Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1596 - Finale · Crossing the Sea Arc [55]: Who Killed the Robin (Conclusion)
Shi Ying.
Her singing suppressed the Phoenix, her singing caused Ming to fall.
She indulged her selfish desires and swallowed the white stone, claiming she was different from her noble ancestors.
Wrapped in mud for too long, she barely survived, she forced a smile, she rolled into a pile of poor people, bowed and sold smiles, covered in mud, she held on to life—having suffered so much in this world, never enjoying a day of the Nightingale’s nobility, why should she have been born in the mud yet maintain a noble heart!?
Why should she remain pure white?
" [Young tears, knocking on the window silently, beloved, only loves the red flame like fire ♪ ] "
Shi Ying laughed aloud, the laughter was sharp and piercing, Su Ming’an’s body couldn’t bear it, and he kept vomiting blood.
He summoned the Ice Sword, step by step approaching Shi Ying.
The Phoenix was suppressed to the ground, Ming was bleeding from the seven orifices, only he could stop this bloodthirsty singing voice, if he didn’t stop, he feared irreversible soul damage.
"She awakened the sinful bloodline of her ancestors, she has been polluted by the filthy ancestors, her Divine Wisdom is confused!" Phoenix shouted.
Shi Ying laughed wildly, her face crimson, her eyes mad, having lost herself.
Gained great power, yet harmed by great power...
Su Ming’an had seen many such greedy people.
Last time, after she fell into madness, who killed her and took away the white stone?
He must beware of this shadowy figure, it could be a player watching in the dark, might even be Tian Yu himself, and it might be the elusive Noel...
"Ha, hahahaha—hahahaha!!"
The sharp sound of singing pierced his ears, Su Ming’an’s head buzzed, his eye sockets grew hot, and he too started bleeding from the seven orifices. Intense nausea and fullness churned in his chest, blood vessels seemed about to be forcibly crushed by the singing.
After killing her, he must immediately take the white stone from her heart and summon the Card Qi Zhou and Hui Zi to protect himself, preventing anyone from backstabbing...
He raised his sword.
His spasming fingers trembled, painful body like wrapped in spiked blood thorns, he almost exhausted his will to move forward.
" [So many white roses in the garden, yet not the shade she wants ♪ ] "
" [Nightingale wants, to exchange my singing, for its dazzling glow...♪ ] " Her expression grew increasingly mad, like a madman with red eyes singing aloud.
When approaching, he heard her inner voice, only listening to—
(Kill you kill you kill you kill you kill kill kill kill—)
A chaotic, sharp, mad, enchanted sound.
She indeed lost herself.
A life too dark turned her into an evil Nightingale. She couldn’t be blamed, after all this world never treated her kindly.
In those blood-red eyes, burned a kind of destructive, all-consuming light.
Once crawling in mud, smiling wretchedly in poverty, survival embraced in despair, all this humiliation now transformed into the fuel of her hatred.
Su Ming’an leaned on the Ice Sword, stepping on the trembling ruins, bleeding from mouth and nose, vision blurred by blood, eardrum in agony, as if countless heated steel needles were stirring in his skull.
"Sizzle—sizzle—"
The cold sword edge dragged on the rubble, making an ear-piercing scraping sound. He stared at the singing blood-soaked, ghostly, mad phantom before him, the cold sword light illuminated her bloodstained, hysterically laughing face.
Suddenly, he noticed her fumbling for something in her arms, seemingly wanting to take out some props.
... Do not hesitate any longer, she already backstabbed him twice, further hesitation would be irresponsible to the overall situation.
Wary she might pull out some threatening props, Su Ming’an decisively thrust his sword, pierced toward her chest—
"Dawn is nearing, the rose red like fire♪"
"Young man, pleasantly plucks the flower♪"
Blood flowed from his seven orifices, the intense singing spirit stimulation almost made him pass out, the five senses confused again, his vision blurred, seeing her like a pink-haired person.
He couldn’t see her expression clearly, whether crying or laughing, angry or hating, as he stabbed that sword, he ended her World Master’s future, ended her dream of embracing endless fortune, ended her life, she should hate him.
The mask obscured her face, he couldn’t see her expression.
The sword tip pointed forward, piercing her heart at that moment, blood splattered onto his face—
At that instant, he saw what she took out wasn’t any harmful weapon or props, but—
...
A heart made of tin.
...
