Within the curtain of rain and the sound of the rain, the gentle voice was like a soft murmur as it spread out. It seemed to fuse together with the sound of the rain, forming a dream-like voice that came from the past.
The butterfly by Qing Hong's side landed in her palm. She held it gently, shielding it from the wind and rain. It was as if she was that butterfly. However, it was unknown who in this world would be able to shield her from the same kind of wind and rain.
She turned around and saw a stranger dressed in white under an oil-paper umbrella.
"Red Butterfly … This name is very beautiful."
Qing Hong looked at the white-haired young man and smiled faintly. As her smile bloomed, she looked like a proud and aloof rose that had bloomed on its own.
"If you like, you can become Red Butterfly."
Wang Lin looked at the beautiful woman before him and the scenes from the cave world on the Suzaku reappeared in his eyes.
The woman smiled but didn't speak. She looked at Wang Lin and their gazes met in the wind and rain for a long time.
Qing Hong looked at Wang Lin and softly said, "I have seen you. In the dream, when I reached the third step, I saw you."
"Do you believe in reincarnation?" Wang Lin's gaze moved away from the woman and looked at the rain in the sky.
The woman asked, "Do you believe in reincarnation?"
"I …" Wang Lin paused for a long time and then nodded.
"I believe."
The woman turned around and looked at the rain and softly said, "If even the White-Haired Ascendant Empyrean believes it, then I believe it as well."
"I always felt that I was waiting for someone to give me an answer … When I reached the third step, I knew the person I was waiting for was you.
Reincarnation … I always wondered if I had a previous life. Otherwise, why would I like the color red and the butterfly?
"I also always thought that liking something doesn't come out of nowhere. There must be a reason. If it's not the cause of this life, then it must be the cause of my past life.
"My past life was called Red Butterfly, right?" The woman didn't turn around and her voice was calm.
"But in my dream, it seems that there was another life in my previous life … In that life, I also saw you."
Wang Lin was stunned.
"In that life, I remember that you asked me a question. It's a question that I've only obtained the answer to now. Do you want to hear it?" Qing Hong looked at the horizon and spoke softly. "What question did I ask you?" Wang Lin was silent for a moment before he slowly spoke.
"Are you willing to retain the memories of this life, or restore the memories of your previous life?" Qing Hong turned around and looked at Wang Lin. In her beautiful eyes, there was a light that Wang Lin couldn't see through.
"The previous life and this life can coexist, but after recovering the memories of the previous life, there will be many more things to worry about in this life. If I don't recover them, I won't know, but if I know, I won't be able to forget. This is my understanding." Qing Hong's voice was a bit melancholic as she muttered softly.
Wang Lin's eyes were filled with confusion as he looked at the woman in front of him and asked, "How did you answer me back then?"
Qing Hong revealed a complicated expression as she muttered, "Forget the past and only keep the present. If you persist on, then reincarnation after reincarnation is a type of pain, and also a type of confusion."
"I understand."
Wang Lin softly sighed. He knew that Red Butterfly had recalled some things. However, the previous life within the previous life she spoke of shocked Wang Lin. He thought back to when he was in Suzaku's Dream Dao. In that pavilion under the same curtain of rain, he saw a woman holding a baby girl and arriving before him.
In that curtain of rain, there was a red butterfly sheltering from the rain under the leaves. When the woman asked him to give the baby girl a name, he said the two words "Red Butterfly."
Wang Lin silently turned and walked into the distance. He knew Red Butterfly's choice.
"I've already forgotten a lot of the memories of that life. I only remember you and this question, and … another person … he said something to you.
I still remember these words. "Qing Hong closed her eyes and her voice was gentle.
"What words?" Wang Lin didn't stop and walked into the curtain of rain.
"When the heart dies, it forgets …"
Within the curtain of rain, Wang Lin's body suddenly trembled. He suddenly turned around, and his eyes were filled with shock. This shock came from his soul, and he silently stood there in the rain. He unconsciously let go of the oil-paper umbrella in his hand and let it fall, soaked by the rain.
"Mo Zhi."
The image of Suzaku appeared in Wang Lin's mind. When he was still a low level cultivator, it was also on a rainy night. In that temple, a bald, burly man looked at him with confusion in his eyes and said those words.
"This rain is born in the heavens and dies on the earth. The process in between is life … When the heart dies, it forgets …"
Those words echoed in Wang Lin's mind. The bald man's gaze clearly appeared. There was a kind of pain and pity in that gaze that Wang Lin couldn't see through at the time, but now that he thought back to it, he could clearly see pain and pity.
