371: Chapter 371 The Colors of Fireworks Between Heaven and Earth (Happy New Year's Eve)

The tianque divine boat glided through the deep night sky like a massive, dark-colored feather.

Below, the vast Mortal territory of Baiyan Province was celebrating the New Year; countless cities and villages were illuminated as brightly as day, turning the land into a dazzling galaxy of stars.

At this moment, thousands of fireworks suddenly ascended, exploding into splendid brilliance against the ink-blue sky—reds, golds, purples... shimmering and vibrant, one after another.

The faint sound of firecrackers and the joyful laughter of children, wrapped in the warmth of the human festival, penetrated the vast distance, drifting up in wisps, creating a strange contrast with the tranquility on the divine boat.

Ling Hao stood with his hands behind his back before the wide porthole, quietly looking down at the noisy and vibrant scene below.

The gentle spiritual light inside the boat reflected off his calm profile.

Behind him, the sound of very light footsteps and the subtle rustle of fabric broke the silence.

"Hey... tonight... do you have time?"

Before Ling Hao could turn around, a pair of slender arms gently wrapped around his waist from behind.

Yue Xinxi pressed her cheek against his broad back, the warmth transmitting through the fabric.

Her voice was muffled, "Tonight... shall we Cultivate together?"

It wasn't asking Xia Yingying to issue the invitation for her in the past, but a direct declaration of her thoughts.

Ling Hao smiled.

"Alright!"

...

In the inner chamber.

Cold moonlight filtered through the giant porthole, casting a layer of silver frost on the soft carpet and the bed.

The two interlaced their fingers, eyes meeting. Ling Hao's Aura erupted, and Spiritual Qi flowed from the bottom up, traversing Yue Xinxi's entire Meridians.

Yue Xinxi shed all her pride and reserve.

The Chaotic Spiritual Qi was warm and abundant, making Yue Xinxi's eyes hazy and focused.

She was proactive, greedy, and urgent, as if she wanted to completely seize and fill herself with the sense of security she had lacked in the past, and all the warmth she had craved but could never obtain.

She gripped Ling Hao's hands tightly, as if confirming his existence. Every time the Spiritual Qi traversed her Meridians, she firmly absorbed Ling Hao's power to help herself reach a higher level.

Xia Yingying was on the side, her little face as red as a ripe fruit.

Today, she was only assisting, either wiping the sweat from Yue Xinxi's forehead or helping her correct incorrect cultivation movements.

She coordinated perfectly with Yue Xinxi's movements, using her gentleness to soothe the unease within Yue Xinxi's intensity.

Yue Xinxi was like a drowning person who had finally grasped the only piece of driftwood, clinging to it desperately, as if wanting to vent everything hidden in her heart.

The Spiritual Qi circulated through a small cycle, then a large cycle.

Once, twice, three times, again and again... until the last bit of strength and will was exhausted, until crystal tears seeped from the corners of her eyes in extreme trembling, only then did she fall into a deep sleep in profound exhaustion.

The cabin after cultivation was humid and warm.

Ling Hao turned to his side, his fingertips gently brushing away the sweat-dampened bangs from Yue Xinxi's forehead, revealing her smooth brow.

Even in her sleep, her brows were tightly furrowed, as if still troubled by an invisible burden. The sharp edges of her past were now left with only fragility and deep exhaustion.

"Boom!"

"Crackling!"

I don't know how much time had passed when another dense burst of fireworks exploded outside, the splendid light flickering in the room.

Yue Xinxi moved in Ling Hao's arms and slowly opened her eyes. She curled up, listening to the faint noise and celebration of the Mortal world coming from outside the window.

That sound seemed to trigger a sealed switch, and she suddenly said:

"When I was a child... I feared the New Year the most."

Ling Hao did not urge her, just pulled his arms tighter, giving her a reassuring reliance. Xia Yingying also snuggled over, her small hand gently holding Yue Xinxi's cold fingers.

Yue Xinxi's gaze was somewhat vacant, as if piercing through space and time, returning to the distant past.

" 'Calamity Star'... this title has followed me since I can remember."

Her voice was very light, as if telling someone else's story.

"They said that I was the one who cursed my mother to death during childbirth, that I caused my father to break his leg and never be able to do heavy work again, that I was the reason the cattle and sheep at home all died overnight. People in the village would dodge when they saw me, pointing fingers, calling me a 'Jinx', saying whoever touched me would have bad Luck."

"Especially during the New Year, almost every family would speak ill of me behind my back."

She paused, took a breath, and that darkest memory surged up.

"Until that year... a crack in the True Demon Realm opened not far from the village, and the erosion qi spread like black mist. My parents took my ten-year-old sister and hid in the cellar. Originally, that place... should have been safe."

Should have?

Ling Hao shook his head. The True Demon Realm and erosion qi—with both of these things together, how could there be any chance of survival?

Her voice began to tremble.

"But those in the village who hated me to the bone said that I was the one who brought the disaster! They... they dragged me out of my hiding place and drove me out of the village... saying that if I left, the disaster would leave too..."

Immense pain gripped her throat, making her almost suffocate.