["The only time I made a handicraft was when I was a child, back then Dad wasn’t a drunkard, he took me out to make handicrafts." Shi Ying lowered her head and smiled, there was scarce happiness on her face: "I was clumsy, could only make such a rough love heart, I didn’t like this pattern, too naïve, like I had so much love."]
...
Su Ming’an’s expression went blank for a moment.
The clamor of the crowd rampaged in his ears, the sound through the lens—"Nightingales are all traitors!" "Mother Goddess’ defiers!" "Backstabbing scoundrel Shi Ying!"—like a gale rampaging around them, tearing.
No.
Incorrect.
Her ancestors weren’t evil.
So, maybe she won’t lose herself and become mad because of the awakening of her ancestral blood.
So, she is...
"Click—Clack!"
The moment the chest was pierced, he was almost pressed against her, his eyelashes were very close to her mask.
At that moment, her mask shattered, revealing a clear and gentle face and a pair of bright, watery eyes.
"...Ah, Xiao Shanzhu is really smart."
She was awake.
...
Shi Ying indeed deceived Su Ming’an.
She knew from the beginning that the white stone could not be detonated.
Dividing part of the energy to detonate, the white stone could still remain intact... there’s no such good thing. If it could really be done this way, she wouldn’t have been held hostage by Phoenix all the way here.
The only solution, she thought hard, only came up with one.
The only solution to simultaneously defeat the pink-haired person, Phoenix, and Ming.
Su Ming’an, restricted by Tian Yu’s body, at most could only match Phoenix, his apparent combat power was simply not enough, the ending was destined to be a failure.
However, there was a solution that could break this situation...
...
[Under the ruins, after Su Ming’an fell asleep, Shi Ying quietly looked at his sleeping face, gently counting his eyelashes.]
[(Hmm... this guy is really handsome, but I have to leave...) Shi Ying sighed, squeezed out from the cracks in the ruins, and picked up the white stone.]
[(Gungun, I want to do something super awesome, are you willing to cooperate with me?) Shi Ying gestured with rough signs.]
[(What is Gungun!... Forget it, I’ll listen to you.) The white stone flattened.]
[Shi Ying, with the white stone, limped towards Phoenix.]
["Phoenix Sir, I have defected!" she said with a smile, her face full of flattery.]
...
—There was only one way to defeat all three simultaneously.
She pretended to defect, and when the three gathered, she immediately swallowed the white stone, awakening the Nightingale bloodline of her ancestors. In this way, as a Nightingale, she could naturally suppress Phoenix, the immortal bird, and the Nightingale’s song naturally suppresses the spirit of the weak-minded Ming, ensuring victory without intense combat. The only variable was the pink-haired person.
...
And what Su Ming’an thought, that Shi Ying swallowed the white stone for selfish reasons, suppressed everyone with a high song and ran away with the money... such a thing could never happen.
Because.
...
"Because this is the ’Sound of Determination’, once a Nightingale finishes singing it, they will die." Tiantian flew into the sky, smiling:
"Sister Qianqian, I can no longer stop singing, but I can block the final swords for you... May you no longer be anyone’s story, no longer a ’fanfic’ used as a testing ground by the Radiant Mother God, you can have fresh air and a real future, you can be free Nightingales...!"
Xiber’s eyes flickered, unable to remain unmoved by the scene before her, her heart frozen from countless reincarnations, yet facing an irreversible death.
The warmth slipped from her fingertips, she reached out, only to grasp at a sliding sleeve.
The scorching temperature of the white stone in her arms forced her to stop, watching the slender Nightingale fly away, towards the blazing altar—
Moths to a flame, nothing more than.
In a trance, she seemed to return to the past, to that pitch-black, suffocating place, to the endless pain. The song made blood fill her eyes, blocked her throat.
"Tiantian...!"
The timid red-haired girl of the Nightingale Clan raised her hand high, singing the ending that Fengchang hadn’t finished, she lifted her head like a queen—
People! This final song need not be mourned, crown us with cheers! ♪
The smiling double Nightingales sing again, when the new branches pierce the long night’s darkness—then, no more fake smiling applause like tides! ♪
When it comes to the next life, when the descendants of Nightingales are born, no longer fearing authority—♪
"We" will become proud and dazzling Nightingales! ♪
No longer is "Tiantian" this monotonous name, I am not yet of age, the clan hasn’t given me a full name.
