Chapter 48: There Is No Living Like This

Chapter 48: This Life Is Impossible to Continue

In the Astral Realm, the sound of painful groans echoed like the mournful wailing of the entire castle, and countless bizarrely shaped buildings in the desert sighed along in unison.

"Ahem—" Xiang Yu tossed his croissant back onto the plate in frustration. "It has been a full week already. If this keeps going, the Lord of Light is going to be tormented to death."

"You are always so impatient. Didn't Mr. Jung just release a new timeline update?" Madame Curie placed a steaming cup of milk in front of Xiang Yu. "Only ten minutes have passed in the real world. As spirits, we just need to follow the plans of the Lord of Light and Mr. Jung and do our part. Drink your milk."

"You drink it, I can't stomach it!" Xiang Yu pulled a cigarette from his pocket, expertly lit it, and inhaled half of it in a single drag. "Aren't we just supposed to simulate real life? Don't real people have moments of distress? I just don't understand why the Lord of Light insists on keeping the sensation of pain in the Astral Realm. Given the time dilation between here and reality, isn't she just torturing herself? Ten minutes of trouble for her in reality translates to a whole week of agony here!"

"Didn't she make herself clear before leaving? If she brings the pain back to the real world, she won't be able to negotiate with that Roland woman. Once she gets her injuries treated in the real world, she naturally won't suffer anymore on this side."

"Her consciousness there is the Lord of Light, but isn't her consciousness here the Lord of Light as well? One day here is three years there! By the time she heals her wounds in the real world, who knows how many years of pain she will have endured here!" As Xiang Yu spoke, he exhaled a cloud of smoke right into Madame Curie's face.

"The Lord of Light has her own plans!" Madame Curie fanned the smoke away from her face with her palm. "Are you going to eat or not? You are the dignified Overlord of Western Chu, yet you act like a child. I really can't take you anymore!"

Hearing this, Xiang Yu grew even more displeased. He stubbed out his cigarette butt on the floor, glared, and roared, "I was only the Overlord of Western Chu when Yu Ji was around! What am I now? Mr. Xiang?" With that, he grabbed the croissant and hurled it against the wall. "What is this piece of junk they expect me to eat day after day?!"

"You're bringing up that Yu Ji again, aren't you?" Madame Curie matched his fury by smashing her cup onto the floor, sending shards of glass and splashes of milk flying everywhere. "This life is impossible to continue! You are nothing but an absolute brute!"

"Whether we continue it or not, you are terrible at taking care of someone!" Xiang Yu slammed the table and stood up, muttering under his breath as he prepared to leave, "Yu Ji used to cater to my every single need!"

Madame Curie squatted on the ground, covering her face and weeping, "I have already tried my absolute best to accommodate you. Back then, my husband was always the one taking care of me..."

***

Inside the castle, Jung paced in circles around Fang Xiaoling. "Lord of Light, how much longer are you going to take? The spirits outside are at their breaking point. Just now, I saw many houses outside catching fire. I reckon those who were paired up to simulate married life have started brawling."

"Squabbles between couples are completely normal," Fang Xiaoling said through her agony. "Over in the real world, Roland has already agreed to my proposal. Give me two more weeks. Once I find a clinic over there, I will immediately bring this portion of consciousness back to the real world."

"Another two weeks?" Jung walked over to the window, gazing at the billowing smoke outside. "Since Roland agreed to your suggestion, why don't you just go back now? Seeing you in this much pain, she should be willing to save you, right?"

"No! Hiss—ah—" Fang Xiaoling's facial features twisted almost entirely out of shape. She struggled in agony for a long time before weakly replying, "Before Roland is certain that I possess any utility value, I cannot cause her any more trouble, otherwise... Ahhhhh!!!"

The wails of torment pierced through the night sky of the entire Astral Realm, and the flowing river of stars gradually came to a halt, as if this were its own way of sighing.

"Hah—" Another sigh echoed, originating this time from the mother's bedroom in the real world.

At that moment, Fang Xiaoling had already returned to her room, quickly dressed, and was preparing to head out to look for a clinic when she heard the sigh coming from her mother's room.

After a moment of hesitation, she turned around and walked over to her mother's door, giving it a knock. "Mom, it's Mengling. Are you asleep yet?"

After a brief pause, the bedroom door opened, and a stiff smile appeared on her mother's exhausted face. "Xiaoling, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Fang Xiaoling froze for a moment. It took her a long time to process that her mother was addressing her by the "Xiao" of "Xiaoling" (meaning 'small'), rather than the "Xiao" of "Xiaoling" (meaning 'dawn').

"Mom, I was worried about you, so I couldn't sleep. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. If anything, I'm the one worried about you girls..." Her mother opened the wardrobe and fished out a bank card from beneath a stack of clothes. "I was planning to tell you both tomorrow morning, but since you're already here, I might as well give you your share now."

***

"Mom, what are you doing? I..."

"Xiaoling, listen to me," her mother interrupted. "I don't know what you two sisters have been up to lately. At first, I wanted to get to the bottom of it. But then I thought, you are already grown up and should learn to handle things on your own. There are fifty thousand yuan on this card. Once you spend it, you'll have to figure things out for yourselves. As for school, I've already spoken with them. If you want to go back for classes, you can; if you don't want to, you don't have to go at all. From now on, everything concerning your lives is entirely up to you to decide."

"Mom, are you leaving us? Where are you going?" Holding the card, Fang Xiaoling felt an overwhelming surge of guilt. If she eventually left this physical vessel and Li Mengling lost her memories of this period, how would she ever bear the reality of both parents being gone? It was simply too cruel. "I'm begging you, Mom, no matter what, you have to stay and be with us, okay?"

"Don't worry, child, I'm not leaving," her mother stroked Fang Xiaoling's head. "It's just that your father's accident made me realize how unpredictable life is... I worry that if something happens to me one day as well, what would become of you two sisters? That is why, starting from now, you must learn to be independent."

"Mom!" Fang Xiaoling stepped forward and hugged her mother tightly. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you..."

Hiding against the wall outside the door and eavesdropping, Roland was reminded of herself when she first crossed over into Liu Er's body, having uttered remarkably similar words back then. She had stood by the shore, watching Pan Long struggle desperately in the river, and said, "Even if I save you this time, once I am gone, what will you do all by yourself?"

Sometimes, being cruel to the younger generation is the greatest form of kindness. A momentary softness of heart might very well ruin a child's future.

Sensing that Fang Xiaoling was nearly done talking with her mother, Roland prepared to slip away first, but she heard the mother call out to Fang Xiaoling: "Xiaoling, no matter what you are doing now or what you plan to do in the future, I have only one requirement—stay alive."

"Mm!" Fang Xiaoling wiped away her tears and left the room.