I am the Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysterious-Chapter 333 - 297: The Letter

When the final character was written, all the ink characters on the painting dispersed, and a colorful, poetic, dream-like traditional Chinese painting unfolded before her, depicting the Taoyuan described in the text.

Sang Que tried to touch the painting with her hand, and it rippled like water. Sang Que pressed her whole hand downward, and an instant suction force pulled her in.

Once she regained her footing, she realized she was inside the painting. The surroundings maintained the style of the traditional painting, not resembling the real world.

The feeling was very peculiar, and she remained on guard as she explored the area.

This place did not suppress her own powers, nor was it cold.

A gentle breeze blew, with the fragrance of peach blossoms refreshing her senses.

The area was not large, just a hillside in front of the mountain, a few houses, several plots of farmland, a peach grove, and a lake.

The houses were empty — no people, no ghosts. However, besides the ink painting furnishings, Sang Que surprisingly found real-world objects such as hand-crank gramophones, dressing tables, sewing machines, kerosene lamps, and bicycles in some houses!

Deep in the peach grove, on the highest elevation, stood an octagonal pavilion for viewing, furnished with a tea table and two straw mats.

On the tray was a sky-blue tea set, with two empty tea cups placed face to face.

A white long-necked porcelain vase held an ink-painted peach blossom, showcasing a unique style.

Beneath the vase was a letter, which immediately made Sang Que feel nervous.

Sang Que sat on one side of the tea table, taking the letter out of the envelope, which had no writing on it.

As she unfolded the letter, delicate penmanship appeared before her eyes.

[Dear Daughter]

The opening words caused Sang Que’s heart to flutter. She subconsciously held her breath, realizing the day had come; she had surprisingly grown somewhat timid.

Still, with the letter in hand, she understood the need to face what awaited.

...

Dear Daughter:

Congratulations, you have found my secret base!

Yes, I am the one who gave birth to you, your mother, connected to you by blood.

Allow me to formally introduce myself: my surname is Wu, given name is You. I am Wu You; and I wonder what your name is now, it must be a nice name too.

To start with the bad news, by the time you read this letter, I will no longer be in this world. But don’t be sad, my daughter; I believe the current you is strong and resilient enough to handle this.

Our family has lived in the Chu Land since the Warring States Period, and we are descendants of the Chu Witch, bearing an endless curse.

From the past to present, our family has always had one Witch, and only one.

When you were growing inside of me, my life entered its countdown; you were born, I died. That is fate.

Do not mourn or feel guilty, my daughter. Giving birth to you was my own choice, not forced by anyone. I have always anticipated your arrival in this world.

You are special; you are a child of both worlds.

Our family has strict rules: before each generation’s witch turns thirty, she must find someone within our world and bear a child.

When the fetus in the womb’s heart beats for the first time, the witch can perceive whether it is a boy or a girl.

A boy stays within the family, defending it.

After a girl is born, she becomes the next witch; by sixteen, she begins to bear the family’s mission, a cycle that repeats.

We are forbidden from seeking partners in the Otherworld.

Over thousands of years, I am not the only one who has broken this rule; life’s circumstances make love hard to control.

However, each time, the family always manages to remedy the situation and return everything to what they consider the correct path.

Do you know what kind of environment I grew up in?

Hidden in the deep mountains, isolated from the world, without childhood or school, only a never-ending study of witchcraft; the family mission had to be memorized — no personal thoughts allowed, only obedience like a puppet.

I also don’t know why we do these things, or what the source of the family’s curse is; every elder in the family is afraid, afraid of breaking the status quo.

I suspect they are unaware of what they fear, merely transferring this fear to the younger generations blindly.

Perhaps everyone in our family carries a dreadful curse, not just the witch.

I almost forgot to tell you what our family’s mission is, which must leave you puzzled.

Simply put, our family’s mission is to protect our world and prevent the Dark Power from boiling over.

And this so-called protection involves banishing all ghosts that appear in our world to the Otherworld, prioritizing the peace and stability of our world.

After learning this, I once felt like a sinner, causing immense discomfort.

The family told me that the Dark Power that breeds ghosts cannot be eradicated, and I had to make choices between the two worlds.

How could I choose? Of course, I chose our world, our family.

With tremendous guilt, I, in the Otherworld, led the Nine Songs formed by generations of witches to help people and try to make amends.

At the time, I was not even twenty, passively accepting all this. Every time I witnessed people dying due to ghosts in the Otherworld, I was deeply distressed; the accumulation of such distress gradually made me feel unbearable pain. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

We gathered the faith of countless people to create the Divine Witch Lady, everyone beseeching the Witch Lady to save them; but the Witch Lady couldn’t change the era, nor could she end all ghosts.

It was then that I understood why previous witches willingly sought a man to have children at a young age; they were evading, avoiding this painful responsibility, passing it on to the next one to bear.

I, too, gradually developed such thoughts until I met your father.

Your father and I initially shared the same goal, striving to find a way to end the age of ghosts.

I searched for the source of the Dark Power in our world, and he sought possible solutions in his world.

With the power of Nine Songs, I gradually helped him reach the center of the dynasty’s power, allowing him access to more secrets.

I even secretly had a son with him, away from the family.

We were once in love, but ultimately, the root of the conflict between the two worlds was discovered by him; he imprisoned me and destroyed the foundation of Nine Songs.

He didn’t know my secret, and couldn’t hold me; I had ruined everything, destroying everything built by generations of family witches.

I left your brother with him; if I brought him back to our world, once discovered by the family, he would die.

With his father, he might live well.

And you, my daughter, I couldn’t bring you back to the family either.

Only the witch can inherit the Mountain Ghost Coin; the family wouldn’t kill you, but wouldn’t treat you well either, only using you as a tool to bear a new, controllable witch for them.

I’m sorry, my daughter; I had to heartlessly abandon you in my life’s final moments, using my last strength to shield you, at least allowing you to live as a normal child until you turn sixteen.

If my plan worked smoothly, the current you should possess some ability, able to survive in the Otherworld and be unafraid of the family.

This is the last thing I can do for you. Moreover, I have left you with what you need most: the true method of using the ’Mountain Ghost Coin.’