I want to be called "Tian Ying"! I want to engrave that clan name upon my own!
...
—"When she is high above, when she fears no death, when she brandishes spear against all injustice and humiliation, she is the Nightingale! She is the Nightingale! She is the high-flying [Tian Ying] of the sky!"
... 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
["Yuanyuan, that Mechanical Man told me that if I eat you, I can become the World Master." Walking on the ruins, Shi Ying quietly asked the white stone.]
["Liar, that’s the Mechanical Man trying to trick you into breaking the defense." The white stone shook: "Even if you eat me, at most, it’ll help you awaken the ancestral bloodline. If you really want to become the World Master, you have no background or support, even if you sit on it, you will quickly get knocked off."]
["Ancestral bloodline? What’s that?" Shi Ying was stunned for a moment.]
["Hmm, it should help you defeat those three baddies, I guess," said the white stone.]
["I see..." Shi Ying thought for a moment, pursed her lips: "So after I eat you, how can I get you out?"]
["Uh, no way, I’ll enter your heart, to take me out, you can only die..." The white stone immediately shook its head: "Too scary, although you deceived me, I don’t want to see you die, don’t do this..."]
[Shi Ying walked quietly for a long time.]
[She suddenly turned back, smiled and looked at the white stone:]
["Yuanyuan, how about we make a promise?"]
["What?"]
["If I must lie in the future to protect you, I’ll blink twice at you, and you help me cover it up."]
["You will still protect me? You liar, I won’t believe you again!"]
["Come on, let’s make a promise, it won’t cost anything."]
["Uh... okay okay, I’ll trust you this one last time, but if you trick me again, I really will walk away flat..."]
...
[(Yuanyuan’s energy is abundant, a partial explosion could cause a terrifying blast, and she herself will not die from it. Plus, with your combat power, you can totally give it a try!) Shi Ying said to Su Ming’an. She smiled at the white stone and blinked twice.]
[Su Ming’an asked whether it was feasible with the white stone, and the white stone confirmed it.]
...
——The white stone believed in its "good friend" one last time, and made a false statement for her.
——And the "good friend" did not betray it for the last time.
...
Nightingale didn’t think of herself as noble, nor was she willing to sacrifice.
If she didn’t have to die, of course, she didn’t want to die. There were still so many delicacies that she hadn’t tasted, so many handsome guys and beautiful girls she hadn’t met.
However, under the siege of three tigers, leopards, and wolves, she knew too much, surely couldn’t survive, even surrendering was lifeless, Phoenix wouldn’t spare her as a defector.
Only this plan...
Only this plan could break the siege.
Deceiving Xiao Shanzhu was also a helpless act, if Phoenix noticed she was with Xiao Shanzhu, he would surely attack Xiao Shanzhu with all his might, wouldn’t allow Xiao Shanzhu to get close to retrieve the stone.
So, rather than die meaninglessly, it’s better to swallow the white stone and take a chance. At least, it ensures... her reputation will become very good, and after her death, she can earn a lot of money.
"Xiao Shanzhu, after you take the white stone, you must compensate me with enough treasure..." Her high-pitched melody suddenly rose sharply, tearing through the clouds of the firmament!
Such terrifying singing bypassed him, waiting for him to stab down that sword.
Without the influence of the singing, his senses gradually recovered, he heard her words, but couldn’t laugh.
How come she’s still thinking about treasures...
"At least 10,000 Shar Currency, enough to buy a large manor, plant many wheat, so there’s endless bread to eat... also need to buy lots and lots of firewood, then it’ll never be cold again..."
The singing and wild laughter boomed together, Shi Ying’s smile twisted and ferocious, copious blood poured from her mouth, nostrils, even the corners of her eyes, staining her pale face into a frightful crimson mask.
"And then build a welfare house, bringing back those girls from the taverns, some of them are only thirteen or fourteen years old... they can still go to school, probably needs 5,000 Shar Currency..."
She sang, her face fierce like a devil, bleeding like an evil spirit, terrifying children outside the camera, who cried out loud.
"Bad Nightingale! This is a bad Nightingale!" The kids cried: "Bad! Bad!"
"Also a relief fund, to help those children like me... just 80 Shar Currency is enough to feed a family..."
The setting sun was like blood, extending her thin silhouette extremely long.
Beneath her were overturned building frameworks, shattered past glories, and countless mirror-like reflections in the water of Nightingales.
