NIGHTS OF HALLOW - Chapter 23: Winds of Gossip and Disaster.

Perla had always felt a longing for adventure, stifled by the rules of her strict upbringing and surrounded by her older brothers free to do as they wanted. She longed to carve her own path, to seek out excitement and perhaps even a little romance along the way. One day, while escaping yet another tedious piano class, she stumbled into the hollow of a massive tree. At its base, a mesmerizing green light beckoned her, and before she knew it, she was transported to a bizarre forest teeming with colossal, long-extinct creatures and menacing carnivorous plants.This was the realm of Beastkin, where men could transform into mighty beasts. Here, the constant threat of war had led to a peculiar imbalance, with most females giving birth to male Beastkin, resulting in a dire shortage of women. The land was a battleground, filled with mercenaries and adventurers seeking glory. While the males formed companies to embark on quests, their females stayed behind, living a life of comfort. But not Perla—she was determined to break free from the mold, to grow stronger, and to join her new love interests on exhilarating escapades.

Life from birth has been nothing but hell. I lost my parents to some stupid aristocrats whom they offended. Executed for no good reason.

My relatives abandoned me and pushed me aside. They feared for their lives and left me and my sister to starve and wander the streets alone!

No, this is worse than hell!

I watched my sister die of starvation. Her lips were dry and her feet bloody. Her nails were broken and her fingers riddled with cuts. She struggled in my hands and after a few seconds of struggle she passed away. She seemed joyful in death so I prayed mine will come just as swift and merciful as hers.

So I stayed in the alleyway, alone with her rotten corpse awaiting my fate for God knows how long. I could see it already. The darkness encroaching from all sides

Everyone said death is scary but I say it’s the end! Who needs life after death? What is the need for reincarnation?

Who would want to return to this crazy world?

“It’s not yet time for you to go… You have one more task to accomplish as my host” A voice called out to me.

I could barely see or speak but how can I miss such a beautiful face? It was an extremely handsome man who gazed at me with tender eyes.

.....

“Haven’t I suffered enough? Can’t I just rest?” I cried out. Why would I want to stay back in such a cruel world?

“Don’t you want to avenge the death of your parents? Don’t you want to become something greater? I can make that happen!” The beautiful man said with an alluring voice.

“You… Who are you?” I asked with an anxious heart.

My parents always said God is the only one who cares about me! Maybe in my final hours, he has come to save me.

“Call me Death…”

The world was never the same after that day.Humanity learned that they weren't alone in the universe, but that wasn't something they had the time to worry about.Their realization was accompanied by catastrophe.Creatures beyond their wildest imaginations poured down from the sky and appeared from the earth. They slaughtered humans as if it was their singular purpose, driving them to the brink of extinction.The people of the world did everything in their power, developing unique traits and technologies to create a united front their enemies couldn't penetrate.They secured victories and repopulated, feeling as if they stood a chance against the foreign invaders.They fought and they fought, doing everything they possibly could to ensure their survival.Until the Great Calamities appeared.In front of them, humanity was nothing regardless of its efforts.One by one, the worlds were turned into piles of rubble in between the cracks of their teeth. Civilization was torn apart, and the evolved humans living within could do nothing to stop its collapse.Humanity itself was left extinct, and in the end, only a single man was left alive amidst the chaos.Why?For what reason were they punished so?Nobody knew why the attacks began in the first place.He looked into the distance at the memories of the past and firmed his resolve.“It can only be me.”He knew of a miracle that could return him to the place of those memories.He knew of a way to make the wheels of time spin in reverse.And using it, he alone would save humanity from its doomed fate.That was his sacred duty as its final survivor.

She, the prime minister’s daughter, was timid and cowardly. Because her engagement fell through, and her reputation was ruined, she was pressured to spill her own blood in the palace hall! Once again opening her eyes, the cowardice had vanished, replaced by coldness, causing others to be intimidated at first glance. Yet no one realized, she was not her.

He, the current dynasty’s Chu Wang, served the country and brought peace and stability. Peerless and magnificent, all the girls under the Heavens eagerly pursued him! He helped her break off her engagement in the palace hall, but she avoided him at a great distance. He set his mind to pursue her, but she didn’t intend to love him.

At home, the turbulent currents of government affairs surged violently, disputes from every country continued to spring up everywhere. The stunning her who had been reborn, and how she didn’t bat an eyelid to resolve that terrifying carnage; her name had shaken the whole world!

When the dust had settled, and the song and dance had ceased, who could hold hands with her and look upon this thousand-year golden age, this flourishing ten thousand miles? Nowadays in this land under the Heavens, everyone spoke of how Chu Wang was cunning and two-faced, he desired the whole world, and was someone they seriously could not provoke. Yet the one they could not provoke even more was his Wang Fei – Yun Qian Meng! Anyone who provoked Chu Wang Fei, must surely be prepared to lose their necks!

A breathtaking rebirth, a thrilling marriage, in the blink of an eye the once weak woman had become the honorable Chu Wang Fei!

Wang Fei: In the palace chambers, between the feasts, smiles are hiding daggers, with layers and layers of plots and machinations; those who hurt my flesh and blood will have to pay the price.

Chu Wang: In these troubled times, carrying the fire beacon, over thousands of miles of fortresses and mountains, I have traveled to the distance to these border stations; if you dare to hurt my wife I will take your life.

Wang Fei: In another country, in a foreign land, will his thoughts stay pure? The princess of another nation is graceful and beautiful, will “a pair of people for one life” change?

Chu Wang: Returning home, difficult problems arise. As green hills extend into the distance, beautiful flowers and tender feelings grow deeply; dealing with the ruler and his ministers is harder than rising into Heaven.

That night, all the monarchs struggled for power, smoke rising all around; that night, the husband and wife were separated, neither humble nor haughty; that night, the land was in great disorder, lying corpses filled the plains; that night, whose heart was confused, whose family was broken, whose country was lost?

In the chaos of war, during their separation, separated by thousands of miles of unmoving mountains and rivers, the gentleman’s heart and the wife’s heart never changed. In the lonely city without aid, hand in hand as before, they advanced together while chatting lightly about this West Chu country.

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