"After I... after I left... the Demon Army of the True Demon Realm did indeed leave, but the Erosion Beast came..."

"The whole village was gone, they all died! They all died! They deserved to die!!!"

"But... my parents were gone too, killed by the Erosion Beast... My sister was also completely corroded by the erosion qi... She was only ten years old... She was most afraid of the dark... It was so dark in the cellar..."

Tears finally broke the dam; she choked, unable to continue, her body curling up and shaking violently, as if she had returned to that cold, desperate night.

"Sister Xinxie! It's not true! You are not a Calamity Star!"

Xia Yingying's eyes were red, and she suddenly pounced on her, using all her strength to hug Yue Xinxi tightly.

"You are the best person! You are the best sister!"

"Being with you, whenever I encountered any difficulties, it was Sister Xinxie who helped me."

"Without Sister Xinxie, I would never have met Revered Master!"

"This is the best proof!"

Ling Hao returned to his senses, his eyes flickering. He usually saw Yue Xinxi as quite proud and haughty, and he hadn't expected her to have such a past.

It made sense; with a Calamity Body, how could there not be problems in her past?

(Calamity Body: A life of many twists and turns, plagued by bad Luck, yet always able to find a glimmer of survival in desperate situations and turn danger into safety.)

Yue Xinxi hugged Xia Yingying back and smiled.

"I am also very lucky to have met you, Yingying."

"Before I met you, Yingying, I was actually a Disciple of the Yunyan Sect."

She pulled a bitter arc at the corner of her mouth.

"But what of it? When they heard of my reputation in the Mortal world, they blamed me when they failed their assessments. When a fellow Disciple lost the Spirit Medicine they had worked hard to gather, it was blamed on me; when someone suffered from Qi Deviation while cultivating, it was blamed on the bad Luck I brought. It seemed that as long as I was around, everything bad became my fault."

"Those whispers... the name-calling of 'Calamity Star'... were like shadows I couldn't shake off."

"And that intrigue... it was too tiring."

Yue Xinxi's voice was full of weariness and deep helplessness.

"Later... I ran away. I ran far away, to the Qing State in Cangwu. It happened to be the time of the True Demon invasion, and I ended up almost dying together with the Demon Lord at the Demon Subduing Plains..."

She raised her head, looking at Ling Hao with teary eyes, filled with self-loathing and fear.

"I told myself to stay away from everyone... the further, the better... that way... maybe I wouldn't hurt anyone else."

Ling Hao wiped away her tears and said softly.

"So, is this why you never thought about returning to Baiyan Province before?"

"Mm..."

"...I was afraid... I was afraid that this bad Luck I couldn't shake off... would not even let my parents and sister rest in peace after they died... I was afraid that if I approached their graves... I would bring disaster to them..."

Immense fear and guilt made her tremble again.

Ling Hao's large hand patted her back steadily and powerfully, transmitting silent support.

Yue Xinxi's violent sobbing subsided slightly, and she continued.

"Later, there was the meeting with Yingying, and then... you..."

A look of confusion flashed across Yue Xinxi's face.

"After meeting Yingying and you, it seems... that bad Luck hasn't been as severe. It was only... last time when I was training with Yingying, that I..."

Ling Hao smiled.

"Perhaps it is because my Luck is too strong? Suppressing your bad Luck?"

"Vain!"

Yue Xinxi made a gesture to punch Ling Hao in the chest.

However, this was also the reason she had always chosen to stay here.

In the Moonshadow Sect, she found that there was no such thing as bad Luck for her. Outside, as long as she stayed by his side, nothing would happen.

Ling Hao grabbed her hand, played with it carefully, and looked at her steadily.

"You are now a member of the Moonshadow Sect. The Moonshadow Sect is your root, your shield, and your sword."

"As for your bad Luck, don't worry, this is actually due to your Physique. And now..."

Ling Hao told her about her Awakening of the Calamity Body.

Yue Xinxi's body shook violently.

"Really?"

"Of course. When have I ever lied to you..."

"Hmph!"

Didn't he lie to her once when cultivating the Twin Soul Metamorphosis Scripture with Yingying last time?

Thinking of this, Yue Xinxi fiercely pushed Ling Hao down; she decided to punish him severely...

Wait! It was just her and Yingying, this seemed to be... a reward?

...

Outside the window, the night sky, which had been silent for a moment, was suddenly torn apart.

A new wave of more wild and intense fireworks exploded, gold, purple, indigo...

Countless beams of brilliant light were like the brush of a Heavenly God, splashing wantonly on the ink-jade-like night sky. This magnificent light instantly penetrated the giant porthole, sweeping the quiet inner chamber into a vortex of phantasmagoria.

Light and shadow flowed and flickered in the room. Every time the grand blooming outside occurred, it was like a strong light, instantly projecting figures clearly on the wall, and when the light dimmed the next time, only blurred...

... (Cannot describe... just enjoy the previous part... ( ಥ _ ಥ ))

The fireworks dispersed, and the moonlight spilled back in, gently shrouding everything.

...

Three days later, in a desolate mountain wilderness.

...

Happy New Year's Eve, Happy New Year!