Let's Never Meet Again - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“You came after all, Dong.”

In the heart of Deer City, a massive Demon Tree held its ground, and beneath it stood a woman in red.

Seeing me, her tone was as gentle as if we were merely chatting about domestic trifles.

If only we weren’t fated archenemies.

“I was always meant to come, wasn’t I?”

Vines coiled around me, pulling me before her.

The woman in red reached out, her touch soft against my cheek, her eyes seemingly brimming with a thousand layers of tenderness.

“A thousand years have passed, yet you’ve grown weak. You’ve lost a part of your spirit.”

She spoke with absolute certainty.

I remained silent.

On the day of my birth, I had run joyfully toward the human realm, my heart filled with countless yearnings for the world of men.

But I witnessed a massacre.

When the flowers of the Calamity bloomed, she stood beneath the tree, her devastating beauty luring countless immortals forward.

By the time they realized they had been deceived, they had already become nourishment for the Demon Tree.

Blood stained Deer City red.

Calamity wanted to kill me, the newborn.

I fled desperately. As I reached the outskirts of Deer City, I saw a young man standing dazed, cradling an unconscious man in his arms.

Behind me was the pursuit of Calamity; ahead was the unknown human realm.

Without hesitation, I dove directly into the tall youth’s body, following his memories until I reached a place of safety.

Then, without a hint of lingering attachment, I left the youth and plunged back into the human world I yearned for, waiting until my kin brought whispers on the wind.

Only then did I remember my responsibility.

Circulating the spiritual power throughout my body, I discovered that a part of my spirit had remained with that young man.

I wanted to turn back and find him.

But the youth’s face had already faded from my memory, and that lost fragment was nowhere to be found.

“In the end, you still fell into my hands. Look at this pale little face… it must have been hard, being away from me.”

Calamity’s red lips parted slightly as she toyed with my cheeks.

Several white Light Orbs drifted through the air, throwing themselves onto me.

“Bad woman, get away from Dong!”

“Dong, you’ve grown thin.”

“How did you end up like this? My heart aches for you, Dong.”

Chirping voices filled my ears.

Calamity’s beautiful features wrinkled slightly in a frown.

She raised a hand and swatted the Light Orbs away from me, saying softly, “These kin of yours… they’re already dead, yet they still come out to help you. What’s the point?”

The Light Orbs were knocked to the ground, shouting in anger, only to be ensnared by Calamity’s vines in the next instant.

“For thousands of years, the Spirit Clan and the Calamity Clan have been entwined in life and death. This endless fighting is so boring. But I am different from the others; we can coexist.”

“As long as you don’t interfere with me devouring the human realm.”

“This world will become a paradise for you and me.”

She embraced me, her enchanting fragrance swirling around my nose.

I spat at her.

“Who would believe you? You’re only saying this because you haven’t bloomed yet, so you can’t kill me.”

Calamity smiled.

“Dong, sometimes it’s better to live in ignorance. Haven’t the humans taught you that?”

In the next heartbeat.

A vine pierced through my abdomen.

Blood gushed out, dripping onto the ground and quickly forming a gruesome pool.

Calamity dipped a finger into the blood from my wound and smeared it across her own lips.

Stained with blood, her red lips became even more vivid.

“Honestly, we could have had a nice talk.”

“Your blood is so beautiful, though it’s like poison to my true form.”

She leaned close to my ear, whispering like a lover.

“Who is that outside the city? I saw him. Let’s invite him in.”

“We can have a heart-to-heart. After all, I watched you grow up; I’ll vet him for you. He seems very worried about you.”

“A pity he’s just a weak, incompetent human man.”

I lifted my head weakly.

The horrific wound on my abdomen began to heal slowly. The Light Orbs that had been trapped by the vines somehow broke free and merged into my body.

“Dong, it’s time to fight together again.”

“Seems like we’re missing one. Where did Xiao Wu go? Whatever, let’s just do this.”