Wang Lin left, filled with confusion, with the answer he didn't want to think about.
Qing Hong looked in the direction Wang Lin had disappeared in. She stood there for a very, very long time. When the rain finally stopped, she let go of his hand. In her palm, the butterfly flapped its wings and circled around her a few times before flying off into the distance.
"When will you forget …? Perhaps you will never make that choice." Qing Hong lowered her head. Filled with sadness and loneliness, she turned and walked back into the cave.
Wang Lin was silent the entire time.
"Reincarnation. When I went to open up the memories of other people's reincarnation, I didn't think about whether or not I was also in a reincarnation cycle …. If I really am in a reincarnation cycle, then who will open up the memories of my previous life for me?" As Wang Lin thought about it, he suddenly threw his head back and laughed. As he laughed, tears flowed down from his eyes.
"Reincarnation, this is reincarnation!!
But even if I'm really in this reincarnation cycle, I will never choose to forget, never, never!!! "
As Wang Lin laughed, he suddenly remembered the figure he saw in the ancestral temple when he experienced the Ancient Dao Three Soul Splits.
The words of that figure seemed to echo in his ears once more.
"Heaven and earth!!"
"What's the use of being at the top of the world!!"
"What's the use of being worshiped by all life!!"
"What's the use of the Infinite Calamity Sutra!!"
"Since the world is like this, why not destroy it!!!"
"Since all life is like this, why not dissipate!!!"
"Since the Calamity Sutra is like this, why not pass it down!!!"
"Since this is the case, I'll use my own method to make the sky close its eyes, make the earth sleep, make the underworld river flow backwards, make the reincarnation cycle stop, and make the world … have no thoughts!!!"
Wang Lin muttered as the voice echoed in his ears. The voice became louder and louder until it was earth-shattering. It caused the sky to rumble and the earth to rumble. It was as if a storm was set off across the entire Immortal Astral Continent.
Celestial clan, Eastern Continent, southwest of the Lin Hua Continent, there was a mortal city. This city was very large, and from afar, it looked like a giant beast lying there. It gave off a majestic feeling.
Within the city, in a remote corner, there was a smithy. Its business was quite good, allowing the family to live quite well. This was mainly because the owner of the smithy treated each and every piece of iron very seriously. He was very responsible, and after many years, he had a very good reputation in the city.
The male owner was a burly man who looked to be in his thirties. His body was rather robust, and he was currently in the shop. His upper body was bare as he continuously hammered iron. Clanging sounds could be heard from within the shop.
The backyard of the shop was where the family lived. The burly man had a beautiful and virtuous wife, and an eight-year-old daughter. The little girl was currently in the shop, and she didn't seem to mind the heat. She looked at her father and occasionally ran to fetch a towel to wipe the sweat off of her father's face.
Whenever this happened, the burly man would reveal a happy smile.
He was very satisfied with his current life. Although it was simple, he had a lovely daughter and a wife who loved him. This was very satisfying for him. He wanted to do his best to protect this family, to make his life better, and to make his daughter's future better.
In order to achieve this goal, he worked hard and conscientiously in this blacksmith shop. He did everything very seriously.
His life was simple, but within this simplicity, there was a warmth that he cherished.
He was born in this city and had many playmates who grew up with him. Now that they were all married, they would often drink together, laugh together, and reminisce about their youth.
At night, when he was asleep, he would sometimes have a dream. In that dream, he was like an all-powerful Celestial Emperor, leading his followers to fight against enemies.
In that dream, there was parting, hot blood, and sorrow. In that dream, he also had a daughter, and her name seemed to be Frost … The same name as his current daughter.
However, this dream was, after all, not real. Every time he woke up from the dream, he would be confused as he looked at the night sky outside the window. In his heart, he seemed to have a desire for everything in that dream. However, every time this happened, he would look down at his wife who was sleeping beside him. He would look at his daughter who was eight years old and still didn't dare to sleep alone. He would smile and forget everything in that dream.
If he had to choose, he would choose his family, not the life in that dream.
He didn't know that while he was looking at his family, there was also a person looking at him in the night sky.
Wang Lin looked at the blacksmith's family in the city below. He could feel Qing Lin's happiness and satisfaction. The celestial emperor of the cave world had become a mortal, but he was happy and warm.
Wang Lin was very envious. He looked at Qing Lin for a long time before turning to leave.
"Like Red Butterfly, his choice was to forget … Forget the past, forget his previous life, and immerse himself in this life. In that reincarnation cycle, he forgot again and again and cherished again and again.
"Their choice was correct … My choice was also correct!" Wang Lin murmured.
First update!