The tide of threads swallowed everything in sight, glowing crimson like flames, like blood. The sky turned pitch black, and the ground was engulfed in an endless sea of fire. Trapped in the small, enclosed world of the embroidered tapestry, Han Nü howled in agony. No matter how serene or graceful she appeared before others, Tan Yin knew that deep inside, this was her true heart. She had been trapped in this moment, struggling in torment.
Tan Yin recalled how Han Nü had once cried out to her in the divine realm: “What am I supposed to do with my hatred?!”
A-Chu was dead. She was a mortal, gone to her next life, her ties to this one severed forever. No one could reach her now. Han Nü’s hatred, however, would remain here for eternity, festering, taking root, and eventually spilling over onto the innocent.
This was Han Nü's tribulation, one that had no solution. It is a tribulation that began the day she became a goddess, bringing her nothing but despair.
Tan Yin looked around, and the illusion had ended. All that remained was the swirling, thick, black resentment, and at the center of it were those blood-red, flame-like threads, with Han Nü's agonized wails echoing from within, her voice hoarse and sorrowful.
Tan Yin had found the rift in this miniature world.
She closed her eyes tightly, gathering what little divine power she had left, shaping it into massive scissor-like blades, and without hesitation, she slashed at the threads. In the blink of an eye, the threads were cut and fell away, revealing the blood-soaked, shadowy figure beneath.
For over five thousand years, Han Nü’s heart had been trapped on the pyre, repeatedly burned. Her clouded eyes gazed blankly into some distant, unseen place. Was it the small wooden house on that mountain from long ago? She had been waiting for A-Chu to return, but in the end, all she received was betrayal. It was likely the profound emotions she clung to that sustained her during the torment, and when she learned the truth, she became trapped in the flames, unable to escape.
"Han Nü!"
Tan Yin summoned all her strength to call out to her. The figure on the pyre wavered and slowly turned her head, meeting Tan Yin’s gaze with vacant eyes.
"A-Chu is dead!" Tan Yin shouted, struggling to find the words to reach her. "I’m not A-Chu either! Wake up! It’s been five thousand years! Why can’t you let go of yourself?"
There was no response. Han Nü’s eyes shifted away, continuing to stare blankly into the distance.
With a long sigh, Tan Yin sent the scissor-shaped divine power swiftly toward the figure consumed by flames. A loud, tearing sound filled the air, as if the very fabric of reality had been ripped apart. Accompanied by Han Nü's incredulous scream, the black and crimson sky split open, revealing the bright sunlight from beyond this small, enclosed world.
She could leave now.
Tan Yin gently touched her wrist, the sensation of the cold snowflakes from that illusionary snowfield still vivid.
Tai He, let’s leave together!
In the enclosed world, there was no day or night, no sense of time passing. By the time Tan Yin broke free from the tapestry, it was already deep into the night outside. The sky was dim, with only a few stars faintly visible. She could faintly sense that this was not Mount Xiangqu, but another familiar mountain—the one where Han Nü and A-Chu had once lived.
A gentle night breeze brushed her cheek, accompanied by a soft sigh.
“You managed to get out,” a low male voice said—it was Tang Hua’s voice.
Tan Yin’s entire body tensed. She quickly turned and saw Tang Hua, dressed in purple, standing at the edge of a cliff. The wind lifted his clothes and hair as he pressed a hand to his chest. When he noticed her looking, he smiled faintly and lowered his sleeve—revealing a large hole in his chest, from which red demonic power and golden divine energy flowed, intertwined.
Was Han Nü still possessing Tang Hua?
Tan Yin cautiously floated backward, staring at him in silence and uncertainty. The hole in his chest—was it because she had shattered the miniature world? Could it be that the tapestry didn’t just contain Han Nü’s resentment, but also part of her soul sealed within it?
Han Nü glanced down at the gaping hole in her chest, as if smiling bitterly. “So, you found that place... How did you find it?”
“… Tai He told me,” Tan Yin replied slowly.
Han Nü laughed mockingly. “So, he hasn’t completely vanished, leaving part of his soul within the tapestry? I never expected his feelings for you to run so deep.”
Tan Yin remained silent. No words from Han Nü could hurt her anymore or shake her resolve.
She observed Han Nü carefully. Perhaps Han Nü hadn't possessed Tang Hua at random—there was only one reason: Han Nü’s original body had already completely disintegrated. Her divine consciousness, having turned demonic, remained, so she took over Tang Hua’s body, using it to deceive Tan Yin.
However, Tang Hua's body was also deteriorating. To make it easier to consume Tai He and Tan Yin's souls, Han Nü must have sealed part of her divine consciousness in the tapestry, and now that this portion had been completely destroyed, even she hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.
“You’re not going to last much longer,” Tan Yin said coldly. “You’ll fade into oblivion before I do, and I’ll witness it with my own eyes.”
Han Nü began to laugh, her eyes filled with bitterness and hatred. “You hate me that much? Why do you hate me? Haven’t I treated you well? Even in death, you won’t grant me the mercy to find peace…”
“Look closely. I am not A-Chu.”
Han Nü clenched her lips tightly, suddenly turning toward the distant village at the base of the mountain. She raised her hand, and with a wave of her sleeve, the entire village was instantly engulfed in flames. Soon after, the sound of screams and cries for help echoed up the mountainside, carried by the wind.
Han Nü smiled, a look of satisfaction on her face, relishing in the sound of their suffering.
“I used to live here,” she murmured softly. “I hate everything about this place. Now, I’m no longer a goddess, and I can end it all with my own hands.”
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