“This time, it’s Xiao Wu’s turn to stay behind and guard the human realm.”

“Once we finish this, we’re done for good. It’ll be another few thousand years before we meet again.”

“I hope we never meet again, everyone.”

The whispered farewells of my kin echoed in my ears.

A crystal-clear sword appeared in my hand. As my strength gradually returned, I recalled all my scattered spiritual power.

A gentle smile touched the corners of my mouth.

“Calamity, after thousands of years, it seems your head is still filled with nothing but trash. It’s time we settled our old debts.”

“Even without that fragment, I can still kill you.”

Calamity covered her mouth and laughed loudly.

“Then let me see what you’re capable of.”

“Dong, if you fail to kill me, there will be a punishment.”

When Pei You charged into Deer City, he saw from a distance his junior sister locked in a fierce battle with a woman in red.

There was a terrifying pool of blood on the ground, and the white dress at his junior sister’s waist was stained crimson.

He moved to step forward with his sword, but a cluster of vines blocked his path.

Calamity glanced down and chuckled behind her hand. “Look who it is. He seems to carry a part of your spirit inside him.”

Her words made my movements falter.

My pupils dilated.

My spirit.

I looked down and saw Pei You struggling against the vines.

In an instant, I understood everything.

No wonder.

No wonder he carried the aura of an old acquaintance.

It was the very fragment of spirit I had lost.

The Calamity took advantage of my momentary distraction to strike. I raised my sword to block, forced back several steps.

“You’re more familiar with my spirit than I am,” I remarked sarcastically.

She feigned shock, then broke into a wide smile. “Really? To think I’m the one who understands you best… I’m so moved.”

If one ignored the way we were trying to kill each other, our words made it sound as if we were the best of friends.

“Stop stalling for time.”

I glanced at the Calamity’s dress, which was growing increasingly crimson. This was bad; I had to move faster.

As long as…

I looked at the Demon Tree behind her. As long as I could spill my blood upon that tree, I could kill her.

In an instant, my thoughts raced.

“Senior Brother, help me.”

Pei You was busy severing the clawing vines when his junior sister’s voice echoed in his heart. He looked up, but she didn’t even cast a glance his way.

“Go to the tree.”

The Calamity was unaware of the mental connection between Pei You and me. In truth, I had finally established contact with the remnant of my spirit still inside his body.

She let out a cold snort. “What can that little lover of yours possibly do? A tiny insect like him can only serve as my food.”

I said nothing, focusing entirely on holding her back. I just needed to give Pei You a little time.

The Calamity’s attacks grew visibly frantic; her true form sensed the threat. The blooming time was approaching-the moment when the Calamity was at her weakest.

I had arrived in the mortal realm two years after her because her kin had hindered my path. The Calamity Clan and the Spirit Clan coexist, born from the Reverse Side of the World, yet our ideologies clash, leading us to slaughter one another.

My sisters used to say the mortal realm was the most beautiful place-not just for its scenery, but for its emotions. Before the Calamity Clan harbored treacherous thoughts, the mortal realm was a paradise for our Spirit Clan. Whenever we wished, we could cross into the mortal realm through the World Rift.

The Spirit Clan loved the bustling mortal world, but the Calamity Clan preferred a desolate world; blood made their souls boil. A single Calamity could turn the mortal realm into a wasteland, leaving rivers of blood in her wake.

Unwilling to let the mortal realm become a second Reverse Side of the World-their own home having already been turned into a chaotic mess-the Spirit Clan forcibly sealed the World Rift, preventing the Calamity Clan from descending. The Rift still existed, but it could no longer support the passage of overly powerful beings.

However, the Calamity Clan did not give up. While targeting the Spirit Clan, they gathered their entire race’s strength to create a Demon Tree. Its seed fell through the Rift, taking root and sprouting in the mortal realm. The Calamity descended by parasitizing the Demon Tree; every time the tree bloomed, her power grew stronger.

