My girlfriend is a Miao demon.

"Adoya? So, is Adoya your grandmother's name?" Xiang Nanfeng asked.

"Yes, after my grandmother graduated from vocational school in the 70s and went to Maoxi, she changed her name back to Miao. Everyone just thought that she had settled down in the Miao village and followed local customs. Nobody knew that it was originally her name, the name she had in the Sanmiao Kingdom before she was seven years old."

The bright red broth was churning violently in the copper pot, with Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies bobbing up and down with the bubbles, sometimes being pushed to the surface and sometimes sinking back down, making the surrounding air feel hot.

Sawako reached for the glass on the table and took a sip of warm water. The warm water slid down her throat, relieving the dryness and tightness caused by the memories, and soothing her throat a little.

Her gaze drifted to the dark night sky outside the window. A few sparse stars shone through the narrow windowpane, like tiny specks of light on a canvas smudged with ink. Her eyes gradually became distant, as if she could see through the boundless night her father from 18 years ago, walking back and forth on the second floor of their old house in the Hongwen District of Youdu, holding her in his arms. The lamplight shone on his profile, his eyes were gentle, and his voice was deep.

Thinking of this, Zuo Hezi's voice softened with a touch of nostalgia: "Sigh, that's what my dad told me."

She paused, her fingertips gently tracing the rim of the glass, adjusting her tone to completely embody her father Zuo Sigong's words from years ago, softening her voice even more, as if afraid of disturbing this century-old story:

"Aduoya stood by the empty well, her feet sinking into a bottomless abyss of darkness. The darkness was so thick it seemed alive, surging slightly at the well's opening. The Flint Gu of Ancestor Jiang Yang lit up beside her, its faint flame flickering at the well's opening. The orange-red halo barely illuminated a small area around the well, but it seemed to be greedily swallowed by the endless darkness. It had barely penetrated half a foot into the well before it completely dissipated, leaving not even a ripple."

"That was no ordinary darkness; it was a black hole that even the ancestor Jiang Yang's Sui Gu could not illuminate. It seemed to suck away all the light and sound in the world. Standing at the mouth of the well, one could feel an invisible suction force pulling at one's clothes and one's mind."

"Ancestor Jiang Yang's voice came from behind, carrying an undeniable firmness, yet concealing a barely perceptible hoarseness, a hoarseness wrapped with weariness, and also with heavy expectations:"

"Jump, Adorya, this is our tribe's last hope."

Aduoya remained silent, her small hands gripping the hem of her clothes tightly until her knuckles turned white. She slowly raised her head and glanced at the wrinkled face of Ancestor Jiangyang, a face etched with the vicissitudes of time, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes as deep as ravines, yet her gaze held the future of the entire tribe.

She knew she had no choice; from the moment she was chosen to carry the hopes of her tribe, there was no turning back. The cave was quiet, except for the sound of their breathing and the dripping of water from the ceiling onto the rocks, each sound like a tap on Adorya's heart.

"Adoya slowly turned around and hugged Ancestor Jiang Yang's waist one last time. She was very small and could only barely hug Ancestor Jiang Yang's thigh. Her cheek was pressed against Ancestor Jiang Yang's rough linen clothes, and she could clearly feel Ancestor Jiang Yang's body trembling slightly. The trembling was very light, but it could not hide the reluctance and worry in her heart."

She could still smell the faint herbal scent on Ancestor Jiang Yang, a scent left from years of wandering in the mountains, a scent she had been familiar with since childhood.

Neither of them spoke; the air was eerily quiet, save for the occasional whistling of the wind outside the cave, which seemed to weep for this parting. Adorya's nose tingled, and tears welled in her eyes, but she stubbornly held them back.

She knew in her heart that this would be the last time she would embrace Ancestor Jiang Yang. The Ancestor was very old, and her hair was almost completely white. Even if she could complete her mission, return from that darkness by chance, and successfully restore the kingdom, Ancestor Jiang Yang would have long since turned into a handful of dust, and she would never see her again. This farewell would be a final one.

They hugged like that for a long time, so long that Adorya felt her arms go numb and her blood seemed to freeze, before she slowly let go. She secretly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, then took a deep breath and straightened her small spine.

