“You two resemble each other greatly, but you’re more beautiful.” Zu An conceded that Shang Hongyu’s ‘healing method’ was very effective. The nearby water was as clear as glass, and he was in the company of two beautiful mermaids who gently stirred the water with their fins. It was a truly pleasant scene.
No man could have remained in low spirits under these two women’s ‘consolation’.
Shang Hongyu harrumphed. “Lies. I bet you’d say something different in front of that Xihe.”
Zu An took a sharp breath of air. Shang Liuyu had never done anything like this before, so her movements were still very rigid. Fortunately, her hands were very soft and beautiful, making it a different kind of experience. “Hongyu, you misunderstand me. Xihe was the Sun Goddess and the Celestial Empress. She was beautiful, but she was also fierce and domineering. She was nowhere as gentle and caring as you.”
“That’s more like it.” Shang Hongyu’s beautiful eyes twinkled with glee, but she quickly put on a stern look once more. “Even so, you just said that Xihe is my previous incarnation. Aren’t you saying bad things about my past self then? I feel like I ought to get angry.”
Zu An was speechless for a moment. He pulled her in and began punishing her with his hands. Shang Hongyu’s vibrant yet playful personality was extremely likable.
Shang Hongyu trembled as she pleaded for mercy. The two played around for a little while before Shang Hongyu suddenly turned to her little sister and asked, “Why are you so quiet? Aren’t you curious about your previous incarnation?”
Shang Liuyu rolled her eyes. Don’t you see what I’m doing? I’m not as thick-skinned as you, to be able to chat while doing such stuff.
Shang Hongyu laughed. She could see through her little sister’s thoughts, so she quickly reached out to help the latter. “That’s not the right way to do it. Come, let me teach you.”
Shang Liuyu’s face reddened further. It was even more embarrassing to have someone teach her something like that. She instinctively withdrew her hand, but Shang Hongyu anticipated her movement and firmly grabbed her hand.
“You need to do it like that. It won’t do to be so stiff...”
Shang Liuyu felt as if she was experiencing an entire lifetime’s worth of shame. Shang Hongyu is a lunatic! Why does she have to drag me down with her?!
Even so, thanks to Shang Hongyu’s guidance, she was being far bolder than she usually was. She couldn’t help but be astonished by her big sister’s teachings. I didn’t know there’s so much wisdom behind such things!
She also couldn’t help notice how small her hands were. To think that even mine and big sister’s hands combined wouldn’t be enough!𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
Shang Hongyu knew how shy her little sister was, so she asked on the latter’s behalf, “Ah Zu, tell us more about Liuyu’s previous incarnation.”
“You can say that she’s the founder of your Mermaid race...” As he reminisced about Gong Suyin, Zu An’s gaze turned gentle.
“I have always been curious as to why there were so few records about the Gong clan. Their lineage has always had few offspring too. That explains it,” Shang Liuyu finally spoke up.
“You’re usually such a philanderer. Shouldn’t you be more proactive about such stuff? It’s because of your inaction that the Gong clan’s main lineage’s bloodline wasn’t passed down.” Halfway through Shang Hongyu’s words, her face suddenly turned red. “No, it’s a good thing you didn’t have any offspring with her, or else the two of us could be your descendants. That would be a huge mess.”
Zu An was speechless. “What nonsense are you spouting? She was a Gong and you’re Shangs. How can you be blood-related?”
“That’s hard to say. Intermarriages often occur within our five major clans.” Shang Hongyu harrumphed. She looked relieved.
“What happened next?” Shang Liuyu was more interested in what had happened between Zu An and her previous incarnation than these details.
“Well...” Zu An sighed. “It ended im tragedy.”
He told them about how Gong Suyin had been cornered and eaten the immortal medicine, which resulted in her ascending to the Frost Palace and how she was trapped there for the rest of her life. The two of them had bade each other farewell and never met again.
By then, Shang Hongyu was already sobbing. “Ahh, that Miss Gong is too pitiful! How can you seduce her and not take responsibility? You’re terrible!”
Zu An didn’t explain himself. Despite being limited by his circumstances, the fact that he had failed to find Gong Suyin was the truth.
Shang Liuyu shook her head. “I disagree. Your feelings with Miss Gong were mutual, and the two of you were lawfully married as well. She loved you even when you were forced to part ways, and she was holding hope in her heart for an eventual reunion. I think the worst thing that can happen to a person is to lose all hope. I think she was only able to hold on because of the hope you gave her.”
Zu An sighed. “Even hope can't stand the test of time. She waited far too long for me, but I never showed up. I can’t imagine how deep her despair must have been.”
Shang Hongyu shook her head. “She might have thought that your feelings for her had changed and harbored a grudge against you for that.”
Shang Liuyu glanced at her big sister. She’s using this chance to unravel the knots in Ah Zu’s heart for good. She played along with Shang Hongyu and continued, “Two people truly in love wouldn’t blame each other. I have never met Miss Gong before, but she sounds like a wise and sentimental woman. I don’t think her love for you would change even if she felt that you would never meet again.”
Seeing someone with the Mermaid Queen’s face say such words shook Zu An’s heart. He felt as if he was meeting the Mermaid Queen once more, and the latter was sharing her countless years of sentiment. Unable to take it anymore, he pulled her into his embrace. At that moment, the Mermaid Queen and Shang Liuyu overlapped for him.
Shang Liuyu gently hugged him back without saying a word.
Only Shang Hongyu was left feeling frustrated. She had to do it alone after Shang Liuyu abruptly retracted her hand. What am I doing here while they're enjoying their pure romance?
“Hey, don’t you think my previous incarnation is pitiful too? She was also alone for tens of thousands of years.”
Zu An burst into laughter and gently embraced her too.
This scene would have felt heartwarming to both sisters... if not for a certain pole pressing against them.
“Ah! Now that I think about it, Liuyu, could your recent dreams be related to that Gong Suyin?” In the end, Shang Hongyu still couldn’t bear to give up halfway through and leave Little An like that.
Shang Liuyu hesitated. She didn’t think it was right to let Shang Hongyu do all the work, so she went back to helping her. “I’m not sure either, but my recent dreams did leave me feeling alone and melancholic. But is it possible to retain past memories after reincarnation?”
Zu An shook his head. “It shouldn’t be possible under normal circumstances. Granny Meng’s soup washes away past memories.”
A thought suddenly struck him. Hold on, I'm the the Necropolis Emperor. I could have made an exception for her. I thought of reuniting with the Mermaid Queen at the Frost Palace, but if she reincarnated, she would have passed through the Netherworld and the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
Shang Liuyu spoke up, “Ah Zu, you need not be so depressed. You might have failed to meet Miss Gong thus far, but it doesn’t mean you’ll never meet her again. You've returned to the past once; I’m sure you can do it again once you find a way to do so.”