Only during the blooming phase could I kill her. At that moment, the Calamity would be drawing power from the other world, leaving her true form completely exposed.

The blood of the Spirit Clan is poison to the Calamity’s true form-it is a blade, yet it is not fatal. Only the blood of one on the brink of death, in sufficient quantity and searing hot, could kill the Demon Tree.

I would die, but I had come here for the sake of death from the very beginning. Or perhaps it wasn’t death, but a return to the origin of all things.

Pei You’s body was covered in wounds from the vines as he struggled forward. When he finally reached the Demon Tree, his strength failed him.

He collapsed to the ground, his heavy breathing blurring his hearing. No more voices echoed in his heart. *What should I do?*

She hadn’t said anything else.

“Follow your heart.” The image of the tightly closed gates seemed to linger before his eyes.

Pei You used his sword to push himself up. Above him, the Demon Tree was blooming. Gaudy flowers hung from the branches, drifting down amidst the wind and snow. He could feel his sword trembling-it was afraid, hesitating.

“Don’t wimp out now. At worst, it’s just a life,”

He patted his old partner. Then, with every ounce of strength he possessed, he plunged the sword into the trunk of the Demon Tree.

Instantly, a brilliant light erupted.

The Calamity whipped her head around, her face twisting into a hideous mask. She glared at me with pure hatred.

“He will die! To think you would use someone else’s life to achieve your goals… You’ve changed, Dong.”

My sword dissipated into the air.

“I have never changed.”

“And he will not die.”

“Spring is coming.”

I gave a smile of relief and transformed into a ball of light, charging toward the Demon Tree. Behind me, the snowflakes wove into a sturdy net, trapping the Calamity. She couldn’t struggle; with her true form suffering, she was like a rabbit waiting for the slaughter.

“No!”

A wretched scream erupted behind me.

I slumped against the Demon Tree, my heart pierced by an ice sword. Crimson blood gushed onto the trunk. My snow-white hair was stained red. I no longer had the strength to stand, so I simply lay there against the trunk, waiting for my life to end.

Pei You’s sword had shattered completely the moment it pierced the trunk. He lay nearby, brilliant red petals scattered over him, greedily absorbing his vitality.

The wretched screams continued to echo in his ears.

*She succeeded,* Pei You thought.

Suddenly, a Light Orb rolled out from the withered vines. It bounced onto Pei You in a daze and shouted into his ear.

“Dong! The Calamity is dead! We’ve succeeded once again!”

“It’ll be another few thousand years before we meet again.”

Pei You gasped for air, his vision darkening. “I’m not Dong… Go… go check on her.”

The Light Orb seemed to finally realize its mistake. It let out a loud shriek.

“Waaaaah! I got the wrong person! Why do you have Dong’s scent on you?!”

Silence fell over his ears once more.

A surge of strength welled up within Pei You, flowing from his heart to his limbs. He shook his head and moved his body.

He felt his mind clear slightly.

What was happening?

He had clearly felt like he was on the verge of death.

Where did this sudden burst of power come from?

He stumbled to his feet, and then he saw his junior sister beneath the tree.

Her face was so pale.

Her body was gradually becoming transparent, with only the ice sword in her chest emitting a chilling frost.

“Junior Sister!”

Pei You knelt before her, his eyes nearly bursting from their sockets.

I drifted into a hazy dream, as if I had returned to the sect. Senior Sister was feeding me osmanthus cakes, and Senior Brother was still fiercely declaring he would kill me.

Master always stood to the side with a kind, benevolent expression, watching us fuss.

Actually, I lied to him. The Calamity cannot leave the Demon Tree, nor can she sense where I am.

I just wanted to freeload at the sect for food and drinks, and while I was at it, persuade the others not to go to Deer City to throw their lives away.

Just a little longer. As long as we wait for the Demon Tree to bloom once more, peace will return to the mortal world, and the sect will only lose a lazy, gluttonous little junior sister.

Then, I saw Wu Town again.

Spring had arrived.