The barely falling sun hung on the fragmented building framework, like a huge, solid blood bead about to exhaust its heart’s power.
Su Ming’an gripped his sword hilt, pointing to the white stone in her heart.
He knew his mental state had fallen, once again confusing his senses, before him was Shi Ying, yet he couldn’t see her expression clearly.
Even her voice was inverted and distorted.
"Stupid Xiao Shanzhu."
His ears were filled with reversed sounds, as if countless errors, yet he himself translated——
——Smart Xiao Shanzhu.
Her body trembled violently in the song, convulsed as if every bone and inch of muscle wailed for this power.
"Get lost!"
——Take away that white stone.
...
"Don’t think piercing the heart, burning my wings, will kill me!"
——Only by piercing the heart, burning with flames, can Nightingale clan die.
...
"Quickly leave! I won’t die, the white stone is also mine, don’t even think about taking it, it’s my private property, not an independent life!"
——I’ve sung the ’Sound of Determination’, suppressing everyone for you, after you take the white stone, I can still survive for a time, I will stop suppressing you, use the opportunity to flee with Yuanyuan.
...
"I will become the World Master, I will embrace endless wealth and glory, I will become a rich woman—!" Her gaze was greedy and selfish.
...
—No.
Su Ming’an, through chaotic five senses, looked forward and saw a pair of tear-filled eyes.
You are lying.
You are not the evil pink-haired person at all.
It’s my hearing, my vision, my touch—all deceived me.
They made me think you were a hateful Pursuer, made me think the Nightingale was evil.
My senses can be reversed, your fondness can be inverted too. Our meeting, our acquaintance, was inherently composed of countless reversed errors.
But in reality, human hearing can be diseased, human touch can be biased, human touch can mislead, I... my brain, was blinded by them, deceived, and reversed.
Just as history can be altered, statues can be destroyed, heroes can be slandered.
Just as the Nightingale became a Nightingale that could not sing.
The reporting bird was killed, from then on the forest no longer had punctual light.
But, my heart tells me,
You are a kind Nightingale.
"Foolish Destroyer of Worlds, go die! Don’t think of taking my treasure! Quickly go die!"
—Kind Savior, Su Ming’an, I know your reputation, know your kindness. The only plan now to protect.
"Let go of me, go away! Forget my treasures!"
She showed a smile.
—Don’t leave me, don’t forget to give me a notable treasure after my death.
...
The sunset of Qiongdi hung lower, as if it had already melted the boundaries of heaven and earth, about to extinguish in the deep pool of twilight.
Tiantian is falling, she finished singing the last song, her vision grew dark:
"Once in the clan... Grandpa and Grandma said, it seemed like days would never end..."
She looked at the departing hot air balloon, looked at Xiber’s tear-filled eyes:
"Later, I discovered, that those close to us can grow old, houses can collapse, bread can mold, and once thought omnipotent parents can die..."
"Turns out, the world changed so much, turns out, even the Black Wall can be leapt over..."
With her last bit of strength, she took out a golden sunflower hair tie, throwing it to Xiber:
"Sister Cici... cough cough! This is the Clan Leader’s last... legacy he gave me. He told me... when the time is right, to give it to you..."
"You go out, bury this hair tie into the ground... its essence is a golden gemstone, waiting for a long, long time, waiting for a time that allows the Nightingale to sing... it will emerge from the earth, to be picked up by future generations..."
She closed her eyes, blood-tears sliding across her cheek, red hair lightly drifting, sweeping across the sky.
Chest in extreme pain, heartbeat gradually fading, her ears seemed to echo Fengchang’s last words:
"In the future, there will be an ideal era, there will be one or several ideal World Masters, they are the people of bright justice. They allow us to sing, allow us to chant bold ballads, allow us to loudly praise freedom."
"No need to pour blood and fire, yet can achieve fairness and justice."
"When such times come, you shall sing joyfully. And we will dye red roses with heart and blood. Sooner or later, someone will turn to this page in history, witness our story, vindicate us."
...
—Shi Ying, what she inherits is not the ancestors’ hatred of the annihilation, not the ancestors’ resentment and despair towards the Mother Goddess and Empress.
—It is "legacy."
She inherits the ancestors’ rationality and clarity.
Thus, she wouldn’t lose rationality due to Awakening bloodline, Phoenix misjudged her determination, also misjudged the Nightingale Clan’s virtue and vice.