She didn't turn back, nor did she look at Ancestor Jiang Yang again. She was afraid that if she looked, she would lose the courage to jump. She simply took small steps, walking step by step to the edge of the well, and then jumped in without hesitation. She could feel Ancestor Jiang Yang's suppressed sobs behind her. The sound was like a thin thorn, piercing her heart, but it also strengthened her resolve—she could not turn back, and she could not fail.

"Her body instantly lost weight, and Adorya felt like a leaf caught in a whirlwind, falling uncontrollably downwards. The wind howled in her ears, whistling past like the roars of countless wild beasts, growing faster and faster, the wind blades scraping her cheeks painfully. The surrounding darkness was as thick as insoluble ink, completely enveloping her, without a single ray of light. She could even feel countless eyes staring at her from the darkness, making her skin crawl."

The feeling of suffocation grew stronger and stronger, rising to her throat as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping her neck, making it hard for her to breathe. Her chest felt like it was being crushed by a boulder, each breath was extremely difficult, and her lungs burned with pain.

She could clearly feel her heartbeat accelerating, pounding so fast it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest with each beat. She thought she was going to die here, in this endless darkness and fall, leaving no trace of her body.

"Just as her consciousness was fading, her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, and she was about to lose consciousness completely, she suddenly realized that the speed of her fall was no longer increasing."

The howling wind gradually disappeared, as if it had been blocked by something, and the surroundings became unusually quiet, so quiet that she could hear her own heartbeat. Even the resistance of the air seemed to have disappeared, and her body fell downwards at a steady pace, without the slightest fluctuation or discomfort. Her tense nerves slowly relaxed, and the tension and fear in her heart gradually dissipated, replaced by a strange calm, as if floating in warm water, making her feel light and airy.

"Then, she entered a long period of blankness, without thinking, without emotion, only pure calm."

"Without any reference point, without any concept of time, she didn't know how long she had been falling. Maybe it was a few minutes, maybe a few months, or even a few years; time had lost its meaning here. In that blank space, she couldn't feel her body; it was as if her soul had detached from her body and was floating in this darkness."

She had no thoughts, no memories, as if she had returned to her original state, pure and empty. She even forgot who she was, why she was here, forgot Ancestor Jiang Yang, forgot the mission of her tribe. The whole world consisted of only her and this endless darkness, leaning on each other and keeping each other company. She did not feel lonely, nor was she afraid. She simply existed quietly, enjoying this rare peace.

Suddenly, a faint light appeared beneath her feet. The light was very faint, like a firefly in the distance, yet it stood out starkly in the endless darkness, instantly pulling her back from her dazed state.

Adorya's consciousness instantly returned. She tried to open her eyes wide, wanting to see the source of the light. The light grew brighter and brighter, from being as faint as a firefly at first, to becoming like a candle flame, or like moonlight. The world around her gradually became clearer as the light spread. It felt like the morning sun rising, as everything slowly awakens from its slumber, carrying the hope of new life.

"However, the world here is upside down."

"Normally, at sunrise, the sky above always lights up first, and then the light slowly shines down, gently illuminating the earth beneath our feet and draping it in a golden veil. But here, it is the 'earth' beneath our feet that lights up first, and the light spreads out from our feet, climbing upwards little by little, gradually illuminating the 'sky' above our heads. The whole process is eerie yet possesses a unique beauty."

"The wind gradually appeared at this time, at first just a weak gust of air, gently brushing against her clothes, carrying a bit of warmth. Later, the wind grew faster and faster, turning from a breeze into a gale, making her clothes flutter and the hem of her clothes rise up like a small flag."

The resistance her body encountered increased, slowing her descent. The light beneath her feet grew increasingly blinding, transforming from soft moonlight into midday sunlight. The intense light made her dizzy, her vision blurred, and she instinctively closed her eyes. She could feel her body tumbling and colliding in the gale, like a leaf out of control.

