novelraw Chapter 981: The Scale
Chapter 981: The Scale
“Seems like you’ve heard of me, little brother?”
Lord Longyang’s question was direct, as if wanting to confirm whether he was truly known.
“I’ve read about you in history books,” Luo Qiu replied after a moment, primarily because Lord Longyang had not moved closer, maintaining a distance just beyond Luo Qiu’s guard range.
Lord Longyang nodded, sighing wistfully, “The last time I left this dimensional rift, it was during the Zhenguan era. I wonder, little brother, what era is it for you now?”
“Zhenguan?” Luo Qiu raised an eyebrow.
“Indeed.” Lord Longyang nodded, then asked, “Have you heard of Li Taibai?”
“Li… what?” Luo Qiu blinked.
Lord Longyang, reminiscing, said, “Li Taibai, also known as ‘Resident of the Green Lotus,’ was one of the most talented people I’ve ever met. ‘Fine horses, splendid furs, call the boy to bring fine wine; together, we’ll wash away eternal sorrow.’”
He recited softly, his gaze growing tender. “Drinking with Brother Taibai under the moonlight was one of life’s greatest joys. The moonlight then… was so beautiful.”
Beautiful moonlight, really?What was your relationship, exactly?
Why are you wearing that bashful expression?
If this conversation continues, I feel like every modern language textbook will need to be shredded…
“Apologies, I’ve only read about you in history books,” Luo Qiu responded calmly. “The era I come from is over a thousand years after Zhenguan.”
Lord Longyang sighed deeply, his eyes momentarily brimming with tears, exuding a mournful and poetic aura. But this is a man!
However, the sorrow quickly dissipated, replaced by a radiant smile. “Past events are but fleeting memories, little brother. But now it’s time. Let’s check on this Void Abyss Demon, shall we?”
“Void Abyss Demon?” Luo Qiu glanced at the deep pit where the creature had burrowed earlier. “That?”
“Yes.” Lord Longyang nodded seriously and asked, “Do you know how a Void Abyss Demon is formed?”
“I’m all ears.”
Lord Longyang explained, “They are formed from the lingering obsessions of living beings after death. As Void Abyss Demons, they lose their original thoughts and emotions, becoming entirely different entities. However, the obsessions from their past lives remain. It’s like a void in their hearts that compels them to devour endlessly, attempting to fill that void. But since this void isn’t truly part of the Void Abyss Demon—it belongs to their former selves—it can never be filled. Thus, they act on pure instinct, perpetually driven by this hunger.”
As Lord Longyang finished, a slight tremor emerged from the pit, as if something was rising from below.
A massive, elongated form appeared, resembling the giant insectoid Void Abyss Demon Luo Qiu had seen earlier. However, this one was covered in fine scales. It looked more like a serpent.
What was stranger was that the serpent’s head bore Joan’s face—her body seamlessly fused with the original Void Abyss Demon. Or rather, the lower half of Joan’s body had completely transformed into the serpent’s massive tail. Scales also covered her arms and torso.
“What a filthy true soul,” Lord Longyang commented, glancing upward. “It’s managed to dominate the original host. Little brother, is this who you’re looking for?”
Luo Qiu stared at the fused form of Joan and the Void Abyss Demon and asked, “Can devoured true souls ever dominate the original Void Abyss Demon?”
Lord Longyang nodded. “It’s rare, but it happens. After all, Void Abyss Demons aren’t formed overnight. For a newcomer to take control of an established one is no easy feat… Judging by its energy fluctuations, this new Void Abyss Demon is nearing maturity as a Void Ancestral Entity. Its rapid growth shows great potential.”
Joan’s eyes, now serpentine, glinted coldly. Her hands had turned into sharp blades, and fangs protruded from her lips.
“Little brother, may I take this Void Ancestral Entity?” Lord Longyang suddenly asked.
Luo Qiu gave him a puzzled look.
Lord Longyang drew his sword, pointing it at the serpent-like Void Abyss Demon. He smiled and said, “It’s just a minor task. We’re each required to bring back Void Abyss Demons or Void Ancestral Entities. This variant alone is worth several ordinary ones—it’ll save a lot of trouble.”
“Oh?”
Lord Longyang chuckled, turning back with a captivating smile. “Once this is settled, you can visit my residence. I’ll answer your questions, and I’d love to hear about the modern world.”
“... Let’s handle this first,” Luo Qiu said ambiguously, his gaze shifting to the Void Abyss Demon.
Lord Longyang smiled again before leaping gracefully into the air. His crimson robes flared like a blooming flower as his sword glimmered with deadly elegance.