But the audience outside the screen believes, they believe the Nightingale is a filthy race, believe Shi Ying was polluted by ancestors and lost rationality, believe Phoenix superior to Shi Ying, believe Radiant Mother God superior to Nightingale. Just as... some in the world believe the Eighth Thrones superior to Su Ming’an.
—Who killed the "robin"?
"Kill Lü Shu, then kill Lu, destroy the High Tower... then there’s no God in this world! No God can suppress us anymore! Hahahaha!"
...
"Grandmother..." Shi Ying raised her head, blood running from her chest.
The sunflower hair tie on her head was picked up by her grandmother when she was little, left to her.
She held the hair tie, as if responding to the distant sound of time and space:
"Grandmother, generation after generation, century after century... I have waited for such a time, I have met such a World Master."
"In the small world." She looked at Su Ming’an.
"Of Eden." And then looked at the white stone.
"In the future, they will surely be people of bright justice. They allow us to sing, allow us to chant bold ballads, allow us to loudly praise freedom."
"Even if I am no longer noble, even if I am full of filth. Even if I am a... bad Nightingale."
Three hundred clansmen sang with dignity and pride in front of the world.
A little nightingale sang hideously and grotesquely in front of four people.
Greatness and humility.
Animals rolling in the mud, they coat themselves with black mud to survive.
"Swish!"
The sword blade withdrew from her chest, and Shi Ying rolled into the mud, drained of all strength. She coughed up blood, her whole body cold and shivering, yet she felt someone holding her in their embrace, catching the white stone from her chest.
One drop, two drops...
Warm, scalding... is it rainwater? Is it raining...?
She seemed to return to her childhood, to the slum full of mud and rain. Adults would pinch her ears while scolding her, stray dogs would bully her, and her stomach would always be hungry, forcing her to drink dirty water and eat grass roots to stave off hunger. When it got cold and the rain fell, the small shed at home couldn’t keep the rain out, and her parents would drive her out to be drenched, causing joint pain all over her body from the cold...
But this rainwater is warm, and her body no longer hurts.
A gentle hand touched her forehead, followed by a low, compassionate voice:
"...I will correct everything, I will redeem you."
I won’t let you die, it was my misunderstanding, your betrayal is honorable, your deceit doesn’t count as deceit at all.
"No." She gasped, vaguely feeling his head, soft and fluffy, like touching a small shanzhu:
"You know, if we try again, we still won’t find a better way... I might die even worse, and no one will even know why I died..."
Su Ming’an remembered her previous death, pursing his lips.
"At least this way, I have lots and lots of fame, lots and lots of money, lots and lots of love..."
Her voice was as faint as a thread, almost blown away by the wind, yet carried a familiar, habitual tone of complaint:
"You don’t know, do you, little shanzhu... Even heart-voices can deceive. As long as you keep hypnotizing yourself, keep repeating a concept, those noises will disappear... Just like you keep repeating your salvation, you hypnotized yourself, as did I."
"So earlier, I kept repeating ’kill you, kill you’, this concept... You couldn’t hear my true heart-voice, you didn’t need to hesitate to stab me..."
"Meeting you, I am really happy, it’s just too unlucky..."
"I don’t know why my heart-voice heard by you makes me blush... Nor do I know why watching you sleep feels so pleasant..."
"I don’t understand what love is... When strategizing against those people, I didn’t feel love either..."
Her gaze struggled to focus on his face, her lips trembling slightly, as if trying to curl up into a smile: "But seeing you... makes me particularly happy..."
"Just like seeing an owl I raised, so happy, extremely happy..."
"Had I not given the white stone to the lab from the start, there wouldn’t have been so many problems... Going back midway, making such a great effort to steal it back, really was redundant."
"I’m a ’bad thief’, but in the end, I’m a ’good liar’."
She looked at him slowly and carefully, fearful of seeing wrong, of missing anything.
As if in her eyes, reflected many, many things.
"I did everything only for my own selfish desires, for becoming a noble, for being adored by everyone, not for some selfless reason of enduring humiliation... That’s why I did it."
"If I could survive, I wouldn’t want to do this..."
"I’m just an... not at all noble... nightingale..."
"I heard... you... are Olivius... Being remembered by you, one can attain eternal life..."
The wind stopped early, even the dust settled.
