Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

The Lake of Life still lay there peacefully, its waters shimmering with tiny golden sparkles in the afternoon sun.

On the edge of the lake, a tall, slender figure was coiled around the thick branches of an ancient tree, its head bowed and its eyes half-closed.

Its tail swayed slowly, as if it had sensed something, or perhaps it was waiting for something.

Xiao Wu stopped at the lakeside: "Da Ming."

The Azure Bull Python slowly raised its head, its calm, water-like snake eyes falling on Xiao Wu for a moment, as if to confirm that she was indeed whole and without any missing parts.

Then it spoke, its voice deep and steady: "Sister Xiaowu, you're back."

Chapter 579 Departure

"Ah."

Xiao Wu nodded and sat down on the smooth rock by the lake where she used to sit often; she was a little tired.

Although she still had a smile on her face, a thin layer of fatigue was hidden deep in her pink eyes.

Da Ming didn't press her about what she had experienced outside; he simply lowered his head quietly and turned his gaze back to the lake.

"The auspicious beast is on the other side of the lake."

Xiao Wu followed its gaze and saw a familiar figure lying on the dark green boulder. The nine-colored light rose and fell steadily like breathing, and even across the lake, it could be seen to gleam with a warm glow in the afternoon sun.

Xiao Wu stood up and walked in that direction.

As she approached, the Nine-Colored Deer slowly opened its eyes. Its clear, glass-like eyes fell on Xiao Wu's face, making no extra movements, simply watching her quietly.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the tree canopy, coating the nine-colored deer's shimmering surface with tiny golden specks that undulated gently with its breath.

Xiao Wu stopped in front of the dark green boulder. She looked at the nine-colored deer, at those clear eyes that were as clear as ever, and spoke in a softer voice than she had expected: "My Lord Beast, I'm back."

The nine-colored deer slightly raised its head. An extremely soft nine-colored stream of light rose from between its antlers, like a thin veil fluttering in the wind, silently drifting towards Xiao Wu and enveloping her entirely.

The moment the light touched her body, a warm, gentle sensation spread from her shoulders, flowing slowly down her spine, as if countless invisible hands were gently caressing the muscles that had been taut from days of travel.

Xiao Wu could feel the soreness deep in her shoulder blades dissolving little by little, and the tension that she could never fully relax when tossing and turning at night was slowly loosening, as if something was smoothing out the folds that had been repeatedly folded.

Welcome back.

The Nine-Colored Deer's voice remained ethereal and gentle, like the sound of a mountain stream flowing over smooth pebbles.

Xiao Wu stood in that layer of nine-colored light, closed her eyes, and let the warmth spread throughout her body.

She felt her breathing was deeper than before. The sharp edges that had been repeatedly honed in the flames of war seemed to be enveloped by something at this moment. Although they hadn't completely disappeared, at least for the time being, she didn't need to constantly touch their sharpness.

She opened her eyes, sat down beside the nine-colored deer, lay down on her side against its warm fur, and buried her face in the soft fur that shimmered with nine-colored light.

The crisp yet warm scent filled her nostrils, mingling with the moist air from the lakeside and the fragrance of grass and trees, completely relaxing her slightly tense shoulders.

The nine-colored deer did not move, but lay there quietly, letting her lean against it.

Its breathing slowed slightly compared to before, as if it were also getting used to her presence beside it.

The water on the lake flowed slowly, reflecting the sky above, which was fragmented by the tree canopy, into tiny specks of light.

Xiao Wu lay on her side, her gaze fixed on the shimmering light and shadow on the water's surface, and remained silent for a long time.

She could feel her heartbeat gradually slowing down, becoming more synchronized with the sounds of the Starry Sky Forest around her.

She didn't know how long she had been lying by the lake. Maybe half an hour, maybe longer.

When she sat up again, the angle of the sunlight had shifted slightly, and the golden dappled sunlight filtering through the tree canopy had moved from her feet to her knees.

Xiao Wu patted the fine grass clippings off her robe, stood up, and walked towards the Ming Dynasty.