The rustling of branches and leaves around her, and the dull pain of hard objects hitting each other, came from her body hitting a tree branch. It felt as if countless tiny knives were scraping her body, causing her to furrow her brow and clench her teeth, but she didn't make a sound. She knew she had to hold on; if she relaxed, it could be the end for her.

"I don't know how much time passed, maybe a moment, maybe a long time, but the downward trend suddenly stopped. My body stopped turning over, and there was no more pain from the impact. There was only the slight sound of my clothes rubbing against the leaves."

Adorya's tense body instantly relaxed, and she gasped for breath, her chest heaving violently. Cold sweat slid down her cheeks and dripped onto the branches and leaves below. She slowly opened her eyes, and the glaring sunlight made her squint. She subconsciously shielded her eyes with her hand, and it took her a while to adjust before she slowly lowered her hand and saw her surroundings clearly.

She found herself hanging among the dense foliage of a large tree, with several thick branches intersecting to support her. Her clothes were torn in several places, and her exposed skin was covered with tiny scratches, some of which were oozing faint blood and were throbbing with pain.

She looked down at her feet and saw layers upon layers of dense tree canopies, their deep green leaves gleaming in the sunlight like a green ocean. Below that, a lush forest stretched out, countless trees rising from the ground, their branches intertwined, seemingly endless. The fresh scent of grass and trees drifted on the wind, filling her nostrils and dispelling the oppressive feeling of the darkness.

She suddenly realized that the scraping pain she had felt earlier was caused by the branches and leaves she had hit during her fall. It was these lush branches and leaves that slowed her descent, allowing her to survive and avoid being smashed to pieces. She raised her hand and gently touched the branch beside her. The rough bark felt real and warm, giving her an instant sense of relief at having survived a near-death experience.

Zuo Hezi's voice stopped abruptly, the last note carrying a lingering resonance that slowly dissipated in the studio.

Silence fell over the studio again, except for the hot pot, which continued to bubble and boil, the red oil churning and bubbles bursting, splashing tiny droplets of oil, but no one had the appetite to touch their chopsticks anymore. Xiang Nanfeng seemed engrossed in listening, but in reality, he was too lost in thought to pull himself away. He leaned forward slightly, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists, his eyes fixed on Zuo Hezi, afraid of missing a single word.

When Zuo Hezi stopped narrating, he almost immediately leaned forward and eagerly asked:

"And then? Zuo Hezi, what happened to Adora after that? Did she come down from the tree? Who did she meet?"

Xiang Nanfeng's voice carried an undisguised urgency. But Zuo Hezi's face showed a helpless smile as she gently shook her head, her eyes still warm with lingering memories: "Then Adorya came to the new world and began her new life. When Dad told this, his tone was very gentle, as if he were talking about something beautiful." She paused, her fingertips tracing the glass again, as if recalling more details, but ultimately she only sighed softly.

"A new world?"

Xiang Nanfeng's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had grasped a lifeline. His tone became increasingly excited, and a series of questions came out of his mouth at a speed that was almost impossible to keep up with:

"Is this the world we live in now? What is her new life like? Has she met anyone like us? You just said she was hanging from a big tree, where is that tree? Is it still in Sanwei Mountain? Does Sanwei Mountain exist in our world? Miss Zuo, did Professor Zuo mention any of this?"

His eyes were full of expectation as he stared intently at Zuo Hezi, as if trying to read the answer from her face. However, Zuo Hezi shook her head again, her face showing a hint of apology and regret, and her voice lowered:

"I'm sorry, Xiang Nanfeng, this is all I can do for you."

She paused, closed her eyes, and her gaze held boundless regret:

"Eighteen years ago, when my father told this story, it was already past six in the morning, and the sky was already bright. I just couldn't stay awake any longer, and I fell asleep in his arms after hearing this. I really don't know the rest of the story."

"But didn't you ask him anything after you woke up?"

Zuo Hezi shook her head:

"Perhaps today, Adorya's story is indeed a good story, but for a two-year-old like Sawako, it is clearly not as good as Momotaro's."

The atmosphere in the living room became heavy again. Steam rose from the hot pot, casting blurry beams of light that obscured the faces of the three people.

"Let me tell you what happened next," Mao west Gu Master calmly took over the conversation.