Her eyes squinted slightly, catching sight of a face with red-rimmed eyes.
The resplendent glow of the setting sun cast from the side, outlining her pale silhouette.
At this moment, Su Ming’an clearly saw a trembling smile slow bloom at her bloodstained lips. That smile, like a bud in the morning dew finally unfurling all its petals.
"Then you..."
... Did you remember me?
Her expression was one of fear, lacking the relief and release of Su Ming’an’s companions.
Tears continuously streamed down her cheeks, quickly soaking his collar with bitter tears, her frightened eyes trembling, her entire body shivering in fear, fearfully covering the back of his head.
She bit her lip tightly, breathing hard, clinging to him, yet the blood flowed more and more.
She was different from those great people, she was clearly afraid.
So—
...
[Qi Zhou continued observing: "The expression is very fearful... What a pity, pierced through the chest like this, she should have struggled for some time before succumbing to death. A gem attracts its owner, had she not coveted to swallow the white stone, this would not have been her outcome."]
...
—Last time, her fearful expression was not because of guilt, but simply out of fear of death.
He had seen too many great people, so overlooked—
How could ordinary people not be terrified of death?
...
["The other side of the rebar is firmly fixed to the wall, so she should have been thrown, impaling on the rebar, following the impact to fall, the rebar piercing from back to front," Qi Zhou analyzed.]
...
——So, she knew from the beginning that the white stone couldn’t be detonated, and the only solution was for her to swallow the white stone and awaken the bloodline in order to defeat the three people.
Therefore, the scene of death Su Ming’an saw last time wasn’t someone throwing her onto the steel bar, but rather, Su Ming’an wasn’t there, Tian Yu wasn’t strong enough to act. After Shi Ying swallowed the white stone, her back faced the steel, she thrust herself into it from back to front, forcefully killing herself, and handed the white stone over to Tian Yu to take away.
——Who killed the "Robin"?
Not anyone.
In the story of "Nightingale and the Rose" - it’s never about who killed the nightingale, but the nightingale who reddened the "branch" with its own chest.
...
It was the robin itself, who killed the robin.
...
[Under the moonlight, the nightingale softly says, Young man, don’t let true heart slip away ♪]
[The reddest rose you desire, difficult to find one in winter, unless the hottest song changes its color ♪]
[The young man’s tears gently knock on the silent window, his beloved only loves the fiery red flame ♪]
[There are many white roses in the garden, but not the hue she wants; the nightingale wants to exchange its singing for its brilliance ♪]
[Fly to that thorny branch, use the chest to warm that spike like fire ♪]
...
She knows she will be reborn in the text of the New World, even though it might not be her true self, the Nightingale Clan could be justified — She doesn’t need to sit on the throne as World Master, using power to forcibly justify the nightingale, how is that different from the robin being killed?
She must genuinely do something worthy of justification, making people sing for her on the branch.
This matter, as long as Su Ming’an the Savior remembers, she will become an immensely great person.
What she wants is fame, fortune, and praise from future generations.
——She will become the singer resonating throughout the future world, sincerely praised by the Savior.
"Phoenix did something foolish, if it weren’t for the camera to capture it, I probably wouldn’t want to sacrifice. But with this camera, I don’t want to be cursed after sitting on the throne as World Master. Being cursed by those netizens is really painful..." she said while crying: "Don’t forget... don’t forget to spread my story..."
Her reasoning is laughable.
It is not entirely noble, but mostly out of private motives.
Out of private motives... she performed a noble deed.
She repeatedly pushed him away, mentioned during the hunting and teasing him to sleep on purpose... yet, he walked towards her time and again, turning into a white ball, turning into Tian Yu.
Fortunately, she is a nightingale.
Fortunately, she has a cursed fire flower; luckily, she is willing.
Fortunately, she is a selfish "little person."
She slightly tilted her head, as if envisioning a dream soaked in gold coins, the last shine deep in her pupils began to dim, her voice lowered to barely audible.
She raised her hand, covering the back of his head, trembling and whispering.
So... Su Ming’an, take away the stone in my heart.
Then, justify me, justify my clan.
Let my father’s rare kindness flow through my heartbeat like electric currents.
Send away that innocent, foolish white stone.
Allow the reborn "kind" nightingale, to receive happiness...
...
"Shi Ying, Shi Ying, you thief, liar, fraud, aren’t you the bad nightingale, why are you pretending to be a good person." In a daze, she heard a voice beside her ear, it was a red-haired girl who looked the same as her.
