowly closed. After a moment, the curtains reopened, and all the actors and staff came on stage to bow, bringing the play to a successful conclusion.
After a moment of silence, thunderous applause erupted in the plaza! Many emotional young women were crying uncontrollably, and even tears flowed silently down the cheeks of some men.
“Darling… did the Bovine maiden and Erikson become butterflies and stay together forever?” Connie asked, her eyes red and her delicate nose crinkled. She gently hugged Xi Wei’s arm, her soft voice tinged with a sob.
“Uh… based on the plot, it seems so… Yes, they are together forever and will never be apart,” Xi Wei replied, touching his nose, feeling incredibly awkward. What was so moving about it? He couldn’t grasp any of the emotional aspects at all.
“Connie wants to become a little dragon too, and darling a big dragon, and we’ll be together forever…” Connie threw herself into her lover’s arms, nuzzling her pretty face against his strong chest, taking a deep breath and feeling completely enveloped in happiness.
“Emmm… then what about Loli and Ruo Yi?” Xi Wei asked, holding the soft, delicate dragoness, goosebumps rising all over him.
“Hehe~ Ruo Yi and Sister Loli will also become dragons… and then we’ll have lots and lots of little dragons…”
Xi Wei: “(≖_≖ )…”
“Wuwuwu… it’s so… so touching… wuwu…(Ｔ▽Ｔ)”
“Sister… why can’t two people in love be together… wuwu…(ㄒoㄒ)”
He heard the sad cries of Xin Zhi and Xin Kui. Xi Wei glanced at the two Demi Loli best friends hugging each other and weeping loudly, and he couldn’t help but sigh. It seemed that whether it was his past life or the present, bringing girls out to watch a movie was always a troublesome affair.
ps: The cute version of Loli and Ruo Yi.