It was said that Lord Longyang, the renowned swordmaster of Wei, possessed peerless swordsmanship. Luo Qiu didn’t know swordsmanship, but he observed closely nonetheless.
Standing atop a towering stone pillar, Lord Longyang faced the massive serpent-like Void Abyss Demon without fear.
With a swift strike, his sword created hundreds of marks across the demon’s body in an instant.
The Void Abyss Demon let out a piercing wail.
Luo Qiu could barely discern any trace of Joan in the creature’s distorted features. He watched silently as Lord Longyang subdued the Void Abyss Demon without killing it, confirming his intent to capture it alive.
The dimensional rift… This must be the stronghold of the Transcendents. Lord Longyang is likely one of them.
Though Luo Qiu was curious about why these Transcendents were capturing Void Abyss Demons, he had no intention of leaving Song Haoran and Song Ying waiting too long in the mirrored world.
Something about Song Haoran’s personality suggested trouble was inevitable.
---
When the serpent-like Void Abyss Demon finally collapsed with a resounding thud, wailing in defeat, Lord Longyang sheathed his sword with practiced ease.
He ran a hand through his hair, smiled, and opened his palm. A black vortex emerged, sucking the Void Abyss Demon inside.
Satisfied, Lord Longyang descended gracefully and said, “Little brother, sorry to keep you waiting. Now then, where…?”
As he landed, Luo Qiu was nowhere to be seen.
Lord Longyang looked around in astonishment but found no trace of the other. He hadn’t even noticed when the young man had left.
“It seems this young man truly has extraordinary talents,” Lord Longyang said to himself with a smile, his tone filled with anticipation. “I’m already looking forward to our next encounter. It’s been so long since I’ve met someone so captivating.”
As he spoke, he suddenly slapped his forehead with regret. “Ah, I forgot to ask for his name!”
...
After quietly leaving, Luo Qiu quickly moved to another massive floating wasteland.
He had used some measures to leave, so Lord Longyang likely wouldn’t be able to track him.
Even so, Luo Qiu couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling.
If the tendency to attract trouble began when he became the club owner, then why was he recently encountering men who seemed to have a particular interest in other men?
Shaking off the thought, Luo Qiu soon found the white-clad Joan, who had fallen into the dimensional rift from the mirrored world.
Unlike hoodie Joan, white-clad Joan was relatively lucky; she didn’t encounter any Void Abyss Demons after falling.
When Luo Qiu found her, she was wandering alone in the wasteland. She hadn’t given up searching for Paul, though she might not even know that Paul had also been thrown into the dimensional rift.
Her actions seemed to transcend reason; they were driven by sheer determination.
Luo Qiu followed behind her for a long distance, observing her wandering. Eventually, Joan stopped, found a spot, and sat down.
She buried her face in her knees, hugging her legs tightly.
Everything around was gray and lifeless, devoid of day and night. She was utterly alone.
After a while, she seemed to hear footsteps and raised her head hurriedly, shouting, “Paul… is that you?”
To her surprise, it was not Paul but the enigmatic young man who had seen through her true identity.
“You too…” she muttered in astonishment.
“I hope I didn’t disturb your rest,” Luo Qiu said as he approached her, looking down.
Dust had settled on her face, likely from the wasteland, and the grime had mingled with tears, creating smudges that looked like melted makeup.
Joan was undeniably a delicate beauty, regardless of the time or place.
“Were you thrown down here too?”
Luo Qiu looked at her in surprise. If his memory served correctly, she should have been able to hear his earlier conversation with Alaya.
If she had understood the meaning of their dialogue, she should have known that Alaya wouldn’t have thrown Luo Qiu into the rift.
Seeing his expression, Joan looked apologetic and said, “I’m sorry. At that moment, I wasn’t paying attention to you two. I was too focused on calming Paul, who was terrified.”
In her world, amidst the chaos, her sole concern had been Paul.
Luo Qiu crouched down, took out a clean handkerchief, and gently wiped the dirt off Joan’s face. “Have you found your answer?”
Joan froze.
She didn’t know how long she had been wandering the wasteland, only that she was utterly exhausted, forcing herself to sit down and rest.
Luo Qiu began cleaning the other side of her face. Joan opened her mouth to speak but seemed at a loss.
“It’s fine,” Luo Qiu said softly. “It’s quiet here, and quietness helps clear the mind. Answers aren’t always necessary.”
“And Paul…?” she asked hesitantly, with a glimmer of hope.
“I didn’t see him when I came down,” Luo Qiu replied.
Joan let out a long sigh of relief, then curled up again. Though her face was now clean, she still looked weary. She murmured, “I wonder how Paul is doing now. Will she treat him well…”
“Do you think she won’t?” Luo Qiu asked suddenly.