"Who are you?" Shi Ying asked.
"I am Tian Ying, the possible evil version of you, also you with part of the ancestral memory awakened." The phantom red-haired girl said.
"No, you’re definitely not evil either." Shi Ying laughed: "I seem to recall many memories, about my ancestors... how many times did Luowasha reset, I can’t remember, but I seem to remember that, in some resets, I was called ’Tian Ying’ and did many bad things... what made me become ’Shi Ying’?"
"Ah, I remembered, Su Ming’an is my online friend, the origami stars were gifts from him... he told me, if one day you want to change yourself, just change your name. I heard in Luowasha, ’Shi’ means ’kindness’, thankfully I still have this name."
"Actually, I can’t tell whether I’m a villain or a good person, whether noble or selfish, I’m so confused, confused to the end."
"You fool!" Tian Ying looked at her bleeding heart, at her pale face, pursed her mouth:
"You fool!!!"
"I’m not a fool, I am a bad nightingale..." For a moment, Shi Ying saw Su Ming’an’s sad expression.
The words abruptly stopped, she smiled:
...
"...Maybe I am a good nightingale."
"On stage, I just acted as a bad nightingale."
...
[The girl said, jewels match new silk better, roses casually thrown into the alley.]
[Faded petals drift in the wind, like that night, the unsung singing voice.]
...
...
"Ding Dong!"
[Eleven Stories: "Kind Nightingale" completion: 90%]
...
...
Su Ming’an doesn’t remember what happened afterward.
His consciousness hazy, spirit twisted, five senses chaotic, when he stopped, all that was left in his arms was a blood-stained white stone.
The remnants of a blood-colored sunset burnt through the wilderness, the sky consumed, leaving only a dark crimson, dyeing the horizon’s scattered clouds.
In his arms, besides the white stone, there was a trace of warmth.
He opened it to find a beautiful tin heart and a photograph.
The photograph was very old, depicting a white-haired granny and a white stone. They stood under red suns scattered across the hills, their faces sweaty yet smiling. A line of small text beside them read: [Granny Marthalia’s first photo, hehe, luckily I brought a film jelly, so I can take pictures anytime.]
He flipped the photo; on the back, it said [Taking one costs 10 Var Currency, so greedy! When I become a wealthy lady, I’ll buy all the jelly elves in Luowasha!]
He unconsciously showed a faint smile, but moments later, the photo suddenly became wet with a drop.
He clutched the photo and paused in a daze.
Suddenly, he heard a sound.
Some kind of wings... the sound of flapping wings.
His heart filled with some emotion, he immediately turned around, eager to see something—
On the ground, lay a dying, dehydrated owl.
It was an ordinary owl.
He held back his smile, crouched down, and fed the owl some water. The owl seemed to cling to him, not wanting to leave his shoulder.
In his haze, he remembered Shi Ying mentioning she had kept an owl as a pet...
"Why are you following me?"
He walked under the vast sunset, cradling the white stone and asking it.
"Hooh—" the owl made a peculiar sound.
"Is that how owls sound? It’s the first time I’ve heard it."
"Hooh—"
"Did your owner ask you to recognize me as your master?"
"Hooh—!"
"Well, don’t worry, I provide food here... as long as I remember to feed."
"Hooh—"
A man and a bird, walked in harmony, moving towards the end of the sunset.
"Hmm? You said you have something on your foot?"
He lowered his head and saw, on the owl’s foot, tied was a note.
...Could it be Shi Ying has another plan, perhaps she isn’t dead, needing him to do something to save her?
He held his breath, took the note, spread it open, and looked—
On the paper, there was only a line of crooked, seemingly uneducated small writing:
...
[Wishing you spring in the New World, Xiao Shanzhu.]
[—Kind yet Bad Nightingale]
...
[—Book left by "Shi Ying"]
["Dad?" Thirteen-year-old Shi Ying gently pushed open the door.]
["Ying... the medicine is in the cabinet... hurry and help me... take it..." came an old man’s voice.]
["Is your heart condition flaring up?" Shi Ying asked.]
["Hurry... move... help me get the medicine...! You worthless child!" the old man cursed.]
["..."] Shi Ying remained still.
["You... unfilial girl... save, save..."]