Wu Town was filled with brilliant flowers everywhere. Children with joyful smiles ran back and forth through the streets.

I couldn’t help but let a smile surface.

Immediately, I was pulled back to reality by Pei You’s cries.

At a loss, he tried to pull the sword from my chest, only to find it was already useless.

“It’s no use, Senior Brother. I’m about to leave.”

I softened my tone.

“Don’t pull such a long face. Smile. I want to see you smile.”

Pei You forced a very ugly smile.

“Junior Sister, don’t do this to me, please. Not like this.”

I suddenly felt a strong urge to smooth his furrowed brow.

“This is my fate, Senior Brother. My short life was all for this moment. I’m a hero, you know? I protected everyone…”

I murmured.

“I am happy.”

Warm tears fell onto my face.

Pei You’s eyes were wet.

“Don’t cry, Senior Brother. Didn’t you once vow to kill me?”

I couldn’t help but tease him.

He whispered, “My sword is already broken.”

I reached up with my hand.

Pei You lowered his head.

I smiled, stroking his brow.

“While the spring air is fresh, go and enjoy a more brilliant life.”

“Senior Brother, I hope we…”

“Never meet again.”

Pei You watched as his junior sister looked into the distance, then closed her eyes. Her body dissolved into specks of light, vanishing into the air.

He stood frozen in place for a long time.

Then, he covered his face.

“I hate spring,” he muttered.

“Junior Sister, why are you so cruel to me…”

***

The snow stopped.

The Light Orb rolled over to Pei You’s feet.

“Don’t be sad, human.”

“Do you know what it means for Dong to reappear?”

“The Calamity will descend again, and the mortal world will fall into chaos once more.”

Pei You picked up the Light Orb.

“Why are you still here?”

The Light Orb sighed.

“My name is Xiao Wu.”

“One of us has to stay behind in the mortal world every time. This time, it’s my turn.”

He scrutinized the Light Orb. “Why did it have to be her who coexists with the Calamity?”

The Light Orb was more than happy to talk a bit more with this human, as he still carried the lingering trace of Dong’s spirit on him.

“It’s not just her, but them. Spirits like Dong are special; she is not the only one. Strength is a blessing, but also a shackle.”

“Spirits like us can’t even take human form; we can only do odd jobs. As a human, Dong is already dead.”

“However, as a spirit, she has merely returned to the place of her birth along with the Calamity.”

The Light Orb did not say the second half of that sentence.

She would sleep forever until the next time the Calamity descended upon the world; only then would Dong awaken with it.

This was the price of power. Death was not the end for the Spirit Clan; slumber was.

Light flickered in Pei You’s eyes. He asked excitedly, “Where is that place?”

The Light Orb, being squeezed painfully, broke free.

“You can’t go there, and neither can I. It’s very, very far away-the Reverse Side of the World.”

It seemed to recall something, and its tone shifted.

“However, you carry a fragment of Dong’s spirit within you. You might be able to follow that trace, find a crack in the world, and reach the Reverse Side of the World.”

“But I wouldn’t recommend it. You’ll likely die.”

Pei You picked up the bracelet his junior sister had left on the ground-the one she had always worn.

He tucked it into his robes.

It was as if he had found a purpose.

“I’m going to the Reverse Side of the World.”

“We promised… we’d keep walking until the end.”

Watching the man’s receding back, Xiao Wu rolled around on the ground, soaking in the warmth of spring.

“Xiao Wu, you’re too wicked,” a voice chirped. “How could you trick him like that while Dong is sleeping?”

“Dong will be angry when she wakes up.”

“Shh, I’m just testing his sincerity,” Xiao Wu replied. “The storybooks say that men in the mortal world are the least trustworthy of all.”

“Besides, he has a part of Dong’s spirit in him. Maybe he really can wake her up.”

“But humans are so fragile. It feels like he’ll die very easily.”

“He knows that better than anyone. He’s simply doing it willingly.”

(The End)