Erming was still squatting under the ancient tree by the lake. When he saw Xiaowu stand up, he also stood up, and the ground trembled slightly from his heavy footsteps.

The Great Ming still coiled around the trunk of the ancient tree, its ox head bowed and its snake eyes half-closed, as if it had never moved.

Its tail drooped to the edge of the lake, the tip of which would occasionally sway gently, creating fine ripples on the water's surface.

Xiao Wu walked over and sat down beside its gnarled trunk, leaning against the bark smoothed by time: "Da Ming, would you like to hear about what's happening outside?"

Da Ming slowly opened his snake eyes, his calm, watery gaze falling on her face, without giving an immediate answer.

After a few breaths, it spoke again, its voice still deep and steady: "Speak."

Xiao Wu leaned against the tree trunk, her gaze fixed on the lake: "I went to the North and joined Lady Eva's army. I fought in several battles... At first, I thought the battlefield was all about killing enemies, making contributions, and climbing the ranks. I thought that as long as I did well enough, I could get close to my goal quickly. But I later found out that it wasn't like that."

She paused, as if organizing her thoughts: "War is slow; most of the time is spent waiting. Waiting for orders, waiting for supplies, waiting for the weather to improve, waiting for the enemy to make a mistake first. The actual time spent fighting isn't that much."

Da Ming listened quietly without saying a word.

"I've killed people," Xiao Wu said, her voice lowering.

“There were many. There were soldiers from the Spirit Hall, and also... those young people who were just sent to the front lines and didn’t even know why they were fighting. When I killed them, I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t feel any pleasure or sadness. It was like I was doing something that had to be done.”

She spoke a little slower than before when she said the last sentence, as if she was using her voice to confirm the weight of her words.

Da Ming was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Sister Xiao Wu, do you regret it?"

Xiao Wu didn't answer immediately. She looked down at her hands, her fingertips long and slender, gleaming warmly in the afternoon sunlight, without any visible marks.

But only she knew that those sensations remained in her memory.

“No regrets,” she finally said. “If I had to choose again, I would still go to the North and do those things. It’s just… not as urgent.”

Da Ming didn't ask any further questions and closed his snake eyes again.

Xiao Wu stayed by the lake for a while.

Sometimes she sat beside the winding trunk of the tree, sometimes she squatted on the huge palm of the tree and swung her legs, and sometimes she lay beside the Nine-Colored Deer and looked at the sky, watching the sky, which was cut into pieces by the tree canopy, slowly change color as the sunlight moved.

She doesn't need to say anything particularly important; she just needs to stay by their side.

Every day, Erming would go into the woods and pick a handful of fruit to place beside her. Some of the fruit were big, some were small, some were sweet, and some were sour. When they were piled together, they emitted a fragrance that was a mixture of grass and wood.

Xiao Wu eats a few every day, and after eating, she leans against the tree trunk to sleep.

Da Ming never asked her about the situation outside, but occasionally when she mentioned a place name or the name of an army, it would slightly open its snake eyes, as if storing that information in a storage location known only to itself.

Sometimes the Nine-Colored Deer would gently touch her forehead, and each time it did, a faint nine-colored halo would briefly light up and then disappear on her forehead.

Xiao Wu didn't know what it was, but she could feel that after being touched, her mind would always be clearer than before, and even the distracting thoughts that had accumulated on the battlefield would be diluted.

A few days later, when Xiao Wu woke up on the grass under an ancient tree, the sunlight fell on her face, warm and gentle, with a mild, late autumn feel.

She lay there for a while, looking at the sky above her, which was cut into tiny shapes by the branches and leaves. Then she sat up, gathered the fruit pits scattered at her feet, and buried them in the soil next to the tree roots.

Then she stood up and patted the grass clippings and dirt off her robes.

"Da Ming, Er Ming, Lord Rui Shou..." Xiao Wu's voice was soft, but it carried clearly to every direction along the lake shore. "I should go back now."