["I don’t want to save you," Shi Ying said. "You sold me to that place, let me fall into hell, I hate you."]
["Cough... ah... ah..."]
[Shi Ying watched as he died.]
[After this, she was supposed to completely rid herself of weakness, becoming a ruthless bad person. Yet maybe it was divine intervention, a breeze wafted through the window, and she smelled the scent of flowers.]
[By some twist of fate, she picked up the book that the old drunkard left behind after his death, and saw a piece of a memory from the old drunkard’s past.]
["Please, have mercy on my daughter... take whatever you want from me! From me!" the old man knelt and begged.]
["You drunken fool, selling your daughter while speaking these words. She’s next street over right? You don’t repay the debt today, we’ll take your daughter!" a thug cursed.]
["I, I have no choice... our family is starving... the interest you charge is so high, we’ll die without selling our children...only she can earn us money, if she doesn’t do it, our whole family including herself will starve... How about this, take my organs to repay the debt! My organs can be sold for money!" the old man pleaded.]
["Your organs? What value are organs from a lower race? The streets are full of people selling organs now, the prices keep dropping, selling all your organs wouldn’t cover the debt!"]
["Ah... ah ah ah..."]
["Damn! The old drunk’s heart attack is flaring up, brothers, let’s get out! Don’t let him pin his death on us!"]
[After a series of hurried footsteps, a clear female voice said: "Father?"]
["Ying... medicine’s in the cabinet... hurry and help me... take it..."]
[...Only then did Shi Ying realize, as she coldly watched her father die from his condition, he was trying to negotiate selling his organs to repay the debt and bring her back.]
[This couldn’t cleanse his sins, she would never forgive him for pushing her into that hell. However, for a moment, she noticed a side of someone she extremely despised, hated, and found repulsive, that even they could have such a side.]
[She began to feel confused.]
[—Would becoming a pure villain truly make one strong? Or rather, does a purely evil person exist in this world?]
[If she threw away all her kindness, would she become monstrous? Worse than this old drunkard father?]
[She recorded this piece of memory and constantly reminded herself, never to forget that day’s voice. That even someone atrocious to the extreme could burst with confusing kindness. Just like she and Baibai had discussed— in this world, is it better to be kind and naive, or smart and malevolent?]
[Kind and naive people, though having a clear conscience, are always bullied. And smart, malevolent people, even growing strong, are bound for eventual condemnation.]
[...]
[So, she thought.]
[—She wants to be a person who is both kind and malevolent, both naive and intelligent.]
[She wants to have a clear conscience and also not be bullied.]
[If there was enough money in the family, would such tragedy never occur? Her father wouldn’t become such an absurd fool, mother wouldn’t pinch and yell at her...]
[Therefore, she wants to earn a lot of money, so such tragedies will never happen again...]
...
Su Ming’an stood for a moment.
After a moment, he covered his expression and continued forward.
Above the sky, from the shadows, suddenly drifted a hot air balloon.
Xiber stood atop the hot air balloon, holding a piece of blood-stained clothing, head bowed, as if having just emerged from a nightmare.
Two pairs of blue eyes met.
"Yuanyuan, where are you going?" Su Ming’an asked the white stone in his arms.
"I remembered," the white stone’s voice was muffled, "there’s something I didn’t tell you, actually I’m not a white stone, but a pure heart."
...A heart.
Indeed, a stone also resembles a heart in its infancy.
"My best friend risked their life to send me out," the white stone said. "I want to see my true form... meet the person this heart belongs to, the boy named Su Liujin."
At that moment, the owl on his shoulder called out, and Su Ming’an suddenly realized, he still didn’t know the owl’s name.
He was about to ask, but the owl gave a "Hooh—."
"It says it doesn’t have a name, Shi Ying didn’t give it one, you should name it," the white stone said.
Its emoticons could no longer be seen, as if it no longer felt them.
"Then let it be called—"
Su Ming’an pondered, raising his shoulder.
The owl soared into the sky, it flew towards the distant storms, towards the vast silver-blue firmament, towards—the sky laden with light, boundless and unmarred.
I’ll give you my feathers.
I’ll grant you my gaze.
Take the gun made from my bones, aim at the night.
You’ll see, even the mighty Kritchens fear you because of it...
...
"Nightingale, it’ll... [they] will be called Nightingale."
"You named an owl Nightingale?"
"Yes."
"They?"
"Yes."
"They."
...