Joan shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s just that if it were me…”
She shook her head again, then looked at Luo Qiu with a bitter smile. “Actually, I’ve met many Pauls.”
Luo Qiu adopted a listening posture.
Joan continued softly, “Some were just born, so small their eyes hadn’t even opened. Others were learning to walk, bouncing around...”
Her eyes lit up with pride as she subconsciously grabbed Luo Qiu’s arm. “They’re all amazing—some love painting, some love singing.”
She smiled. “And some are Paul’s age, mischievous and giggling at me…”
But as she recalled these memories, she fell silent and shook her head again. “But they’re not my Paul. I know it. I’m certain. They all have their own mothers.”
Luo Qiu sat down beside her.
“Do you know, when you asked if I was truly Paul’s mother, I was terrified,” Joan said, resting her chin on her knees, staring into the distance. “I was scared… scared I’d failed again.”
“Is that why you appeared before Paul at the airport?” Luo Qiu asked, watching her closely. “Because you knew his real mother wasn’t there?”
“I didn’t mean to,” she replied, her voice trembling. “I just… I just… I never intended to take someone else’s child. I know the pain of losing a child. I just wanted to see him again, just once. I kept telling myself, convincing myself… that maybe Paul, like me, had made a jump that day. That’s the only way I could keep going…”
Her voice broke, and she sobbed, “I’ll find him… I will. He’s waiting for me.”
“Would you like an answer?” Luo Qiu asked softly.
Startled, Joan hesitated. “If… if I could, I’d rather keep jumping through different dimensions until… until the day I find him. I think I’d go crazy. Am I foolish?”
Luo Qiu gazed at her, flipping his handkerchief to a clean side and gently wiping her tears.
“You’ve traveled through countless dimensions and met many children,” he said gently. “Without a doubt, if you wanted to replace one of them, you could have lived a happy life, couldn’t you?”
Joan’s lips quivered, trembling slightly.
“But you never did, did you?” Luo Qiu continued softly. “Even though your love for Paul surpasses your own life, you couldn’t bear to take someone else’s child.”
He extended his hand, and a faint glow appeared in his palm, gradually expanding.
Within the pure white light, a tiny life began to take form. Though its features weren’t fully developed, it was unmistakably a complete life.
Joan’s trembling hand reached out to touch the glowing life but pulled back just before contact.
Suddenly, she heard the heartbeat of the tiny life—a sound perfectly in sync with her own.
Her tears continued to flow as she stood frozen, entranced.
“He is Paul too,” Luo Qiu said softly. “Though he never truly saw the world, he was here.”
Looking at her, Luo Qiu added, “In countless dimensions, for every Joan blessed by fortune, there’s one burdened by misfortune. Perhaps you belong to the latter, but even so, you’ve never stolen another’s happiness to rewrite your own.”
He smiled warmly. “For someone like you, no matter what fate has thrown at you, at least here… there is a bit of fortune reserved for you. Will you accept it?”
"Why..." she stared blankly at the mysterious young man.
"Maybe because I'm a bit freer now," Luo Qiu replied with a faint smile.
As he spoke, he gently placed the glowing orb in his palm—containing the essence of an unborn life—onto Joan's abdomen.
Bit by bit, the light merged into Joan's body.
Joan instinctively hugged her abdomen, staring blankly as if lost in thought.
"Go on," Luo Qiu said with a wave of his hand. "Rebalance the scales of fortune and misfortune. The fortunate side has been disrupted far too much, so let the unfortunate side make up for it. The world won't hold anything against you."
...
The dim and gray tones of the dimensional rift faded from Joan's view in an instant.
Like a projection changing scenes, the desolate wasteland was replaced by lush greenery. When Joan regained her senses, she found herself in a tranquil park.
She was sitting on a bench.
Before her stood a blue-haired, blue-eyed girl—Alaya.
This was a world that once had Joan but no longer did... one of the countless timelines where the fortunate Joan lived.
[Universal Manager Alaya, Designation 041, at your service.]
A dream... is this a dream?
She wondered.
Gently placing her hand on her abdomen, Joan’s tears fell in large droplets. "Truly... thank you so much."
(End of Chapter)
1. Qinglian Jushi (青莲居士): "Resident of the Green Lotus." This is one of the pen names of Li Bai, symbolizing purity and detachment, akin to a lotus growing unstained in muddy water.
2. Li Taibai (李太白) was a renowned Tang dynasty poet known for his romantic and transcendent style.
3. Zhenguan (贞观): The reign title of Emperor Taizong of Tang (627–649 CE), often considered a golden age of governance and culture in Chinese history.