The Nightmare Experience of a Useless Person

"Girl, I'm back."

At the Bridge of Rebirth, the lantern-bearer paced back and forth, worried that the lantern would go out. He sighed a few times and then twisted his body as if being pricked by needles.

"Lord of Life and Wish, you... Alas, let's leave early, lest we delay the appointed time." The lantern-bearer bent down to check the candle flame, the firelight reflecting in her pupils like a drop of dew in the morning light.

Fortunately, everything was normal. She pouted like a cat, straightened her posture, and stood in front of Qingjun.

Like an immature girl pretending to be serious, Qingjun was amused by her and his mood relaxed a lot. "Your temperament is not like that of a divine messenger, much less like that of a divine messenger from the underworld."

The little girl was easily teased; upon hearing this, she immediately turned around, her eyes widening like the full moon.

"Who, who, who said that... How could someone who isn't a divine messenger be busy here?" She glanced guiltily at her toes, then, as if remembering something, suddenly became bolder, "Yes, I am just a nightmare, protected by the Lord of the Underworld, here to hold a lantern for the dead."

The dim candlelight flickered from side to side, and in her hands, this ghost lamp seemed like a toy her father had woven from rice straw for his children to play with.

"Hmm? Aren't you afraid I'll report the Lord of the Underworld?" Qingjun looked at her and felt that her eyes were as clear as Jiang Zhiyang's.

She laughed, seemingly extremely pleased with her own intelligence. "The God Lord has forgotten that once you cross this Bridge of Rebirth, you will lose all your memories. I refuse to believe that the God Lord will still remember a mere Nightmare Beast like me then."

I haven't forgotten, and I dare not forget.

The journey to the next life is ten miles long, totaling seven thousand one hundred and forty-three steps. Those crossing the bridge forget their mother with one step, their father with two, sisters become estranged, brothers follow one after another, affection deepens with five steps, husbands and wives are severed, blood ties are endless, even extending to descendants, gratitude is severed with eight steps, and righteousness is broken with nine, a gentleman breaks a willow branch, his intention to leave is to part…

From blood relatives to the smallest mortal, everything is forgotten within these 7,143 steps. First, love is lost, then hatred is extinguished; first sweetness is lost, then bitterness dissipates. The person crossing the bridge, unaware of anything, takes each step with increasing ease and determination, until reaching the other shore, where everything is clear and bright.

……

One step, fortunately without a mother.

Two steps, fortunately without a father.

Three steps, four steps... Qingjun hesitated to put her foot down. Would she forget Ah Wu and Ah Liu next?

Ah Wu is diligent and always acts like a little adult. When she's tired, she becomes surprisingly affectionate and loves to act cute. Then there's Ah Liu, who is very affectionate, resilient, and brave. When she smiles, even the flowers in the sea of ​​flowers seem to bloom.

However, Qingjun hasn't bought a gift for A-Liu yet. This is an unfulfilled promise between them. No, how can she forget the promise again!

"Wait!" Qingjun finally stopped in his tracks.

The lantern bearer turned his head away, looking indifferent. After all, such words were common on the Bridge of Rebirth. "Don't be afraid, and don't worry about forgetting anything. Those people and things that are hard to let go of will be severed from you from now on. You just need to move forward, and you will be at ease."

Qingjun would not go any further; at the final moment, she finally made up her mind.

"Divine messenger, do you have a name?"

Upon hearing this, the person was clearly stunned for a few seconds, and then turned around seriously and said, "Shen Yu, my name is Shen Yu."

"Shen Yu, I want to make a deal with you." Qing Jun raised his eyes, trying to reveal his true feelings, but the other person turned his eyes away.

"No need, Lord God, let's hurry on our way, we still have a long way to go."

"You must know that the Nightmare's life is short. As the spiritual power dissipates, the mind and memory will become confused, and one may even turn into a monster that eats raw meat and drinks blood. I guess you also have things you don't want to forget." Qingjun ruthlessly struck the Wind Mansion, forcibly extracting a wisp of pure soul.

"This wisp of divine soul can condense spiritual energy and protect you for a hundred years, keeping your mind clear and unharmed."

A piercing pain shot from the back of his head into his bone marrow. Qingjun quickly lost his balance, and his outstretched hand began to tremble uncontrollably.

"My Lord! I am but a Nightmare, I cannot bear this..." Shen Yu was terrified upon seeing this, and retreated repeatedly, her legs going weak and almost collapsing to her knees. "Re-entering the divine path is a great calamity for you, my Lord. It damages your divine soul and could lead to unforeseen consequences!"

It doesn't matter anymore. The masses don't need a deity like her. Their tenacious will to live will support them in their struggle against suffering, allowing them to find a way to survive on their own. Their lives have never had anything to do with deities.

"I just want to ask you, if you have a way to return to the mortal world, please go and see someone for me, see if he is... healthy," tears welled up in her eyes, but they were not bitter. "His name is Jiang Zhiyang, and he lives in a small courtyard in the bamboo forest on the outskirts of Rongcheng."

And everyone at Lok Sin Tong, Xiu Lian, have you finally found your true love from the storybooks? Ah Li, are you able to sleep peacefully every night? And Ah Yu, are your exams going well?

Qingjun really wanted to see it with his own eyes.

Shen Yu shook her head frantically, looking flustered. This deal was too good to pass up, but she didn't have the guts.

"If he... is doing well, please bring me good news in that direction." Qingjun pointed in the distance, towards Lin Mengyuan.

A direction completely opposite to the Divine Realm of Life and Destiny? What does this mean?! Could it be?! Shen Yu stood up in a panic, but it was too late…

The person leaped and tumbled off the bridge; was she courting death? Above the River of Oblivion, shrouded in mist, Shen Yu could see nothing, with only a wisp of her lost soul remaining in her hand.

The waters of the River of Oblivion rush by, and a thousand feet away, they connect with the Abyss of Dreams. Beneath the unfathomable depths of that abyss lie incorruptible remnants of spirits and skeletons, which devour everything that enters the water.

One bite, another bite... gnawing away at the outer skin, devouring the withered organs; one bite, another bite... tearing at the fragile blood vessels, letting the intense red ripple into the most vibrant scene on the abyss; one bite, another bite... letting the pain sink to the bottom of the abyss, becoming the most frantic clamor of the remnant spirit!

Let this be her punishment.

Relaxed, the heart that had not yet stopped had never felt so relaxed. Those tangled thoughts and struggling ideas, before death, had no strength left to fight back, and were gently untangled like strands of hair in water.

She would do as she pleased, following her heart. If there was still a glimmer of hope in this seemingly hopeless situation, then this time, she wanted to live for herself.

The night sky above Linmengyuan is dotted with countless stars, their shimmering light seemingly whispering countless wishes: may you sleep soundly every night and may your dreams come true. The only flaw is that the night is too quiet, so quiet that it seems as if only Qingjun is there, drifting alone.

Soon, the crimson light blurred her vision, and everything was plunged into darkness. But this made her feel less lonely. The bleak, cold wind blew Qingjun back to that winter, to that bright courtyard, to the sound of children reading aloud.

"The east wind at night releases a thousand trees of flowers, and blows down stars like rain."

Qingjun, Yu Qingjun, she murmured her name until the hazy dream ended in darkness...