Da Ming slowly opened his snake eyes, his gaze falling on her. He paused for a few moments, then closed them again without saying a word.

Erming stood up from under the ancient tree, rubbing his huge hands nervously in front of him: "Sister Xiaowu, you've only been back for a short while..."

“I know.” Xiao Wu walked up to it and patted its thick knuckles. “But my leave is almost up, and…”

She paused, her voice softening slightly, "I haven't finished that thing yet."

Erming didn't try to persuade her anymore. It simply lowered its head and gently touched Xiaowu's shoulder with its rough forehead. The touch was so light that it didn't even smooth out the wrinkles in her robes.

The nine-colored deer stood up from the dark green boulder, walked to Xiao Wu, lowered its head, and gently touched her forehead with its warm nose.

A more condensed nine-colored light entered Xiao Wu's body from the tip of its nose. It was not a brief touch, but a continuous infusion process, as if it was trying to leave something inside her.

Xiao Wu closed her eyes and felt that warmth was more abundant than ever before.

Those tiny, hidden wounds left on the battlefield, which she herself hadn't even fully noticed, began to slowly heal under the nine-colored light.

She could feel the stagnation accumulated in the corners of her meridians being pushed away little by little, as if someone was using warm water to wash away those forgotten corners.

When she opened her eyes, the nine-colored deer had already retreated to its original position.

Xiao Wu didn't say much.

She turned and walked towards the edge of the forest, her steps light and quick, less hurried and more composed than when she came. Erming stood by the lake, watching her retreating figure, his large hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, but ultimately he didn't chase after her.

As the trees at the edge of the Starry Sky Forest gradually thinned out, a pink figure emerged from the forest and stepped onto the official road leading to Bright Moon City.

The trees on both sides of the official road had lost all their leaves, and their bare branches stretched out against the gray-white horizon.

The wind blew from the northern plains, carrying the scent of dry dust and withered grass.

Xiao Wu walked steadily northward along the official road. Her leave was coming to an end, and she needed to return to the army to report for duty and get back to the daily affairs she hadn't finished when she left.

Her revenge is yet to come. Bibi Dong still sits on that throne, and the Martial Soul Sect continues its steady expansion in the south. She won't stop until all of this is truly over.

……

The layout of the streets in the west of Mingyue City is completely different from that in the east.

Here, instead of the neat rows of government offices and commercial streets in the east of the city, there are scattered independent residences.

Each house reflects the style of its owner; some have walls covered with hardy vines, some have neatly trimmed holly bushes in front of their doors, and some are simply plain wooden doors with no paint on them.

Goth's residence was the most inconspicuous of them all.

From the outside, it looks like an ordinary courtyard with gray brick walls, a dark wooden door, and no markings on the lintel.

But those who know her well know that every inch of space within those walls has been carefully arranged, and any unintentional touch may trigger some subtle reactions.

Ning Rongrong stood in front of the door, checked the door number, and then raised her hand to knock on the door.

The knocking sounded abrupt in the quiet alley. She waited a moment, and then footsteps came from inside, unhurried, as if the person coming out wasn't in a hurry to find out who it was.

The door was pulled open a crack, revealing half of Ge Duo's face.

Today she was wearing a dark gray casual outfit, lacking the formality of her usual dark purple dress, making her look much more relaxed. However, the gaze she cast through the crack in the door still carried the usual scrutinizing quality.

Ge Duo's gaze lingered on Ning Rongrong for a moment, and then the door was fully opened.

"Come in."

Ning Rongrong followed her through the porch and into the courtyard.

The courtyard was small, with a row of wooden shelves against the wall, neatly stacked with various medicine jars and bottles. Sunlight shone on the glass containers, refracting into tiny specks of light.

In the corner of the wall grew several plants whose names Ning Rongrong couldn't recall; their leaves shimmered with a luster different from ordinary green in the dim light.

Ge Duo sat down on a bamboo chair and gestured for Ning Rongrong to sit down as well.

Ning Rongrong sat down opposite her, with a low table between them, on which sat an empty teacup and an overturned teapot.